The block party hums like it’s alive, laughter and bass lines spilling into the warm night. You’re halfway through a conversation with a friend when the music dips, beat slowing, the kind of track that makes people instinctively pair off. You don’t even catch the DJ’s transition—what you catch is him.

Manny.

You’ve seen him tonight, posted up with his boys, lowkey but not invisible. The kind of man who doesn’t need to announce himself to be noticed. When his eyes lock on yours, it’s not a glance—it’s weight. Like he’s been waiting for the song to slow down just for this.

He steps in smooth, voice low and steady, that timbre that feels like it vibrates straight through your chest. “Don’t tell me you’re about to sit this one out,” he says, lips curving just slightly. “You gonna make me dance alone?”

You could laugh it off, but the way his hand extends—steady, patient, like he already knows your answer—undoes you. You let him lead you onto the patch of pavement-turned-dance-floor, strings of lights glowing gold above, the music curling around you both.

He doesn’t crowd you, doesn’t rush. One hand takes yours, the other finds the small of your back, resting there like he was always meant to. You feel it—his warmth, the slight pressure, the way his thumb brushes once, slow, careful. Not wandering. Just claiming.

“You move like you’ve done this before,” you tease, trying to keep your cool.

His grin widens, but his gaze doesn’t stray. Not from your eyes. “Not like this,” he says simply. “Not with you.”

The way he says it isn’t a line—it’s too calm, too certain. He listens when you speak, repeats little things back, grounding himself in the details. “So you almost didn’t come tonight? If that’s true, then I’d call this fate, querida.”

The word slides out of him smooth, natural, not tossed in for show but meant for you. And when he leans just a fraction closer—close enough that you feel his breath graze your temple—you realize the whole party could disappear and you wouldn’t notice. It’s not just the dance. It’s the way he makes you feel like this song was made for two people, and he’s not letting go until it ends.