Parker went through all the trouble to make this night special, and he included me, so why not. “I’m good with the monkey.”
I trust Jay to make sure I don’t look like I have something eating my nose.
A few minutes later, he finishes. I can’t see it, but I can tell he approves because his electric eyes sparkle brightly.
“That’s not fair,” Lily whines. “You didn’t draw something on my face.”
Is she going to go back to Jay as her target for the evening? Will she complain about this once we’re back in the cabin? Her flirting was adorable at first, but now, she’s getting irritating. They said no, so she should accept that.
“Maybe next time, Lily. I don’t have time to paint on everyone,” Jay quickly deflects.
Lily perks up, excited she may have his attention sometime in the future.
The walk back is quick because we’re excited to see how we look in the black light. As we get closer, Fallon and Lara begin to glow, and it doesn’t take long before the rest of us join them. The music in the distance goes from a dull beat to us being able to recognize the song. The other campers stare at us, envy painting some of their faces. Others come over and tell us how great it looks.
Parker hands the leftover paint to someone. “Matt’s in my cabin. I told him if I had any left he could pass it around.”
It makes me feel better we won’t stand out as much.
“Parker, this paint is great,” Lucca say to him. “I need to get some of this stuff to wear around the house and scare the staff in the middle of the night.”
“I’ll tell you where to buy it, and I’ll be happy to come over and help anytime,” Parker jokes.
Lucca looks pleasantly surprised at the offer. “Maybe I should fly all of you over.”
Is he serious? Fly us all to a different country? But he looks excited at the idea. As if it only just occurred to him.
We dance for about an hour before people start to take a break.
Lucca, Parker, Jay, and Noah walk over to the food table, load up, and then stand at the tree line to people watch. From the dance floor, I watch as several girls stop to talk to them, but the guys don’t seem to pay them any attention. I remember comments from earlier about the guys being focused solely on their team and can’t help the relief that rushes through me that I’m a part of that.
They go out of their way to make sure to show they’re there for me. That I’m not alone here. Even without the paint, I could pick out my guys from the crowd. They each have an inner strength that makes them stand out from everyone around them.
It makes me feel bad that I’m holding back from them. Even with the story I told them earlier. I could have gone into more detail, told them something more revealing, but hiding has become a way of life for me. It’s difficult to open up, no matter how at ease I am with them.
I’m having such a good time I don’t want to stop, though. Lily, Lara, and Fallon stay and dance with me. So far, the DJ played techno, country, and pop songs. When the music changes, another pop song comes on. Since it’s a popular song right now, a few people join us, but there still aren’t many.
“I know I said I wouldn’t show off but want to see something fun?” I ask Lara. “I’ll probably get yelled at for this.”
“I’m ready as long as you don’t get hurt,” Lara responds, and it’s hard to tell if she’s excited or nervous.
Taking a deep breath, I make sure my path is clear and then backflip, the sand soft beneath my palms. I land in a crouch and surge upward, launching myself into the air. Twisting, my feet land solidly on the nearby table. When I straighten with my arms over my head, Lara stands with her mouth open in shock while Lily bounces on her toes and Fallon claps. Behind them, the other dances stare with expressions ranging from awe to open disdain.
Yeah, I should have listened to my own warning about showing off.
Noah comes running up, arms waving as he shouts. “Holy shit! Did you see that? She did some flip, spin, twist thing. Monkey really is a good nickname for her.”
“I can’t believe you made it on top of the table.” Awe fills Jay’s voice as he follows close behind. “I’d have a hard time doing that without any practice. It makes it even harder when you consider we’re in sand.”
Jay speaks with such respect, and I realize that, unlike everyone else, he understands what I accomplished was much harder than it looked. Jay does all sorts of acrobatics when he’s shown us his martial arts.
Jay sounds contemplative. “I’m guessing you’ve had dance, tumbling, and gymnastics training.”
“That was amazing,” Noah adds.
Ignoring the hands Jay and Noah hold out to help me down, I hop off the table, landing at their feet. I beam at them. “Thanks, guys!”
After all the dancing, sweat makes some of my paint run. I don’t care, though.
About to say something else, the DJ speaks up. “Last dance!”
I’m not ready for this night to end, but we probably have an early day tomorrow. I haven’t talked to the boys about it.
Micah walks up to Fallon. “I’m sorry about earlier. I’ve been so caught up in my team beating yours I forgot we’re friends first. I picked this song just for you. Will you dance with me?”
Fallon, who seems to be hard as nails most of the time, blinks back tears. “Yes, I would love to.”
Parker smiles at them as they walk off, then turns to me, putting his hand out. “May I have this dance?”
I don’t know if dancing with Parker is a good idea or not, but I put my hand in his and walk toward the dance floor.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Parker’s not a very good dancer, but at least he doesn’t step on my feet. All the people staring at us, including Lily, makes me nervous, though, and I almost step on his toes a couple times. I forgot Lily wanted this dance with Parker.
I shrug, and Parker wrinkles his brow at me. “What was that for? Are you shrugging at my dancing, or are you off daydreaming about someone else?”
I giggle since I had been thinking of his dancing. “When we were at the cabin before we walked down here, Lily was trying to get Fallon and me to talk to you about dancing with her. Here I am, though. I was shrugging because, I don’t know, too bad?” I giggle again, trying to put my emotions into words. I don’t want to hurt Lily, but she can be a little demanding when it comes to getting attention.
“I’ve known Lily for several years. She’s not my type.” Shaking his head, he adds, “She’s a little much to deal with and is very high maintenance. It’s one of the things I like about you.”
Ah! No! We’re not having this discussion. Not happening! Time to bring him back to a safer topic. “I’m sure she’ll find someone.”