Larceny

35

B

"You got it!" Elinea smiles up at me between breaths; I can't help but smile too and the light in her dark brown eyes. I've never seen her like this but, man she needs to be like this more often. She steps backward and I take my hands from her waist trying to catch my breath too. I grab my face towel off of her desk and run it over my brow. She leans up against one of her bedposts and has a long drink of water. Tiny beads of sweat can be seen just above her brows but not one drop threatens to fall. Her long jet black hair falls in light waves with the exception of the upper half that is tied back away from her face. I run the towel over my face, set it down and take a sip of water. El dabs her forehead and stands with her hands on her hips. 

"Can we do it one more time?"

"Sure, just let me catch my breath first," she laughs lightly and takes a few deep breaths. She rolls her ankles and adjust the straps on her pale pink practice heels. I restart the song, make sure the volume is very low and we start again. We pose a few feet from each other and move to the music alone until the music picks up. She offers her hand, I take it and we move across the floor light and quick on our feet. I make faces at her and she responds with a playful look, light in her eyes and a smirk hidden on her lips. We move it our quick steps, quickly changing directions with a flick of the wrist. Only without each other's hands for mere seconds or minutes between steps, we make our way around with the beat in our feet and the groove in our blood. I take her by the lower back, she anchors her hand just below my shoulder blade and we complete several fast paced turns before breaking away and picking up our quicksteps again. He do a few poses on cue to catch our breath, she steps behind me, bends and I pull her through my legs without a hitch. We complete moves my ourselves making faces at each other then come together for the clear skill steps and add our own little twists to the classic steps. She does a shimmy, I dip her and then we pose. I walk to her, offer my arm and we take a three steps forward together. The music fades. We step apart again and take long drinks of water, then I towels myself off and El  gathers her hair up out of her face.

"That one is called, the jive right?" I ask. 

"Yep." She pauses for a moment still trying to catch her breath. She leans up against her desk. "And the one before this?

"The foxtrot," I say between sip of water. I walk to her, set my water bottle on the desk and lean on the desk beside her. 

"And the first one?" She asks fanning herself with her left hand. 

"The Cha Cha."

"Good. I have to say, you're getting really good." 

"I am?" I ask in a falsely clueless tone as I glance at her with one raised brow. She nudges me with her elbow and I grin.

"I mean it," she says looking at me sideways with one eye. "Not just for a beginner, you're good." She says with in inflection on the last word. She guides a strand of her hair out of her face and I just look at her; for a few moments I don't want to look away. She shifts, I snap out of my reverie and direct my attention elsewhere. She walks to her bed and sits down.

I pick up my towel bottled water and switch out my soft leather shoes for my Converse. "Thank you," I say. 

She looks up from her feet and smiles at me before returning to them. I shove my things into my bag toss it over one shoulder. El returns her heels to her closet and lets her hair down again. 

"I'm gonna get going." I turn to toward the door and begin walking when she suddenly steps to me. She reaches up around my neck and pulls me in. I wrap my arms around her. Quickly she pulls away.