9 PARTY DISPUTE

  ARIEL'S POV   Luke, dressed boldly in his suit, had his arm stretched out to me. He was offering to dance with me, and I was just staring at him, simply surprised, without uttering a word.   What the hell was he doing? Was this really happening? I didn't really think so; I was probably thinking nonsense again.   "Is this real?" I asked, confused about what to do. I didn't know why I kept thinking about this man. I thought these past five years would have erased him from my head for good.   "What do you think?" He asked with a charming smile, winking at me.   I couldn't help but frown at him. Memories of our past flooded my mind, bringing back all the pain and hurt he had caused me. I turned away from him, not wanting to relive those moments.   "What's the problem, pretty? Don't you want to dance?" Luke persisted, his hand still outstretched to me.   I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "Please pinch me," I blurted out, my eyes still