"Noah?" Alex's voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
"I… I'm sorry, Alex," I whispered, the guilt gnawing at me. He was saying everything "right," offering me the world, but all I wanted was to find the man who had told me I was nothing. I was a mess of conflicting desires and growing dread.
The walls of the ballroom suddenly felt like they were closing in. I couldn't do this. I couldn't pretend to be in this romantic moment when every instinct I had was screaming that something was rotting beneath the floorboards.
"I… I need to use the restroom again," I said, pulling back from his hold. I went for the most embarrassing, self-deprecating excuse I could think of. "I'm so sorry, I just, I have a really small bladder. The champagne, I guess."
Alex hesitated. His fingers tightened on my waist for a second too long, his eyes narrowing as he searched my face. "Again? Noah, are you feeling alright? You look pale."
