I head over to the bar and Jaden looks at me. “Hey, it’s the lady of the hour!” A loud whoop resounds from around the bar. “What can I get you sis?”
“Oh a Coke would be great, I am dying of thirst!”
“A Coke?! Come on Nori, be a daredevil while you can. How about I mix something special for you?” Without waiting for my ok, he makes me some kind of pink concoction. “Pink, your favorite color!” He hands me the drink and I look it over with wary eyes, “Go ahead, try it. I am sure it’ll be great!” He looks so proud of himself that I can’t help but take a swig.
Good God! I almost vomit in my mouth. It tastes like pure rubbing alcohol with maybe a drop of fruit punch in it to make it pink.
“Yum!” I force the liquid down as it burns my throat. “I’ll just take this over here, I need some fresh air.” I start backing up towards the glass door and head out into the cool night air. As soon as I am out, I look at where the best place would be to throw my drink out. I decide that one of my mom’s dying plants could use a bit of extra liquid and gingerly spill my drink out.
“Ouch, Jaden would be hurt if he saw that.” I jump in surprise because I hadn’t heard anyone come up behind me. Also, because I didn’t think I would hear Mason’s voice addressing me again tonight.
“Oh, well, did you try this monstrosity? It’s awful!”
“Yeah, it didn’t look like you were enjoying your drink. I got a beer for you earlier,” Mason says, “but when I came back to give it to you, you were, umm, talking to some guy. It got warm so I threw it back in the cooler and got you this instead.” Mason hands me a bottle of water.
My pulse picks up a little. Has he been keeping an eye out for me tonight too?!
“So, who’s the guy? Friend? Boyfriend?”
I take a huge swig of the water and it is delicious. “You mean Carter? Friend, definitely just a friend.” I smile at him.
Mason cocks an eyebrow and says, “You know, they made a song about that. About a guy that is ‘just a friend.’”
I pause wondering what song he is talking about. He notices my hesitation, “Might be before your time.” Then he starts to hum a melody that everyone knows.
“No, not that kind of friend.” I quickly explain, and add, “Before my time? How old are you?”
“Same as your brothers, 17.”
“Well, if Biz Markie is before my time, then he would still be before your time as well.”
He nods at that, then changes the subject. “Looks like you have finally started to enjoy your party. Seems like you have been dancing all night.”
Holy cow! He has been keeping an eye out for me! Ok, play it cool Nori, play it cool!
“Yeah, it’s cool. It’s too bad Gigi, you know, my best friend you carried upstairs earlier, isn’t sober enough to enjoy it with me. She will want me to tell her all the details tomorrow.”
Mason smiles at me, my heart skips a beat, and he says, “Let’s head inside and give you another detail to tell your friend Gigi.”
“Sure!” I say a little too enthusiastically. Mason notices and laughs. Damn, what I should have done is shrug carelessly and said, “Whatever.”
We head back inside and to my surprise, Mason grabs my hand and says, “Come on, let’s dance.”
I feel a shock start at the point of contact and reverberate through my entire body, down to the tips of my toes and fingers. Good God, am I really so shallow to fall for a guy so fast? I am so pre-occupied with his hand holding mine that I just follow him wherever he leads me.
Yup, I am that shallow.
Once he finds a place to dance, he turns to me. It takes me a moment longer to come out of my shock and start moving to the music with him. We start dancing in time to the start of a new song. I remember the group’s name because it is an odd one: The Ghost Town DJs.
Boy you should know that
I've got you on my mind
Your secret admirer
I've been watching you
He ends up being a great dancer. His body is so fluid and smooth in its movements and we seem to, well, groove so well together. I had seen him dancing with someone earlier and he moves better than any of the other guys that go to my school. I know that the way I am looking at him is based on someone completely biased though – he is just so perfect! It makes me feel so common and boring next to him. I am giddy with the bit of alcohol still in my system and having Mason next to me. My brain tells me to enjoy this moment because it will probably be the last time that I have the attention of this beautiful gray-eyed boy. I start to mentally scrapbook everything that is happening: his hand on my waist with my back to him, us swaying and moving in rhythm to the music. The song we are dancing to starts out slow then moves to a faster chorus.
These feelings I have for you
Can go deeper if you can come
Correct with your game boy (no, no)
No you can’t be lame boy
But if you can please me
Then my love will come easy
I'll do anything you want
Freak me boy, I'm thinking of you.
I notice the appropriateness of the song and I throw my head back and laugh.
Mason gives me a quizzical look. “What’s so funny?”
I am too embarrassed to tell him the truth, so I just say, “Nothing, I am just having a really good time.” He accepts this and his questioning look is replaced with his beautiful smile.
At night, I think of you
I want, to be your lady, baby
If your game is on give me a call boo
If your lovin's strong, gonna give my all to you
“Do you know the name of this song?” I ask Mason, wanting to know so that I can tell Gigi every minute detail of this dance.
He listens for a few seconds. “Oh, it’s this new group I think. Can’t remember their name, but the song is called ‘My Boo.’”
Towards the end of the song, Mason turns me around and we are facing each other. This gives me another opportunity to admire his face. I wonder what it is like to be as beautiful as he is. I bet he leads a charmed life. As I am contemplating what it is like to be a beautiful version of the opposite sex, a slower song starts. It is one of my all time favorites from last year.
Your lips, your smile, your tenderness
Ooh baby
The way you walk
I can't resist your style
We both stop moving, and I take this as my cue that we are done dancing for tonight. I fear that my Cinderella moment is done.
“Well, thanks for the dance, that was great. Umm…” I trail off, not really wanting to leave, but too shy to ask for another dance. I smile at him and take a timid step back.
Mason rolls his eyes at my bashfulness and pulls me into his arms. “You’re not really trying to get away so soon are you? Trying to get back to, what’s his name, uh, Carter?” He winks at me, and I playfully hit him across his chest. His perfectly muscular chest. Oh, swoon! “How about one more dance? I like this song.”
How can a man like me
Convince a girl like you
To be his lover and one and only
How can I make you see
That I'm the one for you
And nobody does it like me, baby
I take another mental note of the song playing so that I can remember this moment forever. Perfect boy, perfect song – nothing could ever be this perfect again. My hands are on his shoulders and his are at my hips. I dare to look at his eyes again and drown. His perfectly gray eyes. I look at the rest of his face and know that I must look like a troll next to this boy. I have never considered myself ugly but I am not overly attractive either. I am no Gigi. At least half of the girls here are more attractive and could probably hold their own better next to this boy.
“What are you thinking about?” Mason asks me, taking me out of my trance.
“That I must look like a troll next to you.”
Mason laughs out loud and I clamp my hands over my mouth. I can’t believe I actually told him exactly what I was thinking! I was just so wrapped up in the moment that I didn’t really stop to filter.
Mason pulls me a little closer. “You don’t really hide much do you?”
"I can’t believe I just said that.”
“Believe me, you are the farthest thing from a troll. You are a princess in the fairy tales full of only ugly step sisters, ugly ducklings, and wicked witches.” Mason says to me playfully. Oh this boy really does know how to reel ‘em in. Even though I know he is just teasing, I can’t help but want to believe what he is saying. My mind just wants to believe it so badly.
I blush at what he says and look away from his eyes, not really knowing where to look, I rest my gaze at my hand on his shoulder. We sway back and forth, dancing to the music as the chorus comes on.
Hey pretty girl (hey pretty girl)
Can I be (Can I be)
Your man tonight, baby
Hey pretty mama (hey pretty mama)
Can I sleep (can I sleep) with you tonight (tonight)
After a moment I look back at him and ask him, “So, what are you thinking about?”
“The music.” He simply states. My eyes drop to his perfect mouth as he forms the words. I know that I am staring, but I can’t help it. I have never been so drawn into a boy before. Is this what it is like to really crush on someone? I have had crushes before, but I have never felt this drawn to my previous crushes.
There's a candle that's burning in my heart tonight
And the flame is full of my desire
And I can't help but desire you in my bed tonight
I am mere centimeters away from his face when I feel one hand move to the small of my back and the other moves up to cup the back of my head. He gently pulls me to him, impatient with my approach, and his lips touch mine. It is a soft, tentative kiss. His lips are soft, moist, beautiful. He pulls away a little after the peck.
We seem to have stopped dancing at some point, but my brain is mush in my head so I don’t know for sure. I look into his agonizingly unique eyes and know that I have to have more than that soft peck. I havve to take advantage of this moment. I put my hands on either side of his face, go up on my tip toes, close my eyes and kiss him again, softly. I rotate my head and kiss him again. And again. I pull back a little and tentatively touch my tongue to his lips. I feel him suck in a deep breath. My knees are about to give out, but I don’t really care. I push into him a little more and he reciprocates. I push my tongue past his lips and into his mouth. Mason’s hand at the small of my back clenches. If this moment never ends, my life will be complete.
Surely there has never been a kiss like this in the past. Or even in fairy tales or romance novels. This is too exciting, too soft, too wonderful. This kiss. The word “kiss” has never meant so much before. It sounds so perfect for this moment, it is such a strong and soft word at the same time. Kiss. I am so consumed with my thoughts and what is happening, that the word actually leaves my mouth, “Kiss.” I sigh out loud, as if to make sure the word existed.
Slowly, I come back down to earth and realize that another random song is now playing. In the back of my mind I know that my moment is about to end. Eyes still closed, I ease myself away from him then look up. He has this dazed look on his face too, as if he can’t believe what just happened.
“I, uh –” Mason starts, but gets cut off when someone calls my name. He looks up and the spell is broken.
I turn around to glare at the person that interrupted whatever brilliant thing was about to come out of Mason’s mouth. Of course, it is good ole Carter.
“Hey girl, I have been looking for you everywhere. How about a dance, cupcake?” Carter asks me.
“Um, uh, well, I am actually dancing with –” I turn around to point to Mason, but he has disappeared. Damn.
“Are you ok, Norielle?” Carter asks me.
“No.” I simply state, and I know this to be true. My life will forever have an imprint of the past few moments. It was, in a word, bliss.
***End of Chapter Two***
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