“Yeah, we can do that. Ally, Knox, and I can’t drink, though. We’re technically on duty.”
“That’s okay. I’m half-Finnish, which means I can drink enough for all of you,” I assured him.
He rolled his eyes at me. “Well, I call first dibs on a shower,” I said, sifting through my suitcase for some clothes.
I finished getting dressed while Evan was in the shower, and went over to Ally and Knox’s room to do my hair and makeup. As I was putting on the finishing touches, swiping lip gloss across my lips, there was a knock on the door, and Knox opened it.
“Are we ready?” I heard Evan ask.
“You brought your cowboy boots?” Ally asked enthusiastically. He was still standing in the doorway, and I couldn’t see him. “You only wear those for special occasions.”
“This is a special occasion, is it not?” Evan replied, teasing Ally by making his Southern accent more exaggerated. I chuckled, but when he finally moved so that I could see him, the laughter died on my lips as I took him in. His hair was a little bit messy, like he’d run his fingers through it, and it looked great. He’d left the top few buttons of his shirt open, and his jeans fit him perfectly, the tiniest bit snug in just the right places. And the outfit was pulled together with a pair of polished cowboy boots on his feet. He’d never looked so good.
“Of course,” I answered confidently, walking over to him, and he took my arm.
“Are you ready, Darlin’?” Evan asked me, still playing up the accent.
“Umm…yes?” I answered, suddenly feeling unsure. “Do I look okay?”
“You’re perfect,” he replied, still using his exaggerated accent, and winked at me. I heard Ally groan from somewhere nearby, but I ignored her, too engrossed by Evan. For some mysterious reason, his thick accent was attractive to me, especially since he was using it to make fun of himself.
The first place we visited was a sports bar with TVs all over the room displaying different games. I ordered a drink and we made our way towards the arcade machines, but Evan was momentarily distracted by a football game on one of the TVs. I watched with him for a few minutes before I got bored, my eyes drifting around the room.
“Oh, the Stanley Cup playoffs!” I said, moving towards the TV broadcasting the game. “The Hurricanes just need to win one more game to move on to the next round. I’m rooting for them, since they have four Finns on their team. Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teräväinen are my favorite players.”
“You like the Hurricanes? We can’t be friends, then,” Evan said, walking up behind me. He’d finally dropped his accent.
“Why not?”
“Our teams are rivals in the same division,” he explained with a grin.
“Who’s your team?”
“The Capitals, obviously. I live in DC.”
“Gross. They’re a one trick pony,” I argued. “When Ovechkin retires, they’re going to be the worst team in the league.”
“Hey, they’ve got other good players.”
“Who, Wilson? He’s a thug.”
“She’s got your number, Evan!” Knox said with a laugh.
Once we were tired of the sports bar, we visited a few other bars before heading to the ship’s nightclub. When we were close, I could hear music pounding through the walls, a new song coming on just as we walked inside.
“To the window, to the wall, till the sweat drop down my balls. All these bitches crawl. Ya’ll skeet skeet…”
“What is this music?” I shouted into Evan’s ear as the bass thrummed through me. I’d grown up mainly listening to Folk and Electronic music—the most popular genres in Finland—and during my summers in LA, I’d occasionally listened to American hits on the radio, but I was pretty sure I’d remember if I’d heard this strange song before.
“I don’t know what this song is called, but I remember it was really popular when I was in high school,” Evan yelled back, smiling mischievously, and I raised my eyebrows at him in disbelief.
“Dance with me,” he yelled, loudly enough for me to hear. He grabbed my hand, pulling me further into the dark, crowded room, and Ally and Knox waved at us before I lost sight of them. Once he found a spot he was satisfied with, he stopped and turned towards me, pulling me close and resting his hands on my hips. As he started swaying, I moved with him, the front of my body brushing against his as we danced. His smile was huge, and suddenly, he spun me around, his arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled my back against his front, pressing us together. He held me like that for a while, his face buried in my hair, and my desire for him started to grow until it was almost impossible to contain. I wiggled my butt against him, relishing his reaction against me
“Is this how you danced at the sock hops?” I asked loudly, looking back at him.
He grinned, but then a country song came on, something about a wagon wheel.
“Follow my lead,” Evan shouted into my hair, pulling me into his arms as he started to shuffle his feet back and forth. “This is the two-step.”
I did as he asked, and quickly realized that the basic dance was very easy. After a few beats, he twirled me around, and I went with it, the two of us completely in sync. As we continued to move, I noticed more and more people giving us room and stopping their own dancing to watch us, but I was so wrapped up in Evan that I didn’t care.
When the song ended and a slower song began, our audience dispersed, and Evan pulled me even closer, wrapping me in his arms. We swayed back and forth together, staring into each other’s eyes, and I couldn’t fight how I felt any longer. I didn’t want to. And based on how Evan was looking at me, he felt the same way. He lifted a hand to my face, caressing my cheekbone lovingly as he stared at me, then let his hand drop to my hip again. With his fingers once more wrapped around me, gripping me possessively, I broke eye contact with him. I pressed my face against his chest, snuggling against him, and he buried his face in my hair, pressing gentle kisses against my neck and shoulder that made me shiver.
“You’re beautiful,” he said into my ear, just loud enough for me to hear.
Before I could say anything, the song changed again, the tempo becoming more upbeat. Evan and I sped up our dancing as well, grinning at each other like fools. It wasn’t until several dances later that Ally and Knox joined us. Ally and I danced side-by-side, laughing together, and Knox mostly nodded his head awkwardly.
Eventually, I needed to take a break and go to the bathroom, and when I told Ally, yelling in her ear, she said she’d go with me. We told Evan and Knox where we were going, and left them in the middle of the dance floor.
“I had no idea you could dance like that,” Ally said. “You and Evan looked perfect together.”
I blushed. “Thanks,” I told her.
“Are you still going to argue with me that Evan doesn’t have feelings for you? And that what’s between you is just acting?” Ally asked.
I didn’t answer, feeling embarrassed, so I just shook my head. After dancing with Evan, I knew without a doubt that we meant something to each other.
Ally and I used the bathroom and drank some water, then headed back inside the nightclub. As soon as we walked in, some random guy grabbed Ally and started dancing with her, making her laugh, and I went to find Evan. I walked around, ducking between people, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. Finally, though, I spotted him. He was still far away from me, near the outskirts of the room, and he was dancing with another woman. I felt jealousy coursing through me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them, even though I couldn’t see them well, with other dancers continually moving in front of them and blocking them from view. A few seconds later, though, someone’s head moved out of my way again, and I was able to see Evan and the woman clearly as they kissed. It was like the universe was shining a spotlight on them, reminding me that I didn’t deserve Evan’s goodness, that I had no place in a relationship. I’d been a fool for ever thinking differently.