Roan’s POV. - now
“What do you think the first dance is going to be?” Caden broke the silence between us.
We sat together at the table during Tim and Brianna’s wedding, sipping on some coffee after all the food had come and gone.
It was almost awkward to sit with people I used to know from high school. Both Caden and I did the obligatory chat with everyone at our table, reconciling with these people after years of no contact. So we asked them questions and answered theirs. About work or where we lived or what we did in life.
Only one of them dared to ask us if we were together since we arrived together. Caden and I both pressed our lips together and then shook our heads no.
I had felt the curious gazes on us when we walked in together. Caden held a hand on my lower back as we arrived, guiding me to a high table and handing me a glass of champagne after taking one for himself as well.
Most people we used to be friends with knew what had gone down between us. We used to be inseparable before never appearing somewhere together again. The parties he went to, I skipped and the other way around. We actively ignored one another, or at least I did. Whenever I knew he was around, I stayed home.
Caden and I then sat together through dinner, not really saying much. Apparently, he didn’t know how to talk to me. His confession made my stomach drop. I supposed for the past few weeks, I tried to pretend the past six years didn’t happen.
That I didn’t cry myself to sleep most nights in an attempt to mend my broken heart. Not only did I lose my best friend, I also lost my coping mechanism and I got my heart cracked in half, romantically.
It felt almost like all the trauma in the past few years caught up to me the moment Caden left. Of course things happened and I had attempted to work through them, but I never fully did because Caden always took part of the blow for me.
I relied on him. And with his absence, I took it all myself. It caught up with me.
I glanced at him as Caden took a sip of his coffee. He looked incredible. He wore a white button-up shirt and had discarded the suit jacket throughout the evening. It clung around his biceps and I could faintly see tattoos through the fabric. The top two buttons were undone and he wore muted dark brown slacks with it, making him look overall just cozy and comfortable.
Caden’s hair was swept back a bit from continuously running his fingers through it and he wore a simple bracelet and two rings on his fingers.
“I don’t know.” I eventually responded, “I’m thinking…” My lips curled up into a small smile and I shook my head, “No, never mind.”
“What?” Caden chuckled, “Tell me.”
“No, it’s gonna sound mean.”
He scooted his chair a little closer to me and I shuddered involuntarily when his breath hit my shoulder, “No, it won’t, c’mon. No one can hear you, ‘s just me.”
I hadn’t kept track of the amount of glasses of wine he had drank tonight, but it was significantly more than I did. His lips were stained a berry pink and I stiffened a little from his proximity. Caden used to always be so close to me. And no matter how hard I tried to pretend like everything was the same as it used to be, even my body somehow knew it wasn’t.
My body was on high alert when he was this close, because to my skin, he was a stranger. My body didn’t know him.
“Okay, so…” I exhaled, focussing on my half-empty coffee cup, “I actually think it’s going to be something super cheesy. And I’m sure that at every other wedding, I’d cringe. But of course, for Tim and Brianna, it’s gonna have some significant meaning which is why it’ll actually be sweet rather than cringe.” I explained.
“See? That’s not mean.” Caden smiled. I turned my head, finding him so close to me that I could see the various shades in his eyes. I rolled my lips inside of my mouth and turned away again, “Yeah.” I shrugged simply.
God, maybe he was right. Maybe we both didn’t know how to behave around one another. My heart was beating so fast when he was this close to me.
I supposed it always felt strange to be so close to someone while not really knowing them all that well. I calmed myself with the idea that I’d behave like this with anyone but deep down, I knew I didn’t.
But it was stupid. I couldn’t fuck this up again. I couldn’t make a move on him to see if there was anything there. I tried that before, and it completely backfired. And besides, those feelings were shelved. Getting my heart broken by Caden once, was more than enough. He could be a friend, but he’d never be more. It just wasn’t meant to be for us.
At one point he had feelings for me, and at another point I had feelings for him. Timing hadn’t been on our side and we both never spoke about it. And maybe it was for the best.
“I agree, though.” Caden interrupted my thoughts as he finished his coffee and reached for his glass of wine again, “Jesus, it’s warm in here. And we haven’t even danced yet.”
I also fanned myself a bit and Caden cleared his throat, “You wanna go for a smoke?”
“Really?” I turned my head with raised brows. Caden had a slightly drunken look in his eyes as he nodded, “Yeah. Or do you not smoke anymore?”
“Uh - sometimes.” I softly shrugged, “Yeah, sometimes. But okay, yeah, let’s go.” I scraped my chair back and Caden looked at me, “Are you sure? You don’t have to.”
“No, I’m sure.” I smiled in reassurance. Eyes followed our every move as both Caden and I headed outside. The venue had a beautiful outdoor seating area which wasn’t really being used due to the colder weather and the late hour. It was deserted as Caden and I took a seat in the lounge and he took a packet of cigarettes out of the pocket of his suit jacket that he brought with him.
“Cold?” He questioned. I shuddered slightly from the temperature change and before I could protest, Caden draped the suit jacket over my shoulder. I felt the warmth radiating from the fabric and exhaled a breath, “You don’t have to.” I murmured, “Aren’t you cold?”
“Not at all. Sweating up a storm.” He chuckled before offering me a cigarette, “Want one or share one?”
“Share.” I softly spoke. Caden blinked once and then nodded, “Yeah, okay.” He rasped.
I tucked my legs up a little, scooting a little closer to him until our thighs touched and my eyes were locked on the people inside, seeing them through the large glass doors. The smell of smoke lingered around us and Caden took a few drags before handing me the cigarette.
“Do you also feel like…” I started, taking a drag, “like people are watching us?”
He chuckled, “Yeah, totally. I mean, I guess people are curious as to why we’re here together.”
“Mhm.” I nodded, “I supposed a lot of people could tell something… changed when we didn’t hang out together anymore.”
Caden didn’t respond and I glanced to my side to find him with his eyes casted down, nibbling the inside of his cheek in thought. I could tell there were questions he wanted to ask. There were also questions I - deep down - wanted to ask. But it appeared that we both sort of avoided the topic for now.
“Here.” I whispered, passing him back the cigarette to snap him out of his thoughts. He smiled softly and took it from between my fingers again. I watched him smoke. My arms crossed over my pulled-up knees and my head leaning sideways on it, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
I wasn’t sure if Caden felt me staring, but if he did, he didn’t mention it.
“Hey, uh - by the way.” Caden softly coughed, “I don’t mean to pry, but how did it go last weekend?”
My stomach turned, immediately realizing what he was hinting at. Caden mistook my silence for confusion and he flicked his eyes to me, “When you left the coffee house to go see your dad.”
“Yeah.” I mumbled, leaning my chin on my hands now to stare ahead of me, “I… I actually followed your advice.” I breathed, “I-I told him off.”
I didn’t have to look at Caden to see the look of surprise on his face, “No way.” He mumbled, “Shit, really? Holy shit.” His cursing didn’t make me smile and I swallowed before nodding, “Mhm.”
“And how did it feel? What did he say? Or what did you say?”
I took a breath, “I - uh… I don’t wanna talk about it too much. And it felt…” I paused before swallowing, “I feel different.” I simply shrugged, “Not necessarily better or worse. Just… different.”
“You could’ve called me.” Caden murmured, “I mean, if you wanted to talk.”
“Yeah.” I breathed, “But, you know, I handled it. I took some time to myself, spoke to Cindy a bit and that was that.” My words sounded short, and I knew that I said it like that almost to prove to Caden that I was fine. That I was fine without him. That I could handle whatever life threw at me on my own. I had learned how to be on my own. I had learned how to be fine without him.
Caden was silent for a minute before he nodded, passing me back the cigarette, “That’s good. But you know you can call me, right?”
“Caden.” I breathed, tensing a bit as I turned my head to look at him. The look in his eyes made me soften immediately and our shoulders touched as we sat side by side. I blew out a puff of smoke and killed the cigarette before taking off the jacket he gave me and softly placing it down on his lap.
The cold air hit my exposed arms and I pressed my lips together, “I-I mean this in the nicest way possible, but… I don’t need you.”
His gaze flicked between my eyes, and my heart slammed in my chest as silence took over once more. I hadn’t expected him to smile. But he did. The corners of Caden’s lips curled up into a small smile, exposing his pearly white teeth and making the one dimple appear in his left cheek, “I know.” He whispered.
My shoulders dropped a bit in relief at his reaction and Caden took a deep breath, exhaling it in a sigh, “I know, Ro.” The nickname made my legs jitter and he nodded, “I know you don’t need me. Not like that. I haven’t been there for six years and you’ve been doing wonderfully. I know you don’t need me.” He emphasized. I frowned slightly, almost feeling the need to question him about it but Caden didn’t allow me, “And I’m very proud of you for that.”
A breath was stuck in my throat and I felt like my body slumped a little bit. My eyes felt watery all of a sudden and I attempted to swallow to soothe the dryness in my throat, “R-Really?” I whispered. I wasn’t sure why I needed more validation, or why I questioned his sincerity.
“Yeah.” Caden cooed, “Really.”
He hesitated, lifting one hand. His fingertips were gentle as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He thought I was shivering from the cold, but I shivered from the touch. Our knees bumped together as we were both turned towards one another a little bit. My arms were crossed over my legs again, keeping myself together - literally.
The tip of his index finger gently stroked my eyebrow, the gentlest of touches and I exhaled, leaning into his hand. Caden felt me relaxing, his fingers stroking my cheekbone before he cupped my jaw. His hand felt large and warm and I kept my eyes closed for the sole reason that I couldn’t handle looking into his eyes right now.
Caden hesitated, but finally slipped an arm around my shoulders to pull me into his chest. He sighed out shakily, “Fuck, I missed you.” He whispered.
I didn’t necessarily hug him back but I didn’t pull away either. My eyes stayed shut as Caden’s arms encaged me and warmed me. He smelled the same, he felt the same. If I kept my eyes closed like this, I could pretend we were twenty-one again and he was keeping me warm on a night out.
His breath hit the side of my neck as we hugged, rocking back and forth a little bit. My eyes opened in shock though when I felt his nose running along the side of my neck, making goosebumps rise over my skin. His nose bumped into the lobe of my ear and then progressed its journey down my jaw until I pulled back sharply, just hearing the smack of Caden’s lips which were apparently meant to land somewhere on my skin.
I stared at him in shock, and he kept his eyes low in something between shame and drunkenness.
Did he want to kiss me?
My lips opened to say something but I closed them again, the silence taking over. Caden sighed out as he turned forward again, away from me, “We should head back inside.” He mumbled, losing his footing just a bit as he got up.
“Caden,” I breathed but he shook his head, “No, it was stupid, I’m sorry. I-I meant to just kiss your cheek, I promise.” He turned to face me finally, his cheeks pink and his eyes apologetic. He swallowed, softly shrugging, “I used to do it all the time, I-I guess it’s just a habit.” He excused. I exhaled a breath and dropped my shoulders, nodding, “Okay.” It wasn’t okay. But I didn’t know how to talk to him about this.
“I-I know I can’t just… do that anymore. Touch you like that. It’s different now.” He repeated for about the millionth time and I rolled my lips inside my mouth as I also got up, forcing him a small smile which he returned and then both of us headed back inside the warm venue.
Caden excused himself for a bit and I went on the search for Brianna. She stood out in her white gown and squealed with open arms as I approached her.
“Hi.” I smiled, “Oh my god, this day is amazing.” I complimented.
“Really?” Brianna seemed nervous, “Are you having fun? How was the food?”
“Delicious.” I smiled, “How are you doing? Are you enjoying yourself?”
Brianna chuckled, “I feel like I blinked and the entire day has passed. It’s all happening so fast.”
“I can imagine.” I crouched down a bit to talk to her and Brianna shifted a bit in her seat, “Hey, would you be willing to help me out of this dress? There’s like a layer I can take off for the dancing, which makes it so much easier and lightweight.”
I laughed at her words and nodded, “Sure. Do you want me to get your bridesmaids?”
“Nah, I’ll let them off the hook for this one.” She smiled. I helped her up and then me and Brianna both headed into the back of the venue, where the hotel area was. The bridal suite was on the ground floor and Brianna fanned herself as we entered.
“Okay, do I just untie this?” I questioned, standing behind her and looking at the multitude of ribbons and buttons there.
“Yep.” Brianna took a sip of champagne, “My back is killing me, this dress is so heavy.”
I bit my lip in concentration as I undid some of the buttons, feeling part of the fabric coming loose. Brianna lifted her arms a bit, allowing me to step around and stand in front of her as I undid a layer of her white gown.
“Oh, that feels so much better.” Brianna sighed, “Like I can breathe again, thank fucking god.”
I giggled as I placed the piece of the dress on the couch and Brianna sat down on the bed with the glass of champagne in her hand, “Thank you so much. I-I feel like I needed to get away from it all for a second.”
“There’s so many people here.” I smiled, “And your family is huge.”
She chuckled, “Mhm. Got so many nephews and nieces. And how about you? Are you having fun? With… with Caden?”
I bit my lip as my smile faltered, shrugging my shoulders, “I’m… I don’t know. But you know, it’s not about that, today’s all about you.”
“No, please, distract me from the thought that I have to dance in front of all these people in a few minutes.” Brianna shook her head, “Please.”
I turned my head a bit and rubbed my fingers over my forehead, “I-I just… I don’t know.” I mumbled, “It’s like we don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. It’s just so awkward sometimes.”
“Everything’s changed, hasn’t it?” Brianna spoke, holding her flute in her hand as I paced back and forth in front of her. I shook my head and chuckled, “You sound just like Caden.”
“Well - isn’t he right?” She carefully asked, “It’s been six years. You were twenty-one and now you’re twenty-seven. Life is different. Nothing’s the same.”
I stopped and turned to face her, “Except that it is.” I tried to sound stern but my voice trembled and my eyes stung from the tears I was holding back all of a sudden, “Everything is the same, isn’t it? I-I’m still getting fucked over by every guy I meet. Caden’s still got someone, who also isn’t really someone, but she’s still there. And I’m still here with all these… feelings while he’s got someone else. I’m still looking at him and wondering how I could’ve been such an idiot for all this time while he’s… well, he’s not.” The words sounded hard and a tear slipped from my eye as I continued pacing, dropping my gaze, “It’s like I’m right where he left me. I’m back to being that… stupid young girl who put all her eggs into one basket – his basket. And he dropped it.”
Brianna didn’t say anything and I sniffed, wrapping my arms around myself as I continued walking the same three steps back and forth, “It’s like these past six years never even happened. It’s like I’m still in that stupid park where h-he…” I swallowed, unable to even repeat the words Caden said to me that day. It felt like a lifetime ago while also feeling like it happened yesterday.
Because no matter how hard I tried to forget, I couldn’t. Not only the message he spoke, but the way he looked. The way he sounded. How hurt and angry he was. It came back to me in vivid memories whereas I couldn’t remember what I had for dinner two days ago.
I looked back at Brianna who shot me a sympathetic look and I slowly shook my head, “It’s like I take one look at him and…” My voice died down and Brianna took a small breath, “Do you still love him?”
“I’ll always love him.” I shrugged, “He’s the love of my life and I fucking hate it.”
Silence fell between us as I spoke out my truth, and my cheeks flamed up in realization of what I just said. I closed my eyes and swallowed thickly as Brianna took a breath, “Love can have many layers.” She softly spoke, “A-And trust me, both Tim and I know better than to ever meddle ever again.” She had a bit of a snide tone and I knew it was directed at Tim, who stirred something between Harry and I and planted a seed in my brain. Obviously it wasn’t his fault, the way things happened. That had been all me. But Brianna and Tim still felt partly responsible for the way me and Caden stopped being friends.
“But just so you know, it’s a good thing to change and it’s also a good thing to be the same. I think you’re finding a balance in that. He knew you six years ago. Part of you is still that person but part of you isn’t. And… isn’t it a fun thing to get to know each other again?”
“Maybe.” I murmured and Brianna softly smiled, “I think it could be. I think it could be nice. There’s no need in trying to attempt to wipe out the past six years, or to pretend that nothing has changed. There’s also no need to feel like you’re standing in front of a stranger. You and Caden have always known each other and you will always know each other, that I’m sure of. I think it’s very normal that you’re both struggling a bit.”
I leaned back against the dresser, “I-I felt like he was trying to kiss me. Outside.” I mumbled.
Brianna pressed her lips together, “I’m sure he’s just as confused as you are. There were feelings and then there weren’t, and maybe they will always be there in some form or way. It’s finding a new balance again. It doesn’t just all come back like that.” She snapped her fingers to make her point.
I lowered my gaze and Brianna caught on, “...Or maybe you don’t want it to all come back?”
I breathed out a chuckle and nibbled my lip, “I mean… the lines were very blurred. I could only see it once I took some distance, but… Caden and I didn’t behave like we were friends. We behaved like a couple. We constantly crossed lines yet ignored it. We flirted all the time.” I listed, “It’d be too confusing if we ever got to that point again. And too disrespectful to the people we’re dating.”
Brianna smiled softly and then nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. I mean, even for us it was sometimes hard to believe you two were never more than friends with the way you behaved towards one another. You looked like a couple.”
A silence fell between us and I exhaled, “I’m sorry for bothering you with this.”
“Don’t worry.” Brianna immediately shook her head, “I asked. And I can definitely understand how confused you are. I-I think you just have to try to not put too much pressure on it. You’ll see how it goes, won’t you? Take your time to get to know each other again.”
“Yeah.” I breathed, but I was only listening with half an ear. My brain spun and my heart hammered, thinking I’d have to spend the remainder of the night with Caden. Part of me wanted to, and part of me didn’t. I wanted to stay in that hug yet also wanted to run away and get home to my own bed. Without him.
I felt torn. I wondered if we continued spending time together, if it’d always feel like this. If my chest would continue to hurt. Being around him felt healing yet heartbreaking. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue doing it like this. If I could ever be fine with it.
Brianna noticed the vacant look in my eye but didn’t comment on it. I helped her up and we left the bridal suite again to get her to the dancefloor for her first dance.
Caden seemed to be looking for me, immediately glued to my side as everyone gathered in a circle to watch their first dance.
“Something cheesy, you said, right?” He softly asked, standing behind me a bit. I tilted my head to the side, my shoulder brushing into his chest, “Mhm.” I stiffly smiled.
“We’ll see.” He sounded teasing and I shakily exhaled, clutching my glass of wine as the music started. I wanted to internally groan when You’ll be in my heart by Phil Collins started playing. Caden chuckled from behind me, “Yeah, okay, that’s cheesy.”
“But how can you be annoyed with them.” I pouted almost, looking at Tim and Brianna, who were so obviously in love, “They look adorable.”
“They do.” Caden agreed.
We watched the dance in silence, and I softly smiled when I heard Caden humming along to the tune behind me. Everyone clapped and cheered afterwards and the official party was rung in from that point on.
The lights dimmed and the deejay took his place as the music grew louder and the bar opened.
“You want a drink?” Caden leaned into me, speaking directly in my ear. My cheeks flushed from the proximity and I wondered if I was ever going to get my heartrate under control when he was that close to me. I offered him a stiff smile, “Maybe one beer before I switch to non-alcohol.”
Caden nodded, “Offer still stands, you know?” His words slurred a bit, “You can spend the night.”
I chuckled and shook my head, “I’m fine.”
“I won’t try anything, promise.” He added and I blinked at him as my face blanked a bit, “Wh- oh. Yeah, no, that’s not what I meant.” I stuttered. Caden shot me a small smile and then turned around to grab our drinks.
My hands felt sweaty as I awkwardly shifted on my footing a little bit, waiting for him to return and simultaneously wondering what I should do.
I couldn’t even tell if I felt good or not. Being around Caden was so overwhelming. He was so much. He meant so much to me. And being this close to him was so painful yet also so nice. It brought back many memories and it broke my heart to realize how much time we lost.
“Here you go.” Caden snapped me out of my thoughts, “Bottle is fine, I guess?”
I smiled, “Yeah, thanks.”
Caden brought the beer to his lips and took a few enthusiastic sips while I kept it to the one small sip for now. His adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow and he finished half the bottle in one go before licking the leftover moisture from his bottom lip, “Fuck, I’m thirsty.”
“Easy.” I chuckled, “I’m not going to drag you up to your room or attempt to wash the puke stains out of your shirt.”
He threw his head back in a laugh. I didn’t mean to reference a real-life event but my lips also curled up at the exact memory of Caden being shirtless in the restrooms of one of the clubs as I attempted to wash a stain out of his white button-up one night. Which deemed hard as I was just as drunk as he had been.
“Do you wanna dance?” He checked.
I glanced at the dance floor and pressed my lips together, slowly nodding, “I guess.”
“You know how to dance, do you?” Caden smirked, taking a hold of my hand without a second thought to guide me to the dancefloor. I blushed from the contact and narrowed my eyes, “You’ve seen me dance.”
He rolled his eyes and I could spot the hazy look in his eyes, signaling how intoxicated he was, “I don’t mean swaying your hips, I mean really dance.”
I puckered my lips, “I actually dated a professional dancer for a bit.” I spoke. Caden’s face fell and he swallowed, “You did?”
“Yeah, for like a few weeks.” I shrugged, “He taught me a thing or two.”
Caden bit his lip and nodded, “Right.”
It was silent between us as we reached the dancefloor and we both moved to the beat a bit, avoiding eye contact. I felt tense, taking mindless little sips of beer with no other purpose than to keep myself busy.
“Can I ask you something?” Caden spoke, leaned into me a little bit. I raised my brows and nodded, “Of course.”
Caden casted his eyes down, nibbling his lip. Before he asked the question burning on his tongue, he finished up his beer. I wasn’t sure if he was drinking out of nervosity, but it appeared to be that way.
“Have you been with many people in the past six years?”
His question nearly made me spit out my beer and Caden frowned at my reaction, “Oh, no, not like that.” He added before taking a sharp breath, “I meant relationship-wise. You mentioned the professional dancer guy.”
I used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth, cheeks pink as I heard his words. I cleared my throat, “Right. Uh - no, not many. Like… five. None lasted longer than a few months, it never really got serious.”
Caden nodded at the information, “You never like… lived with any of them?”
“No.” I shook my head, “They actually… well - all of them turned out to be assholes. I haven’t really been able to catch a break, if I’m honest.”
He frowned, “Really?”
“Mhm.” I took another sip of beer and avoided his eyes, “Actually,” I chuckled even if it wasn’t funny, “all of them cheated.”
Caden huffed, “Fuck, you’re kidding me, right?”
“Nope. I was the side-piece a few times without realizing it.”
“Jesus christ.” He mumbled, “Shit, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I shrugged even if it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine at all. Every single guy I started trusting in the past years, betrayed that trust. Some of them were secretly married and lied to me about it, others just never liked me enough to settle down.
Caden opened his mouth and part of me wanted to prevent him from asking more, so I took a breath, “How about you?”
His lips closed again before he casted his eyes down, “Yeah - same. I mean, also nothing really all that serious. Nothing longer than a few months.”
I just nodded, unsure of what more to ask him. Part of me also didn’t want to know. Caden was charming and quite a romantic guy. It felt almost strange to me to know he hadn’t been in a serious relationship in all these years.
Of course, both of us brought a fair amount of baggage into a relationship. I was sure certain partners couldn’t handle that.
“I’m gonna go get another beer.” Caden turned around to leave and I exhaled shakily as I danced by myself a little bit. By the time he returned, a slow song was playing and people around us paired up for a dance.
Caden’s lip tugged up in a smile, “Time to show me some of those moves, Ro.”
The nickname fell off his lips so easily and I chuckled as he took the beer from my hand to put it on a nearby table and then opened his arms, “C’mon.”
I felt magnetized to him as I walked into his arms, my hand placed on his chest. He smiled down at me while his arm slipped around my waist, holding me securely while holding my other hand in his free one.
Watching every motion in my foolish lover’s game
On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame
I chuckled as we danced, knees bumping together a bit. Caden felt warm and he smelled like himself. My chest felt tight as our bodies were flush together and his palm splayed over my back to keep me close.
Turning and returning to some secret place inside
Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say
Caden brushed his nose over my hairline, “Take my breath away.” He softly sang. I leaned into him more, resting my cheek on his chest as we almost hugged. I hardly realized he laced our fingers together, slowly dancing back and forth. My forehead pressed into his neck and my eyes fluttered, lashes tickling his skin. Caden gave my waist a squeeze and I tightened my arm around his shoulders.
My love, take my breath away.
We didn’t part immediately when the song ended, and when it turned into an upbeat dance number, Caden smirked.
His hips wiggled, “I’ve got chiiiiiiiiiills, they’re multiplying!” He sang. I threw my head back as he held my hands and spun me around. I squealed in surprise, my dress flying around as strands of my hair fell loose from my clip.
I giggled as the room spun around me and I relied on Caden to not drop me. My eyes pinched shut as I smiled widely, feeling his hands on me as he guided me through some sort of dance.
“Caden!” I yelped in a laugh when he lost contact and I flung somewhere.
His arm quickly wrapped around my waist and he harshly pulled me back in his chest, both of us out of breath and stumbling back a little, “Don’t worry.” He grinned, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Not letting go, promise.”
//
:')))))))