49. Kiss Again
**Rosé**
A dance? That's a tall order I wasn't interested in filling. I was about to say no, but Keona tugged on my arm.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I don't mind.”
You don't mind but I do! I drew closer to her and shot Denis a smile. “That sounds nice, but I can't just leave Keona alone. I'm the one who dragged her here in the first place.”
Hopefully that was enough to get him to leave, unfortunately, Keona was the one who wouldn't take no for an answer.
“No worries! I see Tara over there by the speakers. Enjoy this time with your mate!”
Keona winked at me. Before I could stop her, Keona ran off to join her new friend. That left me with him, much to my dismay.
But I still needed to act as if I had forgiven him. Since I couldn't use Keona as an excuse to avoid him anymore, I took his hand.
Denis led me to a clearing that had been prepared for this dance. A great number of other seniors had joined in on the fun.
When Denis turned around to dance with me, I took in his appearance. He was wearing the same thing that he had on all day. The only difference was that his hoodie was gone. Now I had a clear view of his black T-shirt.
It stuck to him like glue, straining against his torso. Thanks to that, the imprint of his muscular abdomen was visible through the fabric. Looks like this guy needs to go shopping for more shirts.
Being so lost in thought, I didn't realize Denis was reaching out for me until I felt his arms on my waist. I froze.
It's okay, Rosé. No harm is being done to you now. This is just a part of the game.
With a shy smile, I placed my hands on the very end of his shoulders.
We steadily to the beat of halloween themed music. I matched the rhythm, choosing to focus on the dance instead of who I was with.
“So,” Denis started talking. “I like your costume. It looks good on you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I'm wearing a crop top and shorts with makeshift whiskers on my face.”
He lowered his head slightly and chuckled. “So what? I said what I said. You look gorgeous. I love seeing you wear your hair up.”
I tilted my head. “You do? Why that style specifically?”
He shrugged.
“There's something about it. You look cuter when there's nothing blocking your face. And it shows off your neck…”
Just as he said that, Denis brushed the base of my neck with the back of his hand. He caught himself and stopped. Denis shyly placed that same hand close to his mouth and averted his gaze. I watched his eyes shift under the yellow lights from above.
“What's going through your mind right now?” I asked.
Denis removed his hand. “I'm thinking about that kiss you gave me earlier today. It's been on my mind constantly. I was hoping to experience it again.”
I kept my expression blank with only one eyebrow raised. Denis chuckled. “Too soon, huh? You're right. We should take things slow.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a smile. “We have plenty of time, don't we? We don't have to rush anything.”
“When we get back to school, I don't want there to be any hostility between us. But-”
“You don't want anyone to know we're involved, right?” I finished his sentence for him.
Denis bit his bottom lip. “You don't mind, do you? I will always defend you and make sure that no one messes with you when I'm near. It's just… I know how the boys will react. It won't be good.”
He saw me lowering my head and hurriedly added, “Did I tell you I liked it when you sat and watched me practice? If you continued doing that, it would make me so happy. I have another game coming up this week and the week after. If you come, I'll make sure to win, just for you.”
I laughed. “Isn't it a team effort? How can you be so sure?”
“Oh, I'm sure.” Just as he said that, he lowered his head. Our foreheads were close to touching. We stopped dancing.
His eyes started to glow. They became a familiar amber colour.
“Believe me,” he muttered. “If I want us to win, we will. Especially since I'll score every point with you in mind.”
Empty words. I smirked. “We'll see about that.”
“We will, won't we?” He winked.
By then, we had danced to three songs. Surely he doesn't think that just because I'm in this makeshift costume means people won't know it's me? Based on how pleased he seems now, that's probably the case. I broke away from him and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “I'm getting thirsty,” I said, glancing up at him through my mascara coated lashes.
Denis got the jist right away.
“I'll get us something to drink,” he said. “What would you like? Coke? Dr. Pepper? Cameron bought vodka, I could get you some.”
“Coke works fine with me,” I told him with a smile.
“Alright, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere, beautiful.”
I nodded as he hurriedly made his way through the dancing bodies. As soon as he was out of sight, I escaped in the opposite direction.
No matter how far I was, I could still hear the music. But it wasn't as loud as it was before. My hands reached up to caress my arms. Maybe I should have bought my jacket. If Denis comes to me later and asks where I was, I'll just tell him that I was looking for a place to sit and ended up getting roped into helping a teacher.
An idea popped into mind. Instead of reminiscing about warmer weather, why don't I use my abilities to warm myself up. But there is nothing here to draw heat from.
I looked down. The grass covered dirt stared back at me. It wasn't that long ago since the sun went down. I knelt on one leg and caressed it with the tips of my fingers.
Just as I thought. The cold hasn't sunk into the earth yet. I drew in a deep breath, calming myself in preparation for the extraction.
A scream. I turned my head in the direction of the noise. It was so faint, yet I recognized it.
Not only that, but it was cut short.
“Keona?” I called out.
Did one of my bullies target her?
I rushed into the forest in the direction of the noise. Twigs snapped under my feet as I ran. I enhanced my vision instinctively, maneuvering in the dark. It didn't matter that Keona was a werewolf. What if she's in a pickle that she can't get herself out of?
I stopped in my tracks. There was the body of a dead woman laying on the forest floor in front of me. Two glowing yellow eyes locked onto me.