Page 65 of Handsome
I ached to hold her.
Once we finished, we were led downstairs and given our numbers.
Then we were directed to a line where we would wait for our turn.
Finally we had a quiet moment once we found our spot, and I asked, “Are you ready?”
She laughed and said, “I half wanted to run and find a hotel room for the two of us.”
I actually started to sweat while I pressed my forehead to hers and whispered, “We can skip the contest.”
She tilted her head from side to side and tapped her fingertip on her chin, but we moved forward a step with the rest of the line. Then she said, “No. You’ve been wanting to do this, and since we’re already here, it would be a shame to waste all the efforts of those hair stylists and tailors and makeup artists and jewelers.”
We took another step forward, and the music from the arena section grew louder.
I held her hand, straightened, and squared my shoulders as I asked, “You’re sure?”
She wrinkled her nose and said, “Sure. This might be the only time I ever get to wear a tiara.”
My heart beat faster. She was adorable, and funny, and today wasn’t supposed to be pressure for her or me. I needed to enjoy our time together. We both did.
We stepped up, and the music changed again, though I said, “You can wear one every day we’re together.”
She brushed her fingers against my face and her eyes seemed brighter. “No, I can’t imagine showing up with diamonds at breakfast or while I'm rushing to feed Joshua.”
She giggled.
Okay, maybe my example might have been a little extreme, now I thought about it. However, I shrugged and simply said, “I’m just saying you can.”
The stagehand waved us forward onto the next mark, and Sarah said, “It’s time to queue up.” We stayed where we were, and then she winked at me and said, “Look at me. Picking up the lingo already.”
This time I laughed. We confirmed our music choice, and then I said to her, “You’re offbeat funny.”
She let out a sigh and squeezed my hand while the couple in front of us finished their dance and waited for their scores. She whispered to me, “Maybe that’s why you stay close to me. I keep it real for you.”
The stagehand waved for us to go. We walked through to the bright lights of the stage as I squeezed her hand, straightened my shoulders, and said, “We’re on.”
We stood in the middle and couldn’t see anything beyond each other because the lights were focused on us. We stilled, and she said, “Then it’s time for me to follow you.”
Then the music came on.
I was lost in her eyes while holding her.
We twirled, circled the floor, promenaded, and showed off our waltz with smidges of a tango sneaked in.
The time on stage flew because I was with Sarah.
Next thing I knew our music ended, and we stood while three judges told us our scores of 9, 8, and 8.8. As we walked out of the arena, she said, “Our scores were pretty good. I assumed we’d get at least one heckler, like the one we sometimes got at the diner who always complained about the coffee.”
However, I needed time alone with Sarah, without all the fuss. So we finished our post-dance interview, and then I took her hand and led her right to the elevator bank as I said, “We’ll wait for the finale in our suite upstairs.”
She walked with me, but she bounced a bit while she said, “There wasn’t anywhere to sit.”
I glanced at the clock. Then I said, “There is now. And we can be alone.”
The elevator doors closed, though there were other people riding with us for now. She whispered in my ear, “All alone?”
I nodded. We got off on our floor and went down the hall to our private room. We were in the hall when I whispered back, “Also, now we can lock the door.”
