As All-4-One began to sing "I Swear", Nate walked across the dance floor to where Kara stood. He held out his hand, which she took. They put their arms around each other and began to sway and move with the music.
"Hey," she said, "How've you been?"
"Pretty good," replied Nate. "Have you had a nice night?"
"No," she said, her head laying on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Nate asked.
"Danny's starting his shit again," she said, sounding disgusted. What Danny's shit was, Nate had no idea, but he knew it happened quite often. They weren't even dating last week, were they? Nate thought. He couldn't understand, what with all the problems they had, why either of them even bothered any more.
"This is a pretty song," Kara said, humming the tune into Nate' ear. "Sing it to me. I know you can do a better job than me."
Nate smiled. He'd sang to Cristy Eversole on her birthday, and had been somewhat of a celebrity ever since. He didn't have much faith in his musical abilities, himself, but the ladies seemed to like it, and that's all Nate cared about. When the chorus came, Nate decided to give in and do as Kara asked.
"I swear," he sang, "by the moon and the stars in the sky, I'll be there. I swear, like a shadow that's by your side, I'll be there. For better or worse, till death do us part, I'll love you with every beat of my heart. I swear."
Kara hugged him. "That was really good," she said. "That made me feel better. Thanks."
"You're welcome," Nate said. He pressed a little closer to her ear and whispered, "You know, if you don't want to stay with Danny tonight, you don't have to. You can leave with me." She wore a "dress" that was black pants and a silky top that exposed her midriff and back. Nate slowly rubbed her back, his hand straying an inch or two down the back of her loose fitting pants.
Nothing was heard for several seconds but the music. The two continued to dance, their bodies close, her head on his shoulder.
"Seriously?" she said finally.
"Seriously," he said. "Right now."
The song ended, but the two held each other a while longer. Kara pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Okay," she said. Nate smiled and they walked toward the door.