Chapter 52

I touched the answer button on my cell and said, “Hello, William.”

“Hey, Daisy,” William said. “I hope you’re not busy.”

I softly sighed. “Not at all. Victor was giving me a dance lesson, but we’re on a break now.”

“Oh, great,” William said. “Your ball is almost here. I bet you’re excited.”

“Yeah, I am. I just bought my gown today. I can’t wait to wear it.” I couldn’t believe I was having this casual conversation with William after the kiss with Victor.

“That’s great. I can’t wait to see you wearing it,” William said. “I know you're busy, but I was wondering if you have time to see a movie tomorrow after school?”

“A movie,” I repeated.

“Yeah, I’ve got three tickets to ‘The Battle of Granger.’ It was about the biggest battle of the Werewolf Civil War, and you love history more than anyone I know.”

“It sounds great,” I said, but my mind was still on Victor and the kiss.

“Since I have three tickets, you can bring somebody with you,” William offered.

“Hold on a minute,” I said and hit the mute button.

I waved to Victor across the room, and he walked over. “William has three tickets to see ‘The Battle of Granger.’ Would you like to go with us tomorrow?”

Victor looked thoughtful for a moment. “Tell him I would love to see that movie if he doesn’t mind me going along.”

I unmuted my phone and told William that Victor wanted to see the movie.

“That’s great,” William said with genuine enthusiasm. “I haven’t seen Victor in a while. Tell him to meet us at the Royal Theater at five o’clock.”

“I will,” I promised.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Daisy. Have a great dance lesson,” William said, and we disconnected.

I stuffed my phone in my pocket. “I didn’t know you were into history,” I told Victor.

“I enjoy history very much,” Victor replied. “However, I’m not going to the movie. I want William to think I’m going to be there, but I’m not going to show up. That way, the two of you can be alone in the theater.”

I didn’t understand it at first. It was a massive shift in circumstances after what we did a few minutes ago.

He almost kissed me. Almost.

But if Victor wanted me to be alone with William, I was reading too much into it.

Victor seemed to read my mind. “I’m sorry I got a little carried away. Please forgive me. It won’t happen again.”

I felt a bit disoriented. I went from almost being kissed by Victor to him planning for me to be alone at a movie with William within a few minutes.

I shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t that big of a deal.” It didn't mean anything to him. It stung my feelings, but I was determined to push it from my mind.

Victor offered me his hand and helped me off the floor. “We still have some practicing to do if you don’t want to be literally falling at William’s feet at the ball.”

I pushed what just happened from my mind and concentrated on the music and the dance steps. The vibes between Victor and me seemed more strained than before, but I needed the practice.

“I heard the movie is good,” I said as we waltzed around the room. “The special effects are great, and the historical facts are accurate.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. The movie has great reviews,” Victor agreed. “I’m glad you have a chance to see it. You can tell me all about it at our next dance lesson.”

“If you want to see it, I don’t mind if you go along. And William said he would be glad to see you.”

Victor helped me do a spin and brought me back into his arms. “Nope. This is a perfect chance for you to be alone with William. And it will allow me to do other things I’ve been putting off.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Jenna was one of those things he had been putting off. But I guess that's none of my business.

“The next time I spin you, I want you to distribute your weight evenly on the toes of both your feet,” Victor said. “Spinning on one foot is asking for disaster.”

I did as he suggested, and the spin went much smoother than the last one.

“You were right,” I said. “I didn’t feel off-balance at all. You are such a fantastic teacher.”

He mumbled, “Thank you. Get ready to try it again.”

I caught his gaze, but he immediately looked the other way. He wasn’t enjoying the lesson as much as before William called. Neither was I.

“I wonder if the movie will cover the spies used to discover the battle plans,” I said.

“Since that was a big reason why our side won, I believe it will be,” he replied. “Get ready. The spin is coming up.”

I made it through the spin as smoothly as the last. But Victor still kept his eyes averted from my face. But mine couldn’t leave his.

The sight of his firm full lips made me tingle with the memory of our kiss. I had to think of something else.

“Do you think General Crawley was a traitor? His story should be in the movie too.”

“General Crawley came from a long line of military heroes,” Victor replied. “There is much evidence that his being a traitor was merely rumors spread by the opposition.”

“Wow, I was impressed! Victor knew a lot about history. It was one thing that we both loved that we could discuss.

I wish I had known he was a history buff earlier. It would’ve been much easier to get to know him if I had known the things we had in common.

We continued to practice all of the dances that I needed to know on the night of my ball. Victor made sure I was much more prepared to dance them in heels.

Yet, the only thing Victor was willing to discuss was history and the dances. He was much quieter than he had been, and his body language was much stiffer.

It was as if an invisible wall had to come down between the two of us.

There were a few times between dances when I thought he was going to say something to me. But he didn’t, and he led me into the next dance.

Finally, the music stopped, but Victor still had his arm around me while holding my other hand. His sensual mouth worked slightly as if he were about to speak, but then he let me go and turned around.

“You’re doing great, Daisy,” he said. “You’re going to do well at your ball.” And he walked away without another glance at me.

“Victor, is there something wrong?” I wished I could turn back the clock to the first time we were dancing today. I enjoyed our happy, carefree time together.

He turned back a moment. “Not at all. Good luck tomorrow. I hope you enjoy your date with William. Good night.”

He gave me a little wave, and he was gone. But Victor’s last words echoed in my mind.

What, a date? Is the movie with William supposed to be a date?