Chapter 10: Dancing

Cheryl and I laughed as Aaron was telling us a story about a time they were filming 'Ghost Adventures', and Zak had gotten spooked by a vanilla scented, automated air freshener.

I remember the episode well. Zak had been walking down the hallway of an old hotel, in the pitch blackness, when an automatic air freshener above his head had went off, emitting a "hissss" that he had thought was a spirit.

"Bro, I'm setting you up with one those on some random lockdown soon," Zak said with a laugh, looking embarrassed.

Aaron laughed.

"Aww, come on bro! The fans loved it!" Aaron replied.

Cheryl and I were still laughing.

"Stupid, fucking air fresheners," Zak grumbled, downing the rest of his beer.

We all laughed.

I had to admit, I was having a better time than I thought I would. I didn't have any issues with Billy, Jay, or Ashley, but it was nice just having the four of us at the table. I knew I'd be working mostly with Aaron and Zak at most lockdowns, so it was nice to have the bonding time.

As a bonus, Cheryl and Aaron seemed to be getting along really well. I was surprised, Aaron wasn't Cheryl's usual type. But maybe she was like me, looking for something different out of life.

The guys were both dressed nice.

Aaron was wearing a black, long sleeved, buttoned up shirt, with one white skull design on either shoulder. He wore that with black jeans.

Zak had surprised me a bit. He was wearing just a plain black, long sleeved button up shirt, with no designs or anything on it, and a pair of dark gray jeans. I wondered if he purposely tried to dress himself up a bit nicer. Not that I cared, he looked good in everything I'd ever seen him wear.

My thoughts were distracted when I suddenly heard a familiar song come on. "The Call" by the Backstreet Boys.

I looked at the DJ booth, we were close enough to be able to see Billy fairly well. He gave me a smile.

"Nice! Who wants to dance with me?" Cheryl asked?

Both Aaron and Zak looked horrified. I knew this wasn't their type of music.

I laughed, poor Cheryl.

"Oh fine, you big babies!" Cheryl started, finishing off her cocktail, and suddenly grabbed my hand and looked at Aaron. "Excuse us," she added.

I blinked.

What?!

"Oh, no. Aaron, keep your butt in the booth," I said, but Aaron grinned across at Zak before quickly getting up out of the booth.

Cheryl slid along the booth, pulling my smaller frame along behind her.

"No, Cheryl!" She pulled me to my feet.

"Yes!" She said, pulling me toward the dance floor.

I reluctantly gave in, but still called back to Zak and Aaron, "Help me!"

They laughed.

Cheryl and I reached the dance floor, and I noticed she had pulled me to be in front of the DJ booth. I glared daggers at Billy now.

He laughed.

"Come on girl," Cheryl said, turning to face me and starting to dance, perfectly. Not at all awkward. Unlike me.

"You know I can't dance!" I whined.

"Oh sure you can! You just let your anxiety tell you otherwise," Cheryl stated, grabbing my hands and making me start to dance with her.

God, if you're listening, please give Zak temporary blindness, I thought, dancing with Cheryl, trying my best to just let go and have a moment of fun.

I started dancing more on my own as the song progressed, moving along with Cheryl's lead.

"There ya go! See!" Cheryl exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"I hate you!" I jokingly said to her over the music.

She laughed.

Minutes passed, the song turned out to be a remix, which was a longer version than the original song.

Just my luck.

"Oh, I think someone is interested in dancing with you," Cheryl said, looking past me at something. She had a devilish grin on her face.

I felt anxiety flood my system.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, afraid to look behind me.

"Zak just went up to the DJ booth. He's talking to Billy," Cheryl replied, smiling at me as she continued dancing.

"What?!" I exclaimed, glancing back over my shoulder. She had been right.

There was Zak, talking in Billy's ear and motioning to the dance floor.

Oh God no.

"You cannot leave me!" I said to Cheryl in a panic.

"What's that? I can't hear you," she said, faking deafness.

I glared at her.

"Cheryl…you know my lack of experience around guys! I can't dance with him!" I said.

I noticed Zak in the distance over Cheryl's shoulder. He was making his way toward us.

I felt like I was going to be sick.

Cheryl grinned.

"Relax sweetie. You'll be fine," Cheryl said, giving me a reassuring look. "I'm sure he doesn't bite," she added jokingly.

"Not funny…" I said seriously.

"Hey! Mind if I cut in?" Zak said, suddenly appearing out of no where.

Before I could utter a word, Cheryl spoke up.

"Not at all," she said, smiling, as she stepped aside to let Zak take her place.

Zak smiled.

"Thanks," Zak said stepping closer to me, smiling.

"Have fun!" Cheryl said, giving me a brief wave, mouthing "relax" at me before she disappeared into the crowd.

Fuck.

I heard the music change. I recognized the song and felt my anxiety rise another notch. It was "Feel It In My Bones" by DJ Tiesto.

I was a little surprised at Zak's song choice, but it didn't do much to distract me from my internal panic.

I focused on Zak when I noticed him lean down a bit, as if to be more level with me. His eyes were reassuring.

"Don't worry, I can't dance either," Zak said, smiling at me.

I wanted to relax and enjoy this moment. I really did. What would he think of me if I didn't?

I took a bit of a deep breath.

"No one is as bad as me…" I said honestly, glancing around nervously, as if trying to find a way to disappear.

"Hey now," Zak said softly, as softly as the music would allow, gently taking one of my hands.

I looked back at him. His hand holding mine felt nice.

"You looked perfectly fine dancing, I promise," Zak said softly again.

I felt my face flush.

It felt as if he were literally trying to pass calming energy through our hands.

I calmed a little. I don't think I could of said no at that point, especially not with that look of "please?" on his face.

"Alright…" I said, still nervous.

He smiled and stepped closer to me. There was barely any space between us.

I felt like I was going to be sick again.

"Here," he said, still speaking softly. He took both of my hands and lifted them up and placed them loosely around his neck. "I know it's probably difficult for you to reach," he added, with a smirk on his face.

I felt a knot of tension loosen itself within my body.

"Very," I joked softly with a quiet laugh.

He simply smiled and then proceeded to rest his hands on my hips.

I swallowed.

Relax… I tried to tell myself as we started to dance.

"So, listen um…I thought maybe we could talk," Zak said.

Well, there goes any chance of relaxing.

Authors Note: So, how are things so far? I hope you're enjoying the story!