Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Pas de Deux

In 500 words, tell a story where dancing ruins lives. Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt themed "Rhythm and Boo". 18 - 20 September 2015

A young relationship comes to a fork of many tines. Pas de Deux, the 'dance of two' also loosely translates as 'not two', which is pas des deux.

Pas des Deux

"But I really dislike it."

"Lorne, for me... Please." Cynthia squeezed closer to him, twisting a long blond curl, pouting.

He looked out across the table into the flashing lights and moving swarm. "I prefer not to."

She moved her fingers from his broad shoulder and teased them down his chest. "I don't care if you have two left feet. I can teach you how to use them."

Lorne oozed further into the corner of the booth, alone with her as he watched her fingers toy with a shirt button. He let out a slow sigh. "I don't have two left feet, at least not according to Catherine..."

"Who's Catherine? You've never mentioned her before," she said, as her fingers froze on the shirt button.

He closed his eyes and a mellow smile grew on his face as he recalled. "She taught me to dance spiritually..."

Cynthia watched his face turn dreamy, listened to his voice purr as he spoke of her. "You've never mentioned her."

"There's a lot I haven't told you about me. About my past..."

"Yes... I suppose there's more. We've known each other for only two hours. There's probably some more to you. You're a ravishing hunk, a real chick magnet..." She started toying again with the shirt button. "But the look in your eyes, the way your voice changed..." She sucked in her lower lip. "She seems to be special... Am I special?"

"Everyone is special," he said as he began to relax again, thinking the pressure of the dance floor had passed. He watched her face ease. I'm safe for a while longer.

"So if everyone is special," she said, as she undid the button and slid her hand under the shirt to tease his chest, "that means I am too. Tell me how I'm special."

"You're special in many ways. You allow my mind to relax so I don't have to think. You want no deep conversations, you don't want to ponder the philosophical nor examine the meaning of life. You don't exercise my mind. You enjoy only the physical, the sensual." He smiled into her doll face and thought: You bore me silly; you're so simplistic.

Her dimples deepened as a smile filled her face. "Really? I feel special to be special." She licked her lips and teased his left nipple under the shirt.

"I've never met anybody special like you." Lorne said, "you're unique."

"Great! Let's head onto the floor and dance. I want to explore your body, feel you." She pulled him out of the booth. "Let's move with everybody."

"I dance better mentally, spiritually or horizontally, without the crowd."

"I don't understand what you mean. People in the crowd aren't watching anybody but themselves."

"I prefer not to dance physically. I have a tin ear, no musical talent. I was kicked out of rhythm band in Grade Two. Couldn't play the triangle. Couldn't discern the beat. I'm a rhythm boo-boo. I'm heading out for fresh air... Enjoy your life."