6. I Felt Like Myself With You, Even If It was for 5 Minutes.

Elizabeth

“So... You’re the August Dereon,” she said and looked at him. His expression showed disappointment as he let out a sigh. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you who I was. That look and the formality in your voice, I hear it every day,” he replied and continued, “It was refreshing to have a normal conversation with another person without feeling as if they’re lying to me.”

She spotted her Maybach pulling up and looked at him, rolling her eyes slightly, “Well I’m glad I could provide you with much-needed normality, Mr Dereon,” she said in a sarcastic tone. Please know that you do not owe me an explanation as I’m but a random annoying socialite attending a ball.“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go home. Good night, sir.” She finished and turned to get into the car. Why was she so upset with the entire thing?

“Dragonfly...” August called after her and moved to grab her wrist, but she pulled it out of his grasp. She whipped her head around and glared at him. “My name is Elizabeth,” she said before slamming the door and hopefully, erasing his face from her thoughts. She knew her mother would blame her for not ‘landing August Dereon’, but there was no way she would try to woo an engaged man. If her mother wanted her to do that, then she honestly thought low of her own daughter.

Letting out a final sigh, she instructed the driver to take her home.

August

As he watched her Maybach drive away, August did not know why he felt so guilty. He knew this woman all of 5 minutes and she has had such an effect on him. Yet, with her he felt like a normal guy, like he could be himself and not worry about judgement, even if it were only for five minutes.

Berating himself, he snapped out of his reverie and headed back inside his family’s hall to look for Emily. When he spotted her, he headed over with a smile on his face. “Darling,” Emily crooned when she saw him. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. “I'm attending an important meeting in the morning with possible investors and would like to get some shut-eye, so I’ll be heading home, love.” August said, the partial lie slipping out of his mouth easier than he expected. Emily looked at him and smiled. “I’ll head home with you,” she said, but he shook his head. “You don’t have to. Stay and mingle, I know how much you love these events. I will see you at home.” August said and kissed her lips softly. He felt her smile in the kiss and could not help but feel sad. “See you there,” Emily said and left his side.

August watched her walk away and headed out. He walked out of Dereon Hall and found his Mercedes Benz, thinking about what a disaster the evening turned out to be. Why did he have to come back to this stupid town, anyway? As he got into his car, he couldn’t help but think about Elizabeth. Feeling angry at himself for allowing this stranger to get to him, he starts the car and drives off.