The party

Ruth's POV

I felt my body freeze and ignite all at once when I heard that all too familiar voice. But as I made to turn around, his body pressed up against my back warming more than just my body.

What was it about this man that made my heart speed up and stutter all at once? I exhaled and felt his nose in my hair as he exhaled as well, almost as if our breathes were synchronised.

"It feels like its been years since I last got to hold you." He whispered into my hair, but I had the distinct feeling that he was murmuring to himself instead of talking to me.

Still I answered with as much coherence as I could muster.

"And whose fault is that?"

This time I turned around when I felt a tug on my waist, and there he was. All 6'2 of deliciousness and an additional layer of dark intensity.

"Mine. All mine."

I wasn't sure if he was answering my question or staking his claim. To be honest, I didn't care.

All I knew was that I loved this man. More than I ever thought I was capable of. And that was both a relieving and troublesome thought.

Because while I knew that he loved me back just as much - could clearly see it in his eyes even now - it also meant he already had too much power over me. It was as unnerving as it was exhilarating.

As if he knew just when to distract me from my thoughts, he bent his head down slowly, hesitantly, like he was expecting me to push him away any second and that tentative, uncertain expression on his face broke my heart just a little.

It was startling to realise how different this Caleb was from the one that had collided with me months ago.

That Caleb was cocky and self-assured. That Caleb knew that he can flirt with his assistant and get away with it unscathed.

This Caleb? He was sensitive, almost fragile. This Caleb knew that he cannot screw up and then waltz back in and kiss me as if he owned me. The realisation made me stretch up onto my tiptoes and press my lips to him.

Every time we kissed, it felt like he was claiming yet another piece of my heart. And this time was no different.

His lips touched mine in a whisper of a kiss and it was all I could do not to melt into him. How was it that he knew exactly how to kiss me? It was as if he had some guide that taught how-to-give-the-right-kind-of-kiss-at-the-right-time.

For a second, I forgot that we stood right outside the banquet/Ball room filled to the brim with people we worked with as I let him kiss me into a sweet stupor.

"Nirvana... Not a single thought there.... "

He murmured some sounds and broken sentences, but I couldn't focus enough to piece them together. His kiss was so sweet and apologetic that that was all I could focus on.

As we broke apart, he pressed his forehead against mine without opening his eyes and exhaled.

"I'm so in love with you, Ruth Brooke." He whispered.

"And I'm so mad at you, Caleb Cross," I whispered back, rubbing my nose against his to let him know that I loved him despite that.

And it seemed he got my non-verbal message because he smiled and opened his eyes to look straight into mine.

"For my own sake, I hope you're as forgiving as you're beautiful."

"So corny." I replied with a smile despite myself and pulled back. He gave me a small smile and offered his arm as if we were in a Jane Austen novel.

"May I?"

"You bet, and you better."

**

If I had thought that the banquet was extra shiny two days ago, it was nothing compared to what it was now.

The golden lights that were the trademark of this place were muted today, and brighter lights shone from every corner of the vast room instead.

Huge chandeliers the shape of snowflakes - snowflakes! - hung ever few feet whitewashing the room with such brilliance that I was sure I would go home today with some retina damage.

The sparkling marble floor beneath shone like frozen glass, reflecting the lights off the ceiling in every nook and corner of the room.

Instead of elegant, but practical dining tables, the room was littered with delicate table of 4 covered with ivory table cloths.

The center of the room had a huge raised platform that gleamed like an ice rink in the center of snow land.

So, there was going to be some dancing at some point, but right then it was empty and the guests were mingling around with glass of wine and champagne flutes in hand.

Even the servers were dressed from head to toe in white, carrying trays of drinks and appetizers around the room.

The only things adding colour in the room were the red roses pitched on every table, mistletoes that were hung strategically on the dance floor and at the places with dim lights, and of course, a gigantic Christmas trees that stood in the center of the dance floor covered with tinsels, red and gold ornaments with an angel on the top.

"This looks more likes a gala instead of Christmas party." I murmured to myself and looked up to watch Caleb throw a tiny smile at me.

He seemed different tonight. He felt different tonight. As if wearing a mask that could fall off any minute. And speaking of masks—

"Ah, yes," Caleb spoke from beside me and produced two small rectangular boxes from a paper bag when he noticed me looking around the room with a frown.

There was no one I could easily recognise because everyone had their faces covered with a mask.

Before I could commentm, he opened one of the boxes and turned it to face me. In lay a delicately woven black lace mask with thin, black filingree swirling around its edges. Simple, elegant and a perfect contrast to my red dress.

"Its beautiful." I murmured and Caleb gave me another one of his tiny smiles before lifting it off the box and stepping behind me to tie the satin ribbons behind my head.

It covered half of my face from forehead to the top of my cheek bones, but I barely paid attention to it.

Something was wrong with Caleb. I could just feel the undercurrents of darkness running just below the surface of his calmness.

What was wrong? What had happened in the last few hours since we had last seen each other?

It felt like his aira, his very soul had been dipped in dark ink since then and he was just barely concealing it from the rest of the world. I was suddenly hit by a sense of dejà vú. Had this happened before?

*

We met several people from the office, most of them casting a curious glance at Caleb's arm that he kept around my waist.

While some gazes were curious or even amused, a few of them looked downright hostile.

Usually, I'd blush or even try to step away from Caleb in an attempt to put some distance, but I couldn't muster enough concentration to do that now.

His hold felt different too. It wasn't the gentle touch of a lover wanting to keep me close to him. No, it seemed desperate.

Like, he was stuck in the eye of a storm and a lone piece of log was the only thing that was keeping him afloat.

We were yet to bump into Leo or anyone from his family, but it was probably for the best if we could manage to dodge them for the whole evening.

Wishful thinking.

After half an hour of moving in circles and having run out of people to have small talks with, Caleb suddenly paused, making me look up at him in question.

The lights were dimming, casting a magical glow on the whole snow land.

The chandeliers clinked merrily as the neutral music stopped abruptly and a man with deep voice spoke in the microphone, inviting people onto the dance floor.

I looked up at Caleb, but his focus remained steadily on the platform where few people had gathered.

"Caleb?"

The music started again. This time an achingly beautiful melody, and Caleb continued to stare at the people slow dancing to it.

What the hell was going on? Why did Caleb look like he was lost in his own head? Even his eyes, focused as they generally were, seemed lost.

Then as if my voice penetrated his brain ten seconds too late, he looked down at me.

Deciding something in his mind, he nodded at me and pulled me onto the platform, watching me with laser focus the whole time like he was looking for the signs of unwillingness.

But I was too distracted to even give it a thought and followed him onto the dance floor where he pulled me close and breathed out in relief.

I looked up at him as we swayed, distracted but still struck by the way he looked tonight. The dim lights along with the black mask made him look more intense and mysterious than ever.

The undercurrents were still there, staying hidden just by a thread of self-control, but he didn't look on the brink of disintegration right then.

This close he looked dark, edgy... Dangerous. His eyes were trained on me, but his mind seemed far away. And definitely not at a happy place by the looks of it.

His words and broken sentences from earlier came back to me at the thought.

"My Nirvana.... " He'd said.

I was still mad at him. Amd even he knew he had a lot of explaining to do. But right then, I didn't care about my anger and his inconsideration. Right then, I wanted my Caleb back. Not this stranger who just looked like him.

As we swayed and moved around the dance floor, we passed behind the Christmas tree and the faint shadow that fell over us made me do something bold.

Even though we were still in the broad view for the rest of the party, I let that faint shade of tree lure me in the false sense of privacy and stretched up onto my toes mid-movement.

Caleb blinked and looked down at me, really looking at me for the first time this evening, but before he could make sense of my action, I caught hold of the lapel of his jacket and pulled his mouth down to kiss me.

Hm.. that felt better. Caleb froze for a second in surprise before kissing me back, sweetly at first and then deepening the kiss.

I had no idea if we were moving or not. I had no idea if we were safe from probing eyes of everyone or making a spectacle of ourselves.

All I knew was, I could feel my Caleb returning back as this cold stranger slipped farther and farther away.

His touch softened on me, his arms curving more intimately around my body, became more familiar by the second and I smiled.

Caleb pulled back, and looked down at me with amusement, his dark eyes gliding over me lovingly.

"Do you make the habit of kissing the person who were an ass to you?"

And now I knew that my Caleb was really back and here with me. His eyes held that light of amusement and teasing that I fell in love with.

It was as if a dark shadow had been lifted off him, making him seem light, happy. The Caleb who had dropped me off at my apartment this afternoon.

"Nope. Just to the one who's an ass, but my ass."

"I don't blame you," he nodded seriously before bestowing a devastatingly beautiful smile on me as he continued.

"I'd kiss your ass too." He whispered, teasingly, seductively, making my eyes go wide.

I looked up at him to see him laughing down at me, and I nudged him for making me blush so red that my cheeks probably matched my dress.

"Ah, that blush would be the end of me."

"You would be the end of me."

"And wouldn't it be the best to go?"

He gave me another one of his dazzling smile and I almost melted. Caleb Cross was hot in his brooding intensity. But he was irresistable when he smiled that happy smile.

"What would I do without you?" I teased back as Caleb pressed his lips onto my forehead.

Surprisingly we were still moving. Caleb was effortlessly gliding us around the dance floor with almost no effort from my side.

"I think the better question is, what would I do with you."

He gave a look that was filled with dark promises and I felt my toes curl in my shoes. This banter with innuendo was our thing.

This banter was probably my favourite part from the time when I found him hot enough to kiss him in the dark, but still didn't like him all that much.

And suddenly it was there. My sense of dejà vú was back full throttle as an image flashed into my mind.

For a brief moment, darkness befell us and with Caleb's mask covering half of his face, it felt like we were all alone in a dark room tucked away from the world.

That, along with my train of thoughts pulled me back more than a month ago when he had come back from his trip and found me alone in the office.

The look in his eyes then was so strikingly similar to the one that he had carried all evening today that for one brief moment, I stopped moving.

"Ruth?" I looked up at him as sudden realisation sliced through me.

And even if it hadn't, the answer hobbled into my periphery, no longer prone onto the wheelchair and instead standing tall and proud with only a walking stick supporting him.

And if I had needed any more confirmation that it was his father that has done something to turn my Caleb into a shadow of his real self, right then Caleb's head snapped towards the man standing next to a table nearby, watching us.

All the colour drained from him and my sweet, teasing Caleb disappeared again. Cold, distant and uncaring Caleb took his place as his very aura pulsed with darkness.

He looked like he was close to falling off the edge, just like he had looked that night in the office. And now I finally knew what - or rather, who - had made him become this empty shell of the real Caleb.

Ofcourse, it was him. He was the reason Caleb was back to being that stranger from months ago again. How could it not be him after sending his minions to bring me here and ride alongside Caleb?

I looked back to see the man standing just a few feet away, watching us - waiting for us - with a neutral expression as the song ended and people started getting off the dance floor.

Callahan Cross.