Free Two Outta Three (Two Outta Three #1) by S. Briones Lim

asked in amusement.
    “You’re Jesse,” I answered dumbly.
    He nodded his head slowly. “Yeah, and you’re Rocky.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. You were the rocker guy—the bad boy. Not someone who would even know how to dance to Top 40 music.”
    “Well, you’d be surprised. Come on!” He grabbed my hand, pulling me from my seat.
    We squeezed between the crowds of people, their slick sweat rubbing against our skin. By the time we made it to the middle of the floor, I felt a need to dunk myself in sanitizer. To add insult to injury, the air was thick with humidity and pheromones, somehow making the room seem a bit more suffocating. I was definitely no longer in a dancing sort of mood.
    “Relax, Rocky! Dance.” Jesse placed his fingertips on my hips and began coaxing them from side to side. “Don’t you know how to dance?”
    “I know how to dance!” I snapped defensively, yet my body couldn’t relax enough for me to catch onto the rhythm.
    Jesse laughed, pressing his body against mine. “Then dance.”
    I gulped.
    I quickly realized the only way I’d be able to appear coordinated was to separate myself from the situation. If I even looked up at Jesse, I’d stiffen up. I closed my eyes and allowed his body to lead mine. After a few moments, I felt my muscles loosening up enough to move on my own. However, no matter how hard I tried I was aware of exactly what he was doing and how my body was reacting, and good God, how my body was reacting.
    A flash of heat traveled from my limbs straight to my core, pooling inside my belly. I felt a slight tingling between my legs, which only caused my stomach to tumble around even more. This feeling was exactly what I was missing with Ethan. It wasn’t just arousal—though trust me, I had a pretty good amount of it—it was passion.
    It was a common tale. Best friend in love with best friend in an unrequited sort of way. I’d had a crush on Jesse from the very first moment he was assigned to our biology group during freshman year. The crush only grew as I got to know him. I was able to see the boy behind the façade. I was able to see the boy who made me laugh, tended to my tears, and listened to my hopes, dreams, and fears. Though I knew deep down that that boy was now gone, being so close to this man only caused those feelings to come back in a rush.
    The crush of bodies around us pushed us even closer together. His fingertips grazed my arm, causing me to shudder and leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. Growing a bit courageous, I pried my eyes open and took a moment to watch Jesse’s movements. Surprisingly, he really did know how to dance. His hips swayed from side to side, even thrusting forward against me. His torso rolled in time with the music. Hell, even I wasn’t as coordinated. Though the sight was entrancing, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit saddened knowing that I did not know when and where he learned how to dance. It only added to my assumption that there really was a lot I didn’t know about him anymore.
    The DJ changed his tune and soon the pumping of the bass gave way to ear piercing screeching.
    “Ugh, what is this crap?” Jesse looked up towards the DJ booth and held out a thumbs down sign.
    “Guess, it’s techno. Wanna sit down?”
    “Nah, when in Rome, right?” With that, Jesse began jumping up and down, bobbing his head like a maniac.
    I couldn’t help but laugh, joining him in his crazy antics. That was how it always was, he’d lead and I’d follow. However, now that I was older, I wanted to be the one who led him.
    The music began to die down into a subtle hip hop beat. Jesse nodded his head in approval. “Now this is more like it.”
    He grabbed me closer, spinning me around. As I giggled, I spotted Stephanie dancing a few feet away from us. Her big eyes looked even larger as she stared at us in amusement.
    “Oh my gosh!” she mouthed towards me.
    I shot her a look that said, “Cool it!” and