Chapter Twenty - Amanda

Amanda touched her lips as she followed Mrs. Jones into a large classroom.

Amanda had kissed Cameron Taylor. And liked it. A lot.

Sandra was going to freak. So was Gracie. No one would be able to believe it once word got around school that they were dating. She wasn’t his typical type, but then again, he wasn’t hers either.

Wait, were they dating? Or was that just a one-time thing? Cameron had a reputation, and suddenly Amanda wasn’t so sure.

Self-doubt plagued her as Cameron entered the room. Their eyes met, and his lips quirked into a smile. That was encouraging. Maybe she was worrying for nothing.

“So, did you get any dancing in before moving to the engagement scene?” Mrs. Jones asked, now not bothering to hide a wide grin.

“The engagement scene?” Cameron asked, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“Sure. After you two meet at the dance, you court Belle, and when you propose, well, I’m assuming that was what you two were practicing in the hall.”

Engaged. It felt so weird hearing Mrs. Jones refer to her and Cameron like that, even though it was their characters who were to be married. It wasn’t reality, and not something that was even on Amanda’s radar. But still…their characters were in love.

“Um…” Cameron threw a glance in Amanda’s direction.

“Yes, we practiced the dance,” she said, stepping in to rescue Cameron. “He’s quite good at it when everyone isn’t watching him.”

Mrs. Jones’ eyes seemed to laugh at them as she said, “Yes, I’m sure he is.”

Oh, gosh. Amanda hadn’t meant it like that. Her cheeks burned and she wished there was somewhere she could hide. Preferably with Cameron.

Ugh. Stop it. Everything she said and thought now ended with some innuendo about him and what she’d rather be doing with him. Alone.

“Well, let’s see what you have,” Mrs. Jones said.

Cameron didn’t move, and Amanda took a tentative step toward him, suddenly afraid to touch him—hold him close. It hadn’t been a problem just a few minutes ago, but now everything felt weird.

When Amanda took another couple of steps, Cameron seemed to snap out of his stupor, and he closed the distance. “Remember what I told you about position,” she said, more for Mrs. Jones’ benefit than Cameron’s. She wanted to show they really had been practicing dancing and not just…what Mrs. Jones saw.

Cameron took Amanda’s hand in hers and held it out to the side, then placed his other hand on her lower back. “Is this right?” His voice was gravelly, and Amanda had to force herself to focus on the task at hand.

“Perfect,” she said. She placed a hand on his upper back, pulling him in closer. The first time they had danced, she’d noticed how muscular his back was. It was firm beneath her fingers. She looked forward to having an excuse to dance with him—repeatedly—over the next couple of months.

Mrs. Jones pressed play on her phone, and music poured from a speaker. “This is the music you’ll be dancing to on stage.”

Cameron’s gaze locked onto Amanda’s, and he took a step back. It seemed he wanted to lead this time, maybe because Mrs. Jones was watching. Amanda followed him and was impressed that not only did he remember all the steps, but his movements were becoming more fluid. He seemed more comfortable. At first they danced in place, but after a minute, Cameron surprised her by turning and then leading her around the room.

Amanda’s eyes widened in surprise, which seemed to please Cameron, because he grinned and whispered, “Looks like you’re a pretty good teacher.” His breath tickled her ear, and desire coursed through her. Good thing Mrs. Jones was here, or Amanda doubted much dancing would get done.

“And you’re an amazing student,” she whispered back.

Cameron’s arms were so strong and powerful, and his body was like a fortress. But rather than feel intimidated by him, Amanda felt safe in his arms. He led gently, not by force. And Amanda realized that was the real him. Someone she could trust.

“Uh…I turned the music off a while ago,” Mrs. Jones said, interrupting Amanda’s thoughts. “Wow, no one will be able to say you two didn’t have chemistry onstage. You’ll move them to tears when Belle breaks up with Scrooge.”

Amanda stepped back. That’s right. This was the happy moment in Scrooge’s life. They hadn’t gotten to the sad part yet. The part where she leaves him.

“How was my dancing?” Cameron asked, his cheeks tinged with pink. Had the dance affected him as much as it had her?

Mrs. Jones studied him for a moment before saying, “I think you already know the answer to that question. Amanda must be one heck of a teacher, because I’ve never seen anyone progress that quickly before. If I don’t watch out, she’ll have my job.”

Amanda beamed with pride, though she knew she should try to act humbler about it. But she was the one who had never been chosen for the dance team. And now the dance team instructor was complimenting her. Maybe Amanda’s skills didn’t lie in the dancing itself, but in the connection she could help others find. Or maybe it was only Cameron she had that effect on. She’d be okay with that.

“Hey, maybe it was because I was one heck of a student,” Cameron protested.

Mrs. Jones laughed. “Maybe it was.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d like to run through the dance once with everyone on stage so you’ll know more about your placement, and then we’ll continue next time.”

Amanda wasn’t able to dance with Cameron much over the last half hour. They mostly watched the others dance from opposite sides of the stage, while they were supposedly trying to catch each other’s eye. As the dance progressed, Scrooge’s friends convinced him to ask Belle to dance, which she accepted. They were able to dance for about five minutes before Mrs. Jones called an end to the rehearsal. But it had been long enough for others to notice the improvement and to make teasing comments about it.

As Amanda left the stage, Cameron appeared next to her, his backpack slung over one shoulder. “I thought rehearsal went pretty well today. Best one we’ve had so far.”

Amanda laughed, but felt the heat in her face. “Yes, I think it went all right.”

They walked in silence for a moment, and she wondered if he needed a ride home again. But when he finally spoke, he surprised her by asking, “What are you up to this weekend?”

“Um…not much.” She wondered if he’d remembered they’d talked about watching A Christmas Carol together.

Cameron nodded slowly before asking, “Would you like to do something? I mean, if you’re not too busy with your friends. Or I could invite Blair and one of our other friends and set them up with Sandra and Gracie so we could have a group thing.” He abruptly stopped talking and shoved his hands in his pockets as he chanced at glance at Amanda. “Only if you want to, of course.”

Amanda paused mid-step to look up at Cameron. Here was the guy she’d always thought of as too popular for his own good. He was arrogant and a troublemaker, always disregarding everyone else. But at this moment—he sounded so unsure and almost nervous, like he hadn’t dated a different girl every two weeks throughout high school. Which, if the gossip was true, he totally had.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” she asked slowly.

Cameron rubbed the back of his neck. “Kind of. Yeah.”

Butterflies erupted in Amanda’s stomach, and she tried to not look as giddy as she felt. They could do a group thing, except Gracie wouldn’t be able to since she was doing the long-distance relationship thing with Markus. “I’d love to. Would it be okay if it was just us this time?”

Cameron gave her a curious look that she didn’t understand, but then smiled. “I would love that. Can I pick you up at five on Saturday?”

“Sure.” Forget watching A Christmas Carol. This was so much better.

Amanda had hoped for another minute with him before she had to leave, but Blair entered the hallway from the opposite end of the hall.

“See you at school tomorrow?” Cameron asked, looking like he needed to leave. Blair must have been his ride home.

“Probably.” They didn’t have rehearsal, but maybe she’d be unfortunate enough to spill Sandra’s milk again.

Cameron gave her a quick wave, then jogged down the hall to meet up with his friend.

Amanda had a date with Cameron Taylor. She desperately hoped she was right about him. As much as she hated to admit it, her heart would be left in a thousand pieces if she wasn’t.