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Chapter Three
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Teddy
I look up as someone places a drink in front of me. I've already had one glass of wine and that's about all I want to do. I'm about to turn the drink down when a deep voice comes close to my ear. "Drink?"
It's him.
"Oh, um, I don't really, um...okay." It's hard to say no to eyes like those. Just because I accept the drink it doesn't mean I actually have to drink it. I notice he sits one down next to Willa too so maybe he's just being really nice to Willa's pathetic sister. I probably look completely out of place and seem like a lost cause to someone like him.
I asked Willa how they met and she told me he was looking for a roommate and was asking around. Her friend heard about it and suggested the place to her. When I ask her how long they've been dating she just laughed and started to say something but Hadden interrupted us.
"Look who just came in. It's Mr. Five-0 himself." The sheriff strides in looking completely confident and assured of his greeting. Most of the bar turns to give him a hi or a wave. The other half are women and give him more - winks, flirt eyes, and breathy hellos. This is a small island and everyone knows each other. The sheriff is a transplant who doesn't date much if island gossip is to be believed.
I don't know why Hadden has a problem with him. The man is a sweetheart. I mean his name is Knight for crying out loud. It's like he was destined to be our town's protector. Dirk Knight has been our sheriff for the past year now and does a very good job. He doesn't fuck with every girl he comes across and seems to run a pretty tight ship by all appearances. I like him. Not like that but I think he's a great guy. Hell, I voted for him. But Hadden has always clashed with him. Maybe it’s the wild child way about her that makes it so they both rub each other the wrong way.
"Let's dance again." Hadden pulls Willa away leaving me sitting with Charlie once again. Reef sets the drink down in front of me and takes the seat right beside mine. The silence stretches between the two of us until I have to say something.
"Don't you want to dance?" If he wants to dance he can go find Willa. She's a wonderful dancer. God, he's sitting so close to me. Is it too close?
"Do you?"
"Me? No. I'm not really into the whole 'strangers' bodies close to mine' thing. Floor orgies aren't my thing." God what is wrong with me!? Why can't I shut up?!
He laughs at what I said. At least he thought it was funny and not pathetic, right? "It doesn't have to be like that. If you have a good partner you won't even know other people are on the floor around you."
Before I can stop him he takes my hand in his and pulls me to my feet, "C'mon."
We're out on the dance floor and I'm in his arms so fast I can't really say no. I'm just kind of standing in the circle of his arms being stiff and unfriendly without meaning to. It's painful and I'm not even the person having to watch it.
"You know, they say you can judge a person's prowess in bed by how good a dancer they are." I close my eyes and pray for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. God, why can't I just keep my mouth shut? "Not that I'm thinking of how you would be in bed or anything. Besides it's just a dumb saying. I mean if that were true it would mean I'm stiff and don't know what I'm doing. I should stop talking now."
To complete the whole death by social suicide I squeak out a high-pitched laugh that’s not very flattering. My hands are flapping around not knowing really where to land. I guess I could put them on his shoulders. Surely that wouldn't come across as too intimate. It's just his shoulders are really high and I don't think I can reach them.
"Maybe you just need a good teacher. Someone who can lead you where you need to be." He takes my hands and pulls them up so that one of them is resting on his bicep and the other one is in his. His hands come around my waist and land on my hips. His voice is really low when he says it, his mouth close to my ear.
"Um, are we still talking about dancing?"
He doesn't answer me. Instead, he spins me around and brings me in close for a deep dip. After a little while out on the dance floor, I begin to loosen up - I think. It all comes crashing down though when a woman comes up to me and taps me on the shoulder.
"May I cut in?" before I can agree with anything she's slipping around me and placing herself in Reef's arms. She doesn't seem to have a problem with where to put her hands. I turn back to the table and make my way there trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks. Not sure why this feels like the walk of shame but it does.
So much for the right partner. I guess this is a good thing since my whole metaphor about sex and the dance floor was just proven right. Beautiful people like him can have multiple partners and not think anything about it while I've just had...well, one - him. Not that I ever really had him. He belongs to my sister after all and that stupid comparison is just me making something out of nothing. Writer's problem. We always see more there than what’s really there.
I down the drink he bought me fast. Too fast. I'm already feeling the effects of it when Willa sits down beside me looking beautifully out of breath and happy as always.
"You okay, sis?" Damn. I really hope she didn't see me with Reef and think anything was going on that wasn't. I would never hurt my sister like that.
"Yeah, just really thirsty. All the dancing and stuff." And the guilt. Don't forget the fucking guilt.
She gives me one of those award-winning smiles and my stomach settles back down. But it doesn't last. Arms reach around me and cause me to jump. Lips come to my ear, "You left me."
He winks at my sister who doesn't look happy anymore. She's looking at me and Reef like she's upset about us being this close. Maybe she just realized Reef was dancing with someone other than her. He’s not even mine and I felt bitchy towards the woman who cut in on my dance with him. Or God maybe it was me she didn't want him dancing with. I try to scoot my chair to the side so there is room between the two of us.
"You seemed busy." God, I hope I don't sound as pissy as I feel. "Dancing."
"Mmm, I prefer dancing with only one partner." I have to once again wonder if we are talking about more than dancing.
