Chapter 10
Nora: #NotSoPlatonic
D itching our usual haunts, Gabs directs the driver to take us to The Beat, a trendy club known for its vibrant dance floor and eclectic music. As we approach the door, the heavy bass of the music spills out onto the street, mingling with the laughter and chatter of the crowd.
I’m a little unsure of this entire arrangement now. Maybe we should go home, sleep it off. I’m sure my stupid feelings will disappear by tomorrow. I turn my head to tell Gabs we should go home.
“Ready to dance the night away as my date?” he asks, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He looks effortlessly stylish in his fitted black shirt and jeans, his hair slightly tousled.
His date !
“Absolutely,” I reply, feeling a sudden thrill. Ah, well. It’s just a stupid feeling. It’ll be such a waste if we don’t even dance a little after coming all the way. Right?
And I don’t really feel anything for him. I mean, I was literally flirting with another guy not an hour ago. As if I would’ve done that if I felt anything other than a simple friendship for Gabs. It’s the alcohol.
He leads me inside with his hand protectively placed on my back. The energy hits us like a wave. The room is packed with people moving to the beat, the air thick with a mix of perfumes and colognes, and the lights flashing in time with the music. Gabs guides me through the crowd to a spot near the center of the dance floor.
We’ve barely found our space when the DJ transitions into a high-energy track, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Gabriel grins at me, his hand still holding mine. “Let’s show them how it’s done.”
We lose ourselves in the music. The rhythm takes over, and we move in sync, our bodies communicating in a language only we understand. He twirls me around, and I laugh, feeling the music pulse through my veins. The energy is infectious, and every time our bodies touch, I feel a connection with him beyond our usual friendship.
We go for some tequila shots. I’m not sure Gabs has any, but I’m in a wild mode today. “More!” I scream and have three more shots.
“That’s enough, Nora. C’mon,” he says, laughing and pulls me to the dance floor again.
The DJ switches to a slower song and the mood shifts. He pulls me closer, his arm around my waist, and we move together, swaying gently. The world around us seems to fade away, leaving just the two of us connected by the music and the moment. His eyes never leave mine. They’re like a magnet holding my gaze in place.
So this is how the women he gives attention to feel. It’s electric. It’s addictive and I want more and more of it.
Rick never made me feel like this. Even when we danced at parties or clubs, his eyes roved around the room, looking at other couples, how they were behaving, how they danced. He would compare our dance, or more often, his dance, to others. Now, Rick is an exceptional dancer, no doubt. Practice with him has made me good enough, too. He made sure of it. But he was so busy comparing and trying to be better, the best, that he forgot the real purpose of the activity.
“Nora,” Gabs murmurs, bringing me back to the moment, his deep voice vibrating in my ear. “I’ve always loved dancing with you.”
I peer into his eyes, the flashing lights casting shadows and highlights across his lightly stubbled face. “Me too, Gabs. Since we learned to dance together in your garage before our prom night till this day, I’ve loved dancing with you.”
He smiles and holds me tighter. “Yeah, we had our moments, didn’t we?” he whispers into my ear.
I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and belonging. It doesn’t matter what tomorrow brings; tonight, we’re free, together, and exactly where we’re meant to be. I’m not his girlfriend, but I am his closest friend. And that is enough.
The lights dim further. We have somehow moved to a corner of the room, still holding onto each other, grooving to the soft music, embracing each other, his hold tightening further. My back is to the wall, and he is standing in front of me like a shield to protect me from anything that comes our way.
I’m completely pressed against him. My heart is on a roller-coaster and so is his, I think. I’m not sure the beats I hear in my ears are his or mine. I feel a kiss on my head and one of his hands moving down my back, stopping for a moment at the small of my back.
“Why are they playing such slow songs?” I ask.
“You want me to ask him to change it?”
I rest my head on his shoulder and mumble, “Yeah, maybe.”
The lights dim further. In the darkness, I can barely make out the outline.
“I think it’ll speed back up soon now. They do this every hour or so,” he says, bending low so I can hear him. His lips are so close to mine.
“Okay.”
I feel his forehead touching mine, his warm breath falling over my cheeks. A quick pull brings our bodies even closer and his hand makes its way further down. I lift my head and see his lips, about to kiss my forehead. I want those lips on mine. But he’s my best friend. Maybe he doesn’t even want that. Maybe it’s all platonic.
I can sense his breathing getting faster, harder, the same as mine. He bends his face further down, our noses touching each other. My heart is going on an over-drive. I’ve never felt like this—as if I’m about to die, even when I feel more alive than I’ve ever been.
He doesn’t shift his gaze from me even for a moment. He opens his lips and licks them and the next thing I know, his lips are all over mine with my back pushed hard against the wall. His tongue slips into my mouth, demanding and hungry, and I immediately give in.
Not so platonic, after all.
I shut my eyes in the darkness. Not that it makes much difference. He uses his hips to keep me pressed against the wall, cupping my ass with one of his hands. I feel his other hand sliding under my dress, his finger softly running against my panty-line. A shiver runs up and down my spine. It seems the shiver has a life of its own, given the rampage it’s doing along my back.
My body doesn’t feel under my control; my arms go around his neck and my fingers thread through his soft hair and I can feel myself getting wetter by the second. It feels like my body is in flames, dangerous and overwhelming.
He bites me on my bottom lip and I can’t stop a loud moan from escaping my lips into his mouth. He gasps but doesn’t stop kissing me, his mouth and tongue moving with a ferocity I’ve never experienced before. It seems my ass too has its own agenda as it begins grinding against him.
“Ahh,” I moan into his mouth again, and he holds me tighter against him. If he holds me any closer, our bodies might just fuse into one. But I love it. I love the feel of his pounding heart against mine, the strength of his arms holding me in place, the feel of his thighs so close to me.
“Enough of this slow shit. Let’s rev it up a little. What say, guys?” The DJ bellows as the lights brighten up a little and there is a chorus of screams and shouts as the music changes into a fast number and people all around start jumping and screaming.
Gabs and I tear away from each other as if we’d touched a live wire, panting and staring at each other.
“Shit! What was that ?” I mutter.
“You tell me,” he says, taking a step back, a ghastly look on his face. Is that guilt? Or shame? Or disappointment?
“Well, one minute I’m dancing and the next I feel your tongue down my throat.”
“Yeah, right! As if you were a total saint and not kissing me back with a vehemence reserved for sexually starved people.”
“Hey, I was merely reacting to whatever it was you were doing.” I pause, unable to come to terms with what had happened. “I think we’ve had too much to drink. Maybe we should go back.”
“I agree,” he says, shaking his head. “This, here. Whatever it was, never happened. Okay?”
“Sure. Whatever makes you feel better.”
He readjusts my dress and smoothens my hair.The weirdest thing is that we both have to go back to his condo.
“I can go to a hotel, if....” my speech sounds a little slurred and my head seems to be spinning a bit. I think I’ve had too much to drink.
“No. No. Of course not. We’re adults. And we live in separate rooms. So yeah, it’ll be fine.”
We walk out of the club, awkwardly, walking next to each other, making sure we don’t touch the other even by accident. We sit by the opposite window in the taxi at the two extreme ends of the back seat, gazing outside.
I can’t look at him right now. First because my head is spinning and the cool air seems to be helping a bit. The other is because I’m shocked at what we just did. Can we go back to our normal mode after that kiss? Is this the end of our friendship? No. That’s one thing I won’t be able to bear, I think.