Chapter 9 - Runaway Cinderella

As we make our way to the dance floor I notice people staring at us. I know they can’t recognise me, most of them don’t pay me the slightest attention when I’m not wearing a mask, but still, I’m afraid they may recognise me even if I can’t do it myself. I can see my stepsisters staring at us, each one with a guy. I don’t know who they are, but I feel sorry for them. I also see my stepmother, but she’s not looking in our direction.

Being so exposed on the dance floor scares me, but at the same time it thrills me, it fills my body with adrenaline at the possibility of being caught. I hope it doesn’t happen, though.

This mystery guy keeps leading me to the middle of the dance floor, right below the mirror ball and I chuckle at the cliché of his choice, but he doesn’t realise. He turns around and looks at me without losing the smile before he pulls me closer and starts to move with me a the rhythm of the music.

Here’s the thing: I’m not a ballerina. I can dance, but I don’t have the grace of a princess. The people who were staring at us before dismiss us because we’re just a regular couple now, dancing awkwardly at the rhythm of a pop song. He’s not bad, but he’s not great either so I don’t feel that bad.

I may have a life creepily similar to Cinderella’s, but I certainly am not princess material. At least not like in the Disney movies.

I look at the mystery guy’s eyes, smiling a wee bit as I think of this whole scene. It would be funny if this ball was held in his name and he were the prince, but it’s not. This ball is not in name of anyone anymore, it used to be for me.

The guy in front of me is not a prince in this context, maybe he can be considered royalty because he’s a celebrity —I think— but he’s not the most important celebrity in this place.

“You have a lovely smile,” he says talking into my ear, as the song is really loud. Plus, this gives him an excuse to be closer. I know the move and it makes me smile. This guy is full of clichés. “Are you a guest here?” He asks next and I pull back to look him in the eyes.

No one can know I’m an employee here, but I don’t like to lie by saying I’m a celebrity when I’m not.  “I can’t tell you,” I say loudly and he raises one eyebrow in surprise.

“Why not?” He inquires again, his hand on my waist moving to the small of my back. “Is it a secret? You’d have to kill me if you tell me?” He ventures and I giggle.

“Pretty much,” I agree and he laughs now.

“Okay, I’ll accept that, Mystery Girl.” I smile because that’s how I’ve been calling him in my mind all this time. “And you don’t want to know who I am or do you already know?”

“I don’t,” I say and he waits. “And I don’t care who you are tonight.”

I know he tries to figure out what my words mean, and whether he should take them as an offence or as something else. When he smiles I know he doesn’t take them as the first and I smile as well.

“That’s refreshing,” he says pulling me closer to his body, his hands tightly on my back, forbidding me to pull back as we keep dancing.

The fact that he says that tells me he is a celebrity as they are always struggling with people just wanting to be near them because they are celebrities. If he knew that knowing he’s a celebrity will only push me farther…

We keep dancing and don’t say much, but I am having fun. Especially when he starts to teach me random moves. I crack up laughing all the time and I’m impressed that I’ve even forgotten about all the other couples dancing around us. I don’t know where Liv and Charlie are and I don’t even know what time is it, but I do notice that when the DJ changes the song and a slow one starts to play around us. He stops and looks me intently in the eyes before he smiles and places his hands on my waist. I subconsciously surround his neck with my arms. He is a few inches taller than me, so I have to look up just to keep the eye contact. He is smiling sweetly at me and I feel my heart racing, it has nothing to do with all the time we spent dancing like crazy. This is completely different and it has never happened to me before. I feel all shy and small and this is so weird for me.

The song is Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran, I know this because I really love this song and this time I feel it in my bones, making me feel all funny inside. Plus, his eyes on me with such intensity are making me feel very self-conscious.

“Have I seen you before?” He asks and we’re so close that he doesn’t need to whisper in my ear.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly, because I can’t really recognise him.

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?” He really looks puzzled with this and as weird as it is, I also feel like I’ve seen him before, but that’s not weird. I work here, it’s normal I see all the guests here.

“I don’t know,” I repeat and he sighs, putting his forehead against mine, and my heart does this backflip in my chest at our proximity.

I don’t say anything else and he doesn’t either, we just stare into each other eyes as we keep slowly moving at the same pace, his hands keeping me close, mine playing with his hair at the back of his neck, disarranging it.

I’m so conscious of how close we are, how our noses are brushing against each other, how I can feel his breathing tickling in my lips. My chest rises and falls quickly and I don’t know what I’m waiting for as Ed Sheeran keeps singing Kiss me like you wanna be loved, you wanna be loved.

How do I wanna be loved?

How does he wanna be loved?

But I find out pretty soon because his lips collide against mine, surprising me. My eyes are wide open in shock and I don’t do anything for a second, too impressed to react, but then the warmth of his lips gets to me and I feel how my body melts inside. I close my eyes and kiss him back because that seems like the only thing to do.

My heart races and I feel like the world is turning around me, but I can’t pull back. Nothing matters, nothing at all, just this moment, just this kiss. Just the way his lips feel moving in sync with mine, just how his arms keep me tightly against his body, just how I hold on to him for dear life.

The kiss grows in passion and a little voice at the back of my mind tells me that this is wrong, that I should pull back but I can’t. For all what matters in this life, I can’t. It’s not an exaggeration when I say I get lost in the kiss.

I’ve had a few kisses before and a kind of boyfriend —it didn’t last—, and I never felt like this before. I’ve never felt like all my body came to life with just one kiss. I don’t know who he is, and I don’t know if that’s why this is so exciting, but this has to be the best kiss of my life and I don't know if I’ll ever have something like this again.

The bell that indicates midnight rings, above the music and all the hullabaloo and it reaches me this time, freezing my body. With each bong waves of realisation hit me. I’m kissing a stranger. I’m kissing a boy who just kind of broke up with his girlfriend and who most likely will go back to her. But worst of all, I’m kissing a celebrity, the very thing I’ve sworn to hate just because they are what make Rhonda happy. I’m doing what Rhonda wants her daughters to do. I’m snogging with some famous guy who I don’t even know.

What’s wrong with me?

Horrified for what I’ve done, for how I lost it, I break the embrace and the kiss, my eyes wide open. He’s no only a celebrity… he’s got a girlfriend. Kind of. I can’t do this. This is so wrong in so many levels I can’t even begin to name them.

No!

“What’s wrong?” He asks, his voice hoarse and I notice how he leans in again, trying to kiss me one more time.

“This,” I state flatly, my eyes still wide open in shock for what I’ve done. “All this is wrong,” I say waving my hands between us, pulling farther away from him. “I can’t do this.”

“Why? No, don’t say that. It can’t be wrong,” he tries to grab my wrist but I brush him off. No, I can’t let him touch me.

He’s a celebrity.

He’s got a girlfriend.

I don’t know him.

This is wrong.

“You have a girlfriend,” I say because I can’t explain to him that the fact he’s a celebrity is what pushes me away and makes this all wrong in my book.

“She broke up with me,” he justifies and that sounds sickly wrong.

“You had a girlfriend an hour ago. You can’t just snog with another girl the same night! That’s not right. I’m not that kind of girl. This is wrong!” I state stepping back. Saying it out loud makes it sound worse than what it is, and it’s already really bad.

“You don’t get it, our relationship—”

“No, you don’t get it. It doesn’t matter how it was before, you still were in a relationship an hour ago! It’s wrong and you are— I can’t,” I cut myself off before I say something else. “I gotta go.”

“No! Wait, you can’t leave now,” He grabs my wrist once again but I push him. Not too forcefully, but he wasn’t expecting it so he loses his balance.

“I can and I’m leaving,” I say before sprinting out of that room, as fast as I can, with my heart hammering this time but for a whole different reason. I keep running, grabbing my dress so I won’t trip over and die.

I can’t believe I did this! Oh my God, how could I do this?

I have to stop. I’m panicking for my actions and it’s getting hard to breath, so I take off the mask and throw it to the ground, with my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.

What possessed me to do this?

I feel my waist vibrating and it takes me three seconds to realise it’s my phone. I take it out of the secret pocket and I see a text from Charlie.

Rhonda is on her way to the kitchen. Hurry! —Charlie

As if it wasn’t enough with what I did, now I have Rhonda behind my back. So I sprint again, running even faster with my mobile on my hand. In the kitchen I have my stuff so it’ll only take a minutes to change. Liv made sure this dress was easy to take off. On my way I pull my hair on a bun on top of my head so she won’t notice it’s straightened. I loose a bit the corset and takes off my shoes as I keep running. That’s a talent and all this rush keeps me from thinking of what I did. I put Mystery Guy to the back of my mind and focus solely on surviving this moment, on escaping from Rhonda. That’s my priority now. I can do it. I better do it.

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Dedication to @the_fool_on_the_hill because your jokes were great! I laughed a lot hehee.

Bel, xx