“Alright, folks! Last song of the night, so grab your partner and get on the dance floor!” A group of guys came over to our table. None of them came for me, of course. They were my friend’s boyfriends.
Soon, I was the last person sitting at my table. The last person sitting, period. I slumped down in my seat and scanned the room. Wait. Wait a second. I squinted and looked across the dance floor. There he was. Someone who I’d never seen before. A guy, without a girlfriend. A guy, sitting down, just like me.
Suddenly, he looked up and caught my eye. I quickly looked down at my lap. When
I glanced up again, I saw him standing. And walking. Towards me.
My mouth dropped open. I looked to both sides. And behind me. I was the only person in a ten foot radius. I looked back at him. No doubt about it, he was headed right for me.
I looked away and pretended not to see him. I stared at the ground until his shadow covered me. I heard him clear his throat.
“Hi. I’m Dallas.” He held out his hand. “Want to dance?”
I stared at him stupidly for a second, mouth wide open, then I pulled myself together and smiled. “Of course,” I answered, taking his hand. I hoped he didn’t notice how sweaty it was.
As we walked to the dance floor, I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He had curly black hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue button-up shirt and jeans. The way I describe it, he must seem normal, but in reality he was gorgeous. He was unique, different from the dozens of Bieber cuts and skinny jeans you see on the street today. And the way he spoke, it was special too. He was calm and serious, unlike the obnoxious eighth grade guys I knew. All in all, he fascinated me.
I wondered who he’d come with. I’d definitely never seen him before.
Dallas led me right into the middle of the swaying couples. He held my hands and started to dance. I attempted to do the same, looking at the ground, over his shoulder, anywhere but at his face.
“Have you ever slow danced before?” he asked me. Blushing brightly, I shook my head. All I could think was how embarrassing this was. I finally get a guy to dance with, then I realize I don’t know how. Wow.
I looked up at Dallas, trying hard not to cry. He smiled. “It’s ok. I’ll show you.” He put one arm around my waist and held my hand. Some of the other couples were staring. I looked at the ground, making sure my feet were doing the right thing.
“There you go,” said Dallas quietly. “You’re a natural.” Not trusting myself to reply, I remained silent.
We went on like this for a while, neither of us speaking, me staring at the ground. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, trying to make it last. Slowly, without me even noticing, Dallas put both arms around my waist and I reached up and put both of mine around his neck.
Some people may think I’m crazy. I mean, we’d never met, right? This boy was a stranger. But to me, everything just felt so natural. Like we were meant to be. I found myself leaning into him.

“Who are you?” I whispered.

I could feel him smiling as he answered, “I’m your dance partner.” Like that was it. Like he wasn’t feeling this chemistry, too.

But he was right.

We slowed to a stop as the song ended. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. It felt like a thousand years had passed. I felt like I had known him forever.
He bent down and kissed my cheek. “Thank you. For this dance.” he said. Calmly.
I nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Without another word, we walked away from each other, heading in two opposite directions. When I got to back, still in a daze, my friends surrounded me. “Hey! Who was that? What was his name? He was seriously cute!”
I turned away from them, just in time to see him. Dallas. Walking out the door. Right before he disappeared, he looked back. He looked back at me and smiled.
I could have done something else. I could have raced after him. I could have kissed him back. I could have told him I loved him. But I didn’t. Instead, I sighed, fell into a chair, and proceeded to tell my friends all about it.

I never saw Dallas again. I asked everyone. No one knew why he was there. No one knew him at all. I searched for years. I spent hours on the Internet, skimming through newspapers. Searching for him.

So then who was he? A phantom? An apparition? A guardian angel? Who knows. I never found out, and I suppose I never will.