The Weeknd started singing, moments later we started moving and this time when she initiated the turn her movements were more confident. I almost fit under the clasp of our hands. As soon as I returned to face her the pride set in the corners of her lips made my heart skip a beat.
God, she was fucking cute.
I sent her around me like an orbiting planet, her hand trailed my shoulders marking her progress. In the mirror, I watched her saunter. Her steps landing on the beat and the motion flowing through her hips like water. I could watch her move for the rest of my life.
How had I never taken her out dancing? I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed this, or maybe it was the excitement that Sadie brought to everything that I really loved.
“How did you make me do that?” she demanded when she was back in front of me. The energy pouring off her crackled in the atmosphere, it was my drug of choice. She made the pressure on my chest lighten—the world around me brighter. My head swam, and warmth settled in my gut.
“I can only guide you. You made that move worth it.”
“Okay, we need some fun music,” Miss Leslie interjected. A different song with a faster pop tempo started—I didn’t recognize it or the voice of the singer. “Go ahead and do the same base step, but the movement will have to be smaller because the beat is faster.”
I didn’t give myself a chance to feel insecure or for the voice in my head to whisper how many mistakes I might make. Instead, I took hold of Sadie’s waist and moved with her for no other reason than the enjoyment of it. She smiled up at me and laughed with her whole body when I spun us in circle after circle, her ponytail caught in thecentrifugal force. She held on tight, and didn’t loosen her grip when I stopped for us to sway twice before stepping back into the song.
“Alright, alright,” Miss Leslie called out, her voice was lighthearted, but I didn’t want the interruption. I kept Sadie against me, slowing our movements to a halt with great dislike.
It might have just been wishful thinking, but the way Sadie’s hands slid down my arm to fall by her side seemed like she didn’t want to break our contact either.
“My work is not done here, even though you two look like you’ve been dancing together your whole lives,” Miss Leslie said. “Let’s do a side dip. Sadie, you’re going to walk to Jamison’s side—you extend your arm nearest to her—take his hand. Roll into his side, so both of your arms wrap around her waist. Perfect. Jamison, when she’s snug against your side like that, take her other hand, keep her secure. Ya got a good hold?”
I nodded, I would never let her fall. But I was only partially aware of the direction, most of my attention was on Sadie and how perfectly we fit. She was all soft curves, and intensity wrapped up in a petite body.
I liked her more than was safe.
I liked the feel of her more than I should.
A couple of nights we spent together, the realization had struck me with enough force to make me run.
I should want to run away now.
But I didn’t.
“Now, widen your stance, and lean away from her bending that knee. Very Fred Astaire.”
Possibly it was, but I wasn’t watching me. Not with the way Sadie’s eyes in our reflection took in the flex of my biceps and the movement of my thighs.
Restarting the song, Miss Leslie directed, “Let’s run through that a couple more times and then I’d like to see you incorporate it into moving with the basic step.”
We ran it over and over until it felt fairly natural.
“That’s pretty down pat.” She held out her hands, in a calm down motion. “Now, this next one is high drama, so do not pull it out unless you feel confident that you will not outperform the bride and groom. They need to shine brighter than you—which the way you two look together...”—she pinched her lips together and raised her eyebrows—”good luck to them.”
She ran us through a sequence that placed Sadie and me chest to chest, with her arms circling my neck. My arms held her tightly as I rotated her toward the ground. My mind was blank, instead my body moved independently—too absorbed in every contact point between us.
Miss Leslie said to Sadie, “You’re dropping your head as soon as your arms loop around him. I don’t want you to do that, I want you to wait until the very last moment andthenlet your head fall.”
Starting from the beginning of the sequence, Sadie turned into me and lifted her arms but not quite soon enough, causing her elbow to graze my cheek.
She covered her lips with her fingertips and stared up at me with wide eyes. “Oh no, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” My hands found her hips.
“I’m so sorry.” Her fingers barely touched my jaw, tilting her head to check for any damage to my face.
I rubbed a circle into her hip bones.
“Don’t worry about it, baby.” My mouth froze on the last word, my neck growing hot wondering if I’devercalled her that. I might have thought it a thousand times before but had the presenceof mind to keep pet names to myself. I might have been able to pretend like it didn’t happen if Sadie hadn’t stopped breathing. She stood statue-still.
