Free SPOTLIGHT by Dora Dresden Page B

schoolboy.”
     
                Madeline had a luxurious, velvety British accent and everything she said sounded like an over sweet compliment, dripping with saccharine and double meaning at least to Abby's ears.
     
                “I usually go by Abby,” she corrected, but her voice came out meek and no one was paying attention to her anyway.
     
                Madeline was already throwing her arms around William for a lingering hug that lasted a few beats too long in Abby's humble opinion. Abby hadn't missed the 'our William' remark either. She decided to file that comment away for later consideration.
     
                Madeline was undeniably gorgeous. Her perfect heart-shaped face was graced with two deep dimples and framed by long waves of hair that glistened in the summer sunlight more gold than blonde. Her skin was a sun-dappled shade of honey made more apparent by the long form-fitting white dress she wore. It clung to her in all the right places and made her look like a bride atop a picturesque wedding cake. Her impressive height was enhanced by a pair of stiletto heels, also in an unblemished white, and she moved around in them hopping from here to there with a grace Abby and her sore feet couldn't help but be impressed by.
     
                Madeline and William talked for a while about people and places Abby had never heard of and she left them to it, nodding where appropriate but not really listening. None of it related to her. Instead she watched their body language, the way William would throw his head back and laugh at something Madeline had said or the way Madeline would reach out and touch William on the arm with her long bejeweled fingers and stay there, rubbing at his sleeve. Abby didn't want to be jealous but she was getting there.
     
                Eventually, Madeline saw someone else she knew across the roof and she rushed over to greet them, but not before giving William another hug and saying, “lovely to meet you Abigail.”
     
                Abby must have had a sour look on because William laughed and put his arm around her.
     
                “Don't let Madeline bother you, she's like that with everyone. She talks more than she listens. I'll remind her gently but firmly that you prefer Abby.”
     
                “It's alright, it doesn't really bother me,” Abby said waving it away.
     
                Still it lingered in the back of her mind as they wandered around the rooftop getting a feel for the BBQ. They met a few more of William's friends from the group, including the host of the party who graciously accepted Abby's pie. By then the sun was beginning to set over New York's skyline and everyone began to settle in and find spots to watch the show.
     
                William found a blanket for them to share and they draped it on the cool concrete a bit away from the crowd and close to the roof's fenced edge. William sat down first and Abby leaned back against his chest, both of their heads craned back as they watched the sky turn beautiful sunset colors as it darkened.
     
                As they waited, they spoke to each other in quiet tones and Abby loved the feeling of William's voice vibrating in his chest and against her back. The subject turned to Madeline and how she and William had met in the church's under thirty group.
     
                Abby couldn't help it. She had to ask. “Did you date her?”
     
                The sudden still silence behind her was answer enough. She wished she could twist around and see what sort of expression William wore, but he held her firmly in his arms and she was reluctant to break the embrace.
     
                “We did,” he answered finally. His voice was soft and distant. “We started dating a little bit after I first moved to New York. We were together for about a year. We had some things in