A Revolution In Shadow And Blood

I Learned how to Dance

"I want to take you somewhere."

Him and I are sitting on his motorcycle, sharing a large Icee between us. It's almost gone, and both of our tongues and lips have turned blue. I hand the cup to him, then ask, "Where?"

He takes a sip from the straw, "I can't tell you that! It's a surprise."

I smile at him as he finishes up the drink, "What kind of surprise?"

"Do you have any plans tonight?" He asks as he stands up and droops the cup into the nearest garbage can.

"I don't," I tell him, "But I do have a curfew."

"Eleven, right?" He asks, and I nod. "I can get you home by then, I promise."

"Ok," I take a deep breath and smile at him. "I trust you."

He grins back, and grabs one of the black helmets hanging from the handle bars. I take it from him, and put it on. He buckles his own helmet on, then swings his leg onto the motorcycle in front of me. I wrap my arms around his waist, and lean onto his back as he revs the motor and takes off.

Almost twenty minutes later, he turns onto a dirt road that leads to a clean white barn that obviously isn't used for animals. Its trim is a nice red color, and the roof is gray. He parks in front of the barn, and after our helmets are off, he takes my hand and leads me to the front doors. He unlocks one of the double doors with one of his keys, and holds it open for me.

"Where are we?" I ask him as I walk into the building. I end up in a beautiful entryway that leads to a hallway with five bathrooms, which seems excessive. Past the hall is an open room with chairs and tables set up in it, and closed barn doors on the other end of the room.

"Up here, angel."

I turn back toward the doors and find him standing on stairs that lead to a second floor. He holds out his hand again and I let him lead me up a short set of stairs. The second floor is huge compared to the first. The ceilings are thirty feet tall and arched with chandeliers hanging from the top of the arch. Strings of lights hang across the room, lower than the chandeliers. Chairs and tables are pushed to the sides of the room, leaving a wood floor open and empty. Huge windows on one end let me see the stars and moon in the sky. Hundreds of candles light the room and with rose petals littering the floor and soft music in the background, it creates a romantic atmosphere.

Eyes wide and my hand covering my open mouth, I turn around to look at him. He's smiling softly at me, his red eyes melting my knees, and messy hair causing butterflies in my stomach.

"You like it?" He whispers.

"It's beautiful," I whisper back, like him, afraid to mess up this moment.

A huge grin lights up his face, and I can't help smiling back. He walks toward me and takes my hand. "Good."

He leads me toward the center of the room, and guides my hand to his shoulder. He holds one of my hands in his away from our bodies, and pulls me close with one hand on my hip. When I realize what he's doing, I blush. "I don't know how to dance."

"I know." He looks down at me. "I'm going to teach you."

I'm not sure about this, but he seems determined. He doesn't wait for me to agree to his plan, and starts leading me in simple steps that guide us into going in small circles across the floor. I step on his feet a few times and stumble close enough to him to make us both blush. But after the first several minutes, I get the hang of the steps. I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt that says 'Yeah. I'm judging you.', but I've never felt more like a princess as I dance in his arms to the soft music in the background.