A Graduation Gift novel Chapter 195

Rufus seemed indifferent and danced gracefully with Amanda, matching her every step. However, the subtle tension evident on his face and cold eyes betrayed his true feelings.

The moment the last note ended, he withdrew his body contact with Amanda in a swift motion and started for the exit.

"Where are you going, Rufus?" Amanda asked quickly in a low voice.

She grabbed his arm in a futile attempt to stop him, surprised by his sudden retreat.

"Let go of me, you hear me?" Rufus replied passively.

He cast a soul-piercing glare at her and Amanda felt her hairs stand up under his icy gaze. Rufus had been tolerating her meddling the moment she appeared unexpectedly. He restrained himself like a proper gentleman would, but if she continued to make a scene, he couldn't predict what he would do next.

Amanda's heart skipped a beat as if an invisible hand squeezed it painfully. Powerless to do anything, she loosened her grip and just watched him fade away from her sight.

When he was dancing with Amanda moments ago, Rufus noticed from the corner of his eyes, a figure who went out the side exit that led to the small garden outside. He had an idea of who it was.

Flowers bloomed beautiful in small patches, and their fragrance blanketed the small slice of Eden. Even the full moon in the sky couldn't compare to the spring-feel of the garden.

Under the nearby flower tree, a petite figure stood alone. The silk flowers embroidered on her pink dress amplified the flowers blooming on the tree. One could easily say she was the Goddess of Flowers.

Rufus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Cassandra. The hard lines of his face softened as his anxiety slowly drifted away. Wonder filled his eyes as he smiled without noticing.

At that moment, Cassandra was lost in her own thoughts, staring at the full moon high above the night sky. The noisy stage and busy bodies dancing the night away only served to alienate her, her heart numb from witnessing Rufus leading Amanda in a romantic dance.

Her head just went blank at the sight, and she decided to get some fresh air or she would have fainted right there and then.

While she was wallowing in despair, a pair of warm and familiar arms wrapped her in an embrace from behind.

"Why are you staring at the moon like that? You want to take a chunk out of it?" Rufus whispered gently into her left ear.

His voice was low and magnetic, drawing her in and pushing her heart into overdrive.

"No, I can't even if I wanted to. I just came out to get some fresh air," she murmured, her lips pursed.

She tried to get away from him, but this only prompted Rufus to hug her tightly.

"Were you bothered because I danced with another woman?" he asked gently.

Rufus was half-chuckling. Cassandra only moaned because he knew exactly how she felt.

Even when Rufus knew she was there, he still chose to hold Amanda in his arms instead of dancing with her. They were so romantic and close that it almost killed Cassandra.

"No, I weren't..." she grumbled and cast her head down to look at the ground.

Rufus noticed her body stiffen. The way she straightened her neck meant that she was being stubborn and embarrased at the same time. He let out a loud laugh.

He turned her around to face him, lifted her chin up with his thumb, and made an intense eye contact. His eyes shone like the twinkling stars in the night sky.

"Promise me that you're not mad. What you saw back there was me just being polite," he frankly pointed out.

Rufus waited for the reaction on her face, some kind of signal that would say that she was okay.

This time, however, Cassandra didn't raise her head to meet his eyes like she always did. She just looked downwards, denying Rufus a chance to see the emotions in her eyes. He could only see her long, elegant eyelashes fluttering. Maybe she was trying to compose herself.

At that exact moment, music slowly seeped outside from the great hall, elegant and gentle. A smile formed on his lips and Rufus put both hands on her slender waist, and then slowly dancing to match the mellow music.

Cassandra quickly realized that Rufus was inviting her to dance. Although she hadn't completely forgiven him, her body still matched his rhythmic movements.

She still bowed her head though, refusing to meet his eyes.

Rufus was powerless before Cassandra. He sighed deeply and pressed her little head against his chest, to let her feel the strong and steady beating of his heart.

The moon illuminated the couple's surroundings as well as themselves, clearly in each other's arms. They were like fairies dancing under the moonlit night.

The silence spoke more than any conversation could. Rufus and Cassandra dared not utter a word. They enjoyed the peaceful music of 'Kiss the Rain' wordlessly, slowly moving to its tempo and gentle beat, bathing in the fragrance of the flowers and mellow moonlight.

Soon after, Cassandra felt she was flying. The warmth that emanated from Rufus's strong hug would always put her in a good mood and easily get over annoying things that happened to her.

She never wanted him to be around all the time, but she did need him to be with her during her vulnerable moments just like now. One simple hug would solve everything.

Carried away by the romance in the air, both of them didn't even notice a pair of diabolical eyes fixated on them from a small crack on the door. Amanda glared at them with unadulterated hate in her eyes. She look straight at them and cracked a sinister smile.

'Well done, Cassandra! Well done, indeed. Such a clever move to seduce Rufus outside in order to dance with you. You think I wouldn't find out? You are so naive!' she snarled as she thought of this.

Averting her gaze, Amanda turned around and found Ivy gossiping and laughing with a group or rich women. Despite the distance between them, Amanda could see the mischievous smile on her face as Ivy whispered into the women's ears.