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‘Where did you get this?’ she asks again, impatiently waiting for my answer.
‘River.’
‘River?’ Laney thinks about that for a moment, finally breaking into a smile. ‘He proposed? Seriously?’
I shake my head. ‘He didn’t propose. It was more of a lesson in love.’ It takes me a while to explain the situation, but she swoons the same way Kai did.
‘No guy would do any of this for a woman he’s not into. You need to call him over here on the ruse that you need to thank him, then do all the dirty things he’ll let you because – as I’ve said before – he’s hot as hell.’
‘Intruder alert!’ Spike yells, flying from my shoulder to the edge of his cage by the window. ‘All intruders will be shot.’ His squawk sounds mechanical.
He’s staring out the window, pacing back and forth. ‘Intruders will be shot! Intruder alert! Woo-woo-woo-woo.’
‘His police siren is going off,’ Laney says. ‘It must be serious. Have 911 dialed, just in case.’
‘I’m not going to call 911. It’s probably just a squirrel or something.’ I glance out the window he’s staring out of, Laney joining me. But I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
28
RIVER
Deep breaths, Riv. You’re just wooing a girl, eighties style. The most amazing woman you’ve ever met, and if this goes wrong, you’ll be heartbroken, but yeah, just relax.
I can’t get in through the locked gate, so I’ve got no choice but to hold this beast of a boombox over my head, exactly like her favorite movie scene. Before I do, I turn the volume knob up, and hit play. Now we wait.
I spent all night learning a dance routine based solely on her love of British boy bands. The song I chose is ‘Kiss You’ by One Direction because if she goes for this, I’m kissing that girl like I’ve never kissed anyone before.
A chorus later, the front door of the building opens. Jade and Laney walk out, but I see only Jade’s face. She’s biting her lips together, holding back a smile. I set the boombox on one of the brick pillars near the gate, displaying my bomb dance moves without shame. After watching me make a complete fool of myself, she heads my way.
‘What are you doing?’ she asks with a laugh, typing the code into the gate keypad so I can get in.
‘Come on,’ I say as I walk through, extending my hand for her to join me.
She doesn’t hesitate, and unsurprisingly (considering her love for boy bands of the past), she knows the moves and dances along, laughing with me.
‘How are you this good?’ she asks through a laugh.
‘Did I never tell you my dad was a professional backup dancer for musicians of yesteryear? It’s how he and my mom met.’
‘Wow, you did not ever tell me that. It’s kind of romantic.’
‘It’s totally romantic and sometimes a little embarrassing when a video pops up on my TV screen, and there’s my father in all his eighties glory, white boy afro, and spandex pants, busting a move.’
She giggles at the thought of it. ‘I might need to see those videos one day.’
‘One day, you will. You’ll see all the home videos too. And I’m sure he’ll even dance for you in person ’cause it’s what he does.’
We dance for a bit longer, enjoying every second. I even spin her around once successfully.
‘So, do tell,’ she says while dancing around her courtyard with me. ‘What are we doing besides acting like lunatics in broad daylight?’
‘You don’t recognize this scene?’
‘I do. It’s my fave scene ever. I’m just not sure where it’s going.’
‘Well, you wanted an eighties movie-style romance, so I’m ending our film.’
The dancing stops. ‘You’re ending it?’ she asks with worry.
