His words hung in the air, casting a shadow of disbelief across Ellie's features.
Ellie looked at him, her eyes widening in surprise, searching his face for any sign of jest.
"You are not serious, are you?" she asked, her voice a delicate interplay of shock and uncertainty.
Just as she asked that, the music came to an end, and so did their dance.
Storm maintained a cryptic smile that only fueled Ellie's curiosity. The room seemed to hold its breath, anticipation and tension blending in the charged atmosphere.
His eyes, a mosaic of emotions, stayed glued to hers.
"Deadly serious," he replied with a voice carrying a weight that settled in the room like an unexpected storm.
Ellie felt a whirlwind of emotions swirling within her, a cocktail of surprise, confusion, and a hint of vulnerability.
A hesitant chuckle escaped her lips, a defense mechanism against the gravity of his words.