Free Bound Together by Eliza Jane

wanted to say something clever, like ‘when in Rome’ and grab her hand. But I took a sip of my beer instead. Stephanie headed towards us with a toothy smile. She grabbed my hand. “Come on.” And pulled me towards the dance floor. I glanced back at Zoey, but let Stephanie lead me away.
    Stephanie swayed her hips in front of me, bumping her hips into mine. I think she meant it to be sexy, but it just seemed forced . I wasn’t good at dancing so I settled for shifting my weight from side to side. Stephanie grabbed my hands and put them on her waist. She smiled up at me. I wasn’t really feeling this. I looked back to check on Zoey, but she wasn’t where I left her. My eyes scanned the room, searching for her. Had she left? I looked around Stephanie’s bouncing head and spotted Zoey on the other side of the dance floor being freaked by some Italian stallion with his shirt unbuttoned too far. He had his hands all over her. I moved Stephanie to the side so I could get a better look, but she mistook my touch for attention and dropped down in front of me, grinding into my lap. I was about to go rip that creep’s hands off Zoey, but then I noticed the look on her face. She wasn’t hating it. 
    The song turned to a slow one, and I side stepped out of Stephanie’s talons before she could pull me in. I walked over to Zoey and Rico Suave . “Zoey, come on, I think we should go.” I placed my hand on her elbow.
    “What you’re the only one who can get any action on this trip? A bit hypocritical, don’t ya think?” She nodded towards Stephanie, who stood watching us, pouting.
    “Zoey, you don’t even know this guy—he likes look he’s twenty-five.”
    “Fabien, Matt. Matt, Fabien,” she introduced us.
    He gave me a wink and pulled Zoey in close. I could definitely take him.
    “Don’t be a cock-block.” She waved me away.
    I felt Stephanie tugging at my arm. “Are you coming back?” I looked at Zoey one last time. She seemed so carefree, moving in tune with the music, smiling coyly at her Italian dance partner.
    “Ah, yeah.” I let Stephanie grab my arm and pull me towards her. 
     
    *****
     
    I checked my watch and realized we had fifteen minutes to get before our curfew. I gathered everyone up and we headed outside into the cool night air. It was sprinkling outside when we started the walk back.
    “Who was mister tall, dark and handsome?” Amanda asked Zoey.
    “ Fabien .”
    “Even his name’s sexy,” Stephanie said.
    I walked ahead, a little embarrassed that I’d tried to interfere with Zoey’s pick up.
    “Hey, Parker — wait up,” she jogged up to me.
    “Hey.”
    We walked together in silence for a few minutes. The sky opened up and the rained poured down on us in fat, wet drops. I looked up and let the water splash down on my face. It felt good, refreshing.
    “Wow,” Zoey held her hands out in front of her, palms up, catching the rain.
    “Come on,” I grabbed her hand. I wasn’t sure why, but I’d been wanting to touch her all night. I started jogging down the middle of the street, pulling her along. Our feet splashed clumsily in puddles as we ran. Zoey squeezed my hand tighter and we ran as fast as we could through the rain. The others were soon far behind us. I pulled Zoey around a corner, into an alley and held her with her back against the wall. I grabbed her waist, pulling her under the awning, away from the streams of water pouring from the blackened sky. Her eyes met mine and realizing I was clutching her waist, I pulled my hands away, quickly. I took a step back from her. We stood facing each other and our chests rose and fell heavily while we caught our breath. Water ran down her face and plastered her hair to her cheeks. Her tank top was glued to her body and she had goose bumps on her arms. She still looked beautiful and as always, her blue eyes captivated me.
    “Hey, what are you guys doing? Mr. Rhinehart’s going to flip if we’re late,” Bobby called from the street.