16 Dance With Me

Maria was embarrassed by the way Rafael looked at her while saying that, so she looked away awkwardly and cleared her throat.

For some reason, she just did not feel any type of connection with this man, so she was hoping that their time together today would change that.

"Shall we?" she asked.

He offered her his arm and they began the walk to the ballroom.

"I could barely sleep last night knowing that I would get to wake up and steal you away for the morning".

Maria looked up at him and politely smiled, trying to appear more sincere than she felt.

The walk across the different halls to the ballroom felt as if it was an eternity and she did not know how she would be able to get through an entire morning of dancing and food.

She hoped that he would calm down the flirting as the morning went on and they spent more time together because she really did want to make an effort to get to know him, and the endless compliments and sweet-talking were not her style.

She wondered if he was genuinely this way all of the time or if it was just an act he put on until he felt that he had fully seduced someone.

'I guess I'll find out soon enough,' Maria thought to herself.

They arrived at the ballroom and found two butlers in front of the grand doors.

They bowed their heads at the prince and princess and opened them to reveal the grand sight in front of them.

Maria gasped as they entered the room to find that Jason had not only prepared a full orchestra, but a candlelit table for two, red rose petals covering the ballroom floor, and glittering decorations that he had somehow hung from the tall, arched ceiling.

It really was the most spectacular thing she had ever seen inside the palace, and she figured it was the perfect setting in which to develop an amorous connection.

The orchestra immediately started playing soft music as they entered; it was the final piece that really set an intimate mood.

"My Lady," Rafael said as he dropped his arm to instead offer Maria his hand.

He bowed and when Maria placed her hand in his, he kissed the back of it before leading her to the center of the dance floor.

When they arrived, he picked up the hand he was holding to bring it up closer to her shoulder level before he grabbed the small of her back with his right hand and pulled her closer to him, while she placed her left hand up on his arm.

They started to move their feet to the music as the beautiful sounds of strings and wind instruments filled the air while the rose petals danced along with them.

Maria finally had the courage to look up at him, and met his eyes that were looking admiringly at her.

"I couldn't have planned a more perfect date myself," he said with a laugh as they danced.

She thought about taking the credit for the idea and the beautiful setting, but she knew that the best relationships were built on honesty, so she told him instead, "Actually this was all Jason's idea. I wish I had thought of this, but I'm not this romantic I'm afraid".

He softly chuckled and replied, "That's alright, I can be the romantic one in the relationship and you can be the more logical one," he continued as he looked around to take in the entirety of the room, "Your brother has great taste though, I must say. He must know how to swoon the ladies".

At that, Maria laughed and felt herself loosening up with him, "Oh I'm sure many women have swooned for him, as much as I don't care to think about it".

They both laughed and Maria continued, "So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything, but maybe we can start with your favorite things to do?"

"I love riding my horse along the countryside but my absolute favorite thing to do is go to big parties. And if there aren't parties to attend, I throw them myself. I thrive when I'm around people and love the company of anyone and everyone".

They could not be more opposite, Maria thought to herself, but she still was trying to keep an open mind.

"You must be excited to be the King of Spain soon, then. You can order there to be grand parties every night if you want," she replied with a smile.

"Oh, I'm planning on it," he said with a chuckle, "We can be the most fun King and Queen in the whole world".

They danced for a few more songs as he told her about some of the more lavish and extravagant parties he had been to, before they decided to take a rest and eat instead.

When they sat down, the kitchen staff entered with plates full of pita bread, different types of hummus, and every fruit imaginable to fill the candlelit table.

They enjoyed the food and Rafael continued to tell Maria about his horse, the hunting trips he goes on with his friends from court, and his surprising dream of wanting to sail the ocean for a year.

She enjoyed listening to him, especially since he had calmed down the flirting, but something about it still did not feel as natural as she had hoped.

After they were satisfied and too full to continue eating, Rafael reached out his hand and said, "How about one more dance to end?"

"I'd love to," she replied before she took his hand and pushed out her chair to stand.

They walked back over to the center of the room and started to dance.

Maria could tell that his flirtatious side was starting to return by the way he held her gaze, and she watched as he slowly tilted his head towards her before he leaned in to kiss her.

Even with the incredibly intimate setting and romantic feel of the date, something in the kiss was missing.

There was nothing wrong with the way he kissed her.

It wasn't sloppy or too much, but it just wasn't right either.

There was no sweetness like she had with Henri, and there was no passion like she had with Arthur.

Rafael pulled away, and something in his face and the way his forehead wrinkled made Maria believe that he felt the same way she did about it.

He smiled gently at her with one of those smiles that didn't quite reach his eyes, before he offered her his arm to escort her back to her room.

They walked in awkward silence down the hall and when they reached Maria's room, he gave her hand a kiss and thanked her for the date before he went back towards his own room.

'Awkward,' she thought to herself.

She placed her hand on the doorknob to her room, and stood there thinking for a second before she let her hand drop and she turned to walk down the hallway.