I don’t know why you wrote a note that first day or why I wrote you back, for that matter, but I do believe in God’s providence. That He knew exactly where you and I would be in our lives and in this record store… needing someone.
And I did need someone, Mood Music. Needed a friend to pray for me, without knowing exactly what I was going through and to point me to Christ. To encourage me, as you have, to seek out His will and desires when I couldn’t trust my own.
Your letters were a gift I couldn’t wait to unwrap every day. Your words, Ginny, are my favorite song. But it's your friendship that is the only tune I hear on repeat in my head all day long.
So here’s my secret: I want that dance. I want them all… with you.
Yours,
Forever and Ever, Amen
Melody Man
When Ginny looked up from the note, Ryan took her hand without preamble, leading her back to the dance floor, roping her arms around his neck again, and moving them to the music as if they’d never left.
“Yes,” Ryan whispered against her ear and used his hands to gently coax Ginny’s face up to reach his gaze.
“Yes?” she whispered back, breathy but filled with hope.
“Yes,” he said, bringing his face closer to hers. “Yes, I love you. Yes, I want to be your friend.”
She felt his words bathe her in warmth. He loved her.
She carefully folded the note up and put it in her dress pocket—because it had pockets!—and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close, resting her cheek on his chest and feeling nothing but relief and gratitude as he wrapped his arms around her.
“I can’t believe…” she said, looking up from where her head rested below his chin. Her hands drifted under his suit coat, clenching his crisp shirt in her hands. “I’ve waited for so long, and I know there’s so much to say and to talk about, but I can’t believe I finally get to tell you how much I love y—”
Ryan crashed his mouth into hers. A frantic claiming of her lips and her heart in front of their entire town. The Homecoming crowd cheered, but Ryan didn’t let up. He only slowed them down, swaying Ginny to the music and gently coaxing her lips open, kissing her with an unhurried, reverent tenderness. His hands traced the shape of her hips and lower back as his lips memorized hers.
When he released her, it was only so that he might leave a trail of light kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then finally, against her lips again.
“That was…” Ginny uttered, out of breath.
“A really good first dance.” Ryan let his nose graze against hers. “Think it was enough?”
“Enough?” she asked, wrapping her hands around his shoulders and swaying with him to the music—a slow cover ofShut Up and Dance.
“Enough peacocking? I can strut and grumble some more if you think it’d keep Captain America on his side of the room.” His smile turned into full-blown mischief.
“Depends. What kind of socks are you wearin’?”
“Peacocks,” he whispered, in a tantalizing breath against her ear.
“You are not.”
Ryan paused them, pulling up the leg of his dress pants, just barely, to reveal dark brown dress socks with peacock feathers printed on them. “I’ve got a pair for you, too. They're in the car.”
Ginny tilted her head back, laughing with Ryan who gave her waist a squeeze and pulled her closer.
“I dunno, Coach. I think you may need to lose the shirt and socks for the crowd… ya know… just to be sure he gets the message.” She gazed at him, giving him her biggest, softest puppy-dog eyes.
“Noted, Virginia.” He grinned. “But I've got some other ideas on how to keep the competition at bay.”
Ryan kissed her soundly, again, singing the lyrics to the song against her lips, “This woman is my destiny…”
To which she responded, “Shut up and dance with me,”leaving no question as to who she’d be dancing with for the rest of forever, if she got her way.
YOUR LOVE IS A SONG
