“You owe me.”
“Hey, no one forced you to replace Ellie asthis.” I laugh, gesturing to his getup.
“Whatever. Just trying to be a team player.” He rolls his eyes as he fills his glass with more scotch. Or bourbon? All the same to me.
“And your efforts are appreciated,” I say, clinking my water bottle to his glass in his honor.
Malcolm and I wander into the living room, greeted with numerous, “hello’s,” “woah’s,” and “nice costume” chit-chat as we make our way to a table filled with other faculty gathered around it. I remind myself that these people are my friends whom I love dearly before losing myself in a fit of giggles. Bill is dressed as a giant fluffy bunny, Margaret the librarian is a poorly designed Norwal, and Ross from night school is a poor representation of Tom Cruise from Top Gun—a plethora of embarrassing, yet well intended attempts at costumes. All to appease Emma. Such troopers.
“And what are you supposed to be?” Bill asks me as he adjusts his bunny ears.
“A ninja?”
“A pirate?”
They all start spouting off answers as Ellie wraps her arms around my waist and says, “He’s my Westley!”
I look down at her—long flowy red dress, hair long and wavy, with small flowers pinning pieces back. “And you’re my Buttercup,” I say, kissing her on the cheek.
“FINALLY!” Bill the bunny yells.
“I told you!” Ross points at Margaret.
High fives, murmurs, and the passing of dollar bills happen around the table as I stare at Ellie, smiles stretching across our faces. Instant relief pours out of me as the group hugs and congratulates us, openly supporting our relationship.
“You look beautiful,” I whisper to Ellie amidst the group chatter.
Cheesing so hard she reaches up, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulls me into a kiss. Kissing her back, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her tight against me. I kiss her lips, her cheek, jaw, forehead, anything I can without going too far, and she lets me. I’m fully aware of everyone watching us and could care less that I’ll see them Monday morning.
I can’t help myself.
“DJ, turn the music up!” someone yells from across the room.
Time Warp starts to play and the crowd rushes to the middle of the dance floor where the couches used to be. Ellie and I stay wrapped up in each other, laughing our heads off at everyone’s hilarious attempts at dancing in step. As the music continues through a superb playlist, we watch as witches, farm animals, healthcare workers, and everything in between is jostling and gyrating like no one is watching.
Emma and Steven join, doing the sprinkler.
Kate drags Malcolm to the center, linking hands and forcing him to do the wave.
Bill does some move that is probably from his generation and Margaret follows suit.
One ghost does a slick step slide move.
Another hypes him up.
A male witch moonwalks across the floor.
Ellie watches in amazement, laughing and whooping at everyone’s dance moves, bouncing along to the beat. “Can’t you dance?” she yells in my ear over the music.
“Maybe a little,” I yell in her ear. “Don’t tell anyone!”
She lets out a full body laugh and I hear it louder in my head than the music that surrounds us, a sound I want to hear on repeat.
“Hey . . .” I tug at her arm, I can’t keep my thoughts to myself anymore. She stops dancing to face me, I push back some pieces of hair that are stuck to her glistening face.It’s a thousand degrees in here.
I cup her face, and she looks at me, mouthing, “What’s wrong?”
Not letting go of her face, I say, “I have to say this before I lose my nerve . . .” She grabs me by the hips, watching my face, her green eyes reflecting the lights swirling around us. The embarrassment consumes me at how smitten I’m feeling. I let go of her face and look down at my pathetic black pirate boots. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”
