I stand in front of my mirror, smoothing out the maroon fabric ending just above my knees and fumbling with the full sleeves of my dress. Cadence is on a stool behind me, expertly adding small silver butterfly clips to my hair while running a brush through it.
"OK, here's what I'm thinking," I say, gesturing to the array of makeup products from my mom's collection. "Maroon lipstick to match the dress, mascara, highlighter, and a little bit of gloss. Good?"
Cadence, looking very much like a tiny fashionista, taps her chin dramatically before pointing to the liquid blush rolling off the vanity. "Add that. Trust me, it'll make you look, like, alive."
I chuckle, shaking my head. "Alive, huh? That's what I'm aiming for."
She nods seriously. "Yeah, vibrant. Like, if you see Theo, he'll probably drop dead from how alive you look."
I throw a playful glare at her. "Cadence!"
She giggles and hands me the blush. I apply it, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of seeing Theo. Again. I try to push the thought away- no overthinking allowed tonight.
As I finish the final touches of mascara, Cadence hops off the stool with a grin. "Sooo, big sis... you gonna make a move on Theo tonight?"
I throw a pillow at her, laughing as she squeals and ducks. "Hey, I did your hair! You owe me!"
I hold up my hands. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry. No more jokes, OK?"
"Deal," she says, her mischievous grin widening as she swats my hand from adjusting a curl from my hair. "Seriously, Ari, stop messing with it. Theo's going to faint when he sees you!"
I narrow my eyes, already clutching another pillow. "Cadence..."
She throws her hands up in surrender, still smiling. "I'm not joking! You look awesome!"
I drop the pillow, feeling a little more confident. "Thanks." Cadence wraps her arms around my waist, and I lean down to hug her back. I don't know what I'd do without her.
My phone buzzes on the vanity. 8 PM already. I need to leave soon.
"I gotta go, Cadence," I say softly, picking up my purse from the bed. "Thanks for everything."
"You got this," she whispers, giving me a thumbs-up as I head downstairs and into the garage. Her cheeky grin follows me as I drive away.
I pull up to Dahlia's house, cars taking up the driveway and some of the street. After a poor attempt at parallel parking, I step inside her house, cool air brushing my bare legs. Nearly all the lights are off, and neon lasers illuminate the entire house. Her two arched staircases have small disco balls hanging off each railing, making small dots of light sprinkle the room.
The house is already jam-packed; half of our classmates must be here. If I thought the school dance was packed, this must be on another level. I scan the room for Dahlia, who's most likely either with Aadhi or her other friends. Instead, my eyes land on Theo, who, like the other night, is standing alone.
This time, though, he looks normal, not tensed.
I make my way over to him, adjusting my dress carefully before tapping his shoulder.
"Hi," I say breathlessly, my heart nearly beating out of my chest.
"Hey," He greets back, smiling. "You look... really pretty,"
Thank God the lights are out, otherwise he would see that my face is the color of my dress.
I twist my hands together, glancing at the people dancing to the music blaring around the house. Theo does the same, smirking slightly.
"Your sister told me you were practicing your dance moves," He gestures to the crowd, "You want to show me?"
My heart, though I didn't think was humanly possible, starts beating faster at his words. I can't dance... but neither can he.
"Only if you join."
He rubs the back of his neck, arm veins drawn onto him before he strides into the crowd, arm extending outwards to me.
"Let's do it."
My heart stops when I see his hand extended toward me. I swallow when I take it. His grip is warm and steady, and somehow, that makes everything feel a little less scary.
We step into the crowd, where the music's bass vibrates through the floor, people swaying and spinning around us. I can't help but laugh- this isn't a slow-dance kind of vibe, and yet, here we are.
Theo grins, clearly picking up on the goofiness of it all. "Okay, so what's the plan? We wing it?"
I giggle, tilting my head. "Obviously. There is no plan."
He takes a step closer, moving awkwardly to the beat. It's more of a shuffle than a dance, and I can't help but laugh. "What are you doing?" I ask, raising my voice over the music.
"Dancing," he says in a dead serious voice, though the lopsided smile on his face isn't serious. "Obviously."
"You call that dancing?" I raise an eyebrow. "It looks more like you're trying not to step on an invisible cat."
He chuckles. "Just keeping things interesting."
I mimic his shuffle, and soon we're both moving ridiculously, not caring how silly we look. We're not the best dancers- probably not even close- but there's something fun about it.
At one point, Theo spins me unexpectedly, and I nearly trip over my heels. He catches me, and we both freeze, faces inches apart. His breath is warm against my cheek, and for a second, the noise of the party seems to fade away.
"You okay?" he murmurs, eyes wide.
"Yeah," I whisper back, eyes locking onto his. My heart does that weird fluttering thing again, and for a moment, I think maybe... just maybe...
But then I step back, laughing it off to keep things light. "Not bad. You might be a dancer."
"Same to you," he says, his voice low but playful. "I think you've been holding out on me."
We continue dancing- or whatever we're doing- and continue to laugh and talk before heading to grab some snacks.
