Akira looked at the silent and pale face of Dr. Nelson and immediately realized her folly.

"I am sorry. I overstepped."

Dr. Nelson took a deep breath and said,

"It's ok Akira."

"You are missing her terribly. Aren't you?"

She asked, looking into those distant eyes.

Dr. Nelson smiled and finally dared to look into her eyes and asked,

"Have I become that predictable for you?"

"It's not about being predictable Jaby. Your eyes speak the tale of your heart. And somehow, even though you are present here, dancing with me, I can sense that your mind is somewhere else. You are dancing with just your body. But your mind is busy imagining someone else."

Dr. Nelson hung his head low and then said,

"I am sorry for ruining this dance for you."

"Oh, come on Jaby. Give yourself some credit. At least my gut doesn't want to scream and belch right now."

"Now I am really not sure if that was a compliment or an insult."

Akira giggled and swayed with the music, trying to ignore the fact that the man in front of her was being tormented every passing second, for he was a nobleman. A man whose eyes could never betray the thought process going on inside of his head and reflected them like a mirror.

He saved her, so she knew that she had to save him from the downward spiral of painful memories. So to distract him, she knowingly misplaced her foot just a bit and caused him to step a bit on her, purposefully.

"Ouch !!!"

Akira winced in pain and pounced on his shoulder.

"I am so sorry Akira."

Saying that Jaby bent down and knelt on the floor to check if she was hurt and when he did, Akira also bent slightly down and said,

"You are not going to propose to me now are you?"

And with a giggle, she slightly kicked his foot with her own.

But this man had only one face. A heavily apologetic face.

It seemed like her plan backfired. Instead of cheering him up, she had made his mood even more sullen. So out of all her wits, she placed her hands back on his shoulder after getting up and said,

"I deliberately did it."

For a moment Dr. Nelson couldn't decipher what she meant, but then he realized, all this long, that poor girl had been trying hard to lift up his spirits. So for a moment, he felt bad for going back into his shell and looking straight into her eyes he said,

"I am sorry for spoiling your mood Akira. It's just that you look ..."

"I look what Jaby?"

Dr. Nelson sighed and then taking a deep breath he said,

"You look extremely pretty today, just the way my wife used to."

"Well, I will take that as a compliment, but then I guess you are lying."

"Lying?"

"Yeah of course. You would never have danced like this with your pretty wife. So if I look pretty like her, then why are you dancing with me with half of your heart?"

Saying that Akira waltzed a couple of steps away,

Dr. Nelson couldn't stop smiling.

Then extending his hands he pulled her close.

His hands weren't gentle anymore.

As he traced his hand on her back before resting it just above the small of her back, he whispered into her ears,

"The real reason is, once you dance with me, you will not feel like dancing with any other man in this room."

Saying that he swayed her to the side and then pulled her close.

All amused with his moves, Akira smiled looking into his eyes and then said,

"Technically true, because right now Raymond isn't present in this room."

"I am totally aware of it. Why else will I give such a cheeky statement?"

Saying that Dr. Nelson helped her twirl.