Can I Have This Dance?

It was a joke. At first.

Though originally a joke, it ended up being a joke on him because his attempt at humor mixed with his desire to fight boredom led to the creation of a small yet significant memory that would eventually become one of his favorites.

When Alex had some time off from touring in the beginning of November, he wanted to take Meg out on a date since it had been a while and they also deserved some down time after working so hard for the past few months. Meg suggested they head to the movies, but they weren’t quite sure on what to watch so the day before they sat in her living room looking at their options.

“What about a funny movie?” Meg suggested, pointing to one of the films listed on the Fandango website. The laptop was on Alex’s lap and she leaned against him as he scrolled through the available movies playing at the nearest theater. “Sex Drive seems like something we’d like.”

Alex chuckled. “Yeah, it is. I already saw it with the guys when we were on the road so we have to count that out if we want to see something neither of us have watched. What about Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist? That’s right up our alley.”

“Except I saw that with Dia...” Meg said, giving him a small apologetic smile. “So that one’s out, too.”

They both frowned and looked at the list, realizing that their options were limited due to some of the movies being ones they’ve seen or some that seemed way too stupid to spend their money on. Alex scrolled a little more and looked at the last film on the list, smirking at the possibility. It wasn’t something that would be his first choice, but it wasn’t something he’d really consider “bad” either. It’d be amusing and he’s pretty sure Meg hadn’t seen it.

He pointed to the title. “How about this one?”

When her eyes followed his finger to what he was suggesting, she just stared at him. “That one?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Really, Lex.”

“Really.”

“You want to watch that.”

“Yep.”

She looked at the screen and back at him, raising an eyebrow. “You’re suggesting that we watch High School Musical 3. I’m surprised, but not really.”

“I didn’t hear a no,” he retorted and he smiled wider. “So does this mean you wanna see it?”

“Have you even seen the first two?” she asked.

“For your information, I have and that shouldn’t surprise you either,” he replied. “Have you?”

“Well, yeah...” she muttered, thinking back to when she and all her sisters had a movie night when the first one aired. They did the exact same thing with the second movie. “Do you actually want to see it or are you messing with me?”

“Yes,” Alex said with a straight face, but couldn’t keep it when he noticed her glaring at him. “Alright, so maybe I do kind of wanna see it ‘cause sure it’s fucking cheesy but it’s fun to watch. I even heard this one’s better than the others and knowing us, we’d get a good laugh from it. Not like we got anything else to watch, right?”

A smile formed across Meg’s face as she rolled her eyes and slowly nodded. “Okay, I’m down with that. Let’s watch it.”

They watched the movie the next afternoon and despite them thinking they’d be making fun of it the whole time, they actually ended up genuinely enjoying it. Though parts of it were still cheesy, they found the songs catchy and there were so many sweet scenes between Troy and Gabriella that they found themselves aww-ing instead of mocking. Overall, it was a good film and they were glad they chose to watch it.

"Be honest, did you really like it?" Alex asked her as they exited the building

She laughed. "I liked it. Honestly, it was better than I thought it would be."

"I'll admit, I liked it, too," he agreed.

"I especially loved that one song," she went on. "It was during the part where they dance on the roof and later when he drives all the way to California to be with her. That song was beautiful and in a way it reminded me of us.”

Alex remembered the scenes and the song she was talking about. The song was called “Can I Have This Dance” and those scenes made them stop whispering and actually pay attention. The more he thought about it, he could see how it paralleled his own relationship. “It does, doesn’t it?”

“Like them, we’ve managed to still love each other even though we’re not always together,” she said. “You’ve traveled across the country just to see me and you even danced with me. The best part is that unlike the movie, this is all real.”

“If only I was a better dancer.” Alex chuckled. “I hope it was still romantic for you.”

“Always,” Meg assured him and their fingers intertwined as they walked to the car. She started humming the song, having had the melody stuck in her head throughout the film. Alex hummed along with her and they continued to do so until they got in the car.

That’s when she spoke again. “I don’t know when, why, where or how, but it’d be fun if I got a chance to dance to that song one day.”

Her words remained in his head and started forming an idea; one he couldn’t quite share with her just yet. Instead, he just looked at her and placed his hand over hers. “You got it.”


About a month later, they were together in Europe. All Time Low were playing a show in London and Alex took the time to have Meg and Dia flown over to watch as well as spend a few days with the band. The girls couldn’t deny this offer, especially since they recently finished their album and seeing the guys was the mini vacation they needed. Meg was very excited about this, not just because she missed Alex but the day of the show was also the day of their one year anniversary and she had something special to give him. She hadn’t mentioned anything about the occasion as bringing it up would prompt him to suspect she had a gift ready and she wanted him to genuinely be surprised.

She wondered if their anniversary was the reason why he wanted her at the show because it couldn’t have been another coincidence. Like her, Alex also hadn’t said anything about it, but she knew he couldn’t just forget. With the way they ended up together, how could he?

The guys and Dia went ahead to the venue while Meg stayed behind at the hotel because she was still getting ready and needed to put together her present. She wrapped it up in red tissue paper and put it into a box that was small enough to fit into her purse. Once she was ready, she took a cab to the venue and finally made it backstage. She held her purse close to her, her hand over the part where the box was safely kept as she didn’t want the bag to bump into the stagehands that passed her in the hallway. Her sister had sent her a text saying she was in the dressing room and she was the only one in there by the time Meg opened the door.

Dia was on the couch, her back leaning against the arm of it and her knees to her chest while her head was buried in a book that rested on top of her knees. When she heard the door open, she looked up and smiled at Meg. “Hey! I was wondering when you’d get here.”

“Yeah, it was no trouble at all,” Meg said. “I’ve gotten used to finding my way around since we’ve been to London so many times. What have you been up to?”

“Just reading this book Zack told me to check out,” she replied, closing it and setting the book on the coffee table. “If you’re looking for the guys, they went onstage to do soundcheck.”

“Oh, am I allowed to go there?” Meg asked. “I want to give Alex my gift and I’m not sure if the people here will let me ‘cause it’s hit or miss depending on the place.”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask and haven’t gone there yet.” Dia shrugged. “You can try, though.”

“Alright, then I’ll be right back.” With that, Meg turned around and went out the door. After asking one of the employees which way the stage was, she went off toward her destination but only took a few steps when she saw Alex running down the hall.

He was going so fast and nearly ran past her only to realize who she was, causing him to backtrack, catch his breath, and finally embrace her. She laughed a little and noticed how sweaty he was, wondering if running all over the place was what he had been doing this whole time.

“Meg!” he panted. “H-hi!”

“Hi, Lex.” She giggled at the giddiness in his voice. “I was just about to go and find you, but looks like you found me instead. Where were you rushing off to?”

“Uh, I was heading to...” He ran a hand through his hair and averted his eyes. “I was just heading to the bathroom. Yeah, I, um, I have to go really bad because I had a burrito and um...”

“I see,” she mused. “You better hurry then. I’m going to see if the guys need any help-”

“No, wait!” Alex yelled, grabbing her hand to keep her from going anywhere and after the outburst, cleared his throat to regain his composure. “I mean, that’s cool that you want to help out but they told me only performers and employees are allowed on the stage at this time. Sorry.”

“Oh.” Meg frowned, trying not to be disappointed though he could already tell she was. “I understand. I’ll just hang out with Dia until you guys are finished.”

“We’re almost done.” He assured her and gave her a smile in hopes of it making her smile, too. “Then afterwards, you and I can spend some time together. You know why?”

She took that as him hinting that this had something to do with their anniversary and she smiled back. “Why?”

“Because we’re in London and I’m so glad you’re here for it,” Alex responded and pecked her on the cheek before getting back to running. “I’ll see you later. Love you!”

“Love you, too...” she said as she watched him dash to the bathroom. Meg sighed and went back to the dressing room. As sweet as that response was, it wasn’t the one she had hoped for and the small part of her that thought he forgot was starting to come out. However, she pushed it away and refused to let herself assume the worst. Her experience from her failed relationships had made her overanalyze things and she had been trying to get out of this mindset ever since she started dating Alex. He was different from the others and it didn’t seem like something he’d do, so she remained positive about it.

When she came into the room, Dia wasn’t alone this time. Instead of reading, her sister was sitting with another girl that looked around their age. She had short brown hair with blonde highlights, the blonde especially noticeable on her bangs. Her cheeks and nose were covered in freckles and she had hazel eyes that softened when she waved at Meg, giving off a friendly demeanor. She was wearing a purple v-neck with a black vest over it and grey skinny jeans that made the bright high-top sneakers on her feet stand out. Whoever she was, she already seemed nice and Meg went over to the couch to sit next to them.

“You must be Meg,” the girl said cheerfully. “I’m Cassadee, but you can call me Cass.”

“Cass is the lead singer of Hey Monday,” Dia informed her. “They’re opening up for the guys.”

“That’s awesome!” Meg exclaimed. “It’s cool meeting another girl who makes music.”

“Same here,” Cassadee agreed. “I’ve been told you two are in a band together and that’s mainly the reason why I came here to introduce myself. Also I’m really excited that I’m no longer going to be the only girl on this tour for the next few days.”

They all laughed and it lightened Meg’s mood, making her forget about her previous worries as she made conversation. Cassadee was already a fun person to talk to and they took the time to get to know her. She came from Florida and her band got signed to a joint deal with Decaydance and Columbia records. Their debut album came out in October and this was their first time being in Europe.

“This tour has been a blast so far,” Cass went on. “I’ve never been to London until now and it’s still unbelievable that I’m actually here.”

“You have every right to be excited,” Dia said. “Meg and I still get excited, too.”

“I’m excited right now.” Meg giggled. “Who wouldn’t be excited to see All Time Low?”

Dia turned to Cass. “So how has it been touring with them?”

“They’re the funniest and nicest guys ever,” she answered, smiling big. “They always have a lot of energy and crack all kinds of jokes, but they’re super sweet and welcomed us with open arms. No wonder you’re with Alex.”

Meg blushed at that. “Yeah, he’s amazing.”

“You’re all he’s been talking about lately,” Cass said. “A few days ago he kept gushing to everyone how you’re coming up here and all day today he’s mentioned you to everyone he’s talk to at least once.”

Dia nudged her sister and smirked. “You hear that? Maybe your boyfriend’s got something special planned for you tonight.”

Cass cocked her head to the side when she turned to Meg again. “Oh? Is today a special occasion for you two?”

“It’s our one year anniversary,” Meg explained. “I have a gift for Alex in my bag and I haven’t mentioned anything about today because I want him to be 100% surprised and he hasn’t said anything either. I feel awful for even thinking this, but I was a little worried he’d forgotten about it.”

“I know it’s because of what’s happened to you before, but really, you have nothing to worry about, sis,” Dia assured her. “This is the guy who wrote songs for you because he couldn’t forget you. There’s no way he could forget this.”

“Dia’s right,” Cass agreed. “If anything, he wants you to be surprised, too, and that’s probably why he’s been quiet about it. I’m confident that Alex planned something for you because he’s a great guy.”

This made Meg feel better and that small bit of doubt toward Alex disappeared completely. She didn’t have to worry about that coming back because she was never going to doubt him ever again.

Just then, the door opened and in came Rian, who looked like he didn’t quite expect anyone to be in the room. He stopped and just waved awkwardly at them, though Meg noticed how he was mostly looking at Cass. She then looked at her new friend and noticed that Cass’ eyes had lit up, her lips forming a grin even wider than what was thought possible.

Cass stood up from the couch and put her hands on her hips. “Speaking of great guys...”

Rian chuckled, avoiding eye contact as he scratched his head. “Who, me? Nah, I’m just, uh, I’m alright, I guess.”

“Don’t deny it, you’re more than alright.” Cass rolled her eyes. “So what’s up?”

“I just came here to look for, uh,” Rian scanned the room for a minute before he could form another sentence. “My jacket. Have you seen it?”

She looked around before shaking her head. “Nope, I haven’t. Maybe it’s on the stage and you just missed it?”

“I’ll check,” he said, reaching for the doorknob. Before he left the room, he looked at her again. “Do you want to come with me? I mean, you don’t have to but like, you can if you’re not doing anything or whatever. But yeah, you don’t have to.”

“Sure, I’ll come with you.”

At that moment, both Meg and Dia swore there were sparks in his eyes. They were practically invisible to Rian as he continued to gaze at Cass when she walked over to him. While he was too busy staring, Cass told the girls it was nice meeting them and that she would see them later, which snapped him out of his trance and also wave goodbye. After they left, Meg and Dia exchanged looks.

“Tell me I’m not the only one that noticed his googly eyes,” Dia said.

Meg scoffed. “Trust me, in no way was Rian subtle about it. He likes her and just used the lamest excuse to be alone with her because his jacket’s right there.”

She pointed to the seat near the vanity mirror and right there resting on the arm of the chair was Rian’s favorite jacket. Despite the room not being in its cleanest state—as there were bags, shirts, and snack wrappers laying around—the jacket was in plain sight. Nobody could’ve missed it, which brought up the question of how Cass managed to. Then again, maybe that was on purpose.

The door opened once again and they thought maybe Rian was genuinely looking for his jacket and had realized it was there, but instead it ended up being Alex.

Meg greeted him with a smile. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, beautiful.” He winked at her and then he nodded at Dia, who had also said hello. It took Meg a moment to realize that he had changed clothes. Instead of the worn band tee he was wearing earlier, he was wearing a clean white v-neck and in place of his usual ripped jeans, the ones he currently had on looked brand new. Even his hair was combed and free of any strands sticking up in odd angles. These were minor changes, but she thought he looked really good.

“Are you all done with soundcheck?” she asked.

“Almost,” he told her, slowly making his way across the room to her. “There’s just one thing I need to do, but I need your help.”

She shot him a puzzled look. “Me? But I thought I’m not allowed on stage.”

“Well, you’re the only one that can help me so they’re making an exception for you,” he said. “Come on, you’re needed.”

He grabbed her hand and started leading her out the door. As she was leaving, she glanced back at her sister who just leaned back and grinned. “You two have fun.”

They walked down the hall and she had link arms with him, her head on his shoulder. He had put on cologne, which she knew he didn’t put on before though she couldn’t really complain about it. She hadn’t even bothered to ask him what it was that they specifically needed her help with, but something told her she wasn’t going to be dealing with technical difficulties.

When they got to the door that led to the stage, he stopped and let go of her. “You wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Um, okay,” she muttered and he quickly disappeared behind the door. A minute later, the door opened again but out came Jack and Zack.

They both bowed and politely smiled at her, all the while making Meg even more confused. By this point, she was fully aware something was up and wondered what she was going to be walking into. She could’ve asked the guys, but it looked like they were going to have her find out herself.

Zack took a step back and held the door open as Jack gestured to the inside of it. “Right this way, miss.”

Giggling, Meg thanked them before walking inside and the first thing she noticed was that the house lights weren’t on. Instead of the bright white lights filling the venue, subtle blue lights were reflecting off of the big mirror ball on the ceiling and down on the stage and the floor area in front of it. That’s when she saw what was in the middle of the floor and her eyes widened. Besides the blue lights there was a single spotlight that focused its attention on a table with two chairs. On the table were two plates of food accompanied by candlelight and there stood Alex. He beamed at her, using one hand to adjust the black suit jacket he had put on while his other hand held a bouquet of flowers.

Meg just put a hand over her mouth. She was too speechless to make any remarks and when she reached him, Alex held out the bouquet to her. He was gazing at her with the most loving, adoring eyes because seeing that look of astonishment on her face was everything.

“Happy Anniversary,” he said softly. “I’m sorry for keeping you away from here, but I wanted to make sure you were surprised. Are you surprised?”

She still couldn’t quite speak, so she just nodded and accepted the flowers. They were lilies, her favorite and another small detail that he remembered. If she was really being honest, she shouldn’t have been so surprised. Of course Alex would remember their anniversary. Of course he’d do something elaborate like this for her. Of course he would make her melt like he always did. She shouldn’t have been so surprised, but she was because he just reminded her why he was so different from all the other guys she’d been with.

He was the one.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, pretty much close to tears when she felt his lips kiss the top of her head. After embracing for a few minutes, she finally let go to look up at him.

“I’m surprised, but not really,” she teased, calling back to the first time she said that. “You always know how to blow me away.”

They finally sat down and had dinner alone together, everybody else including the employees giving them time to spend together before they had to let people inside the venue in a few hours. Alex told her how he had been planning it for weeks and how he managed to list the help from almost everyone in the building. From the lighting technicians to the caterers and to his own band, they all made sure that everything went as planned.

After dinner, Meg got up from her seat and looked around the venue. It was always cool seeing how the place looked before it was filled with hundreds of fans.These places, whether it was a theater or a stadium, always seemed to look bigger when it was empty.

Alex stayed where he was and just admired her as she observed her surroundings. No wonder she took a little bit longer to get ready because once again she looked beautiful. Her hair was curled, half of it up while the rest fell loosely down her back. She had on a dark red dress and off white sandals with two inch heels, something very dressy for a concert but he didn’t care because it was still so her. The one difference was that she wasn’t wearing her usual bold lipstick and chose a more natural color, though that still didn’t make her any less gorgeous.

“This place is amazing,” she breathed, staring up at the giant mirror ball. “All the balconies and fancy designs, it’s all so intricate.”

“Yeah, it definitely makes a romantic setting,” he joked. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” she corrected, walking back to the table. “I loved everything that you did for me today. I don’t know what could make this any more perfect.”

“I think I know what could.” Alex got up and pointed past her to the upper level where the soundboard was. She couldn’t believe she didn’t notice before, but there was a guy standing at the soundboard and once Alex pointed at him, he gave a thumbs up and pressed a switch that made a song start playing through the speakers.

Meg knew the song and Alex couldn’t stop smiling at her when she realized what was playing. It was downright cheesy and she should’ve seen it coming from him, but whatever, she loved this song. Never had she ever thought that a song from High School Musical 3 would play such a part in her life like this. When had her life become a Disney movie?

So this explained the suit jacket he was wearing. He was trying to reenact that scene.

“I know I’m no Zac Efron,” Alex began. “But after we watched that movie, you told me that you wanted to dance to this song and I want to make that a reality. So Ms. Frampton...can I have this dance?”

He held his hand out to her and she was more than happy to take it. “Why yes, Mr. Gaskarth. You can.”

With her hand in his, she placed her other hand on his shoulder while he put his around her so that it was on her back. He took the first step and she followed, making sure that she moved in rhythm with him. Soon they were waltzing around the floor area, taking full advantage of the open space and they were having so much fun with it.

Alex had become incredibly confident in his dancing, twirling and lifting Meg without stumbling; a big improvement from when they slow danced in her living room months ago. Back then she was the one who guided him while he moved tentatively, thinking way too hard about the steps. But here, he had taken the lead and stayed relaxed, just going with the music.

“You’ve been practicing,” she commented in the midst of their dancing. The tone of her voice was playful, letting him know that her statement was a compliment.

“I got some help from Cass,” he admitted. “She gave me a few lessons.”

“She’s really sweet,” Meg said. “Now when is Rian going to finally ask her out?”

Alex chuckled, shaking his head. “Eventually. Hopefully. That’s all up to him.”

“Well, he should. She’s nice, I like her.” she went on. “And you’re a really good dancer.”

“Thanks. I’ve even memorized the lyrics, you wanna hear me sing this next part?”

“You know I do.”

They both stopped talking so he could hear what part the song was at, but their dancing continued. Alex then cleared his throat and waited for it to reach the second verse as Meg gave him all her attention.

“Take my hand,” he sang. “I’ll take the lead and every turn will be safe with me. Don’t be afraid, afraid to fall...”

He did not disappoint and her reaction was a mixture of amusement and amazement. One thing she knew for sure was that his voice just made the song a thousand times better and she was probably never going to accept the original version ever again. It didn’t help that he still danced flawlessly and even dipped her.

“You know I’ll catch you through it all.”

“Even a thousand miles can’t keep us apart,” she joined in and she couldn’t help but giggle when that caught him off guard. “‘Cause my heart is wherever you are.”

Things just got even cheesier as they both harmonized and sang the chorus. If their lives didn’t feel like a Disney movie before, it definitely was at that moment. And yet, they loved it because that was just the kind of thing they’d do together. The fact that he went through so much to do all of that for her set him apart from everyone else and she fell in love with him all over again.

After the chorus, Alex had to put his voice on hold because dancing and singing at the same time was a lot more tiring than the movies and broadway made it look. Meg didn’t mind and they both stuck to just dancing again as the song reached its climax. They went all out, fully immersing themselves into the song because all they wanted was to have fun. He picked her up and carried her as he swayed back and forth before putting her down so she could grab both his hands, the both of them spinning in a circle and laughing uncontrollably. When the song was coming to an end, they moved closer so that their foreheads were touching. Her hand traveled up to hold the nape of his neck as they locked eyes, the movement of their feet in unison one last time before the song finally finished.

“Did this just become our song?” she whispered with a smirk, her face still so close to his.

“I believe it did,” he said, leaning in to press his lips to hers.

Right as their lips touched, they were startled by a bunch of clapping and cheering. They pulled away from each other and turned to the stage where the rest of his band, Cass, and Dia were, apparently having witnessed their little performance.

“We all just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to you two,” Dia said and she held up a small box in her hands. She walked down the steps and handed the box over to Alex. “It’s also Meg’s turn to give you her present.”

He held the box delicately in his hands, admiring it before looking at Meg. “You got me a present?”

“Go ahead and open it,” she urged, eagerly wanting him to see what she got for him.

Alex took off the lid of the box and unwrapped the tissue paper that covered the gift, revealing a mini silver robot with a guitar attached to a chain.

“That’s supposed to be you,” she told him. “I made it myself and just thought you deserve a gift that nobody else has. It’s one of a kind, just like you.”

There was pure joy in his eyes as he handed the box to Dia so he could put it on right away. Once it was on, he held the little robot in his fingertips and grinned. “Now I’ll always have a part of you with me everywhere I go. I love it.”

“There’s still one more thing for you in the box,” Meg said. “Check underneath the tissue paper.”

He took the box back from Dia and removed the paper that was hiding the rest of his gift. That’s when he truly had no words because underneath the paper was two plane tickets. “No way...”

Meg cupped his cheek. “It’s the vacation we said we’d take together once things were less crazy. You took me to London. Let me take you to Kauai.”

There was no better way for him to thank her than to just kiss her right there. If this was how their first anniversary turned out, then they couldn’t wait to celebrate the years to come.

“Guys, I can’t take all this cuteness,” Cass rejoiced. “Look at them giving each other these gifts and don’t get me started on them dancing together.”

“Not gonna lie, that was pretty awesome,” Zack said. “Didn’t know you guys had gotten so good at waltzing. I feel like this was a rare thing to witness.”

Alex put his arm around Meg and they both shrugged. “You know what, Zack? I don’t think this will be the last time you’ll see us dance like this.”

And he turned out to be right because nine years later, all his friends and family watched as he held Meg in his arms, gazing into her eyes as they glided across the dance floor, that very same song playing. He still looked at her with adoring eyes, taking in the beauty of her twirling in her white gown and wanting to stay in that moment forever. But he knew that every moment after that would be just as beautiful because no matter where they went or what they did, he was always going to be with her.

“I’m so honored to have you as my dance partner, Mr. Gaskarth.”

“Always a pleasure...Mrs. Gaskarth.”

They were always going to keep dancing.