CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: OF SLOW DANCES, CLOSED DOORS, AND THE GIRL WHO CALLED HIM SAFE
BIANCHI'S POV
Freshman Year – Acquaintance Ball
He's always been that boy.
Never the soft, boy-next-door type.
No empty flirting.
No slip-ups or sweet nothings.
He was never clingy. Never needy.
He was just... composed. Controlled. Consistent.
Dylan.
President even before we started calling him that. The type of guy who always had a pen—even when no one needed one. The kind with extra handouts in his bag even if he wasn't the one assigned. Always prepared. Always polished. Always... distant.
Girls liked him.
Teachers trusted him.
And me?
I told myself I didn't like him.
Too quiet.
Too perfect.
Too safe.
But that night—our first acquaintance ball—I let him hold my hand.
I let him lead me to the center of the dance floor.
He looked so calm.
Like he belonged there.
And me?
I was used to being the spotlight.
But that night... he made me feel like I was the only person in the room.
Mid-dance, he leaned in.
Just a little.
And whispered—
"I like you, Bianchi."
No fanfare.
No big moment.
Just... a quiet kind of truth.
I blinked.
Then I smiled. The kind of smile my mother taught me to give when it was time to exit gracefully.
"You're really sweet."
"But you're not the kind of danger I fall for."
I saw it—
The light in his eyes—dim.
Not broken.
Not hurt beyond repair.
Just... like a door slowly closing.
"You make me feel safe," I added. "And that scares me."
He didn't argue.
Didn't beg.
Didn't ask, "why?"
He just nodded once.
And said—
"I would've chosen you anyway. Even if you burned everything down."
Then the music ended.
And he walked away.
No second glance.
No drama.
Just... gone.
After that night, Dylan stayed Dylan.
But the quiet warmth in him? Gone.
The soft edges? Turned sharp.
The quiet? Became cold.
He became the Ice President.
Top of the class.
Always perfect.
Emotionally... untouchable.
And me?
I told myself that was how he was supposed to be.
That cold looked better on him anyway.
Even if I knew there was once a little warmth there.
And even if, once, it was real.
Present Day – Acquaintance Ball
Five years later.
Same ballroom. Same chandeliers.
Same pressure to smile like your whole life is spotless.
YOU ARE READING
STRINGS BETWEEN US
Teen Fiction"A slow-burn teen romance threaded with secrets, rivalries, and a dangerous past neither of them remembers-until it comes for them." ✧ STRINGS BETWEEN US ✧ She left her crown behind. He ruled with silence. But some strings pull-no matter how far you...
