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“Care to dance?"
Such were the words of Baxter Ward, a close friend of yours, that played on his tongue in mischief, yet its sound a gentle whisper. He lifted his hand toward you, seemingly confident with soft, slender fingers protruding modestly in the open air, patient, yet you caught glance of its slight tremble. You knew, he was afraid of your rejection more than anything else.
You also laughed at this, taking this as an opportunity to raise the side of your lips in a subtle smirk. It amused you to see Baxter Ward in a state he could never bear to let you witness. The last time you saw him like this was when you had given him the blessing to relish in your sudden embrace, a short but meaningful farewell before he moved back to his parents' mansion. But it's been five years. Here he was now, twenty-four years in age, standing in front of you in this moonlit evening.
Waltz music played softly from the speaker on the dining table, only a few inches away from the bouquet of roses he had given you earlier, but you could also hear the faint sounds of cicadas. It made sense; you were outside after all.
"Absolutely." You imitated his catchphrase in a similar tone, and you saw him roll his eyes in pretend annoyance, a small smile forming on his lips, before gingerly taking the hand you placed in his.
Then, you danced.
“Gotten a little rough, have we?" You teased him with a laugh, sensing his nervousness from his movements. For a professional ballroom dancer, his stance was stiff, though you could still tell his talent.
"It’s nothing bad," he looked away from you, embarrassed that you were taking the lead instead of him. The usually charming smile on his face changed to something more flustered, and you enjoyed the openness of his feelings, even if it was just a second.
The slight blush on his cheeks, the flustered look he had set on the table you dined in a while ago... it's not a sight you would see everyday. Then, unintentionally, your gaze fell on his lips.
Getting embarrassed yourself, you immediately looked away.
“(y/n)." He called your name, and you cursed at yourself for just realizing the close distance between the two of you.
"W-What?" You accidentally snapped, although you were just afraid he would know what you really felt. Knowing you, he merely grinned softly.
“Do you still remember?" You felt his hold soften when he asked, and you slowly turned to look at him. he seemed more calm now, capturing you once again in his charm. "This is where we watched those fireworks together."
“I still can't believe you rented the whole place just for tonight." You mumbled quietly, still swaying gently to the slow beat of the music. You knew he was rich, but you persisted in giving him an incredulous look whenever you brought it up. To this, he let out a short laugh, grinning still.
"What can I say? You’re special to me." You blinked before processing what he had just said, and you playfully hit his shoulder in retaliation. Maybe a little too hard, since he had let out an 'ow' before brushing it off with another chuckle.
“What? Do you like me or something?" Heart beating faster than you wanted, you attempted a tease. You unconsciously held his shoulder tighter after your playful rhetoric.
"I do."
You blinked and gave him a slight scowl. You knew this habit of his, flirting with everyone he met which did not exclude you. Reflexively, you raised your head to look at him with narrowed eyes.
"That doesn't--"
You were about to say in genuine annoyance, but you met his eye before you could say something else. In his fixated gaze, amber eyes looked at you intently, seemingly anticipating for an answer. Before you realized it, he had stopped moving.
The music continued playing behind you, but you found yourself incapable of moving from his sudden words, two syllabled yet rich with meaning. You knew what you felt, but, somehow, you could not find the right words. You parted your lips, hesitantly, but closed them again.
In a quick moment, you saw Baxter's frown, but he immediately changed his expression. "Sorry, that was... wrong." Smiling again, he said to himself bluntly. "I shouldn't have said that. You're dating Cove."
You felt terrible from hearing this, so you turned your gaze away again. "I'm sorry..." You muttered.
“No! No, I should be the one apologizing." From this, he had already removed his hold of you. "You still accepted my invitation... and I was really glad you did." His voice faltered at the end, but he shook his head.
"Cove allowed me to." You bit your lip in guilt, your voice quiet.
“He’s lucky," he said, ruffling your hair playfully. "Thanks for seeing me before my flight."
Your chest felt heavier by every word he spoke, and you could not help feeling tears form in your eyes. If only you spent more time with him before.
"Ah... I have to get going," with a sad smile, he said, "I have to make preparations." He kissed your forehead one last time before walking away.
“Baxter, wait!" You tightened your fists when you said this, calling his name with a loud shout before he had gone farther. You saw him turn around with the same smile.
"I..." you trailed off, but you soon regained your bearings. "I'll miss you..." You said, softly this time.
Even if you weren't meant to be in this timeline, you still enjoyed the small company he had given you. You would always remember his charming gaze, the way he held his hand out to you for the first time. You would always remember the trip he gave you and his friends, and the way he uncharacteristically listened to rock music in the car. You thought it was cute, the small smile forming on his lips that evening as though he was enjoying his time with his own friends.
Even after his second farewell, you know you’ll always wait for him. Until the day you can finally hold his hand normally.
It made you hope a bit for the future.