Chapter 108

• DANTE
• She looked so pathetic I had to save her. At least that’s the excuse, I told myself. It’s not at all because of the jealousy I was feeling the entire night. The impulse to punch all the leery men who were glaring at her while she was dancing. Nor was it the jealousy I felt when I saw her talking to him. I made my way to them without thinking. And when I got closer, it wasn’t the rage I felt at hearing what he was saying to her. No. Not that. But the shock on his face right now is enough satisfaction for me to continue. “I was looking for you,” I say to her. She too, is frozen. I lean in whisper, “Shocked that I came to your rescue? Now let’s leave them, while they’re still stunned.” For good measure, I kiss her ear, making it seem like I was whispering little sweet nothings and lead her back to the gazebo.
• I look back at the other couple. What she saw in him I have no idea. He is handsome, yes, but in the most generic way possible. There’s nothing about him that stands out. He looks like a thumb. A very dull thumb.