I slide back into the booth, and his arm comes around my shoulders.
“Smiley was telling me about the time Patterson fought a mascot,” he says.
“Please.” Patterson groans. “That wasonetime.”
“It was a giant bird,” Smiley adds. “And you lost.”
“I didn’t lose. It was a draw.”
“You got ejected,” Callan says. “That’s losing.”
Patterson flips him off, but he’s grinning. It makes me relax.
The night continues with easy conversation. It’s full of laughter and shit-talking, and Louis never stops touching me. His arm is either around my shoulders, his fingers are on my thigh, or his lips brush my ear.
Kendall eventually drags me to the dance floor, and we lose ourselves in the music. When I glance back at the booth, Louis is watching me move.
I hook my finger at him, and he’s out of the booth before I canblink. Patterson says something as he passes that makes Callan laugh, but Louis ignores him and crosses the dance floor until he’s standing in front of me.
“I missed you,” I say.
“Fuck, me too.” He takes my hand and pulls me close.
He’s trained in ballroom dancing, and he’s attended more state dinners and galas than I could probably count.
The song shifts to something slower, and his hand settles on my lower back while the other holds mine in proper form. We move together, and he leads with confidence.
“You’re good at this,” I say.
“Lots of practice.” His lips brush my ear. “You smell so good.”
He pulls me closer so that our bodies press together. I turn in his arms and wrap my hands around his neck while everything else fades away to nothing.
“Thank you for tonight,” I say.
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I know. But I want to.” My fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I’ve had fun. Laughed a lot. You fit so easily into my world. I want to fit in yours.”
“You do.” His hands tighten on my hips.
I kiss him right there on the dance floor with my brother watching from twenty feet away because I’m done hiding and done pretending this isn’t exactly what it is. Louis kisses me back with one hand traveling up my spine to cradle the back of my head.
When we break apart, our breathing is uneven.
“Take me home,” I say.
“Home.I like the sound of that.”
The song ends, and we move back to the group.
“I think we’re going to head out,” I tell everyone. “Thanks so much for the invite.”
Kendall stands and wraps me in a tight hug. “Thank you for joining us.”
We say our goodbyes quickly. Patterson hugs me hard and gives Louis a firm handshake. My brother suggests we have dinner, and the two of us agree. Smiley slaps Louis on the back and tells him he’d better show up to a game soon.
Then we slip out the front, where Nolan is waiting. Handfuls ofpaparazzi catch us as we leave with flashes popping and questions flying, but we wave and keep moving. Nolan opens the door, and I slide in with Louis right behind me before the door shuts and seals us in silence.
