Page 28 of You Spin Me

He doesn’t sound happy about it, but when he lifts the velvet rope to let us pass, he gives me a nod. “Sorry about the wait. Cal never has guests, so I had to check.”

CAL

As expected, it is chaos up here in the booth with multiple jocks coming and going, so I’m relieved the bouncer caught my attention to ask about my guests. It’s ridiculously important to me that I don’t let Jess down. Her voice in my ear is like a drug I’m addicted to.

Gracie’s spinning at the moment—it’s a crazy setup tonight where we’re tag-teaming in fifteen-minute sets—so I find a spot in the shadows and scan the dance floor.

There she is,a voice crows in my head.It makes no sense, but somehow I know. The woman spinning in the center of the dance floor, graceful arms snaking over her head. The crowd makes space for her, not because she’s out of control, but because her presence demands it. Her movement is mesmerizing, her hips and feet keeping beat with the bass while her upper body draws the melody in the air.

It has to be her. She glows. Not just because her dress is neon green. Her smile is contagious. The way she moves has everyone around her dancing more… everything.

Even though I’m afraid of dimming that light, I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Or like a four-year-old to a flame.

And just like that, it’s like a needle scratching across a record.Thatradiant girl falling for me the way that I’ve already fallen for her? It’s a total fantasy. A fairy tale, not like in a Disney movie with a happy ending, but like in the olden days where kids get stuffed into an oven and everything goes up in smoke.

“Hey, man—”

My protective instincts and boxing training kicking in, I counter-block the hand on my shoulder without even thinking.

“Whoa!” The guy stumbles back, hands high. I blow out a breath, tightening the string on my hoodie before mirroring him. “Sorry, you startled me.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all good. I wanted to let you know that you’re up in two.” The guy from the club takes another step back when I turn around. “Also, there’s a VIP room in case you want to hang there between sets. I heard you had some guests. You can invite them up too.”

“Thanks, man.” After edging past him, I step onto the platform next to Gracie. From up here, we can see the whole floor, but the way the club is lit, they can’t see us. Just as well.

Time for me to disappear into the music, where I belong.

JESS

“You’re sure you want to leave with us?” Becky asks as we wait for service at the club’s coat check. “You don’t want to stay and hang out with your guy?”

“Nah, he’s really busy. I’ll probably see him tomorrow,” I fib. It’s kind of embarrassing that they think I’m dating a guy that I don’t even really know but I can’t seem to rework my story.

At one point, Mike and Becky and I were dancing pretty close to the booth where the DJs were working, but it was too dark to see faces. I was unreasonably convinced that I’d recognize him, but when I got closer, I chickened out and reversed course toward the middle of the dance floor, convincing myself that I was just there to dance.

It did feel so good to let the music move me. All that disciplined work at the barre and in class turns to pure joy when I let my hips swivel, my arms swirl and my entire being spin. Later, after I took a break to go to the bathroom, I told my friends that I’d talked to Cal and he sent his apologies, but it was too crazy for him to stop and meet them.

Our coats appear and Randall, ever the gentleman, holds mine up for me. Mike does the same for Becky, asking, “When do we get to meet this mystery man? They usually swoop in and pick you up in fancy cars.”

“Well, if we were rehearsing the same play, that might happen.” Since I don’t even know if this guy has a car, let alone where he lives or what he does with himself other than watch sports and play excellent music, I need to change the subject before I tell more stories than I can keep up with. “Anyway, free night of dancing. Good tuneage, fun crowd. Not too shabby, right?”

Once everyone’s bundled up, we head outside and speed-walk to stay warm, laughing and teasing each other all the way back to our cars. On the way home, I try to figure out why I didn’t try harder to see Cal. Or why I lied to my friends about who he is to me.

I guess it’s because I don’t really know.

All I know is that I can’t seem to stop calling him. I really hope he’s not avoiding meeting up in person because he’s with someone else or even married.Somethingseems off, and with my track record, it’s probably not something good. If I had any sense, I’d tell him I’m done—but not only am I not known for my good sense, I’m not quite ready to do that.

Chapter8

Hello Boston, this is Chevy Chase—the actor, not the city in Maryland—suggesting that you listen to Special Kay—the DJ, not the cereal—every weekday afternoon at 101.7 FM, WBAR Boston.

JESS

Since I have neither school, rehearsal, nor an audition Monday, I call Bella to see if she wants to hang out. Spending time with a small cohort of the Shakespeare Boston gang Saturday made me realize how much I miss my friends. It’s never been easy for me to keep girlfriends—I’m too competitive, I guess. But I’ve had kind of a girl crush on Bella since the moment I met her, probably because she’s a soap opera star and she deigned to hang out with little old me. Now, I just loveher, despite the fact that she’s got the svelte figure I wish I had. Her goofy sense of humor and her straightforward honesty are an irresistible combination. Plus, I have no idea how she manages the single mom thing without being stressed out about everything, but I’m always hoping her chill attitude will rub off on me.

The weather’s decent, so we decide to meet at a park near her place in West Newton after she picks her daughter up from preschool.

Once Delilah runs over to the climbing structure to play with some other kids, I can’t stop myself from sharing my current obsession. “So, I met this guy.”

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