I watched from the other side of the hall, smugly sipping away at my drink. I thought about the situation and how I was proud of myself for being able to take control like that. While it was definitely strange pretending to be a couple, the look on her face when I flipped the situation on her was worth every bit of anxiety she caused me. It was also nice to get back at her for earlier when she pulled my pants. I grabbed her ass hard and really pushed the boundaries of our physical interactions. As an added bonus, she had, as it turned out, quite a nice ass, so getting a good handful was very pleasing. After what must have been an awkwardly long conversation, she walked away and found me.

“Hey, babe,” I called out mockingly as she approached.

“Hey, sweetie,” she replied, through gritted teeth. She punched me on the arm, a smile still plastered on her face.

“Ow. Is someone a little…butt-hurt?” I joked.

“I will say I am impressed, Jake. You definitely took charge of that situation and came out of your shell a bit to get the better of me.” She did a humble bow with her head as she said this.

“Thank you,” I said smugly, while crossing my arms.

“Too bad you left the conversation though,” she added, with an air of mischievousness.

“W-what do you mean?” I replied, suddenly losing the smug attitude as my arms fell to my sides.

“Well, I told them all about how you like to be dominated and how you said you’ve ‘never felt a more pleasurable pain’ than the sting that whip produces,” she said, in a very mocking voice.

“Fuck,” I said, realising I had badly lost the little game we were playing.

“Well, you did grab my ass,” she said in an apathetic tone.

“Well, you kissed me,” I retorted.

“A peck on the cheek vs. a slap and squeeze on mine? I don’t think they’re equal,” she whimsically replied.

“You did dack me earlier, remember?” I rebutted, “So, surely, me grabbing your ass was equal to those two.”

“You make a good point,” she responded truthfully. “I guess you get a free pass next time then,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

“Ooh, well in that case, I have never touched a girl’s boob before,” I joked.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she responded candidly, goading me to prove her wrong.

It had only been a joke, but a part of me really did want to reach out and touch her after I said that. I looked down at her chest with a sexual gaze; a gaze I had never used before. They looked touchable. Just big enough to fully fit into my hand. They looked perky and free in her outfit. How had I not noticed how they bounced before? I’m sure I must have noticed, but didn’t notice at the same time. She is my friend, and I’ve never thought of her in a sexual way before. The same way a sister might go braless before bed, you notice without noticing, and only ever look them in the eye. I have always looked at her as my friend, choosing to look inside her soul, rather than at the shape of her body.

I looked up into her eyes. She had a shy beauty as she stood before me. I realised there was a silence between us that was able to drown out the entire crowded hall. She looked away into the distance, lost in thought. A small smile curled at her lips, as she turned away. As I was lost in my own thoughts, she began to sway at the hips. Silently dancing to the rhythm of her mind, oblivious to the world around her. She looked back at me. I felt a strange tingle of nervousness in my stomach. She had looked at me 1000 times before, and yet, something felt different this time.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight. I know it’s outside of your comfort zone. I’ve enjoyed it,” she said quietly, a tone of sincerity behind her words.

“Thank you for making me. I’ve enjoyed it too,” I replied, a little surprised that what I said was genuine.

“We can go if you want. I know you’d prefer to go home.”

“We just got here. And you’ve barely even danced,” I selflessly reasoned.

“It’s free entry. It doesn’t matter when we leave, as long as we had a good time.”

“True.” I respond, “But do you want to leave?”

“I’m happy to leave if I can still hang with you,” she smiled. “Unless my boyfriend wants to dance with me a little bit?” she asked hopefully.

“You know how I feel about dancing. Besides, I can’t dance,” I answer, a tone of disappointment in my voice.

“Well, if you pretend to be my boyfriend still, we could dance together, and it will be easier for you,” she offered.

“I’m not sure how that would be any better,” I responded, not seeing any difference.

“For starters, we can stay right here, away from the dancing crowd, where no one will watch you. And secondly,” she gently took hold of both my hands, “couples hold hands when they dance. So, you can just follow my movements.” She smiled at me, which brought me comfort.

“I will try,” I said meekly. I was nervous, but she did a good job of making me feel relaxed. I felt safer holding her hands. They had a warmth to them—a feeling of connection—that made my chest feel lighter.

She moved my hands around silently. Our eyes locked as we swayed with the sound of the music around us. We flowed with the music, gently staying in time with every second beat. She raised my hands up and out and my body followed. We danced in a small, private circle, existing in our own world. Kaitlyn smiled her beautiful smile as she watched the tension leave my body. For a brief moment, I was able to only focus on her.

“This isn’t terrible,” I thought to myself. “I love having her as my best friend.” I wanted to say something nice to tell her how I was feeling but couldn’t find the right words.

“This is nice,” I said softly.

“This is dance emotion, Jake,” she cooed. “Can you feel it?”

“Yeah,” I said, looking directly into her chestnut eyes. I looked deep inside her and into her soul. I felt our connection, our friendship. I saw that I meant the world to her. “Thank you, Kait,” I said sincerely.

“For what?” she asked.

“You can always make me feel comfortable, even when I don’t think it's possible. You mean so much to me.” Kaitlyn smiled a brilliant smile and drew me in for a hug. I welcomed her embrace, and we stood there holding each other. Her head rested on my shoulder and my hand gently held the back of her head. I noticed how soft her hair was and ever so slightly let it slide through my fingers. She breathed in deeply and nudged her head on my shoulder. We stayed together until the music faded into a new song. We released each other slowly.

“That was the best hug you’ve ever given me,” she said, enchanted.

“Yeah…” I replied, realising that I didn’t force it to stop.

Squeezing my hand, she said, “Thanks for dancing with me, Jake. I loved it.”

“Maybe we can do it again, sometime,” I said, making her smile. “Want to go? You can stay at my place tonight,” I offered.

Gently, she replied, “Sure. I’d like that.”