He's not wrong, but no one else had serious interest in her. Aside from Jack he was the only friend she had been able to see through the glare of the spotlight, and that was only because she heard him first.

'I'm not surprised. A lady hears things.' the gossip around Steve was absolutely astounding. All manner of rumours and whispers surrounded him, and it hadn't escaped the notice of some that he occasionally took people up to his rooms, even lowly oranges like herself. 'And you do have your charms... a multitude of them, in fact.'

And almost none of them involved the breadth of his shoulders or the line of his jaw, despite what gossip might say. No, there was much more value to be found in the gentle touch of his hands, of the sly smile he got when he wasn't quite managing to look as serious as he wished. In his eagerness to be kind and helpful and there.

What did give her pause was the sudden way he looked around when he said he knew another dance, almost uncomfortable at the idea.

'I was joking, Steve,' she chided gently about the suit. 'Is something the matter?' she asked, her voice much quieter.

Because a dance could wait, and it was his dance to take or leave.