We hurried into Brew’s before we both froze. For a brief moment, I felt my breathing grow more rapid, but when Hunter placed his hand on my lower back and guided us over to the large table our friends were all gathered around, I felt myself instantly relax. The past wasn’t going to lead my future any longer.
When he pulled out a chair for me, I smiled back at Hunter and sat down. He sat next to me and said something to Kyle that I couldn’t hear, but whatever is was made Kyle nod his head. Candace and her boyfriend, Rick, were already on the dance floor. Abby sat on my other side, with Bishop next to her. Greer and Hudson made a beeline for the dance floor, but not before telling Bishop what they both wanted to drink so he could order for them when the waitress came by.
“Are we too late to join the party?”
We all looked up to see Willa and Aiden standing there, both wearing big smiles.
“Willa!” I said, jumping up to greet her.
She looked me up and down before she hugged me. “Arabella, you look gorgeous.”
“I can’t take credit for Bree’s handiwork.”
Willa laughed and hugged me once more. She pressed her mouth next to my ear. “I’m so glad to see you out with Hunter. It makes my heart so happy.”
“Mine too,” I replied.
“I’m so happy you made it, Willa and Aiden!” Abby called out over the music.
As they both sat down, the waitress walked up. “Drinks?”
Everyone gave her their order as the waitress made her way around the table. Hunter and I both ordered Cokes and waters, which Kyle immediately noticed.
“Why aren’t y’all drinking?” he asked.
Hunter shrugged. “Just not in the mood.”
“Same,” I added with a smile.
“I’m not drinking either,” Willa said, giving me a warm smile.
“I sure as hell am.” Aiden told the waitress what he wanted. “Life with a newborn is…blissfully exhausting.”
Willa nodded and smiled as Aiden leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
“You look amazing, Willa,” Abby said.
“Thank you. It’s been hard to rebound after this pregnancy.”
Aiden turned to look at Willa. “What do you mean?”
I was positive I wasn’t the only person who could hear the concern in his voice. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was worried about postpartum depression, with his own past history of depression and PTSD.
Willa took Aiden’s hand. “It’s not what you’re thinking. It’s just been harder to get my figure back after this pregnancy.”
“Figure? You’re perfect, Willa. Everything about your body is beautiful.”
My heart melted on the spot, and one quick look at Abby told me hers did as well. It also wasn’t lost on me that Abby had ordered a 7UP and not a drink while everyone was focused on Kyle earlier. I smiled as I took in that telltale glow in her cheeks.
“What are you thinking about?” Hunter asked, leaning closer to me.
I looked at him. “How happy I am to be here with friends.”
Bree walked up to the table with two baskets full of chips and three bowls of salsa.
“Damn, girl, are you waitressing on the side and didn’t tell us?” Kyle asked as he took some of the items from her.
Bree laughed. “No, but my old days of waitressing in college are apparently still hanging on. Now that I’m not a lawyer anymore, I might need those skills.”
There was a short break in the music while the songs changed, and when the next one started, Bree gasped and Willa squealed. Or was it Kyle who’d made that noise?
“Oh God,” Bishop groaned.
“Willa!” Bree shouted and held her hand out for her.
Laughing, Willa said, “I’m too exhausted to dance.”
Bree looked devastated until she turned to Kyle. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up. “Come on, you’ll have to do.”
“Excuse me?” Kyle said as he came to a stop. “I’ll have to do?”
Bree glared at him. “I know you like BLACKPINK, Kyle. I need a dance partner.”
Kyle huffed. “Go dance with Greer.”
Bree looked out at the dance floor, where Greer and Hudson where currently slow dancing to a fast song while they kissed. Focusing back on Kyle, she said, “Yeah, I don’t think Hudson would appreciate that. Please, Kyle? Please?”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Fine, let’s go.”
He took her hand, and they made their way to the dance floor.
“What group is playing?” I asked Hunter. He smiled at the two when they started to dance.
“It’s a K-Pop group called BLACKPINK.”
I frowned. “What’s K-Pop?”
“Korean Pop,” Bishop shouted. “Kyle is a whore for it.”
Abby hit Bishop. “Don’t be mean.”
“What? He is! Look at him.”
We all turned to see Kyle and Bree dancing together. The song changed to another one from the same group.
“Wow, Kyle can really dance,” I said, watching him and Bree dancing rather…close. “Goodness, they’re, um…really getting into it.”
Hunter laughed and looked back at me. “Kyle and Bree are both huge BLACKPINK fans.”
Smiling, I said, “Kyle never ceases to amaze me. First Jane Austen, now K-Pop.”
Willa and Abby both laughed.
“Here’re your drinks,” the waitress said as she and another server passed out the drinks at our table.
Greer and Hudson both came back to the table and sat down. After taking a sip of her beer, Greer looked back to the dance floor. “Man, how is it Bree and Kyle can look so incredibly sexy dancing together while arguing at the same time?”
“What?” Willa asked, laughing. “They’re arguing?”
Hudson nodded. “You should hear them. I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think they were an old married couple.”
“What are they arguing about?” I asked.
Greer covered her mouth and laughed. “All I heard was Bree telling Kyle that if she felt him get hard, she’d kill him. Then Kyle complained she wasn’t dancing to the rhythm of the song.”
Hudson added, “To which Brighton told Kyle to go eat a bag of dicks.”
The entire table burst into laughter before small conversations broke out among everyone. I turned and looked back at the dance floor. Bree and Kyle were still dancing, and a part of me longed to be like Bree. So carefree and not willing to let anyone or anything hold her back.
“Do you want to dance?” Hunter asked.
Smiling, I nodded. “Yes. I’d love to dance.”
“Fast or slow song?” he asked.
“Both!” I replied with an excited giggle.
He stood and took my hand, then led me to the small dance floor. It wasn’t very crowded at the moment. A live band was playing later, and Greer said it would get much busier then, but for now there was a DJ onstage.
The song that had been playing ended and a Britney Spears’ song, “Gimme More,” started. Hunter laughed, took my hand, and spun me around before pulling me against him. The way his hands moved over my body instantly had me on fire.
We moved with the beat of the music as if we’d danced to this song a million times. Hunter pressed his mouth to my ear. “I think we need to show these people what real dancing is, Bella.”