Page 47 of Tides and Tidings

“Are your ears ringing that badly? That,” I pointed to the speaker, “is a slow song.”

He stepped closer and extended his hand, “I know.”

My stomach fluttered. His eyelids hung a little bit lower than normal. The only indicator I had he was feeling his drinks.

“You’re drunk,” I observed with a laugh.

“Not a bit.” He closed the gap between us. His eyes were dark with desire, “Dance with me, Bee.”

Charlie

This is wildly out of my realm. I don’t know how to slow dance. Shit, I don’t know how to dance in general.

I pulled Blythe onto the dancefloor and laced one hand with hers. I placed the other on the small of her back. I could feel her heart racing as I closed the gap between our bodies.

I leaned down so my lips were level with her ear, “You alright?”

Blythe nodded, “I’m just surprised you wanted to dance. This isn’t like you.”

“This is vacation Charlie, remember?” I winked.

Her green eyes stared up at me, “Oh,” she grinned widely, That’s right.”

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to grab and kiss her face. Maybe it’s the bourbon coursing through me, but I wanted to show Blythe how special she really is…even if it means I step out of my comfort zone. I’ve not been good about showing her off to the world because that also puts me on display. There’s one thing I don’t like, and that’s being in the spotlight. Right now, I’m directly in it.

I might never allude to it, but the slow country song blasting through the speakers right now is one of my favorite songs.

“Baby, last night was hands down

One of the best nights

That I’ve had, no doubt”

Blythe rested her head on my chest. Swaying back and forth on this dance floor, those lyrics rang in my ears like they never had before. I could ask her to marry me right here, but she would think I only asked because I was drunk.

That might not be the worst idea.

We rocked back and forth until the song ended, and we became painfully aware that we were the only couple still on the dancefloor. Everyone else had moved off to the side. It looked like something out of a movie.

“Now those two are in love!” The DJ commented into his microphone. The crowd clapped and cheered.

Blythe broke out of the trance she was clearly in as well and made eye contact with me. Her smile lit up the room, “We should head out.”

Not to sound sappy, but I didn’t want this moment to end. Tonight, despite the dinner reservation falling through, has really been for the better.

We’ve been able to eat more substantial food, no one is snooty, and we’ve finally just let loose.

“You sure you want to leave and don’t want to stay here?” I asked as the music started blaring through the speakers again and people joined us on the dancefloor.

She nodded, “We’ve been here for a while. Let’s go to the next stop on our adventure.”

Blythe grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit. We stepped through the heavy black door and the fresh air filled our lungs.

“I feel like I can breathe again,” Blythe observed as we made our way to the sidewalk. “I miss Wren. Do you think she’s still awake?”

I dug my phone out of my pocket. I silently prayed that my mom allowed her to stay up well past her bedtime.

“It’s after ten, she’s probably asleep…”