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Abruptly, I stand up

“Anyway, looks like you’re doing great I’ll be back later”

As it turns out, later is five et its way Instead, I keep onomic seat that my mom insisted I buy

Every five ht pops up, insidious and o check on Stevie and Winston? I swat it away as quickly as it co myself instead into place on the chair

Once the ti back down there It’s tiht of stairs, some pop chords beckon to me from the basement

There, an onslaught of pop rabs my hands

“Dance with us!”

He and Stevie are jabbing their fingers up and down and wiggling their hips to the e my socked feet into a few steps of their own

Winston, s at my arm until I half-heartedly join in, then discos his way over to Stevie who’s shaking her hips to the music already

Finally, he couides us into a sort of semi-circle

“Hold hands!” He encourages us, “A circle! A circle!”

Winston’s sudden change surprises ain, I’m pretty serious myself, and I’m the person he interacts with the most by far

Right now, I haven’t seen hio Could it be that Stevie is already having an impact on the boy?

Stevie’s hand is reaching out in front of ly, I take it The shock of contact sends a thrill through me Her skin is silky and supple And is that a whiff of peach that I smell?

Our eyes aze away Hell to the no I a there

Once the song finishes, I go over to the little sparkly red boombox and turn it off

“It’s tio home now,” I tell Winston before he can protest

“Aw…” He says, his whole face falling

“But she can co

“Yeah!” Winston whoops, throwing his arms around Stevie

I ruffle his hair affectionately

“I’oes, okay bud? I’ll coht?”