Dance with Me

RAINEY

Ansel and I walk into a ballroom buzzing with chatter and laughter, underscored by the soft strains of instrumental music.

Everyone here is part of the fashion world, dressed to the nines, each probably secretly hoping their outfit outprices the rest.

Tables encircle the spacious dance floor, and waitresses are bustling around, pouring champagne and serving appetizers. A few couples are waltzing on the marble tiles, moving in time with the music.

I spot my mom, sharing a laugh with two ladies at her table, and Jeff, engrossed in his phone, ignoring their conversation.

“I can’t stand places like this,” I grumble, already itching to turn around and head home. My heels are already causing my feet to ache, and I can see the redness creeping up my ankles.

I notice a group of girls at a table to our left, glaring at me with faces full of disdain. I pull my dress further down my thighs, and Ansel catches the movement.

“You okay?”

“I just don’t like being stared at.” I frown.

“I think they’re staring because you look stunning,” he says, politely declining a glass of champagne from a waiter with a shake of his head.

The group of girls now shift their attention to Ansel, giggling among themselves. Their faces are lit up with clear admiration, and I feel a surge of jealousy.

Our arms are linked, and I unconsciously tighten my grip on his bicep, causing him to look at me.

“What?”

“Those girls,” I mumble. “They’re obviously thinking awful things about me…not that I care.”

~I do. Deep down, I really do.~

Ansel follows my gaze, and when he spots them, one of the girls gives him a shy wave. Ignoring it, he turns back to me, leaning in to whisper in my ear.

“Who cares what they think, Rain? To me, you’re the most beautiful girl in this room.”

I smile at him. He always knows just what to say. His eyes are sparkling under the crystal chandelier, and the lighting makes his already smooth face look even more flawless.

I can see why the girls are ogling him so openly.

“Oh my God. Ansel?”

We both turn towards the voice, and to my dismay, Lea—Ansel’s ex—is walking towards us. What is she doing here?

She’s wearing a beige dress that trails on the floor as she walks, her matching heels peeking out from under the lace fabric with each step.

Her hair is neatly braided into a crown, and her makeup is minimal, almost invisible. Now that I’m seeing her in a well-lit room, I notice her youthful face and large green eyes.

I glance at Ansel, trying to gauge his reaction, but his face is as unreadable as ever.

“I didn’t expect to see you here. What a pleasant surprise.” She smiles.

Ansel doesn’t respond, and I finally see a flicker of annoyance cross his face.

Lea’s eyes shift to me, and her bright smile slowly fades. It’s clear she’s not thrilled to see me.

The feeling is mutual. I hate the insecurity that washes over me whenever I see her. I’m not usually the type to feel this way.

“I’m so glad to see you, Ansel. I really am,” she continues.

I see the affection in her green eyes. When Ansel doesn’t respond, she turns her attention back to me, and the warmth in her eyes disappears. “Hi, we met at that party, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, I guess we did.”

“I’m Lea.” She tries to maintain her smile. “And you?”

“Rainey,” I reply, quickly looking away. I must have come off as a bit snippy, because Ansel gives me a concerned look.

“My aunt is a big name in the fashion industry, that’s why I’m here,” Lea tells him.

He pulls his gaze away from me and gives her a slight nod.

He hasn’t said a word to her since she showed up, and I can tell his silence is hurting her, as a flash of sadness crosses her eyes.

“Lea?” an older woman calls from one of the tables near the dance floor, and she nods before turning back to us.

“Enjoy your evening, guys. Ansel, can we talk later?”

Ansel finally speaks, but his words are so politely dismissive that it would have been kinder if he’d stayed silent.

“I don’t think so, Lea,” he replies, forcing a smile. “I think we’ve said all there is to say. Have a good night.”

I see the disappointment and heartbreak on her face as she nods sadly and walks away.

I can’t help but wonder what led to their breakup. Did she cheat on him? There’s a brief silence before Ansel speaks.

“She’s my ex-girlfriend…in case you were wondering.”

I nod, staring at my feet. “I know. Alex told me.”

He doesn’t say anything else, and I look up to study his face. His usual calm demeanor is back, and he seems fine, even though he just ran into his ex.

I want to ask what happened between them, even though it’s not my place, so I open my mouth to ask, but my annoying aunt’s voice interrupts me.

I close my mouth as I see Aunt Yolanda and her daughter Kelcie heading our way. I unlink our arms and press my hand to my forehead in frustration.

“Not tonight,” I grumble.

Ansel hears me and raises an eyebrow in curiosity. “Who are they?”

“My aunt and cousin.” I roll my eyes.

Yolanda, my mom’s sister, is a mirror image of her in both looks and personality. She owns a chain of clothing stores, just like my mom, and they’re business partners in the fashion world.

Kelcie, Yolanda’s daughter, has never been a fan of mine. But that’s okay, because I don’t really see her as my cousin. She’s as phony as her mom, and given that Yolanda can’t stand my dad, I’m pretty sure she’s not too keen on me either.

She puts on a show of liking me, but I can see right through her fake hugs and kisses. Tonight, I’m not in the mood for her hypocrisy.

“Wow, you’ve grown up so fast.” Yolanda leans in to kiss my cheek, but I hold up my hand to stop her. She looks at me, her forehead creased in confusion, and I smile.

“It’s because of that virus going around. What’s it called again? The coronavirus? Yeah, they say we should stay at least six feet apart.”

Yolanda and Kelcie exchange a look, and Ansel tries to hide a smile, turning his head away.

My aunt puts her hand on her chest, her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you saying I have the virus?”

“No, not at all. I’m just saying one of us could. I mean, I could have it too. We don’t know.” I shrug.

“Oh…” She clears her throat, but I can tell she’s still offended. Good. “I just talked to your mom, and she said you’d be here soon. My, you’re all grown up. How old are you now?”

“Eighteen.” I force a smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kelcie checking out Ansel, biting her lower lip.

Ansel seems oblivious to her obvious flirting, too busy taking in the details of the ballroom. Or maybe he’s just pretending not to notice.

“Oh my, I just can’t believe it. It feels like just yesterday you were running around in diapers,” Yolanda continues. “Time sure flies.”

“But you’re still a midget,” Kelcie coughs out.

I swallow hard. I’m short, but I’m not a midget. It’s just that Kelcie is a bit big-boned. She’s a year younger than me, but she looks much older.

She used her size to her advantage a lot when we were kids.

I remember one time at her eleventh birthday party, I ended up smashing cake in her face. She was being mean to all the kids, saying she could because it was her party.

She pushed me onto the mat, and I almost split my lip.

As a birthday gift, I gave her all the cake she could handle. The memory makes me smile a little.

“Still being a weird goth, huh?” she taunts. “Look around. You’re the only one here who looks like they’re at a funeral.”

I smirk, taking in her garish yellow dress. “Mm. And you’re still being a slut, huh? Look around, Kelly. You’re the only one who looks like Big Bird from ~Sesame Street~.”

Ansel looks amused, his eyes widening slightly as he looks at me. Yolanda and her rude daughter gasp in unison, their mouths dropping open in shock.

Kelcie huffs, spins around, and storms off, her heels clicking loudly against the tiles. A few people turn to look at her.

Yolanda shakes her head at me, her face twisted in anger. “This is why we don’t invite you over anymore. I thought you’d changed.”

I shrug. “She hasn’t, so why should I?”

“You’re troubled, child. You need therapy. Just because your parents are divorced doesn’t mean you should be this…” She pauses, searching for the right word.

“This what?” I raise an eyebrow, encouraging her to finish her sentence.

“This fucked up,” she finishes, shaking her head before she hurries after her disappearing daughter.

I shake my head. “Good riddance.”

Ansel looks at me, concern in his eyes. I avoid his gaze, because I’m sure it’s filled with pity, and I can’t stand pity.

“Don’t listen to her,” he says.

She’s right. I am fucked up. But she didn’t need to rub it in.

“I’m fine. I’ve heard worse.”

The music changes to “Aphrodite” by RINI. Ansel studies my distant expression, then holds out his hand. I look at him, puzzled.

He nods toward the dance floor. “Would you like to dance with me?”

“I thought you said you couldn’t dance,” I remind him.

He smiles. “Well, yeah. But we could try.” He shrugs.

“I might embarrass myself,” I warn him, smiling.

“You won’t. Not with me around,” he laughs. “So, what do you say?”

I think about it for a few seconds before nodding. “Okay.”

I take his hand, and he leads me onto the dance floor. I can feel people watching us as we find an empty spot among the other dancers.

I stand awkwardly in front of him, unsure of what to do. I’ve never danced to slow music before. It’s not my thing.

He chuckles at my awkwardness and steps closer. “I’m no expert…but I think you should put your hands on my shoulders,” he whispers.

I smile a little. His simple instruction makes me nervous. I try to ignore the stares of the people around us as I do as he says, placing my hands on his shoulders.

“I’m going to put my hands on your waist, if that’s okay with you.”

I nod, and my body tenses as he does. He moves closer, so our bodies are almost touching, then smirks as he whispers in my ear. “Why are you always so tense?”

I look up at him.

~Because I think I’m falling for you, and it’s tough not to feel jittery when we’re this close.~

“I don’t know. There are just too many eyes on us.” I scrunch up my nose, my gaze sweeping over the room filled with judgmental stares.

“Just focus on me,” Ansel whispers. “Only me. It’ll help with the nerves.”

I meet his eyes again and smile. They’re filled with such gentle understanding. We start to dance to the rhythm of the song, my hands resting on his shoulders, his on my waist.

I follow his lead, careful not to step on his toes or lose the rhythm. That would be mortifying.

Ansel moves in perfect harmony with the music, and the heat between us intensifies as we sway together in sync.

Slowly, I get the hang of it, and we’re moving as one without any effort.

My eyes drift over his shoulder, and I spot Lea, her face etched with heartbreak as she watches us from her table. I clear my throat and look back at him.

“I…I don’t think your ex is thrilled about us being this close.”

Ansel’s face is unreadable. “She wouldn’t be. But we’re not together anymore, so it shouldn’t matter.”

My curiosity is piqued, and before I can stop myself, the question slips out. “Um, why did you two break up?”

He half-shrugs. “You could say she betrayed me.”

I tilt my head, my lips parting to ask another question. But the music stops, and a deep voice comes over the microphone at the front of the room.

Ansel lets go of me, flashing me a smile as we head over to my mother’s table.

“You’re quite the dancer, Ansel. I’m impressed,” my mother praises him as we take our seats.

Ansel half-smiles, adjusting his jacket. “I’d say Rain’s a far better dancer than I am. You were amazing out there, Rainey.”

He grins at me, and I smile back, my cheeks turning pink. But my smile fades when I see the harsh glare Jeff is shooting my way.

I reach for my water glass and take a sip, hoping to avoid making eye contact with him for the rest of the night.

“Oh dear, the air conditioning is so high,” my mom complains. “Jeff, darling? Could you please fetch my jacket from the car? I’m freezing.”

She rummages in her bag and hands him her car key. Jeff stands up reluctantly, muttering under his breath as he walks away from the table.

I doubt my mom notices his reluctance. The man clearly doesn’t love her, but she’s too blind to see it.

Ansel watches Jeff leave, then turns his attention back to me, who’s listening to a dull speech on stage by a man in the fashion industry.

“I’ll be right back, okay?”

I nod at him. “Okay.”

He smiles as he stands up from the table and walks away.