Slow Dancing

 

Note: Written for 2005 June’s challenge at PoTL. AU.

It's late at night and we're all alone
With just the music of the radio
No one's comin', no one's gonna telephone
Just me and him and the lights down low

She couldn’t believe she was doing that. Dancing lessons, what thirty-year-old respectable lawyer would be having dancing lessons, lying to all her friends and fiancé included that she had a tough case in court next moth? Only she, Josephine Potter, two left feet extraordinaire, and utterly scared to make a spectacle of herself on her wedding day.

 

He entered the ballroom looking at his feet. He could sail a boat through seven seas, cook like a gourmet chef, get criminals into jail, but never could dance. And he never admitted that or gave it much thought until his lovely fiancée mentioned they should choose a song for their first  husband and wife dance, assuming it would be an easy task for him. Poor Alyssa, her tiny little toes would turn out blue if he didn’t do this first. It couldn’t be that difficult for Pacey Witter, could it?

 

They gazed at each other briefly; they were the only ones at a close age. He tried to push away the thoughts of how beautiful she looked with her silky brown hair falling on her shoulders. She told herself to ignore how sexy he was, his piercing blue eyes with a glint of mischief.

 

As natural as it was, the dance instructor put them together as dance partners. Their eyes met in confusion as both felt the electricity jolt as their hands joined the first time and their breathing changed when his arm circled her waist. Booth struggled with words, as their bodies moved to the music surprisingly smoothly. Then it happened, as it was bound to happen. Pacey stepped on Josephine’s toes.

 

“Sorry about that,” he said. “But you have these freakishly long toes,” he chuckled.

 

“We’ve not been properly introduced and you’re calling my toes long? What about your two left feet?”

 

“Can’t argue against that, I do have two left feet.”

 

“So do I,” she smirked, the tip of her tongue showing behind her smile.

 

“Why are you doing this?” he asked, needing to know more of her.

 

“Because I got engaged and you’re seeing how I dance.”

 

“Same here.”

 

And we're slow dancing, swaying to the music
Slow dancing, just me and my guy
Slow dancing, swaying to the music
No one else in the whole wide world
In the whole wide world

And we just float together when the lights are low
And the shadows dancing across the wall
The music's playing so soft and slow
And the rest of the world's so far away and small

 

They were silent for a moment, both wondering why it felt so disappointing to know they were both engaged to other people. They moved to safer topics, weather, and sports, and so on.

 

“What do you work with, Miss Potter?”

 

“I’m a lawyer, I work at the DA office in north district, you?”

 

He stiffed his laughter under her questioning gaze.

 

“So you’re the infamous Ms. Potter from north district?”

 

“Wait a second, now I know why your name sounded so familiar, you’re Pacey Witter, dashing prosecutor from south aren’t you?”

 

“Guilty as charged,” he grinned, an apologetic look on his face as he stepped again on her feet.

 

“We really suck at this, Pacey, maybe we should give up,” she stopped dancing, feeling a little breathless.

 

“Or maybe we should give it another try, Potter,” he brought her closer, ribcages touching, his fingers softly caressing hers, as if they had their own will.

 

The instructor watched them with a smile. There was nothing she enjoyed more than two people dancing like that couple, their coordinated movements to the rhythm, their bodies comfortable with each other. Dancing doesn’t lie. That was a real match.

 

Slow dancing, swaying to the music
Slow dancing, just me and my guy
Slow dancing, swaying to the music
No one else in the whole wide world
In the whole wide world

Hold me, please hold me
Don't ever let me go

Other lessons came. Other nights where their bodies spoke louder than their lips. They learnt the cha cha cha, the salsa, the waltz. They even learnt the tango, the dance of love. Somewhere in the middle of that time, her ring had gone away, so had his Alyssa. And they still danced. And like all good things, their dancing also had to come to an end.

 

“So, this is it, huh, Joey?” Pacey asked as they left the building for the last time.

 

“Does it really have to be?” she asked, wanting to prolong their time together.

 

“Any suggestions?” he challenged her.

 

“Only this,” she whispered, tilting her head up, her lips meeting his.

 

“It’s the best idea you ever had, Potter,” he muttered, as he kissed her back, a new kind of dancing of their own starting under the stars.

 

And as we dance together in the dark
There's so much love in this heart of mine
He whispers to me and I hold him tight
He's the one I thought I'd never find

They came back to the Starlight one day. Their instructor was happy to show them off, the couple with perfect synchrony. Her hair was lighter, her skin had a golden touch. His dark tan told a tale about summer, ocean and breeze. And now she wasn’t the only one wearing a ring, he also had a matching golden band.

 

“May I have this dance, Jo?” he whispered, his hand searching for hers, the ever present electricity now a familiar and welcomed sensation.

 

“You may have all of them, Pace,” she said, gladly accepting his arms around her, their eyes never losing connection. She whispered sweet words in his ear, a promise of more than just the two of them, a family. And he did what he always did best.

 

He stepped on her toes.

 

Slow dancing, swaying to the music
Slow dancing, just me and my guy
Slow dancing, swaying to the music
No one else in the whole wide world
In the whole wide world
Slow Dancing – Olivia Newton-John