Upstairs, even though it's out of bounds

As they walk together down the long corridor, the sound of chatter from the main hall fades behind them. Instead it’s replaced with the sounds of the kitchens, with waiting staff passing them as they move to and fro with trays filled with drinks and the assorted nibbles that Felicity has seen being passed out all evening.

He continues to guide her further along the corridor until they reach a staircase, with a very clear “no guests beyond this point” sign displayed along with a rope across the first step.

“Under we go” he suggests to Felicity as he lifts the rope as high as it will allow and eases himself past it and onto the stairs. Felicity looks around, paranoid she’ll be caught entering this cordoned off area, that she’ll somehow get caught and dragged back to her parents. But she tells herself how silly that sounds, that this isn’t school after all, but some fancy function. Surely the worse that can happen is some jumped up security guard shouts at them for being somewhere they shouldn’t!

She quickly ducks under the rope to join him on the forbidden side, and instantly he takes her hand and begins up the stairs. She has to go slowly, the long evening gown she is wearing, along with her high heels, making her tread carefully up each step, and after a couple of stairs, he realises her slight dilemma, and slows his pace.

They reach the top of the stairs without being spotted, and he is soon leading Felicity along another long corridor, leading back in the direction they had just come, albeit a floor above, and whilst she can’t be positive, she reckons that they are now above the main hall. The sounds drifting up from beneath seems to confirm her estimate as well.

He glances left and right, furtively checking no one else has had the same idea to sneak away from the main gathering, and satisfied, he stops and turns to face her.

“All alone again then” he tells her, and Felicity feels a little thrill of anticipation run through her body, the way he says it making it sound so daring and she tells herself, this time she won’t get scared and stop him from whatever it is he has in mind for her.