Ain't no Party like an Ariadne Party

[Theo Davore]

He was suddenly dizzy when she pulled back so abruptly; her gasp making his eyes open immediately, his mind searching for an apology for an action he actually hadn’t even started in the first place. But the logical thing would have been to draw back right away, to politely decline the married woman, a woman of far higher status than he, however...he did quite the opposite.

Because he was a fool, and he often played with fire.

Theo looked stunned and confused, still clambering for something to say when she laughed. It was that melodic sound that instantly made him forget common sense. Well, it was perhaps one of the very reasons why he found himself in this particular predicament.

’I’d apologize, but that would be a lie.’ ”Good,” he breathed, realizing he wasn’t trying to lie either. If anyone had seen them (and certainly someone must have), this could be dangerous for him. He had to go but found that he couldn’t move away so easily. He wasn’t very sorry either, and he had no idea why.

Ariadne was drawing back fully then, taking with her the warmth that had washed over him. Still, Theo stood there with an almost dumbfounded expression on his face, almost uncertain whether he was going to make this worse or not. He knew better, he knew he had to step away and leave right now, but the curiosity was trying to reel him back in.

After a few more seconds of watching her, of studying the display of amusement flicker across her features, his gaze dropped to her mouth for another moment too long before they rose back up to her eyes. Theo strode forward, nearly closing that gap again yet he was drifting to her side instead. He slowed in his steps just long enough to mutter his words near her ear, ”Bad ideas...is kind of my forte.”

Before he could make matters far worse for himself, he finally drifted away into the sea of people to make his exit. Would he be back? Would he be that foolish? It was quite possible.

He was the king of bad ideas, after all.

[end scene]