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“Rhys, it’s okay if you want to dance with my sister.”
I focused back on Rachel. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can. I think you should.”
“It’s not right.”
“But it is right this one time. I can tell that you and Riley both need it to happen. For closure.”
Suddenly, she and Jackson were next to Rachel and me. Then my brother cut in and took off dancing with his wife, leaving Riley and me standing in front of each other, unsure what to do next.
Who was I kidding? I knew what I wanted to do. So, right or wrong, I held my hand out for Riley’s, hoping she wouldn’t leave me standing here, looking like a fool.
“Will you dance with me?” I asked.
She slowly stepped forward and placed her hand in mine. Then, as always, we began two-stepping in perfect rhythm.
While our song continued playing, we didn’t say a word. We just gazed at each other. The dreamy look in Riley’s eyes made me want to close the few inches of space between us so I could feel her against me. I wouldn’t dare to do that, though. I was already pushing things here.
Then Riley unexpectedly took up that space and melted into me.
The front of her body was pressing against mine, her head was resting on my shoulder, and her warm breath was caressing the skin on my neck. I’d never felt as high as I did now.
Riley’s hand was still in mine while my other was on the small of her back, leading her in this dance. A moment later, I looked down at her. She turned her head, bringing her lips so close to mine that it made my mouth water.
We stayed in that position when we shouldn’t have—just like Riley shouldn’t have outlined my mouth with her fingertip or run it along my jawline, or like I shouldn’t have wrapped my arm around her waist and held her tight like she was mine again.
But I did, and she let me.
The same was true of letting her touch me how she used to.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and nuzzled her nose into the crook of my neck, making the heat in my body rise even higher. All this happening between us was confusing and jacking with my head and heart, yet I couldn’t let go of Riley. Then I felt the wetness on my shirt and stopped our dance.
“Hey,” I said.
Riley raised her head off my shoulder and looked up at me. Tears were falling from her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to dance. I knew better,” I continued, feeling so much regret. “It’s just that I wanted to feel you in my arms one last time before you married somebody else.”
“That’s what I wanted, too, Rhys.”
“So why are you crying?”
“You don’t want to know.”
She pulled away from me and hurried off the dance floor. Jackson and Rachel were straight ahead of her, and she grabbed her sister’s arm, pulling her with her toward Macie, standing next to the bar. When they reached her, Macie pointed at the exit. Then, my first and only love left Cheers and Beers with her sister and best friend.
CH 6 - #friends
Riley
Songs: “What If I Never Get Over You” by Lady Antebellum
and “Black Betty” by Ram Jam
“I SAW THIS big-time breakdown of yours coming,” Macie said, waving her hand up and down in front of me.
My sister nodded. “So did I.”
