Page 86 of What I Like About You

A flustered Nash immediately stands up and stuffs his phone in his pocket.

“Oh, hey. I was just going to—”

“No need to stand on my account.”

He’s dressed in a light blue button-down shirt and black dress pants, no tie. His hair is styled with the lightest touch of gel. He’s seriously leveled up from his typical sweatshirt-and-jeans combos.

He looks really cute.

“You look nice,” he says.

I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not.Niceis a terrible word. A non-word really.

“You too,” I say.

“Thanks.”

I sit down and take a sip from my bottle of water.Nice?Nash is being so weird. I’m not sure why. Ever since the night of the storm, Nash and I talk pretty much every day. But now we’re at a stupid high school dance and we can’t even say hello without fumbling.

“Are you going to dance?” he asks.

“Oh. I don’t.”

Nash raises his eyebrows. “Really? Me either.”

It’s almost as though Nash doesn’t want to be here just as much as me.

“Halle!”

Molly and Autumn appear from the crowd of dancers, faces shiny with sweat. Yet somehow, their makeup hasn’t moved. I need to learn what this magic is. Autumn looks amazing in her compromise dress, and Molly glows in gold.

“Come dance!” Molly says.

She grabs my hand and pulls me up so I’m standing.

“No, I don’t—”

“Tell me if you’re feeling anxious and we’ll disengage. Promise,” Molly says.

She takes me by one hand and Nash by the other. Nash just looks at me and I hope he can read my face, because it says,I am getting the hell out of here as soon as Molly lets go of my hand.

Molly pulls us toward the dancing, but we barely graze the perimeter of the sea of bodies. Everyone is jumping around to the music, hands in the air, singing along to the lyrics. Molly bops her head to the music and raises our hands in an attempt to make us dance with her. Nash moves his shoulders in the most awkward fashion. My feet stay planted firmly on the ground. I shift my weight as I count the beats of the music, making sure my heart isn’t beating faster.

Sawyer joins our awkward non-dance circle.

“Wow, you two are the life of the party,” Sawyer says to Nash and me.

I fold my arms over my chest. Nash flips Sawyer off.

But Sawyer just pulls Molly away from us and twirls her like a ballroom pro. Or at the very least, like he’s seen a few episodes ofDancing with the Stars.Molly laughs so loud amid the twirls. She lands in a dip just as the song’s final notes sing through the speakers.

They are kind of couple goals right now, and Sawyer is our savior for taking her attention away from us. High-energy pop transitions to a slow song, one of Ed Sheeran’s many ballads, andNash and I make eye contact. He gestures toward the tables and I agree, grateful. We make our grand escape, with a pit stop at the drinks table.

“Boring,” Molly shouts, her arms draped around Sawyer’s neck.

Nash sighs. “She is too much sometimes.”

I sip on a Sprite. “She thinks she wants to see me dance,” I say. “I promise that’s something nobody needs to see.”

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