Leo sat back down at his table. He watched as those on the dance floor continued to dance. Every now and then, a child ran past him, carrying a balloon with them and laughing joyfully. Everyone around him was having fun. There were plenty of drinks to go around as well, and a few people who preferred to sit and chat did so with drinks in their hands. As Leo’s eyes wandered around, he couldn’t help but realize that the party was going smoothly so far. Though he had expected a quiet family dinner somewhere nice, this birthday party wasn’t half as bad as he had hoped.
He fixed his eyes on the dance floor. The DJ played an old-school disco song, and he found his parents dancing to it, along with some of their friends. It surprised Leo that even Mrs. Lance was dancing with her husband. Leo couldn’t help but imagine how the old days were when his parents were younger. Were they wild and unruly? The thought of it made Leo smile. They wouldn’t tell him even if he asked.
Eric soon came to join him. He had a glass of wine in his hand, which he had taken from a server not too long ago.
“Enjoying the party, I’m guessing?” Eric asked after taking a sip.
“Yeah,” Leo answered. “Aren’t you?”
“Everything’s great. I really love how everything is going so far.”
“Yeah. From the theme of the party to everyone having a good time, this party is awesome. I know I haven’t had a big birthday celebration in a while, but I have really enjoyed myself.”
“Well, you have a lot of people to thank. You should thank Angel most of all. She’s the one who found a good decorator.”
Leo looked around the dance floor for Angel and realized that he hadn’t seen her in a while. He had been too occupied that he didn’t notice her leaving the dance floor. I wonder where she has gone to, he wondered.
“How did your talk with Kim go?” Eric asked. “I saw you talking to her before Angel rescued you.”
“Not so good, I’m afraid,” Leo answered. “I’m glad that Angel came just in time to pull me away.”
“Well, you will have to talk to her eventually.”
“And what if I don’t want to?”
“Then count yourself lucky if you ever get away with it.” Eric started to look around. When he turned in his chair to look behind him, he saw Angel entering the tent with someone following her. His eyes popped out in surprise.
“You will not believe who is here,” said Eric as he poked Leo on the shoulder with his finger.
“I’m hoping you’re talking about Carly,” said Leo. “That would be quite a surprise.”
“In your dreams.” Eric gave Leo a look. “See for yourself.”
Leo turned in his seat and saw Angel approaching the dance floor with Mr. Chang behind her. This is unexpected, Leo thought to himself. As far as everyone knew, Mr. Chang had gone back to China and wasn’t expected to be back until next month. As Angel and Mr. Chang slowly came to the front, Leo and Eric stood up from their seats.
“Mr. Chang, how are you?” Leo asked, as he held up his hand to greet him.
“I’m very well, thank you,” Mr. Chang answered. “Happy birthday, by the way. I had no idea you were celebrating. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Not at all. You’re very much welcome. Please, take a seat.”
“I’ll go and fetch Mr. McDonell,” said Angel as she left Mr. Chang with Leo and Eric.
“How is Mr. Cho doing?” Eric asked as the three men sat.
“He’s fine. He sends his greetings. Marco passes along his greetings too,” said Mr. Chang. “Though he won’t be too pleased if he comes to hear about your birthday party. He loves such events.”
“Well, he should have stayed a little longer,” said Leo. “I bet he was going to get a whiff of it and find an excuse to stay. I never thought I would have a party.”
“Ah, so it was a surprise, then. I must say, they decorated the place beautifully.” Mr. Chang couldn’t help but look around in amazement.
“All thanks to Angel,” said Eric. “The women in the family played their roles, but there’s no denying who to thank.”
“Indeed. The praise all goes to her.”
“So what brings you back here to the U.S.?” Leo asked. “You and Marco weren’t supposed to be in until next month.”
“Nothing business-related, I assure you. I have some private matters to attend to.”
“Oh, I see,” said Eric. “Then it’s a good thing you’re here then.”
Angel came back with Mr. and Mrs. McDonell. Mr. Chan stood to greet them, and Mr. McDonell couldn’t express how happy he was to see him. Mrs. McDonell also greeted him and excused herself. She told Angel to tag along with her, leaving the men to talk on their own.
“Is the cake outside and ready?” Mrs. McDonell asked Angel as they were at a distance from the table.
“The chef should have the cake ready outside by now,” Angel answered.
“I wanted to do something first before we bring in the cake.”
“Okay. What did you have in mind?” Angel asked.
Before Mrs. McDonell could say anything else, Diana came to join them.
“Hey, I just saw Mr. Chang,” said Diana. “How come he is here?”
“He just happened to stop by to greet us,” said Angel. “And I couldn’t turn him away seeing that we were celebrating.”
“You did well. Aren’t we supposed to bring in the cake now?”
“I was suggesting to Angel just now that we should do something first before bringing in the cake,” said Mrs. McDonell.
“And what’s that?” Diana asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Ballroom dancing.”
“Ah, that sounds fantastic!” Diana exclaimed. “Since it’s Leo’s day, he will have to dance with someone.”
“With who?” Angel asked.
“Who else?” Mrs. McDonell asked as though the answer was that obvious. Diana and Angel looked at each other. “I’ll go and talk to Eric. Angel, tell the chef to stand by with the cake.”
Mrs. McDonell turned back around and left. Diana and Angel stood side by side as they watched Mrs. McDonell go.
“She would want Leo to dance with Kim, won’t she?” Angel asked.
“Definitely,” said Diana. “She’s going to ruin things. If she makes Leo dance with Kim. It will send signals to everyone present here that Leo and Kim might have gotten back together.” Diana shook her head in disappointment. “I wonder why Bertha never learns.”
“But what if Leo had the option of choosing who he would like to dance with?”
“That would be way better than what Bertha wants. That means we have to get word to Leo. But if we do it, and Bertha sees us, she’ll want to intervene. Meaning we might want to do this indirectly.”
“Can I leave that up to you then?” Angel asked. “I have to tell the chef to hold on to the cake back at the house a little longer.”
“Sure. I know just what to do.”
Angel turned around and quickly started to make her way out of the tent. Diana remained where she stood, watching Mrs. McDonell talk to Eric. She had managed to pull him away from the table and talk to him. Diana had to act quickly. She planned this birthday party for Leo to have a good time, not for his mother to start playing matchmaker again. When she looked around, she noticed there was one person who might help. She started to make their way towards them.
After Mrs. McDonell had finished speaking with Eric, she looked around and found Kim talking to a few people she knew. Mrs. McDonell started to make her way towards her, and when she reached Kim, she asked if she could talk to her. Kim excused herself. She and Mrs. McDonell went somewhere to talk.
“What is it?” Kim asked.
“There’s going to be a ballroom dance,” said Mrs. McDonell. “I want you to dance with Leo.”
Kim’s eyes widened with surprise. “Me?” she asked. “No, I can’t do that. He simply won’t want to dance with me.”
“In front of a crowd, he won’t have a choice.”
Kim licked her lips as she thought about it. “But how are you going to make that work?”
“I told Eric to announce that you will be opening the dance floor with him. That way, he won’t refuse.”
“That just makes it even worse,” said Kim, furrowing her eyebrows. “I don’t want to ruin his night by letting him dance with me. Afterwards, he might not want to speak to me again.”
“No, he won’t. I’ll talk to him. If there’s anyone he’s going to blame, then it has to be me. Who knows, he might change his mind about you and want to get back together.”
Kim shook her head. “I know you’re trying to help out, and I’ll dance with Leo if you want me to, but he’s simply made up his mind about me. And there’s nothing I can do to change that.”
Mrs. McDonell scoffed. “Please, for all we know, he might as well have made the story up of falling in love with someone else. We would’ve met the girl already.”
“That’s just it. What if all that was a lie, but he might have actually fallen for someone without realizing it yet?”
Mrs. McDonell raised her eyebrows. What Kim said surprised her. “What do you mean? Do you think there’s someone Leo likes and hasn’t approached her yet?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Kim shook her head, realizing that she might as well have blabbered nonsense. “Don’t mind me. I guess I’ve had a lot to drink, and I’m talking all gibberish.”
“Okay.” Mrs. McDonell rubbed Kim’s shoulder. “You just hang in there. And be nearby when Eric makes the announcement.”
Kim gave a nod of her head, and Mrs. McDonell walked away, heading back to the table Mr. McDonell and Leo sat with Mr. Chang. She noticed that Eric had gone to the DJ to speak to him over the ballroom dance. When Mrs. McDonell sat down next to Leo, she noticed that a few snacks and a glass of wine had been served to Mr. Chang.
At the entrance of the tent, Angel made her way inside the tent, and she looked around for Diana. Many people were now up and about that it was hard to spot her. I bet she’s got things all figured out, she thought to herself.
Angel was making her way to the dance floor when Sabrina appeared before her out of nowhere. Angel, for a moment, got startled.
“What is wrong with you?” Angel asked as Sabrina giggled uncontrollably in front of her. She noticed the glass of wine in her hand. “You’ve had way too much to drink, Sabrina.”
“Well, it would be nice if you would drink with me,” said Sabrina, her words a little slurry now. But for some reason, she still stood straight in her white heels.
“If you had given me a glass of champagne, I would’ve gladly drunk with you. I don’t do red wine.”
“Aw, you’re so boring sometimes,” said Sabrina. She held Angel by the shoulder to whisper in her ear. “I was talking with the guys at our table, and Derrick simply can’t stop talking about you.”
Angel turned over to where she knew Sabrina shared a table with a few of their colleagues. She noticed Derrick at the table, listening on to a colleague talking. She knew Derrick also happened to be one of the few workmates invited to the party. She had been too busy that the two of them hadn’t had a chance to talk except when she first received him when he arrived. Derrick looked in her direction, and Angel turned her head away, wishing that she hadn’t looked at him.
“Sabrina, why don’t you go and sit down?” Angel suggested it to her.
Sabrina continued to giggle. “Oh, no, I want to go over by the dance floor and dance. You should come with me. I’m really having a good time at this party. We should be having parties like these more often.”
“I’ll make sure if we do, no red wine for you.”
Sabrina laughed. “Very funny, Angel. Oh, great. Here they come.”
Angel had a funny feeling she knew who she was talking about. A fellow colleague of theirs who worked in the same department as Derrick, named John, came over with Derrick tagging along behind him. John was tall and lean with short, dirty blonde hair and gray eyes. Just like Derrick, he wore a white cashmere shirt and beige pants.
“Come on, Sabrina,” said John. “You and I haven’t had our dance yet.”
“You’re right,” said Sabrina as she smiled. “Let’s go boogie!”
Sabrina and John went on towards the dance floor, leaving Angel shaking her head as she watched them go.
“She’s nearly this close to getting wasted,” said Derrick, showing a thin space between his thumb and index finger.
“I know. If we were elsewhere, I would have been scared for her,” said Angel. She turned to look at Derrick. “How are you enjoying the party so far?”
“It’s great.” Derrick smiled at her. “But you, on the other hand, are the main highlight, aside from the birthday boy, of course.”
“Am I the highlight of the party?” Angel asked. She looked down at herself. “Could it be the dress?”
“That, and you look stunning.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you’re enjoying the party.”
“Yeah. Now I’m starting to see why you were leaving the office these past few days. You must have worked really hard.”
“But I had a lot of help, so it was a lot easier.”
Sabrina’s laugh was so distinctive that Angel turned to see her and John on the dance floor dancing to a famous pop song. There was no denying that she was an excellent dancer. John, on the other hand, wasn’t trying to catch up with her. He danced the only way he knew how. Sabrina was just on another level.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen you dance,” said Angel as she turned to look at Derrick.
“Oh, no way,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m horrible at dancing.”
“Nonsense. If you’re able to walk on your two feet, then you can dance. Come on. You and I are going to dance.” Angel took Derrick by the hand, and without resisting, Derrick followed Angel to the dance floor.
Leo excused himself from the table, leaving Mr. Chang with his father. He was making his way to the buffet to get himself a glass of something to drink. It surprised him that he hadn’t had a drink of wine or champagne tonight. Maybe it’s because he thought of himself as the focus of the night since it’s his birthday. Anyhow, he decided he had stayed long with a drink, and he needed one.
When he got to the table, he took a glass of wine from those serving the guests, and he turned around to watch those on the dance floor. He noticed Sabrina dancing with John. She sort of stood out with the way she danced, and there was no denying that she was enjoying herself. He smiled and shook his head. She was going to be the talk of the office come Monday morning, that’s if it won’t be over Angel and how amazing she looks.
Out of the blue, he saw Angel quickly walk over to the dance floor. It’s almost like what he had been wishing for had suddenly appeared right in front of him. Then he realized that Angel was pulling someone along with her. It was Derrick. Leo suddenly became confused. This was clearly not what he wanted. Questions started to raise in his head. Who the hell invited him to the party?
Leo continued to watch as Angel and Derrick were on the dance floor. She was persuading him to dance. Angel started to move side to side while holding Derrick’s hands, guiding him. Derrick at first didn’t want to move, but soon, he followed Angel’s lead, and the two danced to the music. Angel was laughing, and Derrick laughed along with her. Leo’s hand squeezed the glass a little that he had to tell himself to calm down. He turned back around, taking a swing of his wine, placing the glass on the table, and getting himself another. He had no idea why he had the sudden urge to drink tonight when a moment ago, he didn’t want to drink too much. He turned back to look at Angel and Derrick enjoying themselves on the dance floor. He wondered what Eric could be thinking of all this, if he were watching.
Looking around, Leo spotted Eric sitting with a few of his cousins. At first, his attention wasn’t on the dance floor. His eyes went over to the dance floor, and he watched on for a moment. There was no denying that he had spotted Derrick and Angel dancing. After a while, Sabrina and John joined them. Eric stood from his seat and started to make his way to the dance floor. Leo raised an eyebrow. I hope Eric isn’t going to do something stupid, Leo thought to himself.
“Mind if I join you?” came a voice beside Leo.
Leo turned to see Kim. She also had a glass of red wine in her hand, and she stood beside him, also watching the people on the dance floor.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you on the dance floor tonight, Kim,” said Leo, doing his best not to look at her.
“You know I’m not that much of a dancer, Leo,” she said.
Leo rolled his eyes. “That’s a lie, and you know it.”
Kim chuckled. “I saw you dancing earlier. Looks like you still have some moves.”
“What can I say; it’s my birthday after all.”
“And it’s turned out great. I wish I had thrown something like this for you over the years.”
“I never asked you to.” Leo raised his eyebrow. “And I still wouldn’t.”
“I know.” Kim turned to look at Leo and went back to looking at the dance floor. Then she spotted Angel dancing with her colleagues moving around in a circle. Eric had apparently joined them, and a few others had joined as well.
“Angel looks great tonight,” said Kim as she watched. “She must be the most beautiful-looking woman in the room.”
For a second, Leo kept his mouth shut. The way Kim spoke made him realize that she was playing at something. What could it be?
“Yes, she does look beautiful tonight,” Leo answered. “But I doubt she’s the most beautiful woman in the room.”
This time Kim raised an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked. “I’m guessing for you to say that, then your girlfriend must be here.”
“What makes you say that?” Leo now turned to look at her.
“Because she would be the only one you would have eyes for,” said Kim, smiling at him. “I know you, Leo. Back when we were dating, our times at parties were something special because you always had your eyes on me.”
Leo scoffed. “That was then, Kim. This time is different. Sadly, my girlfriend couldn’t make it tonight. No need to bother yourself about who it might be in the crowd.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “I figured. Most of the people here are those I’ve known for a long time.”
“No doubt you were planning to spot an unfamiliar face. Since I never introduced her to the family, she wouldn’t have been invited.”
“Makes sense.” Kim was now starting to feel a little stupid in this game she tried to pull off. She had to think of something fast before Leo could have the chance to get away. “Didn’t you make any plans to meet tonight? I mean, she should know it’s your birthday, right? It would be a shame if she didn’t.”
“We did make plans, but we had to cancel since she’s out of town for work.”
“Okay. Well, I bet you’re bound to make other plans once she gets back.”
“Yes, I do.” Leo noticed someone at a distance, waving their hand in the air. He turned to see his grandmother, waving at him and telling him to come over to her table. “If you will excuse me, my grandmother is calling.”
“Sure.” Kim smiled at Leo as he slowly walked away from her. As she watched him go, she couldn’t help but think whether Leo was lying about his girlfriend being out of town. She turned to look at the dance floor, her eyes solely fixed on Angel. Now more than ever, Kim was even more confused.
Leo made his way towards Amanda, who sat alongside her friends. She told him to grab a chair so that he could sit right next to her. Leo got an empty chair and squeezed himself in between Amanda and June.
“What were you talking about with Kim?” Amanda asked, demandingly.
“Nothing important,” said Leo. “Is that why you called me here?”
“Your grandmother is paranoid over everything,” said June.
“Well, I have my grandson’s best interest at heart. I just called you here to tell you something really important.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “And what is that?”
Before Amanda could say anything, Eric’s voice sounded through the speakers, making an announcement. All heads turned to the dance floor, looking at Eric.
“Hey, everyone, sorry to interrupt,” said Eric. “I know we’re all having a good time, and I feel we probably should’ve done this way before we got into our program, but… there was a suggestion that we should have a ballroom dance, and the birthday boy should take the floor. Leo, come up here.”
“Ballroom dance?” Leo looked at his grandmother with a shocked look on his face. “No one told me there was going to be that.”
“You weren’t supposed to know,” said Amanda. “Go on. If you want my advice, choose your partner wisely.”
“What?” Leo looked on confused before June, who was sitting next to him, nudged him to go onto the dance floor.
Leo slowly stood, and all eyes were on him now. He didn’t like this idea of ballroom dancing. He didn’t expect Eric to actually bring it up. Somebody put it up to him, Leo thought as he made his way to the dance floor. But who?
Mrs. McDonell had been talking to Mrs. McAlister as she watched Leo. A broad smile fell on her face. She turned to look at Kim, who remained by the buffet table. Bertha can’t wait to see what happens next.
“Okay, here he comes,” said Eric, as he watched Leo make his way. “Now, we all know he needs to have a partner for this. I would suggest he dance with his mother, but that won’t do. So, I think that he is better off dancing with…”
For a moment, Eric paused as Leo joined him at the center of the dance floor. Everyone seemed to hold his or her breath for a minute, anticipating what Eric would say next. Eric looked at Leo, who also waited for him to finish his statement.
“…I think Leo is better off dancing with whosoever he pleases,” Eric finished.
Mrs. McDonell couldn’t believe her ears. She didn’t tell Eric to say that. She turned towards Kim, who was confused and shocked as her. It was too late for Mrs. McDonell to go up to Eric and tell him to correct his mistake. In fact, this was no mistake. It was purely intentional.
Leo turned to look at Eric. “Are you saying I can pick whoever I want to dance with?”
“Yeah. I’m giving you the liberty. Unless you want me to pick someone for you.” Eric wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“No, thanks. I’m better off picking on my own,” said Leo.
“Now, who will be the lucky lady to get the chance to dance with the birthday boy tonight? Ladies, don’t be shy and hide away. This just might be your moment.”
Leo looked around the dance floor, and it was then that he realized that there were so many women to choose from. Most of them were his colleagues and friends he was familiar with, but they all didn’t seem to be the right person to dance with. He groaned on the inside, wishing if Carly were here, he would’ve picked her. This was a lot harder than he thought. Who is he going to pick?
Kim, who stood at a distance, started to make her way towards the dance floor where everyone stood. No way was she going to miss this opportunity to make him dance with her.
“Looks like the birthday boy can’t decide,” said Eric. “You better hurry, Leo. Is there anyone who would want to dance with him? Men included.”
Those around laughed, while Leo threw him an angry look. As he continued to look around, a few women on the dance floor raised their hands. Still, he didn’t feel like any of them was suitable.
Sabrina, who happened to be one of the women who raised her hand, looked over at Angel standing a few feet from her. She came over to Angel and nudged her on the shoulder. “Why aren’t you raising your hand?” she asked. “Don’t you want to dance with Leo?”
Angel shook her head. He was her sister’s boyfriend, for goodness’ sake; she simply couldn’t dance with him. She wished she could air that out, but there was nothing better than being quiet.
Kim soon found herself on the dance floor and found herself at the front. She also happened to raise her hand, and when Leo noticed her, he swallowed.
“Okay, Leo has some interesting choices,” said Eric as he also saw Kim raise her hand. “This makes your choice even easier, Leo. Who do you pick?”
Diana, who watched close by, crossed her fingers and bit her lower lip, hoping Leo would choose who she had in mind. She wasn’t alone. Amanda held on to June’s hand, hoping Leo could make the right choice. Diana had actually tipped her off to tell Leo about the ballroom dance, but it was too late for her to warn him. Mrs. McDonell only hoped that Leo would pick Kim.
Leo was running out of time, and he felt his heart beat even faster. There was no way he was going to dance with Kim, though it felt like the only viable option. He looked around one last time and noticed Sabrina with her hand raised. Then he noticed that despite raising her hand, Sabrina was actually pointing at someone standing beside her. Angel. Angel looked on, oblivious to the fact that Sabrina was actually giving Leo a smile and telling him to pick her instead.
Leo weighed his options. No doubt if he didn’t pick anyone soon, he would most likely dance with Kim. He didn’t want that. He would dance with Sabrina, but that didn’t seem like a good idea because she was too energetic for a ballroom dance. Angel remained the only option. He wondered why he never thought of her before. There was simply no one he could dance with but her.
Angel noticed the way Leo looked at her and Sabrina. At first, she thought he was thinking of dancing with Sabrina. She looked at Sabrina, who still had her hand up, and then she noticed that she was actually pointing at her. Angel’s eyes grew wide with shock, and she hit Sabrina on the shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Angel asked. “I thought you wanted to dance with Leo!”
“Yeah, but you’re better off dancing with him than me,” said Sabrina as she turned to smile at Angel.
“Oh, it seems Leo has found someone to dance with,” Eric announced into the microphone. “Who is it going to be?”
Angel quickly turned to see Leo approaching her. Sabrina couldn’t help but giggle in excitement, as she knew her plan had worked. She stood aside, as if her presence would most likely kill the moment, leaving Angel to bask in it. Angel looked over at Sabrina, giving her a look that she will deal with her later. Leo slowly approached her, and for a moment, she couldn’t move. She wished she could, but she couldn’t find the strength to move as Leo’s gaze held her captive. She swallowed. This cannot be happening to me right now, she thought to herself.
Leo could tell Angel was nervous as he walked towards her. He also felt the same way, his heart beating fast. He wished he could back away and change his mind. However, it was already too late. For some reason, he had become content that Angel was the person he was going to dance with. When he stopped in front of her and held out his right hand, he was sure he hadn’t made a mistake.
“Will you care to dance?” he asked.
Angel blushed as she looked at Leo and realized that she didn’t have the voice to answer him. Instead, she gave a small nod of her head, and she placed her hand in his. This is silly, she couldn’t help but say to herself. How did all of this happen?
“Ooh, Angel agreed to dance with Leo,” said Eric. For someone who had a crush on Angel, he sounded excited. “Everyone clear the floor.”
Everyone on the dance floor cleared out and stood to watch as Leo stood beside Angel and led her to the center of the dance floor. Kim, who couldn’t believe what just transpired, felt somewhat betrayed as she looked at the two of them. For the moment, she couldn’t tell whether she should stay and watch or simply leave to avoid any more disappointment. However, for some funny reason, she stayed to watch.
Diana couldn’t help but feel her heart leap when Leo had picked Angel. It was exactly what she wanted. Amanda couldn’t help but clap as though in victory and told June to move her up to the dance floor to watch them dance. Her other friends decided to come along as well. Mrs. McDonell was a little disappointed with the whole situation, but Mrs. McAlister urged her to come along and watch the dance. She grudgingly did.
When Leo and Angel stood in the middle of the dance floor, they faced each other. The DJ played a classical ballroom song meant for the waltz. Angel swallowed as she looked at Leo and soon placed her right hand on his shoulder. She felt his hand at the back of her waist, drawing her a little closer towards him. Leo held her left hand with his right. And right on cue, Leo took the lead, moving Angel with him.
Aside from the soft classical music, everyone was now up on his or her feet, watching Angel and Leo move from across the dance floor. The music started slowly at first, and as it grew a little faster. Leo and Angel’s movements grew faster, following the tune. At some point, Leo twirled Angel around and drew her closer to him; he held her waist and bent her backwards. The way they danced was so in sync with the music that for a moment, everyone thought they might be watching some ballroom dance competition that the two must have rehearsed a million times over.
However, that wasn’t the case. The two of them did know how to do the ballroom dance, yet they were so coordinated as if they had danced with each other before. They captivated everyone who watched on silently. Some even recorded the dance on their phones. When the music slowed down a little, Angel had her arm across Leo’s chest, holding his right shoulder as she stood to his left side, facing the opposite direction. Leo still held her waist, facing the other side, and the two of them moved about in a circle. They let go of each other and turned around to face in the opposite directions, holding each other and moving again in a circle.
“You’re pretty good at this,” said Leo as he looked at Angel beside him.
“I should be the most surprised,” said Angel, trying her best not to look at him for too long. They switched directions again, this time, their backs of the hands touching as they continued to move in a circle.
“Well, I took ballroom classes when I was younger,” Leo admitted.
“That explains it.” Angel looked at him. “You’re a pretty good lead.”
“Men are supposed to lead; that’s just the nature of things. And I’ll admit you’re a pretty good follower.”
Angel’s cheeks flushed. It was hard enough for her to concentrate from the beginning when she knew she had to dance with Leo. But with Leo taking the lead and the music leading them, she forgot all about that and danced along without making much of a mistake. She couldn’t afford to lose concentration now. Any moment now, the tune will go faster again.
They changed to face the other direction again, but this time they moved in a circle a little slower. This time, Leo looked at Angel more closely. The bright lights under them made Angel glow that he thought he was looking at an angel. There was something about the way she moved with him as they danced that made him feel the two of them were in perfect harmony with each other. As the tune of the music started to go a little faster, Leo took hold of Angel’s hand and twirled her around, drawing her closer to him and making her face him like they did before. As soon as Angel’s body bumped into his, Leo thought he had heard her gasp slightly.
The two of them danced and twirled around. Just as the song was at its ending, Leo twirled Angel and bent her backwards as she wrapped her shoulders around his shoulders for support. The music ended with them in that pose, and the two of them stayed like that for a moment, looking at each other. A thunderous round of applause from the crowd rang in their ears, bringing them back down to earth. While they had danced, the two of them had been oblivious that all eyes were on them.
Leo brought Angel back into a standing position, and as they held hands, they took a bow. The cheers from the crowd and clapping got even louder. Amanda who sat in front of the crowd, clapped with more vigor, her eyes looking teary. Diana, who stood next to her, was just ecstatic. Mrs. McDonell, who watched the whole performance, admitted that Leo and Angel danced remarkably well. Maybe letting Leo pick his partner wasn’t such a bad idea after all, she thought to herself. Kim also clapped, but half-heartedly. She felt envious that Angel was the one who danced with Leo. She knew Leo was good with ballroom dancing. She was reminded of the times they would dance at parties, and never did he dance with her like he did with Angel tonight. The two of them danced as if they had danced together before. There was something about their performance that left Kim wondering what was so special about it.
“Wow, wow, you two,” said Eric as he came to stand beside them. “You two gave out the best ballroom performance I have ever seen. Now I want to dance too, but with Angel, of course. Okay, DJ, do your thing. Those who would love to dance, please, the dance floor is all yours.”
The dance floor was crowded, but this time, most of the people flocked over to Leo and Angel, giving their own views about their performance. Amanda who reached them first, couldn’t hold in her excitement.
“You two were amazing!” she said. “You have to tell me the truth, though. Did you two practice this or something? I know what I’m asking is crazy, but have you two ever danced before?”
“No, we haven’t,” Angel answered. She turned to look at Leo. “Leo just happens to be a very good lead.”
Sabrina happened to appear out of nowhere and hugged Angel. Angel turned to look at her. “You and I need to have a serious talk,” Angel said.
“Can we do that on a Monday?” Sabrina asked. “Right now, I want you to dance with me, like you did with Leo.”
“What? No, I won’t—”
Before Angel could finish her sentence, Sabrina grabbed Angel by the waist, held her hand, and led her away as though they were dancing the tango. Those who watched the whole thing laughed. Soon, the whole floor was busy with people dancing. Even Amanda remained on the dance floor, waving her hands in the air while her friends danced around her. Leo found himself dancing with Diana, and Eric with Sabrina, each of them displaying their moves. Kim and Mrs. McDonell weren’t on the dance floor, and they sat at one of the tables, watching everyone enjoy themselves. They both had a drink in their hand.
“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did,” Mrs. McDonell said to Kim.
“Well, it was bound to happen,” said Kim after taking a sip of her wine. “I really wished I was the one who had danced with him.”
“They put up one hell of a show, didn’t they? A friend of mine just said out of everything that’s happened, their dance is something to talk about for a long time.”
“Yeah, they did dance very well. Have the two of them ever danced like that before?”
Mrs. McDonell shook her head. “Not as far as I know. When I think about it, those two weren’t even that close as they are now. I wonder what changed. I used to get the feeling that they were uncomfortable with each other at first. But these past few weeks have been quite different.”
“Did they ever fight?” Kim was now curious.
“I bet they did. There was always some sort of tension between them. It was different between Leo and Carly, though. Those two seemed to get along just fine.”
“Huh. Now that I think about it, where is Carly?”
“In Mexico attending some college seminar. She won’t be back until next week.”
“Oh, okay.” Kim took another sip of her wine. “You know, Leo mentioned that his girlfriend is out of town and that they had made plans to meet for his birthday.”
“Well, if he did make plans, then he was probably lying.” Mrs. McDonell rolled her eyes. “He would’ve told us a long time ago that he won’t spend the birthday dinner with us. Even if he did, we would’ve found a way to drag him here for his party.”
“Are you saying that he might be lying about this whole thing about having a girlfriend?”
“Maybe. Who knows? I don’t really get Leo sometimes. He would’ve introduced us to this girlfriend of his, but he’s still so secretive about it. I think he’s lying. So, my dear, you’ve nothing to worry about for the time being.”
Kim watched Mrs. McDonell take a swing of her wine, thinking over what she had said. Kim was still convinced that Leo was definitely seeing someone, and Angel confirmed that when the two of them had met at the café. Now, she’s starting to have doubts about whether Leo really does have genuine feelings for his girlfriend. Not after what she saw with the way Leo danced with Angel.
After a few minutes had passed, someone on the dance floor announced that the cake had arrived. Everyone turned to see a tall, medium-sized cake with three tiers on a moving tray. The person pushing the tray was Angel. When the music died down and Angel continued on her way to the dance floor, she started to sing the happy birthday song. Soon, everyone joined her and made way for her and the cake.
Leo watched on as everyone made a huge circle around him, and Angel brought the cake towards him. The cake was white with peach-colored flowers decorating every round edge of the tiers. Lovely peach-colored beads lined up the bottom of the tiers, giving the cake a fancy look. At the top of the cake stood a gold glitter cake topper with the words, “Happy Birthday, Leo.”
Leo couldn’t help but stare at the cake as everyone continued to sing to him. He looked up at Angel, who now stood beside the cake, singing along. There was no doubt in his mind that she is the one who baked it. With all this going on around him, he couldn’t help but feel his heart swell. Was it with pride? No, he thought. It was gratitude. He never thought he ever felt like this before: the warm, fuzzy feeling of everyone showing how much they cared. For a moment, he thought his eyes were going to tear up. However, he sniffed, holding back his tears. He couldn’t hide it from Diana, who was standing next to him. She rubbed his shoulder comfortingly with a smile on her face.
After everyone finished singing, everyone cheered and clapped.
“Wow, thanks, everyone,” said Leo. He cleared his throat, trying to hide the fact that he was a little emotional. “I won’t deny this has been one of the best birthday parties I have ever had. I haven’t had one in a while, so I guess this is why it’s so special. I have my mum to thank, and Aunt Diana and Grandma,” he looked at them standing beside him as he said this. “And, I would like to thank Angel most of all.”
Angel swallowed as he mentioned her name. She quickly looked down at her feet to avoid eye contact with him while she still kept her head held high.
“This party looks amazing because of what you’ve done to help the family out,” Leo continued. “And now I see why you lied about going over to your friend’s house. You were baking my birthday cake. Honestly, it looks great, and I know it tastes great too. Thank you, Angel.”
Angel looked up to see Leo smiling at her, and in turn, she did the same. Amanda couldn’t help but smile even wider as she looked at the two of them. She soon started clapping her hands, and slowly everyone followed suit. Angel couldn’t help but feel a little shy with all that was going on, and she wished she could step aside. With her standing beside the cake, she felt like she had suddenly stolen its center of attention. It’s time to cut the cake, not an ovation directed to her.
“Okay, it’s time to cut the cake,” said Mrs. McDonell. “Who would like to cut it with, Leo?”
“If it won’t be too much, I would like Angel to cut it with me,” said Leo. “She’s the one who baked it.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” said Eric, smiling at Leo.
Great, Angel thought to herself. Just when she thought this was her chance to leave and stand elsewhere. There was a knife beside the cake already, and Angel picked it up by the handle. Leo came to stand beside her, and he enveloped his hand over hers, holding her hand steadily. Angel suddenly blushed at his touch, and she turned to look at him. Leo looked at her with a smirk. Angel gave him a thin-lipped smile, trying to hide that this wasn’t affecting her at all. She turned back to look at the cake, and they cut out a piece of cake from the bottom tier. It’s a chocolate cake. There was a small plate on the tray, and Angel took it, placing the piece of cake on it. She cut out another piece of the cake on the plate and brought it up to Leo’s mouth.
“Open up, birthday boy,” said Angel.
Leo did likewise, and Angel slowly placed the cake in his mouth, her fingers slightly brushing his lower lip. Leo held her hand there. Anyone watching would’ve thought that he only did that to help her direct the cake in her mouth, but it wasn’t. He wanted her fingers to linger on his lips a little longer. A chill ran down his spine, and he liked the thrill her touch gave him. Then he realized that they weren’t alone. He put down his hand as she pulled her hand away. He chewed on his cake. Mm, it tastes good, he thought.
Angel had felt her heart beat faster when Leo held her hand, and her head started to feel fuzzy. He looked at him, and there was a certain look in his eyes, almost like he was hungry for something. She couldn’t tell what it was, but all of a sudden she felt drawn to him. When he let go of her hand, the spell broke, and Angel, for a moment, wondered what happened just now.
Leo picked up the big piece of cake on the plate. “Okay, now, it’s your turn,” he said.
“No. I prefer you feed your mum instead,” said Angel as she shook her head.
“You fed me first, so it’s only right that I feed you next.” Leo brought the cake closer to her lips. “Open wide.”
Angel didn’t have a choice and took a bite. Leo watched her and smiled.
“See, it wasn’t so hard,” he said. Angel threw him a look as she chewed on the cake.
He turned around and fed his mother next, then Diana and his grandmother. He also fed his father and Oliver. Eric was fed last. When Leo turned around, Angel suddenly smeared cream on his nose. He never expected Angel to do that, and he looked a little shocked. Angel and everyone else laughed. Eric also came up and took some cream off the plate Angel was holding and smeared some cream on Leo’s cheek. Leo rolled his eyes at them.
“Wow, you two,” he said. “What a waste of cream.”
“Well, it’s your birthday,” said Eric. “We might as well make the most of it.”
Afterwards, Diana took the cake away and handed it over to the chef who stood nearby to take the cake into the kitchen for it to be cut and served to the guests. Meanwhile, the music continued to play, and those who wanted to dance did so. Others who were practically exhausted sat down in groups with either a glass of wine or a beer in their hands, enjoying each other’s company. The children, as usual, continued to play around.
Leo and Eric sat at a table, and the two of them couldn’t help but compliment the chocolate cake.
“Boy, Angel has done it again, hasn’t she?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, the cake tastes great,” said Leo. He took a napkin from the table and wiped off the cream on his nose and cheek. “You shouldn’t have lied to me about Angel going over to a friend’s house when she was actually baking a cake for me.”
“Well, if you knew, this whole party wouldn’t have been a surprise. Besides, we rarely buy a cake on your birthday. And sometimes, they aren’t always that good considering how long they had stayed on the display shelf at the bakery. This one was different. It showed that it really came from the heart.”
“Yeah.” Leo stared off in the distance for a moment, thinking of Angel and the cake.
“And I loved your speech. You aren’t always the sentimental kind, but it can show that you meant it. I’m glad that the two of you have finally become friends.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “Angel isn’t such a bad person when I think about it.”
Eric chuckled. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Angel is super nice. If she wanted to, she would have put fish guts in your cake.”
“Ew. Now you’re just being nasty,” said Leo as he stuck his tongue out.
“Sorry about that. Anyway, what you said made me glad. But… I really should punch you in the face, though.”
“For what?” Leo shrugged his shoulders.
“For dancing with Angel. You could have chosen any beautiful woman in the room, but you chose her. It’s not fair. I let you get away with it for the photoshoot, but I’m not letting you get away with this one.”
“I know. But it was either her or Kim. And you know I couldn’t dance with her.”
“You would’ve chosen Sabrina.”
“Yeah, but I had a feeling she would step on my feet throughout the dance.”
Eric laughed, throwing his head back. “She should never hear you say that.”
“Yeah, she’ll shred my paperwork for me to see on Monday morning.” Leo smiled. “But I had a good time dancing with Angel, though. She’s really good.”
“Yeah, and I hate you for it. You two did put up quite a show, so I’m not at all that mad. Just don’t fall for her. She’s mine.”
Leo gave a nod. “Understood. But it’s not me you’ve to be worried about.”
Eric huffed. “Derrick. I knew he was going to be a problem.”
“Then, you better grab your chance and dance with Angel. She’s with Sabrina, and the way I see it, Derrick might be thinking of doing the same.”
Leo and Eric both turned to look towards Angel dancing with Sabrina on the dance floor. They noticed Derrick at a distance looking over at Angel with a glass in his hand. Eric quickly stood up. No way was he going to let this opportunity slip away from him.
“I’ll catch you later, Leo,” said Eric, and he trudged his way onto the dance floor.
Leo watched Eric as he approached Angel and asked her to dance. Sabrina didn’t care as she continued in the other direction, dancing to the music. Leo watched as Angel agreed to dance with Eric, and the two held hands and danced. Leo turned to look at Derrick, his eyes still on Angel but looking a little disappointed. Leo found himself smirking. When he turned to see Angel and Eric together, he didn’t realize how quickly that smirk disappeared from his face.
His mind went back to the time he had danced with Angel. He didn’t know why he felt a deep sinking feeling in his chest as he watched Angel dance with Eric. Could this be how Eric felt when he saw dancing with Angel? Leo thought to himself. He told himself that that could only happen if he really did have feelings for Angel. Did he?
Leo found himself biting his lower lip, deep in thought. It’s not the first time he had felt such impulses before. Wherever he got too close to Angel, that’s when they came up. Today, however, since he had had her close too many times, it was getting worse. Especially when they danced together, he couldn’t help but realize that he had to keep himself under control from doing something stupid. Stupid like what? He found himself asking.
A server passed by, asking if Leo would want a glass of wine. He took a glass, took a quick gulp, and gave the empty glass back to the server. After the server left, Leo stood up from his seat. He needed to do something aside from watching Angel dance with Eric. Gulping down wine wasn’t going to do him any good.
He started to make his way away from the dance floor, with no clue who to walk up to talk to. It wasn’t until he noticed someone in a black suit walk out of the tent and head back towards the house. Leo knew it was Mr. Chang, for he was the only one who wore black at the party. He simply couldn’t leave the party now when everyone hasn’t had cake yet, Leo thought.
Then he noticed there was something odd about the way Mr. Chang walked. Leo concluded that he was pulling off an Irish goodbye. At least, Leo thought, I should see him off. Besides, he felt now was a good time to leave the party for a little bit. Leo started to follow Mr. Chang back to the house.
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