“Yeah, it was a really good movie. I was surprised too, but I’d watch it again.”
Mostly because I was completely distracted by her, and don’t remember most of it.
She giggles. “You know there’s a sequel?”
“A sequel,” I gasp. “Well, I know what we’re doing the rest of the night.”
She shakes her head and takes another bite of soup. “This is delicious,” she says. “Thank you. Soup is just what I needed.”
“It’s not bad, is it? I was a little nervous about the carrots, but it turned out pretty good.”
“It turned out very good.”
We both take a couple more bites of food, and my eyes find hers. She’s breathtakingly beautiful, and after themassage and that hug, I just want to hold her again, even if it’s a bad idea.
“Will you dance with me?” I ask.
“What?” She giggles. “Right now?”
Grabbing my phone, I search for the song I want and tap play. “Miracles Happen” by Myra begins to play over the speaker in the kitchen. “Come on, dance with me? I think I read that exercise was good for cramps, so dancing should help.”
I stand and walk towards her. Taking both her hands in mine, I pull her into the standing position.
“Tanner!” She giggles as I start swaying her from side to side with me.
“Please,” I beg, giving her big puppy dog eyes. “I danced with you in the Waffle House. The least you can do is dance with me in the privacy of our apartment.”
She exhales and starts to dance along to the music. The beat picks up, and I pull her away from the table and twirl her, causing her to squeal. For the next few minutes, we dance. Happiness radiates from her, and everytime she laughs, I do the same.
As the song starts to fade, I twirl her once more and then dip her. Our faces are a hair’s breadth apart, and we both hesitate for a split second. The air crackles between us, and then she stands abruptly and steps away from me. Her chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, and I wonder if there is a chance she felt what I did.
I clear my throat. “We should probably finish eating before it gets cold.”
“Yeah,” she says, nodding. “Right, before it gets cold.” We both sit down at the table.
We finish eating and work together cleaning the kitchen mostly in silence, and I wonder what’s going through her head. Once we're done, she runs to the bathroom, and I get the movie set up.
“You’re gonna love this one,” she says, walking back into the living room.
“More than the first one?” I question.
“I think it’s really good.” She sits on the other side of the couch, and I hit play. She immediately begins to fidget, and I can tell she isn’t comfortable again.
“You hurting?” I ask about a quarter way through the movie.
“Oh, um, yeah. More cramps, but it’s fine. I think I’ve just been in the same place for too long.”
I grab a throw pillow and set it next to me.
“You want to try turning around, maybe laying this way?”
“Would you mind?”
“No,” I say, fluffing the pillow. She turns, removes the clip from her hair, and lays down, the top of her head barely touching the outside of my thigh. Within minutes, she sits up.
“Is it not comfortable?”
“Would it be weird if I put the pillow in your lap, so I could stretch out a little bit more?”
