The Dumbing Down of Love: Day Twenty-Nine

The Dumbing Down of Love
(720 Hours in a Relationship)
DAY TWENTY-NINE

     “I now give to you Kyle and Dean Chance,” Simon said as the two of them took the center of the dance floor. “On their first dance, they have requested that their dearest friends join them. Olivia, my dancing queen, may I have this dance with you?”
     Olivia covered her face with her hands as everyone turned to stare at her. “I’m going to kill him,” she whispered to Gray. “Will you come rescue me after the first dance is over?”
     “No way. This boyfriend doesn’t dance.”
     “Even if I promised you carnal sex at the end of the night.”
     “Even with the promise of carnal sex,” Gray said.
     Sighing, Olivia stood. “Please rescue me,” she said as Heather grabbed her arm and dragged her across the floor.
     Gray watched as Simon picked her up and spun her around. The three of them joined Thom, Zane, Ross, and Susan who all hugged and started dancing in a circle with each other.
     “Never in a million years, would I think I’d be at a commitment ceremony with a girl I met only a few weeks ago,” Chris said as he sat down in the chair next to him, “but here I am.”
     “Should I give you the same shit you gave me as Olivia and I started seeing each other?” Gray asked and took a drink of his wine.
     “Please don’t,” Chris said as Ellie joined them.
     “Please don’t what?” she asked, handing Chris a wine glass.
     “Gray asked if he should give me the same shit I gave him when he and Olivia started seeing each other.”
     “Are you?” she asked Gray.
     Gray shook his head. “Some battles are not worth the hassle.”
     “She’s good for you,” Chris said as he watched Olivia and her friends dance. “I’m glad you never listened to me.”
     Smacking him on the back of the head, Gray smiled. “I love your sentiment,” he said. “She is pretty special to me.” Leaning forward onto the table, he swirled his wine glass and sighed. “I told her that I loved her yesterday.”
     Ellie squealed with excitement. “What? Really?”
     “Congratulations,” Chris said
     “You’re serious about her,” Ellie said, patting him on the arm.
     Gray nodded and let his eyes fall on Olivia and her friends. “I know you’re both going to scoff, but I think I might have found that special someone.”
     Ellie squealed again with excitement.
     “Could you never squeal again? God, you sound like a rat that got snapped in a trap,” Chris said.
     “Screw you,” Ellie said and hit him in the arm. “When you feel the way Gray feels, it will be the last squeal.”
     “What about when you feel the way Gray feels?”
     “I’ll reach that way before you will so you’ll still be last squeal.”
     “A toast,” Chris said and raised his glass. “To Ellie never squealing again, to me being at a commitment ceremony with a girl I hardly know but want to know better, and Gray who found someone to put up with this shit.”
     “Remind me that if I do get married you’re not giving any toast,” Gray said as they toasted.

# # #

     “Crazy huh?” Zane asked as he and Olivia danced to a song that Simon and his band were playing.
     “Yeah,” she answered, “Simon can actually sing.”
     “He took it to heart when you said he couldn’t sing. Went out and took vocal lessons.”
     “This is for Olivia,” Simon’s voice boomed over the microphone.
     Olivia smiled at him over Zane’s shoulder and he winked at her. “I thought you’d like to know that Gray said he loved me yesterday,” she said as she and Zane continued to dance.
     “Congratulations.” Zane felt the last remnant of his heart slid away and held Olivia a little closer to him. “Did Dean totally flip out when you told him?”
     “I haven’t told him yet,” she answered. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”
     Zane pulled away and looked at her. “Really?”
     Olivia nodded. “You were always here for me. When I thought that Gray thought it was moving too fast, when I first met him, and now.”
     “It’s what friends are for,” Zane said as he watched Gray walk towards them. Any jealousy he held against him, slipped away with each step he took. “And if he does decide to hurt you anyway, I’ll still kick his ass for you.”
     “That’s all I can ask of you,” Olivia said as Gray appeared at her side.
     “Zane, do you mind if I cut in?”
     “Sure don’t,” he said.
     “Thanks,” Gray said as he shook his hand.
     “You’re welcome,” he said, pulling him close into a man hug. “I know you’ll treat her well.”
     “Without a doubt,” Gray replied, patting him on the back. Looking at Olivia, he smiled, “May I have this dance?”
     “It would be my pleasure,” she said and took his hand. She watched as Zane stepped away as they took their spot on the dance floor. “I thought you didn’t dance.”
     “I don’t,” Gray replied, “but I’ll learn for you.”
     “You would?”
     Gray nodded. “I was also hoping we could slip out early if I did dance with you.”
     “For carnal sex?”
     Smiling, Gray kissed her. “That would nice, but I was hoping you’d escort me to brunch tomorrow. I have a client who’s doing this last minute brunch for everyone tomorrow. I was hoping you could make an appearance with me. I think it would make a great impression on them if you were there with me.”
     Olivia nodded. “Of course, I’m there to support you. I’d do just about anything for you.”
     Gray smiled and pulled Olivia closer. He knew his first dance with her wouldn’t be his last and he was just fine with that.

This page copyright © 2009 Shelia Taylor
All rights reserved | This is a rough draft and not the final version

Leave a Reply