“I was thinking that maybe we just duck out early,” he says as I hand him his beer.
“No, I’m not going to let these dicks make you feel unwelcome,” I breathe out.
“You good?
“Oh, yeah,” I say, trying to reign myself in.
“You sure you seem a little flustered.”
“No, I’m good. Actually, you want to go dance?”
“There’s no one dancing,” he laughs. “I think the dance floor is more for show at these types of things.”
“That’s never stopped us before.” I grab his beer and set both of our drinks on a nearby table.
We walk toward the dance floor, and the upbeat song shifts to “It Had To Be You” by Frank Sinatra. Tanner takes my hand, pulling me into him. His hands find my lower back, and mine wrap around his neck. He holds me close. As the lyrics continue singing about love, the entire room melts away.
“I’m so proud of you,” I tell him.
“What made you tell me that?”
“I just know how hard this is for you.” He pulls me in and kisses me on the forehead. We continue to sway in each other’s arms, and when I look around the room, I spot the two assholes from the bar watching us with unamused looks on their faces.
The music fades, and “Shut up and Dance,” by Walk the Moon begins to play. Tanner spins me out and then immediately back into him. We’re still the only people on the dance floor, and I’m sure everyone in this stuffy room thinks we’re nuts, but I don’t care. All I care about is that when Tanner looks back on tonight it’s a good memory, not a bad one.
The music continues to play, and song after song he twirls me, and we dance like no one is watching and we’re the only two goofballs in the entire world.
“I need to run to the bathroom,” I giggle, as he twirls me into him. “Can we pause the dancing for a minute?”
“That’s fine. I’m thirsty anyway. I’ll go grab us something, and then we probably do need to find my parents. I’m sure they’ve seen us by now.”
He kisses the top of my head, and I head one way while he heads in the other direction. I quickly use the restroom and wash my hands. I’m fixing my hair, when I hear my phoneping. Pulling it out, I’m met with a flurry of missed phone calls and text messages all from my mom and dad.
My heart sinks, and my mind begins to race as I click on the text messages.
Mom:
Hey, sweetheart. Please call us when you see this.
Dad:
Wren, it’s Cody. He had a grand mal seizure, and we’re at the hospital. He’s doing okay, but please call as soon as you can.
Dad:
They have us in room 4567.
I’m so sorry. I’m on my way.
Panic over takes me, and I need to get out of here—quickly. I need to get to my family. Cody needs me.Fuck.Without hesitating, I take off running to the front of the hotel, calling for an Uber as I move.
Three minutes away.
Through tears, I swipe up and click on Tanner’s name. I stare at the blank text box for a minute, not entirely sure what to say.
I’m sorry to do this, but Cody had a seizure. I’m on my way to the hospital, and I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be back to the apartment. I’ll text you when I know more.
My Uber arrives, and I slide in the back seat. “If you could hurry—it’s my little brother,” I say, choking back tears and putting my phone back in my purse.
