Dancing Hurts
“Why do I have to wear a tux?”
I glance up at Alec from my place in front of the mirror, smirking a little at his disgruntled face. “Why? Don’t you like it?”
He shakes his head and pulls a face in reply, making me laugh even though I completely disagree with his judgement. Alec in a tux is just too much for me. He looks annoyingly perfect; the suit hugs him in all the right places, emphasising his defined figure and his hair is styled into that effortless tousle he always seems to achieve. Although he might be uncomfortable, he looks like a frigging angel. That has to be some consolation, right?
“Well you have to wear it,” I say. “It’s your mother’s engagement party, and you are the son of the brides-to-be.” Saturday night has arrived, and we’re almost ready to go.
Once again, my eyes scour my appearance in the mirror. My dress is a soft gold colour, strapless and satin, with matching heels. I’ve been ordered to wear them both with no objections, by my darling mother who bought them for me. I’m just trying to figure out whether I look like a princess or a marshmallow.
“Okay, Riley,” I mumble. “We can work with this.”
“You know that mirrors can’t talk, right?”
“Luckily for you, they can’t laugh either,” I retort, sticking my tongue out at him.
Alec, noticing my attire for the first time after scrutinising his own, wolf whistles as he steps behind me. “Hot damn, Riley.” Our eyes meet in the mirror, and I hope and pray that he thinks the red tinge in my cheeks is purposeful. “Nice dress,” he compliments, then he grabs a lock of my hair and twirls the freshly curled ringlet round his finger. “You should have your hair like this more often.”
My heart jumps a little, and I have to swallow down my hope.
“If I did, my hair would be dead.” I pull a face. “Anyway, how come you’re here instead of with your mom at your house getting ready?”
“Because I wanted to let my date know to hurry the hell up,” Alec says, throwing himself on my bed. “We’re cab-sharing, and our families are waiting downstairs, so get your ass into gear.” Alec pauses for a moment, distracted by something on my bedside table. It’s only when I crane my neck that I discover it’s the photo of Kaitlin and me. I turn stiff as I stare at him for his reaction.
He notices the resemblance. “Hey, this is the girl from your phone.”
“My cousin.” I manage to get the two words out. I must have done it calmly enough that Alec didn’t suspect anything, because he has no real reaction to the words.
“You know,” he begins, “you’d get along really well with my cousin Natasha actually. She’ll be there tonight; I’ll introduce you two. She’ll love you.”
“Definitely, sounds good. Let’s go then,” I say hurriedly, grabbing my clutch and targeting the door. “I can’t keep them waiting any longer.” All I want is for Alec to get the hell away from that picture as soon as possible. Although I’m glad that he knows about Kaitlin’s existence now, I don’t think I’m quite ready yet to tell him everything.
I know it shouldn’t be a secret that she’s gone, but I don’t want people to know. Because she didn’t live in Lindale, it’s easier for me to pretend that she never existed, because nobody ever knows she did. I don’t want the sympathy and the pats on the back and the questions. My only form of closure is if people don’t talk about her. That’s how we cope as a family. It’s coming up to the anniversary in a little under a week and now is not the time to open that can of worms.
Maybe I’ll tell Alec at some point, but not just yet. Not now.
We walk down the stairs and I manage to somewhat compose myself before we see our families waiting. Both of our moms are wearing gorgeous cocktail dresses, but there’s something about the happy glow around Marie that makes her the most beautiful of us all. Her fiancée is arriving about halfway through their party, after something she has to attend first. Marie looks like a bride-to-be, and it’s amazing to see. Jack is wearing a tux, with his head in his iPad as per usual. Millie beams as we come down.
“Riley, you look beautiful!” Marie gushes, coming forward to meet me at the bottom of the stairs. “I knew you’d look a bombshell in that dress.”
“Thanks.” I curtsey jokingly. “You both look stunning. Is the cab here yet? Are we ready to go?” Don’t think about Kaitlin. Forget about it, just for one night.
“Yes, but they can hold on a minute while we take a few photos of you two. You look like such an adorable couple,” Mom says, pulling her camera from her bag.
I don’t dare to see Alec’s response to this. As the camera is directed at us, I stare into it like a deer in front of headlights. A warm arm slides round my waist.
“Go along with it, Greene,” Alec whispers in my ear.
The camera flashes. I smile my way through, and somehow the brittleness of my lips dissolves as he pokes my sides and whispers nonsense pickup lines in my ears. I like the boy standing next to me so much that it hurts.
And by the end of the photographs, my smile isn’t fake at all.
Alec doesn’t remove his arm from my waist until we get into the cab.
When we finally arrive at the country club where the engagement party is being held, I’m more than a little impressed.
It’s a vintage building with huge decorated columns and arches, surrounded by fields. Vines lace up the side of the old stone, and the gardens are immaculate. Based up in the cliffs, in the richer part of town, I have only ever heard about this place.
“Whoa,” I breathe out. “This is amazing.”
We’re standing at the entrance, a pair of glass double doors that lead straight onto the balcony of the ground floor. The balcony wraps round the exterior of the building, framed with a gold fence covered in vines. A sweeping staircase leads down to the dance floor and a fancy café with a bar, which is currently brimming with people. People begin cheering as they recognise Marie coming down the staircase.
“Can I accompany you down the stairs, princesa?” Alec holds out his arm, and I take it without hesitation. We make our way down the stairway as elegantly as possible, and I try my very hardest not to slip in my shoes on the polished marble.
“Princesa huh?” I tease Alec. “Look at you, Chico, speaking sexy.”
“Are you calling me sexy, Riley?” Alec’s lips twitch into a cocky grin.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I’m saying Spanish is a very sexy language.”
“Ah, but I am part Spanish. Therefore you are calling me sexy by default.”
“You’re about as sexy as a dog’s behind.”
We reach the bottom of the stairs, without me tripping (achievement unlocked!), and head straight over to the bar area. Millie is already over speaking to a couple of other kids her age, who I assume she knows. Jack is standing, looking about as awkward as I feel, right at Mom’s side as Marie introduces her to the guests. I know no one at this party, and it’s quite intimidating as I feel the weight of stares from strangers. The eyes on our linked arms.
“Alec, who’s this hottie you brought with you?”
Alec and I spin round to see a tall girl with short raven- black hair, curled around her face. Her features are delicate and feminine, and she’s freckled intensely in an adorable way.
“Hi,” she greets as she looks at me. “I’m Natasha.”
“My cousin,” Alec explains.
“Oh right!” I realise, smiling at her. She’s absolutely gorgeous – evidently it runs in Alec’s family. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Riley Greene, Alec’s friend.”
“He didn’t do you justice when he told me how pretty you are.” Natasha’s eyes glint deviously as she glances at Alec, and I’m suddenly hit by the resemblance of the two cousins. Alec grumbles something next to me, and she turns her attention back. “I know who you are anyway,” she continues. “You’re the one who drew on his face, am I right?”
Well that makes me seem like a right bitch.
I open my mouth to protest but she beats me to it, with a mischievous laugh. “No need to explain; I’ve heard all the details. You’re basically a legend.” She lifts her hand up for a high five, and I stare at it for half a second before slapping it enthusiastically, slightly dazed that I really do seem to like this girl as much as Alec said. Damn him, why does he have to be so right all the time? Alec’s hand tightens round mine, and Natasha doesn’t fail to notice. “So, Alec, how did you manage to grab yourself a girl like this?”
“I didn’t grab anything,” he mutters uncomfortably. “Shut up.”
“Well I can’t believe that he hasn’t introduced us until now.” Natasha smiles warmly, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Boys huh? Hey, you should come with Alec to my mom’s barbecue in a few weeks. I think a few of Alec’s friends are coming too, so you can help me increase the girl population in the house. I’m sure Alec wants you to come,” she says, elbowing him.
“I’d love to,” I say, glancing at Alec for his approval. He just shrugs, which I’m not sure whether to take as a subtle hint for a no.
“Anyway, I have to go and help my mom in the kitchen,” Natasha apologises. “I was on my way there when I saw you two, and I couldn’t resist coming over to say hi. She’s making the cake for the party, and I’m second in command. It was so nice meeting you, Riley. I hope I’ll see you again soon.” She offers me a somewhat dorky and endearing wave, before heading off in the opposite direction, her elegant silver dress flowing behind her. She looks like a model, yet she’s only our age.
Alec’s family has a pretty damn amazing gene pool.
“So.” Alec’s voice snaps me out of my reverie, and he sounds sheepish. “Do you want to dance? That’s what everyone else is doing. Might as well do it now, before Fiona arrives and the food is served . . .”
I spin round to look and sure enough, the adults are pairing up and making their way to the dance floor together. I don’t recognise the song playing, but I nod to Alec anyway, a small smile making its way onto my lips. Now don’t go thinking this will be all romantic, because it probably won’t. I bet he’ll step on your feet or something.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts, letting Alec lead me to the dance floor. “Can you dance?” he whispers to me as we stop, and he puts a hand on my waist. The skin under my dress tingles like it’s alive with electricity at his mere touch. He stares down at me, and I’m struggling to breathe.
“Not a clue,” I whisper back, breathing in his musky vanilla scent. “You?”
“Not really.”
“Remind me why we’re dancing then?”
Alec doesn’t reply, but I can tell he’s amused. Slowly he begins to bring us into a basic box waltz, about the limit for me in the dancing area. I raise my eyebrows at him in question as we bob from side to side, before he raises my arm above my head, pushing me lightly into a spin under his bicep.
“I can dance a little bit,” he admits with a grin.
“That dance move is old, Wilde. I did that with boys at elementary.”
“But it wins you over anyway, doesn’t it?”
Crunch.
Pain swells in my foot and I wince, breathing in sharply. “Well standing on my foot certainly doesn’t win me over.”
“Er – well, yeah.” Alec glances away gracelessly, as I try to suppress the pain. Still it’s not all bad. Mr Smooth just stood on my toe.
“Oh my goodness.” I laugh.
Alec opens his mouth to protest but is swiftly interrupted by a woman beside us.
“What a cute couple you two are.” She smiles, held in the arms of a slightly older bearded man.
I have no idea who they are, but I think Alec might judging by his gracious thanks. I stand there and blush as they walk away, and Alec laughs at my bashfulness.
“I knew I had an effect on you, Greene.” I can hear his smug happiness in that fact.
“Oh shut up. I blush easily.” I flick my hair over my shoulder. The pace of our dancing changes to meet the ever so slightly faster music which has just come on. He spins me again, but only halfway this time, wrapping his arms round my waist so that my back is to his chest and his head rests on my shoulder intimately, as we bob awkwardly to the music.
“What are you doing, Alec?” I ask him suspiciously, and he blows lightly in my ear in reply.
Being annoyingly ticklish, I let out a small squeak and squirm away from him, spinning the rest of the way so that I face him and his self-satisfied little face again.
What a douche he is.
“I need to go to the restroom.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t miss me too much.”
After asking for directions twice, I finally make it to the restrooms and in here it is just as gorgeous. There’s a large window to the side showing a view onto the activity fields, and the sky is dark now. The whole counter for the sinks is made of polished marble, and instead of having faucets like a normal bathroom, they have mini waterfall things that look really cool. Maybe I should ask Mom if we can have those at home. I stare at my flushed face in the mirror before fishing my phone from my pocket to call Violet for some much needed dancing advice.
She picks up after three rings.
“Nashville Sperm Bank. You squeeze it, we freeze it – how may I assist you?” I can’t help but chuckle at Violet’s pickup. Our traditions are so cool.
“Hi, Violet,” I say. “Great line.”
“I’m pretty proud of that one if I do say so myself,” she replies cockily. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you calling for? Aren’t you supposed to be at the party?”
“Yeah. I’m in the restroom at the moment.”
“So why are you not flirting your ass off with that lovely slice of man cake?”
“Man cake?”
“Alec Wilde of course. You need him to make a move.”
“I just wanted some advice . . . how do you dance? And make it, y’know, look good?” I frown at myself in the mirror. “Alec and I are having some trouble, you see.” I know Violet will have at least one tip on how we can dance effectively – she was forced to go to ballroom dancing classes for six years with her mother. Okay, she was only thirteen when she stopped, but she’s got to remember something, right?
“Dancing is simple. Stick to a box waltz, and then every now and then, you step to the left, and he steps to the right, so your arms are stretched against each other’s body, okay?” she clarifies. “That move looks good, but it’s easy too. You can add in a spin every now and then, and maybe even a dip? All Alec has to do for that is support the back of your waist whilst you lean backwards. You don’t need to do anything too difficult for it to look decent. Try that sort of stuff.”
“Okay, that sounds manageable I guess . . .”
“Yup, now get back on that date sharpish.”
“I will, thank you. I’ll call you later – bye!” I shove my phone back into my clutch and head back out of the restroom, now eager to get back out there to Alec and show him some moves. I’m surprised to find, however, when I step back out on the dance floor, Alec is standing with someone else.
An older woman, flirting with him.
He looks more than a little uncomfortable, leaning awkwardly away and scratching the back of his neck. Alec just can’t go anywhere without being hit on, can he? Suffice to say, that dress does her no favours.
“Hi honey,” I say, coming to step by his side.
I’m going to pull an “Alec”: pretend that we’re a couple.
He obviously catches my drift, because his arm wraps tentatively round my waist.
“And who is this?” I turn to the woman with an elasticated smile, which she begrudgingly returns. I think even Alec would draw the line with cougars, thank goodness. I can’t help but feel a little bemused by this situation. The woman looks about thirty, with dark hair and smoky eyeshadow.
“I’m Megan,” she says. “Excuse me, I’m going to go and grab a drink. Lovely to meet you.” And with that, she scurries off. I turn to Alec and wriggle my eyebrows suggestively at his antics.
“You like the older women then, Alec?”
“Shut up,” he grumbles. “She was terrifying. I’ll have nightmares.”
“C’mon.” I grab his arm and lead him back onto the dance floor. “Let’s go and dance. I called Violet and she’s given us some tips.”
Alec gives me a dubious look but takes my hand anyway as we return to the simple box step.
“Okay, you step to the right and I’ll step to the left,” I instruct. “One, two and three, go.”
I step to the left and Alec steps in the opposite direction, pulling my arm taut against his chest so that it’s uncomfortable, but not quite painful. He grins, and then pulls me into another one of his favourite spins, ending with a flourish.
“Well done,” I say breathlessly. “Now for the dip. Put your hand on the small of my back, and I’ll lean backwards, okay?” He does as I instruct, and I begin to dip. I’ve always had issues with trust, but call it a gut feeling, I just know that Alec isn’t going to drop me.
“Well done!” a voice calls nearby, applauding.
Thud.
“Ow, Alec, what was that for?” I groan, dusting off my dress as he apologetically offers me a hand up. My butt is aching from this stupid hardwood dance floor.
“Sorry. Fiona scared me.” His voice is sincere but with an underlying sense of amusement. He helps me back up and sure enough, as I glance over, a woman stands nearby watching. She mouths an “oops” at me and cautiously approaches, tugging Marie by the hand. Fiona is everything that I expected and more. She’s tall, taller than Marie, and she walks with an air of assertiveness that I think only years in the army must have provided her with. Her skin, dark as treacle, is flawless aside from the glint of a blue stud in her right eyebrow. Her smile is wide, and her bright eyes are smouldering with curiosity. She’s by far one of the most entrancing women I’ve ever seen.
“I think we should give the dancing a miss from now on.” Alec scratches the back of his neck, oblivious to my fascination. “We don’t seem to be doing very well.”
“I agree,” I murmur absent-mindedly, suddenly faced with the nerves of meeting this woman. What if she doesn’t like me? I know how highly Alec thinks of her.
“Alec,” Fiona says as she stops in front of us. For a second I think she’s upset with him, but suddenly her mouth breaks into a smile and she tugs him towards her in an understated and somewhat awkward hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Alec chuckles, pulling away.
“Good, because if you miss me, you haven’t forgotten me. And the chances are if you haven’t forgotten me, you shouldn’t have forgotten your manners.” Fiona raises a sassy eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Finally she looks at me with curiosity.
“Right.” Alec shakes his head. “Riley this is my soon-to-be stepmom Fiona. Fiona, this is my Rile – I mean, just Riley.”
“It’s nice to meet you at last,” I say. “This is such an amazing party.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Fiona replies charmingly. She gestures around with her hand. “Unfortunately, I can’t steal credit for the party. Marie is the party planner in this relationship; I just show up and eat the food.” Fiona glances back at her future spouse with a small smile, her eyes sparkling. Behind her, the extravagance and elegance of the party seems to pause for a second as people glance over. The happy couple are the nucleus of this social gathering; every movement they make is hard not to notice.
“Don’t forget drinking all the alcohol,” Marie scoffs.
“Of course, I do that too.” Fiona laughs sheepishly, swilling the drink she holds in her free hand. “Anyway, Riley, I hear you live next door? Are you in Alec’s year at school?”
“Yup, I’m in his Physics class.” I glance over at Alec, surprised to see that he’s already looking at me. “I think we classify as friends, don’t we?” I tease him.
“Easy there.” He grins. “We’re taking it slow, Greene. Acquaintances, I think.”
“Are you kidding?” Marie drawls, not comprehending our sarcasm. “These two have been inseparable since we moved.”
Awkward.
“Interesting.” Fiona’s eyes sparkle. “Well I’m rooting for it.”
“Thanks,” Alec grunts, scratching the back of his neck. I’m finding it hard to contain my laughter. “Say, haven’t you two got somewhere to be?”
“Sure, let’s leave them be and check on the drinks.” Marie tugs at a reluctant Fiona’s arm.
“But I want to make them even more uncomfortable!” Fiona whines playfully as Marie tugs her away. “It was so nice meeting you, Riley! Don’t hurt my boy!” They disappear into the crowd standing near the bar, leaving Alec and I in an uncomfortable and amusing silence.
“Well . . .” I begin, “she was not what I was expecting.”
“She surprised me too. Although she wasn’t as embarrassing as some of the relatives that came up to me while you were in the restroom.” Alec grimaces. “It was so bad, Greene. They were asking about our ‘relationship’.”
“Oh.”
“Yep,” he says. “And Riley?”
“What?”
“If my mom’s friends ever ask how we met . . . You snuck into my room one night and stole my boxers for a dare. Completely unprovoked.”
“What?”
“I’m joking, jeez!”
“Don’t joke about something like that!”
“I think it’s about time I stifle your fuse, Greene. I don’t think the world could handle the explosion of bitchiness. You might just be the end of us all.”
“Alec?” I say in the sweetest possible voice.
“Yes?”
I stamp down hard on his foot, making sure the heel digs in. “You’re a grasshole.”