Disclaimer: Still don't own Lizzie McGuire, as usual.
Chapter 5
"Hey hey! Who are those two hot chicks with ya?" a guy near the entrance whistled. The girl next to him slapped him and, "Honey, you're so loud!" I grinned at Miranda.
"Ethan!" I shouted, and gave him a hug.
"Wow, you look great!" Miranda said, also hugging him.
"Now now, don't steal my man away," Kate joked, waggling her finger at Miranda. We laughed.
"Alrighty then, shall we?" Larry gestured at the door.
"Hi, reservation for dinner, party of six under the name Gordon," Gordo said to the host at the counter. He checked the list. "Right this way, Mr. Gordon," the waiter gestured. He led us to a large corner booth and handed us menus.
"Wow, you're right Gordo, this is pretty classy," Miranda said as she shrugged out of her jacket. We all agreed.
The club was arranged so that the tables were clustered, leaving space for dancing. Near the middle was a full-service bar.
"Can I get you any drinks?" the waiter asked.
"Strawberry daiquiri," Miranda replied. That was her favorite drink ever since we turned 21.
"Same here," Kate added.
All three guys asked for beer.
"What about you, miss?" the waiter said to me.
"Um, just water," I said, changing my mind.
After a lot of indecision, since everything on the menu seemed delicious, we placed our orders, got our food, and started eating.
"So, how has engaged life been for you two?" Larry asked through a mouthful of pasta.
"Fun," Ethan replied, grinning at Kate.
"We finally finished decorating and arranging our furniture," Kate added. "Now it's just awaiting for its first guests, besides our parents."
"We'll come pick you up tomorrow," Miranda said. "So we can see it."
A waitress came and cleaner our table for us when we finished, so we split the check six ways and went to sit at a table closer to the dancing.
"Ooh, I love this song!" Kate shouted over the music. "Come on, Ethan!" She grabbed him and went out to dance.
I saw Miranda dart a glance at me. "Larry, we can't let Kate and Ethan be the best couple out there! Let's go show them our moves!" Without another word, the two of them took off to the dance floor, leaving only Gordo and me.
Even though we had patched things up a few weeks ago, I could still feel the tension in the air surrounding us. It was the all too familiar feeling I've had since high school.
In high school, Gordo and I had known we were harboring mutual feelings towards each other. We both decided that it was better if we just stayed friends and nothing more. We had been best friends all our lives, and it would have been too terrible to throw that away if we had dated, broken up, and couldn't stand to be around each other anymore. So we went back to being best friends.
But I'm not sure if I want only that.
Gordo held his hand out to me. "Would you like to dance, Lizzie?"
"Of course, Mr. Gordon," I replied with a smile.
We stepped onto the dance floor, just when the song ended. A slower melody started up. Wordlessly, I fell into his open arms. I was so close to him that I could still smell the lingering scent of his laundry detergent on his shirt, slightly mixed with his cologne. I rested my head on his shoulder.
"David?" I heard a voice call. I lifted my head and saw a girl making her way towards us. "Um, Gordo," I prompted him. He let go of me and turned.
"David!" The girl hugged Gordo.
"Hey!" Gordo greeted her. "It's great to see you again!" He turned to me. "Lizzie, this is my cousin Carol. Carol, this is my friend, Lizzie."
"Oh, I think we've met before!" Carol remembered. I briefly recalled meeting her at Gordo's house one summer.
"Oh, yeah, Carol!" I said, shaking her hand.
"Oh, Lizzie, you don't mind if I steal him away for a dance, do you? I need to catch up with my cousin," she asked me.
I didn't want to stop dancing with Gordo, but I didn't have any other choice. "Oh, no! Go ahead!" I waved them off and started towards the bar.
I sat at the counter and ordered a ginger ale. I smiled as I watched Kate try to teach Ethan to dance a little less exuberantly, and Larry and Miranda dancing together.
"What do you mean?"
I turned when I heard Gordo's voice coming from around the corner. I peered behind the plant next to me and glimpsed Gordo and Carol sitting at a small table.
Carol's head turned towards my seat and I quickly pretended I was absorbed in the interesting counter, not wanting her to see me.
"I mean, what the deal on that girl? Are you two going out?"
"No! Of course not!"
I heard some mumbling, and then, "Well, I could've sworn I saw something between you two. Is there, you know, a possibility? Do you feel that towards her?"
I froze. There was a short pause and I shifted closer, trying to hear better.
"No. No, of course not. She's just a friend."
I leaned back. Of course. I had known it all along, just didn't want to believe it. Gordo and I would always be friends, and nothing more. Despite my efforts, I felt hot tears stinging my eyes and hurried to the ladies' room.
After washing my face with cold water several times and putting a few in eye drops, I felt a better, but not a whole lot better. I resumed my spot at the bar and scanned the room again.
There Gordo was, carrying two drinks. I followed him with my eyes to a beautiful black-haired girl. I sighed miserably.
"Excuse me, ma'am."
I looked up at the waiter. "This is from that young man at that table," he said, gesturing, as he put down a drink in front of me.
I turned. He was gazing back at me, and smiled when he saw me looking at him. I smiled back at him, which he took as an invitation to come over.
"Hi," he said, sitting down next to me. "Gary Thomas."
I shook his hand. "Hi, Elizabeth McGuire, but you can call me Lizzie." I studied him. He was tall, built, with gorgeous brown eyes and brown hair. As looks go, he was pretty decent. I decided to stop dreaming about a guy I would never be able to attain, and to get to know the nice guy sitting next to me.
"Well, Lizzie, I have to say, I been watching you all night," Gary said smoothly. "Your beauty was like a lighthouse, calling me towards you."
I blushed. "Well, Gary, thank you very much."
We talked for a little while, about work, majors, just getting to know each other. Gary suddenly stood up.
"I'm getting tired of just sitting here," he began. "How about you show me some of those dance skills you were telling me about?"
I laughed, but hesitated for a moment. I chanced a glance at Gordo. The girl had her arm around him. I looked up at Gary again.
"Of course, but you better be able to keep up with me!" For once, I was going to enjoy myself without Gordo.
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SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY for not updating!!!!!!!!!!!! I beg you not to kill me!!! I will one day finish this story!!! I have already started the next chapter!
But please keep reading and reviewing! By the way, thanks to I3itterSweet for the tip about tvtome.com! I learned lots from that site! =p