Right. He was only doing it because he felt guilty. “It would’ve been fine. Ty is nice.”
“So you like him now?”
“I don’t really know him.”
We seemed to both realize we were just standing there talking and not dancing at the same exact moment. He put his arms out to the sides and I stepped forward.
“Where do…”
I directed his hands to my waist and put mine on his shoulders. “Have you never slow-danced before?”
“No, actually. I haven’t been to a dance.”
“Really? You’re just over there in Ohio breaking girls’ hearts, then.” I looked at his light brown eyes, which were soft and friendly.
“You know me.”
“I think you’ve told me at least twice now that I don’t anymore.”
“Bronze level has to count for something,” he said, and a smile forced its way onto my face despite me trying to stay annoyed.
Even though he claimed to have never danced before, heknew the basics. He swayed back and forth to the beat, turning me slowly in the process. He smelled good, like musky soap and cherry ChapStick, and my insides flip-flopped. Why did they keep doing that? My cheek brushed his shoulder and I realized how close we’d gotten.
My chest felt hot and my feet felt heavy.
“Who’s Riley?” I heard myself spit out.
“Have you been looking at my phone?”
“You were showing me pics. So yes.” Had he forgotten that was when I’d seen the text?
He smiled. “Just a friend.”
“Does she like the lake?”
“Heplays on a community rugby team with me.”
Why was I so relieved by that? It didn’t matter if he had a girlfriend or not. “Excuse me? Rugby? Since when?”
“Just started this year.”
I reached up and playfully put a hand on each of his temples. “Are you trying to bash your beautiful skull in?”
“You sound like my mother.”
“Well, your mother is smart.” My hands returned to his shoulders by taking a roundabout path down the back of his neck. A shiver went through him. Goose bumps formed on my arms at his reaction and my cheeks heated. What was wrong with me? I cleared my throat. “Is that why you run now?” I’d seen him run a few more times at our various stops.
“To bash my skull in?”
“To get in shape for rugby.”
“No, running was first. Rugby was second.”
“You couldn’t pay me to run,” I said.
“It’s a good head clearer.”
A head clearer? Why does he need to clear his head?