The unsettling feeling of being watched followed you all night as you gazed at the sculptures and the paintings that were scattered about the building. No matter how many turns you took, how many rooms you went into, you couldn’t ignore the fact that someone’s eyes were on you. Yet every time you glanced around the myriad of strangers surrounding you, no one was giving you more than a glance. The eyes that were locked on you so fiercely were nowhere to be found.

 

After nearly half an hour of this cat-and-mouse charade, you decided to ignore it. It wasn’t a feeling that made you nervous, as if your admirer were a stalker. You just desperately longed to figure out the source of the feeling, and it didn’t seem like it was going to be revealed anytime soon. Therefore you might as well enjoy yourself while you could, instead of being distracted by these mysterious gaze.

 

It was your best friend’s art show; she had been hard at work on many of these pieces since you had met her five years ago. She was the kind of person who would jump around between projects, never finishing something before starting another piece and always going back to “fix” older creations. Somehow she had gotten her enormously wealthy father to agree to sponsor her art show, and here you were, in this fancy building in New York City, rubbing elbows with socialites and eating hors d'oeuvres in a vague attempt to look sophisticated.

 

The sea of people floating around a glass sculpture had on a variety of bright colors that popped against the pale blue tint of the art. Somehow you managed to feel inferior with your silver gown, despite the fact that it came from one of the most well-known and expensive designers in the state. You had never worn anything this elegant and expensive before, and felt like a princess until you arrived and saw everyone in their attire. This was a royal ball and you were Cinderella without a fairy godmother.

 

You stood there silently, glancing over your shoulder at the train of your garment when you saw a pair of black dress shoes approaching. Your head snapped up to see a tall gentleman in a red suit with brown hair walking towards you. His eyes were soft, yet full of fire and intent. Right before he approached you, the two of you made eye contact for a brief moment, and you could see something change in his eyes. His shoulders tensed up and he quickly adjusted his path to walk past you instead of to you. You wanted to reach out, grab his hand, talk to him…. But instead you just let him pass, too afraid to say anything.

 

Once the mysterious stranger had left, however, you noticed that the incessant feeling of being watched was gone. It almost saddened you; the feeling was not disturbing but comforting instead, as if he was watching over you. You hoped that you hadn’t scared him off, and determined to watch for him the rest of the night.

 

The works of art held no interest for you anymore; you wanted to support your best friend but your desire to find and meet this man was far greater than anything you had ever wanted. Occasionally you would see a flash of red, but before you could get to the location it had vanished. The feeling of being watched had never come back, yet you craved it more than anything.

 

You were on your way to the balcony to get some fresh air when one of the waiters carrying a tray of champagne tripped in front of you. It caused a ripple effect, toppling everyone around him like dominoes. You felt yourself plummeting towards the floor before you were surrounded by a pair of strong arms. The adrenaline in your system made your heart beat faster than ever, your body unbelievably stressed from the combination of the nearly disastrous toppling and the man keeping you from diving headfirst to the floor. You almost were afraid to look at your savior, but you knew exactly who it would be.

 

“Are you all right?” you heard a soft voice ask from behind you. Adjusting yourself so that you were no longer leaning forwards but still holding on to his arms, you looked up into the man’s eyes. The shyness and concern they held stunned you, and you could only nod in response. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you like that; I just didn’t want you to fall. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

 

As he said this, he gave a gentle smile and a small bow. Releasing you, he turned around to walk away, and you panicked, unable to find your voice. Instead, you ran after him and grabbed his hand. The man froze and turned around to look at you, questioning and surprised but still gentle.

 

“Wait, please,” you said nervously. “Thank you for catching me. I’m _____, by the way.”

 

“Leo,” he said. He took the hand that you had grabbed and turned it around so your hand was in his instead. Bringing it to his lips, he softly kissed it and smiled at you. “Pleasure to meet you.”

 

Even though Leo seemed suave and refined, you could see his face beginning to redden from this small gesture, and you felt your own cheeks blushing as well. A giggle escaped you and you quickly covered your mouth with your other hand.

 

Offering you his arm, Leo asked, “Would you like to walk around and explore the exhibit with me?” Graciously you took his arm and followed him as he wove through the building, carefully analyzing and complimenting each painting and sculpture. You were used to hearing people criticize your best friend’s art, so hearing that he understood and appreciated it touched you and made you giddy.

 

Once the two of you had made your way around the exhibit, he brought you out the balcony, which was miraculously unoccupied. The air was vaguely chilly, especially in your strapless dress, but between the sheer number of people inside the exhibit and the fact that situation you were currently in was leaving you so flustered, it had become rather stuffy inside, so you welcomed the cool breeze as it played across your shoulders.

 

The two of you stood on the balcony in silence for a moment, staring out at the New York skyline and taking in the beauty of the night. Leo was leaning on his forearms against the railing, but quickly stood up and angled his body towards yours to start a conversation. You felt your pulse race as he looked into your eyes and held your gaze, something he had only done for a few seconds at a time over the course of the night.

 

“It was quite a lovely art exhibit, wasn’t it?” You nodded, too entranced in his dark eyes to move your lips. “I haven’t seen glass work like that in ages. Quite exquisite. May I ask how you met the artist?”

 

“We’ve been friends since our freshman year of college,” you managed to stutter out. “And you?”

 

A playful smile flashed in his eyes although his mouth remained unmoved. “We have a taekwondo class together. The dojo we study at has only been open for two years but we’ve both been going ever since. She’s just about the only person who’s managed to get the upper hand on me in a fight. But she’s as good with her hands in a delicate setting as she is in one that requires force. This exhibit is lovely.”

 

Smiling, you said, “I’m so proud of her, she’s doing great work. Thank you so much for attending, I know it means everything to her.”

 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. There’s some beautiful pieces in there. I have to say though, there’s one work of art in there I just can’t take my eyes off of, and it’s the only one she didn’t create.”

 

You had been so lost in listening to Leo talk that you hadn’t noticed how close he had gotten to you. The confusion from the statement he had just made snapped you out of it, however. “W-what? Which piece?” you asked, fighting to keep your hands from shaking.

 

“You,” he said, and before you knew what was happening, his mouth was pressed against yours. His lips moved softly, as if he was afraid to scare you with his touch. Recovering from the initial shock, you leaned into his kiss and placed your hand against his cheek. He took that as a sign and asked your lips to part so that his tongue could enter. When approval was granted, he wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him. The strength of his grasp already seemed familiar to you, and you relaxed into the embrace.

 

Leo’s tongue and lips played with yours, simultaneously maintaining a gentle touch and communicating all his desire for you. His other hand drew soft circles on your back, and you his cheek with your thumb. After what seemed like hours you had to break away to catch your breath, but leaned your forehead against his and kept your eyes closed, in awe of Leo and his ability to make you feel like you truly were a piece of art to be admired.

 

His hot breath on your cheek seemed more like home than anything since you had come to New York, and you wanted to stay here on this balcony forever, locked in his arms. The faint sound of music came from inside the exhibit, and the two of you began to sway; your arms locked around his neck, his around your waist. He kissed the tip of your nose and you giggled unexpectedly.

 

“You know, when your friend told me about you, she mentioned how beautiful you were, but she didn’t do your charm justice,” Leo said, pulling away to look you in the eyes. “You have infatuated me entirely over the course of this night. May I see you again?”

 

Utterly lost in the man’s dazzling smile and debonair personality, you said “Well, I hear there’s another art exhibit going on tomorrow night. Perhaps we could meet there?”

 

Leo gave you a smile and took your hand in his as he led you to rejoin the activities. “That sounds fine to me. But don’t expect me to focus on any of the masterpieces besides you.”