The Unexpected Partner (JULY 2021 MULTI-CHAP UPDATE)

Chapter 3 - Familiarity?

(A/N: All chapters are unedited so if you come across an error, something that sounds a little off, feel free to comment, I'm a little rusty from not writing in so long😊.)

*

The autumn leaves battered the floor-to-ceiling windows in the studio, as the wind speed picked up, nearly flooding out the voices from the small bustling crowd in the room.

Large mirrors took up the other side of the wall, bright laminated flooring covered the ground and the same thrilling atmosphere Aliana came to love from childhood was starting to amplify as three starkly dressed people made their way to address the others in the room.

Aliana and her friends made their way to the furthest corner of the room, as everyone started to quiet down.

"Welcome, welcome, bienvenidos! I'm so glad to see so many of you here to learn some bachata!" The lady, tall, lithe and toned, spoke with elation and anticipation, as her dirty blonde hair seemed to impossibly sway, matching the pace of the wind outside, even though a small breeze couldn't be felt inside.

She was gorgeous. Aliana couldn't help but stare and analyse the woman before her. She couldn't believe she was actually in the presence of Xiomara Lucia Cabrera; bachata extraordinaire and a popular name in the dance world for the past few years.

Part of her is surprised she even remembered her, as she started to lose the passion she harboured for dance when her father died, self-deprecatingly believing that the time she spent focused on dance could have been extra time focused on her father and making sure he was happy and loved.

As she watched the lady, clad in a typically stylish and free-flowing dress that seemed to be made just for her, along with a pair of flaming red heels, Aliana started to feel imbued with a sense of belonging. She used to have dreams about one day starring in her own show, making dance tutorials and all the fun that came with dressing up in the finest Latin gowns for competitions. It never came to pass. She accepted this and moved on, focusing on her career and making the most out of her life to make her dad proud.

She was successful, but unhappy.
She later came to realise that success can only mean so much when happiness was secondary.

The walls she built up in her mind were but a mere reflection of those around her heart.

She wasn't as passionate as she used to be, wasn't as loving and proactive. Yet, just being this close to something that used to grant her soul the power to ascend to unspeakable heights, as she glided across similar laminated floors, meant so much more to her than words could say.

Xiomara continued confidently, "For some of you, new or otherwise, my name is Xiomara and I will be leading the session today. We usually would have split this kind of session into multiple parts but this is a limited edition and extended version of our classes, just for today and I can't wait to get you guys into the cultural goldmine that is bachata!"

Excitable murmurs rose from the people in the room. Aliana chanced a glance at her friends; AJ was busy checking out the other women in the room, Sade and Dame were whispering to each other in harsh tones and
Alenari was taking a page out of AJ's book as she was quick to ensnare the eyes of a good looking guy on the other side of the room. He was openly blushing at the attention.

He's most definitely her type, she thought, as she slyly watched as Alenari also became quite bashful, but maintained a strong amount of eye contact.

She also needs to teach me that eye contact thing because I cannot-

Aliana's thoughts were abruptly cut off by a pair of shoes clicking sensually, rhythmically, across the hardwood floors.

He wore a long-sleeved white button-up shirt, that seemed to choke on his muscular arms, with black kick-flare pants that hugged his waist tightly, showing off his powerful thighs, long legs and impressive derriere. Sade paused for a moment in her ranting with Dame to whisper, "Girl, he's fine."

The shoes adorning his feet appeared expensive, and as Aliana caught a glimpse of the underside of them, she saw the typical scuff marks of an experienced dancer. As her eyes rose further, she appeared to be anticipating the moment he would turn around, short dark brown curls following faithfully, after placing his belongings in the back of the room. When he did, the room seemed to shimmer out of existence.

Eyes the colour of tanzanite peered almost stoically at the group in the room, dramatically cooling the room, but Aliana was able to sense a hint of arrogance in the man's discriminating glare. Thick, slightly curved eyebrows, with a slight slit in one of them, adorned his face, along with a sharp nose, soft pink-dusted medium-sized lips and a strong jaw profile. She had never felt so drawn to a man, not in a while anyway.

Her thoughts halted nervously as the man's glare, predatory in it's pursuit and almost like it could sense her treacherous gaze, shot towards her. He slowly made his way to the other three instructors, unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up his toned, tanned muscular arms, littered with a few potruding, near angry looking, veins and sparse hairs, all the while maintaining his focus on her. He gave her an obvious one-over and then appeared to scoff.

Aliana blanched. As much as she could anyway. She felt embarrassed all of a sudden and she didn't even have to open her mouth this time.

What the hell is his problem?

She wasn't even sure why she cared about his attitude, instead, she chose to ignore him and enjoy the rest of her birthday present.

While she was ogling the man, she ended up missing out on the rest of Xiomara's introductions. Yet, she did catch the annoyed look she threw at the man who seemingly crashed the dance class.

"Along with my fellow instructors
Carlos and Amayah, my official dance partner Danté will also be joining this class. We will be showing the respective moves for the ladies and gentlemen in the room," Xiomara grabbed Danté and they orchestrated a typical hold and turn, "and hopefully by the end of it we can see some performances by some of you."

At that, Aliana looked at Danté again, there was definitely something familiar there but she couldn't put her finger on it. Latin dances tend to have the male show off the female, so she was usually so wrapped up in the movements of the woman that she didn't focus on the man, unless they were Jorge "Ataca" Burgos of course. She always watched both him and Tanja "La Alemana" Kensinger, they were magical to watch, especially when you can literally feel the chemistry oozing from the screen when the married couple danced. Part of her not only wanted to have that skill to move people as she danced, but also to have someone special to do it with.

Hold on a minute - perform?!

*

Just as her eyes left Danté's frame to continue listening to Xiomara with rapt attention, his eyes latched onto her. He scrutinised what she was wearing, along with the other so called wannabe dancers, but there was something in particular about this woman that unsettled him. A familiar feeling he hadn't felt for a long time. He watched with uncharacteristic attentiveness as her hands wrapped her thick, black cascading curls in what appeared to be a purple silk scrunchie. A perfectly coiled ringlet fell out of place from the curly bun at the top of her head and his eyes turned to slits. He was always good with faces, that's how he knew to avoid people who pissed him off just by looking or speaking to him unprovoked. So why was this woman familiar when he couldn't even place her face?

This woman truly unsettled him.

He hated feeling unsettled.