Calvin held Cassie ever so gently like he would hold his most priced treasure and she fit into his arms as if they were meant for each other as they danced with the other partners to ' thinking out loud ' by Ed Sheeran.
      As they moved graciously on the dance floor, Calvin opened up conversation.
      "Ms. Willson, it's been four weeks now and you have not found a wife for me. I should remind you that if by the end of six weeks you have not found a woman for me, then, you will have to refund my money."
   Cassie stiffened. The game was back on. And this time, it was tougher.
    "I'll try to do my best sir. If possible, I could go home right now and continue my search."
    "That won't be necessary." Calvin said. No way was this dress going to waste.
     The song gradually came to an end and as the last few words
".....O Baby, we found love right where we are,"was sung,
    Calvin twirled Cassie around and tilted  her backwards. Their eyes met and they looked into each other's eyes like they were trying to look into each other's soul.
     They remained like that for a few minutes until Calvin caressed her cheeks with his thumb and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. There was a pause. Then everybody present burst into an applause. They both immediately came back to their senses and Calvin led Cassie back into the crowd.

      Cassie couldn't believe what just happened. She had to get home as soon as possible before she lost her mind. Everyone stared at her smiling. Calvin, sensing she was uncomfortable due to her tense posture, turned and said.
     "Why don't we go outside for some fresh air."
     Cassie was grateful. "That would be nice, thank you."
    They stepped outside and walked through the gardens surrounding the buildings in silence. Cassie had no qualms about being silent. Silence had been a common feature in her life right from being a little girl. Her father had left when she was too young to remember his face. Her mother had had hopes of him returning,  until when Cassie was thirteen when he finally filled for a divorce. For the next few years, she and her mother had spent relatively less time talking and more time looking for avenues to make ends meet. Her mother had never gotten over the heartbreak and Cassie suspected that it was part of the things contributing to the serious case of her ailment. Cassie who was always a quiet child, had become even more silent when she got separated from Claire as they had gone to different colleges. So till date, silence helped her plan her future and cope with her present.
     As for Calvin, he couldn't stand the silence. He wanted Cassie to say something or do something to assure him that she would always be there for him. He had been brought up in a home filled with love. His father had passed on after shielding his mother with his body in an accident. Unfortunately, Cassie, the woman who happened to hold his heart although he couldn't yet seem to admit the truth to himself as he had decided as a little child never to fall in love after watching her mother deal with heartbreak for so many years.
    He looked at Cassie, she appeared to be lost in thoughts. At a point, he saw tears spring up in her eyes but she blinked them away. To everyone, Cassie had a soft heart and seemed happy. But looking at her face in the moonlight as she was lost in thought, Calvin realized that all that was a facade. Though she didn't utter any words, her face clearly showed two major underlying emotions - sadness and pain.
   He tried to take her hand but she immediately snapped out of her thoughts becoming composed once again. He withdrew his hand and asked.
"Ms. Wilson are you alright?"
She answered in a cool voice "yes sir."
"You seemed far away."
"I was thinking, sir"
  "About what?"
Cassie didn't hesitate to answer that question.
"My past, present and possible future."
Calvin smiled. "It wouldn't hurt if you told me a few things about yourself you know."
      With that, he walked closer to Cassie and held her waist to prevent her from escaping, inching closer and closer to her face.
     Cassie's mind was running at an incredible speed. She wasn't going to fall in love like her mother. She tried to escape but he held her tightly.
     As Calvin was about kissing her, she reacted and gave him a very sound slap!
    Calvin let her go. He was shocked.
Cassie didn't know what to say. Instead she just turned and ran home.
        The man in the shadows smiled. It would soon be time.

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