"Dallas, my brother is a big boy. Regardless of how he's handling things right now, all he wants is for me to be happy, and a guy who treats me right. Now, if you plan to go run and cheat on me every chance you get, then yeah, it will cause problems."
"I may have been a playboy and didn't do relationships, but I don't cheat. I can commit and be a one-woman man." I interrupt her. Her thinking I'd cheat on her doesn't sit right with me.
"Can you be a one-woman man? From where I'm sitting, that’s the only thing holding me back. I haven't seen you do it, and I'm not sure my heart could take it, if you can't be." She whispers the last part, making my heart race.
I stand up and hold out my hand.
"Enough with the heavy, let's dance," I say, desperate to change the subject. All this has to be hypothetical, because there’s no way this perfect girl is thinking of giving me a chance. It's nice for her to stick up for me, but I can't give myself that kind of hope. So, I will take what I can get. Tonight, that’s holding her in my arms, while we dance.
She takes my hand, and I lead her on to the dance floor. I wrap one hand around her waist and hold her other hand in mine. Pulling her close, so I can feel her body next to mine, I rest my head next to hers.
"Remember the last time we danced together like this?" She asks me.
"Your prom," I tell her.
Like I could forget that night. She had been dating one of the guys from the football team, but she caught him cheating on her a week before prom. The guy lashed out and grabbed her arm, before she ran off. She had called Landon in tears. We were recording our first album, and he was about to drop everything and head home to kick the guy's ass and be there for her.
I stopped him, and said if I went, I could take her to prom. She deserved the experience, and she wouldn't go with him, and we both couldn't leave at the time. He agreed, and I was excited to go. I went all out and gave her the full prom experience. I rented a limo and spoiled her with a spa day before prom, the works.
She didn't even ask why Jimmy had a black eye at prom, though, I'm think she knew why. I made sure it was the best damn night of her life. Ignored everyone but her. We danced, until she couldn't dance anymore, and then ended the night out on our field. The one I have tattooed on my arm.
We lay on a blanket out there, and for hours, we talked and cuddled. I wish more than anything I could have completed her prom experience and taken her to a hotel room and spent the night making love to her, and in my fantasies, we did. But I had to leave the next day and get back to Nashville, and I couldn't do that to her. I had no idea where the future would take us then.
This is a huge part of why Landon is so protective of her. I know since then he’s had a hard time letting her go and do her own thing, and even had people check up on her, when she isn’t here.
"It was the best night of my high school life, anyway. It meant so much to me you coming to my rescue like that." She says. "Even back then, you set the bar really high."
She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. I pull her hand up to my chest and rest it right over my heart. Right where she has been all this time. Right where I will always keep her.
"This is my favorite side of you." She says and lifts her head to look up at me.
"Oh, yeah? What side is that?"
"This sweet, caring side. It seems I'm the only one who gets to see it. I want to keep it that way, but I know that's just me being selfish." She rests her head back on my shoulder, and this time, I rest my head on top of hers.
"You’re the only one who gets this side of me, and there’s a very good chance you will be the only one who sees this side of me. It's not being selfish, if it's the truth."
Thankfully, another slow song starts, and we just keep moving.
"How do you do it?" She asks.
"Do what?"
"Make me feel so safe and like the world can't touch me right now."
I smile, loving I can make her feel safe. If that's my only job in my life, I will make sure she always feels safe. I take a deep breath.
"I don't know. Maybe, it's because you know you’re always safe with me. No matter what, I will always be here for you."
She lifts her head and looks into my eyes then. We don't say anything, but I can't help but look at her lips. The lips I want nothing more to kiss and taste. When her tongue darts out and wets them, I know in this moment she'd let me. She wants this as much as I do.
My heart races, and my head lowers closer to her without even realizing I’m moving. The need to kiss her is overwhelming. Our noses brush, and I’m so close I can feel her breath mix with mine, before the music changes, and everyone starts yelling and singing and moving around us. A couple bumps into us laughing and dancing, and just like that, the spell is broken, and we step apart.
Austin smiles and grabs my hand and pulls us into the dance, and the rest of the night is light and fun. We smile and laugh. Sitting down in a back booth, we
