More Dancing

"Well, the night's still young," Becky declared. "And I think I see Jacob heading this way. Ready for more dancing?"

Noah glanced over his shoulder to see Jacob approaching, looking slightly uncertain. Despite his lingering discomfort with the situation, Noah felt his smile widen.

"You know what? I might be."

As Jacob made his approach, the laughing subsided and the girls all suddenly became aloof. Noah was a little stunned to see the shift but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"Mind if I steal my date back?" Jacob asks the group with an apologetic smile.

"For now," Becky responded with a playful wink at Noah.

As Noah let Jacob take his hand and lead him back to the dance floor, Noah felt more at ease than he had been all night. Once they were back in the center of the auditorium he danced, letting the music guide him. The red dress swished around his legs as he attempted some simple dance moves. He's surprised to find himself actually enjoying the sensation. He even found himself grabbing his skirts and swishing them on purpose for the fun of it.

"Still doing okay?" Jacob asked, executing a dramatic spin that made Noah laugh despite himself.

"Yeah, I am," Noah admitted surprised that he actually was.

The moment was interrupted when Sarah stormed past them forcing Noah to instinctively step closer to Jacob. As she passed, Noah and Sarah locked eyes. Noah could see her fuming and for some reason, it felt directed.

"What's her problem?" Jacob asked as Sarah slipped past the crowd.

"No idea," Noah scanned the room but didn't see Tony.

Noah didn't look long, because his attention shifted when he heard the music shift to a slow song. He quickly remembered how close he was still standing next to Jacob as he looked up at him. Jacob's smile was small, an expression of hope. Noah knew what he wanted and almost outside of himself, he felt his head nod.

The gym lights dimmed, creating an intimate atmosphere as Jacob's hand found Noah's waist while Noah placed a hand on his shoulder, his heartbeat quickened at the contact as they began to sway to the music. Noah tried to focus on his feet to avoid stepping on Jacob's shoes with his heels.

"You can relax," Jacob said softly. "Just let me guide you."

Noah let out a shaky breath and allowed himself to be led. The fabric of Jacob's suit jacket felt crisp under his fingers, and he could smell that woodsy cologne again. Something about the scent was comforting and familiar, yet in this context, it made Noah's stomach flutter in an unfamiliar way.

Noah turned his attention away to focus on something else other than that flutter. His eyes drifted across the room as he took in the scene around him. The weight of a few of the palm tree cutouts looked to be too much for the tape used to keep them up, some drooping off the walls while others fell down completely. The other students were in various stages of fatigue. Hair was in disarray, ties were loosened or removed along with jackets. Everyone looked pretty tired to some degree or another. Something else he noticed, as he glanced from face to face, was that he and Jacob had gathered a good amount of attention from the other students, or at least he thought so. He began to feel uneasy as he could swear people were whispering to each other about them.

"You okay?" Jacob asked, his voice low enough that only Noah could hear as he checked in again.

Noah turned back to look at Jacob. "Yeah, I kind of feel like everyone's watching us."

"Well, who could blame them?" Jacob whispered.

The sincerity in Jacob's voice made Noah's chest tighten. Jacob's eyes were steady and piercing, an expression Noah had never seen before directed at himself.

"Jacob, I..." Noah started, then faltered. What could he possibly say? That he was actually his best friend in disguise? That this whole night was based on a bizarre accident?

Jacob lowered his mouth slowly toward Noah's, closing his eyes as Noah's painted lip quivered. Noah had been taking the night one step at a time, not considering the possibility of kissing his friend.