Page 86 of Try Hard
I went willingly, truly happy to follow her anywhere, but especially when she slipped her hand back into mine. The way she looked down, refusing to make eye contact, was one of the cutest things I’d ever seen her do. Every part of me wanted to weave my fingers with hers, but she’d already been through enough tonight. I’d save that for another day, and spend forever hoping that day would come.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fia
Friends didn’t dance together like this. I knew that. Friends didn’t do a million things Eve and I had been doing. And they definitely didn’t love when everyone thought they were a couple.
But here we were.
My back pressed into Eve’s front as we danced with our little group from school—and Sammy. She really hated me. Shame.
I braced a hand on Eve’s thigh as we all got low at Flo Rida’s request. Her hands hadn’t left my hips the whole song. The club and the song felt like being back at uni, but I’d never danced like this to it. I’d only danced with platonic friends on nights out. I liked this better, even if it terrified me.
My balance was good, but Eve’s was unbelievable. She didn’t falter once, no matter how much force I put on her thigh, and, once we were upright again, she was in the exact same spot she’d started in.
As the song segued into something new, Kim leaned into the pair of us with a laugh. “Kieran and I had our first kiss to that song.”
From behind me, I both felt and heard Eve laugh as she leaned towards Kim. Under the guise of keeping me close, or refraining from knocking me over—or whatever the hell it was—her hands swept from my hips and across my abdomen so she was hugging me from behind.
It was the first time ever that someone had touched my stomach and I hadn’t felt self-conscious. Sure, it was a different stomach than the last one anyone had touched, but I couldn’t avoid the knowledge that it wasn’t about the training I’d put in. The lack of fear over her repulsion, over knowing the comments that would come next, was because nothing Eve had ever done suggested she’d eventhinkthings like that.
The feeling made me dizzy with its unfamiliarity.
“He’d never actually shared the song it happened to,” Eve was telling Kim, both of them so very happy. “Though he filled us in on a lot of other stuff from that night.”
I didn’t think Kim noticed, but the way I felt Eve shake herself in response to her own comment made me think Kieran was an oversharer. Kim always had been too, so I supposed that worked out well for the two of them.
After her first kiss ever, she’d dragged a bunch of us off to a mostly empty corner of the school playing fields at lunch to give us a far more detailed rundown than anyone had ever needed of someone else’s first kiss—or any kiss.
Kim beamed and nodded, unconcerned. “Yeah, it was really great. Super romantic.”
I couldn’t help smiling. I wasn’t sure anyone had ever described that particular song asromanticbefore, but I knew it wasn’t really about the music.
“So, what you’re saying is that ‘Low’ is your first dance song?” Eve asked, amused.
Kim held her chin loftily in the air. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
I frowned, tilting my head in a way that had me brushing Eve’s cheek. Kim really spoke like itmightbe their first dance song. Would they be the only couple in history to use that? Would they do so in front of their families at such a nice location? Surely not, but you never knew with Kim—and I was getting the sense that you never did with Kieran either. I hadn’t spent enough time around him in school to fully know what he was like, but he’d always been pretty loud and outgoing, so maybe it wouldn’t be entirely out of character.
“How mysterious of you,” Eve said sweetly, still moving us both to the music. It was mind-boggling how easy it was to be like this with her, the way my body melted willingly into hers.
I traced my hands over her forearms—exposed from the way she’d rolled her sleeves up—and couldn’t help luxuriating in the feeling of soft skin over strong muscles. Everything felt safe while I was wrapped in her arms.
Kim laughed. “That’s what weddings are about!”
“The surprises?” Eve asked as I made it to her hands. As I settled mine over hers, her breath felt a little shakier than it had been and she brushed both her thumbs over the sides of my own.
“Okay, well, maybe that’s notallweddings are about, but, you know, between the dress and the first dance and a few other things we have up our sleeves, it’s a little bit about that.”
“Well, we look forward to finding out what they all are.”
A glint I hadn’t seen from Kim since we were about seventeen crept into her eyes. “Maybe some of them are already playing out.”
“Yeah!” Tanika practically yelled, cutting into the conversation. “Like Kieran’s super cute decorated cane.”
“Absolutely. Just like that.” Kim laughed. “Fia, Tanika, come to the bar with me?”
I didn’t really want to leave Eve’s arms, but it wasn’t like I could say that. “Sure.”
