The moment it falls, and I move my face upward, Ace’s eyes widen, and I see his Adam’s apple bob.
Feeling slightly cocky myself, I hit him back with his own words. “Like what you see?”
He simply nods and lets out a slight cough. “Um, yeah.”
My grin grows.
Okay, this man doesn’t understand that my biggest flaw is nosiness, and I’m desperate to see what he looks like without the large mask. I slowly lean over until my arms reach around hishead, and I lift the elastic band of his mask until I’m able to grab it and put it on the bar next to mine.
Ace’s head straightens slowly as I remain in the same position. My torso is slightly squished by the edge of the bar, making my boobs look bigger than they are because of the way I’m standing, and our faces are only inches apart, but I don’t move.
I knew the man was attractive, but wow, the eyebrows and full face make the biggest difference. He’s incredibly beautiful.
My breathing picks up, and so does his—eyes to lips and lips to eyes.
No, I can’t.
“What kind of music do you like?” Looking behind him, I spot the old handheld wireless radio near the bottles of alcohol. Standing, I make my way around the bar, slowly passing Ace. “I’m assuming this works?”
“Yes.” His voice sounds strained, and I can only imagine how crazy he must think I am.
Turning the radio on, I flip through a few stations until I land on one that’s playing “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” by ABBA. “Oh, fuck yes!”
I turn to Ace and find him covering his mouth with a hand, nothing but humor lining his features. Reaching behind him, I down my vodka soda and bob my head to the song, still not wanting this night to end. If we only have one night, we’re going all out. Grabbing Ace’s free hand, I force him to spin me as the chorus hits. He starts to shake his head before I ask what he knows is coming. “Dance with me?”
Biting his lip, he says, “I don’t dance.”
Scoffing, I take off my shoes. “Everyone dances, even if it’s only in their apartment alone. Come on.” I stick out my bottom lip. “Please?”
He looks at me and then away, then back again. “Fuck it.”
“Yes! That’s what I’m talking about. And just to let you know, I’m a complete klutz.”
Ace snickers as I grab the small radio and drag him frombehind the bar to the spacious room. Jumping and swiveling my head, I give him an encouraging smile, and he follows me.
He loosens up and mimics my movements. When the second chorus hits, he twirls me, and then I attempt to twirl him the same way. His knees bend a hell of a lot before he can complete the spin, and we both shake our heads, agreeing that that’s something we don’t need to try again. We move around the room, holding hands, doing silly poses, and bobbing our heads to the point where I’m extremely dizzy.
The song ends, and we’re smiling like breathless idiots. I haven’t felt this free in so long, and I don’t want this to end.
The radio host shares an odd fact about ABBA, but I ignore it as soon as Ace’s eyes, unique and warm, meet mine and soften. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done something like that. Too long.”
My chest squeezes. “Same.”
The radio host announces the next song, and “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane plays. Smiling, I tell him, “I love this song.”
Ace hesitates, doubt flickering in his eyes, but he makes a choice and sticks out a hand. “May I have one last dance?”
Swallowing harshly, I place my palm in his. I squeal as Ace pulls me closer until his hand touches my hip, and our chests are barely an inch apart. Keeping my eyes down, we dance slowly to the bittersweet song that somehow captures this moment perfectly. I’m still not ready for the night to end, but we both know it’s coming to a close. A wave of emotions washes over me, knowing I’ll never see this man again.
Why now? Why him? Why am I meeting him when we’re headed in completely different directions?
But everything happens for a reason, and for some reason, we were meant to have one night and one night only. It’ll be something we both have to live with. Maybe we’ll regret it later, but I have to live in the now.
His fingers tip my head until I’m forced to meet his gaze. Hiseyes reflect the same bittersweet feeling the song’s lyrics express, and I know that we’re both thinking how timing can be one of the cruelest and most amazing things in the world.
“Kiss me,” I demand softly.
Ace’s gaze heats, and a second later, he crushes his lips to mine. We sigh at the feeling, and a moment later, I know that this was the worst and best thing I could’ve decided on tonight, because this kiss, this feeling, isn’t something I’ve ever experienced. Fireworks explode, and my stomach dips as something stronger than butterflies gathers in it. My core clenches at the same time that my heart skips a beat.
