“Okay, but who let him wear that?” she mutters, nodding subtly toward someone across the room.
Mel gives her a look. “Be nice.”
“Iambeing nice,” Kiara says. “I didn’t say it out loud.”
“It’s true though,” I say, which makes Kiara laugh and Mel shake her head.
We’ve been dancing for the past half hour. Not good dancing—more like chaotic, slightly embarrassing dancing that probably looks exactly like something our parents did in the eighties. But no one seems to care. We’re just moving and laughing and jumping around like nobody’s watching.
Kiara spends most of the song trying to get Noah and Ryan to loosen up, which mostly results in them shaking their heads and laughing. Liam spins Mel and me at the same time at one point, and we nearly crash straight into each other, laughing too hard to recover properly.
After a solid stretch of dancing to a bunch of old 2016 throwback songs, we stumble back off the floor, fanning ourselves and reaching for our drinks.
Before any of us can really catch our breath, someone barrels past us with a giant camera hanging from his neck.
“Yearbook photos!” a voice announces far too loudly.
We all turn to see one of the yearbook guys from school weaving through the crowd, snapping pictures of people like he’s on a mission.
“Come on, people!” he calls. “Don’t make me chase you!”
Mel reacts instantly, grabbing Liam by the collar of his shirt and pulling him into a picture-perfect kiss. Kiara hooks her arm through Noah’s while he forces an exaggerated smile for the camera.
But then the lens suddenly swings toward Ryan and me.
“Oh—wait,” the guy says, squinting slightly. Then his face lights up. “Baylin’s cutest couple right here. Come on, give each other a kiss.”
“Uh—” I start and Ryan leans a little closer, just enough that his arm brushes mine.
“Just go with it,” he murmurs under his breath. And before I can react, he turns his head and presses a kiss to my cheek. Goosebumps rise on my skin and my eyes close for the briefest second as the camera clicks.
The guy checks the screen on his camera and grins. “Perfect. You two are painfully photogenic.”
Then he moves on, shouting something about lighting and angles at another group across the room. Behind me, I hear Mel and Kiara snort. I roll my eyes, fanning my face to prove my red cheeks are not from that kiss. Even though they are.
Then the music shifts and a slow song comes on. The lights dim, bathing the hall in a soft golden glow. All around us, people start standing, pairing off, moving toward the dance floor.
Mel is on her feet, tugging Liam up with her. Within seconds, they’re drifting toward the middle of the floor.
“Absolutely not,” Kiara mutters, standing abruptly and grabbing Noah’s wrist. “We’re not doing this.”
Noah snorts as she drags him away. “Agreed.”
They retreat toward the little stand with drinks. The moment they are out of sight, Ryan looks up at me and stands, holding out his hand with that familiar, crooked smirk. “Can I have this dance?”
I slip my hand into his as I stand. “I would be honoured.”
He lifts his hand and helps me stand.
“Let’s give these people a show,” I whisper with a small laugh.
His eyes snap to me, then nods quickly. “Yeah, let’s give them a show.”
He passes me a quick smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He almost looks disappointed by my comment.
As he leads me toward the dance floor, I lean in slightly. “Just so you know,” I murmur, “there’s a very real chance I will step on your shoes.”
He chuckles quietly under his breath. “Good. I was worried this might go too smoothly.”
