I'm Just Dancing

A Change of Plans

Chad POV

"What the fuck Chad? Really, you'd rather hang out with him?" She says him with so much sting in her voice.

"I don't know what you mean by that, I'm sorry. I-I forgot to message you to reschedule." It's a weak excuse, I know that.

"You shouldn't have needed to message at all, you should want to go out with me! You should like your girlfriend." The last sentence is quieter, much more hurt.

"Taylor I," She's already hung up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to just drop you by her place so you can still have your date?" Ryan asks if I didn't know better I'd say he's blushing.

"No, I think it's best if I give her some space." I am genuinely embarrassed I've put him in a situation like this.

"Only if you're really sure. There is this florist downtown that I think is still open. You could pick her up some flowers and you could..." Whoa hold on.

"Hey Ryan, can we please just go get dinner?" He stops for a second and looks at me confused. Then he just smiles, like the first look wasn't there at all.

"Absolutely, but with a small change of plans." Oh, that's what that smile is.

"How small?" Do I actually want the answer?

"You'll see." Ryan pulls back out onto the road and I can just feel the gears turning in his pretty blonde head.

He turns the radio up blasting what I am fairly certain is promiscuous by Nelly Furtado, which he knows all the words to and loudly sings along. I wanna tease him about it but that would mean interrupting his moment and who am I to stop him from being so himself. So I just sit in the passenger seat and watch him perform this song and another and a third before I remember I don't know where we are going.

"Okay," he says, turning the radio down, "Now dinner, then you have to apologize to your girlfriend." He laughs and makes a rather unsafe turn onto the highway.

"So, like, you just felt like putting on a show?" I ask now that he can hear me.

"I thought maybe if I annoyed you you'd change your mind." Man I really wish he'd drop the Taylor thing.

"Well it backfired. You're too talented to be annoying, so I just want to hang out with you even more." Flattery has to get me somewhere.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me Danforth. Try that trick on my sister though I bet she'll love it." He pulls into the lot and parks the car.

"Well there isn't anywhere I'd want to get her so I'll pass." I say before I realise what I'm implying. "Not that I am trying to get anywhere with you."

"Sure" He smirks and gets out of the car, leaving me to remove my own foot from my mouth.

I have had dinner out with friends before, just never at actual restaurants. Now that I am jogging to catch up to Ryan in the parking lot it hits me that this looks like a date. I look like I'm on a date with Ryan Evans. The inside doesn't slow my heart rate at all, it's nice here. I mean it's not celebrity level but it's super nice. We are dressed up, well Ryan always is.

"Earth to Chad." Ryan waves his hand at me from across the table. "Are you okay?"

"Huh, yeah, of course why wouldn't I be?" Smoothe, no way that came across anxious.

"We can go somewhere else if this is too much," his voice is polite and level but his eyes give him away. He's hurt.

"That would be far too much to ask." My heart can't possibly beat any harder.

"No it wouldn't, come on," He stands from his chair dropping some money, probably more than I want to know, on our unused table.

He looks straight ahead as we walk back to his car.

"Sorry if this felt like a date or something, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Is he a mind reader now? "I can take you home if you want."

"What? No!" The intensity of my response shocks us both.

"Okay so what do you want to do?" The locks click and he pulls his door open.

"Pizza and movies?" It's what we always do, but I like just hanging out with Ryan.

"That sounds great, but I pick the movies this time." He checks behind him and we pull back on the road.

"Darn I was counting on those horror movies," I laugh, he scoffs, "I like seeing you squirm."