The Starlight Ballroom

The starlight ballroom was an extravagant place to be. Deanna was tucked away in her favorite booth, laughing with her friends about a memory that had come up. She wasn’t really present though, her eyes were wandering around the ballroom as she thought about how much she hated these kinds of parties. The music was too loud, people were too drunk, and it was way too crowded.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” one of her friends said as the booth fell quiet. She and Deanna locked eyes.

“Oh, I’m just thinking about how much I hate parties,” Deanna said, half-jokingly. Her friend giggled.

“We all do sometimes. It’s okay,” she said.

Deanna nodded as her friend turned back to the conversation she had been having with the girl next to her. Taking a sip from her drink, Deanna watched as a waiter walked by and bumped into someone, sending their glass of champagne flying across the room.

And directly onto her dress, of course.

Fuming, Deanna jumped up and chased after the waiter, who was apologizing profusely to the man whose suit she had just splashed.

“Hey!” Deanna shouted, pulling on the waiter’s arm to get his attention. He turned around, eyes wide with fear as he saw the state of her dress.

“I am so sorry, ma’am,” he said, panicking. “I’ll get it cleaned, right away.”

“No, it’s fine,” Deanna said, forcing a polite smile onto her face. “Just give me a towel or something, I’ll take care of it.”

The waiter nodded and hurried off to find a towel. Deanna turned to go back to her friends, but her foot got caught on something and she stumbled forward.

Strong arms caught her before she could hit the ground, steady her on her feet and pull her close.

“Are you okay?”

Deanna looked up and was met with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They were a piercing blue, like the ocean, and they were staring at her as if she were the only person in the world.

“I’m fine,” Deanna said, her voice barely a whisper.

The stranger smiled, a small and gentle smile that made Deanna feel safe and warm. “Good,” he said. “My name is Cole.”

“Deanna,” she replied, her lips curving into a small smile, unable to look away from his piercing blue eyes.

And in that moment, the starlight ballroom didn’t seem so bad after all.