4. More Time to Rock: Dance with Me

I should have been glad that he walked me home, but I was bummed our night ended early. It was only 8:03 and my night was over. It was a Saturday night and I was back to sitting at home. I decided a nice bath might be nice, so I ran the tub and sank into the hot water to forget myself for a while. Some time had passed and there was a ring on my doorbell. I sat up immediately, a bit taken off guard, then quickly got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around me and ran downstairs.

I peeked through the peep hole, and my heart jumped. It was Jack. I cracked the door open.

"I'm sorry, I hope you're not busy or anything. I just figured that…well the night kinda ended early and all," he said. He looked so adorable wrapped up in his coat and scarf. I opened the door all the way to reveal to him that I was in a towel.

"Sure, come on in," I laughed. He blushed at the unexpected sight of me in a towel.

"I'm so sorry! I can leave if you're busy…"

"No! Have a seat. I'll be right back," I said, and ran up the stairs. I drained the tub and changed back into my clothes. I met him on the couch moments later.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"I was just sitting at home and my brothers didn't get home yet, so I figured you might be up for something else," he said, rubbing his hold hands together, his rings clanking. I took his hands in my warm hands for a moment.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked, looking up at him. He paused, not expecting me to be warming his hands. He finally spoke.

"Anything really," He said, looking me in the eyes.

"You're into rock music aren't you?" I asked. He laughed at the obvious answer.

"Yeah," he laughed.

"Well, I have a friend from school that's in a rock band and I got an email from him today saying he's playing at the art space in downtown Detroit tonight. We could go to that if you're up for it…"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" I said, standing up, pulling me up with him.

"Well let's get going—I think it started at 8," I said getting my coat and heading out the door.

We got to the art space and the concert was already going on. Inside, we partied, screaming along with my friend's band when they played re-makes of songs Jack and I knew. We especially had fun screaming Green Day's "Holiday" when they played that. It was a cliché song, but it was fun. Sadly, it ended an hour after we arrived, leaving us at 11:15—and nothing to do.

"So now what?" I asked. "Are you feeling up to doing anything else?"

"Yeah! That was the shit. I feel fine!" Jack laughed, all pumped up. We got out to the street and stood around for a bit.

"Wanna go clubbing?" I asked. It seemed like a far stretch for the punk-rocker Jack, but he seemed to jump at it.

"Sure!" I shrugged and chuckled.

"Alright, let's go then," I laughed as we headed down the streets of downtown Detroit.

We found a club called "The Heat". It was free for ladies after 11, which was awesome, and was only like 15 bucks for Jack. The music was mostly hip hop inside, but I didn't care. I was in such a pumped up dancing mood nothing mattered. Jack seemed to feel the same. The music played so loud and I could feel the bass pulsing in my chest and stomach and I could barely hear Jack when he talked to me. We danced, Jack with a beer in his hand, and me just having had a tequila/lime shot and I was ready to get down and dirty with Jack.

"Ladies, grab 'yo man and dance with him!" The DJ hollered.

"Let me know if I make you uncomfortable, alright?" I yelled up to Jack over the loud music.

"Alright," He grinned as he placed his hand on my lower back as I danced closer to him until we were grinding and I could feel the warmth of his body with mine. We danced for the next few songs like that—nice and close, grinding, until the DJ changed the music up a bit. Janet Jackson's "That's the way love goes" came on.

"What the hell kind of club is this!" I shrieked at the slower, more intimate song.

"Who cares?" Jack asked, pulling me closer, continuing to dance with me in ways I didn't know he knew were possible. Feeling more comfortable since he was clearly comfortable, I really got into it. I turned so my back was to him and moved my hips against him in ways I didn't even know I knew! He moved his hands down my hips and down my thighs and back up again. I turned around again and we danced front to front again. I didn't even realize it, but I was singing along with the song. As the song ended, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, Jack was smiling. I also noticed he had something in his pocket. The music changed back to faster hip hop.

"Jack do you have something in your pocket?" I asked glancing at him up and down. He looked down and then back at me with a smirk on his face. He was beet red.

"No…"

"Oh my God, I'm sorry! It's okay!" I exclaimed, feeling awful at pointing his rather noticeable boner. He just laughed.

"It's alright. That last dance kinda made it inevitable," he said. We both laughed and shared the rest of the dances at the club that night until it closed at 2.

We ended up, drunk, back at my place, sitting on the sofa—it was 2:37 am.

"You can sleep here if you don't feel like walking back," I said, trying to come off as a drunken whore who wanted to sleep with him. I didn't have any real sexual intentions—only what happened on the dance floor. I think he knew that as well.

"I would, but I know I'd never hear the end of it from my brothers tomorrow," he replied. "They always tell me I'm gay and shit!"

"Well if you spend the night here I'm sure they won't think that," I laughed and he laughed with me.

"Probably. Either that, or they'll say I'm gay cus we didn't fuck," he replied, standing up.

"I understand," I laughed, pulling him back down on the sofa.

"I really don't wanna leave yet," he said, slurring his sentence a bit.

"Jack?" I asked, leaning my head on him.

"Yeah babe?" He asked turning his head towards me.

"Do you feel anything?" I asked, sitting up and looking at him.

"Like…what?" he asked.

"Like with tonight and us having a good time,"

"Yeah, I had a great time tonight," he replied.

"But I mean, like…do you feel a connection?" I asked. "I know we just met and all, but I'm not gonna lie—I can't get you outta my head, Jack,"

"You feel that way? Like you're attracted to me?" He asked.

"Yeah. I am."

"Good. I was afraid I was the only one," He laughed. "I saw you and I thought, 'oh God, she's gorgeous—she'd never go for a guy like me'"

"Aww, no Jack! You're all I could think about ever since I saved you. And you know what else? I get that giddy feeling whenever I look at you," I laughed, falling back on the sofa.

"I do too!" Jack exclaimed, his eyes all glassy and glazed over with drunkenness.

"Wanna try it then?" I asked.

"Try what? Sex?" He asked.

"No. The dating thing," I replied.

"There are some things you might wanna know about me before you decide whether you wanna date me or not, Ange," he said, more soberly.

"I don't care what's in your past, Jack. I trust you," I said, also sobering up a bit.

"Well, as you know, my mom, she adopted me and my brothers. I had a rough childhood before I came to her," he said, avoiding eye contact with me once again.

"I understand," I said, taking his hand.

"I was abused by my parents and the other foster homes I went to didn't even care about me when I was living there,"

"That's awful," I said, still holding his hand. He held mine tight.

"There's more. I want you to know I'm not a virgin…"

"That's okay, Jack. I'm not either…"

"No, it's worse," he was real tense, almost in tears. "I lost it when I was 9. My uncle raped me and it became pretty habitual,"

"I'm so sorry, Jackie," I said, holding his hand tight.

"There's more. I turned to drugs as a means to escape from my emotional pain and fucked up life. I mostly smoked pot, but the cheap shit that was probably laced with fucked up shit,"

"It's okay Jack. I've done pot a few times too," I said, trying to make him feel better.

"I mostly did pot—I was high all the fuckin' time. I tried cocaine a few times, smoked opium a couple times too,"

"I don't blame you," I replied, "but Evelyn took you in, and you're clean now. It's all in the past now, Jack. I trust you, and I want you to trust me,"

"That's about it—but it is hard for me to trust people. I didn't even trust mom when she first took me in, but I grew to see how sweet and kind she truly was. Well now you know all about me and my past. I'll ask you now again, do you still wanna date me?"

"Jack, please look at me," I said after pausing. He finally made eye contact with me, "I want you to trust me. I promise you I'll never hurt you—I care about you. I know this is all so soon—so sudden, but it's how I truly feel. Yes, I want to date you."

"You really do?"

"I wouldn't have said I did if I didn't," I replied, forcing a smile for him in this heavy moment. He smiled back finally.

"Then let's try it," he replied.