“Do you really want to?” Jade asked, smiling at the bright eyes of her slightly inebriated friend.

“Yeah … it’ll help me burn this buzz off,” Rian said.

She leaned to pick up her bag. It was bigger than the other bags that the other women carried, and when Rian pulled out another pair of nude-colored but lower-heeled pumps, Jade understood why.

“I’ve learned my lesson from all those parties in DC that Dan has taken me to. These are actual dance shoes and much more comfortable than those killer heels,” she explained as she strapped the dance shoes on.

Jade helped her to stand, and teased her, “Hmm… a little shorter now. We were almost the same height earlier.”

Rian gently thwacked her shoulder.

“But the perfect height for dancing, actually,” Jade added quickly, with a smirk.

Rian eyed her, and Jade could see she’d let her guard down a bit. There was something flashing in those baby blues.

Rian said softly, “Your look tonight … now that you don’t have a shirt on, and it’s just that jacket covering you … is so indescribably hot.”

Despite the din in the ballroom created by the music and happy crowd, clapping and dancing to the music, Jade heard her clearly.

Her heart began to beat wildly, in rhythm with the thumping bass of the song the band was playing.

She tried to swallow, and interlaced her fingers with Rian’s, bent and whispered, “You’re the only one I see tonight, Rian. Even when I’m not looking at you, yours is the only face, the only figure I can see.”

Rian gave her a trembling smile, and bit on her lower lip. They continued to stare at each other, and after a while, halfway through the song, Rian said softly, “C’mon, let’s dance. The song’s almost over already.”

When they got to the dance floor, the band segued to another song.

It was one that they’d also heard at Pauli’s wedding reception, but they’d been dancing with other people.

With a smile, Rian began to sing now,

Uptown girl … she’s been living in her uptown world … I bet she’s never had a backstreet gal …

“What?!” Jade exclaimed. She shook her head vigorously from side to side, and pointed at Rian, and took over the song,

I’m gonna try for an uptown girl … she’s been living in her white bread world … as long as anyone with hot blood can … and now she’s looking for a downtown gal … that’s what I am…

And when she knows what she wants from her time … and when she wakes up and makes up her mind … She’ll see I’m not so tough … just because … I’m in love with an uptown girl …

“Na-aah!” Rian mouthed, wagging her finger from side to side, and with a saucy bounce of the hip, she wrested the song back,

You know I’ve seen her in her uptown world … and she’s getting tired of her high class toys … and all her presents from her uptown girls … she’s got a choice…

They grinned at each other and bounced together. After the chorus, before Jade could open her mouth, Rian sang,

You know I can’t afford to buy her pearls … but maybe someday when my ship comes in … she’ll understand what kind of gal I’ve been … and then I’ll win..

“You’ve already won, baby,” Jade said softly into Rian’s ear as she suddenly pulled her close.

Rian pushed back on her gently with a trembling smile.

Jade mouthed,

And when she’s walking … she’s looking so fine … and when she’s talking … (I hope) she’ll say that she’s mine …

Rian shook her head, and mouth, “Ok, you win this one.”

An hour later, as Rian relaxed against Jade’s warm frame while a cab bore them across town to Rian’s and Dan’s hotel room overlooking Central Park, she whispered, “I think I’m a little buzzed still…”

“I’ll tuck you in babe,” Jade answered, and kissed the top of her hair.

As her eyes began to shut, Rian added, “We can’t do anything funny, though …”

Jade smiled and responded, “I won’t if you won’t …”

Rian thought as sleep overtook her, “We are in so much trouble …”

Looking out the window, Jade said under her breath as the cab sped down a row of twinkling lights on store-front windows, We are in so much trouble ….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx