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 Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:09 pm
With the way both of their careers sucked up the hours, Paris and Chris had very little time between themselves to spend together. They woke up every morning, showered, ate breakfast, and were out the door one after the other, Chris to the ballpark and Paris to the studio. Most of their conversations took place over text or face-time, and most of their time together was spent either asleep and preparing themselves for their respective days.
They led busy lives. With the Destiny City Ballet Company, Paris could perform in up to two to three shows in a twenty-four hour period, and that didn’t include class and rehearsal hours. With the Destiny City Comets, Chris was often required to travel and spent weeks on the road playing away-games. Plus they had their Senshi and Knight duties. If there were two busier people in Destiny City, Paris would like to meet them to compare.
But their late nights meant they could find their fun in their own ways. They were still young, and Paris thought they should behave that way, especially now that they were expecting children before the end of the year. They should take the time they had now and make the most of it.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Paris said, clutching at Chris’s arm as she led the way.
She’d been saying so all week, and continued to say so as they walked the sidewalk toward a club. Loud music spilled out into the night, and bright lights kept the area well lit even after midnight.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:09 pm
“I already have a headache,” he complained, his hesitation obvious on his face. Regardless of how many times he, himself, had suggested going out to a club in the past few years, they had rarely made it as far as the door. As it was, he knew it would be good for them. Probably. After all of the running around they did during the week, one night out was probably going to be fun. He hoped.
“We could just go out to a nice dinner,” he suggested, as if he wasn’t still in his early twenties. Maybe he was much more of an introvert than he originally thought he was. He liked people, but he was never good with crowds. Still, he allowed Paris to take his arm and lead the way, not entirely sure what to expect.
“Have you even been here before?” he wondered, eyeing her skeptically. She had only recently turned twenty-one, but she seemed rather familiar with the place. Yes, he knew he was rather boring when it came to breaking rules and the law but he’d married Paris knowing she, well… wasn’t as by the book as he was.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:10 pm
“Name a place we can eat that’s open after midnight that isn’t a bar,” Paris challenged.
She was hardly dressed for a nice dinner out, in any case. She wore a short and tight pink, yellow, black, and white colorblock dress, with sky high heels and jewelry to match. Her hair curled around a face done up with makeup to stand out in the dim lighting and the darkness of a club, heavy on the eyes and light on the lips.
Paris kept her hold on Chris’s arm, leading him to the door where they flashed their IDs and were allowed inside. The music was much louder in here than it was out on the street. If Chris really did have a headache, the pumping bass wasn’t going to help much. Pairs wasn’t too worried. She was fairly sure the headache complaint was little more than an excuse.
“Of course I’ve been here before,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the music. “And it’s nice, I promise. I wouldn’t take you to some of the other places I’ve been to.’
She turned to him and she continued to lead him in, tossing a smile over her shoulder. “Do you want a drink before we hit the dance floor. It’ll help loosen you up.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:10 pm
“There are plenty of fast food places open twenty-four hours,” he mumbled, but was sure Paris’s immediate answer would be a ‘no’. She wasn’t much of a fast food kind of person, in any case. Just as he wasn’t much for loud music or loud people or loud places.
He followed her, feeling a little lost on his own. This was a foreign world to him, and probably one that he stood out in. Even with Paris picking out his outfit for him to wear, he was sure he stuck out with his neatly brushed hair and unsure expression.
As it was, he wore a pair of dark denim jeans that he thought was probably too tight on him, and a button down, collared shirt. It wasn’t much of a club outfit, but he wasn’t much of a club kind of person. And being able to wear something he was somewhat familiar with made him feel, well… a little better.
“I guess…” he agreed, trying not to be as hesitant as he knew he was. Paris was obviously having a good time already and he didn’t want to hinder her night. “You can pick something for me. I’m not… not really sure.” He wasn’t much of a drinker, and didn’t really know what to get. Last time he’d had hard cider, well… he tended to avoid alcohol after the first time getting drunk a few years ago.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:11 pm
“No,” was indeed Paris’s answer to the option of fast food. “You know better than to even suggest that.”
She couldn’t say she didn’t understand Chris’s discomfort. She did. He wasn’t used to these sorts of places. She was trying to go easy on him, but the harder he fought against it, the worse of a time he was going to have.
“Ease up a little,” she said, stopping for just a moment to rub at his shoulders. Her heels put her at a good height to lean in for a kiss. “Trust me. You’re going to be fine.”
Paris could already see a few girls making eyes at him. It brought a smirk to her face. She liked when people found her husband attractive, especially when it was obvious that he was with her.
After approaching the bar, Paris ordered their drinks for them--a beer for Chris and a fruity cocktail for her. She sat on one of the bar stools and sipped at her drink, patting the stool next to her for Chris to take.
“We don’t even have to dance if you don’t want to,” she said, although by the tone of her voice it should be obvious that she really wanted to. “We can just sit here, drink, and talk if you want. No pressure. I just thought we could use a little change of scenery from the usual places. You know, a little fun and excitement for a change.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:11 pm
Chris snorted at her comment about “fun and excitement” thinking they got plenty of action in their lives. Of course, when it came to spending that time together, well. It was becoming more and more rare as the months went on. He really hoped things would not be like this for too long. He missed spending time together like they used to.
“We don’t have to dance?” he repeated, skeptical with a grin growing on his face. He knew she wanted to dance and that wasn’t going to be something he denied her. For now, though… he figured it would be easier to dance without drinks in their hands.
He watched her curiously for a few moments, shifting on his stool so he could lean partially against the bar counter. “So… you come here often…?” he asked, feeling a little silly and wondering if she would play along or if she would think it was silly too. “You here with your boyfriend…?”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:12 pm
For a moment Paris was confused about Chris’s question, before she realized what he was doing and she laughed hysterically.
“I’m sorry. Sorry,” she said, waving her amusement off and taking another sip of her drink, which was difficult to swallow when the laughter threatened to bubble up again. “I just… that came out of nowhere. Just give me a moment.”
She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings. To hopefully soothe whatever hurt her laughter might have caused, Paris gently nudged her foot against his.
She struggled for control. When she had it, she put another little smirk on her face, leaning against the bar on her elbow. She smiled around the tiny straw that came with her drink and tried to look alluring.
She felt a little foolish doing it, but it was all in good fun.
“I come here often enough,” she said. She didn’t comment on the boyfriend bit just yet. “Can’t say the same for you. I think I’d remember that face.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:13 pm
He didn’t blame her. He knew it was rather silly of him to say, and while he tensed up just a little when she laughed, he settled down soon enough as she tried to play along. It wasn’t really like him to, well… do something like this, much less go to a club.
“You’d remember my face…?” he asked, curious about her response, both in play and serious. “What’s so memorable about my face?” Well, aside from the fact that he was often called ‘pretty’, and his hair was almost always in place. But other than that, he thought he looked fairly normal. Just another guy in the crowd.
“Well, if you’re here often enough, maybe I should start coming by,” he suggested, taking a small drink from his beer, and attempting to not make a face. For someone who didn’t really drink, this was the first time he’d had this particular beer.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:14 pm
Paris couldn’t help but giggle. She thought she felt more ridiculous doing this than Chris probably felt, and that was saying something. It was difficult to keep a straight face, so she took another sip of her drink and focused on the brightly colored liquid in her glass.
“Well, you’re not exactly bad looking,” she said, “and I’m not the only one to think it.”
She motioned to another girl halfway down the bar who kept eyeing Chris when she thought no one was paying attention.
“Plus, you have killer eyes,” Paris added. She nudged Chris’s foot with her own again, but this time it was obvious she was doing so to be flirtatious. “You feel like dancing, pretty boy?”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:14 pm
”Pretty boy?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow at her and then laughing. At least this was a good way to keep himself distracted from all the people around them. Yeah, it was ridiculous, but he figured it wasn’t hurting anything. Besides, the fact that Paris was playing along meant she didn’t mind, right?
Of course, until that point he hadn’t noticed anyone else looking his way, and felt his face flush lightly when he made eye contact with the woman glancing over at him. He’d never been that observant, and had it not been for Paris approaching him when they’d first met, well… he wondered if they would have even spoke to each other.
“I’m… not much of a dancer, believe it or not,” he said with a small grimace, although he didn’t argue against the way she brushed her foot against his. “I probably wouldn’t be the best choice, if that’s what you’re here for.” It was amazing that he ended up with anyone, with that attitude. He hated that he wasn’t all that confident in himself, but it was painfully obvious sometimes.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:15 pm
“Oh, I believe it,” Paris said.
There wasn’t a single note of sarcasm in her voice. Chris was not a dancer. He never had been and he likely never would be. He could manage a simple waltz well enough, and he could sway back and forth like a pro, but try and get him to do anything else and he had two left feet.
Which was kind of amazing with how coordinated he needed to be to play ball.
“I’m not here for the best. I’m here to have a good time, and with a little liquid courage in you, you shouldn’t be so bad,” she said, motioning to his beer with one hand as she ignored her straw and drained the rest of her drink in one go with a practiced sort of ease.
Paris slid off of the bar stool and took Chris by one of the hands.
“Come on, before someone else decides to come over and try their luck.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:15 pm
He’d already told himself that he was going to try dancing while they were there, but now that it was actually going to happen, he was at a loss for what to do. He quickly downed the rest of his beer and left the bottle at the counter as he allowed Pari to pull him away from where they’d been seated.
“I can’t promise I won’t step on your feet,” he warned, his amused smile faded into a look of concern. Even if it was his idea to be silly, he wasn’t able to lie about what he may or may not be able to do, dance wise. Still, he let her lead him towards a crowd of people who were already… he wouldn’t necessarily call it dancing. More like just… bumping and grinding, and he tried to keep his expression from changing too drastically.
“I… are you sure about this?” he asked, almost running into her when she stopped. He stood there like a deer in the headlights, trying not to run into anyone else in densely crowded room.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:16 pm
“If I wasn’t sure, we wouldn’t be here,” Paris said.
It wasn’t as if they’d never danced without one another before. They dance together at home sometimes, when there was slow music playing and they just wanted to hold one another. They’d danced at their wedding, too, and Paris (being a dancer) had made sure their dancing was something to talk about.
She stopped a bit away from the main crowd, not wanting to drag Chris all the way into the middle of the dance floor where the crowd was at its thickest and most rambunctious. Then she turned and faced him again, raising her arms to loop them around his neck and draw him close to her.
“Don’t worry,” she joked, “all you need to do is stand there and make me look good. I’ll do all the work.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:16 pm
Chris snorted softly to himself as Paris put her arms around him. “You do that find on your own,” he pointed out, not thinking his presence was going to make her look better than she already did. Still, he happily put his arms around her waist and leaned his head down to gently press his forehead against hers.
He felt as though he was more of an old soul than most his age. He didn’t know if that was a bad thing or not, but he knew he was glad that he found Paris. Out of everyone in the world, somehow he met and fell for her.
They danced, and Chris participated to the best of his abilities. But it wasn’t as horrible as he was expecting it to be. Sure, the music was loud, but he enjoyed being able to be so close to her, and she was obviously having a good time. He wasn’t too sure if the ‘liquid courage’ helped any, but before he realized it, the club was getting ready to close down for the night. It was already early in the morning and people were slowly starting to file out.
“So… you wanna get out of here…?” he asked close enough to her ear for her to hear. “We… could go back to my place.”
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2015 12:17 pm
It was true that Paris enjoyed herself. If she were to be honest, there was a part of her that missed her old partying lifestyle. Obviously she’d outgrown it over the years, but there’d been plenty of fun in it at the time. These days, with so much going on in their lives, it was nice to take a step back and have some of that old fun again.
By the time the club was starting to close down for the night, Paris was no longer dancing so vigorously even though the music had never changed to anything of the slower variety. She stood in Chris’s arms with her body pressed to his and swayed with him slowly at the edge of the dwindling crowd.
A smile split across her face when he spoke into her ear. She lifted her head from his shoulder and leaned in for another kiss.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said.
She took him by the hand and, leaving the dance floor behind, led the way out of the club as confidently as she’d led the way in.
Tomorrow they’d return to their normal lives, but tonight… tonight they could be young and foolish.
Paris wouldn’t have it any other way.
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