It Takes Two To Tango

Chapter Thirteen

When I get to school on Monday, I’ve very carefully worn a t-shirt that will cover up the love bite on my neck, which has been daubed with concealer just in case.

As much as I’m looking forward to seeing Jude again, I’m kind of scared about how being with him in school will be. He doesn’t really seem to be bothered about displaying our kissing very openly, and very publicly. I‘m no exhibitionist, but Jude does things to me that make me forget even what my name is, and I don‘t want to risk humiliating myself...

However, as soon as Jessie and I get out of the car, he’s right there, by my side, holding my wrist. Without a word, he pulls me with him, leaving me to shoot an apologetic glance at Jessie over my shoulder and just let myself be pulled along.

He pulls me behind the bike shed, between the gap between the shed and the wall, and I look at him questioningly. ‘Any reason why you had to haul me away so rudely?’ I ask, but he just presses his lips to mine.

Kissing behind a bike shed? Romantic, I think not. When he releases me, I look at him expectantly.

‘Okay, Foxy, it’s just… I just think it would be better if we didn’t make our relationship public just yet,’ he tells me.

I raise an eyebrow at him. ‘Why’s that?’

‘Because if my friends see me dating you, and know that you dance, some of the brighter sparks might put two and two together, and realise that I’m your dance partner.’

‘Maybe?’ I say. ‘But seeing the people you hang round with, unlikely. You’re paranoid about people finding out you dance, aren’t you?’

‘No!’ he protests. ’Of course not!’

‘Then just tell them,’ I tell him. ‘Why should you hide what you love?’

‘Because I’m not meant to love it,’ he says, shortly. ‘But anyway, please can we keep this private, at least for a while.’

‘Why should I have to put up with this?’ I snap. ‘Just because you’re insecure?’

‘Or because I’m sexy?’ he suggests.

‘You’re not,’ I tell him, but he immediately disproves this by bestowing upon me a kiss that is far sexier than anything I’ve ever experienced before.

He draws away, leaving me breathless. ‘Still not sexy?’ he asks, cheekily. He looks the epitome of sexiness right now, with his hair all tousled and his jacket hanging off of one shoulder in a rather dishevelled way.

I nod my head, unable to form words.

‘You keep telling yourself that, Foxy,’ he tells me, kissing my cheek and then strolling out from behind the bike shed as blasé as if nothing had happened.

I roll my eyes, leaning against the wall of the shed. I don’t know what to make of him.

When I emerge, to the great entertainment of some small boys who have been parking their even smaller bikes, and seem to find it utterly hilarious that a boy and a girl have been up to something behind the shed, Jessie is waiting for me by the car still, carefully applying her lipstick.

‘Took your time,’ she mentions, popping her lipstick and mirror back into her bag. ’What was that all about, anyway?’

I bite my lip. ’He wants to keep us being together as a secret for a while.’

‘Why?!’ Jessie exclaims. ’What an arsehole.’

‘Because he’s worried that people will guess that he’s my dance partner,’ I tell her. ‘He seriously doesn’t want anyone finding out that he’s a dancer.’

‘Well, I was quite shocked when you told me,’ Jessie replies.

‘I think he’s more worried about what his friends will say,’ I explain. ‘I think he thinks that they won’t accept him for it.’

‘They probably wouldn’t,’ Jessie mutters. ‘Group of idiots.’

‘I think they would, if they saw him in action,’ I say, thoughtfully.

‘Really? Why?’

‘I’m guessing that they’d imagine that he dances proper ballroom dancing- you know, like the waltzing around, and the Charleston to old fashioned music. They don’t realise that actually, this is far sexier and actually very intimate,’ I explain to her.

‘Mm, I guess so. But you should come before them, if he really cares about you,’ Jessie tells me, indignantly.

‘The thing is, I’m not sure he does care about me. I think he’s just lusting after me,’ I murmur, and Jessie pulls me into a hug.

‘Oh sweetie,’ she says, ’if he’s treating you like you don’t have a personality, then just break it off with him. Promise me you will?’

I nod. ‘I won’t be able to put up with it anyway. Even kisses like the ones he gives me won’t make up for being treated like rubbish.’

‘Kissable rubbish,’ Jessie adds, cheekily.

*

And so it’s a secret. I’m not impressed about this, but as I realise, this also means that I don’t have to be the centre of attention as all Jude’s admirers stare at me jealously. Because they would.

I realise this as I’m sat with my friends at lunch. No one would have any idea that Jude and I are a couple, seeing as he’s surrounded by a flock of similar looking girls on one side of the room, and I’m sitting with my own small group of friends at the other.

I can remember the first time I met Jude. Being in such a big school meant that you only really knew people if they were in your classes, so when he strolled into my Maths class a couple of years ago, back in the days when Maths was compulsory, I remember instantly being rather taken aback by his air of self confidence, the way he walked with such assurance that everyone would accept him.

Of course, he was gorgeous then too, and caused many girl’s jaws to drop as he swaggered across to a seat at the back of the class. I don’t know what it was that made him so handsome- I guess it was a combination of his tousled hair, big puppy dog eyes, clearly well muscled body and a couldn’t care less attitude that made him irresistible, looks wise.

I’m not going to lie, I did inwardly sigh at such a pleasant sight like some of the other girls were, but as soon as he opened his mouth, I remember turning away, disappointed. He’s just like the others, I thought, and I was right.

He was a player, had the biggest ego I’ve ever seen; he realised that girls liked him, and pandered to it. He was basically the epitome of every good looking guy his age. And nothing ever changed my opinion of him.

Until I saw him at a dance competition. Molly and I were about to perform our solo performances, when I looked over to see Jude warming up for his own one. To say my mouth fell open in surprise doesn’t quite describe it properly. I even wondered if I were hallucinating.

But no, it was him, and he was a dancer. I remember Sarah was with us, watching him with beady eyes, judging him as an extremely good dancer.

I think she would have snapped him up to dance with Molly right then, seeing as Molly’s partner was having doubts about continuing dance, but he had a dance partner. But still, I remember that when I saw him next, he seemed a little different in my eyes. Knowing that he had a side to him that enjoyed the same hobby that I did showed him in much more of a pleasant light.

Until he grabbed my forearm when I walked past him in the corridor, and begged me never to tell anyone he was a dancer. When I say begged, he tried flirting with me, telling me it was ‘our little secret’ and that I wouldn’t want to tell on him, would I? Then, when I made it clear that that wouldn’t work, he frowned and told me that if I told anyone, I would ruin his life.

I don’t know why I agreed not to speak a word of it. I guess it was because he looked at me with his gorgeous eyes and for a second, looked so genuine that I almost believed him. But then I realised, as soon as he’d gone, that it was all just a show. Yes, he was a dancer, but that didn’t make him any less of an idiotic player who was too up himself to bother with girls like me.

So I pretty much forgot about him being a dancer. Until about seven months ago, when Molly’s partner quit, and the only replacement was a certain boy named Jude Callahan, whose partner had left him due to a back injury.

When I met him for the first time, it’s fair to say I was not impressed- I was worried for Molly, who seemed to be looking at him with a slight sense of awe, probably bowled over by his looks and his attitude, very different to the gangly, rather cringe worthy boy she’d be dancing with before, who left because dancing was taking up too much of his time, and he’d prefer to join chess club.

But there was nothing I could do. It just furthered my bad opinion of Jude though. I saw how he treated Molly, as if she wasn’t important enough to know if he was going to be late, how he just couldn’t care less about her, and my opinion was formed, set in solid rock.

And yet… here I am dating him. When I think back to when I first saw him in Maths, it seems inconceivable. I don’t know how this all happened; why he’s even interested in me, but I do know one thing. There’s something he makes me feel which I can’t explain away, some sort of magic between us. I don’t know if I’m meant to be dating him- only time will tell if that’s the case, or if this whole kissing thing is something he’ll tire of sooner or later, but I don’t think that I have the strength to end things with him. Because he’ll kiss me, and we’ll end up making out so passionately that he’ll probably start to attempt procreation.

The thought of procreation with Jude makes me blush, and I come back to the present with a start. Jessie gives me a funny look.

‘You okay, Ky?’ she asks.

I nod reassuringly. ‘Yeah, fine. I was just a million miles away, thinking about… something.’

Jessie knows me better than this, and raises an eyebrow. ‘Something?’ she prompts. ‘Or someone?’

I don’t answer that, instead poking out my tongue.

*

After lunch, I’m just walking back to the tutor room, when I feel someone’s arms slip around my waist, pulling me through the back door of the common room. I know who it is right away, and I also know that I really do not approve of being yanked about the place by Jude.

‘Well hello, Foxy,’ he says, pinning me up against a wall. We’re right out the back of the school, so no one can see us, which I guess is why he’s being so daring.

I raise an eyebrow at him. ‘Safe enough now, is it?’

He nods. ‘And anyway, I’ve been trying to stop myself thinking about your lips all day, so I think I deserve a reward.’

I shake my head. ‘Nah-’

His lips meet mine, and suddenly I’m tumbling into that passionate explosion of romance as he works his magic with his lips. If only he were a terrible kisser, then I wouldn’t be in this mess.

But still. I respond rather ferociously, kissing him as if I’ve been deprived of kissing for my entire life. He seems to like this.

When the bell rings, I tear my lips from his. ‘I have to go,’ I say, as he kisses down my neck instead.

‘Go on then,’ he says, with a smirk, knowing full well that I might as well be cemented in right now.

He kisses all the way back up, then meets my lips once more.

‘Seriously…’ I start to say. ‘Seriously… Jude… Jude… let me… let me go…’

This kissing is not good for my speech, but it seems good for his ego; it makes him grin devilishly at the effect he’s having on me.

Eventually, I have to push his mouth away from mine, holding my finger against those soft lips of his. He starts to press little kisses on the finger.

‘I have to go now, Jude, let me go, please.’

He rolls his eyes. ‘Fine, go. No one would care if you missed tutor anyway.’

I roll my eyes back at him. ‘Let me go then.’

He releases his arms, letting me through. ‘I’ll see you later, then?’

‘Don’t count on it,’ I respond, as I dash off to the tutor room.

I hear him chuckle from behind me, as I run.

The tutor seems very surprised at how late I am, and Jessie gives me a knowing look as I sink down beside her, out of breath from the running.

‘A certain dancer?’ she whispers, as I sling my bag down to the floor in relief at not being too late to miss the register.

‘How did you guess?’ I say, sarcastically.

‘Oh Ky,’ she replies. ‘I think he’s addicted to you.’

I rub my forehead. ‘I don’t know. More my body than actually me.’

Jessie raises an eyebrow. ‘We’ll see.’