Changing paths

Like summer

Ashley's POV

I return balancing 3 drinks in my hands. From afar Lana and Charley looked like they had been talking but as I approach with the drinks the situation seems to have turned super awkward. Charley had turned back towards the bar and Lana is just standing there smiling as I return.
   ‘Um hey I got your drinks’ I say trying to break the silence. Charley turns around and stands up throwing her arms around as I hold up my arms trying to avoid dropping the drinks.
    ‘Thanks babe. Have I ever told you how amazing you are’ she says loudly before releasing me and grabbing one of the drinks.
   ‘Well yeah and so are you’ I grin before handing the other drink to Lana.
   ‘Thank you so much I’ll pay you back’ Lana says.
    ‘No no it’s on the house’ I wink. I suddenly regret doing so. Winking counts as flirting doesn’t it? Perhaps I shouldn’t flirt especially right in front of Charley. But it’s harmless isn’t it? I turn back towards Lana after thinking way too much into something so innocent. ‘Yeah you need to be drunk to witness my awful dance moves’ I joke.
   ‘Don’t put yourself down Ashy, you’re an amazing dancer’ Charley pipes up.
   ‘Well you can’t be as bad as me’ Lana jokes. I watch as Charley gives Lana a look that could kill or maybe I was imagining it.
    ‘Well there’s only one way to find out isn’t there. We need to dance!’ I screech.
    ‘You two go ahead’ Lana says.
    ‘No we need to find out who is the best or rather worst dancer, you need to come up’ I plead.
    ‘Yeah you and Ashy have some fun’ Charley adds.
    ‘Um ok I guess we can’ I look at Lana and back to Charley who suddenly changes her expression from her earlier death stare to scarily happy. ‘Well come on then.’  I set down my drink and hold out my hand waiting for Lana to take it. After a few seconds I feel a familiar soft hand in mine and I pull her towards the dancing crowd.
    I turn back to see that Charley has disappeared confused by the sudden disappearing act I turn back towards Lana. She was moving awkwardly to the banging music shuffling from foot to foot which made me laugh hysterically.
   ‘What?’ she asks when she notices that I can’t breathe from laughing too much.
   ‘Maybe you are a worse dancer than me’ I laugh as I pretend to copy her awkward dance moves.
   ‘Shut up you!’ she shouts back over the music pushing me slightly on the arm to stop me from copying her dance moves. ‘I was only dancing like that because you were staring off towards the bar. I can’t dance by myself’ she complains.
   ‘So you’re telling me you need someone to dance with? I thought you’d be able to twerk by yourself at least’ I begin to laugh again.
   ‘I’ve never had to dance alone’ she shrugs.
    ‘Wow arrogant much. Meanwhile the rest of us loners have had years of practice dancing without anyone. You know what I bet in school and college you were the kind of girl that had everyone at your feet’ I retort.
    ‘And you were the kind of girl that sat in the corner of the school dance waiting for someone to ask her but never did’ she replies.
    ‘Ouch that hurt’ I pretend to cry holding my hands over my heart. ‘You know me too well.’
     ‘I’m sorry’ she mumbles.
     ‘Why are you apologising? Its only banter’ I say.
     ‘It was mean and I’m not a mean person’ she continues to mumble. Wanting to resolve her sudden remorsefulness I decide to make her laugh.
     ‘Well it is true, that is me being in the corner at the school disco. You know those greasy haired spotty boys never did anything for me’ I smile looking into her eyes. It works as I notice a smile curving around her mouth.
    ‘But then I guess none of those guys would have done anything for you’ she cracks.
    ‘I guess not’ I grin back.
    ‘And I never had that many people .’
    ‘Huh?’ I reply confused.
   ‘I wasn’t queen bee at school. They didn’t fall at my feet as you think they did.’
   ‘Really? I just would have thought…I mean look at you. Total cheerleader material’ I reply. ‘Anyway back to the matter in hand. You can’t dance by yourself?’ she shakes her head.

Lana POV

  ‘So tell me one thing. Will you say yes if I ask you to dance?’ she asks.
   ‘I guess so' I reply.
    ‘Ok so that’s settled you don’t or rather can’t dance alone so you’re dancing with me. See I’m no longer that loner girl at school waiting for someone to dance with.’ She chuckles. I loved how much she smiled and laughed at everything it made me smile in return. I stand there like a statue suddenly feeling awkward of how to proceed. Suddenly she puts her hands around my waist.
   ‘Wow close proximity’ I chuckle to myself suddenly aware of the contact.
   ‘Don’t worry I’m not going to hit on you or anything’ she laughs at my response.
   ‘I know that’ I stick my tongue out like a kid.
    ‘Here put your arms around me’ she grabs my hands and puts them on her shoulders before placing her hands on my waist again. ‘See no different to dancing with Tyler huh?’ she smiles.
   ‘There is a few difference first of all you’re practically the same height as me, you can dance better than him and you smell better’ I slip out suddenly regretting my choice of words.
    ‘Oh really?’ she grins.
    ‘You smell like summer’ I burst out again regretting what I said. For some reason I just I couldn’t stop saying what came to my mind.
   ‘So like sweat then?’ she questions with a curious look on her face.
    ‘No like flowers and lavender and strawberries’ I spill out like verbal diarrhoea halting as Ash’s eyebrows shoot up.
   ‘Really? Good enough to eat by the sounds of it’ she chuckles to herself.
   ‘Exactly’ I stop dead on tracks suddenly aware of how bad that sounded. Ash’s face is full of laughter again.
   ‘I’m sorry, just your face’ she laughs hysterically.  ‘Ooh I love this song’ she suddenly halts laughing listening to the sound being played over the sound system.
   ‘So do I’ I add aware of what the song is. It was Ellie Gouldings figure 8.
   ‘She’s so awesome’ I nod in agreement as we dance to the music. From some point between the songs I become fully aware of how close we’ve gotten. I suddenly loosen the grip I now had around her neck dropping my hands to my sides.
   ‘It’s getting late, I should probably leave’ I stutter waking Ash from the music.
    ‘Yeah I should probably go and find Charley’ she says releasing me from her hold. ‘It’s been fun.’
    ‘Yeah it has’ my eyes linger in hers before I walk away.