Jeremiah: I have an extra ticket to the Spectacular tonight. Want to go with me?
Steph: I'm not working tonight, so sure
J: Great! I'll pick you up at 6 and we can walk over
S: See you then!
Steph was never interested in Homecoming activities, but the Spectacular did sound fun. Most of the school's dance groups would be performing. Steph had never seen any of the dance groups before and she was excited. Everyone knew BYU's dance program was phenomenal and maybe she'd catch a glimpse of her cousins, who were dance partners on the ballroom dance team.
I'm glad whoever Jeremiah asked to go with him cancelled. Steph smiled as she walked home.
---
"Clark got a girlfriend, so of course I told him to just go to the decades dance with her," Steph said. She had asked Clark to the dance a few weeks ago. He was so sweet when he came to break the news to her. He even offered to still go with her. His girlfriend had said that was okay. Steph thought that idea was ridiculous. "Do you have a date yet?"
Jeremiah shook his head. "I'm also not working that night."
"Will you go with me?"
"Of course!"
---
Steph leaned on Jeremiah's chest as they danced in their 50's attire. He was surprisingly fun to dance with, even if he was super stiff. The stiff part didn't surprise Steph. Jeremiah wasn't anything if not stiff.
"Do you want to come over and watch a movie after this?" Jeremiah asked.
"Of course," Steph replied with a smile.
Later that night, as Steph and Jeremiah sat watching a movie with Roxie and Charles, Steph leaned into Jeremiah's side and yawned. Jeremiah put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer so she could use his chest as a pillow. Steph didn't realize it until later, but that was the first time she had been comfortable enough with Jeremiah to get "collapsy" on him.
---
"Charles!" Jeremiah yelled from his room. "I can't get these toe socks on over your tights!"
Steph and Roxie burst out laughing. "That's the last thing I expected to hear in a guy's apartment," Steph giggled as Charles went to help Jeremiah with this ridiculous task.
"I'm excited to see what he came up with for his elf costume," Roxie said.
Moments later Jeremiah came prancing into the living room with Charles following close behind. He had a Christmas hat with a bell and elf ears shoved onto his huge head. Steph was surprised he hadn't ripped it trying to get it on. His shirt was one of those t-shirts printed to look like a green elf outfit. He had green, velvet boxers with a zigzag hem with bells hanging from each point on over maroon tights. And the icing on the cake, he had managed to get green striped toe socks on over the tights. For footwear he had green flip flops to show off his toe socks.
"Well didn't you out dress everyone else," Steph teased. They were going on a double date to a Christmas murder mystery dinner. Roxie, Charles, and she had on Christmas themed clothes, but nothing near as extravagant as Jeremiah.
Jeremiah smiled. "Aren't you glad I'm your date?"
Steph rolled her eyes. For the last three months, Jeremiah had been her only dates. Of course, Charles, who she used to go on a lot of dates with, was now dating Roxie, so there were reasons other guys weren't asking her out. But right now, with this weird, goofy man grinning in front of her, she didn't mind so much.