Julie leaned forward too, smiling that sly smile of hers, as if she had the upper hand. “Yeah, really. You like more laid back girls, with short hair and green eyes, and can quote books with her captivating voice,” she replied.
“That sounds an awful lot like a certain girl I know,” I said back. I wasn't sure why I was playing along. It was like my mouth was moving without my mind being able to stop it.
“It is.”
“What makes you think I'd be attracted to her?”
“Well,” Julie hesitated, then stared up from under her lashes. “You were going to kiss her.”
The lump that appeared in my throat was sudden and unexpected. I knew the cause. She had called me out on my moment of weakness at the arcade. It hadn't been simply playing around for her.
She had known I wanted to kiss her, just like I had known she wanted to kiss me.
“No comeback?” she asked, with her crooked smile mocking me.
I was suddenly wishing the flirty waiter would come back and save me from my embarrassment, but he was nowhere to be seen. It was just me, and my shame.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Looks like it,” I replied.
“I guess this means I was right.”
I glared at her, and she bit her lip. When she did, it sent an automatic chill down my spine that then erupted into an explosion of fluttering in my stomach.
“I guess so.”
“Nothing to add?”
I looked to her, and saw the way her eyes were wandering over me. She wanted to hear something I wasn't able to tell her. Something that wouldn't come out of my mouth, even if I wanted it to.
“Here are your drinks,” the waiter said, coming to our table. He rested our glasses against the table and then looked to us both. “Have you decided what you would like to order?” he asked.
I realized that neither of us had looked at the menu. Julie looked to the waiter with a small smile. “The steak. Well done,” she said.
The waiter wrote it down, and then looked to me. I nudged toward her. “Same as the lady.”
He nodded, writing down my order. “Okay. I'll be back soon with the appetizers, and your food will be done shortly,” he told us, looking to Julie once more before leaving again.
She didn't look like she wanted to speak to me at the moment. I couldn't say I blamed her much.
I just knew that if I didn't start talking again, the friendship line could easily be erased as the romantic one had been.
“You know, I'm not going to do it,” I told her, smiling slightly.
She looked at me and raised a brow. “Not going to do what?” she asked.
“Dance.”
Julie broke out into a smile, though I could still see her thoughts turning in her head. “Of course you are. You have to dance with me at least once,” she told me.
“I did, at the arcade,” I reminded her.
“That wasn't really dancing. That was a simulated game of colored tiles,” she told me.
“I really don't know how to dance,” I told her, but realized my voice had dropped.
Julie shrugged. “I'll teach you. It's not difficult,” she said.
“It will be for me,” I said with a laugh.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I taught you Trigonometry. Trust me, dancing will be easy,” she said. She laughed when I did, because we both knew it was true.
And the truth was, I did want to dance with her. Selfishly, I wanted to hold her again, feel the way her body could mold into mine, and fit like a missing piece. I wanted that peach scent of hers to envelope me again while her bottle green eyes looked into mine.
Yes, I was a selfish creature. I was slowly coming to realize this. I wanted to indulge without giving anything in return, and that wasn't a good thing for either of us.
I just couldn't pull myself away.
The waiter came back with a basket of hot, buttered rolls, and told us that the food would be done in a few minutes. This time, Julie didn't look at him, but rather ate a roll and listened to the song the band was playing.
When he left, she looked at me again. “What's your favorite song?” she asked, leaning against the table.
I smirked, shrugging. “I don't know. At the moment, I've been in a Nirvana mode. So, Smells Like Teen Spirit,” I replied.
She grinned. “Great answer. I don't think anyone can have just one favorite song. It's like picking only one favorite book,” she told me.
“Well, what about you? What's your favorite song at the moment?” I asked her.
She considered it for a moment, and then smiled. “Linger, by the Cranberries. But, I have started listening to this band called Echosmith. I don't usually listen to a lot of new music, but they're really cool. So my second favorite song at the moment is Cool Kids,” she replied.
“What are you reading at the moment?”
“Perks Of Being A Wallflower, for the fifth time. It's a quote book, but it's also beautifully written, and it has great music references,” she told me. “You said you don't read much, so I guess there's no reason to ask what you're reading at the moment,” she then added.
I narrowed my eyes. “Just because I don't read like it's a drug doesn't mean I'm not reading,” I informed her.
Julie smiled. “So are you reading anything right now?” she asked.
“No,” I answered, and she started to laugh. “But I finished 'Salems Lot about a week ago,” I replied.
Julie gasped excitedly. “Ooh! A Stephen King book,
