Cameron and I were in the limo with Natalie, Phillip and
Jasmine. We were on our way to pick up Larissa and Teddy. Natalie was wearing a
light cream colored gown, a corset tightened her waist and shoved her boobs up
almost spilling out of the top of her dress. Her hair was up with touches of
white jewels to give it a sparkling look and she looked absolutely beautiful.
Jasmine was wearing a light lavender gown with traces of butterflies on her
skirt. The gowns had a full puffy look, which I take is how they looked in the
18th century. Phillip was wearing a red general style suit with
shoulder tassels and black tight pants that only went down to the calf. The
rest of his leg was covered in a white stocking. He actually looked very
handsome. We pulled up to Larissa’s place as Cameron and I scooted over to make
room for them. Larissa got into the limo first, wearing a mint colored gown,
her hair was pulled back into a regal bun with a flower band holding it in
place. I had never seen Larissa look more lady like, it was actually shocking.
Teddy got into the limo wearing a darker mint suit in the same style as
Phillip.
Cameron was
wearing a white suit with gold buttons lined up and down the stomach and chest
area. He was wearing white tight pants down to his calves and white stockings.
His golden shoulder tassels danced as the limo drove over speedbumps telling us
we were about to pull up. The Limo stopped and the door opened. We were greeted
by guard-like ushers who helped the ladies out of the limo extending their
hands. I was the last to get out of the limo. I exited in my navy blue suit
with gold buttons, gold shoulder tassels, white pants and stockings.
“Your ass looks amazing.” Larissa said
“Thanks.” I laughed, “All of you look so great.”
“This is exciting.” Natalie smiled
The guards led us to the main doors which were large ten
foot tall wooden double doors, wide enough for a marching band to walk through.
Natalie and Phillip walked in arm in arm first, Larissa and Teddy next,
followed by Cameron, Jasmine and myself. We handed our invitations to a few
older women who gave us programs. Two men then led us to our table where my
parents and Diane were waiting for us.
The décor was like I’ve never seen before, or maybe in a
movie, but never in real life. The manor itself was a stunning castle like
structure. The interior of the ball room was filled with ceiling art as if
DaVinci himself painted it, golden crown moldings filled the corners and walls,
chandeliers hung along the center of the ceiling, round tables with large bouquets
of white roses and candles along the edge of the ballroom and in the center was
a grand dance floor. At the opposite end of where we entered was a large grand
staircase, with marble floors and golden rails. I had stepped back in time into
a beautiful magical world.
A live orchestra was playing near the dancefloor with a few
couples already dancing on the floor, twirling around in their dresses and
providing onlookers a taste of the classical style dances that were expected of
guests.
“I’ll be right back.” Diane said standing up and excusing
herself, she was wearing a baby blue gown, with a tight visible and decorated
corset. The lace crisscrossing along the front of her chest. Her thick, long
blonde hair was held up in a partial bun, letting down some of her curls to her
neck. She looked stunning.
The band stopped playing and a woman began to make an
announcement, “Good evening everyone. We would like to thank you for coming
this the 20th Annual Winter Ball at Depoe Bay.” She paused allowing
everyone to clap.
“I would like to add that everyone where looks beautiful. I
wanted to thank our sponsors and those who donated to making this event a
reality. This event is to allow the residents of our quaint town to socialize
and enjoy themselves by immersing into a magical world. That being said, I’d
like to have all eligible couples to step onto the dancefloor for our first
dance; The Dance of the King.”
Shit. The waltz already?
“Where is Phillip?” Natalie asked
“He went to the restroom.” Larissa said
“Perfect timing.” She rolled her eyes
“Jasmine, do you mind if I take Joey?” she asked grabbing my
arm
“No, go right ahead.” She said smiling
Jasmine and Cameron, Larissa and Teddy, my parents and
Natalie and myself walked to the dance floor. We found a spot and stood in our
positions. Diane and Phillip walked onto the dancefloor. Phillip mouthed,
“Sorry” to Natalie.
“I’m nervous.” I admitted
“Don’t be. You’ll do great.” She encouraged me
“I already forget the steps.” I said
“Joey.” She whispered, “Just keep focus on me and move your
body to the music.”
I nodded.
“I curtsy first, then you bow.” She said as the music
started
She then held her dress up to curtsy as I followed with a
bow.
“Put up your right palm like you’re doing a hand signal.”
She whispered
I did and she placed her palm against mine in the same
fashion. With her left hand, she lifted her dress to prevent tripping,
actually, it seemed this was a part of the dance as all of the women on the
floor were doing the same, she cleared her throat looking at my left hand. I
then remembered that I was to place the back of my left hand against my lower
back keeping it open. We then began to step in a circular motion. The entire
room was doing as we were. It was amazing. After circling two times, we would
switch palms and turn around in place and circle around one another twice
again. Natalie and I would then face one another, grab both hands and do what
she called the London Bridge twice, then continue to circle another two times
in both directions. During the faster pitch of the music, we would lock
positions with my hand right hand on her waist and left hand beside or face and
spin and with each step we would do a dip, or Natalie called it skip in place.
Natalie was smiling at how well I was doing. She whispered, “Twirl me.” And she
pushed away from her still holding my left hand and twirled once and locking
back into place. The dance floor was synchronized in every step. I looked over
to see Jasmine and Cameron smiling. My parents were having the time of their
lives and I’m surprised how well they were doing with the waltz. At one point,
we were to all walk back and forth five steps twice with my right hand, holding
her left hand up above our heads, my left hand against my back and her right
hand holding up her dress slightly. We then got back into frame and swayed from
left to right, but as we swayed to the right, we leaned down slightly to our
left pointing our elbows to the ground, then when we swayed to the left, we
would lean down and point our holding hands to the ground. She then released my
shoulder, signaling that I was to twirl her twice this time. As she did, her dress
skirt filled the space between us and reduced as she stopped spinning. We
continued to dance in hold and eventually the song came to an end. Everyone on
the dancefloor and watching were clapping with delight.
“You were amazing.” Natalie smiled hugging me
“Thanks, that was so much fun.” I smiled as we walked back
to our table
Cameron and Jasmine were chuckling as he sat back down next
to me. Larissa and Teddy walked to the food table and my parents stayed on the
dance floor to dance. Diane and Phillip walked over each with a glass of
champagne.
“Want to go get a class?” Cameron asked me
“Yeah.” I said
“Can you bring me one…or two?” Jasmine asked
“They won’t let us bring more than one at a time.” Phillip
explained
“Come with us.” I suggested
Jasmine and Natalie followed us to the table that was
providing beverages. Teddy and Larissa met us there. They had a small plate
with Hor d’oeuvre’s complete with cheese, cappers, crackers with caviar,
crackers with sun roasted tomatoes topped with pancetta and lastly bruschetta.
After getting our drinks we stood over near the staircase and talked with each
other and a few of our old classmates. Cameron tossed back the last of his
champagne and grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing?” I asked
“Come on.” He said pulling me to the dance floor
“Baby, we can’t.” I said
“Who cares.” He said pulling me in by the waist
We were about to begin dancing, when an older woman came up
to us.
“Excuse me. Please come with me.” She said in a stern voice
The few people around us who were dancing were staring and
began to whisper. We followed the lady up the stairs as she came up to the
split, she went left. Once at the top of the stairs she opened a door to a
room. Inside were two other woman and a man all seemed to be in their late fifties
or sixties?
“What’s going on?” Cameron asked
“Mr. McCormick, these two young gentlemen were seemingly
about to dance together. I stopped them before they could.” She said in a huff
The man she was talking to stood up from his chair with his
cigar in his hand. He was wearing a black 18th century costume
similar to ours except he had different medals attached to his chest as if he
were a general or sergeant.
“Cameron Harris and…Joseph Ramirez Jr?” he asked us our
names
“Yes, sir.” Cameron nodded calmly
“I’m Lucius McCormick. Pleased to meet you both.” He said
shaking our hands
“Your home is absolutely beautiful.” Cameron said
“Thank you, young man. Thank you Miss Waters.” He said to
the woman who brought us in, dismissing her.
“I understand you two are…an item?” he asked
“Oh…um. Yes.” Cameron said
“I must say. When I first saw you two walking around this
town, hand in hand. I was displeased.” He began
I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. I fidgeted in place.
Cameron stood completely still watching Mr. McCormick pace in the room while
the other two women watched him as they sat in their chairs sipping their tea.
“But, times have changed and I understand that. We all
evolve and although we older folk, may not understand things. We try to keep
certain traditions just that…traditional.” He said
“I understand sir.” Cameron said
“I don’t think you do, Mr. Harris.”
Cameron looked down and took a deep breath.
“You see. Although the Society League that put this event
together set the standards and would like to keep tradition going…I would like
to evolve too.”
“Sir?” Cameron asked confused
“This is my home.
And what I say goes. I say…dance with the one you love.”
“Mr. McCormick. Do you mean it?” Cameron asked unsure
“Yes, my boy. You have a handsome young man next to you…go
show him off.” He chuckled
“Thank you sir.” Cameron smiled grabbing my hand
“Mr. Ramirez. You seem awfully quiet.” He told me
“I’m sorry…but…what about the society league? Wont they try
to stop us again?” I asked
“You worry too much about what others think my boy. Live
your life as it makes you happy.” He said placing his hand on my shoulder,
“I’ll make an announcement…that things are about to change around here.”
“Mr. McCormick. May I ask…but…what brought you to this
decision?” Cameron asked
“Honestly…your mother.” Mr. McCormick said, “She came to me
with a request once she was outvoted to break tradition of the male/female
dance rules, stating that she would consider leaving the league if it would not
evolve with today’s standards.”
“So…it was because you were afraid of losing her on the
committee?” Cameron asked
“No…it was because I admired her for standing up in what she
believed in and her strong will to prove that there was nothing shameful or
different about having two men or two women dancing together.” He clarified
Cameron and I both smiled and looked at one another. The two
women stood up and walked towards us.
“My sisters will guide you back out.” He smiled as he exited
first and headed for the grand stair case again.
We were all on the same route until the woman linked to my
arm pulled me down a different hall. I looked behind me to see Cameron being
pulled elsewhere.
“Wait. Cameron!” I called out for him
“It’ll be fine Mr. Ramirez.” She told me calmly
“Where are we going? I thought we could go back to the ball
and dance together?”
“You will.” She smiled
We walked out of the hallway and stopped at a doorway. I
realized that I was at the right end of the grand staircase. Across the way I
could see Cameron standing waiting further instructions as I was. Mr. McCormick
was at the bottom of the stairs requesting everyone’s attention.
“Good evening everyone. Welcome to my home and to the 20th
Annual Winter Ball. This year, we were pleased to invite many young faces to
the event in hopes to prove to our wonderful town and to those visiting, that
we are a strong community who long to stay connected and loyal to one another.
As I stand here looking at everyone’s faces, I’m filled with joy and yet…great
sadness.” He paused
People around the ball room began to whisper and look
confused.
“I see many familiar faces who have been attending these
balls since the beginning…and I see faces of our young kin enjoying the night
as traditional couples. However…there are two faces that seem to be missing
from this crowd.”
I began to shake with anxiety. I was getting nervous. Why
was this announcement being made…we weren’t anyone special. We just wanted to
dance.
“From this day forward…I’d like to continue traditional
standards of the ball. However, I’d like to clarify tradition. Tradition is
something that we as a society make normal, everyday life, our children of
today. One thing that will never seem to change is love. The basis of love is
when two people find a connection and build a life together. It does not matter
if this love is between a man and a woman, two women or two men. Let’s evolve
with today’s society and escape the past. That being said, I’d like to dedicate
this next dance to some new friends I’ve made, Mr. Cameron Harris and Mr.
Joseph Ramirez Jr.”
The entire ballroom burst into applause. The orchestra began
to play a tune that sounded familiar. Cameron and I were nudged to walk down
the stairs. We both paced ourselves in synchronization to meet in the middle at
the same time. Once face to face, he held out his hand.
“Just breathe.” He whispered
I looked into his eyes and I smiled. I placed my hand in his
as we walked side by side together. Mr. McCormick moved to the side as everyone
continued to clap. We stepped onto the dancefloor as everyone moved off of it,
allowing us to have it all to ourselves. The orchestra music began to pick up
pace, then suddenly only a piano was playing revealing an instrumental version
of I’ll Fly With You. Cameron gently placed his hand against the middle of my
back, I did the same. With my left hand and his right, we linked up and began
to dance. The lights began to dim with only overhead chandeliers lighting the
dance floor.
“I’m nervous.” I whispered into Cameron’s ear
“Pretend this is the dance we never go to dance…that time
during Sadie Hawkins…it should have been us dancing together.” He looked into
my eyes
An overwhelming sensation of warmth flooded my body. How is
it Cameron knew all the right things to say to make me feel special. We spun
and swayed on the hardwood floor. The entire time we danced I stared into my boyfriend’s
eyes and he kept his on mine. It’s like we were alone, dancing in an open
field, with no one to watch us but the stars above. He even extended his arm
out to spin whip me and pulled me back in. Cameron began to lip the words to me
making it more noticeable at the parts where he would say, I’ll fly with you. This was a perfect moment, one that I will
treasure forever. The entire ballroom was silent watching us. There must have
been over two hundred people in the room with us. The song was beginning to
slow and we recognized the tune as it was coming to an end.
“I don’t want to fly with anyone else…but you.” Cameron said
in a low voice
My eyes filled with tears. I don’t know why…maybe it was
just because of us being in the moment of a romantic dance, maybe because I
knew he meant it, maybe because I didn’t want him to either. I forced myself
from letting a tear roll down my face. Cameron leaned in and kissed me on my lips,
with devotion, not letting his tongue enter my mouth, we were after all in a
sophisticated setting, it just didn’t seem proper. When our lips parted, the
music came to a stop. The lights slowly brightened as everyone applauded for
us. I looked over to my parents and our friends. My mom and dad were wiping
away tears, as we Natalie, Jasmine and Diane.
“Everyone please get on the dance floor to welcome our
special guest, Enya.” Mr. McCormick announced
“What?!” I said in shock
Everyone collected on the dancefloor as instructed, cheering
for Enya as she walked onto a stage at one end of the dance floor. Natalie and
Phillip paired up, Larissa and Teddy stayed paired up, seeing they didn’t bring
anyone else to dance with anyways. Jasmine fortunately met someone, as she was
hoping. She began dancing with a tall handsome guy. My parents and Diane sat on
the side and watched us.
“How are we dancing?” I asked Cameron
“Just follow my lead.” He smiled
I giggled, “Okay.” I said trusting him
Enya began to sing a popular hit called, “Wild Child”.
Cameron and I began to say side to side. We were dancing some version of a
waltz. The entire room stared at us and began to follow our lead. Eventually we
realized all had synchronized their dance to match ours. We were close enough
to see Enya’s expression and she looked pleased. Next to us, Phillip and
Natalie were dancing and looked as very much in love as Cameron and I were. I
could only imagine their love story. The rest of the evening went without a
hitch, our foxtrot did well among the rest of the dancers. We had many people
come up to us telling us how proud they were of us for standing up for what we
believed in. I imagined this is what it would be like at our wedding reception.
©
2016 Copyright J.M. Casas Jr. of Royalty Novels / The True Love Saga. All
Rights Reserved.
All characters and likeness
are pure fiction. Any resemblance is pure coincidence. Models and Actors used
in marketing material for the True Love Saga were used as inspiration and to
provide readers with an image of what the characters may look like.
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