Chapter 14 #2
“COME ON, GIVE US SOMETHIN’ to look forward to,” Zeke says, leaning back against the log, arms crossed, rum in hand. “All this time, and we have never seen you ladies dance.”
I’m sitting by Tatiana on a log, well on my way to being buzzed.
Zeke has decided he wants us to put on a show for them, a performance of sorts.
They say it isn’t fair we have seen them fight, but they haven’t seen us dance.
Gosh, in the last few weeks, I haven’t even thought of dancing, which is odd considering it was my entire life.
“You want to see us dance? Fine. But you guys have to sing, because we can’t dance to nothing,” Aggie grins.
“No fuckin’ problem,” Kellen winks. “I’ll do the beats.”
“I know a fantastic ballet melody,” Adrian tells Kellen. “I will do the humming.”
Kellen chuckles. “Alright, buddy. I have no doubt you’ll nail it.”
Adrian isn’t listening, because he is already tipping his head back and humming as his fingers wave merrily through the air.
Well, at least we will have a good beat.
“Let’s do Swan Lake,” Aggie cries, clapping her hands and I cackle so loud I nearly fall off my log.
“Swan Lake?” Zeke scoffs, but his voice is warm. “You’re telling me you girls are that good?”
“Oh, we’re that good,” I say, feeling suddenly giddy, and also faintly exposed.
So much of who I was before this place was locked in tiny pink shoes and sweaty, bloody toes.
“Let’s see it then,” Ace murmurs, his voice low.
Oh.
Boy.
I look at the girls. “Who’s in?”
Rachel groans, but I see her mouth twitching up. “Fine, but only because I’m bored.”
We all know she loves dancing, so that’s a lie.
“Come on then,” I say, clapping my hands.
We scoop up a bottle of alcohol and rush away from camp, through the low brush, over the mossy rocks, giggling like we haven’t since we were fifteen.
Five minutes later, we’re behind on the flat near the water, and Aggie is moaning, “I will break my fucking ankle out here, I swear to God, Gracie. The ground is too soft and I am too drunk.”
“You got this,” I grin, and grab some banana leaves to make impromptu tutus.
Tatiana immediately wraps hers around herself, giggling as she does a spin.
Aggie uses a vine as a headband. We fashion the most ridiculous, riotous makeshift costumes anyone’s ever seen, until we look like drunken cosplay versions of ballerinas.
Rachel, as always, has to take it up a notch—she finds a big white feather and tucks it behind her ear.
“If we’re dying on this island, at least we’ll die with style. ”
We figure out our positions, and do a quick practice, laughing the entire time.
When we’re ready, we emerge back to camp, arms hooked, shoulders back, chins high. The guys whistle and bang their fists on their knees. Zeke even stands, raising his arms like a conductor. “Alright, let’s get this party started.”
We find a large flat rock, and the guys shine the flashlights onto the makeshift stage.
Tatiana and Aggie take their opening poses—arms up, long necks, faces all ethereal and tragic.
I step in front, toes pointed, and for the first time in forever, a hush spreads over my body.
Even with the alcohol, the salt, the stench of fish and burning wood, I find the beat.
Adrian stands, and then he starts humming before breaking out into a full song.
His hand is on his chest and his head is tipped back as he rips out a sound that isn’t half bad.
Laughing, we go along with it.
I close my eyes and let muscle memory do the rest. I leap and soar, spinning and twirling.
The world shrinks to just this, me, the night, the other girls dancing beside me.
Aggie slips, squeals, and collapses laughing, but Tatiana spins me and keeps the movement going.
We improvise, parody and sincerity shambling together in a wobbly, glorious performance.
It gets looser by the minute, but the guys are with us—Kellen clapping, Ace howling at every kick, Zeke grinning huge.
When we finish, we collapse onto the rock, sweating and breathless.
Adrian takes a bow, to nobody, but it is like his entire life has been leading up to this moment.
God love him.
The guys all stand, pelting us with applause. Ace comes over and drops down to his knees, presses his lips to my shoulder, and murmurs, “That was the hottest fucking thing I have ever seen in my life.” I grin, beaming.
Ace helps me up and, very deliberately, leads me down the dark edge of the beach.
The sky is so thick with stars it almost hurts to look.
We linger by the rocks, me still catching my breath, and he just stares at me with a look so hungry it could devour me.
Before I can say a word, he grabs my face and kisses me so hard I have to dig my fingers into his arms just to keep upright.
His hands are everywhere, and I feel like if I don’t get air soon, I’ll faint right here on the rocks.
I push him away, gasping, and laugh. “What was that for?”
“For making me so fucking crazy about you,” he growls, and the sound of it is almost enough to make me drag him back to camp by the belt.
I shake my head, but my voice is soft when I say, “I feel the same. You... you do crazy things to me, sir.”
He studies me, his face so open it’s almost painful. “I want you in a way I have never wanted anything before.”
My breath hitches. “You do?”
“Yeah, I fuckin’ do.”
My heart skips a beat.
“Me too,” I whisper, not even sure if it’s loud enough for him to hear.
But he does.
His eyes darken, and I swear he almost says something else, but instead he just kisses me again, softer this time, slow enough that I feel every inch of him sinking into me.
When we finally pull apart, I look back at the fire, at the others laughing and shoving each other, and for once I don’t feel like I want to be anywhere else but here.
“I have to pee,” I admit, wriggling away from him. “Find me later?”
“Oh, I’m goin’ to find you,” he grins, and lets me slip away toward the tree line.
I duck around the first tree and make sure no one is following. It is dark, but the moonlight is just enough for me to see. I do my business, then linger, enjoying the hush of the jungle. But after a moment, I hear a branch snap, and Aggie stumbles up behind me, her face flushed.
She’s giggling. “Don’t freak out, it’s just me.”
“I heard you from five miles away,” I tease. “You don’t know how to walk quietly.”
She bites her lip, then jumps up and down like she has something to say but doesn’t know how. “Can I tell you something?”
I raise my brows, then roll my eyes. “Girl. Always.”
She leans in closer, whispering, “I slept with Kellen.”
My jaw hits the floor. “What!”
I shriek so loud she presses a hand over my mouth. “Shhhhh!”
“You slept with Kellen?” I whisper-hiss.
She nods, eyes wide and sparkly. “I did. Last night. It was wild. We were talking on the beach, and I don’t know, alcohol and the moment... next thing I know we’re fucking and girl, oh girl, it was incredible.”
“And you’re only telling me now!”
“I was going to tell you today, but it was crazy!” She grabs my wrist, her palm sweaty. “I just... I don’t know. It was so damn good. Is this bad? It’s bad, right?”
I shake my head, then yank her deeper into the brush so the others can’t hear us. “Hey, we all have to enjoy whatever we can out here,” I grin. “Did you at least use protection?”
She giggles. “No, but I have the IUD, so I am good.”
“What about STDs?” I ask, eyes wide.
“He said he’s clean, and I don’t know, I trust him.”
“Said every woman ever,” I sing.
We both dissolve into giggles, clutching onto each other so we don’t fall over. After a long moment, Aggie says, “Are you weirded out?”
“Why would I be weirded out? I’m just shocked. I didn’t even know you liked him.”
She laughs, high and bright. “I didn’t. Not until he started talking to me about when he was a kid, and his favorite band, and how he never thought he’d get another chance after he...” Her face darkens for a second, then she shrugs. “It just happened.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m happy for you.”
She beams. “Me, too.” Then, lowering her voice, she adds, “So are you and Ace like... a thing now?”
“God, I have no idea,” I whisper. “But I think we are. I kind of hope we are. He is under my skin.”
“Ugh, we’re so fucked.”
“We really are.”
We hug, and it feels good to have a moment where it is like being back to normal girls, talking about boys and gossip.
It seems like such a long time since we have been able to do that.
We make our way back toward camp, still giggling and trading secrets, and when we reach the fire Kellen is telling some filthy joke that has Rachel’s eyes wide.
I settle in next to Ace again, and this time he puts his arm around me and holds me close. I let myself relax into his warmth, his body, and I let myself believe, just for tonight, that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.
If only I knew what was coming.
I might have enjoyed that moment for a second longer.