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Watching them, he realised every missed opportunity for time with Amrita was worth it – she was breathtaking, and his eyes tracked her every movement as she twirled, danced and shimmered across the floor.

Then the women were hugging, laughing and pressing foreheads together after the last pose, and more people were flooding the dance floor, joining in and competing good-naturedly to show off their best moves.

‘Come on.’ Hands grabbed for his, tugging him onto the dance floor. ‘Let’s see your moves.’

He did his best to mimic those around him and tried to let the music carry him through. He kept up reasonably well considering the steps were foreign to him and needed concentration.

* * *

Amrita spun again, letting muscle memory take over as the dance ebbed and flowed, and another dance-off started. She looked over towards Jamie, and realised he was missing. She spotted him leaning against a table. She couldn’t work out what he was thinking from his expression, but he appeared to be concentrating. She started towards him, but hesitated when she realised he was tapping his foot, counting out the rhythm of the music.

‘What’s up, Jamie?’ The shout came from a cousin. ‘Can’t keep up?’

Jamie waved back, smiling, then started to slowly roll up his sleeves. Amrita swallowed hard, her eyes tracking his fingers as they folded up the green fabric. She hadn’t thought she’d be one of those women who had a thing for men’s forearms, but watching Jamie’s movements made her mouth go dry.

‘Yeah, come on, Jamie, show us your moves!’

Jamie nodded once, then started across the dance floor towards her. Amrita watched his progress, realising there was something different – more confident and smooth – in the way he moved.

He smiled when he reached her and held out his hand. ‘May I have this dance?’

‘OK.’ She wasn’t entirely sure what he was planning, but it was Jamie asking, so she rested her fingers lightly against his.

‘Do you trust me?’

‘Yes.’ She didn’t need to think about the answer.

‘Follow my lead?’ He twisted one arm around her, and pushed against her hand so she stepped away, only for him to snap her back in a spin that ended with her up against him, one hand on his chest. He caught it, squeezed gently and lifted it to his shoulder, before moving his hand down to rest lightly on her lower back. He took a few slow steps, the easy but firm pressure of his hands guiding her to follow him.

‘You can dance!’ She laughed, delighted, as they swayed and stepped in time with the music, hitting every other beat to slow the rhythm from its usual speed.

‘Not like you can.’ He smiled. ‘But yeah, I know a bit. Do you fancy stepping it up?’

‘Umm, sure?’

The slight change of pressure from his hands and repositioning of his body warned her and she knew what to expect this time, so her spin was a lot more showy, demanding space and attention. The crowd around them thinned a little, giving them more room, and Jamie elongated his steps, pushing her further and a little faster. It wasn’t a traditional waltz like she’d seen on TV – that wouldn’t have suited the music, or setting, or her lehenga – but it was close enough to be magical, making her feel like she was floating on air as they swished and swirled around the dance floor.

Some way away she could hear cheering, but it felt distant as she danced with Jamie, spinning around in a world where only the two of them mattered. Somewhere, even further away than the cheering and whooping, part of her mind rolled its eyes at how stupidly clichéd she sounded, but that mattered even less, as she lost herself in the simple joy of being swept up in him and letting the music and movement weave them more tightly together.

The music started to build to the song’s crescendo, and he pulled her slightly closer. Their audience probably wouldn’t have noticed anything, but she felt it in the weight of his palm on her back and slight pull of his hand.

‘Remember what you said about trusting me.’ He murmured the words only for her, then winked as he stepped back, spun her again, then pulled her back against him.

She barely even got her hand onto his shoulder before he grinned and spun her again, this time faster. He did it again and again, picking up speed as the music gathered pace towards the final beats. Her lehenga skirts flared out and the twinkling fairy lights around them blurred into colourful streaks. It should have made her dizzy, disorientated, but it didn’t, because every time she spun back, he was there – steadying and reliable. The music swelled higher, strings climbing and dhols pounding, and Jamie matched the rhythm perfectly, spinning her faster and wider. One final turn as the music hit the final height – so fast and powerful that the only thing keeping her from falling was his hand tightly in hers.

She spun back into him so hard that she slammed against his chest, but he didn’t keep her upright like he had before. Instead, he twisted, using her momentum to spin her in the air, her feet leaving the floor so she felt like she was flying. When he dropped her carefully back to the ground, he used the motion to tip her backwards so fast and deep that it stole what little breath she had left, and someone – she could guess which aunt – actually let out a little scream.

But she was safe, held firmly in his arms while he grinned, his breath coming a bit too fast from the exertion, and she could feel his heart pounding against her breast where they were pressed tightly together.

He grinned down at her, a slightly mischievous expression that sparkled in his eyes – this time bright turquoise – in a moment of shared amusement with his unwitting partner in crime. She laughed as he lifted her upright again, holding her firmly for a few more seconds to make sure she’d regained her equilibrium. Then he shot her a quick wink and bowed.

The room erupted, and he disappeared in the throng of cousins and uncles cheering and congratulating him. He caught her eye and shrugged at her, grinning. They’d asked, and he’d definitely delivered.

* * *

Jamie headed for the bathroom first, and Amrita took the opportunity to carefully untie, unpin and release herself from the beautiful – but heavy – lehenga, hang it up and replace it with a soft, silky slip that felt like cool water against her skin. She sighed and sat on the stool in front of the mirror and started unpinning her hair. She’d only got the maang tikka untangled from her parting and laid on the dressing table before she put her face in her hands. ‘Ugh, I so can’t be bothered with this right now.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Jamie asked as he came out of the bathroom, his hair still damp from the quick shower. They’d both agreed him trying to find another hotel was probably a waste of time and money when they’d managed perfectly fine the night before.