Chapter 20

Noah

            We clean up dinner together after eating it at the small table in the kitchen.  Whatever had been troubling her from earlier seemed miles away as we talked about her professors and the annoying girl that has managed to be in most of her classes.  It feels terrible holding back the information about running into Eva, but I don’t feel like it’s the right time to share that with her.  I will tell her eventually, but tonight I want to help her forget about the stress of meeting up with her ex this weekend.  I also want to forget for a while that she is going to be moving out.

            It feels as if I’ve known her forever as we move together in the kitchen clearing the plates and pans.  When there are only a few things left to dry, she hops up on the counter so that she can watch my face as I finish my job of drying the items she’s washed.  Her phone starts playing a song from the eighties and I have to stop what I am doing to give her a funny look.  “Is that Cyndi Lauper?” I ask, knowing very well that it is.  She laughs as she pulls her phone from her back pocket and silences the ring. 

            “I’m a little embarrassed you heard that, but I feel better that you know who sings that song so I’m not the only nerd.”  She sets it down on the counter beside her and I dry my hands and quickly reach for it.  She tries to steal it back but I dodge her movement and hold it high above my head. 

            “Please tell me you have more lost songs from the 80’s on your phone.”  I click the icon for music and her playlists pop up.  She doesn’t reach for her phone; instead she hops down from the counter and looks over my shoulder.

            “I have tons.  It was kind of a thing with my roommates.  That’s who was calling.  We used to get drunk and dance around our apartment.”  I love the way she smiles with complete happiness at the memory.  “I know it sounds crazy, but I actually miss that.  It was silly and ridiculous, but great for stress relief.  Plus it helped my moves incase I am ever in a jam and need to strip or something.”  I know she’s joking and I can’t help but to laugh.  I tap the “Dance Party,” playlist and another great song starts up. 

            “Great song, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone strip to it.  All these years I have been fooled into believing the pillow fighting and practice stripping happening in girls dorm rooms were a myth.  Now you tell me it really happens.”  She takes the phone from my hand and turns up the volume. 

            “I’m not sure about the pillowing fighting, but the rest of it TOTALLY happens!”  She laughs and spins around doing a cheesy dance move while making funny faces.  Pure happiness rises up inside me and I know I must be smiling huge.  She sets her phone down on the counter and grabs my hand.  I laugh as she pulls me into the center of the kitchen.  I shake my head no, but she just sticks her tongue out and then begins to dance against me. 

            I watch as she moves to the beat and can’t decide if it is more fun or sexy.  Maybe it is the perfect mix of both and that is why I can’t take my eyes off her as she mouths the words and dances like I’m not watching.  I smile each time her eyes meet mine and even sway with her when she presses up against me and grabs my hands to lead me in the dance.  I feel disappointed when I hear the last verse of the song being sung because I know the end of this little show is almost here.  When the loud piano solo blares through the speaker on the phone as Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock and Roll starts playing, I tip my head back and laugh out loud, remembering how I used to love to hear that song a kid. 

            She laughs and then squeals a little before griping my hands in hers and entwining our fingers together.  “I totally forgot this one was on here.  Come on you have to dance with me!”  She is yelling over the music now and I want nothing more than to feel her against me so I nod my head in acceptance.  She has no idea what she’s in for.  This used to be a family favorite and I can’t even begin to guess how many times I’ve danced to this in my childhood living room with one of my older sisters.  I push her away from me and then pull her back quickly.  The surprised look on her face lets me know that she didn’t really think I would dance with her.

             I slide one arm behind her and twist her sideways, letting my hand run along her shoulder before curling her up in my arm.  When I start to unravel us and she spins quickly away from me, a beautiful giggle bubbles up from her mouth and she flashes me a killer smile.  This might be the most fun I have had in years.  We continue to spin around the kitchen as the music blasts from the speaker. 

            At some point we have both kicked our shoes off and are sliding along the smooth wood in our socks.  I love the way her eyes get wide as I spin her quickly or dip her back.  She is laughing so hard at times I can’t help but to laugh with her.  We move great together, like an old married couple that has danced every weekend their entire marriage.  In this moment I feel high, as if I could never reach a place where I could be happier. 

            When the final chorus beats loudly, I spin her to face me and pull her tightly into my arms, letting the side of my face rest against hers as we sway in rhythm to the music.  My hand is holding hers and the other is splayed out on her back.  The soft curls of her hair brush against my arm and my heart swells with the intimacy of our embrace.  I remember this feeling.  It’s been years, but the way it feels when someone captures your heart is not a feeling one could ever forget.  I close my eyes and try to memorize the way she feels against me incase I’m not given this opportunity again. 

            Her voice is flirty and musical as she asks breathlessly, “Where did you learn to dance like that?”  I feel her hug me tightly as the song ends.

            “I have three older sisters.  That song came out in the late seventies and was a family favorite by the time I was old enough to walk.  I swear they must have played that record a million times.  I have every word burned into my memory.  When I got a little older, my sisters would spin me around in our living room or request it at weddings and parties.”  I can feel how big my smile is as I look into her face.

            “I thought I was the only person that would remember it.  It was a favorite of my parents as well.  No one ever danced to it like that with me though.  It was so much fun.  Thank you!”  She bounces up onto her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my cheek.  “I really needed that.  I think I have been drowning under all this stress.”  I feel her arms slide back down mine until we are no longer touching.  I miss her immediately even though she is standing right in front of me. 

            “I needed that too.”  Her smile is angelic as she spins away from me to start putting away the dishes.  There is other music playing now but I am having trouble focusing on anything other than how quickly my heart is beating.  I don’t miss the  irony of finding a girl that makes me want to stay, just as she is walking away.  

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