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The music changed as if on cue and a song with a techno beat came on. Mandy and Trina nodded their approval and we migrated toward the dance floor, disappearing into the masses of our fellow classmates. I tried not to think about Collin or my growing desire to ask him to dance. The idea of Collin’s hands on my waist again sent shivers down my spine. Those weren’t the kind of thoughts I should be having about my song writing partner.
So I jumped and moved my body, throwing all my energy into the act until my lungs burned and my face flushed from the effort. Mandy and Trina let loose as well. We were all having a blast, not worrying about school, or family, or boys. Just us girls. It was a blast. Several songs went by, until the beat suddenly slowed.
“All right, ladies and gents,” the deejay announced from his booth. “It’s time to slow things down. Grab a partner and make your way to the dance floor.”
I pouted in disappointment, until a tapping on my shoulder made me turn around and I found Collin looking down at me. He had that gut-warming lopsided grin on his face. It was a dangerous grin. The kind that made me want to stare too long at his mouth.
“Want to dance?” he asked, tilting his head to one side.
“O-okay.”
I swallowed hard and let him take my hand. Glancing over my shoulder at Mandy and Trina, I saw them watching me with excited grins. They both gave me two thumbs up and I grimaced at them. Collin led us to the middle of the dance floor and pulled me around, placing both of his hands on my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, remembering exactly how it felt last time I’d touched him like this. Of course, it had only been the two of us then. Not a backyard full of people. Still, I couldn’t deny feeling like every nerve in my body was on fire.
“Nice costume,” Collin said, dipping his head to whisper in my ear. His warm breath on my neck nearly drove me crazy. “I was enjoying watching you dance out there. If I’d known the tooth fairy was that gorgeous, I would’ve tried harder to stay awake when I put my tooth under my pillow at night as a kid.”
He’d been watching me dance. I laughed nervously and tried not to squeak when I talked. “It never would’ve worked. We tooth fairies know when we’re being spied on.”
He pulled back just enough to pin me with an amused expression. “So you’re saying you’re kind of like Santa Claus?”
“He’s a distant cousin. Magic runs in the family.”
“Ah, makes sense.” He licked his bottom lip and I immediately felt my blood temperature rise.
“Are you supposed to be some kind of emo Robin Hood?” I asked, more to hide my reaction than anything.
“No, I’m Hawkeye.” He furrowed his brow at my clueless expression. “From Avengers? The sick guy with the bow?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. I’ve only seen Spiderman, and that’s because Trina has a major crush on Tom Holland.”
“Audrey, you’re killing me,” he groaned. “Here I was, thinking you’d find me irresistible as a superhero...”
I suppressed a smile, feeling oddly pleased that he’d been thinking of me. “Don’t worry,” I said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure you know as well as I do that even as emo Robin Hood, you still look good.”
His eyes widened. “Was that a compliment from Audrey Black herself?”
“Maybe...” I laughed again. “But don’t get used to it.”
He increased the pressure of his hand on the small of my back, drawing me closer to him, so that any space between us quickly disappeared. “I won’t,” he whispered next to my ear. “But at least I know you think I look good
. That’s all I needed.”
I shivered, even though the late October evening was unseasonably warm. We swayed for a few more minutes, and while I couldn’t have told him what song was playing, I knew exactly where his hands were on my body at all times. From the one, tantalizing moment when he brushed a stray curl off my neck, to the slow descent of his broad hand down my waist. They were all innocent touches in their own way, but nothing about them felt innocent. Instead, I spent most of the dance on fire, barely able to breathe.
It was hard to say if Collin was as effected as I was. But his ears appeared a little red on the tips and he wasn’t making any of his wise cracks. It was unusual and only made me feel more nervous. At least his incessant need to act like a cocky jock was easy to react to. This silent and reserved side of him was unsettling.
“Do you think we finally got it?” he asked, breaking the silence, his voice lower than usual.
I inhaled the scent of his cologne and had to keep myself from sighing. He smelled ridiculously good. “Huh? Got what?”
“The approval. For our song.” He cleared his throat and his chest expanded with a deep breath. “Think Mrs. Banks has replied to your email yet?”
“Oh.” I dropped my hands from his neck, feeling silly for forgetting the very reason we’d been texting back and forth so much today. Of course, that was what Collin had been thinking of the whole time. Not how close we were dancing or how this very pose was so similar to the kiss from last week. “Let me check.”
I dug my phone out of my bag and opened my email account. The top line was a reply from Mrs. Banks. My heart raced at the sight of her name. Clicking on the message, I read it aloud.
Solid rewrite, guys. This version of your song is a winner. I’m not sure what you did differently to turn things around, but keep it up. Start practicing. Performance is only three weeks away.
You’re going to rock it.
