Page 57 of Light Up
Corey nodded.
Tal asked the barman for two mojitos.
“Watching this reminds me of a high energy aerobics session I was once talked into,” Tal said. “Luckily I was at the back of the class so not many people saw how terrible I was.”
“Hmm.”
“I was bad, I swear.”
“I actually don’t believe you. You can do everything. I can sort of imagine an emergency on a plane and them asking if anyone can fly or do heart surgery with a less than sharp knife and you’d be there with your hand up saying you could do both, and give you a spoon.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I can’t fly. I’m not good with medical things.” Tal winced. “Ah, you didn’t mean that literally. But if you want to know something I’m not good at, it’s making friends.”
Corey looked straight at him then. “Yes, you are. And if anyone didn’t want to be your friend, they were idiots. You just take time to warm up and for people to get used to you.”Corey nudged him. “How do you feel about public displays of affection? Bearing in mind we’re highly unlikely to ever see any of these people again.”
“Uneasy, but that’s a fair point. What are you thinking of?”
“Just a kiss.”
“Okay.”
Corey moved in front of him, came up on his toes, kissed him, then stepped to his side again. “No thunderclaps or lightning strikes, no pointing fingers, no shocked faces… Think we’re fine.”
Tal handed him a tall glass filled with lots of ice and mint and tapped his glass against Corey’s.
One sip and Corey was in love.Oh my God!He took another drink, a bigger one. It was sweet and tangy, minty and delicious.
“Like it?” Tal asked.
“Not sure. I might need another to check.”
Tal raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, damn it. It’s fabulous.” He gave an extra-heavy sigh. “Now I have a taste for mojitoandchampagne, there goes my job-seekers allowance.”
Tal gave a loud guffaw.
When Corey had finished his drink, consumed far too quickly, he just couldn’t help himself, he put the glass on the bar. “Are we doing this? It sort of looks like ballroom dancing but in a straight line.”
The song ended and Corey took his hand and tugged him to the end of a line in a position where they could see the couple who were demonstrating.
“I hope they play Copperhead Road,” Corey said. “At least I know that song.”
As the first bars came over the speaker, Corey gasped. “Bloody hell.”
“Copperhead Road?”
“Yep.”
Once they had the hang of swinging their legs, turning and stamping their feet, Corey loved it. Tal had caught the rhythm too and he was smiling. At the end of the song, Corey turned into his arms and kissed him properly. Not just a quick kiss. Though he didn’t overdo it. He’d never kissed a guy in public. It was a big step for him too.
The next song started, Cotton Eye Joe, and though the moves were a little trickier, they were soon in the swing of it. When Tal went wrong and bumped into Corey, they both laughed. They weren’t the only ones not getting it right, but everyone was good-humoured about it.
They only stopped to get another mojito and to take a breath.
“We were good,” Corey said. “I like it.”
“Me too.”
