Chapter 15

The proximity was intoxicating. Unlike their distant encounter across the stage, Luigi could now detect subtle details that sent shivers of recognition down his spine—the faint jasmine scent that had haunted his dreams for a year, even the staccato rhythm of her pulse visible at her neck. Each familiar element heightened his impossible suspicion.

Her deliberate silence felt strategic rather than shy. No other dancer in the company maintained this careful muteness—only her. With an uncharacteristically tentative motion, he reached toward her mask, his usually steady hand betraying a slight tremor. The closer he got, the more his own heartbeat echoed in his ears, his breathing becoming shallow with anticipation.

Ariana hadn’t anticipated this direct approach. Based on her years with Luigi, she had expected his typical reaction to being ignored—a flash of entitlement, then dismissal. The Luigi Maggiore she had known would have scoffed at her silence and walked away, his infamous impatience with “time-wasters” sending him in search of more accommodating company.

She had risked silence as her best defense, never imagining he would simply reach for the mask himself. As his fingertips hovered mere centimeters from the pearlescent surface, Ariana’s entire body tensed, her breath caught mid-inhale.

Just as contact seemed inevitable, a sharp ringtone sliced through the tension. Luigi withdrew his hand with visible reluctance, reaching for his phone with a suppressed sigh. “What is it?” he answered tersely.

Whatever news came through transformed his expression from intense curiosity within seconds. With a last lingering look at Ariana, he turned abruptly and strode away, already issuing rapid instructions to whoever had called.

Only when his silhouette disappeared completely did Ariana’s rigid posture collapse. She exhaled shakily, unclenching fists that had been prepared to push him away if necessary.