I was smiling so hard it hurt. Was I actually vibing this dude?
This Is War - Chapter 35 – Wanna Switch Rooms?
Saturday – September 23, 2023
One dance at a time, Cole got me a little more comfortable with dancing. First he had me do the sprinkler. It was stupid, but it was easy. Then he started yelling out animal names for us to act out. The elephant was simple, but then he yelled, “Platypus!”
I stared at him in confusion. I hardly knew what a platypus looked like, much less how to imitate one.
Cole pressed his lips between his fingers to make a duckbill and then simultaneously rolled his eyes back into his head and stuck his tongue out.
I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked totally ridiculous.
I still wasn’t convinced that I could really let loose, though. Not untilDancing Queenstarted playing. Cole really embraced the song. For the next three minutes, he truly was the Dancing Queen. His dance was over the top and hilarious and extremely gay. But something about it gave me the confidence to join him.
“I’m the dancing queen!” we both shouted as we twirled around.
In that moment, something clicked. Cole was right. Dancing was all about confidence. And what did I have to not be confident about? No one was watching us. And if they had been, all they would have seen was a couple having the time of their lives.
We danced and danced and danced some more. I even tried a few of those horrible line dances. I still had no idea what it meant to cha cha real smooth, but whatever. Cole didn’t care as long as I was shaking my ass on him. Which I was definitely doing. A lot.
So this is why people like dancing.I couldn’t believe I’d been missing out on this my entire life.
I never wanted to stop. But eventually I got too thirsty to continue. I pulled Cole off the dancefloor to grab some water. I was planning on getting right back out there, but then I caught my reflection in the mirror.Oh dear lord.My black hair was plastered to my face with buckets of sweat and my face was super red from the exertion.
I excused myself and went directly to the ladies’ room. I didn’t have much makeup with me, but I was at least able to blot my face with a paper towel. Or two. Fine, I soaked twelve paper towels. But it was worth it, because by the time I was done, I no longer looked like a swamp monster.
“Need some lipstick?” offered the girl at the sink next to me.
Share lipstick? I’d literally rather get punched in the boob. “No thanks.”
She shrugged and rifled through her purse. Then she pulled out a key just like mine, only it was labeled with an 008 rather than a 236. “Wanna switch rooms?”
“Uh…” I’d forgotten all about the rooms. Originally I wasn’t even considering staying. But we were having so much fun dancing. Itwas super tempting to just dance the night away and then crash in a room here. Colehadpromised to be a perfect gentleman.
“Is that a yes?” The girl was staring at me like I was a crazy person. Probably because I’d spaced out for 30 seconds thinking about tonight’s rooming situation.
“Why do you want to switch?” I asked. It seemed awfully suspicious.
“I’m just tired of the same room night after night. Looking for a change of scenery.”
Does she live here? Is she Kat’s housegirl?If so, then I definitely didn’t want to give her my key. I assumed Kat had given Cole and I one of the best rooms in the house. Meanwhile, her housegirl probably had some crappy room in the basement. “Thanks, but I think I have to pass. Have a great night.” I grabbed my clutch and walked out. It was time to dance!
Or, more accurately, it was time to get super jealous. Because rather than waiting at the bar for me, Cole had migrated to one of the half-circle couches surrounding the dance floor. And he was joined by Kat and some other dude. Kat laughed way too loud at one of his jokes and gently pushed his arm.
I’m gonna cut a bitch.
I walked over and wedged myself between Cole and Kat.
“Hey, girl,” she said. “Enjoying the party?”
I was until you came up and tried to steal my man.“This is seriously the best party ever. I never knew dancing could be so much fun.”
“DJ Neon is amazing. Tom found him a few months ago, and now I can’t imagine ever using someone else.” Kat gestured to the guy next to her.
He leaned over and gave me a dimpled smile. “Hey, I’m Tom. Kat’s husband.”
Husband?“I’m Raven. It’s so nice to meet you.” Seriously. I had never been so happy to meet anyone. I suddenly felt silly for feeling so threatened by her. She wasn’t trying to steal Cole…she was happily married.
