Eighteen Ch. 13

She walks over and says in a whisper, "This is way too girly for me."

We laugh, and I tell her how beautiful she is. Mark emerges from the office and freezes as his face lights up. He greets Jesse with a hug like she's a fragile doll and pins her flower on while Mrs. Taylor takes pictures of them too.

The doorbell rings again, and it's Nicole and Jim.

Mrs. Taylor puts a new roll of film in her camera while the six of us get in position to pose. She goes crazy snapping pictures, nearly blinding us with the flash. Mr. Taylor stands there with his arms folded and a stern look on his face. Christina goes to him, reaches up, and kisses him on his cheek.

"Thank you, Daddy, you're the best," she says as he stands up straight again.

He drops his arms and puts his hands in his pockets as his stern look melts. Out front, a horn honks, and Nicole asks who else is coming. Mr. Taylor opens the door, and Nicole sees the chauffeur holding the limo door open. She squeals, and the rest of us snicker at her response. Christina wanted it to be a surprise, and she pulled it off.

Mr. Taylor leans over and whispers in my ear, "He has your itinerary and will wait to bring everyone back here after the dance."

"Thank you," I say. "You're very generous."

"Not at all," he says protectively. "I want to make sure the girls come back here after the dance and nowhere else."

I smile and say to him, "Christina will be fine. I'll bring her home, safe and sound."

"I know you will," he says in a deepened tone.

Dinner is excellent, and the waiter treats the girls like royalty as he serves them. When we get to the dance, it's already started. I look around at the pink and white decorations with amazement, wondering who the heck did all the work.

It's a fun evening, even when we mix it up and dance with each other's dates. Jesse and I dance to True by the Spandau Ballet. There's something about the way she looks at me, with that fire she has, that makes me feel guilty for dancing with her. When she's in my arms, I feel very close to her, like we're kindred spirits.

The song ends, and Christina comes over, and we dance to Crazy For You by Madonna. She puts her arms around my neck and pulls me in close as we make slow circles on the dance floor. I listen to the words as I get lost in her gaze and kiss her deeply. She buries her face in my neck, and I can feel her love emanate. I love this woman with all my soul and can't imagine trying to survive a day without her.

We take a break during a set of fast songs and sit at a table. A guy walks over and asks Christina to dance. She tells him that she can't right now, but maybe later. He walks away with his head down, slumped between his shoulders, and I feel terrible for him.

"Go ahead and dance with him," I say. "You don't realize how much courage it took for him to come over and ask you."

"But I want to spend the evening with you, not dance with someone I don't know."

I take her hands in mine and lock eyes with her. "You're the most beautiful woman, not only in this room but on the entire planet. If you dance with him, it'll probably make his life complete. Who knows, maybe he has a crush on you, and if you dance with him, it'll make his dream come true."

"You sound as if you know this from experience."

"That's how I'd feel if I could only have one dance with you. You are my dream come true."

Christina smiles and walks in the direction of where the guy disappeared. A few minutes later, I see him guiding her to the dance floor, proud as a peacock, walking with her arm in his. He's shorter than Christina and wears thick, black-rimmed glasses that have tape holding the bridge together. He's awkward, but Christina doesn't seem to notice as they dance, talk, and laugh. When the song ends, he thanks her and starts to walk away, but she grabs his arm and asks him to dance the next one too. His face beams as he stays out on the floor with her. When the song is over, she thanks him, and they part ways.

"Thank you for getting me to do that," she says. "He's a really nice guy."

"Thank you for doing that; as president of the Awkward Guys Club, I thank you."

She laughs and kisses me as we sit, enjoying each other's company. Nicole decides she's also going to dance with him and hunts him down, and they dance for three songs. Jesse does the same, and when she walks away, another girl asks him to dance. Every time I look at the dance floor, he's out there dancing with a different girl.

The last dance is Babe by Stix, and I take Christina by the hand and escort her to the dance floor for the final time. I hold her close as she puts her arms around my neck and tangles her fingers in my hair. She lays her head on my shoulder as I rest my head on hers, and we slowly sway to the music. Occasionally, she tilts her head up, and we kiss tenderly.

Her hypnotic blue orbs penetrate me as she says, "This should be our song."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the last dance of our first school dance, and this song will always remind me of the wonderful time I've had with you tonight."

"As you wish," I say as I lean into her and kiss her with every fiber of my being.

The night ends, and we pile into the limo and return to Christina's. We all go into the house, and her parents ask us how the night went. Christina, Nicole, and Jesse start talking simultaneously. I don't know how the Taylors understand anything; it sounds like gibberish to me as they excitedly tell them how much fun they had.

Nicole, Jim, and Mark leave while I stand in the entryway with two beautiful women anchored on each side of me. I ask Mr. Taylor if it's okay to take the girls out for ice cream, but he only shrugs and says it isn't his decision. I look at Christina and Jesse, who both smile and shuffle off to change their clothes. Christina stops and asks if I'm going to change too. I tell her that I'd like to, but I don't have anything else to wear.

"Wrong," she says. "The clothes you lent me after we went to the beach are in my room."

Mr. Taylor says I can borrow a pair of his sandals, so I run upstairs to change, and we all come out about the same time to go out for some ice cream.

It's nice sitting there with Christina and Jesse, casually talking and laughing about the night. I take them home and stand on the doorstep with Christina while Jesse goes inside. Holding her in my arms, we kiss, and I thank her for asking me to accompany her. I tell her that anytime she wants to go to a dance, just jab me in the ribs, and I'll make it happen. I kiss her again, and she goes inside.