Beside her, Nick pulled at his collar and rang the doorbell again. He was holding a small rectangular wrapped gift. “I don’t know what’s taking them so long to come to the door,” he said. He glanced at Lily and flashed an apologetic smile. She shrugged and smiled too, pretending as though she hadn’t been staring at him on and off since they’d left their building and hopped on the subway.
“You look really nice, by the way,” Nick said. He gave Lily a slow once-over, pausing at the skin visible above her belly button.
“Thank you,” she said as though the way he’d looked at her hadn’t threatened to send her panties ablaze. “So do you.”
“Thanks.” Nick cleared his throat. “Marcus’s fiancé, Caleb, will be happy. He takes themes very seriously.”
“Really?” she asked, and Nick nodded.
“He’s an interior designer. Brooklyn moms love him. He charges the shit out of them too. I spent at least three hours searching for bell-bottoms before I found this pair at a shop in SoHo.” He lifted his shirt and revealed a tag that was still attached to the waist of his jeans. “Seventy bucks for a pair of pants. Can you believe that? I’m returning these tomorrow.”
Lily laughed. “You should keep them. They look good on you.”
“Really?” Nick blinked, like her compliment had taken him off guard. “Well, if that’s what you think, maybe I should.”
He smiled, tentative but genuine. Lily couldn’t help but smile in return. For several seconds, they stood on the steps grinning at each other like fools before the door finally opened and a guy with golden brown skin and wearing a tight-fitted powder blue shirt and matching high-waist bell-bottoms greeted them with a delighted shout.
“Hey now, look at you!” He pointed at Nick, and then he saw Lily and his already-wide smile grew bigger.
“Lily, this is Caleb,” Nick said. “Caleb, this is Lil—”
“Lily, from the minute Nick told me you were coming over, I’ve been dying to meet you,” Caleb said, cutting Nick off. He grabbed Lily by the hand and pulled her inside.
“You have?” she asked as they climbed the steps to the second floor. Caleb was still holding her hand. She glanced back at Nick, who followed behind them, frowning at Caleb.
“Absolutely,” Caleb assured her. He opened the door to their apartment, and Lily felt like she’d stepped through a time machine. The apartment was almost completely dark, save for the huge disco ball that hung from the living room ceiling. KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight” blasted from two large speakers. And the living room was already full of people dancing and talking.
Lily suddenly remembered the reason she was here. It wasn’t to drool over Nick in his ’70s attire. She was here to find a potential wedding date.
Lily gulped and turned to Nick. He was staring up at the disco ball in silent, amused wonder. He pointed at it. “That looks legit. Where did you find it?” he asked Caleb.
“I borrowed it from a nightclub,” Caleb shouted over the music. “There’s food and drinks in the kitchen . . .” he started. Then the song changed to “Boogie Oogie Oogie,” and Caleb shimmied his shoulders. “Dance with me, Lily!”
Dread bloomed in the pit of Lily’s stomach. She hated dancing in public. Especially surrounded by strangers. But Caleb looked so hopeful and eager, and he’d graciously invited her into his home.
“Oh,” she mumbled. “Um, okay.”
Caleb didn’t give her a chance to second-guess her decision. Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her across the living room floor toward the whooping crowd. Lily glanced back at Nick, who smirked and flashed her a thumbs-up. He leaned against the wall, holding his best friend’s birthday present to his side, obviously harboring no plans to follow Lily and Caleb onto the dance floor.
Everyone cheered as Caleb melded into the crowd with Lily at his side. She was enveloped in a circle of sequins, bell-bottoms, and Afros. When she turned around again, Nick was no longer standing against the wall.
8
At the end of the day, Nick really had no idea what he’d gotten himself into by bringing Lily to Marcus’s party. As he stood against the wall, watching her dance with Caleb, he felt such a deep pang in his chest, it was honestly alarming. The way that jumpsuit hugged her breasts and hips should be illegal. She looked so fucking good. Like a golden goddess or something. If she met someone here tonight and vibed with them enough to bring them as her date to her sister’s wedding, that would be great. For her. For Nick, it would be like a kick in the balls. He would put off watching that happen for as long as he could, so he went to find Marcus and discovered him inside his and Caleb’s bedroom.