Quiet One

Dance

A/N The song quoted is Classy Girls by the Lumineers. Here it is if you want to give it listen before reading.

The women had a great time out on the dance floor. They enjoyed the music as they swayed their hips, felt the beat, and took turns loudly singing out lyrics to each other. It felt freeing after all the weeks of stress and worry followed by the months of dealing with the aftermath of the situation. To be together as friends, just be in the moment, and be swept away by the upbeat tempos.

The music changed and a song that was unfamiliar to MC came on. As the sweet, peaceful notes began to play Phil reappeared from his bartending duties.

"May I have this dance, MC?" he spoke holding out his hands towards her.

"Sure," she replied before giving herself time to overthink it.

Phil took MC's right hand and gently placed his other hand on her waist. Keeping an arm's length apart in a more formal dancing position. MC brought her left hand up to his shoulder resting her arm against his as she felt a wave of emotion bubble up inside her being so close to him. The whole time, his eyes never wavered from hers.

Well, she was standing in the bar
I said, "Hello, how do you do?"

"Hello, MC," Phil whispered parroting the lyrics of the song.

Something about the way he was using her name instead of all the flirty pet names he was fond of mixed with his direct unwavering eye contact caused her to feel seen in a way she had never felt before.

She broke eye contact, looking down, before whispering, "Hello."

When she glanced back up, his eyes were still focused on her. He began to lead her to the music. They swayed in a quiet slow dance as all the noise and people around them began to fade. Leaving just the two of them, alone with the music.

She spoke of places I had never been
That she had traveled to
And we slow danced along to faster tunes

"I hope you are enjoying your visit to our little town." His voice was soft as he continued to make small talk referencing the lyrics of the song. "I would love to hear all about your hometown. I have never traveled very far from here."

She said, "That's pretty cool
But classy girls don't kiss in bars, you fool."

His eyes stole a quick look down at her lips before they returned to look into her eyes and he spoke.

"I can tell you're a classy girl, MC. And a quiet one," He winked and smiled.

MC wondered what exactly he meant by that. Yes, it was pretty accurate, she did allow others to see her as quiet and reserved. She really only opened up once she was close friends with someone. And she certainly wasn't a loud, outgoing, confident person by nature. But why did it seem like he knew something about her that even she wasn't aware of?

As the music changed tempo, he spun her out twirling her with his left hand, before pulling her back into a much more intimate hold. His arm wrapped around her waist, hugging her close, while he brought their joined hands in to rest against his chest.

"You are beautiful, MC," he said looking into her eyes again. "Jessy had shown me a picture, but seeing you tonight has me captivated. Ever since we first spoke tonight, my eyes keep being drawn over to you. And when you laugh, it just lights up the whole fucking place," he continued chuckling to himself, "I even dropped a bottle tonight. That never happens to me."

MC glanced away from his gaze as she felt the heat in her cheeks, embarrassed by his praise and attention.

Even though the music had sped up, he still continued to lead them in a slow swaying dance.

So, later on, the crowd calmed down
And I believe it was as if something drew me closer to her lips

Phil gave a lingering look at MC's lips before his gaze returned to her eyes. He took her hand that he held and lowered it and pressed it gently against his waist before bringing his now empty hand up to brush a strand of wayward hair behind MC's ear.

"You," he spoke again, "are beautiful." He emphasized the word are in a way that left no room for questioning. Even so, doubts and insecurities circled through MC's mind.

How can he think that? Does he really think that? Is this just him being flirty with me? Stop. now isn't the time to be analyzing this MC. Stay in the moment. Stop overthinking everything for goodness sake.

The lyrics to the song caught her attention again.

and she replied
It was nothing I was doing wrong,
it's just what it is
No, classy girls don't kiss in bars like this

"Tell me if I am doing something wrong, MC."

"No. You are not doing anything wrong," MC worked up the courage to continue, "I would like to get to know you more."

"I would like that too. Can I take you out sometime this week?"

"Yes, but I will be upfront that I am not interested in hooking up just for a night." She continued, "Emotions and relationships are too important to me."

"I would expect nothing less from a classy, quiet woman. You intrigue me, MC. And I promise to be on my best behavior," He smiled at her in a way that made her wonder if his "best behavior" would be what anyone else might mean by that phrase. "I am looking forward to learning more about you, MC. Thank you for the dance."

The hardest part is through
The hardest part is through

The music ended. He gave her one last smile before getting a mischievous look in his eye. He grab her hand from his waist, tighten his grip around her back, and pushed her back into a dip.

It all happened so quickly, that MC's head was swimming from the sudden movement. Her foot naturally lifted from the floor on its own, while her other one tried to keep her balance. She felt like she was going to fall, but Phil was in control of the entire movement. His strong arms and back muscles held her firmly and stopped her downward decent. Her long hair hung down behind her and grazed against the floor.

"You are certainly a classy girl, MC. But I do not have the composure of the man in the song," He spoke in a low, deep whisper against her ear before placing his lips against hers. It wasn't a heated kiss, though MC felt the heat that ran up through her body, racing towards her face, before it pooled in her cheeks. It was just a lingering peck and then she was being stood upright again.

"See you later this week. I'll text you," he said with a wink and a wave as he turned and walked away leaving a very flustered MC standing alone in the middle of the dance floor.