I want to break free

 

Damn, if Tristan didn't have to spend St. Patrick's day with Holden and those two girls. He wanted to be a stone and not have one sip of liquor, but Holden was paying.

He did his best to make light of the Delia matter. It might be a one-shot deal. He called her Della.

"No, it's DEAL YA!" she shot back as if she might kick him under the table if he said it again.

Tristan nodded as if he wouldn't go there again, but each time he looked at her he wanted to call her Della and do that scene from A Street Car Named Desire where the actor yelled, "Stella!" But he would say "Della!" Instead. It kind of made him laugh cause he knew he'd never ever get that dramatic over Delia.

Still, she was a pretty good dancer. They'd gone to a country and western dance hall of all places and they were left to their own devices. After a few two-step rounds, Tristan seemed to reel it in. He could tell he'd impressed "Della" with his country dancing no how. After all, his mom had taught him and he'd watched his parents dance to all sorts of honky-tonk music when he was a kid. But that was like ancient history. And to dance with such a..well, he bet she was a party girl and flirted with everyone. But she was just a flirt.

Seriously, he didn't know what to think. He didn't know girls like her. Not really. There had been Mona and well, he didn't want to dare think about her on a night like tonight with green beer waiting for the taking. He was ever so thankful to find a ginger ale. Delia brought it to him as if she'd had enough beer too.

Of course, they'd lost Holden and Dora in the crowd.

"Do you think they're still dancing?" Tristan had asked.

"Pretty sure," Delia nodded.

"I hope they didn't leave us here," he kind of laughed. She laughed too even if he really couldn't hear her from all the loud country music. Near the end, they danced a few Cotton-Eyed Joe rounds before the Animal House ending started which was more like a drunken Virgina Reel than anything. But oh no, no one wanted to leave the floor just yet. Only, the lights came on and the Hokey Pokey started just to see who was drunk and who wasn't.

He looked at Delia, her eye-liner hadn't smudged once. She did have a way of keeping up. When they met up with Holden and Dora, Tristan hated to be a bother. He was holding on to Delia's hand, as if  he'd hate to lose her.

"We'll get an Uber, you guys just go on," Tristan told them.

"But you came with us?" Holden wouldn't hear of it.

"It's fine. Really." Tristan thanked him. "You two just go. OK." Besides, it wasn't that far from the all-night diner. They could have pie and coffee while they waited for the Uber. 

"So, you think it's for real? Those two?" Delia asked once they got in a booth to rest their weary bones.

"It could happen," Tristan yawned. "I mean, my parents love to dance and they're still together."

She nodded and nursed her creamed coffee. He noticed she didn't take sugar and he liked his coffee that way too.

"I haven't danced in ages," she told him. "I've never done the two-step."

"Well, you catch on fast," he said. Delia kind of smiled.

"You're a great dancer," she said. "I'm glad you could put up with me." Delia shrugged.

He nodded with a smile. Really, he didn't think he'd ever dance the two-step again. There had been no need for it, but honestly, it had been a fun night with Delia.