Page 40 of The Tip-Off
“To the last hurrah before graduation,” he says, lifting his, and Gabby and I follow suit.
I nod my thanks. “To the last hurrah.”
An excited Gabby leads the way upstairs where, sure enough, the music is even louder, and people are dancing on a balcony that overlooks the stage outside and the water just beyond. Shaw and Cannon are chatting up some girls near the bar.
Once I follow Gabby to the dance floor, I look back to see Nathan has gone off to join them, leaving us alone. But not for long because Gabby spots Wes, Joel, and Mario and of course their girlfriends and dances toward them. Flashbacks to the night of the foam party where we had this very same setup come to mind.
Mario leans in but still has to shout to be heard over the music. “Heard you went skinny dipping last night.”
I nod. “Guess I did.”
“What are you two up to tonight and should I alert the paparazzi? Some naked photos of you might be just the boost you need to get that top draft spot.”
“Fuck off,” I say but nudge him playfully.
To be honest, I hadn’t given the other items on her list any more thought, but at the mention of it, I move to Gabby and pull her to me so we’re dancing together. Well, she dances, and I just sort of exist in front of her. “What item are we crossing off the list tonight?”
I panic when her eyes widen. Shit, she probably thinks I’m angling for sex. I should have phrased that differently. Although, now that I’ve thought of sex, there’s no erasing it from my mind.
“What about dance-off or food fight?” I offer coming up with the most PG items I can off the top of my head.
“Those aren’t on my list.”
“Maybe they’re on mine,” I say and do some sort of ridiculous dance move that I’ve seen Joel do when he’s drunk and looking for attention. Suffice to say I’ve seen it a lot.
Soon we’re trading bad dance moves and I’m grinning like an idiot. So is she. We’ve garnered a crowd who cheers for us both, but they’re definitely more on her side, so I toss in the towel and bow down to her, giving her the win.
“Come on, dancing queen, I need a drink after that.”
She places her hand in mine and I weave through the crowd to the bar where I order us both water.
“Killer dance moves, my man,” the bartender says, winks, and puts two shots in front of us with the water. “On the house.”
I give him my thanks as Gabby laughs beside me.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You,” she says. “I’m pretty sure that bartender was hitting on you and you didn’t even realize it.”
“He was?”
She nods several times. “I’ve been up to this bar a dozen times tonight and he hasn’t so much as glanced my way. Then you show up and he’s offering free drinks and winks to go.”
“Must be my dance moves.”
She laughs softly. “Must be.”
We take the shot and drink our water as we catch our breath and crowd watch. People just keep piling into the place, making it feel a little claustrophobic. Gabby’s head starts to pop up, standing on her tiptoes to see over the crowd in different directions.
“Who are you looking for?”
“No one. I was trying to see if there was a restroom up here.”
My height makes it easy to see over the crowd. I nod to the back right corner. “Come on. I’ll clear the way.”
Even for me, it’s a tough push. Large groups are trying not to lose one another by holding hands, creating a fence of people. I can feel Gabby sticking close, a hand at my back. At five paces away, she lurches forward and her hands grapple at my side as she tries to keep herself upright. I turn in time to see the two guys, more drunk and obnoxious than the rest, that bumped into her.
“Watch where you’re going.” I growl as I bend down to help Gabby get to her feet. She rubs at her elbow, which must have taken the brunt of her fall.
