Out of the Flames

Chapter 3. First Dance

Chapter 3.

Christine Sterling POV.

As I stepped out of the washroom, I noticed a light shining through a set of doubled doors. I hesitantly walked over and peeked in not wanting to snoop. I saw Enrique sitting in the middle of a large dance studio. I walked in and sat down next to him.

"Do you dance?" I asked. He nodded. "Show me." I smiled.

"Sure, but I need a partner. Do you dance?"

"Yes, but I have to warn you I've only been dancing for five years. Do you mind if I stretch out a bit first?" I asked thrilled that he wanted to dance. He took off his dress shirt and stood there in just a thin white under shirt. I was surprised to see that he was actually quite muscled for being so young. Compared to the guys in my class in Kansas- who looked like you could snap their arms in half by looking at them-Enrique looked like freaking Captain America. He wasn't actually that muscled, but he wasn't wimpy looking.

I reminded myself that I was supposed to be stretching not staring at Enrique, so I quickly took off my cardigan and dropped down into my splits. I had a quick flash of panic on the way down as I looked to see if I was wearing jeans. When I saw the dark stretchy fabric of my yoga pants I breathed a sigh of relief. That could have been an awkward story to tell to the girls in my dance class. I sat like that for twenty seconds before I started stretching out my back. I stretched my feet quickly and my shoulders before turning to Enrique (I needed a shorter name for him) to see if he was done.

"What kind of dance do you do?" I asked curious.

"Ballroom, ballet, hip hop, Latin, anything that looks fun." He smiled, "What do you do?"

"Ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, rhythmic gymnastics, and a bit of ballroom." I blurted out the truth before I could think. For some reason I had let down my guard for one moment and already I was tripping up in my identity.

"Are you ready now? I was thinking we could do a mirrored version of the dance I'm working on right now because then I could lead easier." He suggested as he walked over to the mirrors on one side of the room. I watched as he pressed on a corner of a section of mirror and it opened to reveal a secret compartment. He put a cd into the stereo and walked back over to me. He held out his hand and I gently placed my hand in his. I let a small smile pass over my face as I felt my heart pick up its pace. I so rarely felt any nervousness when dancing that the slight rush was enjoyable. It had been a while since anyone had made my heart flutter in attraction and I welcomed the feeling. When I met his gaze it seemed like time froze for a second, but then he blinked and looked away. He seemed to remember the dance and started moving us across the floor. He held me close enough to smell his delicious cologne, but far enough away that we weren't really touching. He twirled us around and around every now and then he would quietly give me a direction such as lift, spin, twirl out, jump or pirouette. I executed every move perfectly and when the song finished we just stood there breathing hard and smiling like crazy.

"That was good." I looked at Enrique trying to see if he thought I was any good.

"It was better than good, it was near perfect." He smirked and I understood, usually when people get a new dance partner it takes a bit to get used to them and even longer if one of them doesn't know the dance.

"Are you planning on dancing in the city at a school or studio?" I asked, what I really wanted to know was if he was going to be at the same studio as me. I don't even know why I cared, maybe it had to do with the the odd feelings that had been accumulating ever since he gave me that look, or maybe I just wanted a good dance partner.

"Yes, I am planning on going to one, but no, I have not picked one out yet. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Ms. Marshall's school of dance is where I'm at right now and I love it there. It's a really big facility with great teachers, programs and students. And it has stuff for our levels too. You should check it out." I looked away from him feeling like I was trying to hard.