Page 37 of Substitute for Love

He smiled. “Well, yeah. After the semi-date is over.”

Students wandered by, grabbing snacks and drinks, while others talked in small groups. Gabe tried to act like a teacher and chaperone, but all he could think about and look at was Avery.

A slow dance came on. The snack station wasn’t super busy, so the lull gave him an open opportunity. Gabe put his hand out to Avery. “Can I have this dance?”

She put her hand in his. “Yes.” Her eyes sparkled and she smiled up at him.

He beamed as he walked her to the middle of the floor.

“Hey, Mr. Manwaring!”

“Hey, Miss Williams!”

“Iknewyou two were dating.”

Gabe flutter-blinked as he feigned being offended. Except he wasn’t offended, and he wanted to date Avery. As much as he hid his feelings, it was hard to keep anything a secret from teenagers.

He lifted her hand and twirled her around until she stopped in his dance hold. He led her around the dance floor with his hand in hers, and his other hand on her back. She rested her other hand on his shoulder.

“Where did you learn to dance?” she asked.

“Uh, Japan a bit. Canada, of all places. Then Texas, of course.”

“You lived in Japan?” Avery’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life. I can’t imagine moving as much as you did.”

“It was fine, I guess. I got to see a lot of cool stuff. But it was hard to leave sometimes. Eventually, I had to learn to never let myself get too attached. Twirl.”

“What?” Avery said.

Gabe lifted his right arm, then gently pushed her under with his left hand. Students who were dancing around them stopped and stared.

“Ooooh! Nice move, Mr. Manwaring. So romantic.”

Gabe pulled Avery in close which made even more students react.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” she said, their faces only an inch apart.

He went into a trance again, locked into her gaze. Her eyes searched his, peering into his soul.

“You have no idea.” Again he led her around the dance floor, this time weaving around students. For a minute he thought if he stayed in Phoenix, he could keep doing this. Teaching. Real dates with Avery.

But what if he was able to go to Egypt? It was his dream. So yeah, he’d go. Right?

The song was coming to an end. “Twirl!” Again, Gabe lifted his right arm and gently pushed her back with his left hand. He pulled her around and let go of her hand so it would rest on his shoulder, then he placed a second hand on her back. He leaned down and took her into a dip.

If only there weren’t a bunch of students watching, this would be the perfect time to land a kiss on her lips. She smiled, and he hoped she was thinking the same thing.

“Now that’s how you end a dance,” she said, pink-cheeked and breathless.

He pulled her up, and they walked hand in hand toward the drink and snack tables, which were getting a little empty.

“Time to restock.” Avery let go of his hand and headed to the kitchen area.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement in the back of the gym. A group of students were standing around, but it looked like two of the boys were having strong words with each other.

“You gonna help, or…” Avery set things on the tables behind him.

“I’ll be right back.” He strode over to the group as the boys started shoving each other and yelling.

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