Page 67 of Love is a Dance Step
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Lola
Dance with me.
As soon as those words left her lips, Lola couldn’t call them back. Did she want to? Practicing with Nolan and Noah hadn’t worked, and it was time to see if she really had what it took or if she was deluding herself. She had to know if she’d given up her old life, the path she’d set off on, for something real, something within her capabilities.
She had to know if that single dance with Drew had been a fluke or if there really was something about him that transformed her, that allowed her to let down the walls she’d hidden behind her entire life.
Nolan said she wouldn’t connect with him, but he wasn’t the first person to tell her that. Whether it was dance or potential relationships, something always held her back. For so long, she’d thought it was Asher, that her feelings for him kept her from getting close to anyone else even as a friend.
But maybe it was her.
“Won’t the rest of them miss you?” There was something off in Drew’s voice as he glanced back over his shoulder at the door to her room.
“They’ve probably already started the movie.” She shrugged, doubting they’d notice she didn’t come back. When Noah overheard her telling a few of the other dancers she was going to stay in tonight, he’d invited himself over for some reason she couldn’t fathom. They’d had fun dancing and even chatted a bit, but she didn’t understand why he wanted to hang out with her instead of the plethora of dancers vying for his attention.
At first, she worried he expected something other than a movie, but then he’d invited Piper. Nolan tagged along after them, saying he’d had enough of Brooke for one day. So, somehow, they’d become a foursome having a movie party after the big rock concert.
What world was she living in?
Silence filled the elevator as they took it down to the lobby. At this late hour, few people walked across the marble floors. An older woman smiled at them from the front desk. “Can I help you with something, Mr. Stone?”
“Nah.” He flashed her his patented charming grin. “You have a good night, Hannah.”
Once they passed her, Lola dropped her voice. “How did you remember her name?”
He shrugged. “I remember everyone’s names. They deserve just as much recognition as anyone.”
Every conversation Lola had with Drew surprised her. As a fan, she’d thought she’d known him, that the articles written about him, the interviews and dance videos told a straightforward story with few twists.
Everyone thought they knew celebrities, she supposed. But Drew… he definitely wasn’t what she’d expected.
Drew pushed open the door to the banquet room they’d been using for practice. With the tour moving on tomorrow, the hotel staff had returned the tables and chairs, preparing for their next event. Without a word, Drew gripped the edge of a table and dragged it out of the center of the room. Lola pitched in until they’d cleared a small dance floor.
Drew kicked off his shoes, a habit she’d noticed he had. On stage, he wore shoes to perform, but at other times he preferred to dance barefoot. Lola slipped off the slippers she hadn’t changed out of.
It didn’t occur to her until right then how underdressed she was to be dancing with Drew. Cotton sweatpants that had no shape and an old shirt. She wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants that was for sure.
And Drew… well, he looked good in anything.
“Last time we danced, it was freestyle.” Drew concentrated on his phone. “Now, I need to see how you do with one of mine.”
The opening melody to the songI Want Youcame from his phone. He turned up the volume and set it on a table nearby before approaching her. His confidence wavered for only a moment before he held out a hand.
When she didn’t take it, his expression softened, and he repeated her words. “Dance with me.”
The moment her hand touched his, he pulled her toward him, their bodies melding together as he started to sing. The vibrations of his voice sent a wave of energy over her skin as she tried to remember what step came next.
It was as if the dance had been ingrained in her. She didn’t have to think, to try. All she had to do was be in the moment and let muscle memory take control.
The song sped up and Lola pushed Drew away, mimicking the words of the song.
You push and I pull
Drew pulled her back to him.
I fall and you run away
