“What?”
“You can’t listen to this song without dancing,” Mars said. “It’s disrespectful.”
“Especially not the first time,” Rip added.
I felt a blush warming my cheeks, but Mars kept staring at me, like there was no other answer but to say yes. As I rose to my feet, the singer started flying through lyrics so fast, I couldn’t even tell what he was saying.
Mars threw his hands in the air and jutted his hip to the side. “I said I must be fine, ‘cause my heart’s still beating,” he called out, off-key but enthusiastic.
I laughed and awkwardly tried to shake my hips, but I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm. It was like Mars didn’t have a care in the world, and he seemed as comfortable and happy bouncing around in front of Rip and me as I had ever seen him.
“What about you?” I asked Rip. “How come you’re off the hook?”
Rip raised an eyebrow my way, and for a second, I thought I saw that old version of him again, glaring at me like his eyes were a threat. Then a smile cocked up the corner of his mouth, and he jumped to his feet.
Rip bounced his head, thrashing it to the rhythm of the music while he swayed from side to side. I broke out laughing when I saw him and Mars together, with Mars flailing as he jumped around Rip and Rip keeping a steady rhythm in the middle of the kitchen.
The song dropped into a quiet moment, and they both stood still. Then the raucous guitar picked back up with the drums, and suddenly, I was into the song. It didn’t matter that I had never heard it before and that I couldn’t even tell what they were singing about. I just started to throw my arms around wildly, leaping and pumping my fist as Mars sang along. I jumped around Rip, and I jumped around Mars, and our energy heated the place up just as hot as the oven had earlier.
And then, with a last couple drumbeats, the song ended. Everyone froze in place, and when I looked up to the guys, we broke into laughter.
“That’s the White Stripes,” Mars said, winking at me. “Now you know.”
I pushed my hair out of my face, grinning. “Now I know,” I agreed.
Mars took a step closer to me and did that thing where he bumped his hip against me. I suppressed a giggle as he stayed close, with the heat of our bodies radiating. “I knew you’d be a good dancer,” he said. “You’ve got too much music in your body to keep it hidden all the time.”
I grabbed my beer from the table and took a drink. My cheeks were flaming red, but still, with Rip standing right there, I couldn’t build up the confidence to flirt back.
“Maybe I should get going,” I said quickly. “I know you all must have busy days tomorrow.”
Mars and I both turned to look at Rip at the same time. He was leaning against the doorway, but he wasn’t looking at us. He was just staring out the kitchen window with that blank look back on his face.
He turned to us, and his eyes flashed. “Sorry,” he said. “Just catching my breath after that dance.” He shook his head, then picked up his beer. “I should hit the hay soon, but you two keep hanging out. Don’t let me be any bother.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but quickly, Rip turned and walked out of the kitchen. Mars scrunched up his face, peering after his friend, then shrugged.
Rip might have changed a lot over the years, I realized, but he apparently still had his moods.
“You want to chill a while?” Mars asked. “Up for a little more music education?”
I shook my head, still thinking about Rip. “No, I should get going. This was fun, though. And tell Rip I said thanks for the pizza.”
“Sure,” Mars answered. “No problem.”
I offered to do the dishes, which Mars declined, and then we said our goodbyes. My leg muscles still felt achy and warm from jumping around to the song, and my belly was full with the pizza. I felt so good, in fact, I almost wanted to collapse on the couch I could see in the other room and fall asleep right there. But instead I just gave Mars a hug, lingering long enough to hope he might kiss me but pulling away before he actually did, well aware Rip was in the other room the whole time.
Plodding down the stairs, I hit the button to unlock my car. The moon was out, and I noticed that it was almost full above the tall trees.
Then I heard the bang of a door. I turned at my car and saw Mars coming outside. He jumped down the stairs, two at a time, then sprinted across the yard.
“Mars,” I started to say, convinced I had forgotten my wallet or something. But when he reached me, he didn’t say a word. He just threw his body up against mine, one hand tangled in my hair and the other gripping my hip, and pressed me against the car with a kiss.
My lips parted, and I took his tongue into my mouth. He bit down on my bottom lip, and when I swirled my tongue, he gyrated his hips into me. We kept kissing and groping each other as the moon lit the sky, and when he finally pulled his lips away, I let out a long, deep moan.
“Drive safe,” he said with a wink and jogged back inside.
