God, that felt good. He dipped her a little, swung her a few feet farther into the crowd, away from the edge. The other people on the dance floor were simply blurs of color and clothes. Only John was in high-definition. The ever-present shading on his jaw, the undone top button of his shirt, the springtime blue of his eyes, the visible heartbeat in his throat.

It was there that her eyes bottomed out. On his pulse point. On the physical evidence of John’s heart. The grumpy-sweet heart she had such an unbelievable soft spot for. She planted a palm against his throat as the beat to the song intensified, all the dancers really caught up in it now. He hadn’t taken his eyes from hers for minutes, but now his gaze truly searched her.

She finally tore her eyes away, only to rest her cheek on his sternum and experience his heartbeat from the main source. His heart hammered under her cheek. He wanted her. He’d crossed a crowded room to be closer to her. He held her.

And with every speeding beat of his heart, every slide of his feet, every press of his hands at her back, John gave Mary everything she needed.

THERE WERE SOME nights that made John feel like a middle schooler again. In a good way. And this was one of them. His and Mary’s moods had apparently been infectious to their friends, and the rest of the time in the bar, even with Dud Doug’s presence looming in the corner, had been a deliciously good time. Now it was past midnight and the group had left the bar, walking in a large, too-loud crowd down the sidewalk toward Mary’s house.

John just smiled to himself as they all chattered loudly, laughing hard and leaning on one another.

Mary had invited everyone back to her place for a nightcap, and she led the group at the front. John was the caboose, locking her downstairs door after him and watching everyone file up her stairs to her apartment.

He felt the tug to be close to her. He’d wanted to walk next to her on the way home. But he knew just how obvious a move that would be.

The ten minutes of delirious dancing they’d shared had been hands down in the top three experiences of John’s life. It was no surprise to him that all their friends had pretty much gotten a contact high.

He was almost, almost positive that she’d felt the exact same way. That she’d clutched him as tightly as he’d clutched her. That, tonight at least, she was kinda giving him a green light.