Harassenger: Backseat Admirer ✔️

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

I ignored Della Clark as much as humanly possible, but it was hard at the dinner table when her eyes darted into my brain. I knew what she was thinking, and although her marvelous smile showed no signs of anger, I knew she was mad. I could tell she wanted to know why I ditched the date with her cousin, Adam, but to avoid any fighting on her honeymoon, she refrained from confronting me.

As we all sat by the table eating and enjoying the morning sounds of seagulls and the ocean, Holt spoke.

"I was looking into the bar down the street and I stopped to talk to one of the workers. Supposedly, there's a fifties' style dance tonight. It's a dance marathon so whoever wins gets a trophy and there's free drinks for everyone."

"Free drinks? That sounds amazing, but I don't have a fifties dress." Trixie whined, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"You don't have to dress the part. The venue will be fifties themed, but you can dress modern." It's not as if Trixie's polka dotted style didn't fit the part anyway, so I wasn't sure what she was worried about.

But then I looked around the room and suddenly understood Trixie's lumbering response. There was an odd number of people in the room. Holt and Della would obviously be dance partners, and I would be with Mick by default, since he was my guest. Trixie would be alone unless I could think of someone for her to dance with.

"Adam lives in town, right? Since our date didn't go so well, why don't you take him?" I figured I could make Della feel better about my ditching her cousin, and also give Trixie a dance partner. There was no way Adam was Trixie's type, so I wouldn't be causing any riffs in her personal relationship. Although Adam may be mad at me, there was no way he'd pass up a night out at a bar with an older woman. He clearly didn't get out a lot, so he'd jump at the chance to join.

"Oh, goodie! I'll call Adam right now; what what a wonderful idea!" Della was ecstatic, and Trixie content with the idea of having a partner.

"It's settled." Holt smiled.

"I assume you want me to be your partner, but I hate to break it to you sweetheart, I don't dance." Mick said.

"Oh, you will." And he did.

At the bar, the six of us entered through one thin string of rope, the sound of a jazz band spiking our adrenaline.

After a few needed drinks, the announcer grabbed his mic to let us the dance was beginning.

Trixie and Adam were the first ones out because Adam had a fear of touching an older woman, but mostly because he had a fear of touching anything. Germaphobes.

Holt and Della were still in the rubbing, gliding across the floor with the rest of the happy couples.

Mick and I were doing alright. He continously twirled me around, trying to make me dizzy so I'd quit. He hated dancing, that much I could tell, but he was an amazing dancer.

"Slow down, will you? I can only go so fast." I said.

"Fine." His hand rested against my waist, his other on the small of my back. My arms fell on either sides of his shoulders, and even in heels, I had to stretch to reach him properly. His face glowed underneath the light of the discoball, but no light on his face could have been compared to the light in his blue eyes. Somehow, I had gotten closer to him, the smell of a musky shower tickling my nose.

I lost my balance while staring at him, my knees buckling under me, but his arms wrapped around me tighter and caught me before I could fall.

"What are you so scared of? I got you." He whispered.

Mortified that I had lost my cool, I took a deep breath, but that only intensified my fluttering stomach. He smelled so delicious and he looked so good. What was happening in this head of mine, I wasn't yet sure.

Trying to keep my mind off of him, I take a peek at Holt and Della Andrews. They were both smiling and laughing, and Holt caught my gaze, nodding his head in a hello.

"They're going to win. Look how much energy they have, and look how great they are." I pointed out.

"It doesn't matter how good they dance. If they use up all of their energy early, they won't be able to last long." Mick said.

"True, but if we go as slow as we're going, we will be asleep any minute. Let's keep a steady pace." I informed.

"As you wish." Mick twirled me around again, making me roll my eyes at his repetitive actions. This time, instead of pulling me back close to his chest, he surprised me by twirling me to his side as he dipped me, my head a centimeter away from the floor and my eyes to the square tiles of the ceiling.

As he lifted me back up, the air in my lungs refilled and my eyes opened once again. Our faces nearly touched, his mouth tickling the side of my cheek. That's when I realized I was standing on his boots, almost level with his face, and too close for comfort. Something inside of me wanted to kiss him, but that would be the worst decision of my life. One moment of weakness would be a lifetime of regret. I had to believe I felt an extreme amount of attraction to Mick because of my rejection from Holt. I was lonely, yet I would never allow myself to kiss a guy because of my loneliness.

As I stared into the eyes of Mick Conrad, I was relieved to hear the sound of the bell, announcing a group had quit.

It was Holt and Della who were the next out of the game, Holt's hands folded together as he stares at Mick and me while he walks away. Della, as angry as could be from losing a competition, chases after her husband.

"See, they were too confident, and that's why they lost." Mick was right, afterall.

The only couple besides us left was an elderly man and woman. By the looks of their gazing eyes, they had been a couple for a very long time. It was nice to see a couple, after so many years, still have the same adoring look at one another. It's what I wanted my future to be. It was my idea of perfect.

"I think I'm ready to go. Let's let them have their moment." My words may have been out of the blue and incomprehensible to most, but someone Mick could read my mind. He knew what I was thinking without much of a word from my mouth. He led me off of the dance floor as the bell rang again, the older couple cheerfully yelling that they had won.

I smiled to Mick, and he smiled back, grabbing and squeezing my hand while leading me off of the dance floor.