Nick had my hand gently in his as I followed him out onto the dance floor. I couldn’t help the butterflies in my stomach as he turned me around. “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira was blasting in the speakers as Nick pulled me close to him. I finally remembered Nick’s “dancing side”. His eyes would become very dark and stormy-like, as he would stare back into my eyes every time we went dancing. I felt my breath catch in my throat as he pulled me even closer to him and let his hand rest on the small of my back. I let him control me as we began to grind to the beat. I knew how to drive him wild. I brought my mouth up to his ear and sang the words softly to him as I shook my hips to the beat.
He turned me around and brought his lips down to my level as he left a small, gentle kiss in the crook of my neck. He kept his hands planted firmly, yet securely, on my stomach and moved my hips to match his. I couldn’t help the warmth growing within my body as I brought my arms up around my head and rested them on the back of Nick’s neck. I played with his hair as we danced. I laughed as he nibbled on my ear playfully. A smile crept over his lips as I brought one hand back down and rested it on the hands on my stomach.
“I missed you,” he whispered in my ear. I closed my eyes as I pretended it was just Nick and I in that crazy club. As the song wound down to an end, “Temperature” by Sean Paul came on and Nick slipped away. I frowned in his direction but he smiled back. “I’ll be right back.” He mouthed and hurried off. I felt kind of ridiculous standing there without anyone to dance with, so I headed over to the table to get a drink. I saw Nick talking to the DJ and wondered what he was saying. I took a long swig and watched as Brian and Leighanne enjoyed themselves.
Leighanne saw me and frowned as she realized Nick wasn’t with me. “Where’s Nick?” She mouthed. I shrugged and took another drink from my drink. The music stopped and everyone sounded disappointed.
“Okay, we have an odd request. Rachel, Nick wants you to know that he remembers,” the DJ said. At that moment, “Unchained Melody” came over the speakers. People made it known that they were hurt and upset that the DJ would play something like this. I felt my hand go up to my mouth as tears filled my eyes. I saw as Nick approached me.
“Do you remember?” He asked me, barely above a whisper as he took my hand and led me to the center of the dance floor.
“Of course I remember,” I gasped and let him wrap his arms around me. I pulled him closer to me as I put my arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you remember.” I laughed lightly. My expression became more serious as I saw how serious he was.
“I remember everything, Rachel,” he sighed. I leaned my head up against his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Nick rubbed little designs on the small of my back and rested his head on top of mine.
“Nick, are you crazy!” I laughed as he pulled me down the dock towards the water. “It’s practically midnight! Sharks feed at this hour!”
“We don’t have to worry about sharks. We aren’t getting into the water,” he explained as he stepped onto his boat. He reached out for my hand. I laughed and took it, stepping onto the boat with him. “Wait here.” He whispered. I bit my bottom lip in anticipation as he disappeared behind the cover in the back of the boat. All of a sudden, I heard the opening sound of “Unchained Melody”. I smiled.
“Why this song?” I asked him shyly as he approached me again, this time with two glasses of champagne.
“Well, I remember when we first started going out, that you said you would love to have this be your wedding song one day. And, well, I know we aren’t getting married or anything,” Nick shrugged. “But, I wanted it to be our song.”
“That’s so sweet,” I whispered as he handed me a glass of champagne. “What are we celebrating?” I asked him just as softly.
He looked at me long and hard, then I watched as a smile crept on his lips. “My love for you.”
As the memory faded and the song began to come to and end, I felt the tears begin cascade down my cheeks. I didn’t want this moment to end. I realized I never wanted it to end at all. As I pulled away from Nick, I saw the tears in his eyes. Some people applauded and I felt as though they were watching Nick and I. But then I realized it was probably because the sappy song was over. I wiped at my eyes as Nick knelt down and whispered in my ear, “I love you, Rachel LaRoe.”
Perfect moment, right? Think again. “Ray?” I heard from behind me.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I have to admit, I'm kind of bummed to see I don't have any reviews. But since I'm leaving tomorrow for a while, I decided to be generous and give ya'll this chapter. It's a big one! Please review! -- OH! And big cliffhanger at the end. Can you figure out who it is? Hmmm...
