“Me too.” Miranda’s cheeks are pink, mine probably are too. From the heat of the bodies around me, from the alcohol, from the dancing, from Will’s eyes on my body. Probably from all of the above.
Miranda glances down at the phone in her hand. “Actually, I’m sorry. I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” Miranda’s walking toward the exit before I fully comprehend what she just said. Okay, we’re definitely going to have a talk about this guy she’s seeing. She is being so weird.
Will intercepts me before I can sit down, knitting our fingers together and leading me back onto the dance floor, pushing through the wall of bodies until we’re surrounded.
In front of me, Will’s limping. His back looks stiff with tension like he’s trying to force himself not to flinch with every step. He stops moving; we’re deep into the dance floor now, fully encompassed by strangers, unable to see the booth or the bar. Almost like we’re alone. He turns, grabbing my hips and placing me in front of him. “Is this okay? Can I be behind you like this?” I nod my head yes, stomach in my throat. He pulls me flush against him, my back to his front and then leans down next to my ear. “Are you trying to make me hard right now?” A pulse of heat goes straight through me. I can feel his scruff against my ear, and his breath against my neck. I reach back, playing with the hair on the back of his neck while he pulls my hips harder against him, pushing his hard length into the small of my back. “Because you show up here, looking like the hottest girl I’ve ever seen, wearing that little skirt, and I can’t help but wonder if you’re teasing me on purpose.”
My head rests against his chest behind me, Will’s fingers lightly curled around my hipbones as we sway in place, barelymoving. “So tell me, baby, are you making me hard on purpose? Hmm?” My brain is short circuiting. “Trying to get me hard in front of all my friends? You want them all to know how obsessed with you I am?” My nipples are hard and aching underneath my shirt, my skin is tingling where his fingers press into me, and I can feel my heartbeat between my legs. This is the riskiest thing I’ve ever done. I can’t believe I’m dancing with him while Miranda and the entire hockey team are only a couple dozen feet away
Just as fast as it started, Will drops his hands from my hips and takes a step back, knocking into the guy behind him, shocking me with the sudden lack of his body heat against me. Miranda appears, pushing herself into the space next to me. “Sorry about that, babe.” She flashes me a smile before turning around against me so the two of us are back to back, offering no other explanation or details. “Kenny, you are so back!” She exclaims as we grind against each other to the song.
My chest tightens a little thinking about how I didn’t even know she was there until he backed away. She could have seen us, and I know we looked far from innocent. I was close to letting him stick his fingers under my skirt and finger me on the dance floor, I was that turned on. We need to be more careful. Better yet, we need to come clean. But that would require us to define whatever the hell we’re doing.
I continue dancing with her, ignoring the smallest of circles forming around us as we gyrate and move with the music. Men watch us with hungry eyes but I’m only looking at Will. There are a few people between us, but his eyes never leave my body. It's like I’m dancing just for him, putting on my own little private show.
“I’m getting hot,” I yell at Miranda, after another thirty minutes of dancing, “I’m ready for another break.” I am hot, but I also know Will was limping earlier, and I don’t care what hesays, I know his knee bothers him. I want him to sit down and give his knee a break.
Somehow Miranda hasn’t noticed Will at all until I place a hand on his back, pushing him in the direction of our table. “When did he get here?”
“I don’t know,” I lie.
Miranda and I link fingers so we don’t lose each other in the crowd, her behind me, Will in front of me. I hook my pointer finger through Will’s belt loop and he reaches behind his back, circling my wrist with his thumb and pointer finger.
I sit down at the table, but Miranda doesn’t. She stands at the edge with a look on her face, nervous, maybe? My stomach churns, what if she did see us after all.
“Okay so, be honest, because I know I’ve been the shittiest friend ever lately, and I love you so much, babe, but would you be mad if I dipped?”
Excitement bubbles up and I have to try hard to school my face, not letting her know how much I won’t be mad. “Golfer guy?”
She scrunches her nose and gives me a sheepish look. “Maybe.”
“Go. Have fun. I’ll ask Will–”
“Ask Will what?” His voice sounds out from behind me.
“Miranda has an early tee time tomorrow and won’t be able to take me home tonight.”
She gives my hand a little squeeze, thanking me for covering for her. He rolls his eyes and gives her an irritated look. “You always have an early tee time, Miranda. What if I had plans later tonight?”
“Don’t be a dick.” She folds her arms with a huff and then opens her phone, “I’m just going to cancel, I was feeling shitty about leaving you to begin with. I shouldn’t—”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I’ll ask Logan to take me home. I’m sure he won’t mind. Or I’ll order a car.”
For just the smallest second Will’s eyes narrow, nostrils flaring, “Fine. I’ll take her home, but you owe me. I’m not doing dishes after Thanksgiving.”
Miranda agrees instantly, hugging me goodbye and practically skipping out of the bar leaving me and Will together. My stomach clenches as I watch her leaving, knowing that while I’m not outright lying to her, I am lying by omission. And have been for a while. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up the secret hooking up we’re doing. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this type of thing.
Will stands at my back, fingertips just barely brushing against the sides of my hips, waiting until Miranda is fully out of sight before he twists me around, guiding both of my wrists to his shoulders, right here next to the table full of his teammates. “You caught me at just the right time, I was about to make an excuse to get you alone with me again.”
“What excuse could you possibly have to need me alone with you at the bar?”
“I’m not exactly sure, I was thinking of creating a fake astronomy emergency. Weekly quiz related matters.”
“Quiz related matters that needed to be settled right now at the bar?”
“Yes Kennedy, celestial bodies are extremely urgent matters.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” I deadpan.
