Little White Lies

The exit doors burst open, letting the sounds of the party escape.

“Yo, lovebirds.” Stuart stuck his head through. “Come dance.” He disappeared back inside and the doors slammed.

Charley let a bubble of laughter escape. “You realize we’re half undressed, right?” She buried her face in his chest as her cheeks flamed. The heat would not cease. Behind them, the doors opened and closed twice. “Guess we oughta go.”

“I don’t want to.” Wyatt kissed her again. “We could ditch.” He pressed his hips against hers.

Charley groaned as she pushed him away. “You’ve got a reputation to uphold, Wyatt.” She held him back when he tried to touch her.

Like a three-year-old in mid-pout, Wyatt relented and buttoned his vest while Charley straightened her gown. She rechecked his lines, and he spun her in a complete circle-all layers fell, no accidental tucks. Both had seen enough movies to know the redress told all.

***

As Charley re-entered the hall, thumps and vibrations assaulted her ears. Scores of dancers jostled her and Wyatt as they passed, and the DJ continued to roll one song into the next. Lily and Stuart danced, surrounded by a circle of enthusiastic admirers. Lily threw her hair back and spun as Stuart held her waist and jigged to her lower half.

“She’s having fun.” One hand in Wyatt’s, Charley stood with him on the outside.

Within, the crowd chanted “Stuart! Stuart!” and egged him on with calls, claps and cheers. The faster the two danced, the more pumped the crowd grew. They only slowed when the song reached its finale, and the entire group applauded. At Stuart’s nudge, he and Lily graced everyone with a bow.

“Oh my!” Lily stumbled into Charley. “I’ve never had so much fun!”

“You had some of the original punch, I think.” Charley laughed.

“No! I didn’t. Am just havin’ fun!” She drained a bottle of water in one shot. “I’m lettin’ go.”

Stuart walked up, his own water in hand. He flopped onto a chair.

“Havin’ fun, man?” Wyatt mock-punched his shoulder.

Stuart pointed with his water to Lily. “She’s a maniac.” He added a wink that Lily returned with a giggle.

“Wyatt?”

He spun. “Julie! Hey!”

Charley bristled-the hairs on her arms standing on end.

Julie bit her lip as Charley saw her do so often when she tested the waters of a conversation.

“Um…” Julie stood as though someone else might speak first.

Wyatt’s eyes locked on Julie’s cleavage-everyone’s did. As much as it pleased Charley to see an interest outside of herself, Julie’s bold move on an otherwise engaged boy ripped Charley’s heart.

“What’cha need Julz?” Wyatt asked when his gaze returned to Charley’s.

Julie smiled. “I was wondering if… you wanted to dance?”

Coy. Why else would you infringe on a girl, knowing she’s going to leave. Charley offered Julie one of her infamous smiles.

“Oh. Oh!” Wyatt’s head whipped from Julie to Charley and back. “Where’s Brady?”

“With his buds.” She thumbed across the room where a dozen guys stood, their faces the perfect picture of boredom. “He doesn’t dance.”

“Oh.” Wyatt hung his head, switched to Charley again.

Julie giggled.

Rather than let it upset her, Charley decided to take the less jealous route. “Go.” She flicked her wrist toward the dance floor. Before it returned to her lap, Julie took Wyatt’s hand, pulling him from his chair.

At that moment-or perhaps because Julie had made it the right time-the music turned soft and dreamy.

“Go figure.” Charley’s gaze remained on Wyatt, his neck circled by Julie’s arms.

“You okay?” Lily patted Charley’s leg with one hand. Blue eyes reflected a hurt Charley thought only she could feel.

She nodded. “No.”

“I’d be pissed as hell if Julie did that to me.” Stuart chugged from his water bottle.

“S’okay, Stuart. I’m leaving anyway. It’s… good for him.” Charley shrugged, forced it to sound believable, though even Stuart would see right through her.

Alone, her thoughts strayed to Wyatt and Julie. They swayed back and forth, hips connected, arms around each other-as intimate as he’d been with Charley. The way he held his body-stiff and controlled-suggested he’d not fallen under Julie’s spell.

Why did I suggest he date her? Charley shook her head at herself.

“Um, Charley?” Lily whispered inches from Charley’s ear.

“Yeah?” She refused to take her eyes off the couple on the dance floor.

“Did you know it’s ten ’til?”

Charley widened her eyes, whirling toward Lily. “What? Midnight? It can’t be.” Charley searched for a clock-any of them-with a preference for one that ticked too slow.

Lily pulled her cell phone from her clutch, turned it to Charley. The numbers blinked a bright green. Charley’s mouth fell open as the digits shifted to eleven fifty-one.

Less than nine minutes. “No!” Charley’s voice turned to a whispered cry. She kept her voice low to prevent Stuart from overhearing. “It has to be wrong! Lil, it has to be!”

Lily shook her head. “It’s not, honey.” She took Charley’s hands in hers, squeezed. “Go break in, dance with him until the last tick-tock. I’ll be outside with James.”

“How will I know the time?” She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“You’ll know.” Lily rose. One tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away with a finger.

“Stuart?” Lily tapped him on the shoulder. “Gotta pee.”

He saluted.

Lily disappeared into the corridor. Charley knew it would be the last time he and the girl he knew as Leena would see each other.

***

Charley’s hands shook. Her body radiated a pain she considered worse than any shift she’d gone through before, and still she sat and watched Wyatt dance with Julie.

“Get out there!” Stuart’s yell barely reached above the music. “Don’t let Julie spoil it!”

She’d done so for far too long. Charley rose, wobbled on heels she’d grown fond of, kept her chin up, eyes on her prize, and mind tuned to the countdown, which would last for an additional eight minutes.

Julie turned Wyatt to face away and offered Charley one long glare as she approached.

Doesn’t she know she can have him? In less than eight minutes, no less? With greater determination, Charley marched toward them.

She’d play it Julie’s way.

Rather than a simple, polite tap on the shoulder, Charley ran her fingers up the back of Wyatt’s neck.

His arms dropped from Julie with a thud against his pants, and he spun to Charley, grabbed her and crushed his lips to hers.

With a huff of breath, Julie slunk away, a proverbial tail between her legs.

“I thought you’d never break in.” Wyatt nipped at her lips. “That dance was awful.”

“Here now.” They fit their bodies together once again, the music lulling them into an easy sway.

Charley’s arms found his shoulders. Wyatt’s found her lower back. Yet, they moved only their lips, shifting and adjusting to take each other farther into passion.

“I’ll never forget this,” she said.

“What?”

She hadn’t meant to speak out loud. She crushed her lips against his again. She’d wanted to curtail her