A Collection of Short Stories

The atmosphere in the ballroom was charged in a particular way. Alexis felt giddy; she felt bubbly and alert. There was a certain something in the vibe that was circulating the place – she just didn’t quite know how to put her finger on what it was. Her eyes bounced in and out as she searched the room filled with many people. The ballroom was huge, and even if there were a lot of men and women moving around, it was not crowded. She searched and searched; her eyes fleeting from one unfamiliar face to another. She was looking for that face she knew so well – the one that looked so vulnerable yet so courageous when he had asked her to the dance. Her search was intense; she was seeing so hard that she had forgotten to be seen.

She heard unrecognizable voices everywhere. Some of them had even gone over to her to talk, but she ignored every one of them. Her chest pounded for a reason she didn’t know. Maybe being surrounded by all these people with similar faces who tried to get to know her simply because she was wearing a pretty dress freaked her out. Maybe knowing that she was nobody compared to the other women who were far richer than her in this place scared her. Maybe the thought that somebody in the midst of this crowd loved her for who she was excited her. It could be either hope or dread that made her chest pound; she couldn’t decide which one weighed more.

Somehow, Alexis had sensed the familiar sounds of footsteps coming from her right. She wasn’t sure how she could do that, until she turned around. Her eyes seemed to be disoriented because of the need to suddenly stop looking around. Was it him? Of course it was him. Who else could this be? Her eyes wandered around his face. He wasn’t that good looking compared to others; that she was sure of. Still, there was something about him that interested her; it was something about his smile, something about the way he looked at her. His smile was jaunty, showing as if he didn’t care about anything. Yet his eyes said otherwise. They were a deep shade of blue and they had the ability to make her lose herself for a while.

‘Hey,’ he said with so much emotion, it made her want to cry and laugh at the same time. It was only a word, and yet it made her remember all the complicated feelings she felt about him and herself. ‘I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t think you’d come. I know you don’t like big gatherings like these.’

Her hand went protectively to her face. The time came when she could have said something, and then it passed. Socially, she was never one to make up for her mistakes. She had always been the odd one out, the different one.

‘How are you?’ he asked, seemingly trying to cover the uncomfortable air that started to form in between them.

She smiled at his question. He was eager, and that was something she had liked about him. ‘I- I’m shocked,” she said honestly. ‘I’ve never been to a gathering so huge. Your family is so rich, one of the reasons I don’t think you should date me.’ She was smiling now, looking straight into his eyes. This had always been their private joke, something that the two of them would only understand.

He smiled when his eyes caught hers. She seemed less tense now, and that made him feel more comfortable too. ‘My parents love you,’ he said honestly. ‘More importantly, I love you. It doesn’t matter if I’m richer.’

She smiled at him and took him by the hand. She was leading him onto the dance floor, something she would not usually do. ‘You’re all right, Liam. You’re all right for a rich kid.’ She said it again because she liked the ring of it. ‘You’re all right.’