Page 27 of The Very First Night

As if he can read my mind, Tanner yells over the music from a few feet away. “Wanna dance?”

Just as I’m about to say “Yes,” Elijah’s glass meets the hard top of the bar and he’s grabbing my hand. He pulls me toward the dance floor without giving me even a moment to respond to Tanner’s question.

We land on the dance floor and instantly my body is flush against his. Hard, strong arms wrap around my waist and I melt into his touch.

“I thought you didn’t dance,” I laugh.

“I don’t…but you wanted to, so.” He says it nonchalantly, almost irately.

I can’t help the way my stomach sours at his words. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, almost too quiet to hear over the music.

As if he can already read my tells, Elijah uses his pointer finger to nudge my chin up to look at him. There’s a warmth in his eyes that wasn’t there moments ago. “I mean…I want to dance with you. If you want me to dance with you, then I want to dance with you.”

And just like that, my anxiety is quelled.

Elijah pulls me flush to him once more as we sway to “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes. He hums along to the song, his lips pressed just above my ear, his warm breath only causing me to melt further into him.

“I want to make you feel wanted,” he says, and at first I think he’s singing along…but he’s not. He’s saying the words to me.

My chest fills with warmth at his admission, the statement giving me a sense of understanding that I’ve never experienced before. No one has ever expressed such unadulterated desire to make me happy.

“I do,” I say as I grin up at him, my chin resting against his chest.

“Good.” He smiles back, the joy in his expression causing warmth to flood my body.

Just as swiftly as the song came on, the music shifts again, this time to an upbeat Alan Jackson tune that causes the crowd to go wild.

I see the moment pass behind Elijah’s eyes, but I don’t let it get to me. He has his interests and I have mine. I simply have to respect that.

“Go back to the bar,” I mumble, pressing my lips to his. “I’ll probably be over there in a few songs. Can you get me a water?”

“Of course.” He squeezes his arms around me once more before letting go. As he walks away, Jenna darts toward me, grabbing my arm and dragging me to the front of the dance floor.

I dance, I twirl, I stomp and move.

All to the beat of “Chattahoochee” reverberating in my ears.

TWELVE

KAT

The weeks after meeting Elijah are a complete and utter whirlwind. We hang out most days—sometimes at my dorm room, sometimes at his house, sometimes on campus somewhere, but always together. I haven’t seen Jenna much over the past few weeks, but that isn’t unusual when she’s with a new guy. Marcus and her seem different, though; I could truly see it lasting.

Elijah walks up to my table carrying two large brown boxes with the bright Einstein’s Bagels logo stamped on them. He sets them down on the table before sliding into the chair across from me. I quickly scan his outfit—jeans and a plaid flannel shirt—and realize he must have a break in his classes today. I tilt my head and readjust my textbooks. We smile at each other and my stomach shifts into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

“Hey, you,” I say with a grin.

While I was hoping I’d see him today, he didn’t fully commit when I asked to nail down a time. Apparently, he found time in his schedule.

He grins, his eyes lighting up as he opens one of the brown boxes. From it, he pulls out a perfectly toasted Nova Lox bagel—cream cheese with smoked salmon and capers spilling out from the sides.

I don’t notice that my disgust is clear on my face until he starts laughing, immediately ready to defend his favorite breakfast dish. “It’s good, I promise.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I laugh before reaching for the second box.

His hand lands atop the cardboard, stopping me. “Do you trust me?”

What a loaded question to pose before I open my food.

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