I cut the cake—it was my favorite chocolate cake.
He gave me a lot of gifts.
"Open them," he said.
I slowly unwrapped them one by one. Inside, there was a very pretty pendant, a stylish bag, and a pair of heels.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the pendant.
"Yes," I replied softly.
He stepped closer and gently placed the pendant around my neck.
"Thank you so much, Steve. You are such a great friend," I said.
"You too, El," he replied.
I smiled.
Then he played my favorite song.
"Let's dance," he said.
We danced in the rain. It was such an amazing moment. My heart was beating so fast, I could almost hear it over the music.
We danced for nearly an hour, completely lost in the moment, until our clothes were soaked.
"Come on, let's go downstairs. You'll get cold," he said.
"No, please… let's stay here for a while," I replied.
We spent a few more hours there, enjoying the rain.
"So beautiful," I said, looking at the falling raindrops.
"Yeah… I agree," he replied, but he was looking at me.
After some time, he spoke again. "It's been long enough. Let's go downstairs—you'll get sick."
"Okay, let's go."
We went to his room, and he handed me his hoodie and a pair of trousers.
"Get changed quickly, or you'll catch a cold," he said.
After half an hour, we were sitting in the dance room, discussing a few things about the competition.
"We didn't practice today, and now we only have five days left," I said.
"Hmm… if you want, you can stay. We can practice," he replied.
"Not a bad idea. And the best part is, my parents aren't home. I'll just call them and tell them I'm staying at Zinnia's house," I said.
"Cool. Then I'm hungry. Do you want pancakes? I make really good pancakes," he said.
"So you're telling me Steve knows how to cook? Are you serious?" I teased.
"Shut up, or I won't give you my pancakes," he replied.
"Okay, fine," I laughed.
I called my mom and told her I was staying at Zinnia's place.
As I hung up, a thought crossed my mind.
I felt a little nervous—I was staying at a boy's house. But then again, it was Steve. He had done so much for me today, and I trusted him. There was nothing to worry about.
We were just friends.
At least… that's what I told myself.