Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

The man was in a sleek black suit, the sapphire blue cufflinks catching the light in a way that was impossible to ignore. His vintage Patek Philippe added a touch of timeless elegance, perfectly complementing his choice of disguise for the evening, a Phantom of the Opera mask.

Roseanne locked eyes with him, and right away, she recognized the playful spark in his look that revealed his identity.

It was Corley!

Roseanne turned him down. "Sorry, I don't dance."

Yet, Corley was unyielding. "I've seen you practicing ballet behind the school auditorium."

Caught in her lie, Roseanne was speechless for a moment. She then remembered. He referred to her solo performance, which never happened during her senior year's prom night. After two months of relentless practice, an ankle injury had kept her off the stage. She had almost forgotten about it, but he knew.

Suddenly, the emcee said something, and the spotlight began scanning over the crowd.

The audience's screams grew louder with each passing second.

of light landed on them, enveloping them in a circle of

a woman are caught in the spotlight, they have to dance. Would you really

and extended his hand

around them started chanting, "Say yes.

tune. Dance

hand in his. Corley immediately whisked her into the center of the dance

moved together

backward, spinning and embracing,

a cunning yet endearing little fox in his arms. Their movements intertwined, their eyes locked, and Corley's smile was pure joy

encouraging her to explore dance, art, music, and manners

science and computer competition available, progressing from local to national levels, eventually selected for intensive training camps and winning

Roseanne

without exams, promising study abroad opportunities, but Roseanne declined them all. She insisted on taking

are you thinking about?" Corley's voice brought her