17. Mia
MIA
“How do you have this many dresses?” I asked, trying to keep my jaw from dropping.
We were in the home that Tori shared with Jayden, Lucas, and Kyle.
I'd only been here once before and never down in the basement.
From what I'd heard, it used to be a cluttered mess, but now it had been loosely divided into a bedroom, a game room, a study room, and an area with a huge rack for Tori's clothes.
“Lucas told the guys how much I like thrifting, so a couple weeks ago we all drove down to Atlanta and spent the weekend. I went to a lot of thrift shops, and I found the most gorgeous dresses.”
A gleam came into Tori’s eye. “Did you know that, given proper motivation, you can fit four people in a dressing room?”
I laughed, not sure whether to be impressed, shocked, or jealous.
Maybe all three.
Tori hurried on. “I looked up the reception hall where Aaron's grandparents’ thing is, and it's really fancy. There’s a ballroom, a courtyard, a stage, the works. They host a lot of weddings there.”
“Wait, you looked it up?”
“Yes. It's a big event. You haven't?”
“No.”
“So a hot dude is taking you to some big, formal affair with his whole family, and you haven't even done a little cyberstalking?” Tori sounded incredulous.
“It hadn't occurred to me. I like getting to know people by, you know, getting to know them.” My voice was a tad defensive, but now I really wanted to look the venue up.
“Yes, but if you're going to an event like this, you should know what you're walking into. Are you going to wear your hair up or down?”
I ran a finger over my waves. “Down, I guess. It really just does this. You saw my attempt to put it in a bun on Halloween.”
“Yeah, that didn't last very long, but I really think you need to go for an updo.”
“I don't know how to do that.”
“I'm sure you can figure it out,” she said, with maddening tranquility. “The internet’s not just for cyberstalking and watching shirtless chefs. There are hundreds of tutorials on hairstyles and updos.”
“Excuse me, not all of us can look perfect just by putting our hair back in a ponytail. It's more difficult for the rest of us.” I’d always envied Tori’s sleek dark hair. It would take me years to grow mine that long.
“Well, look into it. Maybe you’ll find something that works for wavy hair.”
Suddenly, a thought hit. “Do you think I need to have my hair dyed?”
“Why?”
“Well, I mean, I got these red highlights over the summer, but they’re fading a bit now.”
“No, I think it's fine. Just, you know, make it look all fancy.”
I rolled my eyes. That was a lot easier said than done.
Tori reached up and pushed some hangers aside. “These are the three dresses I think might fit you and the occasion.”
She held up one that was only attached to the hanger by the thinnest of spaghetti straps. It was kind of a blend of gold and silver, and it shimmered when it moved. The neckline was draped so low it looked less like a dress and more like a skirt designed to go around the waist.
She put it back on the rack and held up another dress. “You can't go wrong with a little black dress. It’s classic for a reason.”
“But isn't that, like, a cocktail dress?” I only knew that because I'd seen one in a movie.
“Yeah, it’s probably best to have something floor-length with a high slit so you can drive Aaron crazy when your leg slips through it.”
“We're going as friends.”
“Friends don't dress up like that. He'll likely be in a tux.”
“Really? Damn. This is really starting to feel like it’s out of my league.”
“But the thing is, all you have to do is look beautiful. That's it, because it's his family, his scene, his idea, so he'll take the lead. You just have to follow along.”
I made a face. “Isn't that kind of sexist?”
“Or maybe classist. Or both.” She shrugged. “I'm not saying bow down and be obedient to him. I'm saying when you're on his turf, in his world, let him take the lead.”
She had a point there. The event on Saturday was for a wealthy family. And I had little experience with family, let alone filthy rich ones.
“The same goes for dancing,” Tori said, shocking me back to the present.
“For what?”
“Dancing. The reception hall has a huge ballroom.”
“What? We’re going to have to dance?” In front of his whole family?
Tori didn’t seem to think there were any problems. “That's why I picked these dresses. All of them allow you to move.”
“I can't dance.”
“Well, you're going to have to.”
I sat down on a bar stool nearby. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”
“No, it's not. You like this guy, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And it sounds like he really wants you to go.”
“Yeah, but… I think he just doesn't want to be the only one in his family going solo.”
“Mia, there’s a whole campus full of women just beyond your house. He asked you for a reason.”
“Because I'm his roommate,” I said.
Tori grabbed my wrist, holding on until I met her eyes.
“Do you think he likes you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I admitted.
“Do you like him?”
I nodded.
“So don't stress the small stuff.”
“Not knowing how to dance isn't small stuff.”
“Let's decide on the dress first. That's part A. Part B comes later.”
Half an hour later, I was in love. Not with one of Tori's hot-as-hell men, but with a dress.
It was the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t believe I got to take it with me.
It was safely wrapped up in a garment bag, and on the ride back to Haverford, I kept sneaking peeks in the backseat to make sure it was okay.
Lucas drove. I didn’t know him as well as Jayden, but he seemed like a nice guy.
I was a little relieved that Kyle, the tall, dark, and handsome baseball player, wasn’t around.
Between his looks and his cocky attitude, he could be a little intimidating, though of course Tori didn’t find him so.
Plus, I still felt a little awkward that he’d had to carry me up to my room after I got so drunk at that Halloween party.
“Do you mind if I make a call?” I asked when we had about fifteen minutes to go.
“Be my guest.”
Lucas was a cutie.
And a moment later, I was talking with another cutie. “Do you know how to dance?” I asked, the moment Aaron answered the phone.
“I can stand on a dance floor and sway back and forth.”
“Are we going to have to dance at this thing on Saturday?”
“I don’t see why. I’ve never had to dance at family functions before.”
I waited a beat, to see if he’d put two and two together. He didn’t. “Isn’t that because you’ve never brought a date before?”
“Oh. Oh, shit.” Aaron sounded shocked. “We’re going to have to dance at this thing on Saturday.”
“Hence the problem.” His cluelessness was both irritating and endearing. “What are we going to do?”
“I have no idea.”
“Why am I here again?” Diego asked.
“You live here,” Aaron told him. We were in the living room of the Baylor House.
Diego rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“You said we could come to you for anything,” I pointed out.
“I meant like roommate problems. Not choreography.” He huffed out an exasperated breath.
“Please, Diego, we need to learn how to dance.” Aaron sounded desperate.
“Good thing I'm majoring in dance and give dance lessons on the side.” Sarcasm wasn’t his usual M.O., but I couldn't exactly blame him.
“Please, we need help,” I wasn’t above aiming sad, puppy dog eyes in his direction.
“I already helped you by running all over campus on Friday,” Diego pointed out.
“And look how well you did with that,” Aaron said. “You guys came in first. Come on, please? You're older than us. You know more things.”
Diego sat on the arm of the couch and raked a hand through his hair. “I'm only two years older than you and three years older than Mia. Trust me when I say I did not spend those extra years learning ballroom dancing.”
“I've never even been in a ballroom,” I said.
“Did I say I had?” Diego asked.
He was in some kind of mood, but I couldn't really blame him. Aaron had all but ambushed him this afternoon. And the guy who’d talked me into going on a scavenger hunt, wearing a makeshift costume, and going with him to a family event was hard to say no to.
“Please, Diego?” I asked.
Finally he rolled his eyes. “Put on some music. A waltz.”
“Thanks, man.” Aaron pulled out his phone, tapping rapidly at the screen. A minute later, the room was filled with the sound of— “Wait, that’s disco.”
I groaned, and Diego shook his head.
While Aaron kept looking, Diego pushed one of the couches and an armchair out of the way, giving us some space in the center of the room. I started dragging the coffee table to the side, but then Aaron picked up the other end, so we could move it together.
Once we did that, he held up his phone. “I found some good music. May I have this dance?” He held his hand out to me in a gentlemanly fashion that somehow made my pulse quicken.
But not enough to make me okay with making a fool out of myself. “I sure hope you’re talking to Diego, not me.”
“Be serious,” Diego grumbled. “Do you want me to help you two or not?”
“Well—” I said, wavering.
“Yes, we do,” Aaron said firmly.
A minute later, Aaron and I stood in the middle of the living room while Diego eyed us as if he was already disappointed by our lack of grace.
Classical waltz music floated from Aaron’s phone on the windowsill, filling the room with dramatic violins.
“You two need to stand closer.” Diego folded his arms across his chest.
Aaron moved a half inch closer to me. “Like this?”
Our instructor rolled his eyes. I had a feeling he’d be doing a lot of that. “Traditionally speaking, ballroom dancing works best if you actually touch each other. You two look like you’re on opposing teams across a soccer field.”
Diego pushed Aaron toward me. “Put your hand lightly on her back. A little higher, don’t grab her ass.”
“I wasn’t,” Aaron protested, and I almost laughed. Who knew Diego would be such a grumpy dance coach?
“Okay, Mia, put your left hand on his shoulder. Lightly. And now your other hand goes in his.” Diego was positioning our arms like we were mannequins. “Relax your muscles, you’re not going to arm wrestle.”
He stepped back and assessed us. His frown wasn’t encouraging. “All right, ready to lead?” he asked Aaron.
“Lead how?” Aaron sounded slightly terrified.
“Lead where?” I asked.
Diego shook his head. “I need some aspirin.”
He restarted the music on Aaron’s phone and began shouting instructions neither of us could follow. “It’s your basic box step. One, two, three. One, two, three. Aaron, step forward with your left foot. Mia, step back with your right.”
We tried. We really did.
But on the second count, Aaron stepped on my foot, we bumped knees, and I let out an undignified, “Ow.”
“Sorry,” we said at the same time.
As Diego’s instructions grew more exasperated, we tried again. No injuries this time, but no success, either.
“You two look like you’re afraid of each other,” Diego observed.
“We look like we don’t know what we’re doing,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “Because we don’t.”
“Let’s try something different,” he said, walking directly to me. “You dance with me. Aaron, just watch for now.”
For some reason, I took a step back as Diego approached. Attempting to dance with Aaron wasn’t scary because we didn’t know what the hell we were doing. Diego did.
He raised an eyebrow and waited until I put my left hand on his shoulder and my right hand in his.
Right away, it felt different. He held me more confidently. He was still barking instructions, but now, he was guiding me with his arms. His legs. His hips.
It was a very different experience.
Soon, we were twirling around the room, and I’d only stepped on Diego’s foot twice. Oh, and I accidentally kicked him once. But after that, I kind of felt more confident. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad on Saturday if I could dance like this in his arms. In fact, when he held me, it felt like?—
“May I cut in?”
Aaron’s words made me realize I’d temporarily forgotten who I was supposed to be dancing with. Guilty, I froze in Diego’s arms.
He stepped back, letting me go. Aaron took his place. Evidently, he’d been paying attention, because we moved more in sync than before. His steps—and his grasp—wasn’t as confident, but it was better than our first few attempts.
“Take a bigger step to the side, Mia,” Diego said. “Are you going to be wearing something you can move in on Saturday?”
Just thinking about that gorgeous dress cheered me up. “Yes. The dress has a big slit along one side.”
Maybe it was my imagination, but both Diego and Aaron seemed interested in that fact.
We practiced again and again until Diego deemed us reasonably competent in the most basic waltz steps.
My heart rate was elevated when Aaron let me go and turned off the music. “Thank you,” I said to Diego.
Aaron clapped him on the back. “Thanks, man. I knew you’d come through.”
Diego waved off our gratitude. “It’s no problem. The waltz is pretty much the only dance I know.” He paused, thinking it over. “Except for salsa. And merengue.”
Aaron and I exchanged a glance. “Do you think people will do those dances at the reception?” I asked.
“I have no idea.”
We both turned to Diego, who was backing away. “Please?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “No way. Diego’s dance studio is closed as of now.”
“Come on, can you just show us a few steps tomorrow night?” Aaron begged.
“You’ve got student council,” Diego pointed out.
“I’ll skip it. This is more important.” He winked at me. “And fun.”
To my shock, I realized it had kind of been fun, at least at the end there. Though being guided around the room by Aaron wasn’t at all the same as Diego’s purposeful movements. “Please?” I asked him.
“We can cook the next time it’s your turn,” Aaron offered.
Wait, what?
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said hastily.
Apparently, Diego agreed. “That’s not necessary.” He sighed. “I’ll give you thirty minutes tomorrow night. And that’s all.”
“Thank you!” I said.
Muttering at us to put the furniture back, he left the room.
Aaron smiled at me when we were alone. Maybe this thing on Saturday wasn’t going to be completely awkward.
I was really looking forward to wearing that beautiful dress.
And… I felt a little strange about this, but some part of me was eager to learn what Aaron’s reaction would be when he saw me in it.
And even more surprising… I kind of wished Cody and Diego could see me in it, too.