Don't Want This Night To End

         She fixed her dress one last time, smiling in nervous excitement at her reflection in the mirror. Tonight, she was going out to the bar with her friends. Tonight, she was no longer a little high school girl from a small town but a college student enjoying her youth. The drive to the small dance hall ended up being shorter than expected and she could feel the excitement building as the black stamps marking her as 18 years old were placed on her wrists.
 
         Entering the dark, smoky bar, she made her way to the edge of the room meeting her other companions for the night. Little by little, her friends began taking to the dance floor, accepting dances from strangers and friends alike. The girl laughed casually with another friend, hoping to disguise her growing apprehension. No one had asked her to dance yet and she was growing disheartened at the sight of the couples already on the floor, spinning and twirling to the two-step beat of the songs. She fiddled with the ends of her hair nervously. Was she not pretty enough? Was she doing something wrong?
 
         As the girl had begun to contemplate leaving for home early, she felt the tap on her shoulder. As she turned around, she vaguely recognized the stranger as the boy that had come to the bar with her two friends. He wasn't much taller than her and had a boyish face. With a shy grin, he held out his hand and said, "Dance with me?"
 
         The girl happily accepted and placed her hand in his. As they joined the other pairs two-stepping on the floor, the boy clumsily apologized for being so bad at dancing. He was new to the dance but so was she, so she laughed and shouted so he could hear her over the music, "We'll learn together."
 
         After that first dance, he kept his hold on her hand and led her back to the group through the crowd of dancers still on the floor. Soon, the girl received more and more invitations to dance from strangers and the boy began to dance with other girls. The girl was finally enjoying herself but was surprised to find that her mind kept wandering to the boy with the messy blond hair and kind hazel eyes. She noticed that dancing hadn't felt the same with the other strangers. When she danced with others, they either held her too far away or far too close for comfort. They led too forcefully or couldn't dance at all. Their hands felt too large or their scents too overwhelming. They talked too much or didn't pay her any real notice when dancing. Dancing with other guys felt...odd to the girl.
 
         At some point, the boy found the girl again as she returned from a dance with a particularly rough, drunk fellow. He smiled pityingly at her as she declared that she would never accept a dance from a drunken man again. Holding his hand out, much like the first time, he merely nodded toward the dance floor. Not bothering to hide the wide smile that formed on her face, she allowed him to take her hand and joined him for a dance again.
 
         This time, the girl paid more attention to see if she could see why dancing with this boy was so...enjoyable for her. The differences were clear immediately. As they gently glided along the dance floor with the flow of the crowd, she smiled brightly up at him. He held her closely to his chest, his hand warm on her back, pulling her in closer whenever another guy brushed too closely. The subtle smell of his cologne placed her at ease as she closed her eyes and allowed him to lead her through the dance. As the song ended, he twirled and dipped her, just as she had showed him the first time they danced.
 
         "You're getting better at that," she said laughing as he easily pulled her back up into a standing position. Squeezing her hand, he replied, "Haha, really? I've only done that with you though."
 
         As the night progressed, she continued dancing both with the boy and with other men at the bar. Finally, her friends were growing tired and began asking to leave. The blond boy turned to her and said, "My friends and I are about to head out too and I'm driving. Do you want to leave with us?" Frowning, she knew she had to decline as she already had a ride with another friend.
As the boy turned to leave, without thinking, she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and blurted out, "Will you dance with me? One last time?"
 
         His expression transitioned from shock to one of subtle excitement. Taking the girl's right hand in his left, he smiled and said, "One last time."
 
         As if a path had been cleared for the two, the boy led the girl to the very center of the dance floor. With the sounds of boots clicking on the smooth wooden floor and Luke Bryan playing through the speakers, he pulled her closer to him. Instead of clasping hands as usual, he threaded their fingers together, holding onto her small hand tightly. To the beat of the song, they began dancing together, weaving through the throng of two-stepping pairs. She smiled softly up at him before resting her head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. The boy rested his chin on her head, wrapping his arm more tightly around her waist. For that final song, they danced not as strangers, but as lovers. For that one night, the girl knew she had fallen in love with the blond boy with the sweet boyish face.
 
         As the song faded to its end, as per all their dances, the boy spun the girl out before twirling her back in to his chest and dipping her deeply, his strong arms sure around her. He swiftly pulled her back up so that her arm went around his neck and their fingers linked together again. Putting their foreheads together, they smiled at each other as they caught their breath. As the next song started up, he changed his hold on her to a firm arm wrapped behind her back never once breaking contact. As they returned to their awaiting group of friends, she shyly looked down, trying to avoid the knowing smiles and giggles coming from them as they had watched the entire dance.
 
         Hesitantly, the boy released the girl and before they could properly say goodbye, another man had already grabbed her hand to dance. Turning to find his face before it disappeared in the crowd, she caught the boy's smile one last time before he left for the night.
 
         The girl danced many more times but she couldn't forget dancing with that boy and she wouldn't forget that night. For one night on the dance floor with a stranger with blond hair and a boyish face, she fell in love.