Page 42 of Perfect Date
“What’s that?” I ask.
“Charlie, you look absolutely gorgeous tonight. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you that sooner.”
“Oh, thank you. Just, uh, don’t let it happen again.”
He flashes a grin and it makes my insides clench, “Never. That’s a promise.”
We stand and he holds his hand out to me. When I take it, he grips mine firmly in his and leads me to the dance floor. I’m not going to lie; I unashamedly look at his butt the whole way and… wow.
When we reach the floor, he turns to face me. There’s a fast song playing and with a smile, we move close to each other and start moving to the music.
I’ve decided there is nothing that this man can’t do. He can move and he looks amazing doing it. I have no doubt that other women around us are noticing too, because he’s magnetic, but I can’t take my eyes off of him long enough to notice.
In no time, we’re sweating and I’m grateful when the music slows down, and Justin pulls me close to his body for a slow dance.
It’s too loud for conversation, we’d have to scream into each other’s faces, and that’s not fun. Instead, we meld into each other and let our bodies do the talking.
He presses his against mine. I can feel every hard plane of his body, against every soft part of mine.
His arm is tight around my waist, my hand held firmly in his. We don’t simply sway back and forth, just like fast dancing, the man can slow dance too. We move and turn to the music.
One of my hands grips his strong shoulder, and I think about putting my head on his shoulder, but instead I pull back a little and look up and into his eyes.
My eyes roam from the dark shine in his, to his strong nose and kissable lips. I briefly wonder what kissing him would be like. Will he kiss me tonight when our date is over, will he want to? Will I let him? How will it make me feel?
Out of nowhere, Justin dips me to the music and then lifts me back up again.
It makes me laugh and I feel… joy. For the second time tonight. I felt joy when I was alone and enjoying a moment with myself, living in the moment. The joy I feel now is different. It’s magnified because it’s deeper because it’s also being reflected in someone else.
Feelings like these make me know that we were created to find connection with other people in this world.
He moves to dip me again, and it’s deeper this time. He starts to bring me back up, but at the same time he’s lifting me to return upright in his arms, the crowd shifts somehow and a person next to me moves in such a way that I’m knocked hard and I fall to the floor.
The person that fell into me, falls too and I have no idea how but we end up tangled together.
“Oh shit,” I hear Justin curse and can feel his hands moving over me, trying to get me untangled.
I feel a sharp pain in my temple and wince in discomfort.
“Are you okay?” Justin asks when he finally gets me up and as he turns my face toward him, my head feels a little dizzy and my eyes are out of focus.
“I’m-“ I can’t finish the sentence because I wince again in pain.
“You’re bleeding!” Justin says and there’s concern in his voice.
The crowd shifts again and I hear people start to yell, and echoes of people yelling, “Fight, Fight,” drift over to us.
I hear Justin curse, but once again, I’m knocked off my feet by people either moving to get closer to the action, or away from it, I’m not sure.
“Get out of my way,” I hear Justin yell and I cry out when I feel a pain on my shin, another in my side, and another to my arm.
All I know to do is to huddle into a ball, put my arms over my head and try to protect myself until things calm down.
I don’t know how, but at some point, I’m lifted into the air and the side of my body is pressed firmly and safely against Justin’s.
“Hold on, I’m getting us the hell out of here,” he says in my ear.
I don’t know why it crosses my mind, but I’m grateful for the fact my clutch had a long strap and I had the forethought to put it across my body as we went to dance or I could have lost everything it contained.
