For a few seconds, I hold her in my arms, and we gaze at each other. Then I notice my head involuntarily tilting down a few inches, bringing our lips closer.
"Bam," a female voice whispers.
Oh yes. There's no better way to put it.
Bam.
Suddenly, applause breaks out. It starts faintly, then quickly grows louder.
The jury! They're here, in this room. And they see what I'm doing.
Immediately, I feel caught. I quickly release Aurora and try to shake off all the intense emotions that have overwhelmed me in the past few minutes, causing me to forget everything around me.
I make a gesture as if to bow, and Aurora follows suit. Normally, we would hold hands during this, but I don't offer mine.
It's better if we don't touch each other. And it's better if I leave the dance floor right away. So I make sure to put some distance between Aurora and me. The applause ends, and Madame Durand, with a delighted grin, instructs the couple with the number forty-four to take their position. Aurora slips out through the half-open door. All of this helps me partially break free from the surreal world I was just in. On my way to the jury table, I avoid any eye contact. After picking up my chair from the floor with a pounding heart and sitting down, I feel David's hand on my back.
He leans toward me, scrutinizing me for seconds, but he doesn't say a word, and neither do I. I dare not move, frozen like a rabbit being eyed by a snake.
Now, he raises his eyebrows. "Looks like she indeed had the wrong dance partner."
I try to nod as coolly as possible.
"I still won't vote for her." His expression becomes serious. "And you shouldn't either."
Why the hell...?
"For your own sake."
What? "This has nothing to do with..."
"Even a blind person could see it." He raises his hand defensively. "Imagine if we accept her," he whispers. Significant seconds of silence pass. "Could you keep your hands off her?"
Damn.
"She would be just another student. Nothing more." Part of me resists these words. I must ignore that.
"It probably wouldn't even take a week for you to weaken." He squints his eyes. "It would cost you your career at this academy, and you know it."
Before I can react, the music starts again, and I pretend to focus on the couple with the number forty-four. At least, that's what I'm trying to do. Because in my mind, I'm still dancing withAurora, and even if I'd prefer to tell myself something else, deep down, I suspect I'll keep doing that for quite some time.
Slowly, David's words seep into my consciousness. When they arrive, it suddenly dawns on me that I may have just made the biggest mistake of my life.
My God, what have I set in motion?
If we accept her, I will need all my willpower to ignore whatever this woman does to me. At the same time, I am the one who just made it possible for it to actually happen.
