“Miles, I feel like such an idiot.” She loses the rhythm, and our feet collide. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is. Say it with me. Quick, quick, slow, slow. You can feel it.”
“Quick, quick, slow, slow. Quick, quick, slow, slow. I think I feel it.” Her face is determined, and there’s an adorable little crease between her eyebrows. She’s focused, and giving this her full attention.
Her eyes stay locked with mine as we both chant, “Quick, quick, slow, slow,” together until the crease between her eyebrows is gone, and her focused look is replaced by pure joy.
“Whoo-hoo! I’ve got it!” she yells, celebrating her victory.
“Oh, yeah?”
I twirl her out in front of me, and she squeals, but when she comes back to me, I haven’t missed a step, and she falls right back into it with me.
“Oh my, God! I’m still doing it! I’ve really got it, even after you tried to mess me up with your complicated little spin or whatever that was!”
“You must have had a good teacher.”
This earns me one of her eye rolls.
“I think we work well together, don’t you?”
Another eye roll and a shake of her head but her beaming smile says she’s having fun and agrees with me. She doesn’t have to admit it. I know we’re good together and so does she. She’ll get there.
I hear my name being yelled from across the bar and find the girls holding up fresh bottles of beer and pointing at the table they’ve procured for the evening.
“Shall we?”
Leaving the crowded dance floor is the last thing I want to do, but I don’t want to push my luck either. If I keep Mason all to myself, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Checking my watch,I can’t believe two hours have passed since we joined the other girls and Reece. Two hours of beers, laughter,and currently a crazy-ass game of Never Have I Ever. It certainly has been an educational way to get to know Mason a little better.
“You’ve seriously never had sex outside?” Rachel questions Mason in disbelief.
“I grew up in a crowded city. What can I say? I’m sure people have sex in Central Park all the time, but not this girl.”
Of course my mind is racing with all the different places in the great outdoors I’d like to use to change her answer for the next time she plays this game.
“Well, I guess there are more benefits to being a country girl than I knew. Your turn,” Rachel replies, turning the game over to Mason.
“Okay, let’s see… Never have I ever had a threesome.”
All eyes are on me, waiting for me to drink, and when I don’t, they turn suspicious.
“I call bullshit!” Reece proclaims. “What about that time you left the Round Up with those two girls from Pendleton?”
“Nope. In the end, the blondee wasn’t into it. Besides, the redhead was more than enough on that occasion. I’ve come close but no threesomes here.”
I hear Amelia in the background calling me gross, but my attention is directed to the person who asked the question. At first, she was glad to hear I hadn’t had a threesome, but I don’t think she enjoyed hearing me talk about being with the redhead, and that feels all kinds of good.
A couple of girls we went to high school with show up as does Amelia’s boyfriend, Andrew, putting an end to the game but giving me the chance to take Mason for another swing around the dance floor. We two-step, cha-cha, and slow dance.
There isn’t a lot of talking besides my instructions on the steps to each of the different dances, but the silence isn’t awkward.
The touch of our hands and the closeness of our bodies say more than any words could.
The crackle of electricity that runs between us is undeniable.
The bar is thinning out, which means the night will soon be ending. If I had my way, Beau would lock the place up and turn out all the lights, and I’d stay right here slow dancing with her in my arms.