Dance with the Past

BECCA

The party was held at a club. It was a nice place with a modern hi-tech design. As soon as I parked my car, I headed to the door. Lily understood that I wouldn't be waiting for Logan and she stayed behind.

So now, I was sitting at the bar, talking with Jaimie. She was Lily's friend from high school. We met for the first time when I was there on winter break in my first year of college.

She was a lovely girl with red hair and a kind smile. She wasn't planning to stay long because her son turned out to be sick. Her friendship with Lily meant a lot to her, and she decided to come at least for a little bit.

There were around fifty people. Most of them were talking, laughing, and drinking. I was too comfortable with Jaimie near the bar, so I didn't even budge to move somewhere else.

An hour and four shots of tequila later, she bid me goodbye and went to find Lily. I was left on my own. Where was Kate? Or Tim? Or any other person I knew?

“So, now you are a tequila lover.” I closed my eyes, clenching my jaw.

“It's not the time for rum yet.” My voice didn't tremble, but it was cold.

“Nice to see that some things are still the same.” Logan sat near me on the stool. He nodded at the bartender, and the guy gave him a glass of whiskey.

“What do you want, Logan?”

“Well, for starters, I want you to look at me. Because I would love to say I am sorry about my reaction. It wasn’t very polite. But I can’t do this while you’re avoiding eye contact.”

“Are you happy?” I turned my head and locked my gaze with his. Logan’s eyes were intense. He let them roam all over my face.

“Very. Rebecca, I am sorry. Really. It was stupid of me to say something like that to you. It was rude.”

“Thank you.” I waved at the bartender and asked for my favorite cocktail, a Cuba Libre. I wanted to place my hand back on the table, but Logan caught my wrist and brought it up to his eyes.

“A swallow?” I narrowed my eyes, hearing him ask about it.

“What? I was feeling nostalgic. My necklace meant a lot to me.” Logan’s jaw tightened.

“Or just the guy.”

“No. I won’t do this again,” I said as I took my cocktail and stood up. Logan stayed in his place. Without looking at him, I turned around and went to mingle. Soon, I saw Kate. She was standing alone near the doorframe, and she looked so damn lonely.

“Hey,” I said as I walked closer and leaned my back on the wall.

“Hey. I saw you with Logan, but... Well, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“How are you, Kitty Kate?”

“Not good, Becca. Tim stayed at home.”

“Why?”

“I had a fight with him... Because of my behavior, Logan and he aren’t talking to each other... and knowing that Drew can’t be here tonight, he refused to come.”

“What happened?” It was surreal. They had been friends since childhood. How was this even possible?

“I made a scene when we went to visit Logan. All of his teammates heard my whining about Logan’s being an ass... I said that he was an arrogant jerk with shitty new friends...”

“Ouch.”

“I had been drinking for a few hours before that... It’s not an excuse, I know... I apologized to Logan a thousand times, but he said some nasty words about me to Tim, and it led to a fight between them.”

“Damn. I am sorry.”

“It’s my fault, Becca. I was hoping that Logan and Tim would be able to reconnect. But it didn’t turn out as I had planned.”

I looked at my friend very carefully. Her red hair was barely over her shoulders; she had a little makeup on, just to add some color to her features. She didn’t look good. She had even gained some weight, and it was obviously seen.

“Something is bothering you, Kate, and you don’t want me to know about it.”

“I have wanted to talk to you for so long... I’ve been horrible to Lily and you... But let’s get back to this conversation after the wedding. I remember that you were planning to stay at our house.”

“Actually, I got a job offer, and my new boss won’t be back in the US until next month. So I have an unexpected vacation.”

“Oh my God! I want to hear everything about it! Will you stay a little longer? Please?”

“Of course, Kitty Kate,” I leaned toward Kate and hugged her tight. She hugged me in return, and I felt her shoulders relaxing. Shit, what’s going on with her?

“Here you are!” I heard a voice behind me and turned to find Lily. She looked incredibly happy about something. She gave a quick kiss to Kate and then took my hand in hers.

“Kate, there are a lot of people from this town, and you know them. Stop sulking and go mingle. Because I am going to steal Becca for a bit.”

“Okay. See you later?” Kate asked, while I only had time to show her my surprised look.

“Where are we going?”

“I want you to meet John’s brother, Liam. He’s a great guy, and he’s also his best man.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re trying to set me up with him?”

“Rebecca, you can be very annoying sometimes. There will be all of my bridesmaids and John’s groomsmen. I want to introduce you to Liam because you are the only ones who don’t know each other. But… I won’t say no to you having a fling with him. He’s handsome, you will see.”

I shook my head at her. When she stopped near a small circle of friends, I almost groaned. Logan was sitting near John with a whiskey-filled glass in his hand.

I turned my head away without making any eye contact with him. On the other side of John was a guy who looked very much like him. He had brown hair and deep blue eyes, but his beard made him look different from his brother.

I eyed other people. There was also Jason, John’s friend. He was crashing at my place in Miami when Lily, John, and he came to visit me. So, there will be three groomsmen—Liam, Logan, and James. From Lily’s side were her childhood friend Kelly, her friend Riley from high school, and I.

“So, guys, I was able to find my best friend, Rebecca. I am sure that most of you know her. But I need to introduce you to her, Liam. You will be paired together with Becca, so John and I thought it would be better for you two to get to know each other beforehand.”

Lily nudged me in the ribs with her elbow, and I stepped closer to Liam, extending my hand for a handshake. His grip was warm and soothing. He also had very kind eyes, just like John’s.

I smiled at him without taking my eyes off him. He did precisely the same, and I found myself blushing. In normal circumstances, I would have never reacted like that, but the alcohol was doing its job very well.

“Ahem.” John cleared his throat, making me almost jump. I was distracted by Liam’s eyes, and I heard him chuckle. “Jason, you will be with Riley, while Logan will be paired with Kelly.”

“Logan, it will be like the good old days!” Lily patted her brother on the shoulder, and I averted my eyes. I still had no desire to look at him.

“Yeah... Kelly, do you mind dancing with me?” Logan stood up, and Kelly followed him, almost jumping.

“Lucky her...” I heard Riley’s voice. She wasn’t happy that she was paired with Jason. “Kelly always had a thing for Logan. But we all did... Right, Rebecca?”

“No. Sorry.” I shook my head and turned to look at Liam. He was back on his feet, looking at me with a seductive grin on his lips.

“May I have this dance?” This guy had a gentle voice. Deep and low.

“Gladly.” I took his hand, and we went to the dance floor.

Soon enough, the whole dance floor was packed with guests. While there were slow songs, I had the opportunity to talk to Liam. He was the older brother, and he worked as a doctor at the local hospital.

He had taken a vacation just to celebrate his little brother’s wedding without interruptions. He was very easy to talk to, with a great sense of humor and some mischievous manners. I hadn’t laughed that hard for months.

There were a few games for the guests, but I decided to stay in the shadows. I had no desire to make a fool of myself in front of all these people. Kate was already long gone when I realized it. She sent me a message, telling me that she went home to Tim. Poor Kate, will she be alright?

I was standing near the bar with a cocktail in my hand. Liam was sitting on the stool. We were chatting a little, using this opportunity to get to know each other better. Liam was a very honorable man, very respectful and kind.

So my instincts were right about him. He was a good man through and through. I saw Lily and John glancing in our direction. I knew what they were thinking, but now I couldn’t tell if I was attracted to him or not. He was interested, but I needed to know him to make up my mind.

“May I steal your dancing partner?” Logan appeared before my eyes unexpectedly. I was dazed, that’s why I didn’t react properly at first.

“Well, Logan, I don’t mind. Though, I am sure that it’s not for me to decide. It’s up to Rebecca.”

“So, what will it be, Rebecca?”

Damn him! Some of the guests were staring at us. I needed to make a decision quickly. I knew if I refused him, all of these people would be talking about that non-stop. Besides, I was a grown woman, and I was sure that I could do anything. Literally.

“Okay. Let’s dance, Logan.”