Ari's P.O.V
Once I returned to them, my friends berated me with questions on where I gained such dancing skills, and I happily told them about the dance classes I took up.
A while later and two drinks down, a flash of something seemed to catch my eye from across the room.
I looked in the direction of where it was and saw a beautiful dark-skinned woman outfitted in a black jumpsuit with dark blue heels and her natural hair slicked back into a low, big, curly puff. She looked like a total badass. I couldn't peel my eyes off of her and I'm positive I must've looked like a total creep.
"Dude, who are you eying? You've been staring off for a good two minutes while we've been trying to talk to you," my friend Shawn says to me shaking me out of my trance.
"Oh, sorry man. It's just that...do you see that woman over there? In the jumpsuit standing with her friends?"
"Where? Oh! Yeah, damn! She's good looking! Dude, you should go over and talk to her!" He says, yelling over the loud bass.
"Wait, go talk to who?! Who are you guys talking about?" My friend Niall from England, but is turning more and more into an American each day, says.
Shawn points out the girl I've been admiring and shows the rest of the guys.
"She's pretty! Definitely love that outfit on her. She rocks it well," my friend Gavin says.
"Yo! She's coming this way! Arizona, bruh, don't be a bitch, what are you finna say when she gets here?!" Our friend Mike whose hometown we're in, says.
"What?! I don't know! You tell me! What should I say?!" I hadn't even noticed that apparently this girl spotted me admiring her from across the room.
When did I become this guy? Why was it that I was tongue tied all of a sudden? I've never been this way.
She walked closer and closer towards me smiling and eyed me up and down. I was dressed comfortably and casually in a simple black t-shirt and slightly fitted jeans with black and white Converse, my usual staple look as of late.
I didn't think to wear anything festive or over the top since I was well aware dancing may be involved and sweaty random bodies pressing up against me. I also didn't want the potential of any "good" clothes being ruined by one of my friend's vomit should one of them get sick, so I wasn't too sure why she was walking my way. Just from the complete opposite way the both of us were dressed, I didn't think someone like her would want to be seen with someone like me.
"Hey, what's your name?" The mystery goddess yells to me over the booming music and other people yelling once she finally reached where I was nervously standing.
"Who, me?" I genuinely asked still stunned at the fact that she walked to me in the first place.
Now that I've become open to dating women, I seem to get a lot more attention from them. Sometimes it was still a surprise to me. Sure, I've had women fawn over me before, but it's a different feeling having women drool over me when I was strictly gay, to having women drool over me now that I'm flex/bi.
"Yes, you! I noticed you smiling at me. What's your name?"
"Oh, um, uh it's Arizona," I stuttered.
Damn Ari, what the fuck is wrong with you man?! Get it together! This isn't the first time you've talked to a pretty girl!
"Arizona? That's different. Well Arizona, are you just going to stand there or are you gonna do me the honor of dancing with me?"
I smiled and nodded my head. I look back at my friends and they begin doing the absolute most. Jumping up and down, hooting and hollering, cheering me on and making all kinds of sounds that make me and the beautiful girl laugh.
She grabs my hand and leads me away into the jungle that was the dancing crowd of drunk, high, and regular people, to find an open spot.
"So, uh, what's your name?" I finally ask her.
"Jael."
"Jael. That's a beautiful name. Biblical right?"
"Right! How'd you know? Most people don't know that."
"I had pretty religious parents. I know a lot of things about the Bible."
"Had?"
"Yeah we don't talk too often anymore."
Which isn't a lie. I haven't talked to my father since I went back to California and occasionally, I'll speak to my mom, but it's definitely less than I used to. I think my dad has been trying to restrict her contact with me, unfortunately.
"Sorry to hear that, but hey, we're both here to have a good time, right? Neither of us should be thinking about our troubles," she says grabbing a couple of blue and white jello shots from a waitress walking around with a large tray full them.
She hands one of them to me, and at first, I was going to refuse, but what the hell, it's just one shot. They're mostly jello mix anyway.
I watch as Jael tips her head back to have better access to the jello, and I can't help but watch as her tongue digs the cold substance out of the small plastic cup and into her mouth. She licks her lips and smiles.
"What?" She asks after finishing, "Do I have some on my mouth still?"
"No, no sorry. That was just, uh, kind of attractive," I say full on turning red and blushing now like an idiot because that probably came off as creepy as hell.
Jael laughs and waits for me to down mine and place both of our waste on another passing by tray.
A song that she seemed to be familiar with comes over the speakers and she starts dancing. I kind of liked the beat myself, so I began dancing as well, but out of respect and nervousness, I stood a little ways from her. But the next thing I knew, Jael pulled me closer to her and smiled at me.
"It's ok Arizona, you don't have to worry. Loosen up! You're a good dancer!"
"You can call me Ari, and I use to play football so I'm pretty good on my feet," I say, smiling a crooked smile.
I stepped a little closer to Jael and start dancing again. I was beyond nervous at first, but seeing her smile at me gave me a weird wave of confidence that I could swear I felt physically flow through me.
I was starting to loosen up and feel so good and confident in my dance moves that I suddenly turned Jael around so that her back was to my chest and my hands on her hips. She raised one of her arms and had her hand gripped on the back of my neck and started dancing on me.
Her curvy body felt good against mine and her hips fit perfectly in my hands. Our swaying to the beat bodies perfectly in sync with one another like they spoke the same language.
I loved how sensual dancing could be between partners. Doing it right can be like you and your partner having mind blowing sex, but without the penetration or risks that come with it.
Dancing with Jael was a good distraction for me from all the things that have been plaguing my mind in the recent months. This whole trip has been a much-needed distraction. In these moments with my friends and a pretty girl, I felt good.
After we danced to a few more songs, I walked with Jael over to the bar so we could grab some water and re-hydrate ourselves. My friends were nowhere in sight, so I suspected they must've been "shaking their groove thangs" on the floor.
"I don't get it. I walked up to you and you looked so cute and nerdy and uneasy. Now look at you, out dancing all these people here and looking like the hottest guy in this building," Jael says to me while smiling and wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Yeah I was pretty nervous at first. I wasn't really sure you were gonna come up to me. I'm going through some major changes in my life and was just really nervous."
"Major changes? Do you mind me asking about what?"
"Well, not too long ago I broke up with my fake girlfriend. Or rather she broke up with me," I say looking downwards. I mean, that wasn't too far from the truth.
"Hang on. Fake girlfriend? Ari what kind of double life are you living?" She laughs.
I laughed as well realizing just how ridiculous it sounds, "It's funny you say "double life" because that's exactly what it was. However now, I can't live like that anymore. It was too draining. I lost too much."
"Wow, well, I can understand a breakup. Just went through one myself. A real one, not a fake one."
We both laughed and took a moment to drink our waters.
"What happened that you guys broke up?" I asked getting curious and probably becoming too nosy.
"He was keeping a huge secret from me and lying to me for a long time."
"Was it a harmful secret and lie?"
"Yeah. Very. Well, it wasn't harm from him, but harm from his brother. Either way, I'm done talking about it for the night. I'm not supposed to be talking about him."
"Fair enough. So, you're from here right?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, so what's the deal with the guitar at midnight?" Honestly, it was some of the most country sounding shit I've heard in a while.
She laughs, "We don't drop a ball like New York. No, we're so extra down here that we drop a guitar. Really though, Memphis is a musical city. Home to different genres of music including rock n' roll so we drop a guitar."
"That's pretty cool. So, is uh, one of those guys you're here with your New Year's kiss?" I say boldly and pointing out her friends that I had seen her with before. I was kind of digging this girl and was curious if she was attached. I wasn't looking for a new girlfriend, but I wouldn't mind having her to kiss to bring in the new year.
Jael raises her eyebrows at me and smiles like she understands where I'm trying to go with my questioning.
"Is one of those guys you came with your New Year's kiss?" She retorts.
Touché.
"Nah, no way would I kiss any of those guys. I've kissed one of them before, but it was one of those drunk dare type of things," I say laughing.
Jael raises her eyebrows again.
"We really have some commonalities, don't we? I've also kissed one of my guy friends, but we're just friends. He's got a girlfriend anyway," she says rolling her eyes. I'm assuming there's more to that story.
"You don't sound too enthusiastic about him having a girlfriend."
"Oh, that's because I don't like the girl. Busted her in the face not long ago."
This time it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. In that moment, this girl began reminding me of another feisty badass woman I know and love.
"Wow, no one told me Memphians were so tough," I say laughing.
"Oh, trust me, you don't mess with us. But, no, neither of them are my kiss. I don't have one. Do you?"
"No, no kiss for me either. Maybe we could be each other's kiss," I say jokingly. But was I really joking?
Before Jael could say anything though, one of her friends, equally just as pretty, heads over towards us and interrupts the conversation.
"Hey girl, you ready to head out? We've got about fifteen minutes and it'll take us about that long just to move through the crowd," she says to Jael before noticing me sitting next to her, "Oh, hello, you're cute. Wait, you're the guy who has been occupying my best friend the whole night!" She says excitedly.
I blushed and looked down. Will I ever get used to all of this female attention again?
"Lucia this is Ari, Ari this is Lucia," Jael says.
I looked back up and smiled at Lucia and shook her hand.
"Lucia I'll meet you guys at the table."
Lucia nods and makes her way back over to the table and Jael stands up from her spot.
"Let me see your phone," she says to me with her hand out.
I obligingly placed my unlocked phone in her hand and watched as she put her contact information in and adds herself to my Instagram.
"Come find me if you discover that you're serious about having a New Year's kiss," she says winking at me.
Jael hands me back my phone, smiles at me one last time, and walks over to her friends to leave me by myself.
I was able to find my friends again and inform them that the guitar would begin dropping soon and that we should find a good place out on the street to watch it, however as soon as we made it back outside that looked like it was going to prove impossible.
It seemed as though there were more people out on the street than there was before when we first arrived. All you could see was a sea of heads and hair, balloons, hats, flashing lights, dancing bodies, and basically just a sardine can of people.
There had to easily be thousands of people in this crowd and there was no way we were going to find a perfect, or good for that matter, spot. There was no way I was going to find Jael to share that New Year's kiss.
"No way, you bitch-ass mothafuckas just don't know how to move through crowds. I'm from here, let me show you how it's fucking done!" Mike yells to us.
Mike begins moving people out of the way while the rest of us non-Memphians follow until we find a good enough place. However, just doing that took forever. It was about time for the countdown to commence and the new year to begin, but there was still no way I was going to find her amongst all of these blurs of people.
I was beginning to give up and lose hope when I started feeling an unnatural pull. It almost felt like when someone is watching you.
Have you ever tried staring at someone from across a room, but they aren't looking back in your direction, but after a few moments they turn, and look at you? Almost like you were willing them to look your way and see you trying to get their attention? It felt like that.
"10! 9! 8! 7! 6!" The crowd started jumping and chanting.
I turn and leave my friends behind in the crowd to follow the pull of attraction that I was feeling.
"5! 4! 3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! HAPPY 2018!!!"
The crowd started going absolutely berserk with people screaming and jumping, kissing friends, strangers, and lovers, but I kept going until I finally found my destination.
I tapped Jael on her shoulder, and she turned around stunned to see that I had somehow found her in this obscenely large crowd.
She smiled at me and I smiled back, placing my hand on her cheek and drawing closer to her. I kissed and tasted her lips and felt as she smiled against my own. The both of us glad that I had found her.