Flirting with Danger Bk 1

“Do you want to?” I asked, getting confused.
“No, but I need to leave while I can. While I still have the strength to walk away.” he said, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around me tightly, so tightly that it almost hurt, but I still pulled him closer. Then he kissed me, then again, and again as I began to cry.
“Kota,” he said, his iris’s blood red and the whites of his eyes red from holding back tears. He held my face with his hands, wiping away my streaming tears. “I love you.” he said.
“I love you too.” I said, wanting to say so many things but not knowing where to start. “Connelly,” I said. He kissed me then, squeezing me tightly, and then he was suddenly gone.
“Connelly!” I yelled, holding my hand out as if to reach him again.
“I love you!” I heard his voice say, though he was nowhere to be seen. His words echoed off the waves, torturing me.
“I love you!” I yelled back, falling to my knees and covering my face with my hands.
How could he do this? How could Moran and Mathias do this? How could they take Connelly away from me? Why would they do that? Why didn’t he stay? Why didn’t he stay? The thoughts ran through my mind and I felt arms enclose around me.
“Kota,” Louis’s voice was soft in my ear. “Kota, it’s okay.” Louis pulled me to my feet and held me as I sobbed into his tux.
“He’s gone. He left me.” I said into his jacket.
I was in denial.
I couldn’t believe Connelly had left me. Why couldn’t he have just stayed with me? When you loved someone, you did everything for that person, with that person. You didn’t leave that person just because your dad and uncle said so. You told them you loved that person and that you weren’t going to leave them. I thought, and then another thought popped into my head. I was thinking about how I was going to do this, what was going to happen to me now. I thought about all the girls this had happened to, in one way or another anyway, and thought about how they’d handled it. Most of them got depressed and didn’t get with anyone for a long time, for years sometimes. I didn’t want to do that. I wasn’t going to do that.
He didn’t have a choice Kota. He has to do what Mathias says, and if not him, what Moran says. Ivan’s voice argued in my head.
He did have a choice. I said. He could have stayed with me and told Moran and Mathias to deal with it. But he didn’t. He didn’t love me enough… Maybe not even at all.
That’s not true! Ivan said angrily. He does love you!
Then why isn’t he here? If he really loved me he would be here! I thought and waited for Ivan to say something, but he was silent.
“What happened?” I heard Jack ask, concern and confusion in his voice.
“Connelly left.” Louis said, murder in his own voice.
“He didn’t love me.” I said, my tears drying up.
“Of course he did!” I heard Sue saying and looked up at her, seeing her tear streaked face. “Don’t say that. He did love you. They both loved us, they just had to go. But Ivan said he would be back.”
“What happened to you?” Dale asked concernedly. Sue looked into my eyes, opening her mouth, trying to say the words but nothing came out. Then she took a deep, ragged breath and wrapped her arms around my neck, sobbing into my shoulder.
“Sue,” I said, hugging her tightly. My heart broke again, seeing her cry, but I didn’t let loose any tears. They were all gone from me, and were replenished with anger.
“Excuse me,” said a voice and we all looked over at the back door where a short man was standing. The look on his face said that he wished he hadn’t opened the door, because we all looked at him angrily at being interrupted.
“What?” Louis snapped.
“The Waltz is about to start.” he said. “It’ll wait a few more minutes, but then we’re going to have to start.” Then he ducked back inside.
“Dale, take Sue. Kota’s going to change.” Louis said, unlatching Sue from me and letting Dale take over the crying shoulder job.
“What? How am I supposed to dance? I don’t have a partner.” I said, looking at him in confusion.
“I’ll be your partner.” he said and I raised my eyebrows.
“You don’t know the steps.” I said, not understanding. He ushered me into the building and then gave me the dress, which was hanging on a clothes rack, and stood outside the bathroom door as I changed.
“Actually I do. I’ve been practicing ever since the first time I saw you two do it.” he said through the door, sounding slightly embarrassed about it.
“Why?” I asked. “Did you know he was going to leave?” I looked at the door suspiciously.
“No, but I was hoping somehow to get you do it with me.” he said.
I opened the door, my makeup fixed, the tear streaks fading from cold water, and I was wearing my Waltz dress. I’d went ahead and took down my hair since it had fallen down when Connelly kissed me. “Why?” I asked.
“No reason.” he said, shaking his head as he looked me slowly from my feet to my eyes.
“This is still about who I’d slow dance better with isn’t it.” I said, looking at him.
“Excuse me, but we’re about to start!” The microphone guy was looking at us impatiently. I nodded and Louis led me to the dance floor.
“Yeah, that’s it.” he said, with a slight trace of sarcasm in his voice. I looked at him, his eyes serious. The music started and we began to move across the floor.
“Tell me why you’re doing this.” I said quietly so only he could hear.
“Tell me why you think I’m doing this.” he said, keeping his serious look and tone. I looked at him and then down, and we were silent for a minute.
“If you’re trying to weasel your way in since Connelly left, you can give it up. It’s gonna be hard to get me into another relationship for a while.” I said.
“Well, like I said before, I won’t stop. I’m a very patient guy.” he said, his face perfectly serious.
“I can’t handle this right now.” I said, suddenly not feeling as strong as I had just a second ago.
“I’ll stop.” he said, and he did. We didn’t speak through the rest of the song and when the music stopped the room was silent. Louis and I walked off, me changing back into my Tango dress because it was better at maneuvering in.
The judges gave us the little trophy for the Waltz, though I didn’t know why, maybe out of pity or something, but I took it and then sat at the table between my boys. I felt so numb, like all of the feeling was gone out of my body. I was leaning on the table, resting my head on the table and staring at the table, but seeing Connelly looking at me, the beach in the background.