A Second Chance

Chapter 18

Nicola's POV

I was dancing with Simon when someone tapped him on the shoulders and said, "If I'm not interrupting, may I have this dance with the lady?"

Simon was pretty tall compared to my 5ft 4 inches. He was around six feet tall, so I couldn't see who was behind him. But the familiar voice made me start dreading who it could be.

I held my breath as Simon turned. There stood Gabriel a few inches taller than Simon, looking as intimidating as ever, in a black tux that looked like it was tailor-made just for him. My heart sunk.

I stood rooted to my spot, my eyes opened wide, and my mouth parted in surprise. What was he doing here?

I was brought back to earth when Simon took my hand, giving it a slight squeeze, which made me turn towards him.

He was silently asking me what to do. Whether to let Gabriel dance with me or to tell him to go away.

I squeezed his hand in return, giving him a reassuring look. At least I think I did. He gave me an uncertain smile, for which I nodded, and then he left giving Gabriel a polite nod, which he returned.

After Simon left, I stood there awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other, looking at other dancers just stalling, looking at Gabriel.

Finally, he moved closer to me, holding out him hand for me to take. I looked at it for a second, and I hesitantly placed my hand on his. It looked tiny when his hands closed around mine, and I felt a tingling, but before I could react, his other hand came around my waist and pulled me to him, enveloping me with his musky sent. I gasped, and my eyes immediately lifted to meet his.

He was staring at me the whole time. I  caught my breath, getting lost in them. It looked like there was a storm going on in those beautiful blue orbs of his. I could keep staring at them forever.

What!

No! No! No! Have you lost your mind, Nicola! This is your sister's husband. Was? But still! He is your sister's. You have no right to stare in his eyes. Look away! Look away now! My mind screamed at me, and I dragged my eyes away from his, feeling ashamed.

I couldn't relax, I moved stiffly in his arms.

After some time, I took a peek at his face, avoiding his eyes. His face was still turned towards me. I noticed his his high cheek bones, which emphasized his hollow cheeks. I searched his face, noticing that he had lost weight. I frowned at the thought. But I guess it's expected. Losing your wife and having to work full time while you are suddenly raising two kids all by yourself can be stressful and can take a toll on someone.

I was deep in my thoughts that it took me some time to notice a ticking in his jaw. It was clenched tight, which made me look at his eyes. I had been too freaked out before to notice that the storm in them had been because he was angry. My eyes widened, realizing finally that he was angry with me!

"Did I do something wrong," I instantly asked, making his eyes narrow at me, shooting angry sparks at me.

I flinched and tried moving away from him, but his grip tightened around me, pulling me a little closer yet, not close enough to touch.

I gulped, staring at him, waiting for his reply, which made him give me a synical smirk and turn away looking ahead.

"So this is what you grew up to be?"

"Huh?" I asked. I was genuinely confused.

"Jessica told me what you called her." He said, raising an eyebrow , giving me a mocking look.

I frowned and turned away. I had forgotten about the little encounter with her. But then he reminded me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Jessica told him what I had said and conveniently omitted everything she had said, huh, I realised making me smile bitterly.

And of cause he hadn't even questioned why I said it or whether I said it he just assumed I had grown up to be a bitch. Its me, there is no doubt in his mind that I can stoop low but his precious loved ones can do no wrong!

My eyes narrowed as my anger started boiling inside me. I felt all the hurt all over again. But I did not want to give his the pleasure of knowing that it affected me so deeply.

Taking a deep breath and cursing that I was still in his arms while we had to have this conversation, I look up, giving him a blank look.

"I apologize, for disrespecting a member of your family." I told him, coldly. "I should have known that I cannot stand up for myself when it comes to anyone connected to you. After all you knew the things they said about me and how they treated me but you never said anything. But one word from me and you think I am wrong. Forgive me. I know my place. I should never have crossed it." His eyes had widened in shock, shaking his head in protest but i had no intention of waiting to hear anything he said. His grip had loosened allowing me to slip out of his arms.

He looked between us at the space I created and raised his still shocked eyes at me.

"The song has ended," I replied to his silent question. And I turned on my heels and disappeared into the crowd as the rest of the dancers got off the dance floor as they announced the end of the night...

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Sorry for the short chapter. I got a bit stuck on this one. That's what took me so long..

Anyways hope you will still like it. Thank you for reading. Don't forget to leave a comment.. ❤️☺️