“Think the guys will mind moving the band there?”
“Nah. They won’t mind at all.” He ducks his head so we’re face to face. So there’s no mistaking what we’re saying to each other. We’re promising each other a future.
“Am I moving too fast for you?” I ask, remembering how I said I wanted to take it slow two months ago.
He laughs. “No, you’re going at a good speed now. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up to me.” He holds out his hand for me to take. “Let’s go win this thing,” he says.
We follow the other dancers upstairs to the on-deck area. We can’t stop smiling at each other. His smile makes me smile makes him smile makes me smile some more. A smile cascade. Smiles like falling dominoes.
The ballroom looks the same as yesterday, except our cheering section has gotten bigger. I see Mom and Martin and Sophieand Cassidy. And Dad—in my excitement yesterday, I invited him to come. They scream like banshees when they seeus.
The lead judge begins her welcome announcement, but to be honest, I don’t really hear what she’s saying. X’s eyes roam over my forehead and across my cheeks, settle on my lips and repeat the circuit. Forehead, cheeks, lips. He lingers on the lips. I can’t help but lick them. He makes a sound I want to hear him make again.
The judge finishes her announcement.
The lights dim.
And finally, it’s time.
We’re just as good as we were yesterday. Maybe even a little better, now that we have more room on the floor to dance, and two other dances under our belts. We’re breathing hard by the time we finish the Hustle. I know what’s next, but fortunately there’s not enough time for panic.
The judge makes the announcement. “And now, couples, for your final dance, Argentine tango.”
Fifi says Argentine tango is a dance of passion and release. I know exactly what she means.
The music begins.
We start to dance. Except it doesn’t feel like we’re dancing. It feels like we’re flying across the floor.
We do ochos and reverse ochos. Barrida. Media luna.
His fingers spread across my back between my shoulder blades. I dip down, then arch back up into him. I don’t have to think about what steps come next.
We’ve been dancing this dance for a while now.
We’re moving fast, and all I can think isdon’t let me go, don’t let me go, don’t let me go.
Finally, the song winds down. We stay with it, giving ourselves to each other, until the music ends.
For a second, there’s no sound. Our eyes meet and a kind of certainty settles inside me. This thing between us couldlast.The way I feel about him—the way I think he feels about me—has only gotten bigger and wider and deeper every day, the way a stream becomes a river becomes a sea.
“I love you,” I say.
He smiles, and I’ve never seen a smile this enormous on anyone for any reason.
“I love you too,” he says.
We lean into each other and kiss. I don’t hold anything back.
And I see.
CHAPTER 48
X and Me
OVERHEAD LIGHTS FLICKERon, lighting up a mirrored room. In the room’s center, there’s a boy. He’s frowning and riding slow circles on a bike much too small for him. His frown vanishes when he notices the girl in the doorway staring at him.
The girl at the doorway has a wide-open face she often wishes weren’t quite so wide-open. It never hides much of what she’s feeling: confusion, then curiosity, then interest, then an attempt to hide her interest.
