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over.
    He seemed very confident in his steps which caused me to follow with ease. The background dissolved around us and it was just Conner and I alone in the room. No envious, admiring women. No other dancers. Just us. We swayed like flowers in the wind gazing into each other eyes, never breaking contact. There was no sense of time or space. There was nothing but Conner and me, and the peaceful music in the background.
    Once the song ended, Conner leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Would you take a walk with me?” I nodded, as he offered me his arm.
    We stepped out onto the terrace. The sound of crickets filled the air. The night sky was a veil of dark velvet with an abundant number of glittering orbs scattered aimlessly. The full moon glistened brilliantly amongst them, bathing everything in a soft glow. It was very calm and incredibly romantic. 
    “Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked.  
    “Yes, very much so.”  
    “Good. I am glad.”  
    A breeze blew the cool summer night air causing chills to run down my arms. I rubbed my hands up them in a warming fashion.  
    “You are cold. Would you like to go back inside?” He responded.  
    “No!” I said quite hastily, and then began gazing out beyond the terrace. “It is a nice change from the warmth inside.” I was nervous and I did not know why. Conner and I had been alone before, more privately than we were at that moment. I could hear the swarm of people just inside the terrace proving we were not entirely alone.  
    Another cool rush of air whistled past us blowing a strand of my hair into my face.  Conner leaned into me slowly raising his extended fingers and brushed the strand of hair delicately behind my ear. He looked at me with admiration in his eyes. All was silent, with the exception of the breeze rustling through the trees and the pounding of my heart in my chest. The noise of the ball seemed momentarily silent. Even the crickets quieted their song as if sensing the building tension between Conner and I that was begging to be released. 
    Slowly, he bent down toward me, pausing inches from my face almost like he was asking for permission. We were so close I could feel the warmth of his sweet breath on my skin. His blue eyes pierced through me.  
    Running the back of his hand down my jaw to my chin, he gently tilted my face up until his lips pressed softly against mine. I closed my eyes as his touch overwhelmed my senses. His lips were so soft yet firm. My mind emptied of everything except thoughts of him and how wonderful his lips felt pressed to mine. He slowly deepened the kiss, molding our lips together and to my surprise my body responded on its own. My lips moved against his as I ran my hand through his hair and down his neck pulling him closer.  
    Suddenly the silence was disrupted by laughter coming from inside the doors jolting us back to reality. Conner pulled his lips away with a groan resting his forehead against mine. His breathing was ragged, matching mine perfectly. Staring straight into my eyes, he pulled his lips up into a half smile then brought them back to mine for one brief kiss.  
    “Shall we?” Conner said, gesturing to the door.  
    I hesitantly ran my hand through my hair assuring that the strand was back where it needed to be before returning to the ball. Our moment was over, now it was time to return to world.
    As we entered the room, I saw my father and Lilly standing with a few of their friends carrying on a conversation. Steven was out on the floor dancing with Judith. They looked wonderful together. It seemed no one had even noticed our brief disappearance.
    Conner placed his hand on the small of my back leading me into the room. I looked up at him, and he gave me quick encouraging smile. Placing my hand in the crook of his arm, he escorted me toward some vacant chairs along the wall.
    As we made our way, I noticed someone staring at me. I recognized him as Nicholas Jackson. I had gone to school with him. His