I didn’t stop to say hi to any of them.
My vision had tunneled to the dance floor, and my heart beat faster the closer I got.
But even with her grandmother’s assistance, it was difficult to pick Maya out in the crowd of whirling, dazzling dancers. I had no idea what she was wearing or whether she’d moved on in the time it took for me to get here. Every time IthoughtI saw her, anotherguest spun past, blocking my view.
The music pressed in on me. My heartbeat escalated in sync with the crescendo as I scanned the floor, driven by the sudden urgency to find her.
Just minutes ago, I hadn’t been sure whether I wanted to talk to her, but now that I was here, and she was hypothetically within reach, I couldn’tnotsee her. I needed it more than I needed my next breath.
I pushed forward blindly, oblivious to the people bumping into me or stepping on my feet. Frustration chafed beneath my skin.
A group of shrieking teenagers passed by, obscuring my vision.
Then the crowd parted… and there she was.
I stopped, slightly breathless despite having barely moved.
Maya was dancing with her sisters about half a dozen feet away. The music’s heavy bass drowned out her laughter, but it was evident in her smile, in the sparkle in her eyes and the glow on her face. Her hair cascaded down her back in a shining dark waterfall, and the intricate crystal pattern dotting her lehenga glittered like a map of fallen stars. Her jewels flashed beneath the lights; her billowing skirt swayed with every movement.
The other guests spun and twirled around us to the escalating drumbeats, but despite the frenzy of color and music, she was the sole star in my universe. The only focus of my attention.
She was beyond ethereal, and I hadn’t seen her this happy since she beat me in our university debate. I’d forgotten how brightly her joy dazzled, or how devastating it was to my self-control.
When she smiled like that, I had the unsettling feeling that I’d do anything to have her look at me in the same way.
Neha’s gaze landed on me. She whispered something to Maya, who turned right as I came within earshot. I greeted her sisters with customary politeness, but I barely noticed when they made their excuses and left.
They disappeared, and suddenly, it was only the two of us.
The world stilled. The music muted, and everything else fell away as our eyes locked.
Maya’s smile faded, but a hint of color bloomed across her cheeks as the moment stretched taut around us.
Maybe it was the setting, a special kind of wedding magic, or the inevitable result of celebrating love for a week straight, but our argument last week seemed like a lifetime ago. The anger, the uncertainty, the jealousy—they blinked out of existence, one by one, until I was left with nothing but the desire to see her smile again.
“Your grandmother sent me on a mission again,” I said. “She lost a ruby ring.”
“Did she?” Maya’s eyebrows arched. “She’s gone her whole life without losing a single piece of jewelry, yet she’s managed to lose two in the past four months. Strange.”
“Very.”
Silence fell again, thick with words unspoken.
“You look beautiful,” I said, more quietly. The term didn’t come close to encapsulating the effect she had on me, but it was safe. Neutral.
For now, it’d have to do.
“Thank you. So do you.” The color on her cheeks darkened into a dusty rose. “I mean, you look nice.”
“Demoted from beautiful to merely nice?” I placed a hand over my heart. “I’m hurt, Sal.”
“You can take it. Your ego needed the reality check.”
I smiled at our brief return to form before I remembered something that’d been nagging at me all week. “Where’s your date?”
Zeke, Zack—whatever his name was—was an idiot for leaving her alone. It was further proof he didn’t deserve her, not that he ever had.
Maya hesitated. “I didn’t end up bringing him,” she admitted. “Where’s yours?”