Ode to Love & Dance

Connection

Before knocking on her door, I told myself that I was going to tell her she was beautiful, but when the doors opened I gave into the habit of saying, "hi," and giving her a hug instead.

I dated her for roughly two weeks before this night, She was wearing a red dress. Normally she was already an inch taller than me, yet, she felt the need to wear high heels. She led me across the dorm room and we sat near the windows (Where we usually sat whenever I came to visit). We still had plenty of time before the ball so we talked about our day and whatever random topics that came into our mind. I looked around her room and saw a picture drawn in crayon. The drawing contained a pan, the plus symbol, a cow, an equal symbol, and the word you. I laughed.

"Pan cow. Hey! That's your last name. I never thought of it like that. Who drew that?"

It didn't take long during the conversation until I realized I was staring at her. Something was different about her face, but I couldn't tell what. But I felt attached to her. More than I've ever been.

"Are you wearing makeup?" I asked her.

She joked, "No, my face is always this perfect," and then smiled while looking away.

It was the first time I saw her with makeup, and I never thought she could look so stunning. I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach, my fingers were tingling, and I felt like I was getting high just from being near her. As I looked at her, I felt the irresistible urge to kiss her, but I held back.

Soon enough it was time to go to the ball. We took the bus to get to downtown Grand Rapids where it was held. She was the responsible one that figured out the bus route. It was during the bus ride that I asked her to be my girlfriend, and she happily said, "yes." Her response made me felt happy and content. I held her hand.

The ball included dinner and a live performance from Grand Valley a Capella groups, which were all quite fascinating, and even a speech from the president of the university itself. I asked her if I could hold her hand at the dinner table, but she refused, looking embarrassed at the thought of show any type of public display of affection. I was disappointed, but I didn't let it bothered me that much.

Eventually, it was time to dance and this was where we both shined. Especially, because of all the dance lessons we had from the ballroom club. We danced swing and salsa throughout the night. I had to beg on several occasions for her to take her high heels, but after the fifth time she finally submitted. Afterwards, I was happy to be able to look directly into her eyes without having to stretch my neck.

After awhile, they played a slow dance. We started dancing the Waltz. For some reason she started to become shy during this song. She was thinking about something but I couldn't figure out what, she was suddenly too nervous to make eye contact with me. I tried looking into her eyes but she stared off into the side. Feeling awkward, I looked away also; only to feel her gaze on me soon after. I turned to face her, but the moment I did, she turned her head away again. We went through this cycle a second time, but this time around I made direct eye contact with her before she could look away.

"You caught me staring at you!" She said, sounding embarrassed.

She smiled, and from the Waltz position, she transitioned to putting her arms on my shoulder. I was stunned by the act. Within time, I slid my hands down to her hips. This abnormal for me. I could feel her hips moving side-to-side and I thought it was incredibly sexy. I stared directly into her eyes, and I got lost. It wasn't long before she leaned in. I had no clue what was going on, and I didn't realize what was happening until her lips touched mine. The kiss quickly became a hug as she rested her head on my shoulders. I was shocked for a bit longer, as I tried to piece together what had just happened. Eventually, I was able to close my eyes. I told her that she was my first, and she responded by telling me that I was her first also.

"But the guy in your prom photo, you never kissed him?" I asked.

"No. It never happened," she replied.

I held her tighter, and I felt her grip intensifying the same.

We danced some more, and I could tell that she wasn't as nervous as before. We took the bus ride during the end of the night and I walked her to the outside of her dorm. I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss, and I told her, "I still can't believe we kissed tonight."

"That wasn't a real kiss. It was... too short. It doesn't count," she said with a hit of sarcasm.

"Well, then can I kiss you good night?"

She smiled, and I kissed her. This time, I was the one that leaned in.