Can I Have This Dance?

229 5 4
                                    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So, this one-shot is a gift to my friend @maddiethebaddie103 and with her permission, this is set in the same universe as her book "She Has The Heart of a Dancer"(which I highly recommend you guys check out). However, unlike her, I'm not a dancer in any way, shape or form so this one-shot may or may not suck. You've been warned. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As 17-year-old Harper Dunn walked into the first empty room she could find at the Sulphur Springs Dance Studio, she couldn't help the tears that were falling down her face as she set her bag down. Dance was everything to her. Everything that she couldn't say with her words was almost always expressed through her graceful, swan-like moves and she hoped that today wouldn't be any different. She'd been having a pretty rough week, to put it nicely. First, when she and Griffin had went on a date, good ol' Juju kept on showing up wherever they went. (And if you've been keeping up with all things Juju v. Harper, you'd know that there's a bit of bad blood between them.) And that really didn't help her or Griffin's nerves at all. Then, she'd completely embarrassed herself at dance practice the next day when her dancing tights had ripped right down the middle after she pulled her hammy doing a pirouette with a bit too much force. And finally, she and Matt had gotten into a huge fight earlier this afternoon because Matt was getting jealous of all the time Harper was spending with Griffin. But could you blame her? He's her boyfriend, for crying out loud. Needless to say, she felt like she'd just been put through the wringer this week.

Sighing deeply as she got her phone and Bluetooth speaker out and started the music before walking to the center of the room, Harper stared at her reflection in the mirror before her as she let her body move to the music. Doing pirouettes, leaps and spins made her start to feel better as she slowly let her mind wander and get lost in thought, not even hearing the door open and someone walk over to her and lift her chin up, making her look into the beautiful, dark emerald-green eyes she loved very much. "Can I have this dance?" asked the boy sweetly as he smiled softly at Harper, knowing she'd been having a pretty rough week and all she needed right now was love. She just nodded silently, putting her arm on his shoulder as he tightly grasped the other, wrapping his arm around her waist as he led her to the center of the studio, never taking his eyes off her.

"Take my hand, take a breath. Pull me close and take one step. Keep your eyes locked on mine and let the music be your guide." Griffin tightened his grip on Harper's waist, drawing her body closer to his, their stomachs now pressed together as their eyes stayed connected, cool green meeting dark brown, neither saying a word as they continued to gently glide around the floor of the studio.

"Won't your promise me(now, won't you promise me, that you'll never forget) We'll keep dancing(to keep dancing)wherever we go next?  It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better. So Can I Have This Dance? Can I Have This Dance?" Griffin spun their bodies in a slow, tight circle, leading Harper around the studio as the music danced off the walls, allowing them to get lost in their eyes and enjoy being with one another.

 By now, neither of them had to put much effort in their dancing, the steps coming naturally as their bodies swayed to the rhythm of the music. He leaned into her, giving her a small kiss on the cheek before he sang to her in a soft, gentle whisper.

"Take my hand, I'll take the lead. And every turn will be safe with me. Don't be afraid, afraid to fall. You know I'll catch you through it all. And you can't keep us apart(even a thousand miles, can't keep us apart). 'Cause my heart is wherever you are." Griffin's emotions were powering every word that left his lips and with those words, the tears that Harper were trying to fight finally came pouring out like rain during a storm, her resolve now completely wrecked.

"It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better. So Can I Have This Dance? Can I Have This Dance?"

As they continued to move, Harper closed her eyes as more tears slowly fell, memorizing the feel of Griffin's body against hers, never wanting this dance to end.

"Oh, no mountain's too high enough, oceans too wide. 'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop. Let it rain, let it pour. What we have is worth fighting for. You know I believe, that we were meant to be, ohhh. It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you. It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better. So Can I Have This Dance? Can I Have This Dance? Can I Have This Dance? Can I Have This Dance?" The quiet murmur of Griffin's voice as he sang to Harper made her choke up as they quietly stood in the studio for a few more minutes, about to lean in for a kiss before they heard the door open and saw Matt awkwardly making his way over to them.

"Okay, look before you say anything, I'm not here to fight. I just came here to apologize. Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Harper, but I was a huge jerk to you earlier today. I guess I really was jealous that you and Griffin were spending so much time together. And I really can't blame you for that. You guys are happily in love after all, but I let my own jealousy get in the way of seeing that. And from the bottom of my heart, I just wanted to say sorry." said Matt, looking down at his feet awkwardly. Harper just sighed and chuckled. "Matt, it's okay. I've kinda been having a rough week and it was wrong of me to snap at you like I did. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you." said Harper reassuredly.

"That makes me feel a lot better. Thanks for understanding, Harpie. Will I still see you at practice on Monday?" asked Matt curiously, remembering the little incident with Harper and her tights ripping. "Yeah. My mom got that all taken care of, so now I won't have to worry about that happening again anytime soon. See you later, Matt." said Harper contently as she hugged her best friend, thankful that they cleared the air and were cool again.

"Right back at 'cha, Harpie. Take care." said Matt sincerely as he walked out the door of the studio, leaving Griffin and Harper alone once more. "So, where were we?" asked Griffin teasingly a few minutes later after they were certain Matt had left. "I think right about here." said Harper, almost lustfully as she and Griffin leaned in close and gently covered her lips with his, their soft kiss deepening as they showed just how much they loved each other. After a few minutes when air became a necessity again, they broke away for a few seconds before Griffin captured her lips once more. Keeping her tightly wrapped around his arms, Griffin quietly walked them over to the edge of the room and slung her bag over his shoulders. Harper just sighed contently, because once again, dance had been her savior. With Harper tucked into his side, Griffin looked back into the empty dance space once more before he turned off the lights, led her out to his truck and drove her home, the two of them then spending the rest of the evening cuddling and holding each other close on her bed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hope y'all enjoyed reading this fic almost as much as I enjoyed writing it(especially you, Maddie). But again, I'm not a dancer, like, at all, so please do me a favor and cut me some slack if I got a term wrong or something. I have very limited dance knowledge, and what little I do know is from me binging the first five seasons of Dance Moms during 2020 and the COVID pandemic with my cousins. Sue me. Regardless, I love you all to the moon and back and I'll see you on the flipside. Ciao 4 now, my dudes and dudettes!!! <3<3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Timeless Love: Harfin, Zopher, Wyvannah (A SOSS one-shot book)Where stories live. Discover now