SUNKISSED - Jeremiah Fisher

- 16 -

- Sarah -

I walked back into the crowded living room, the noise and warmth hitting me all at once. The party was in full swing, and I had lost track of time catching up with Jade in the kitchen. It was easy to get sidetracked with her; she always had something funny or insightful to say. I scanned the room for Jeremiah, my heart doing a small flip at the thought of him. We'd been sitting on the couch together earlier, but now I spotted Belly and Cam there, laughing about something.

"Jere?" I called out, trying to locate him amidst the crowd. My voice barely carried over the music and chatter.

No sign of him, but I wasn't too worried. He had a way of disappearing into social scenes, always effortlessly blending in while still managing to stand out. I called again, louder this time, "Jeremiah!"

His head popped up from behind a group of the deb girls, flashing me that trademark grin. "Goldie! I was wondering what happened to you," he teased, making his way over to me, easily parting the crowd with his presence.

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I got caught up talking to Jade." I gestured back toward the kitchen.

Jeremiah shook his head, laughing. "It's fine. You're here now, and that's all that matters." His eyes sparkled as he grabbed my hand, twirling me around in a playful spin.

For a moment, everything else seemed to fade away, the warmth of his hand in mine and the effortless way he always made me feel like I was the only person in the room. We stood there talking, our voices blending with the hum of the party. Every now and then, I noticed him glancing over at something across the room, his mischievous grin growing wider.

I followed his gaze, and that's when I saw it—the karaoke machine. Oh no. Before I could say anything, he was already rushing over, flipping the switch to power it on.

"Jere, don't!" I called out, though I was already laughing.

He grabbed the mic, tapping it to get everyone's attention. "Testing, testing! One, two, three. Is this thing on?" His voice boomed through the speakers, as a few people turned to watch whatever chaos he was about to start. "All right, folks! This one goes out to our very own Cam Cameron and everyone's favorite Belly Button!"

Belly's eyes went wide, and she buried her face in her hands, laughing. Cam looked equally mortified, though he was grinning too.

Jeremiah didn't give them a chance to escape as the opening chords of "Summer Nights" from Grease started playing. He started singing, full of dramatic flair, "Summer lovin', had me a blast..."

He shot a glance at Belly, trying to hand her the mic, but she shook her head, laughing too hard to sing. "Oh, come on!" Jeremiah urged, still laughing as he tried to coax her into joining in. But Belly stayed firm, hiding her face in her hand.

The deb girls, however, were all about it, lining up and joining in enthusiastically on the next part. As they sang, Jeremiah's eyes found mine, and without hesitation, he held out his hand. "Summer days, drifting away..." he sang, pulling me toward him.

I let him spin me into his arms, laughing as we danced along to the beat. His grip was firm, secure, and I could feel the energy between us, like the whole room was alive just for this moment. As the song went on, more people joined in, singing, dancing, laughing.

Cam finally took the other mic, getting into it as well. The two of them were making a complete spectacle, and the rest of us were loving every second of it. By the time we hit the iconic "Tell me more, tell me more," nearly the whole room was belting it out.

I felt Jeremiah's arms around me again, holding me close as we continued dancing through the laughter. He spun me once more, and as I landed back against his chest, I glanced up at him. The way he was looking at me made my breath catch.