Page 43 of Ravaged From Fate

“Hold on to me and move, you stoic man. Treat me to a good time.”

I pull him into the middle of the bar where people have formed a little dance space and I guide his hands to my hips. He takes a strong hold of my waist and I go all gooey inside. His focus stays on mine as we move to the sounds of Ed Sheeran’s beat.

Yeah, he might say he’s a drummer, not a dancer, but he definitely knows how to hold me right.

The shots have really worked their magic on my tiny body, and that’s probably why I decide to whisper into his ear. “I’m going to figure you out,” I say to the hunk.

“What?”

“I want to know you, Caspian.”

“I don’t want you to figure me out, Elsa.”

“Why not?” The disappointment in my voice is palpable.

“It’ll ruin everything.” The reply is short and blunt, so characteristic of the man dancing with me.

“I doubt it will. We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

“If you want any more secrets out of this, Elsa, then I’ve got to be more drunk than this.”

I wink at that. “A minor problem that I can easily fix,” I reply.

The song over, I pull the man back to the bar and order another round of shots from Sam.

“You want to do this?” Caspian asks me in my ear.

“I like it when you’re like this,” I reply. The man looks taken aback.

“Like what exactly?”

“Joyous.”

He smiles then, and I know I’m getting to him. “I’ve not felt like this for a long time,” he tells me.

“Really?”

“It’s all thanks to you, Elsa.”

My heart skips another beat.

Jesus…

“Let’s drink to that,” I say as I hand him the shot.

Another song begins to play. It takes me a moment to recognize it. “Hey, I like this song,” I say as the room fills up with the familiar music. “I always forget the band, though. Do you? They’re one of the biggest, aren’t they? This song is played everywhere.”

Pull me down, pull me up

I’m your dream, girl

So don’t break up

We are strong

We are gone

With you, girl