Rahul—RC—executed a perfect air-kiss, and Bella looked up at him, obviously starstruck. So she could see it too. They could all see Rahul’s transformation. “I heard you say you’re the crown prince of Adnan… Adamson… um, sorry.” Bella giggled, her cheeks staining pink, and Caterina felt a tug of irritation.
“It’s all right, I can barely pronounce it myself,” RC said, and Bella laughed again.
Then, refocusing on Caterina, Bella moved half a step closer. Caterina immediately felt her walls fly up, a sure sign that her brain had interpreted something in Bella’s expression or stance as a favor waiting to be asked. Then Bella opened her mouth and there it was. “I hate to ask,” she said, speaking quietly. “But I heard that you went to the Hiltons’ vacation resort over Christmas break.”
“Really?” Caterina kept her face blank. “Where did you hear that?” Rahul, she could see in her peripheral vision, was watching this whole exchange, agog.
“I’m not sure.” But Bella’s blue eyes wouldn’t meet Caterina’s. It had to have been Jason, her boyfriend, who probably heard it from his dad. “Anyway, I would really, really love the chance to pitch Paris my ideas for a new fashion line. You know how it can be; it’s just so hard to get traction unless you know the right people.…” She grinned, bright as a light bulb. “And that’s why I’m so lucky we’re practically sisters-in-law, according to Jason!”
Sisters-in-law? Caterina had barely seen Jason over the last two years, let alone said more than twenty words to him. And Bella… she wasn’t even sure who Bella’s parents were or what they did. She smiled, but made sure to keep her eyes remote to get her message across. “I’m not sure what I can do to help. The Hiltons are so very busy and hard to track down.…” She looked over her shoulder and then back. “Well, I don’t mean to be rude,” she continued, hoping she was being a little rude, “but we can’t hold up the line anymore.” She pointed to the woman in the black suit, who was waiting patiently for her and RC to check in.
“Of course, of course!” Bella leaned in to air-kiss Caterina again. “We’ll catch up later!” And she rushed off to talk to someone farther down in line.
“Well…” Caterina raised an eyebrow at RC. “I think she was pretty impressed with you, RC. I suppose we can call tonight a success without ever having sat down.”
He grinned back at her, and something in her chest hitched just a bit. “Yes,” he said, winking. “I suppose we can.”
CHAPTER 9
RAHUL
He had no idea where all this confidence was coming from. The wink, the easy laugh, the witty repartees… Never in his life had he ever behaved this way. Never in his life had he ever thought he could behave this way and get away with it. It was as if he’d injected himself with charm juice or something. It was all just coming together.
They were sitting at a table with Paul and Amelia Hindman now, both of whom had been utterly taken with RC, as had everyone else. He’d heard three of Caterina’s girlfriends ask about his and Caterina’s relationship status in what he was sure they thought was a subtle way. And another one of them was fearlessly attempting to play footsie with him under the table, though he kept moving his foot out of the way.
“Ooh, it’s time for dancing!” one of the girls (not Footsie Girl, but the one in a purple-feathered headband thing who’d been complimented numerous times on her twenties attire) said to her date as the DJ struck up some fast song Rahul had never heard of. She had a head full of voluminous black curls and an infectious smile—Rahul thought Caterina had introduced her as Morgan Stokes. “Come on, Jaden. Let’s go!”
As they made their way to the dance floor, Amelia Hindman turned to Caterina and Rahul and smiled, the skin around her mouth wrinkled and papery. “Don’t you want to ask your date to dance, RC?” She gestured with one bejeweled hand toward the dance floor, where other young couples were congregating.
One thing Caterina had already instructed him on: if the Hindmans said they wanted something, if they so much as hinted that they wanted it, it didn’t matter what it was—your watch, your movie tickets, your pancreas—you just gave it to them. So Rahul smiled. “You read my mind, Mrs. Hindman.” He stood and turned to Caterina, holding out one hand. “Will you do me the absolute honor of this dance?”
As Amelia Hindman beamed at them, Caterina smiled, put her hand in his, and rose gracefully from her chair, letting RC lead her out to the dance floor.
* * *
It was almost exactly like the winter dance. Caterina was ensconced in his arms, her soft, clear rose perfume washing over him like a cool wave. But this time, he didn’t feel so out of place. This time, he wasn’t wearing a tux that hung off him like a sack or shoes that were too tight in the toes. This time, he wasn’t worried that his hair was hanging limply in his eyes or that everyone was staring at them, thinking, Why the hell is Rahul Chopra dancing with Caterina LaValle?
This time, Rahul was sure that everyone was gazing at them in wonder and envy, wondering who he was and how they could get to know him. They were seeing them together as the beautiful cake-topper couple, the wealthy, handsome prince with the perfect, poised princess.
“What?” Caterina asked, studying his expression. “What’s that smile about?”
Rahul shook his head. “I feel good. I feel right.”
She smiled a little then and squeezed his biceps. “You do feel right.”
Rahul raised his eyebrows at the compliment, his words deserting him. Had… had she just complimented his body? Did Caterina find him sexy in a tux with his hair done?
Apparently realizing what she’d said, Caterina flushed a pale pink. “I mean, you’re definitely wearing this new identity well. I’ve been getting compliments on my new boyfriend all night. Everyone’s talking about us.”
Rahul gazed into her eyes and watched in pleasure as her cheeks flushed even deeper. He’d never had this effect on her before. Not even close. Without even thinking about it, he spun her around, as if the moves were just coiled in him, waiting for this moment to come out. As Caterina laughed, he dipped her down, his hand supporting her weight, his fingers pressed into the bare skin like warm silk on her back. “Then let’s give them something to talk about.”
Right on cue, Alaric materialized beside them, faint spots of red on his pale cheeks. Rahul had been waiting for this. And the way Caterina stood and squared her shoulders, smiling a cat-that-got-the-cream smile, so had she.
CATERINA
This was the perfect time for Alaric to make his entrance. Rahul had just danced with her like he belonged on Dancing with the Stars, everyone was staring at them, and a few had even clapped when Rahul dipped her. Caterina had seen Alaric from her upside-down vantage. Though he’d ostensibly been dancing with Lizel Falk, he’d really been glaring at them. She could tell it took every last egotistical bone in his body to not rush over and rip them apart. Not because he was jealous, obviously. He just didn’t want Caterina to move on in a more spectacular fashion than he had.
“Hello, Alaric.” She made sure to keep her voice supercilious and frosty. Then she turned back to Rahul and laughed. “I just can’t believe you said that to the princess of Sweden! You’re just too much, RC.”
Rahul, thankfully, played along. “Oh, Victoria and I are old friends,” he replied, grinning dashingly. “She’s used to it by now.”
“So you’re RC,” Alaric said, attempting a casual tone. Of course, his teeth were clamped together so hard, his jaw muscle protruded. “I’m Alaric Konig.”
He held out a hand and Caterina saw Rahul clamp it, his own hand above Alaric’s. She bit on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Rahul had had no problem remembering how to properly shake everyone else’s hand tonight. “Nice to meet you, Rick,” Rahul said dismissively, ignoring Alaric’s dagger-like glare. And then, as the next song started up, he wrapped his arms around Caterina and swept her away again.
She laughed. “Rick? I don’t think anyone’s ever called him that before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Rahul’s eyes sparkled in the golden lights of the room. “And I quite like Rick. He seemed like a nice fella.”
Caterina shook her head, still laughing. Rahul was so… different. So completely someone new. He really had become RC tonight.
RAHUL
As he danced with Caterina, Rahul couldn’t believe how high, how on top of everything, he felt. This was what people like Alaric felt like all the time? It was like he’d swallowed a pink cloud and drunk a few gallons of unicorn juice. Everything felt magical. He felt magical.
He looked at Caterina, at her beautiful smile that was all for him. She was happy, genuinely happy, in this moment, and it was because he’d made her happy. His fingers pressed gently on her waist, the silk of her dress luxuriously soft against his skin. He couldn’t help but think again of the last time he’d held her this way, after the winter formal.
But tonight Caterina wasn’t hurting; she wasn’t in his arms as a last resort. Tonight he belonged with her. They were, for all intents and purposes, a couple. She was dancing with him now because she wanted to, he knew. He wasn’t just a consolation prize anymore.
“Do you want to go out on the balcony?” he asked her as the song drew to a close. He gestured toward the exit, which led down a hallway that ended in a giant balcony, all done up in lights and decorations for the event.
Caterina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked at him through her lashes. “I’d love to.”
He led her through the crowd and into the hallway, where it was quieter and cooler. There were a few older people out here, talking business, but they didn’t glance up at Rahul or Caterina as they passed. He was exquisitely aware of her presence as they walked down the hall; the swish of her silk dress, the quiet clicking of her heels, the soft rose scent of her perfume. If he listened really hard, he thought he could hear his own heartbeat.
Soon, Rahul pushed open the French doors at the end of the hallway and stepped through. There were heaters on the balcony, but it was still relatively cold. He glanced at Caterina’s dress. It had long sleeves, but the material seemed thin and the back was low. “We could go inside, if you want.”
“No, it feels good being out here after dancing for so long.” She stepped forward to the thick stone railing and looked out at the carefully decorated patio garden below. There were net lights over the bushes and wrapped around the trunks of pine trees. A small stone fountain tinkled to the right side, shimmering with underwater lights. Rahul could see that people had thrown in pennies, hoping their wishes would come true.
“It’s beautiful here,” he said, glancing at Caterina, hoping at least a small part of her knew he wasn’t just talking about the view below.
She turned to him, pressing her back against the railing, her face serious. “Thank you, Rahul.”
He cocked his head slightly. “For…?”
“For tonight. Thank you. This was really important to me and you delivered. I feel okay again. About Alaric and everything, I mean. I feel like… myself again, a little bit.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help. But, I mean, you don’t need to impress Alaric, you know. You’re already so much above him. Like, in a different stratosphere above him.”
But Caterina shook her head, as if she didn’t buy that. “You were really amazing tonight. I hope you know that. You’ve completely blown me away.” Her eyes were sincere, solemn.
“Really?” Rahul wasn’t able to keep the smile off his face. “I’ve blown you away?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled in response to the expression on his face. There was a pause; he could see her hesitating. And then Caterina LaValle walked forward a step and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
CATERINA
No one was more shocked than Caterina LaValle that she was actually physically hugging Rahul Chopra, feeling her hands pressing into his shoulders, the hard planes of his body against hers.
It could be the overwhelming relief she felt, flowing like liquid medicine through her veins, that they’d actually pulled it off. Or maybe it was the surety of knowing that without Rahul, she never could’ve gotten back at Alaric in such a satisfying manner. Or perhaps she was still feeling a little lost, after the callous way Alaric had left her last year.
But if she were being completely honest, Caterina knew she was mostly hugging Rahul because he seemed to see through the ice to the girl trapped underneath its surface. As if, in fact, he had never seen the ice at all. Something about being looked at like Rahul looked at her made her think she could be a different person—softer, gentler, kinder. Someone more like Rahul Chopra.
RAHUL
To say that Rahul was shocked would be a laughable understatement akin to saying Alan Turing had a passable talent in cryptology. After a moment of utter disbelief, he wrapped his arms around her, tentatively, making sure he wasn’t overstepping. It was one thing to dance with her on Amelia Hindman’s insistence, or to piss Alaric off. It was completely another to hug her “offstage.” When she didn’t immediately move away, he closed his eyes and let himself revel in the feeling of being held in Caterina’s arms, even in the completely platonic way he was sure she meant it.
She pulled back and studied him. “You’re a good friend.”
And he smiled a smile from the bottom of his soul because even if this was the last time he’d spend so much one-on-one time with Caterina, at least she thought of them as friends now. That was something he knew he’d hold dear forever.
CATERINA
Once they were back in the ballroom, Rahul left to visit the bathroom. Caterina watched the couples on the dance floor, smiling over her champagne flute at Alaric and Lizel, who appeared to be stumbling together in an attempt to dance. He stepped on her shoe and she pushed him away, looking irritated. Never had there been a less compatible partnership—except, of course, for Caterina and Alaric.
“Hi! You must be Caterina!”
Caterina turned at the fluty, female, Italian-accented voice.
A girl with long blond hair wearing a slinky crimson dress was standing by the empty chair next to Caterina. She wore last season’s Prada pumps, slightly scuffed at the heel, and had one of those faces that seemed to be 75 percent smile—big and bold and unapologetic. As Caterina took her proffered hand, she racked her brain for where she might have met this girl before. She looked vaguely familiar. At some event, surely… maybe the yacht gala a few months ago? That night was still such a blur for so many reasons. Or maybe she was the star of some show Caterina had watched in passing.
“Hello,” she said carefully, smiling back. “It’s so nice to see you.”
“My name is Mia. Mia Mazzanti.” Mia, who obviously knew Caterina had no idea who she was and seemed to be okay with that, took a seat in the empty chair, crossing her hands neatly on the tabletop.
“Mazzanti,” Caterina mused as she took a sip of her champagne. “And your accent. Are you Italian?”
“I am!” Mia beamed as she reached for a glass of mint water from a passing waiter. “And I’m so excited to meet a famous Italian American like you. I’ve heard so much about the beautiful Caterina LaValle. And of course, recently you’ve been splashed across every magazine’s website.” Mia’s catlike amber eyes darted to Rahul, who had come back into the ballroom and been accosted by the Woodmoors, who were big in construction.
Caterina smiled slowly. “Yes, I suppose I have,” she said airily, wondering if Mia was here only to snake her way into Rahul’s good books.
But Mia immediately turned back to Caterina. “You go to Rosetta Academy, don’t you?” she asked, propping her chin on her hand. Two slim gold bracelets clinked together; one of them had a starfish charm.
“I do,” Caterina replied. “Where do you go?”
“I’m not in high school anymore, thank God.” Mia laughed, sipping at her water. “I graduated last year.”
“Oh. So where will you go to college in the fall?”
“Harvard,” Caterina replied. “Early acceptance. It was really the only option. My father wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Mia’s amber eyes held hers. “Indeed. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Then Rahul was back, and Mia got to her feet, slow and languid like a cat. “Well, I should go,” she said to Caterina once she and Rahul had been introduced. “But I’m sure I’ll see you around at some event or other before too long!”
Caterina smiled and raised her champagne flute. “Yes, I’m sure you will.” She wasn’t sure at all, but it seemed the polite thing to say. She watched Mia sashay away, her glass held close to her body. She was confident, in spite of her slightly shoddier clothing. Caterina wondered how she knew the Hindmans.
Rahul sat down and turned to her. “So. Are you ready to dazzle everyone with another dance?”
Caterina laughed, and was then immediately surprised at how often she seemed to laugh around Rahul. Shaking her head a little, she set her champagne down and stood up.
* * *
Heather was staring at the image on her phone in the dining hall between classes. “I still can’t believe how beautiful you looked! We barely got to talk, but wow. These pictures.”
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