Page 154 of Meet Me at the Metro

“God, help us,” I grumble.

As if God himself heard me, I turn and find Nora heading straight for me, the most beautiful smile playing across her glossed lips. She lingers at my side as the others make their way for the stairs leading down onto the dance floor.

I stare at her inquisitively. “You not going to go dance?”

She shakes her head.“Mmm-mmm.I want to stay with you tonight.”

“I’m here all night,” I assure her. “Go have fun.”

“Iamhaving fun, thank you.”

“Quit being stubborn,” I chuckle, noticing how her eyes keep returning to the shifting bodies below. If I wasn’t here right now, I know she’d be joining them, twirling and spinning the night away with the masses. I refuse to get in the way of that. “Go dance like you want to. I’ll hold down the fort up here.”

“Quit being bossy,” she giggles. “I want to stay with you.”

“Youwantto dance.”

“Do not,” she fibs, her blue eyes deceiving her entirely as they flit back to me.

“For a theatre major, you’re such a terrible liar.”

That’s all I say before I clutch her wrist and drag her toward the stairs. I move fast so she doesn’t have time to argue any further, but as we reach the landing, she, of course, finds a way to do just that.

“What are you doing?!”

“I’m taking you to dance, dammit.”

“I was fine right where I was!”

“And you’ll be fine still,” I quip, pulling her downstairs.

The unrelenting commotion of the crowd engulfs us as we step onto the dance floor, which doesn’t seem to have an ending or beginning. I pull Nora closer as I dare to start weaving us through it and assign myself the task of finding Evie or Harvey to keep myself from slipping into the entanglement of nerves threatening to snare my sanity.

When I spot their heads bouncing to the beat of the music ahead, I permit myself to breathe again.

“You decided to join us!” Evie squeals, tossing her hands into the air.

Nora’s too busy assessing me to display the same level of excitement as she steps up beside me.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I sigh, forcing my voice to sound steady over my pounding heartbeat and the loud music. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Come here,” I request, drawing her body closer until it’s flush with mine. I try to lose myself in its warmth as I guide her arms around my neck and bring my mouth to her ear. “Distract me.”

“See, youare not fi—”

“Distract me, stubborn thing.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she banters, happy to oblige my request as she presses her hips against mine.

There’s so much going on around us, from the pounding of dancing feet to the steady, blaring cadence of music, that I can hardly think straight. So, I choose to focus on the movement of Nora’s body against mine.

I keep my eyes locked on the hypnotizing sway of her hips, blocking out everything else—even Evie, Harvey, and Connor’s silhouettes dancing beside us—as if we’re the only two people left in the room.

Nora’s delicate hands roam along my sides in a manner that makes my head dizzy with satisfaction, and I fight to lose myself in it.

I fight to let itconsumeme.

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