Hollywood and Mr. Popular (the original)

Chapter 16

Aunty has us form a sort of assembly line so she can make sure everyone gets a plate and there's no fussing or fighting. Ashley, the group and I are pretty much at the end of the line. Eli has both of his hands placed around each of my hips and pushes me forward slowly until we reach the plates and he has to remove them. I sigh mentally, having grown used to their firm grasp.

Maybe I'm the one who's obsessed.

I push the thought aside, piling my plate with anything that looks good, which ends ul being everything I can fit on the small platter. Eli, seeing my pouting expression, chuckles and promises we'll go back for seconds. The 7 of us, that being my main crew plus my 3 cousins, make our way to the back porch, where we squeeze into a circular table with only five seats.

"You can sit on my lap." Eli offers, smirking mischeviously. I laugh.

"No thank you, that doesn't seem very comfortable." He rolls his eyes and pulls me onto one of his knees so that he can reach his plate and I can reach mine.

"Is no one going to offer me a seat on their lap?" Lina laughs, sitting on the floor of the porch. Deuce gets up to offer Lina his seat, but she waves her hand.

"I'm good down here. As long as I have food, I don't care where I am."

"I second that." I mumble, happily shoving a piece of ham into my mouth. Two plates of corn on the cob, greens, ham, turkey, fried chicken, dressing, and baked macaroni later, I head off for desert.

"You sure you have room for that?" Deuce asks, "we can akways have some later." I snort.

"Have you met me?" He chuckles while I dash off, piling my plater with peach cobbler and chocolate cake. A short while later, everyone's piled on the couch, cluctching their stomachs.

"I am never eating again." Ashley wines.

"I'm counting the minutes till I can eat again." Lina retorts. A few minutes later, Aunty appears in the living room and pulls us all to our feet. "It's bailando time!" She yells, clapping her hands excitedly. I cheer too, missing the times we used to come here for Thanksgiving when I was little and 'bailando' meant standing on Dad's toes while he waltzed and twirled me around the room. Aunty turns on an instrumental of Mexican music and I pull Eli to his feet. The others pair up as well, leaving Arianna to dance with Aunty. Eli wraps one hand around my waist and intertwines our other, just like we practice. I can't help but smile up at him as we twist back and forth to the music, giggling as he twirls me into him.

"You're having a good time?" He asks, pulling my chest agaisnt his.

"Are you?" I ask, staring into his twinkly grey eyes.

"This is one of the best Thanksgiving's I've had in a while." He says, an honest smile creeping onto his lips. I grin back at him.

"Ditto." After one last dance, we switch partners, Ashley pairing up with Eli and I with Deuce, who seems more than eager to switch.

"You okay?" I ask, laughing softly.

"I've been better. But now that your friend's no longer stomping on my feet I feel a little more cheerful."

"You're never really cheerful." I say honestly. He sighs, twirling me around.

"I am. Sometimes. Like when I'm around Kristen. She makes me happy."

"And I don't?" I ask, stepping back cautiously. He rolls his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

"I'm not sure I do." That actually stung. I thought Deuce and I were real friends for the two years we'd known each other and he suddenly gets a girlfriend and it's like he never even knew me. "Am I ever going to get to meet her?"