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“Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked, looking deep into my eyes.
I laughed and ran my fingers over his curly hair. “I’m pretty sure we’re even.”
He sighed with relief and then pulled me into a tight hug. “Good, because I was going to tell you at the tournament this morning, but I didn’t want to throw off your game right before the final round.”
“That’s considerate.” I smiled at him. “Was this all in your message to me on the game? The one I didn’t read?”
“Yes!” He sighed dramatically. “I sent you a message as soon as I got out of that anatomy class, but you had to go and disappear from the world. If I’d known you wouldn’t get my message, I would’ve hunted you down and explained the whole thing.”
A trickle of embarrassment went down my spine. “Oops.”
“Yeah, oops.” He grinned and then gently rested his forehead against mine. “The truth is, I should’ve told you right away when I found out, but I didn’t want to scare you away. I was really into you, and I wasn’t sure how you felt about me yet.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure now?”
He bit his bottom lip and grimaced. “Maybe? I think it’ll take a few more dozen kisses for me to really know. Actually, I think the backstage area of the theater is free. Want to get out of here?”
The look on my face made him burst out into laughter. He took my hand in his and, instead of pulling me toward the door to the stage, he led me to the dance floor as another slow song began.
Lexi and Charlotte were still there, cozying up with their guys for another dance. The expressions they made when Gabriel took me into his arms beside them were priceless. They both squealed with excitement, which all three boys rightly pretended they couldn’t hear.
“I’m not sure if I’m very good at this kind of thing,” I said as I draped my arms over his shoulders. Dancing was awkward for someone like me. I never knew where to put my hands or what to do with my body. And I was pretty sure my hips didn’t move like Lexi or Charlotte’s.
Gabriel’s large hands gripped my waist and he smiled softly at me as we began to sway. “Not good at what?”
I gestured at myself. “At this whole girly thing. At dancing with a boy. At being the type of girl that wears dresses and makeup and acts all sweet all the time. That’s not me—at least, not most of the time. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to being the girl who wears beanies and baggy black t-shirts and loves video games.”
The right side of his mouth tilted up in a dashingly handsome smile. “You’re perfect in a girly dress or in a baggy t-shirt. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve always thought you were beautiful. It’s probably why I couldn’t say more than three words to you for the past four years.”
Again, blood rushed to my cheeks. But this time, I didn’t laugh awkwardly. I didn’t make a brush-off comment. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his and his grip tightened on my waist as he kissed me back.
“Oh great, I just lost my appetite,” someone sne
ered right beside us.
My muscles tensed and I squeezed my eyes shut momentarily. I knew that voice. I’d been hoping after the events of this morning, I’d never have to hear it again, but apparently I was wrong.
We broke apart to see Michael standing next to us on the dance floor, his arm draped over a sophomore wearing a glittery silver dress that fell above her knees. She was pretty and petite, and everything I used to think a guy like Gabriel would want. But that expected twinge of insecurity never came. Instead, I ran my hand up the back of Gabriel’s neck to his hair and smirked back at Michael.
“Do you mind? We were kind of in the middle of something?”
His sneer grew uglier. “You think you’re hot stuff, just because you won some stupid game, Frye? I have news for you, you’ll always be a poser.”
“Better to be a poser than a full on rage-jerk like you. It’s a good thing you lost the prize money. I’m not sure that motorcycle would’ve been able to carry the weight of your ego. Now, if you could move along...”
Michael grumbled a string of nasty insults back at me that made his date blink in shock. However, I wasn’t shocked. This was a total Michael play. He never could let anything go. I turned back to Gabriel, fully ready to ignore Michael’s existence for the rest of time, when he brushed past me and headed toward his twin.
“I think we’ve had enough of that,” Gabriel said, grabbing his brother’s arm and twisting it behind his back.
Michael grunted and cursed loudly, but couldn’t break free of his grip. A few people stopped dancing to see what the commotion was about. Slowly, Michael’s date backed away into the crowd, until she was gone. With an apologetic smile in my direction, Gabriel torqued his brother’s arm just enough to make him swear again.
“Sorry, but our dance will have to wait a minute. I’ve got to have a serious conversation with my brother about respecting women. It’s been long overdue.”
I giggled as he forcefully moved his brother toward the exit. No one intervened. Not even Coach Hart, who I could see eyeing the brothers over the cookie he’d snatched from the dessert table where he was chaperoning. And when they were gone, the DJ picked up the tempo with a new song, causing everyone to forget about the commotion and crowd the dance floor.
Dancing with my friends drove away any lingering worries. We jumped with our hands in the air, singing the lyrics at the top of our lungs. It wasn’t until a few songs later did I feel someone come up behind me and get a whiff of a familiar cologne. I smiled when I felt his hands on my hips, his chest pressed to my back. A delicious shiver went down my back as he leaned in to talk in my ear.
“I don’t think you’ll be having any more trouble with him,” Gabriel said.
