"I swear, Ellie, if he starts lecturing me again, I'm not sitting next to him at the table. You'll have to find me another plus one." Giving myself a once-over in Ellie's big mirror, I adjusted the cleavage of my red dress.

"Nice assets, Skylar. I know a certain someone who won't take his eyes off your girls."

I stuck my tongue out at my best friend. "That certain someone can look, but there's no way in hell he's touching anything ever."

Ellie giggled, tossing the tube of lip gloss into her small purse. "Hush. The guys are here. And never say never, Sky."

I grabbed my small clutch bag before opening the bedroom door and leaving the room.

Aiden and Liam stood in the hallway, both dressed in tuxes and looking hot. I knew I shouldn't check Liam out, not after our argument, but I couldn't help it.

He did try to talk to me, but I preferred to sulk in my room last night. Liam had no right to lecture me and tell me off. The movie was for Ellie, anyway. She was the one who wanted to surprise her guy, but there was no way I'd tell Liam that. Chicks before dicks.

I smiled at Aiden's face when he saw Ellie in her golden dress. She looked beautiful. All eyes would be on her as the youngest scholarship student of her Art school.

Ellie and Aiden made their way out, Liam and I followed them closely behind.

"You go first, guys. We'll reach you." Liam pointed to the elevator.

"Okay." Aiden took Ellie's hand in his, and the door behind them closed.

"Sky." Liam glanced at his feet and then looked at my face. "Forgive me, okay? I was an ass. I shouldn't have stuck my nose in your business that way."

"You shouldn't have." I sighed. "But well, okay. You're forgiven. It's my friend's big event, and I'd rather we didn't spoil it for her with our fight."

Liam nodded, saying nothing.

When we went outside, the cab was already there, waiting for us. A short drive later, we were standing next to the Palais Garnier.

Inside, the opera theater was magnificent. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the suspended chandelier, the ceremonial staircase made of white marble, and the many gilded artworks decorating the impressive foyer.

A glance at Liam told me he was just as awed by our surroundings. He was observing everything with an absent-minded look on his face, not paying much attention to the people around him.

"Our places are over there," Ellie said as we entered a beautiful hall. I watched my friend wave at someone from her school. Then, the four of us sat down at a table.

The event started with the speech of Ellie's rector. After that, they called each of their students to the front of the room to give them a gift and show their works on a big screen.

So much attention made Ellie nervous. As soon as she got her gift bag, she rushed back to our table and plopped down on a chair next to Aiden. Shortly after, the waiters began to carry in the trays with food.

"Your favorite, roomie." Liam nudged my side when they placed the steak tartare in front of us.

"Not eating that." I scrunched up my nose and slid the plate toward Liam. Ellie gave hers to Aiden as well.

"Girls." Liam shook his head, sighing.

The meal was excellent, and the variety of dishes surprising. Sometimes at that kind of dinners, they preferred small portions. This time, it wasn't the case.

I focused my attention on the orchestra and the music, almost missing the moment when Aiden and Ellie got up and left the hall.

Liam and I looked at each other.

"Are we okay?" Liam asked.

"I told you I'd forgiven you, roomie. I'm not the one to hold grudges."

Liam chuckled. "Okay. I just wanted to make sure. By the way, how was the dick flick? Did the dude get his happy ending?"

Liam's unexpected question made me snort into my glass of wine.

"He sure did," I said. "They lived happily ever after and had kids."

"Knew it, roomie. You watched one of those chick flicks instead. I don't think the dick flicks dudes would be the type to commit."

"Just like someone I know, and he doesn't deny it. He's a God in bed, but relationships are not for him."

"A God in bed?" Liam laughed. "I wondered where you'd got that from, but I'm not sure I want to know."

A man's voice, amplified by the microphone, interrupted our talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to announce one of the surprises we've prepared for you today. These wonderful people who represent three of the best Parisian dance schools will judge our ballroom dances contest. The rules are simple: you need to recognize the type of dance you will have to perform, and then show us your skills. We'll ask couples to come up to the front of our hall in a short while."

The shock drowned out the commotion around me. I expected anything, but ballroom dances?

It'd been ages since I did it. It seemed as if it was in another life of a very different Sky. I wished I could be that girl again — the girl who laughed and had dreams and believed in herself.

I gave up dancing shortly before going to France to study. I still did my usual stretching routines and enjoyed going to clubs to dance, but I missed the real thing. If I had extra money to spend, I would've probably looked for a dance studio in Paris. I was sure there were plenty of those here.

Sighing, I let my eyes roam the banquette hall. Several couples had already walked to the front of the room, eager to compete. I shouldn't have been surprised: art and dances often went hand in hand. A school like Ellie's surely had students interested in ballroom dances as well.

"I wonder if they will start with something like the Foxtrot," I said.

Liam looked at me. The glass of wine he was drinking from never made it to his mouth. "Can you dance?"

I shrugged. "I used to. It's been a while. I'm not sure I would remember the steps. It'll be fun to watch. I bet those two over there are great at it." I nodded toward a couple that stood to the right. I could tell they were dance partners by just looking at their posture.

Silence fell over our table. I glanced at Liam, who was biting his bottom lip.

"Do you want to do it?" he suddenly asked.

"You mean to dance? If I had a partner, I would love to. Nobody knows me here; I wouldn't care if I made a fool out of myself."

"Come on. Let's do it."

Shocked, I watched Liam get up from his chair and extend his hand for me to take. My lack of reaction made him impatient. "Sky, it's about to start. Yes or no?"

"Okay." I placed my hand in his and let him help me up. I had no idea that Liam could dance. His movements were graceful, and I know he worked out religiously, but he never mentioned dancing.

It was just another reminder of how little we knew about each other, or of how little he wanted me to know about him.

Directing my eyes to our table, I saw that Ellie and Aiden were back, looking at us with unmasked surprise in their eyes. Liam rushed to Aiden, pushing his jacket off his shoulders on the go. Shoving the garment into his friend's hands, he ran back to me.

The lights dimmed, and the applause of the audience filled the air around us before the first chords erupted from several instruments at once.

"Viennese Waltz," Liam said. "Now, left foot backward when I move my right one. Both feet parallel, your moving leg relaxed. Shift your weight to the support one. Your knees straight but flexible. Choose a point to look at, or else you might get dizzy. We're starting with a closed position."

Nodding, I let Liam place his right hand on my left shoulder blade and take my right hand in his. Jolts of electricity coursed through my body at our contact.

"On the count of three," he whispered. It was three slight nods of his head. Then, we were moving.

I remembered the steps, but the first ones came out clumsy. My body refused to cooperate. I was too worried about remembering what I had to do and didn't focus on what Liam was doing.

"Dancing is like sex, sweetheart. You have to trust your partner and let him lead. Now, you're too stiff. Relax. Let me guide you. Focus on my hand on your back."

Taking a deep breath, I directed my attention to Liam's warm palm on my skin, putting just enough pressure for me to know it was time to turn. He looked at me warmly, nodding in approval when the movements became seamless, and we started to enjoy dancing, not caring about anything else.

I knew we did it well by the end of the second dance— the Rumba. Liam walked me through the sequence of steps and the rhythm — slow, quick, quick. The slow tempo and the hip movements made this dance one of the most sensual ones. For once, I lost my inhibitions. I let my hips sway, and my feet move, and my lips stretch in a smile, looking at Liam.

When we danced the Foxtrot, I didn't have any doubts anymore— Liam was a pro. I didn't know when and where he learned to dance, and now, I would give a lot to find out.

Breathless, I grinned when Liam took my hand in his, and we bowed down to the deafening sound of applause around us.

"Wow," Ellie said as soon as we sat back at our table, "I had no idea you could dance like that!"

"Stop it!" I laughed before gulping down a glass of water. "It's been ages since I last danced. I feared not to be able to remember anything at all."

"And you?" Aiden asked Liam. "You seemed to dread dancing, but now I have proof you're a pro."

"Aiden, don't," Liam said with a frown.

"It'll stay between us, but I'm not deleting the video." Liam's friend chuckled. "Who knows when we'll see you dance like that again?"

"Probably never," Liam said a second before getting up and rushing toward the exit of the hall. I jumped off my chair and hurried after him, ignoring Aiden and Ellie's puzzled stares.

The relief washed over me when I spotted Liam. He was gripping the balustrade with both hands, looking at the opulent decorations in front of him.

"Hey." I made a few steps forward and stood next to him. "Are you alright? You rushed out of there as if the room was on fire."

Liam nodded, still saying nothing.

"Okay, I'll go back inside, then," I said. "And thank you for dancing. I had fun, and you're really good at it."

"There's nothing you should thank me for, Sky." Liam shrugged. "It's just dancing."

Except it wasn't. How could it be when a simple mention of it had him running away?

"Let's head inside. They will announce the winners now." Gently, Liam placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me toward the hall where the party was.

Our friends didn't mention dances right until one of the members of the jury announced the winners. Hearing our names made me grin. We accepted the bag with our prize and went back to our table to enjoy the desserts.

Everything was amazing. The night was beautiful, and the place where we were was almost magical. It was as if we traveled through centuries to end up in a majestic palace, dancing to the orchestra and enjoying the Parisian night.

The only thing I didn't like was Liam's mood. He became detached and serious, hardly talking to anyone, not even me.

The hall was ready for dances now. Aiden took Ellie's hand in his as soon as the first song started to play. I saw him press his lips to her forehead and begin to move with his arms around her. It was my friend's night, and after she'd exhausted herself studying at two schools and getting no sleep, she deserved some fun.

After winking at Ellie, who was focused on her handsome boyfriend, I set my eyes on Liam. He was leaning against one of the columns with a glass of wine in his hand.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when our eyes met. He rested the glass on the table and crossed the distance between us in a couple of strides.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked me.

"A bit later. I'm slightly dizzy." I smiled.

"Yeah, same here. Not enough air, either. Do you want to walk around the theater? I doubt those two will notice."

Liam nodded toward our friends, who were kissing on the dancefloor.

"Okay. Lead the way."

Taking my hand in his, Liam interlocked our fingers, and we left the hall.

I didn't know what he had in mind when he led me through a series of interweaving corridors. His eyes scanned the doors on either side of the hallway, clearly looking for something.

It was when he placed his hand on one of them that my eyes widened in alarm.

"Liam?" I whisper-yelled when one of the doors gave in, and he motioned for me to follow him into the dark room.

"Relax, Sky. My intentions are pure." He chuckled, making me blush. "Now, come here, fast. We are lucky it's open, but I don't want us to be caught."

I obeyed, not seeing a thing around us as soon as the door behind us closed. In a couple of seconds, the light from Liam's phone traveled across the room where we were, except that it wasn't a room.

"Welcome to the Auditorium." Liam grinned, directing the light to the seats. We were in a balcony side box.

The light wasn't enough to see the stage well, but I knew it was huge.

"Have you been here before?" I asked Liam.

"Once." He nodded. "I didn't expect the door to be open, but there's no performance now, and we were lucky. I'm sorry for being a moody ass earlier. Sit down."

I sighed in relief, landing in one of the plush chairs. Liam lowered himself onto a seat next to mine.

"So, spill it, roomie," I said. "First, dances, now this. What are you hiding?"

"Not hiding, Sky."

Unexpectedly, Liam grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. The tender gesture had me blushing in the dark. For once, I was grateful for the lack of lights.

"I used to compete. Ballroom dances, junior category. I gave it up before turning sixteen and passing to the next level."

My mouth hanging open, I shifted in my seat. "Compete? But that's crazy difficult."

Liam laughed. "Yeah, but I started to dance very early. Mom used to say I danced before I walked. I guess I took it from her."

"Was she a ballroom dancer too?" I asked.

"No. She was a ballerina. My mom and dad met when she was on tour. I don't know how the hell it happened, but that one night in a bar led to them falling in love. My mom left everything and moved to France to be with my dad. His family was from the North, so they lived there. She had to give up ballet, but she auditioned for this very theater, and they accepted her. It was almost a miracle, you know? She must have impressed them with her talent."

"So, she danced here?"

Liam sighed. "She never did."

"What happened?"

"I happened," said Liam. "She found out she was pregnant on the same day she got the job. Between her dream and me, she chose me. After I was born, she couldn't go back to ballet dancing. The pregnancy was a high risk one, and her physical condition wasn't like before. It's a very demanding career, Sky.  They don't fuck around, and the competition is cruel."

"That's why you got sad when Aiden mentioned dancing," I muttered.

"No." Liam shook his head. "This place was the last one we visited together as a family before my mom died. She knew she didn't have long, and she wanted to see it one last time. I guess the memory is what makes it bittersweet."

"I'm sorry." I took Liam's hand in mine and ran my finger along the back of it. Swiftly, Liam drew his arm around me, pressing me to him.

I felt his heartbeat, strong and steady under the thin material of his button-down.

I felt his warm breath.

I felt his lips on my cheek. This time, they lingered there, on my flushed skin, so very close to my lips. Liam cupped my cheek with his free hand and pressed his forehead to mine.

"What the fuck are you doing to me, sweetheart?"