Strung (Seaside 0.5)(29)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

When did I start to get sick of the press? I used to eat it up. Freaking loved the attention but now, it felt like every single picture they took was like getting punched in the gut.

“So” — Angelica flipped me towards her — “I’ll see you when I get back.”

Yeah and I was going to freaking go into hiding to make sure that she didn’t follow through on that threat — yeah it was a threat not a promise.

I still had a few hours to make it to Portland, drive into Seaside and surprise my girl. I smiled at the thought, this time a real smile that I’m sure every single camera caught, and stepped into the waiting limo.

Angelica can go to hell for all I cared… I had Nat. What else did I need?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Alec

WAITING FOR NAT to ascend the stairs was pure hell. I knew she’d look beautiful — in fact I knew she’d probably make me want to punch my brother in the face, the same brother who texted me this morning and said he was flying in to surprise her.

Yeah, we would get exactly no practice time for that little concert he had planned, but I knew we could pull it off.

I pulled at my black tie for the fiftieth time that night. My ears perked up when I heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“Wow!” Evan applauded while I tried to find words that would do Nat’s beauty justice. “You clean up well Nat.”

She rolled her eyes, and then set those same brown eyes in my direction, waiting for me to say something — anything. I wasn’t sure why my mouth wasn’t working. She was wearing a cute little cocktail dress that made her legs look so long I couldn’t stop staring. Her makeup was done to perfection. I mean, she was just so… pretty.

“Yes.” My voice was hoarse. I looked away licking my lips, gaining courage from the silence, and grabbed her hand. “Okay, you got everything you need? Because we needed to be there like ten minutes ago.”

Wow. So instead of compliments I just turn into a complete ass?

If Nat was hurt she didn’t show it.

We piled into the car.

She wasn’t smiling until she checked her phone. It was Demetri; it had to be.

She giggled then asked Evan to take a picture of her. I tried not to be jealous but that’s the thing with jealousy — once you let it in, it’s hard as hell to remove it completely from your body. It’s like it plants seeds in every part of your soul until you’re physically sick with it.

I’d basically allowed her to cheat on him, with me, and I was still flirting with the entire idea of screwing it all and just having her for myself.

I told myself I wouldn’t make any more moves — if he messed up, she was fair game, until then. I stole another glance at her glossy lips and curled hair. Damn it. I’d wait years for her. Because nobody was perfect, right? At one point he was going to mess up, and I would be there to pick up the pieces.

We pulled up to the parking lot and immediately went to the door to start our patrol for homecoming committee. The only problem? I was usually the event people stood in line to see, so when they saw me guarding the door they wanted to touch, they wanted to flirt. I had two girls, TWO, offer sex in the bathroom stall. Right, because that was every rock star’s fantasy. Sex in a high school bathroom? Really?

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like a piece of meat and the door was getting more crowded by the second. I usually stayed far away from people at school so it made sense that they would suddenly think my ass was fair game.

“Hey” — Nat gave me a sympathetic look and walked up to Alesha — “Can we switch?” At least then I’d have a table to separate me from the loads of people who wanted to cop a feel.

“Sure, I’m almost done anyway.” Alesha moved from the ticket table to the door and let us take our seats.

I thought tickets would be easy. You know, people hand you money, you stamp their hands, done. Except, my hands kept colliding with Nat’s making the parts of my brain that should be on counting money — on kissing her. And that wasn’t helping my situation at all. I clenched my jaw and thanked God when we sold the last ticket and were able to go into the dance. Luckily, Bob and Lloyd had agreed to help with security, which was good, all things considering. It wasn’t every day a high school had a free AD2 performance.

“Do you want to dance?” Nat asked shyly once we walked into the gym.

She looked so cute. I couldn’t turn her down. I grinned, and pulled her into my arms. Now dancing? I could do. I knew where my strengths were. I may have issues talking to her, I may have issues even touching her, but dancing was like music, I let it take me to another place.

Nat was having a hard time keeping up with me. Which I kind of loved, because it made her face all flustered and sexy.

She kept apologizing when she tripped on her feet. I rolled my eyes and laughed then pulled her flush against my body, rolling my hips against hers a bit to get her to follow the movement of the music. Instinct took over. She was a good dancer, as long as I led the way, and as long as I didn’t let her go.

Last year one of our popular songs was remixed into this crazy tango beat that had dance clubs all over going crazy. Fans posted Youtube videos of choreography to the song, and I knew Nat had to know it. So I started with the first move, she followed with the second, the crowds had parted and it was just me and her on the dance floor. I loved it. I’m sure Demetri was watching from backstage laughing his ass off — but for right now, it was just me and her… Dancing at Homecoming. Funny how things can feel normal but actually be the exact opposite.

The chorus hit, I lifted Nat into the air then placed her leg around my hips and twirled until she dipped below me, her hair falling to the floor in a wave, I twisted her back around until she was on the floor and then went into the Tango, which surprisingly, she knew.

Mouth dry, I watched as Nat moved to the ground skimming her heeled foot between my legs and then kicking to the right and left, before twisting and then standing.

Holy shit. That was hot. As in, my mouth was still open and I was ready to kiss her right then and there.

Once she faced me again, I turned her around, moving my arms slowly down her shoulders and then across her stomach as I lifted her into the air and grabbed her legs so she was clinging backwards to my body, I twirled around the dance floor. People started clapping, and I probably looked insane. I hadn’t danced like that in a long time.

The music died down. People clapped, and I put Nat back on wobbly feet “I think I may have a crush on this Alec,” she joked out of breath.