“Fine. But I get to choose the next song.” She’d brought her iPod with her so I could steal some of her music. I’d given her a lot of mine, so it was only fair. She cranked the volume and plugged in my speakers.
I recognized the melody, but not the version. We’d been listening to Leonard’s version only moments before.
“‘Dance Me to the End of Love’,” she said. “Covered by The Civil Wars.”
“I love this song, but I’ve never heard this version.”
“So do I,” she said.
“Dance with me.” I got up and held out my hand, pulling her up. I wrapped my arm around her waist and kept her other hand. This wasn’t the slow-dance shuffle most guys my age were familiar with. No, if I was going to dance with her, it was going to be the real thing.
Our height difference was going to be an issue, so I pulled her up until she was standing on top of my feet.
“There,” I said. She looked up at me and held on as I swayed and moved my feet. Much easier.
“I hope I don’t step on your toes,” she said.
“Step all you want, pretty girl. I don’t mind.”
The song ended and I dipped her like they did in the movies, which made her laugh.
“Where did you learn to dance like that?” she said.
“My grandmother. She said every boy had to know how to dance with a woman properly.”
“You’re good.”
“Thank you. I never knew I’d need that skill until now.” I’d been saving it for her, specifically, but I wasn’t going to tell her that.
She glanced at the clock on my desk. “I should go get ready. Who knows how long Katie is going to take to turn me into whatever she’s going to turn me into.”
“I can’t wait to see you.” I just hoped she wouldn’t go overboard and changed Charlotte into something she wasn’t.
“Ditto. See you at five?”
I touched her nose. “Bye, pretty girl.”
“Bye, Alex.”
I ran to Stryker’s to grab my own costume. It had actually been his idea.
“Hey,” he said, and it took me a second to recognize him with the plastic fangs he’d attached to his teeth and the black outfit, complete with red cape. “What do you think?” He had a tiny bit of a lisp when he talked.
“It’s a little cliché, don’t you think?”
“Maybe.” He swept the cape around and let me in. “But chicks are big on vampires now. It’s the surest way to get laid.”
I gave him a look and he laughed.
“I figured it was the surest way to blend in,” he said.
“Got it.”
I got my costume on and Trish came over to get ready with a huge garment bag.
“You know, if you want to move in with me, you can just pay me a couple hundred bucks a month and the couch is yours,” Stryker said.
“The only reason I’m here is because my roommate is having a party and I can’t stand the horrible music she’s playing.”
“Well hello to you too,” Stryker said, mussing her hair.
She punched him on her way to the bathroom. “Asshole.”
“You’d better not be in there for three hours,” he called after her.
“Bite me,” she answered back.
“Don’t antagonize the vampire,” he yelled.
***
When Charlotte opened the door wearing a vintage red dress, her hair curled and pinned up in the back and a single string of pearls around her neck, I didn’t know what to say. Words couldn’t do her justice.
She spun in a slow circle, revealing the low-cut back that showcased her gorgeous skin.
“I’m hoping the fact that you’re not saying anything is good, and not because I look hideous.”
“You’re stunning, Charlotte. I’m afraid to take you anywhere.”
She pursed her bright red lips.
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re so beautiful I don’t think I’ll be your only suitor tonight.”
“What if I want multiple suitors?” She leaned against the door, and my eyes skimmed her figure, accented by the tight nature of the dress.
“Then I might have to get in a lot of fights.”
“You’d fight for me?”
I took her hand and twirled her around. “Charlotte. I’m always fighting for you.”
She smiled.
“You look worth fighting for too, Ponyboy.”
My costume consisted of a leather jacket I’d borrowed from Stryker, ripped jeans and a T-shirt that said GREASER on it. I’d slicked my hair back, too.
And I felt like a jackass standing next to her.
“Although, I’m not sure how fast I’d be in this thing. It’s a little tight.” She tugged on the hem of the dress.
Of course that drew my attention to just exactly how tight it was. I wondered if she was wearing anything underneath it.
“You could always split the sides,” I suggested.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Are you trying to get me nak*d, Alex?”
Who wouldn’t try to get her nak*d?
“If I say yes, are you going to slap me dramatically like in one of those classic movies?”
She flushed and ducked her head.
“I know we’re sort of going public, but I still don’t know if this is something I want. You and me. It’s been wonderful so far. I just feel like I’m still waiting for the sky to fall, and the longer it doesn’t, the more scared I get.”
I’d been so careful not to push her, but it seemed I’d have to be even more cautious. Why did she have to talk to me when she was wearing the sexiest dress I’d ever seen? Well, it wasn’t the dress that was the sexy part. The dress was nothing without her in it.
“We don’t have to talk about it tonight,” I said. “We can go to the party and have a good time and then we’ll talk tomorrow. Tea and Pop Tarts?”
“How can you be so patient with me? I keep asking myself if I should just call it off so I don’t tie you down.”
Dear sweet Charlotte, never thinking about herself.
“Pretty girl, I will wait for you until the stars burn out, but if you want to end it, you can. You’re calling the shots.”
She laughed softly.
“For a guy who has a reputation of a player, you certainly don’t act like it.”
“Being with you and having meaningless sex are two different things.”
“Do you miss the meaningless sex?”
Honestly, yes. Sometimes.
“I used it as an escape. A way to not be me for a while. Now that I have you, I don’t need it anymore. That’s not to say I don’t want to escape with you. I’m just not going to push you into it.”
“You’re my escape, too.”
“Are you coming?” Trish poked her head down the hallway, her hat still in place. “Everyone’s ready, but I was the only one brave enough to come and see if you two were knocking boots or not.”
Charlotte grabbed her coat and put it on. I worried about her bare legs in the cold, but she could always have my coat if need be.
“Knocking boots?” she said, tucking her lanyard in the pocket of her coat.
“What? It’s an expression. Holy shit, you look fabulous,” Trish said to Charlotte.
“So do you. Badass.” Charlotte tapped Trish’s top hat. “Totally sick.”
“That dress is pretty sick.”
It was. I hoped there would be enough girls in lingerie for the pushier of the guys to go after. Not that Charlotte had a problem with saying no to anyone. That made me smile to myself.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing. Just you.”
I wanted to take her hand, but I didn’t want to do it front of Will. He’d said he was amenable to our relationship, that didn’t mean I wanted to rock the boat.
“What do you think, William?” Charlotte said when we met our group in the lobby of our building.
Will had on an ugly striped sweater, a black wig, orange face paint, and was holding rubber duck, and it wasn’t until I saw Simon with his similar shirt and yellow face paint that I made the connection.
Burt and Ernie.
“Jesus, Lot. Little risqué, don’t you think?” Will slash Ernie said.
“What’s wrong with it?” Trish said.
“It’s just… kinda tight,” Will said. Simon slash Burt gave her a thumbs up.
“Bellissima,” he said.
“Am I the only one that thinks it’s tight?” Will said.
“This is so typical. Why doesn’t she just cover her entire body and live in a cave?” Trish said, giving him an icy look.
“Christ, Trish, relax. Just because I don’t care if you dress like a tart, doesn’t mean someone else’s brother doesn’t care,” Stryker lisped around his fangs.
“So you’re saying she’s dressed like a tart?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Stryker said to her. “You would never dress like that, Lottie.”
“Even if I did, it would be no one’s business but mine. Not even yours, William,” Charlotte said, pinching Will’s ear with her fingernails as if he was a little boy who’d snuck a cookie out of the jar. She didn’t let go until he begged for mercy. I was completely confident in her ability to hold off any unwanted suitors.
“Okay, okay. Are we ready? I texted Aud and she’s going to meet us out front,” Will said, rubbing his ear and opening the door for the rest of us.
“Is it that tight?” Charlotte said, looking down.
“Just right,” I said, reaching to take her hand. She slipped her fingers into mine and we swung our arms as Trish and Stryker continued to argue about women wearing tight clothing.
Chapter Thirty
Lottie
I was really glad I took Katie’s suggestion to wear pantyhose because it was quite nippy outside. Holding Zan’s hand helped, too.
Audrey had her coat on, but opened it to show us her costume. A thin button-up shirt that showed her belly button, a short pencil skirt, sexy pumps and a set of sensible glasses. Her hair was twisted back, revealing her cheekbones.
“Wow,” Will breathed. “You look –” He couldn’t continue.
“Damn, girl. You are going to make one sexy lawyer,” Trish said.
“You got it? I brought this in case people didn’t get it.” She held up a gavel. “Even though I won’t get to bang one, I thought people might get the idea.”
Will was still trying to put his eyes back in his head.
“Close your mouth, Ernie,” I hissed at him. Zan looked like he wanted to laugh. Stryker coughed and Trish rolled her eyes.
***
The noise from the party was so loud you could hear it far up the street. Since the house was just off campus, we’d decided to walk.
“You sure about this?” Zan said looking at the pounding house that was practically bouncing on its foundation from the music and the gyrating bodies.
“You only live once.” The dress gave me more confidence than I normally would have had. “Hopefully the sky will wait until tomorrow to fall.”