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“That’s the worst part. She thinks it’s hilarious. My dad, not so much, since his garage is attached and gets lumped in with it too.”
Henri smiled and dimples dented her cheeks. “I can totally see your mom laughing – and your dad being a grump about it.”
“It looks like you’ve nailed the family dynamics.” Henri looked at me and I looked at her. There was a connection between us, no doubt about it. And I was thankful for my beard, because the burning in my cheeks told me that they were likely turning the same shade of red as Henri’s.
Charlotte glanced at Henri and then at me with eyebrows raised, with a look on her face that told me I wasn’t the only one who could feel the tension.
I tried to focus on the conversation around me as we went through three rounds of appetizers and another round of beer. The Beardog Brewery was bustling and it seemed like everyone in town was crammed into the bar, along with everyone from the movie set.
The band switched from acoustic indie folk, to covering pop songs, the first, Madonna’sLike a Virgin. “Come on Logan, let’s dance.” Charlotte stood.
“No way.” Logan crossed his arms. “You’re on your own with this one.”
“Serena?” Charlotte asked while pulling Henri up from her seat. “You’re coming too Henri.”
Emma had already jumped up and didn’t need any convincing. The dance floor was full and as much as I tried to focus on Freddie’s tales of his volunteer firefighter calls, and Logan’s stories about the hockey team he coached, my brain only seemed capable of focusing on one thing, or rather, one person – Henri.
She was magnetic.
The upbeat music set segued into a slower one, and before I knew what I was doing. I stood and strode across the dance floor. It was like I was on autopilot and Henri was the destination.
I tapped Henri on the shoulder. “Would you like to dance?”
She turned, slowly, her eyes wide. I held out my hand and she slipped hers into it. “Sure.” Henri let me lead her to the middle of the crowded dance floor.
The band played, and the singer crooned out the haunting opening lyrics to Elvis’I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. A song I thought was cheesy as hell - until I had Henri in my arms. I realized I’d never been close enough to notice the vanilla smell in her hair. Soon, Logan and Charlotte had joined us on the dance floor amongst the crowd of people swaying to the music.
We danced like a couple from the sixties- one of her hands on my shoulder, the other clasped in mine. Our bodies spoke to each other, and when I stepped away from her, she turned and did slow twirl before we were drawn back to each other. This time our bodies were a little closer, and I’m sure she could feel my heart bashing at my ribcage. We repeated the move two more times until finally our bodies were pressed together. Henri rested her cheek on my chest and I dropped the formal dance posture and wrapped my arms around her back.
When the song ended, she didn’t break away. Then the next song started and I didn’t have to ask if she wanted to dance, we just kept going. The world around me disappeared until all I could hear was the music, all I could smell was Henri’s hair, and all I could feel was how perfect her body felt in my arms.
The spell was broken when the music changed, and the crowd around us went wild as the band’s mandolin player broke out into the opening riffs of ACDC’s Thunderstruck. I opened my eyes and reality came crashing back to me. The attraction to Henri was undeniable, but she was only in town for a few more days, and I liked her too much to have a one- or two-night stand.My eighteen-year-old self would be so disappointed in me,I thought, as Henri and I broke apart and returned to the table.
A young dude with green hair stepped in front of Henri, stopping her before she could take her seat. My spidey senses kicked in; something was off and I stepped to Henri’s side.
“Is everything alright?” I asked.
Henri rested her hand on my forearm, as if she could sense I was ready to defend her. “Everything is fine.”
“Is this your boyfriend?” The green haired kid looked to be about twenty, and he looked as though he’d had that many drinks. His voice slurred and he seemed uneasy on his feet.
“Yes.” Henri replied. “He is.”
Green Hair looked me up and down and then took a step back. “Well shiiiit. I thought that you were making him up.”
“Well, I wasn’t. This is Jack, my…”
“Pissed off boyfriend,” I growled.
“Easy, big guy.” The kid took a further step back. “Your girl is something else. You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“I CAN blame a guy for not taking the hint though.” I stepped in between Henri and Green Hair. I didn’t think that the kid was going to cause any problems, and Henri was tough enough to handle the situation on her own, but I didn’t want her to have to deal with it.
Not on my watch.
I didn’t know whether he was stupid or drunk. I suspected it was the latter when he didn’t move.
He scrunched up his forehead. “A hint?”
