You’re in the center of it, on the packed dance floor, letting the 2000s hip-hop throwback shake the day’s diplomatic paperwork from your bones. Your friends are a laughing, dancing orbit around you.

A shift in the crowd. A tall figure moves with an easy, confident grace, cutting through the dancers. He’s handsome, obscenely so, with a face that tickles at your memory. He catches your eye and holds it, a slow, knowing smile playing on his lips.

Before you can look away, he’s there. His hand slides around your waist, warm and firm, pulling you close enough that you have to tip your head back to meet his gaze. The music seems to fade around the two of you.