When the Heart Falls(113)

A pretty girl in a tight red dress is talking to Cade, and he looks like he's enjoying the conversation. He's smiling, sipping a coke.

My gut tightens seeing them together, but I ignore what that could mean, unwilling to consider the possibility that I could actually be jealous. I don't get jealous and certainly not over a guy who's just a friend.

Cade catches my eye and smiles, then says something to the other girl and walks away from her, leaving his empty glass behind.

"Are you having fun?" He speaks louder than normal to be heard above the music.

I shrug and take another sip of my soda. "I guess. This isn't really my scene."

He laughs and the sound is so warm, so full, that I want to drown in it. "Not mine either, but we should make the most of it. When in Rome, right? Or, in this case Paris."

Something inside me loosens. "You're right. We should."

He holds out his hand and half bows, pulling his hat off as he does. "Would m'lady do me the honor of this dance?"

His behavior is so out of place, so anachronistic, that I feel transported to another time and place. Instead of a miniskirt, I'm wearing a beautiful ball gown. He's dressed in a pressed suit, and we're surrounded by elegant people at a formal ball in a castle. The hip-hop has been replaced by an orchestra, our sodas transformed into fizzing champagne.

I don't enjoy drawing attention to myself, but it's easier to say yes in this new world in my mind. I take his hand, and his fingers squeeze gently. The contact makes me shiver.

We dance to a fast beat song, moving our bodies to the rhythm but not touching. I'm keenly aware of how much skin I'm bearing in this barely-there-outfit and kick myself for not wearing something more dignified.

When the song ends I'm out of breath, but not from dancing. As the next song begins, it's slower and in English.

Cade's arms slip around me, though there are a few inches between our bodies, space filled with heat and promise and currents of something magical. I want to press in against that space and make it disappear, to feel his whole body against mine, but I refrain, unwilling to move this in a direction I can't follow through on.

I like him. He's interesting and unexpected and obviously gorgeous, but I'd rather have him as a real friend, than do something stupid that can't possibly last and lose even our friendship.

Cade tightens his arms around me, and his lips brush against my ear lobe as he leans in to talk over the noise. "I like this song. My parents used to dance to it. Every Sunday night they'd have a little dance party with us kids. It's one of my best memories."

I imagine his family as tight-knit, loving, and the thought warms me. "Do they still dance every Sunday?"

His smile dips into a frown, the light in his eyes dimming. "No. Not since… " He hesitates. "Not since a long time."

That's not what he was going to say. Not since what? I wonder, but I don't push it. Maybe that's the complicated part. Everyone has secrets. I know that more than most.

Cade squeezes my hand, pulling me back from the dark memories. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Could he tell what I was thinking about?

"Your face is looking kind of red."

"Really?" Now I'm paranoid that I look like a turnip.

"Yeah. I noticed it earlier too."

What? Earlier? Why did no one say anything? "So, I'm a walking tomato?"

"More like a rose." He spins me around before pulling me back to him.

His compliment makes my face turn even redder. And my ears are itching again. I clear my throat and make a very unladylike noise, but it doesn't help, and I'm just more embarrassed. "I need to use the bathroom."

The song ends, and I run off before my face gets worse.

I stare at my skin in the bathroom mirror. Red and splotchy. Is it a sunburn? I splash cold water over my face, hoping I don't smear my make-up everywhere.

Jenifer walks in as I pat myself dry. The water didn't help.

"Hey, I've been looking for you, girl." She hugs me from the side. "Oh, honey, you don't look too good."

"I'm just feeling a little off. It's just sunburn. I think."

"Well, you're lucky I'm here." She reaches into her purse and pulls out a pill. "This will help with the irritation."

"Thanks." I pop the pill in my mouth and swallow it with water from the sink.

"Thank me later. Right now, we need to party."



"Where did you go?" Jenifer's voice sounds squeaky, like a cartoon mouse.

I giggle and watch the lights dance around her head. "Walking. Walking and talking and planning revenge."

"Uh-huh. Okay, well, are you having fun?" Jenifer splits into two, and I don't know which one to look at.

"Fun. Bun. Fun in the sun. I can rhyme and tell the time. I'm a writer, making the world brighter." I grab her hand and pull her to the place where people mooove. "Let's dance!"

Jenifer laughs. "Guess you are having fun."

We dance. We move. We transcend time and place and rebirth the world in our gyrating. And then I stop. "I need a drink."

"Okay."

The bar is across the room, so far away. I fly to it on a rainbow. When the counter reaches for me, I embrace it. "I'd like your alcohol, pleeeeease."