"they were flirting with you."
@fiadhry requested a prompt / accepting.
โ they were ? โ there is little more than feigned surprise woven into versoโs voice, his cadence smooth and calm as ever, carrying the trademark melody of someone entirely at ease. and why would he not be? there is not a shadow of doubt that verso is precisely where he wants to be, nestled somewhere between an excess of comfort and an even greater excess of generosity. perhaps he is one drink, or several, too far into the evening, but he is here for one reason and one reason only. her.
a floral scent fills his senses as verso turns, shifting closer and carefully draping an arm around her shoulders, guiding her frame toward him lest he collide with her side with more force than intended. sparkling champagne, glistening chandeliers, the inevitable murmur of conversation filling the room until even the string quartet is nearly drowned out. everything about the place feels designed for show, a gaudy and somewhat tacky excuse for a formal gathering.
โ it is quite funny, โ to escape the limelight and the suffocating volume of the main room, verso makes use of his newfound hold around her shoulders, gently guiding them toward a more secluded corner. technically, it remains part of the same room, merely tucked behind one of the many tall, ornate pillars scattered throughout it, the stone beneath its elaborate facade cold to the touch. here, at least, the noise dulls into something more distant, enough to make the space feel almost private despite the knowledge that they remain surrounded by people.
โ in my defense, you were rather distracting. i spent the entire evening making sure you stayed within my sight, so i hardly noticed when anyone else became flirtatious. โ a quiet click of his tongue against the roof of his mouth would have echoed through a room this lavish and expansive were it not for the sheer number of people packed into the shimmering event. verso pays not the slightest attention to any of them, his gaze wholly fixated upon meliaโs face. her rounded, soft brown eyes now seem to carry an unfamiliar edge, framed by gentle locks of brown hair that fall around her features, while her plump lips gleam beneath a glossy sheen. even blinking feels almost wasteful. each one steals a handful of precious milliseconds he could otherwise spend admiring her, committing every detail of her countenance to memory as though there might never be another opportunity to look again.
โ certainly you have noticed the way they looked at you ? โ every conversation held with him has been as brief as he could possibly make it, verso ensuring he might return to her side before anyone could find another reason to keep him occupied. โ and that is merely a look we are talking about, โ his hand eventually settles just above her hip, resting against her waist as he steps closer. he is dressed appropriately for the occasion, certainly, though standing beside melia, he cannot help but feel as though he looks almost out of place.
โ it does vex me, i must say. โ leaning in, his free arm wraps around her, his palm coming to rest against the small of her back. this close, he catches the faint scent of alcohol mingling with the sweetness of her perfume, intoxicating all the same. โ clearly you are here with me, no ? โ a quiet sigh escapes through his nose, the corners of his lips curling into a gentle smile meant solely for her, subtle enough that anyone more than a few feet away would never notice it. โ just as i am here with you. โ the tip of his nose barely bumps against her forehead, lips brushing against the skin as the next words slip out as nothing more than a whisper. โ though i would not be opposed if you wish to leave early, i can certainly think of better ways to spend an evening with you. โ
