“Hey,” I say.
This is supposed to be practice. It’s supposed to mean nothing. But the way he’s looking at me right now—it doesn’t feel like practice at all. I want to climb this man like a monkey scaling a tree.
I try to concentrate on the steps, but the rest of the dance becomes a blur of promenades and do-si-dos while I’m hyperaware of every time his hand touches mine. When the musicends, I feel a small twinge of disappointment that it’s over, until Lucian attempts a bow and nearly knocks into Mrs. Nelson. I burst out laughing, and he does too, and just like that, all the tension disappears.
“See?” Lucian says. “We’re notthatbad.”
“Not great either,” I say, but I can’t stop smiling. I’ve mostly forgotten that I hate dancing and crowds and being watched by everyone. Because Lucian did something no man can do, especially not on a first date. He made me feel comfortable.Safe.I only wish every date felt this way.
When we turn around to exit the dance floor, a stranger approaches Lucian, glancing at a festival map. “Excusez-moi,” he says with the most authentic French accent I’ve ever heard. “Can you direct me to the…how do you say…pumpkin patch?”
I lean toward Lucian and whisper, “I had no idea the town hired such good actors for Maple Fest.”
Lucian presses his lips together, fighting a smile. “Uh, I don’t think he’s an actor.”
“What?” the stranger says innocently. “I am just looking for the…goods?”
Lucian cough-laughs. “You meangourds.”
I look between them, confused. “The pumpkin patch is that way,” I say, pointing. “You aren’t from around here, are you? Would you like me to introduce you to someone who can show you around?”
“No! Thank you!” He backs away quickly, nearly tripping over a pumpkin.
“That was weird,” I say, watching him hurry away. “He acted like he knew you.”
“It’s a small-town festival. Everybody knows each other,” Lucian says with a shrug, though he glances back once more. “How about some cider?”
Without waiting for my answer, he guides me toward the cider booth, taking a route that seems deliberately out of the way.
I put my hands in my pockets, trying to warm them up now that the night is turning cooler. “This has been…”
“Everything you feared?” he finishes with an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry for the interruptions. I think we’re drawing more attention than I realized.”
“No, I was going to sayfun.Even with the interruptions.”
He looks over at me, surprised. “So the practice date is a success?”
“Well, I haven’t used the escape clause yet.”
“The night is still young, though.” His mouth hitches up on one side. “Plenty of time for me to mess this up.”
“You’re doing okay so far,” I say, bumping his shoulder with mine playfully. “Better than okay.”
His smile widens. “That’s all that matters.”
I shiver slightly and he stops walking, his eyes scanning over me. Without a word, he shrugs out of his jacket and steps closer, so close that his breath grazes my skin as he drapes it over my shoulders.
His movements are deliberate as his fingers brush along my collarbone to adjust the collar, sending tingles across my skin. The jacket envelops me in his scent, making me want to bury my face in the fabric.
“Better?” he asks in a low voice. I can only nod because words seem impossible when his hands are still resting on my shoulders, his thumbs tracing the smallest circles through the jacket material. The touch is so light I might be imagining it, but the heat spreading through my chest tells me it’s very real.
I should step back. Create distance. Remember this is just practice.
Instead, I tilt my chin up to meet his gaze, and it’s the same look from before—the intense one that makes memelt. We’re standing close enough that I can see the flecks of darker blue in his eyes, feel the rise and fall of his chest.
“Neesha,” he says quietly.
“Yeah?”
