Page 18 of Last Call Lindy Hop

Kenzie and Lance shared a glance, then he looked at me and our eyes met.

I smiled, hoping to make him feel welcome.

Lance turned back to Kenzie and gave a tiny nod, which made her smile. They walked over, and Amber and I followed.

“It’s nice to see you again,” I said to Lance as he sat and pulled out his dance shoes.

He looked up at me, and there it was: the tiniest true smile.

“Hi, I’m Amber!”

Lance turned and the smile became forced, though he hid it well. “Lance,” he murmured.

“Nice to meet you! Dance later?”

He bit his lip. “I’ll think about it.”

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Thank you.”

Amber turned to Kenzie. “Wanna?”

Kenzie grinned. “Sure! Lance, is it ok if I leave you with Eli?”

He glanced at me, then nodded. “Ok.”

“Great! I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

The ladies giggled as they sashayed to the middle of the floor.

“May I?” I asked Lance, gesturing at the empty spot next to him.

He nodded, and I took a seat.

We were both silent for several seconds before I spoke. “I’m happy to see you again. I wasn’t sure you’d be back.”

“Neither was I.”

“Well, you’re always welcome here.”

He looked over. “Do you run this dance?”

I laughed. “No, that would be Jackson.” I motioned towards where he was dancing with Mitch. “He’s the blond over there. But I know he’d say the same. He said he started this dance night specifically to create a more welcoming space than the other venues he’d checked out.”

“I see.”

Lance was back to short answers, and I desperately wanted to get him talking. He was there, and I wanted him to open up rather than shut the world out.

“Do you like Thai food?” I blurted.

He turned to face me and blinked. “What?”

“Do you like Thai food?” I repeated, not knowing where the question came from.

“Um… I guess. When I’m in the mood.”

“What do you suggest?” I babbled on. “I’ve never had it and I really mean to fix that.”