Sofie and the Movie Star: A Lovestruck Short Story (Lovestruck #3.5)(5)

Unfortunately, Laura saw it too.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Did Jackson Coles just smile at you?”

I tried to laugh. “Oh, sure. I bet.”

“He did! I saw him!”

“He’s probably just being polite,” I said, my voice sounding high-pitched in my ears. For some reason, Laura confirming my suspicions was putting me into panic mode. It had been easier to fantasize about the possibility of him checking me out than it was to seriously consider the fact that he was.

“You should go ask him to dance!”

I choked on a laugh. “Yeah, Laura. I’ll do that.”

She looked like she wanted to argue and I was relieved when Thomas stood up to lead Lizzie out onto the floor for their first dance. The first dance was followed by bouquet tossing, which I hid in the bathroom for—much to my mother’s despair. There was no way I was going to submit myself to the humiliation of being single and pregnant and vying for a bouquet with a bunch of teenage girls.

Especially when Jackson was in the room.

Stop thinking like that, I told myself. He would probably be leaving for some glamorous movie star party soon.

To my great relief, the dancing actually allowed me to put my Jackson obsession on pause for a little while. First Samuel asked me to dance, followed by his twin brother Matias. That was a nice thing about the Medina boys—you could always count on them to be good dance partners whenever there was music present.

After I danced again with Matias, I went in search of some water, trying not to think about how sluggish the pregnancy was making me. A few short months ago I could have danced the night away without pause. Now, three dances in and I needed a break.


I drank my water in peace, trying to keep my eyes from searching for Jackson. He didn’t seem to be on the dance floor or in his seat—had he left? The thought made me feel much more disappointed than it should have.

But then Maria’s son, nine-year-old Jose Junior, stepped in front of me. He looked adorable in his little suit, and I grinned at his almost shy smile. “Mama said I should ask you to dance.”

I raised an eyebrow. “She did, huh?” Across the dance floor Maria gave me a little wave. When JJ held out his arm for me, I couldn’t help but laugh. She was training him to be a charmer, just like his uncles. “Thank you, JJ.”

It was cute, really, the way he put one hand on my waist and the other in mine. Someone must have been practicing with him. I saw Matias give him a large wink from a few feet away and stifled a laugh.

For the first few minutes of our dance, JJ didn’t speak at all, his eyes firmly glued to his feet. I thought I saw him mouthing the count. “Hey there, buddy,” I finally said, shaking his arm a little. “Loosen up.”

He looked up at me, grinning sheepishly. “I don’t want to step on your feet.”

“Don’t worry about it. This is salsa music—it’s all about the beat. And you can feel the beat better if you stop thinking about it.”

His chin dipped again and I shook his arm harder. “Nope. Look up here.”

So he held my gaze, grinning shyly. Right away he seemed less awkward—even though he did step on my feet a few times.

“That’s much better, JJ,” I encouraged, trying not wince as he stomped on my toe.

“My mom says I should be a natural dancer,” he told me, his grin growing, and I marveled at how smug a nine-year-old could sound. Once again the spoiled Medina boy syndrome appeared to be rearing its head. “Says it runs in the family.”

“Your mom should know,” I told him. “She’s the best dancer I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” a velvety English-accented voice said behind me.

I spun in my spot, barely noticing his yelp as I paid JJ back with a stomp on his toes in my haste. Sure enough, Jackson Coles stood behind me, a positively dangerous smile on his face.

I opened my mouth and no sound came out, so I closed it again quickly. If he was put off by my weirdness, Jackson didn’t say anything. Instead he looked at JJ. “You’re doing very well, young man. Do you mind if I cut in?”

I didn’t hear if JJ responded, I was too busy pushing him away. This must be what shock feels like, I thought, completely unable to wrap my brain around the idea that Jackson wanted to dance with me. Luckily, my body seemed to not need directions from my whirling brain, and I automatically stepped right into Jackson’s arms when he held them out. He grinned, pulling me a little closer and turning us out onto the floor. Out of the corner of my eye I could see JJ standing where I had left him, watching us in confusion.

Sorry, kid, I thought, but Jackson is super hot. He would understand in about six years.

“It’s Sofia, right?” Jackson asked, that velvety voice sending a thrill down my spine. He had found out my name! Granted, it was listed right in the program, but still!

“Yes,” I murmured. Well, I tried to murmur. In actuality it came out much more like a hysterical yelp. “But everyone calls me Sofie.”

“I’m Jackson.”

Again I had to bite back a mad giggle. He was introducing himself to me. Did he not realize that I had spent countless hours of my life watching him on a movie or TV screen? When I was in high school I’d had a notebook with his face on it.

“I know.”