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Abby strode into the little practice room, moving directly over to the wall where she set her stuff up. A portable Bluetooth speaker, her cellphone, and a few bottles of water. It took only a few clicks and waiting for the speaker to connect before the first notes of classical music started to play. She honestly wasn’t sure what type of music would be played at the wedding but she figured teaching just a standard waltz wouldn’t be too amiss.
Taking a deep breath the young woman centered herself, her eyes closing as she calmed her nerves. It took a surprising amount of time before she opened her eyes and gave herself a shake, ready to face the young man who would be walking in any moment to work on his dance skills. Cliff had picked it up fairly fast, especially considering their time crunch, but the more practice he had the better. Hence why she was here in one of the practice rooms, classical music playing, in a dancing skirt, and doing her best to calm the nerves that were still twisting up her insides.
Taking a deep breath the young woman centered herself, her eyes closing as she calmed her nerves. It took a surprising amount of time before she opened her eyes and gave herself a shake, ready to face the young man who would be walking in any moment to work on his dance skills. Cliff had picked it up fairly fast, especially considering their time crunch, but the more practice he had the better. Hence why she was here in one of the practice rooms, classical music playing, in a dancing skirt, and doing her best to calm the nerves that were still twisting up her insides.
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The dance class had been extremely helpful, though Cliff knew that it was all the practices in between with Abby that helped get him to where he was now. Which…frankly, wasn’t that far, but it was far enough that he was a little more confident that he wouldn’t make a complete fool of himself at the wedding.
The young man stepped into the practice room, hair still a little damp as he was freshly showered after a pickup game with some buddies at the park. Dance practice with a friend meant extremely close proximity, and while he and Abby were friends he didn’t want to subject her to dancing with a gross, sweaty athlete for roughly an hour or so. Not to mention he still wanted to save a little bit of face with her.
The “why” behind that, he wasn’t sure, but it was there and he acknowledged it and…well. That was enough for now.
“Hey,” he greeted, the usual wide, friendly smile on his face as he met her eye. He hurried inside and set his bag down beside hers before he started to pull off his sweater. “I’m not late, right?”
The young man stepped into the practice room, hair still a little damp as he was freshly showered after a pickup game with some buddies at the park. Dance practice with a friend meant extremely close proximity, and while he and Abby were friends he didn’t want to subject her to dancing with a gross, sweaty athlete for roughly an hour or so. Not to mention he still wanted to save a little bit of face with her.
The “why” behind that, he wasn’t sure, but it was there and he acknowledged it and…well. That was enough for now.
“Hey,” he greeted, the usual wide, friendly smile on his face as he met her eye. He hurried inside and set his bag down beside hers before he started to pull off his sweater. “I’m not late, right?”
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Her mouth went oddly dry when Cliff walked in. “No, you're right on time. I just like to settle the ‘first time teacher’ nerves.” That's all they were of course. There was no other reason for her to feel like butterflies were residing in her whenever they danced. They were friends so there was no reason at all to feel any romantic feelings at all. It was residual nerves from teaching tangled with the whole vibe of waltzing. Nothing more, nothing less.
She turned away while he pulled off his sweater, taking a quick swallow of her water to moisten her mouth. “So where were we? Do you want to pick it up from the top or cover any tricky moves?” Abby had been impressed since Cliff had put in a lot of time and effort to at least become proficient in this waltz. She was determined to show the same care and attention to her teaching, even if that meant she sometimes wondered about her own sanity.
She turned away while he pulled off his sweater, taking a quick swallow of her water to moisten her mouth. “So where were we? Do you want to pick it up from the top or cover any tricky moves?” Abby had been impressed since Cliff had put in a lot of time and effort to at least become proficient in this waltz. She was determined to show the same care and attention to her teaching, even if that meant she sometimes wondered about her own sanity.
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Tossing his sweater aside, he moved closer to her so he could talk without having to project his voice all. He put his hands on his hips as he gave it some thought, and once he made his decision he gave a little nod of his head. “From the top, if that’s okay with you? And for the record, you’re doing great as a ‘first time teacher’ so I don’t think you have any reason to be nervous.”
He flashed her a smile then, adding, “Plus it’s me, so you have even less reason to be nervous.”
With that he glanced about the space, eventually pointing at the center of the floor. “Guessing we start from here? Waltz from the top…and then if there’s time, maybe we could go over a few trick moves…” He wasn’t sure if he was being too demanding here, but hopefully she would be up for it. He wanted to squeeze as much out of this as he could, given the compressed timeline they had to follow for him to learn even just the basics, never mind the fancier, more impressive moves.
“How much time have I got you for today, anyway? Hours? Two?”
He flashed her a smile then, adding, “Plus it’s me, so you have even less reason to be nervous.”
With that he glanced about the space, eventually pointing at the center of the floor. “Guessing we start from here? Waltz from the top…and then if there’s time, maybe we could go over a few trick moves…” He wasn’t sure if he was being too demanding here, but hopefully she would be up for it. He wanted to squeeze as much out of this as he could, given the compressed timeline they had to follow for him to learn even just the basics, never mind the fancier, more impressive moves.
“How much time have I got you for today, anyway? Hours? Two?”
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“From the top then,” She nodded and stepped up to the middle of the room, waiting for him to join her. “I appreciate the compliment but that doesn’t mean it's true.” Abby made a face at Cliff, if only to hide the strange fluttering she felt inside as he stepped up in front of her. They were close. Not as close as some of the more intimate dances require but they were definitely close. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him.
Knowing they didn’t have an infinite amount of time, the young woman raised her arms, doing her best to ignore the spots of heat from where Cliff put his hands. Mentally praying her hand wasn’t sweaty from their clasped grip and disregarding how he was just a touch taller then she was, putting him at the ideal height for a dance partner. “For two hours but I might be able to swing another hour with the room if we need it.” Abby waited a moment, listening to the music, and once it got close she started to quietly count out the beats before warning, “Ready? And…. Start.” And with that they were dancing.
Knowing they didn’t have an infinite amount of time, the young woman raised her arms, doing her best to ignore the spots of heat from where Cliff put his hands. Mentally praying her hand wasn’t sweaty from their clasped grip and disregarding how he was just a touch taller then she was, putting him at the ideal height for a dance partner. “For two hours but I might be able to swing another hour with the room if we need it.” Abby waited a moment, listening to the music, and once it got close she started to quietly count out the beats before warning, “Ready? And…. Start.” And with that they were dancing.
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If Cliff didn’t know her as well as he did, he might have not noticed the subtle differences in how she was acting around him. He chose not to comment, but he noticed and was admittedly both curious and concerned. He tried not to let it distract him from their practice, though, and did his best to focus.
She really was a great teacher, in his opinion, firm but not harsh, and just the right amount of encouraging. They made it through the basics and had moved on to the more advanced techniques, one of which required him to adjust his hands and stand just a little bit closer to her.
“Here?” he asked, one hand slipping a bit lower to settle at the small of her back while the other held fast to her hand.
She really was a great teacher, in his opinion, firm but not harsh, and just the right amount of encouraging. They made it through the basics and had moved on to the more advanced techniques, one of which required him to adjust his hands and stand just a little bit closer to her.
“Here?” he asked, one hand slipping a bit lower to settle at the small of her back while the other held fast to her hand.
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Abby had to take a deep breath as he slid closer and rested his hand at the correct location for the practice they were about to start. “Yes, just hold on a moment. I'm just a touch out of breath.” She explained as she did a quick meditation deep breathing, absently noting the scent of soap and something that was Cliff. Ignoring the radiating warmth of his hand, and the way her brain whispered stupid ideas like getting even closer. It wasn’t necessary for this dance. It wasn’t needed!
After one further breath she straightened slightly and nodded. “Ok, let's go. Do you remember the first step?” Abby was ready to show him but wanted to see what he remembered. Their time was limited so they didn’t really have the time for her to step away and take a real break.
After one further breath she straightened slightly and nodded. “Ok, let's go. Do you remember the first step?” Abby was ready to show him but wanted to see what he remembered. Their time was limited so they didn’t really have the time for her to step away and take a real break.
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“Sure,” he said, blinking curiously as he watched her take a meditative breath. It was tempting to ask if she was okay–and he was definitely going to–but it was more of a question of when would be a good time to ask. She seemed okay after another breath, though, so he let it go and nodded his head at her question.
“I think so…”
He took a tentative first step, and when Abby seemed to indicate that he was going in the right direction his confidence steadily rose, even though she had to guide him through the rest of it. He did wind up moving just a bit closer toward the end, because it felt…right to, or at least he thought so. It was a comfortable distance, albeit closer than usual, even for them. But Abby fit perfectly against him, he thought with a little smile.
A thought that was interrupted when their timer suddenly went off.
“I think so…”
He took a tentative first step, and when Abby seemed to indicate that he was going in the right direction his confidence steadily rose, even though she had to guide him through the rest of it. He did wind up moving just a bit closer toward the end, because it felt…right to, or at least he thought so. It was a comfortable distance, albeit closer than usual, even for them. But Abby fit perfectly against him, he thought with a little smile.
A thought that was interrupted when their timer suddenly went off.
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By the end of their dancing she had mentally shaken off her nerves. Her attention focused solely on their steps and correcting any mistakes that occurred. She was completely in teacher mode. It wasn’t until they came to a stop that Abby realized that not only were they standing closer then technically they needed to be but that it was fairly natural feeling. Her stomach flipped and squirmed as she did her best to keep control of her breathing, still a bit out of breath from the dancing, even as her gaze absently dropped from his eyes to pause on his lips. She was just the right height, standing at the perfect level for a kiss…
Her phone timer started to chirp, making Abby jerk back in startlement. Her eyes widened a bit as she realized what she had just been thinking and with whom she was thinking it about. She could feel her face heating up with a blush that her darker skin helped to hide, even as she spun away and hurried to silence the phone. “So that's it for today. Keep practicing that turn just like I showed you.” She was talking to the wall as she quickly turned off the music and started to shove stuff into her bag. “I know you don’t have much time but you should be fine at the wedding if you and your dance partner stick to standard stuff. And you still have a few more classes with my teacher so that should really help,” Abby continued to babble even as she shouldered her bag and held out a bottle of water to him, her own in her other hand. “Just let me know if I need to book a training space again.”
Her phone timer started to chirp, making Abby jerk back in startlement. Her eyes widened a bit as she realized what she had just been thinking and with whom she was thinking it about. She could feel her face heating up with a blush that her darker skin helped to hide, even as she spun away and hurried to silence the phone. “So that's it for today. Keep practicing that turn just like I showed you.” She was talking to the wall as she quickly turned off the music and started to shove stuff into her bag. “I know you don’t have much time but you should be fine at the wedding if you and your dance partner stick to standard stuff. And you still have a few more classes with my teacher so that should really help,” Abby continued to babble even as she shouldered her bag and held out a bottle of water to him, her own in her other hand. “Just let me know if I need to book a training space again.”
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Cliff was working to steady his own breathing when they finally came to a stop, but he noticed the way her gaze fell ever so slightly. Proximity didn’t help as he wrestled down the temptation to just…kiss her. Not because he didn’t want to–he’d noticed such thoughts before even the start of the semester–but more because he wasn’t sure it was what she would want.
They were friends, after all, and it was a fine line he was, admittedly, concerned about crossing.
So when the timer went off he let her go and took a step back, clearing his throat as he shoved the thought away and nodded along to whatever it was she was saying.
Cliff headed back to his own bag to grab a towel, and he was about to grab a bottle of water when she offered him one, and said something about “his dance partner” or something. Confusion crossed his face, and he looked over at her as he draped the towel over his shoulder and grabbed the offered bottle. “Hang on. By ‘dance partner’ you mean you, right? I thought that was part of the deal.”
They were friends, after all, and it was a fine line he was, admittedly, concerned about crossing.
So when the timer went off he let her go and took a step back, clearing his throat as he shoved the thought away and nodded along to whatever it was she was saying.
Cliff headed back to his own bag to grab a towel, and he was about to grab a bottle of water when she offered him one, and said something about “his dance partner” or something. Confusion crossed his face, and he looked over at her as he draped the towel over his shoulder and grabbed the offered bottle. “Hang on. By ‘dance partner’ you mean you, right? I thought that was part of the deal.”
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“Wait, what?” Abby paused in her haste to head out and spun until she faced Cliff squarely. “No, that is not what you asked! You asked for a teacher. You asked for the skills. Not-” She narrowed her eyes at him and sighed, stopping in the middle of her denial, her brain replaying their conversation. He had not actually asked for that, he just agreed to it. She hadn’t actually let him ask for his favor at all, just steamrolled him into what she figured he was looking for. It never occurred to her that Cliff might have been asking for both a date and the help with dancing. “Alright. Fair enough. That was my fault for not actually clarifying what the favor was.”
Ugh. Now she had so much more she needed to do. “Text me the date of the wedding so I can actually add it to my calendar please. Also a picture of your outfit so I can find a dress to match.” Abby took a swallow of her own water, her mind making a list of everything she needed to do. “In the meantime I’ll see what kind of outfits I have that might work.” She really didn’t want to have to buy a dress if she didn’t want to but she would if she had to. Abigail Miller didn’t shirk her responsibilities, ever. “I’ve got to go,” She headed out the door only to pop her head back around the corner a split second later, “Don’t forget to text me Cliff, I’m serious. I need that outfit pic or I’ll wear the most garish and inappropriate outfit ever.” It was an empty threat, one softened by a slight, if distracted, smile. “See you at dance class.” With a final wave she was gone, her brian completely forgetting the previous concerns about their closeness or the butterflies that had been plaguing her. She was totally focused on the task at hand.
What exactly was she going to wear!
Ugh. Now she had so much more she needed to do. “Text me the date of the wedding so I can actually add it to my calendar please. Also a picture of your outfit so I can find a dress to match.” Abby took a swallow of her own water, her mind making a list of everything she needed to do. “In the meantime I’ll see what kind of outfits I have that might work.” She really didn’t want to have to buy a dress if she didn’t want to but she would if she had to. Abigail Miller didn’t shirk her responsibilities, ever. “I’ve got to go,” She headed out the door only to pop her head back around the corner a split second later, “Don’t forget to text me Cliff, I’m serious. I need that outfit pic or I’ll wear the most garish and inappropriate outfit ever.” It was an empty threat, one softened by a slight, if distracted, smile. “See you at dance class.” With a final wave she was gone, her brian completely forgetting the previous concerns about their closeness or the butterflies that had been plaguing her. She was totally focused on the task at hand.
What exactly was she going to wear!
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He frowned at first, when she denied it. Granted, if he remembered right he never actually asked her for the favor outright…she sort of just assumed, and he rolled with it. Which was partly his fault, but he figured she understood!
Obviously wrong of him, but as she sorted through it he took a swig of his water, grabbed his bag, and started walking toward her. The exit was in the same direction, after all. When she eventually relented, a bright little smile spread across his face, and he nodded along at the instructions she gave him.
“I’ll text it right now!” he laughed when she repeated herself, catching her little smile and feeling a wave of butterflies float through his stomach all of a sudden. He pulled his phone out to send that text (because he would forget if he wasn’t careful), but also to distract himself. Not that he thought she’d look bad in whatever outfit she wore, but it’d be nice to match. He looked up just in time to catch her wave and disappear.
“See you!” he called out, turning the corner just in time to see her disappear through the doors. Unlike her, his thoughts wandered back to the emotions he often felt whenever he was around her. He’d long since acknowledged what they were, but navigating whether or not to tell her was…tricky at best. So this was enough for now, he thought to himself as he headed for the exit as well, taking another swig of water as he went.
It had to be.
Obviously wrong of him, but as she sorted through it he took a swig of his water, grabbed his bag, and started walking toward her. The exit was in the same direction, after all. When she eventually relented, a bright little smile spread across his face, and he nodded along at the instructions she gave him.
“I’ll text it right now!” he laughed when she repeated herself, catching her little smile and feeling a wave of butterflies float through his stomach all of a sudden. He pulled his phone out to send that text (because he would forget if he wasn’t careful), but also to distract himself. Not that he thought she’d look bad in whatever outfit she wore, but it’d be nice to match. He looked up just in time to catch her wave and disappear.
“See you!” he called out, turning the corner just in time to see her disappear through the doors. Unlike her, his thoughts wandered back to the emotions he often felt whenever he was around her. He’d long since acknowledged what they were, but navigating whether or not to tell her was…tricky at best. So this was enough for now, he thought to himself as he headed for the exit as well, taking another swig of water as he went.
It had to be.
