Peter and Taylor never danced like this before

Over the last three years, Peter had successfully forgotten how much he hated these ear-stabbing two minutes and fifty-seven seconds. Watching Hannah dance to their song with his best friend was an unexpected form of ****.

“I can't believe we never danced like this before!!” Hannah and Taylor stood face-to-face in the center of the room, belting their hearts out into imaginary microphones. The female vocalist took lead, and Hannah carried her end of the duet, her back pressed against Taylor, one hand lost in her friend's brunette mane. Taylor reciprocated with an arm around Hannah's waist, waiting, with her smoky voice, for the male guest artist's turn to croon.

“Couldn't we feel it, or did we just want more?!” Ugh. It was such a stupid drabble of a love song, but he'd felt it speak to him when he sang the words to her. He could remember the shock on her face, Who? Me?, give way to expectancy and then joy as he kissed her for the first time. The soft yield of her lips against his. The tremor in her voice when she whispered her name with want. Good Lord, he'd remembered that.

“So before you go back, and waste one last song on Miss Coke-and-Jack, I've got one last chance...”

Hannah pulled Taylor in for an open-mouth kiss. Taylor's eyes went wide, but it didn't take long for her to relax and melt into the blonde's hungry mouth. Exactly two-and-a-quarter seconds, in fact, the exact length of the rest in the song. At that point Hannah sprung out and took Brandon by the hand, echoing the song's last line.

“Hey, boy!” Her wicked grin stretched from ear to ear. “You owe me a dance!”

Taylor, dumbstruck, but thankful all eyes were locked on Hannah, slipped out from the middle of the room and ended up in front of, oh God, this was awkward.

“Pete, are you...?”

“Yeah! Yeah.” He waved it off. It was difficult to meet Taylor's eyes. “So, um, I guess you two are...?”

“Oh, no, no way. She's just... you know. You know how she gets when people are watching.”

“Right.” Even with the lights dimmed he could see Taylor blush, and he wasn't used to her smoky voice stumble over words. Ah well! It was fun screwing with her sometimes. “Riiiight,” he said with a wink. She tried to sneer but couldn't help smiling at him.

Across the room, Hannah moved as if she was lighter than air. Ashley was nowhere to be seen, but her sister kept Brandon warm, laughing and twisting just outside the younger guy's reach. Under her red shirt her phenomenal boobs gyrated in perfect time with the music.

Peter just didn't have that in him. His leaden heart weighed him down, and the idea of dragging his feet made him feel pitiful.

Taylor's eyes followed his. “Ugh, you're such a stiff,” she huffed. She pulled him away from the wall and tried to make him sway, if not with the rhythm then at least with her own time. Peter couldn't resist one last good sulk, though, and whenever she moved he would flail bonelessly under her hands.

“You ass,” she laughed. He finally stopped wriggling.

“I'm fine, Tay, don't worry about me." He nodded back at Hannah. "When was the last time you got laid?”

She brightened but looked skeptical, eyebrow raised, tongue between her teeth. “I'm doing ok for myself.”

“Really? 'Cause you haven't been munching on cough drops like they're candy lately, so...”

“Hey!” She turned her back on him as the tempo picked up. Was her butt always so tight and round? “If guys would pay attention to the things I like, I wouldn't have to be so emphatic about them!”

“Oh, 'emphatic!' That's much more ladylike than 'screamy!'”

“Get outta here.” Taylor took his hand and spun, giving his face a light slap with her free one.

By the end of the song he felt a little better. It was nice having someone he could banter with. He saw Chloe and Gavin jamming out across the room. They were as uncoordinated and jerky as a pair of dying walruses, but they were laughing, no delusions about themselves. It didn't matter. No one else's opinions did.

He missed that.

Taylor looked past him, over his shoulder. “I better step out for a minute.” She pointed as she walked away. “You. Fun. Have some.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope!”

Peter laughed and shook his head. Alright. Who else was dancing alone?