Chad was dancing with Kelsi when Ryan decided to cut in. He made a joke out of it, not wanting to give any indication of ulterior motives. Kelsi shot him a knowing look. He rolled his eyes at her and waved her off. Chad's hands were sturdy, as Ryan had always figured they'd be, gripping his sides as firmly as Ryan would've hoped. Ryan put his hands on Chad's shoulders and prayed he didn't step on the almost disconcertingly attractive boy's feet.
"You're a better dancer than most girls," Chad observed, shrugging at Zeke when he and Sharpay passed them. Zeke winked and Ryan was grateful for the low light. This way, Chad couldn't see that he was blushing.
"Well, I've had a bit of practice," said Ryan, doing a bit of a softshoe to demonstrate. Chad laughed.
"Yeah, I don't think Kelsi can do that," he said. "It's just natural for you, isn't it? It's, like, your thing."
"Well, you don't have to think about what you're doing when you pick up a basketball, do you?"
"Not really, I guess."
"Well, there you have it." The song ended, and something much slower came on. Ryan refrained from putting his head on Chad's shoulder, though he would have loved to. Not too much too fast.
"Two weeks till graduation," Chad said idly. "You excited?"
"Yeah, I am." Ryan was going to Julliard whether he got the scholarship or not. "I mean, there's certain things"—And by that, he meant people—"I'll miss about Albuquerque, but ... New York. Can you imagine?"
"Hardly," said Chad. "I'm staying here, remember?"
"You should travel this summer. Get out. Go somewhere," Ryan encouraged him. "It'd be good to get away before you stay ... you know, semi-permanently."
"You're probably right."
"I usually am."
Chad laughed a little, not quite meeting Ryan's eye. The conversation had taken a turn toward the mildly flirtatious a while back, and Ryan couldn't imagine Chad was completely comfortable with that. But Ryan certainly was. And he was fairly convinced he could get Chad to that point, too.
"So," said Ryan. "You going to the musical?"