Spellman Ch. 23

Eventually the school day came to a merciful end and I headed home to get ready for my date with Cece. The website for the dance studio said to wear slacks and a button down for the ballroom class, so I didn't have to change. I did toss my tie, though.

I arrived at her house promptly at 5:30. She answered the door only a few seconds after I knocked. Her hair was styled in loose curls and she looked stunning in a red dress. She smiled at me and gave me a kiss before allowing me to lead her to my car.

When we arrived at the dance studio we were greeted by a group of people all dressed in their best dance attire. Other than two kids who looked like they were in high school, Cece and I were the youngest people there by probably twenty years.

A woman peeled away from the group when we arrived and came over to hug Cece. I assumed this was her dad's friend and the owner of the studio. She had gray hair, but was still in great shape.

"Claire, I'm so glad you could make it," she said.

"Thanks for inviting me," Cece said. "Carol, this is Ryan. Ryan, Carol. She's the owner and instructor."

I shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Carol gave me an appraising look. "Nice to meet you as well, Ryan. Do you have any experience dancing?"

"Not at all," I admitted.

"That's fine, we'll get you up to speed. Why don't you two go grab a seat in the chairs by the far wall. We'll get started here in just a minute."

Others were heading to the chairs as well, so we joined the crowd and sat down. Once everyone was settled in, Carol stepped to the front of the room.

"Tonight we will be introducing you to the waltz. We'll start with the basics, but I want to begin by showing you what everything can look like once it comes together. Rodger, can you join me?"

An older man joined Carol. She pressed a button on a small remote before slipping it back in her pocket, then the two of them took their positions. The music started and I recognized the steady 'one-two-three' rhythm of a waltz, though I didn't know the piece.

"Oh, I love this piece," Cece whispered to me.

"What is it?"

"It's by Shostakovich," she said, not taking her eyes off the dancing pair.

I watched Carol and Rodger float around the room to the beat of the music. It was impressive, and a bit intimidating, but Carol had said that we would start with the basics. They wouldn't expect me to be doing this dance right away.

When the song came to a close we all gave Carol and Rodger a round of applause. They bowed, then Carol signaled that we should all stand. She paired us off, and I was disappointed when she cut in and took me from Cece, passing my date off to Rodger. I must have made a face, because she started to laugh. "Don't worry, I won't keep you away from Claire forever. I just want to get you set with your foundation before I give you back to her. Don't want you to step on that beautiful girl's toes."

She spent a few minutes going over the correct posture and hand positions with me before introducing the basic waltz box step. As we danced, she grilled me a bit about Cece. "How long have you and Claire been together?"

"This is our second date."

"Good on you for coming. I'm not sure how many men these days would be open to a ballroom dance class on the second date."

"She seemed excited about it," I said. I glanced over at Cece, who was gliding gracefully across the room with Rodger. Apparently she had more experience with this than she had let on. I couldn't help but be a little bit in awe of her fluid movements, almost like poetry in motion.

After maybe fifteen minutes, Carol decided that I was no longer a danger to myself or others and passed me back to Cece. She slid into position, taking my left hand as I placed my right hand on her shoulder blade. "Having fun?" she asked, smiling up at me.

"I am, but I think I'm going to have even more fun now that I'm back with you."

As the class went on, I started to relax and enjoy myself more. I may not have been the best dancer in the room, but I was having fun. Cece was patient with me, helping to guide me through the steps. She only laughed a little bit when I messed up. I was really starting to feel like I was getting the hang of it when Carol announced that we would end by showcasing what we had learned as couples.

I gave Cece an exaggerated look of horror, but she just laughed and grinned at me. When it was our turn, I surprised myself by only tripping up once. Everyone applauded our effort, sincerely for Cece and politely for me, or at least that's what I assumed. Cece didn't let go of my hand once we were done, instead lacing her fingers into mine.

We both thanked Carol for the class, and she invited us to come back next week. I didn't make a commitment, but I was at least open to the possibility if Cece wanted to do this again. It didn't seem like she actually needed the lessons, but I certainly did.

Cece suggested that we grab some food at the Chinese restaurant next door, so we walked over and were seated within a couple minutes. We ordered our food and drinks right away.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said. "Hopefully it wasn't too bad."

"Not bad at all. I had fun, especially when I was dancing with you. You never told me that you knew how to do all of this already, though. I thought you were going to be a beginner like me."

"Sorry," she said, blushing a bit. "Yeah, I've taken ballroom lessons before. I wasn't sure if it would be more or less intimidating if you knew that I had experience, so I just didn't say anything either way."

"It's fine. I was watching you a bit when you danced with Rodger. It was beautiful. I'm just sorry you had to have a partner like me who held you back from being able to do that all night."

"Rodger's very good, but I was much happier dancing with you. You improved a lot just over that hour, too. It won't be long until you're able to fully keep up."

"Do you want to go again next week?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do. If you don't mind, that is. I really like dancing."

"I think I could be convinced to give it another try."

Cece smiled at that. "I'll have to think of a good way to convince you, then."

We talked a bit more about the class, comparing our observations of the other couples. Our food arrived a few minutes later. When we finished, Cece took the bill and slid her credit card in. I started to protest, but she insisted.

"You planned and paid for our last date. I planned this one, so I'm paying. I'm not just dating you for free meals."

"Well that's good to know, at least," I said.

We left the restaurant hand in hand. The cool night breeze felt refreshing after our time inside the stuffy dance studio. As I drove her home, Cece rested her head on my shoulder. When we arrived at her house, I walked her to her front door. She turned to face me, her eyes sparkling.

"Thank you for an amazing night. I had a lot of fun," she said, her voice soft.

"Thank you for being patient with me on the dance floor," I replied, feeling a smile spread across my face.

She stepped closer to me and turned her head up for a kiss. Our lips met and I felt my heart start to race. I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. I felt a hunger building up inside me, a desire for her that had been simmering all night long. I started to slide my hands down her back towards her butt, but as soon as I did so she broke the kiss and stepped away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, looking down at her feet.

I tried not to let my disappointment at our aborted display of affection show in my voice. "Yeah, I'll see you then. Are you still interested in going to see Beth's band play this week?"

"Definitely. I'll let you know sometime tomorrow if Thursday or Friday works better."

"Sounds good," I said. I gave her one more kiss. "Goodnight, Cece."

"Goodnight, Ryan."

She opened the door and slipped inside. I walked back to my car, adjusting the unresolved problem that had arisen in my slacks. I took care of that issue first thing once I was home, then got myself ready for bed. It had been a great date, even if I was disappointed that Cece had ended our make out session so suddenly. I hadn't expected any sort of sex, but it would have been nice to finally get my hands on the incredible ass that had inspired me to start calling Cece the Glorious Goddess of Glutes before I knew what her real name was. Maybe next time.

It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. My dreams were full of waltzes, and a beautiful redhead who floated with me across a dance floor made of clouds.