ch15.page

"Shall we go in?" Brian asked, extending his arm again in the way that Rose loved so much.

Wrapping her hand around his elbow again while the pair ascended the cement steps leading into the ballroom where the hospital dance was being held. "I think we shall." She said softly. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she talked. Every time she'd looked at him since the night had started, her face turned red and she had to look away quickly. Rose wasn't sure why she was so embarrased, no one had ever had this effect on her before. She shook her head slightly, pushing away her thought. Tonight, I concentrate on tonight. She said to herself, and then Brian opened the doors, and they were inside the ball room.

"Wow." Brian whistled, looking around. The room was decorated in silver and white, with tables covered in shimmering cloths dotting the edges. A mass of people were already gathered on the dance floor, swaying softly in each other's arms.

"This is so amazing." Rose said. She took a step forward, and felt Brian's hand pressed lightly against the small of her back. She leaned closer to him, and let her arm slide down by her side. "Thanks for taking me, Brian."

He smiled. "Thanks for letting me."

A soft, guitar-heavy peice was playing over the loud speakers while the pair walked slowly over to join the rest of the dancing couples. Stopping on the outskirts of the crowd, Brian wrapped both arms around Rose, and she hesitatly wrapped her own arms around the back of his neck. "Did I tell you that you look amazing?" Brian asked.

"I think you did." Rose said back. Both of them were talking in hushed tones, as if a loud word would break the magical spell that seemed to have settled over the night. She took a deep breath, and raised her head finally, her eyes meeting his. "So do you."

Brian grinned. "I know." He teased. Rose laughed.

Next to them, a tall, blond man with both arms broken and a shorter, red-haired girl stopped dancing, and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. "Ouch." The man mumbled. "Ouch. Ouch."

Rose smiled, and watched the girl try and rearrange herself so that she wasn't touching his injured arms. The song changed, and Rose pulled away from Brian a little. "Can we sit down for a minute? I'm thirsty."

"Sure." Brian said, guiding her to one of the tables lining the ballroom. "You sit, I'll go get us something." Rose sank into her chair, and smiled at Brian as he watched him walk across to the refreshment table.

"Can I have two Cokes please?" Brian asked the girl standing at the refreshment table.

She sighed, and looked up from the book she was reading. "Yeah." She muttered dully, pouring the two soft drinks into red plastic cups, and handing them to Brian. "Enjoy your-" She began speaking, but stopped in mid sentence. Brian could see her face light up with recognition. "Oh my God! You're Brian What's-His-Ass!" She announced. A smile crept over his face, and he nodded. "I'm Heather." She said, pushing a peice of dyed-green hair behind her ear, and extending a hand.

"Nice to meet you." Brian said politely.

"Yeah, likewise and shit. My sister's gonna flip when I tell her that I actually talked to you. She's obsessed with you guys, you know? Posters all over the wall of her room, and everything." Heather smiled at him for the first time. "Look, save me a dance, huh?"

"Oh, sure." Brian said. "And thanks for the Cokes." He made his escape back to the table where Rose was sitting, watching him. Plopping the drink down on the table, and sitting across from her, Brian let his eyes wander over Rose's face.

There was something different about her tonight. A certain glow about her features that wasn't there every day. Or, maybe it was, and he'd just never noticed it before.

"Whatcha looking at?" Rose asked, snapping him out of his daze.

"Huh? Oh. Uh, you." He said, looking slightly embarrased.

Rose smiled shyly. "Me?"

Brian reached across the table, and wrapped his hand around hers, in the same way that she'd touched his hand on the day they first met, right before she gave him the good luck charm, which was, coincidently, in his pocket at this very minute. "Who else?" Brian asked.

She blushed again, and looked away, mumbling something that he couldn't understand. "What was that?" Brian asked. Rose stood up suddenly. "Nothing. Let's dance again." She pulled him to the dance floor.