He'd smiled at her.
When that bashful boy had finally found his courage, and Millie knew enough how difficult that could be, it came with a smile. She nearly recoiled, less out of fear than simple confusion. There was no telling what she had done to earn Cadogan's admiration here, and a steady part of herself was ready to question it. It was the same steady part of herself that kept her from falling right into his arms without a second thought.
The thought did come, however, and then another. The second came with anger, that he might have wasted far less time being so aloof and coy rather than just being kind. Not Cadogan, with his perfect grades and a prefect badge to mirror hers. Not a boy she had admired from around corners and across classrooms, but never daring to come much closer than an arm's length.
They stood at an arm's length now, and from hers dangled a card Millie had never meant as an invitation. She lowered it quickly, the quiet gasp too late to change what she'd done. It filled her with the third thought, a quiet dread that sent her eyes out to the dance floor where Benedict was already engaged with one of her friends. He was doing his part in reminding Millie why she had come tonight, and it wasn't just to stand by the refreshments looking as quite beside herself as she must now.
"Well, I..." Millie stammered out, and then managed to return the smile. That was something she had paid attention to in etiquette class, and to fix her eyes on her dancing partner. No matter how much that made the young witch uncomfortable, and it did so greatly. She could feel the dress still clinging to her skin, and part of her worried it would find ways to tear the delicate fabrics should she undergo the toil of dance maneuvers once again.
She shut her jaw and blocked that part out, giving her latest dance partner a nod.
"That may be the risk I take when you sign the card," the young witch suggested, her voice full of reason. Logic, reason, rationale, that was easier to juggle than the idea of Cadogan Glynn taking her into his arms and spinning her about. She didn't need her feet or dress to twirl in order to feel the room trying in earnest. And, to her surprise, it was an earnestness Millie felt when she raised the card again for him to do so.
Coming to a decision certainly helped steady herself a bit more, and a hand on his wrist —to avoid the card jittering too much, she told herself— brought her the rest of the way. Millie offered a verbal prayer for the both of them, "We'll simply have to find out how much we learned. No worse than taking a practice exam, right?"
If only Millie could hear the reason in those words herself.
When that bashful boy had finally found his courage, and Millie knew enough how difficult that could be, it came with a smile. She nearly recoiled, less out of fear than simple confusion. There was no telling what she had done to earn Cadogan's admiration here, and a steady part of herself was ready to question it. It was the same steady part of herself that kept her from falling right into his arms without a second thought.
The thought did come, however, and then another. The second came with anger, that he might have wasted far less time being so aloof and coy rather than just being kind. Not Cadogan, with his perfect grades and a prefect badge to mirror hers. Not a boy she had admired from around corners and across classrooms, but never daring to come much closer than an arm's length.
They stood at an arm's length now, and from hers dangled a card Millie had never meant as an invitation. She lowered it quickly, the quiet gasp too late to change what she'd done. It filled her with the third thought, a quiet dread that sent her eyes out to the dance floor where Benedict was already engaged with one of her friends. He was doing his part in reminding Millie why she had come tonight, and it wasn't just to stand by the refreshments looking as quite beside herself as she must now.
"Well, I..." Millie stammered out, and then managed to return the smile. That was something she had paid attention to in etiquette class, and to fix her eyes on her dancing partner. No matter how much that made the young witch uncomfortable, and it did so greatly. She could feel the dress still clinging to her skin, and part of her worried it would find ways to tear the delicate fabrics should she undergo the toil of dance maneuvers once again.
She shut her jaw and blocked that part out, giving her latest dance partner a nod.
"That may be the risk I take when you sign the card," the young witch suggested, her voice full of reason. Logic, reason, rationale, that was easier to juggle than the idea of Cadogan Glynn taking her into his arms and spinning her about. She didn't need her feet or dress to twirl in order to feel the room trying in earnest. And, to her surprise, it was an earnestness Millie felt when she raised the card again for him to do so.
Coming to a decision certainly helped steady herself a bit more, and a hand on his wrist —to avoid the card jittering too much, she told herself— brought her the rest of the way. Millie offered a verbal prayer for the both of them, "We'll simply have to find out how much we learned. No worse than taking a practice exam, right?"
If only Millie could hear the reason in those words herself.
![[Image: uHwnE8q.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/V68t8zfV/uHwnE8q.png)