Dancing With Myself

At some point I noticed I was dancing alone. Three Lemon Drops ago my sandals had been killing me but now it was just the thump of bass, the slight sheen of sweat, the swish of my pony tail across my back and the energy coming off the dancers around me. I tried to tip toe up even higher than the four inch wedge on my heel already allowed me, in order to see our table but it was impossible to distinguish the blonde head of my friend over the swelling, swilling, crowd at McFaddens on a Saturday night.

"Need a boost?" a deep male voice questioned me directly in my ear. I twirled around to size him up. He was taller than most of the frat boy polo shirt muscle types filling the wood booths around us, and older too. His hair was shorn very close and  his eyes were friendly, with faint laugh lines at the corners. His summer tan played up his smile and pale blue eyes.

"Now that's a pick-up line." I grinned at him. "Thanks anyway, I was just trying to spot my friend." We were both speaking loudly, using all the pantomimed gestures necessary in such a loud setting.

"What are you doing, dancing by yourself, anyway?" He asked teasingly, as if I was a bit off the wall for his taste but he might tolerate it for his amusement.

"Look who's talking, you're not dancing at all." I responded easily and pulled the elastic band out of my hair. It came down big and wild.

"Don't get me wrong, you were doing just fine…" he winked and his eyes sparkled at me from behind indecently long eyelashes.

"Wait shut-up" I interrupted him.

"Huh?" he laughed over my mad silencing gestures.

"Do you hear that?" My head was tilted toward the dj's booth.

"Hear what?" he placed his hand on the small of my back as though it might bring him understanding.

"It's Closer." I hurriedly pulled my hair back and nodded in confirmation.

"Get closer?" he grinned and raised his eyebrow charmingly with a half step into my comfort zone.

The djs mixing it badly with something but it's there; it's dancing time." I was already backing away from him, and his arm dropped off my back but he managed to grasp at my fingers as I tried sliding back into the noisy throng casually. I had to read his lips to understand him when he responded.

"Anybody can dance alone, you know. It takes real skill to freestyle with a partner." I stopped short and he grinned, knowing I was fighting my better judgment at taking such a dare. In that moment of indecision he pulled me toward him with my own hand and swiveled it around until our eyes met over the glare of my engagement ring just as the force of his tug brought our lower bodies together. "Just a friendly dance." he added pointedly; though there wasn't anything particularly friendly in the hum buzzing between us.

"Sure," I stomped the last of my misgivings and decided to ride this out. "Long as it's just friendly." I untangled our hands and backed up, leaving a foot between us before letting my body meld with the thump of the music, my hips easily finding the rhythm of the familiar song threaded through the background. He started out swaying a bit and then hip-hopped his feet around in a shuffle, surprising me with his popping, locking prowess. I grinned and mirrored him as much as I could without my sneakers, raising him with a twirl and a move I swiped from someone earlier that night; I bent at the waist, appearing to slam my head into my knees before I flipped my elbows and knees out and popped back up before popping my chest twice and exaggeratedly blowing on my finger nails.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" He copied my moves; then raised the bar, bending his knees and moving his hips with cheesy Swayze style, making me laugh at his dirty dancing version of the Mamba. I pulled out the Michael Jackson crotch grab followed by the patented Dew Drop; falling backwards down in a half crab, with pelvic thrusting. He reached out and took my free hand, pulling me upright and easing one of his thighs between mine. Our eyes locked, our breathing slightly heavy he spoke in a low growl in my ear, "Now we dance together." I nodded and our knees bent, we found each other in the beat, twisting and throbbing as one entity.  It was as if we were both driving the same rental, taking the corners tight and enjoying the bottom dropping sensation of the curves, toying with the go pedal without any intention of buying the car.

The dancers around us had backed away, giving us the room such a thing requires, and it seemed we were prepared to perform until closing, feeding off one another's energy and ideas; we teased and fulfilled one another until finally he gripped my hips tightly as we grinded against one another and I rolled backward until I could see the dancers behind me foolishly dancing upside down. He pulled me up slowly, until our faces were close enough that my tongue licked my lips reflexively and I allowed myself to hover there breathing him in as the piano notes of the song faded into something else techno. Finally I stepped back and he dropped his arms to his sides and we looked around. I felt I had just arrived, disoriented about what direction I came from.

"Hey, there's my friend!" I said, spotting her trapped in a corner talking to some guy. I stepped out of his embrace awkwardly. "So, ummm… thanks for the friendly dance."

"No, thank YOU." he said smiling.

"Alright, then. Uhhh….. Bye now." I slipped off into the crowd thinking wryly  "Well there goes dancing alone. Asshole."