Dancing Away With My Heart (An Academy Fanfic)

Part 8

Sang’s POV

        I jumped away from Mr. Blackbourne. He turned and glared at Luke. Sean stopped the music.

        “Mr. Taylor, is there a problem?”

         “Yes, there’s a problem.” Luke stood and walked over to us. “I sat there quietly while you taught her a box step. Really? A box step?” He paused and took a breath. “And I sat there while you walked her through the most boring classical waltz ever. But I refuse to sit there while you play her one of THE most depressing songs in country music, if not all music. Have you ever even danced a country waltz before?”

        I knew my eyes were huge. I could not believe that Luke just did that. Or that he cared that much about dancing. Or that he even knew that much about country dancing.

        “There is nothing wrong with that country classic, and a waltz is a waltz. Now, please…”

         “No. A waltz is not a waltz. A country waltz is totally different.” He stared at Mr. Blackbourne for a moment. “May I cut in?”

        Mr. Blackbourne rolled his eyes. “You already did. Please. Show us your expertise.” He went and sat next to Sean. He looked angry, and something else. Sad?

         Luke looked over at Meanie. “Gabe, can you find a better song for Sang and Mr. B to dance to, please? And feel free to think outside the box.”

         Gabe grabbed the laptop and began banging on keys.

        Luke grabbed my hand. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “OK, Sweetie, you ready to learn the country waltz?”

        I looked over at Mr. Blackbourne. He nodded. I sighed. “Sure. What do I do first?”

        “Remember what you said about 3/4 time? That is what’s important. Don’t lose that count, no matter what. YOUR count, not what I’m doing. OK?”

         “uh… ok…” I had no idea what he meant.

         He smiled. “Let’s start at the beginning. What you’ll do at the club, IF there is even a waltz, is so much more casual than what you were learning. There is no box step. It’s more of a walk, with one big step and two smaller steps. Easy, right?”

         “Just walking in 3/4 time?”

        “To begin with, that’s all there is to it. Want to try?” I nodded. He continued to hold my hand, but moved so he was by my side. “All we’re going to do is walk in 3/4. Start on your right. 4, 5, 6…”

         We began walking around the living room with him counting. It was so simple. After a time or two all the way around the room, he stopped us.

         “Time to do this right.” He spun me around so that I was facing backward, then put his arm around me, pulling me close. He continued to hold my right hand, but he held it close to his heart. “Now just walk backwards.” He counted off, and we began to move.

         At first, I couldn’t breathe. I was completely stiff in his arms. We were so close, and moving in sync. Wow! I closed my eyes and counted along with him. I didn’t want to mess this up. His arm around me, moving to some music that only he could hear. It was such an intense feeling. Dancing with Mr. Blackbourne had been intense, too, but this was a completely different kind of intensity.

         “Sang?” I opened my eyes and gazed into his chocolate brown eyes. “Just look at me. And smile. This is fun, right?” I smiled, and we continued around the room. Once I found my rhythm and relaxed in his arms, he increased the distance we covered as we danced. A few more turns around the room, and he stopped us.

         “Now, we’ll make it a little more complicated, ok?”

        “More complicated? You said this was simple.”

         His eyes lit up and he smiled. “It is simple. Just not as simple as this has been so far. Remember when I said that you had to keep track of your count?” I nodded. This couldn’t be good. “I’m going to move you around, but you keep your count, no matter what. Right left right, left right left, whether you’re going forward backwards or in a circle, ok?”

         I looked around. Sean had a big grin on his face. Mr. Blackbourne sat, watching us intently. Gabe was looking at the computer screen, not paying attention to us. “OK. I think.”

        He pulled me back to him and counted off. We began as usual, and then suddenly he spun me so that I was facing the same direction as him. Out of instinct, I looked down, and I was on the wrong foot! I shuffled my feet to try to match Luke’s.

        He stopped us. “ Sweetie, remember when I said you had to keep track of your count, no matter what I did?” I nodded, confused. “We’re supposed to be on opposite feet facing this way so that we don’t bump into each other when we’re face to face.”

         I nodded. That made sense. “Oh. OK. I think I got it. Again?”

        He smiled. “Again.”

        For the next 10 or 15 minutes, he waltzed me around the room, spinning and twisting me all around until I thought I was going to get dizzy. He’d stop for a moment to explain what he was doing or why I should go this way instead of that. He was a very good teacher, come to find out.

         “Gabe, you find anything yet?” Luke asked, finally stopping.

        “I think so. Come see.” Luke and Sean both walked over to look over Meanie’s shoulders.

         “Um… Gabe, that’s not a country song.” Sean commented.

         “I told him to look outside the box. And it’s almost country. And it’s perfect.”

         “Yeah, that it is. Owen, you ready?”

         Mr. Blackbourne stood and walked over to me. He held out his hand to me. “May I have this dance, Miss Sorenson?”

         I smiled and took his hand. “Of course, Mr. Blackbourne.”

         He looked over at the guys, and the music began. He pulled me close to him, and I pulled in a shocked breath. After a measure or two to find the beat, we began to move. I looked up, and he was looking down at me. I swear in that moment I could have drowned in the liquid steel I saw there. I tried to listen to the lyrics of the vaguely familiar song.

                        All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
                        I'm tripping on words
                        You got my head spinning
                         I don't know where to go from here

        'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to prove
        And it's you and me and all of the people
        And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you

        He looked at me in question, and I nodded in response. He began to spin me away and back into him, all around the floor. As the song wound down to the end, he pulled me back to him, close enough that I was up against him tight, and we slowly moved until the last notes faded. He stepped away, and I felt like something was suddenly missing. Before he let go of my hand, he kissed it.

        “Perfection.”