Page 48 of Taste of Forever
“Yes, that’s it! A little of your tradition, a little of mine. It’s only fair, right?”
“True.” I laughed uneasily. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
One of the reasons Justin and I hadn’t gotten engaged after several years together was that we could never agree on wedding plans. How was this vampire I barely knew already more willing to compromise on ceremony and tradition? Laith’s tone was light and joking, but I had a feeling if I gave him the green light, he’d be more than willing to give me the wedding of my dreams.
There you go again.My resentment demon announced her presence with that condescending tone.Comparing your lame boyfriend to the ageless hottie who wants to lock you down and give you endless orgasms. I mean, is it really a comparison?
I scooted away from Laith and shouldered my purse. “I better get going. Should we do this again in three days?”
He stared at me for a beat with a strange intensity in his eyes. “You know you don’t have to leave, right? You’re welcome to stay longer than the five minutes it takes for me to feed.”
“I just...I?—”
“Do you want to dance?”
I stopped short. “What?”
“Dance. The DJ’s playing a great set right now.” He angled his head toward the stairs, where the heavy bass and electronic beats of some remixed rock song floated up from the floor below. “I’ll be appropriate, promise.” Laith lifted his hands. “No excessive touching. Just dancing.”
Truth be told, Ilovedto dance. In college, hitting dance clubs and raves was my favorite way to unwind after intense exams and long hours in the lab.
Once upon a time I had lived for the warm nights of summer music festivals, dancing until I couldn’t feel my feet anymore. Then I’d sleep all day and do it all over again the next night. It was the happiest, most freeing time of my life.
Justin didn’t care for the dance scene. It wasn’t about the music or unwinding to him. He just saw it as a lifestyle ofpartying and drugs. While he’d never outright told me to stop, he made it abundantly clear he didn’t support the hobby.
“You need to grow up at some point,” he’d said. “Do you really think you’ll make it through grad school and the professional world hopped up on psychedelics and partying every night?”
That had been our first major fight. He’d made me sound like an immature child even though I always put my responsibilities first. I never missed a class and never received a grade lower than a B. And what little drugs I did partake in were minimal. I studied chemistry for shit’s sake, I knew what those substances could do to me. Did he think I was stupid?
My dancing days had stopped not long after that because it felt more important that Justin wasn’t uncomfortable. He was the man I loved, after all. It seemed ludicrous to choose a hobby over him, even though I missed it. Sure I could listen to music anywhere, but dancing in a club or at a festival was a completely different experience. I missed feeling the sound move through my body, and letting the music move me. It had been years since I felt that total freedom, and Laith had no idea what asking me now meant to me.
“You really want to dance with me?”
Laith let out a soft huff like the answer was obvious. “Hell yeah.” Then held out his hand.
When I placed my fingers on his, it felt like an act of defiance.
It felt like taking a step toward returning to myself.
A little thrill ran through me as Laith stood up, gently pulling me along with him. He kept me close as we went down the stairs, taking the steps slowly to not rush me. Some other vampires passed us on their way up to the VIP section, giving nods with murmured greetings to him, and curious glances at me.
The dance floor was becoming packed with bodies. Laith kept a firm grip on my hand as he weaved through the crowd. Maybeit was his height or just his presence, but people, vampire and human alike, seemed to instinctively clear a path for him.
When Laith turned around to face me, he lifted our joined hands. I held on and instinctively spun in a little twirl, my body already humming for music and movement, for the pure joy of feeling.
He grinned broadly when I faced him again, fangs on full display. The current song ended and he leaned in to speak in my ear before the next one began.
“I’ll let you lead.”
I nodded and closed my eyes, weaving on my feet slightly with the gentle opening notes of the next song. For once in a very long time, I wanted to just feel and not think. And with my eyes closed, I’d be less self-conscious of him watching me.
As the music started to build, picking up in speed and intensity, everything that worried me started to melt away. I turned in place, lifting my arms above my head and let my hips follow the beat. I felt the cool, sweat-slicked skin of others on the dance floor, the bass echoing in my chest like a second heartbeat.
My neck and shoulders loosened, my spine rolled and arched as it followed the music. I felt like a snake shedding heavy, constricting skin and finding my new self underneath.
Or, rather, the self I had lost years ago.
Fingertips touched down gently on my sides after I started really loosening up. I knew without looking that it was Laith, following my movements from behind me.
