He hums, and I know he probably doesn’t believe me on that, either.
“You’re here, you take what you want, and then you’re gone. Like a dragonfly.”
I grip his waist. “You know, it’s a common misconception that dragonflies can sting or bite. They don’t.”
I reach up and stroke his hair, searching his eyes.
It feels as though there’s a warm fire heating me from the inside, keeping me safe, in a place that’s normally so cold. Can’t he feel my warmth?
Can’t he feel all of this, between us?
He doesn’t think I give a damn about him.
And I know that’s entirely my fault.
“You two look hot,” a voice comes from beside us, and when I turn, a camera flash hits my eyes.
I’m still holding Oliver as Weston comes over, snapping some manual Polaroid photos of us and then grabbing a few with his phone camera.
I lean against Ollie in the photos.
Holding him tight.
Because I need him like oxygen. And because it’s what we’re supposed to do.
Weston is clearly having a good time, too, smiling wide and dancing off to go snap pictures of other people.
And the moment we’re alone again, I feel words trying to push out from inside me, like I’m having to hold back from telling Ollie every little thing about him that I’m obsessed with.
I kiss him so I won’t speak.
I take his mouth and while we’re out here on the dance floor, the feeling of his tongue sliding on mine, wet and hot, feels more like I’m fucking him, instead.
Way too intense for a winter formal.
And I don’t even try to stop.
We dancefor what feels like hours in the crowd.
I ride the wave of the molly, and the initial rush settles into a calm, warm high. Like I’m in a cloud. Like the world isn’t hostile, but finally a place I belong.
And I make sure Oliver and I look every bit like a couple.
People pass by, waving at him or stopping to say hello, and I keep close with him at all times. Touching him. Holding his hand. Taking my own pictures and videos with him whenever I feel like it.
“I need air,” I tell Oliver. “Need to go out on the front steps for a few minutes.”
“You need water, too.”
“Right. Yes. Water. I’ll grab a glass.”
Ollie nods. “Meet you out front in a second, okay?”
“You’re so good to me.”
I lean in to kiss him before I head for the front, but the moment my lips are on his, I need so much more.
The small peck turns into something deeper. I can’t pull away.