Say It's Me ☾ Charles Leclerc

4 | Too much to handle

♪
Ne-Yo - Because of You:
'And I know this much is true. Baby you have become my addiction. I'm so strung out on you I can barely move but I like it and it's all because of you'

After sitting out the first few songs and sipping on their drinks, talking and watching the rest of her classmates have fun, Noelle really wanted to dance. She loved music and had always had a passion for dancing, she even participated in a few competitions with her dance team when she was younger. She remembered the times when Sophie, Charles, his friends and her would all go out and she knew Charles had a few moves himself as well. He wasn't really like other boys that were too afraid or ashamed to dance, so it wasn't that hard when she decided to finally ask him. "Do you want to go get another round and head over to the dancefloor? I think Christine is there as well". She didn't have to say another word before Charles stood up from his seat.

The two of them moved over to the other side of the room, ordering another drink at the bar before they would join her classmates. They hadn't stopped talking for one minute this evening, catching up on everything that happened in the past two years and Noelle felt really comfortable around him again, like they had never been apart. "So how come you didn't have a date for this dance?" Charles asked and Noelle quickly looked down at her hands. She didn't want to tell him. His eyes burned into her head and it took a few seconds before she dared to lift her gaze again. He would for sure see the look in her eyes now. "I-I don't know. I just haven't really been interested in meeting someone lately. And on top of that, I was way too focused on school to even think about it".

Charles cocked his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was analyzing her answer. "Are you sure that's all there's to it?" He could still do it, he could still read her like a book. "Well, I had a boyfriend at the beginning of last year and it didn't really end so well so.." Noelle said while she noticed her voice started to shake. The breakup was still a sore subject. They had been together for just under a year, but Noelle could really see a future with this boy. Until he had just openly admitted that he was in love with another girl one day and left. She was heartbroken and her trust was completely shattered. 

"What's the dickhead's name? I desperately need to have a word with him". Charles said after she had told him what happened and Noelle giggled. This is what she knew him as, someone that was always trying to protect the people around him. She quickly shook her head and placed her hand on his arm. "It's okay, I'm not really bothered by it anymore". It was a blatant lie, but she didn't want him to worry about her any more than he was already doing. At that moment, the bartender handed them their second round and Charles offered her his arm on their way to the dancefloor. They joined a small circle of students and started dancing along to the beat of the music. 

A few hours and a few too many drinks later, Noelle felt happy that she had decided to come to this dance anyway and looked over at her companion while laughing loudly at his moves. He hadn't changed a bit and their friendship had picked up right where they left off. They danced with Christine and Hugo, who were obviously very much into each other and it didn't take long for the two of them to share a kiss. Charles' eyes found Noelle's and he smiled lightly, looking at the couple next to them before looking back at her. The dancefloor was completely filled now, pushing the bodies of all the guests together closer, giving Noelle barely enough space between the loved up pair and Charles.

As her judgement was getting cloudier by the number of drinks she had consumed, Noelle felt more confident and after the music changed to an R&B type beat, her dance moves changed as well. She was swaying her hips to the music, hands in the air while her eyes fluttered closed every once in a while. She felt Charles bumping into her every so often because of the crowd around them but she didn't really mind. They were stood across from each other and so close together that it was difficult for Noelle to look anywhere else than at his face and her dazed state let her do it without hesitation. First, she thought it was only her that kept looking at him, but she had caught his gaze a few times now.