crossing the line AU

Chapter 19

Cassandra

I stumble, struggling to keep my footing, after being forced to the side, but just about manage to stop myself from falling flat. I realised then that I was pulled into the circle of dancing people along with a smaller crowd close to me, but I took a step back.

I'm not the dancing type.

I instantly turn myself around and think about going back to the memorial, curiosity filling every ounce of my body, but a certain giggle from behind me makes me undo my actions.

I turn back around, and even though the crowd was thick, and the music blarring, she somehow manged to stand out even so.

Then I noticed the citizens starting to separate, almost like the people between us split into two groups, creating something like a path between us.

And there she was...

I felt my heart beginning to race again, my lips parted and my cheeks once again started to burn.

She was dancing in the centre, twirling and waving her arms with such grace I've never seen before. No one around stood a chance, she was... Perfect...
I watched in awe and felt the moment slow down. The others became nothing but a blur in the corner of my eyes as the sun shone a single beacon of sunlight around the girl, putting her right in the spotlight...
The light made her glisten and sparkle, as if she were made up of a thousand stars. She'd blind someone easy if they looked for too long...

... But I'll admit, the sight is worth being blinded for...

The memorial questions withered and died in my mind, my thoughts of her being what killed them off, because she was the only thing I'm able to think about now...

Other thoughts can try and compete with her, but they'd fail within seconds.

I presume her approaching me was just another fantasy-like though, another one of my hallucinations, but then, once she's close enough, she grabs my hands and pulls me into the dance with her. We stand in the Centre, others still spinning around us, my hands still in hers, her expression cheerful, her looks almost godlike.

How is this girl real?

"Come on Cass, you can dance with me!" I don't know how I didn't realise the dance was a group dance, where you are actually paired up, but I guess that's what happened when your struck by whatever Rapunzel is...
"Oh- Uh- no- no I can't.. I can't dance." I stutter, my volume just above raised above the music. And I definitely can't dance while like this, I feel like I'm spinning and falling all in one, but I've barely moved.
"It's ok, just follow me!"

Before I can get another word in, I'm swept off my feet, our hand still locked together, as she spins me around, then the remaining crowd captures us both and somehow I'm dancing a dance I've never rehearsed nor practiced, but somehow, I'm doing it, all the while my eyes don't leave Rapunzel.

I hate dancing, and have never been good at it, but there was something about the moment that just made me switch off, that caused my soul to leave my body to dance so effortlessly, to let me switch off and not have to think about what I'm actually doing.

I decided to just let the moment take me, to ignore how I actually felt about it and just let myself enjoy this brief moment.

As the song started coming to an end, I tried reaching out for Rapunzel's hand, to enjoy the last few seconds with her, but only the tips of our fingers brush before we were pulled apart again. I continued dancing, realising it was impossible to stop, but hoped we could meet in the middle eventually.

Which we did.

Thankfully.

Our right hands reach each other just as the final note was played and as we both fell closer, her left hand landed on my shoulder while mine landed on her waist.
The music stopped, the crowd dispersed, our breath left us, but we remained in place, our fingers still intertwined, our eyes set in place.

That was... That was... interesting?

After a little moment of silence, and after our breathing returned to a more regular pace, she took a step back, pulling away her hand, and pushed a strand of hair out of her face, smiling as she did, her eyes darting from side to side.

I got the impression she felt a little awkward but I can't tell for sure, and honestly, if she was feeling awkward, she wasn't alone...

"right well, it's gonna start getting dark soon," I begin, gesturing for us to start walking, "we should get going, since the lanterns will be lit once the sun sets."
"Ok."

I guide her off down a few quieter streets, trying my best to keep her on track, but also not stop her from experiencing certain things, so while trying to usher her towards the docks, I try my best to answer all the questions she throws on the way.

"Alright. There should be a small boat somewhere-" I mumble to myself while poking around the dock area. I hide a boat here for when I needed a break from the castle, and thought it was the perfect thing to sit it, since the view would be better further out, and getting to and crossing the bridge would take too long. "Aha!"

Found it.

I uncovered the top, pulling out the boat from it's hiding spot, and position it on the edge of the land.

"Ok, hope on in." I say calmly, tapping on the wood. But as I look over at her, I can tell she's hesitant.
Though, I can't think why until I remember what happened the last time she touched water.

I give her a comfortable smile as I take a few steps in her direction, holding her hands in mine and rubbing them with my thumb.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall in. Trust me, it's perfectly safe." She looks up at me, I tilt my head slightly.
"I trust you Cass. It's just, I've never been on a boat before.." I let go of one of her hands, bring her closer to the boat, and hold the edge with my free hand.
"Your in safe hands."

I let her lean on me as she climbs in, and once she's comfortable I push it into the water, then climb on myself, sitting in the seat opposite her and grabbing the ores.
I row us out so we're around the halfway point between the island and the shore, and the sun is pretty close to setting by the time we stopped, which meant the lanterns were going to be lit any time now.

I'm happy I'm able to do this for her...
I know, yesterday, I wanted nothing to do with her... But I think I'm starting to realise that- I... like her?
I have no idea what love feels like, I've never experienced it before... But then I look at the girl beside me, and realise the feelings I feel towards her... Aren't one's I've ever felt before...

... So doesn't that mean I-? It must mean that I...

Like her...

And the more I think that, the more I come to terms with the thought.

I guess I do like her...

And I'm happy to be here with her while she experiences this, because everything I thought about her yesterday, isn't even remotely close to how I feel now, now after I've gotten to know her.

And maybe... Just maybe, afterwards, I can continue to get to know, and understand her...

Because I feel like I'm still missing a thing or two, and I... Want to know what they are.