He seemed a bit surprised, but immediately leaned closer and buried his hand in my loose, inky-black hair, the other still on my back. He kissed me back, and I could taste the lemon cupcake he'd had for dessert earlier. I smiled against his mouth; that was my cupcake. I hadn't noticed him sneaking one off the tier; I hope he enjoyed it. I dimly heard a snicker from a passing couple, but I was lost in Zacheria's sweet kiss. We had stopped dancing, we were merely swaying in each other's arms as the kiss continued.

My eyes fluttered open to see the smile on his face. "Did you like the cupcake?" I asked as we resumed dancing. He looked a little confused until I explained, "I could taste the lemon cupcake you had earlier." I told him, blushing. "Oh.." He grinned. "It was delicious." He leaned closer to whisper in my ear, "And so are you." He laughed at the blush blooming across my cheeks, and I lightly thumped him on the back for teasing me. "Ow.." He winced dramatically. "Oh come on," I rolled my eyes, "That didn't even hurt." He looked at me, feigning hurt. "Abuser." He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes again and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Such a baby.." I teased. He pressed a kiss to my jaw. "You're the one who kissed me, baby." I grinned. "Tu le sais!" Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "I didn't know you spoke French." He accused. "Well, I do, so don't try to have secret conversations with Katie-bell in front of me." I laughed, "It won't work." He shrugged, then looked at me again. "Did you just call her Katie-bell?" "Mhm.. She's been Katie-bell to me since 7th grade." I told him, nodding. "So.. what are you then?"He asked. I grinned and twirled, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He rolled his eyes again. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't." He pointed out. "Touché."

We talked and danced until we grew tired, and then we found chairs set up at the edges of the room. They were being gradually filled up as couples trickled off the dance floor, so we hurried to find empty ones. Once we managed to secure some, I stood up and looked around for Katie. I was tired but I wasn't going home without her. I didn't want to leave just yet, though.. I looked behind me to where Zacheria sat, his eyes drifting shut. Not being able to locate Katie, I sat back down and took Zacheria's hand. My eyes were heavy with oncoming sleep and my last sensation was the warm press of his hand against mine, reassuring and heavy as an achor. 

"Izzy! Wake up!" A voice hissed. I struggled to wake up, but it was like swimming in syrup. I just wanted to ignore the voice and allow myself to sink back into sleep. The voice groaned with frustration, "Réveille-toi! C'est l'heure de partir!" My mind fought to shake off the fog to interpret the French, so I was able to wake up enough to sit up and rub my eyes. "What time is it?" I asked groggily. "Time to leave!" That was Katie; she was the only one who called me Izzy. I opened my eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light. "It's nearly 4am." I looked at the chair next to me to see Zacheria stretching, cat-like, trying himself to wake up enough to go home. 

That was a good idea. I stood up and stretched, my back arching and knees bending. When I straightened up, my head was much cleared and my limbs not so stiff. "Let's go." Katie mumbled, stretching, not really seeming ready to leave yet. I turned to Zacheria and put my arms around his waist. "Thanks for tonight." I told him. "I hope I see you again soon." He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. "Same for you." 

As I was about to turn around, he whispered in my ear, "By the way, you look beautiful." I glanced down at my crumpled dress and then back up at him, doubtful. "Don't let anyone treat you like you aren't." He kissed me again, this time on the lips. I sighed against his lips, so tired I could fall asleep in his warm arms. When it was over, he smiled and pressed his forehead to mine. "Goodbye." He whispered, then released me. "Goodbye." I whispered back as Katie led me away.

We took my truck, since Katie had carpooled to get here. I was more awake than Katie so I volunteered to drive. "Can I just sleep over with you?" I asked her as I pulled out of the driveway. "Yeah, sure." She replied, yawning. Grateful, I turned down her road and followed the winding path to the dark shadow of her house. I parked in her driveway and jumped out, opening her door to find her fast asleep. I rolled my eyes and picked her up, bridal-style. Luckily, her bedroom was on the first floor. I was not carrying her up the stairs.

I opened the door to her room and dropped her on the bed, panting a bit. I was really too tired for this. I unzipped her dress and pulled a big t-shirt over her, then changed myself into another one of her oversized tees. I got in bed next to her and pulled the covers over us both. I was pretty sure I was too tired to sleep (that had definitely happened before), but soon my eyes closed and I fell into dreamland.

I woke up around 3 in the afternoon the next day to the smell of waffles. My head was pounding and my throat was dry. After a couple minutes of just laying there, Katie still asleep beside me, I rolled out of bed, landing on the pile of clothes by the bed. After sitting there for a couple minutes, I got to my knees, then slowly, slowly, stood up. I took the first 5 steps slowly, part of my morning routine I'd developed about the same time I'd developed the medical condition that caused extreme dizziness and nausea. Once I was sure I wasn't going to faint, I crossed the room and opened the door, inhaling the smell of waffles. My stomach rumbled greedily at the smell and I giggled.