Page 14 of Love Me In Color

I longed for a taste of what they had.

I brought the beer to my lips, and the condensation left a ring of moisture on the wooden table. The carbonation hit my throat, a soothing relief after a week of presentations and meetings.

One of my favorite things to do when Gabby dragged me along with her was to people-watch. I learned a lot about body language when learning to interpret people’s reactions to my presentations, and I liked to apply what I knew in real life. It made for an entertaining dialogue inside my head.

A group of girls in very shiny outfits who seemed barely old enough to be in here believed a frat guy’s story about bull riding and being able to last more than a minute. He was clearly lying, given that professionals didn’t even go that long most of the time. Maybe he was talking about one of those mechanical bulls you find at state fairs.

A love-struck woman was being dipped on the dance floor. She stared at her partner, and he stared back at her. He whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.

Another couple was arguing in the corner by the DJ booth. The woman looked like steam might come out of her ears any minute. The guy stood with his arms crossed in front of her. I wasn’t sure he understood why she was angry at him.

After a few minutes, I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Ten minutes had passed since our agreed time, and there was no sign of Parker. I shouldn’t feel disappointed that he didn’t show, after all, I don’t know the man. I should have been relieved and picked a stranger from the crowd, but a small part of me had hoped to see him again.

I looked to the ground and sighed. There were many options, but none of the men standing near me seemed like they would keep their hands off my butt.

“Sorry I’m late,” a smooth voice with cowboy boots stepped into my sightline. I saw Parker smiling at me, a white t-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans with a black trucker cap. “The Uber took forever to get here. I think the guy was lost and didn’t want to tell me.”

“I was starting to think you wouldn’t show,” I chuckled, hoping the excitement in my voice was well-masked.

“I’m a man of my word, Blake,” he frowned. “I only arrived in the city yesterday. My car won’t be here until Monday, so I’m at the mercy of whoever can drive me.”

He motioned for the bartender to bring two more of what I was having. I asked the bartender to put my beer on Nathaniel’s tab since he offered to pay to celebrate a job well done. Parker protested that he was meant to be buying my drinks, but I insisted.

We silently sipped our beers as the slow song continued but started to wind down.

“So, do you and Gabby come out here often?” he asked. He stepped closer, and I caught a whiff of his intoxicating smokey smell.

“Gabby used to come a lot more, but it’s mostly just her thing. I’m not a great dancer, and it’s always deafening. I know it’s weird, but the only thing I like to do here is people-watch.”

A slow smile spread across his face as he excitedly looked around the room. I recognized that he was trying to find someone that was having an interesting interaction. He landed on the couple that had been arguing by the corner.

“Care to guess what they’re arguing about?” he asked.

I guessed that he asked another girl to dance or that she wanted to dance, and he didn’t. Parker thought she was yelling at him because he was already stumbling. I thought they were both plausible scenarios.

“Ready?” he turned to me when I set my empty beer bottle on the counter. He was asking me to dance. He put his bottle down and grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the comfort of the bar.

I was instantly nervous, something I always was when I danced with a stranger. I wasn’t a horrendous dancer, but I also wasn’t an expert. My feet sometimes tripped over themselves, and I lost count of the pace entirely too often. Usually, I depended on whomever my partner was to guide me.

If Parker didn’t know what he was doing well enough and I couldn’t follow his lead, this could be embarrassing for both of us. However, all my doubts evaporated when he pulled me close and set a confident hand on my waist – commanding yet respectful. His cologne hugged me, pulling me toward him.

His hands were firm on me as we glided around the floor. I didn’t have to think about my next move. He had already decided for me.

“Do you do this often?” I asked through the music, prompting us to step closer to each other.

“Do what often? Take beautiful strangers from the gym two-stepping? No, I can’t say that I do.”

A warmth spread through my face and in my core. “I meant the dancing part.”

“I did it a lot growing up. I grew up in Texas.”

“Oh, a real cowboy then?”

“Not exactly,” he chuckled. “I’m from the suburbs, but I always liked dancing.”

“Well, you’re really good!”

“Thank you. It’s not every day I get such a gorgeous dance partner.”

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