Nodding, I assure her that I’ll keep my mouth shut. Em leans over her shoulder, but Kami hesitates and looks at me.
“Do you have any requests?” She smiles. “It can be anything, but no EDM, techno of any kind, and it needs to be something we can dance to.”
She lists her demands, and I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.
Like fuckingBambi, I turn my head to Levi one more time, and our eyes meet. He gives me a confused look at my eye roll.
Getting back to the task at hand, I run through all the playlists I have memorized and think of the one from high school. One of the few that encompasses a wide range of pop genres.
After racking my brain for a minute, I finally come up with one of Jenny’s old favorites.
“What about ‘Whine Up’ by Kat DeLuna?” My answer comes out as more of a question than a request.
Kami looks at me, surprised, and gives me an approving nod.
“Hey, Luna!” she yells over the music. Luna’s wearing a pout, seemingly annoyed by the music as well, before veering her gaze toward her friend. “Mira la canción que escogióStevie.”Look at what Stevie chose.
Her lips curve upward. “Hace mucho no la escucho. Aprovado!”
Kami finishes sending the text, and she and Luna turn their attention back on me.
“Luna says?—”
“She approves, I heard.” I laugh at their surprised expressions. “My dad’s from Spain. Well, he’s half Spanish, or maybe a quarter. It isn’t very clear. His dad was half Filipino, but he grew up in Spain…and I’m sorry, I’m babbling.” Clearing my voice, I get to the point. “I’m not fluent, but I understood most of what you guys said.”
All three girls are looking at me with what seems to be amusement. My palms turn sweaty at their silence before they laugh, and Kami speaks. Jeez, I need to chill.
“Don’t be embarrassed. Em blabs more than you do.”
“It’s true.” Em shrugs.
Kami rolls her eyes and grabs my hand, pulling me toward her.
“Let Luna and me teach you how to dance for a bit, if you’re okay with that.”
I hesitate, and then the song I requested starts playing. I feel as though I have no choice but to agree. As soon as Kami grabs my hips and attempts to sway them slowly, my eyes meet Levi’s over her shoulder. He’s still standing next to Cam, both watchingus while talking. Cameron seems to be very interested in Kami’s behind; Levi, on the other hand, keeps his eyes on my face as he winks while raising his beer.
My gaze narrows at the playfulness in his eyes. My new friend isn’t flirting—far from it—he’s amused by this whole situation that he had warned me about. At that thought, I decide to be a little bolder. Kami keeps trying to teach me to loosen up. At one point, my hip dips slightly, and she smiles.
“Good! That’s good. Try doing it on the other side, and those are the basics you can start with.”
I try to mimic the movement, and Luna taps my shoulder, congratulating me. My cheeks heat at the unnecessary attention, but I am thankful that two kind women are teaching me something I wish I had learned long ago. After another song passes of us swaying and twirling, Kami ends up in Cam’s arms when a bachata song hits, Luna forces Em to dance with her. Will and Zoey, who are friends of Cameron, disappear, and Jake is now making out with the girl he was dancing with before. That leaves Levi and me in the awkward position of deciding whether to dance together or not. He motions from me to the empty spot next to him.
When I reach him and lean up against the wall, he speaks up. “I’m not going to force you to dance.”
My shoulders relax, and my anxiety dissipates at his words, but my curiosity gets the best of me. “Do you know how to dance bachata?”
He raises a brow and smirks. “The only way to find out is to drag me onto that dance floor, Bambi.”
It’s my turn to raise a brow. Shrugging my shoulders, I answer, “I’ll pass…for now.”
He chuckles. “Fair enough.”
We stand in silence, but just like in the apartment, there’s nothing awkward about it. Well, other than the fact that all ofhis friends, other than Luna and Em, are making out like they’re about to have sex in the middle of the dance floor.
I was never a huge drinker, but whenever I did have a couple of drinks, I remember wanting to mount Andrew, no matter who we were with. It was liquid courage for me when it came to our bedroom life, but he hated it when I drank. He used to drink too, so I never understood the issue. It also wasn’t like I used to get blackout drunk; it was always the feeling of being tipsy that brought out the hidden freaky part in me that I’ve suppressed for years. Once I stopped drinking completely last spring, that side of me ceased to come out altogether, and I honestly miss it sometimes. Social gatherings such as these are the ones where those couple of shots could come in handy.
“So, are you having fun?” Levi asks.
