Let's Dance

[Tia Naffis]

Tia stood there grinning like an idiot, watching him leave, standing, doing nothing, just...standing! Greta, luckily, was able to catch her in doing so and smacking her with her rag that she always kept on her shoulder, Tia sometimes wondered if it was just for hitting her to gather up her attention for she had her moments of trailing. Like now.

"Oh you!" Tia jumped and looked over at Greta, who held her towel in her hands, tilting her head and giving her a sheepish smile. Tia nervously laughed, that look had not been very good.

"What?" Tia asked feeling like she was on the spot, except she didn't know what for. Greta laughed and scooted to her side, leaning on the counter.

"Don't play dumb, Tia Naffis! You and the good ol' Absinthe have a little...oh what do you kids call it somethin', somethin' going on!" Tia let out a loud, nervous laugh.

"What?" She said trying to busy herself suddenly, sadly Greta pursued the conversation. When Tia got extremely nervous, she'd fumble, quiver, and say things that only lead straight to the truth.

"Tell me! Don't hold back on Granny! I used to be young, too! So...is he good? Oh Tia, I never would have pegged you to drop your drawers!" Tia gasped and looked over at Greta, but her shock only turned to laughter. She didn't know why, but she found that quite funny to the point where she didn't deny or confirm such a proposterous idea. Tia, dropping her drawers! If there was one person on earth who would die a virgin, it would be her.

"Greta, you have too much time on your hands!"

"I beg to differ!" She said, almost in a tone that sounded offended, but Greta never got offended. "Staring at strangers across the street from you with your binocular's hardly is a time consuming thing!" Tia gasped, looking over at the woman, her face a ghastly red.

"What?"

"I have my sources!" The woman said with a smirk. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with us." Tia let out a sigh, this was getting ridiculous, pretty soon the entire city of Chicago would know she spies on her neighbors, preferably a fashionably, unfashionable, two toned hair, dance instructor. Tia frowned and looked over into the kitchen.

"Dang." She said stomping her foot. Her pretty packaged candies she had wrapped specifically for Absinthe having been forgotten. Perhaps...maybe she could take it to his place of employment?

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe left his things on the table in his dance studio, as he changed in the back. His class was already arriving and he was a little late. He smiled as he came out of the dressing room, seeing his students doing their routine stretching. He waved his hands to signal they stop. He shook his head a little, and the began counting people out. There was an odd number not including him, she he would have to participate. He smiled.

"Arlight guys, choose a partner, were doing ballroom dancing today," he said. He watched as people made small talk while they asked if they could pair up. Absinthe went over and stood by the passionate eighteen year old boy as he waited for everyone else to finish. He nodded, motioning to the boy to move out into the floor.

"Assuming the positions, dears. Leads, hand on the waist. If you find the hip bone and move directly around your hand will be in the right spots," he explained demonstrating on his partner. He watched everyone more or less get it right. He nodded. "Good. The lead needs to cup the other hand..." he paused, watching a young woman near the back fumbling around. Absinthe patted his partner on the back. He motioned to the woman.

"Come up here, dear, let me help..." he looked at the boy. "Go back there and be gay with her partner, I know you know how it's done," he said with a smile and wink. The boy obeyed, and went back to pair with the woman's partner. Absinthe faced the woman. "Like this..." he said. He pressed to fingers against her right hipbone, sliding his hand around to rest in the small of her back. He twisted his hand around to cup her other hand inside his own.

"Do you see?" he asked. She nodded sheepishly. He smiled, leaning back slightly to the table with the stereo and turning on the music. "Excellent. Now, leads, right foot first...and begin."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia smiled amongst herself as she walked to her home, well to Absinthe's dance studio, to take him the complimentary chocolate's that she had secretly made for him with love. Her face flushed as she thought of that word mixed with Absinthe's face. She didn't know what love was so she didn't really comprehend that word, but from what she had read it was apparently the feeling of butterflies and nausea in the stomach and body. Which, she had a lot of at that moment considering she stepped into the dance studio she was suddenly out of place amongst the beautiful dancers sweeping the floor, but immediately her eyes found the most gorgeous of them all.

"Absinthe." She said to herself, with a smirk and a burn of her face. He was more beautiful in person while he danced than he was from her window. The more she thought about him, the more nervous she felt, the more pain she got in her stomach, the more she yearned for him at night when she slept. Of course, she'd never admit this to anyone, ever. She was infatuated with him to the point that went past admiration, now she just wanted him. Tia couldn't believe she herself was thinking this, but she was. Absinthe Dumaux was something she yearned to have, but never could touch, which was why she was so comfortable being the one to love from afar. Which, at this moment in time as she watched him dance with his students, teaching, helping, fixing...Tia loved him.

She bit her lower lip as she leaned on the wall, holding the golden box in her arms as if to protect them as she surveyed the scene in front of her, watching Absinthe do what he did best, dance.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe hummed along with the music from his iPod. He watched the young girl as she watched her feet. He moved his hand from her waist to put his pointer finger under her chin. He smiled a little as he tilted her head up until their eyes met. He smiled warmly down at her.

"Look at me, dear, not the floor..." he said quietly. The girl's cheeks reddened a little bit as he replaced his hand in the small of her back.

"I don't want to tread on your feet..." she said quietly. He shook his head and grinned.

"My toes are fine, you aren't nearly heavy enough to hurt me," he assured her. He didn't notice he had a visitor until a moment later when he dipped the woman gracefully and glanced up to see Tia from the chocolate shop standing against the wall, like a wallflower. He watched her for two heartbeats, before bringing up the woman and continuing on his merry way with her. He didn't think about why she was here, he figured he must have left something at the shop or some such nonsense. He was just that absentminded.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia was fascinated with what he did, and when he looked up at her with a wrinkled forehead, brown eyes staring at her as if he could see right through her, she straightened her back as she saw him, discomfort causing her to squirm. She swallowed as he went back to doing his dancing, swaying, and his wonderful enthusiasm as he danced with and around people.

Tia immediately had to think of what to say to him. She couldn't just come right out and tell him she made the chocolates for him, specificially as well, but what else could she say? She didn't want to lie to him and she definitely didn't want him to think of her as a foolish girl with a ridiculous crush, no matter how true that tid bit was. The music stopped after a few more minutes and she looked around at everyone, some people finally recognizing she was there, some gave her smiles, others gave her looks as if she were in their personal space. She bit her lower lip as she looked over at Absinthe through the massive sea of people, no matter how much she liked him from afar, she had to admit that being this close to him and within his proximity was rather stimulating, but how her stomach cramped and her heart fluttered.

What was Absinthe doing to her? Was he even doing anything? Tia sighed out silently, looking at the people wandering around in the bright studio. She felt so out of place, like everyone knew that she had two left feet and as much rhythm as a broomstick. If she were to ever have a moment to dance with Absinthe, she would go ahead and commit suicide for it would be more humiliating than wandering around in children's underwear.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe smiled at the woman as they parted. He watched as everyone got their towels and their things and drank water and chatted. His eighteen year old student came over and asked about extra private classes due to his want to go into dance in college. After a few moments, Absinthe bid them farewell, and watched as everyone wandered outside onto the street, or to their various vehicles.

For a long moment Absinthe looked outside longingly like he really wanted to be out there, but he really didn't. After the moment, he walked over to the table where he had left all of things. He dug through his things to find his pack of cigarettes and lighter. He tossed them on the table, ignoring Tia for awhile before he pulled his hair down out of his ponytail and tossing the tie on the table.

After a few long moments of silence, he glanced up and laughed.

"Hello, Tia Naffis," he said huskily. '"What can I do for you?"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia suddenly perked up from her slouching position on the wall, she suddenly pressed her back firmly against it as if she wanted to be away from this man, although she desperately longed to do the opposite. She gave him a pitiful grin as she lowered her head in shyness, then glancing at the box in her arms. She looked up at him and smiled, barely, and handed the box to him with both hands.

"This is for you." She said lowly, her French accent becoming thicker than usual due to her nervousness. She was alone with him, face-to-face, in person. She could smell him, both his cologne mixed with sweat, it was sweet and salty almost, she liked it immediately. She felt her face grow red and immediately anyone would know she was thinking something unnatural. She watched him take it and she clasped her hands together in front of her as if to protect herself.

"I made them this morning, fresh, with you in mind." No need to lie, she figured as she spoke. "I wondered if you were coming in this morning, and you did and Greta didn't kmow about my...candies." She swallowed feeling a little weird for suddenly being so open to him. "I don't have anywhere to put them, nor keep them, I wanted to just give them to you. Free of charge." Tia clenched her jaw hoping it wouldn't be too weird to make chocolate's for a man she didn't know might come in or not, she had just had that feeling.

"I hope you enjoy them."

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe took them and looked down at them for a long moment while she spoke. He was a little surprised that she had brought them down, but thankful nonetheless. He looked back up at her and smiled.

"Love, I never turn away chocolate," he said, turning and putting them on the table, he turned around and smiled, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning his hip on the table. His iPod began to play another slow song as he watched her, smiling like an idiot.

"Thanks, Tia."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia smiled, like an idiot more than likely, she looked away from him as she bit her lower lip to grin. Why such a simple thanks made her feel like she had just been called the most gorgeous woman on earth. She slowly moved her eyes back to Absinteh and nodded twice.

"You are always welcome, Absinthe." She felt sheepish, stupid, girly, and just plain weird. How incredibly shy she got while being near him. She thought itwas bad just at the shop, but without a counter to separate them...she felt almost naked like her nerves were left exposed. She let her lip out between her teeth, glancing at the iPod stereo, nodding to the song.

"Your dancing is...magnificent." She smiled, well duh! He was an instructor of course his dancing would be wonderful, flawless, perfect, gracious, everything she probably wasn't. "I comend you on your capabilities, Absinthe." She smiled. "I could never dance like that. Matter of fact, I cannot dance at all."

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe laughed a little at her awkwardness. She was just so weird, but it was alright because he understood that feeling of awkwardness that came with talking to someone you didn't talk to all that often. He watched her talk about how she couldn't dance, and his eyebrows elevated. He reached over and turned up the music.

In one fluid motion, his hand had slipped around to the small of her back, and his hand had grasped her other, and he had nudged her into a twirl as his feet took up the right position, stepping between her feet.

"Anyone can dance, Tia..." he said, looking down at her. "You just have to find the right time."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia, almost the moment he touched her, felt like her body was on fire and that she was going to die by spontaneous combustion. Not only was she so close she could feel his breath on her face, but she was so closed to his face that she was almost blinded by his beauty. Also, to take the metaphorical cake, she was pushed up against his body and having him touch her in a very intimate way, a way she had never been touched no matter how professional it might have been.

"Oh, no, I can't." She tried to squirm out of his touch, but for some reason the more she tried to get free, the harder his grip became. "I am not good at dance." She let out a nervous laugh, trying to back out of his arms butt first, but it wasn't working out for her. "I am terrible, Absinthe, really!" But the more she seemed to want to get free, the more her body wanted to respond to his touch, but still...no matter what her brain wanted, her body rejected.