The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm
And I'm a house of cards
You're the kind of reckless
That should send me runnin'
But I kinda know that I won't get far
And you stood there in front of me
Just close enough to touch
Close enough to hope you couldn't see
What I was thinking of
Joey stood onstage panting. The choreography Lauren had made for this show was really whipping his butt and he was left confused and winded. He knew that if he needed to, he could have asked her to stay back and run choreography with with him. He also knew if given the opportunity to be alone and watch her move in any fashion but especially rhythmically, it would be too much for him. He was just barely able to control himself around her in a group full of people as it was. Of course, he knew she was in no way his to lose control around anyway but the thought of jeopardizing anything by putting him in a situation to mess things up worried him tremendously. So he braved through the rest of rehearsal tripping over his two left feet, hoping his hands and energy made up for his lack of ability.
It was to no avail. Lauren saw right through him of course, asking him to say so they could one on one run through the choreography. He couldn't say no because he desperately needed the help but there was so much to learn, who knew if they were going to be leaving anytime soon. He walked up to her when the group rehearsal ended, tapping her shoulder
"I'm just going to grab a water from the machine, do you want one?" Joey asked her hoping the brief walk could clear his head a little. She turned to him, wiping the sweat from her face with the bottom of her tank top, exposing her toned stomach, and all Joey wanted to do was gently run his fingers over it. She responded yes as she went to queue up the music again.
When he returned, two waters in hand, Lauren set them down grabbing his hand and led him to the center of the room.
"I figured" Lauren began standing close to Joey her forehead just barely reaching his lips "that we should start with the ballroom scene. That seems to be one of your biggest weaknesses at the moment and it's the one that requires looking the most graceful."
Lauren said over the start of the song as she began to move, pulling him with her. His breath let out unevenly every time she pulled him closer. He allowed himself to daydream hoping muscle memory would carry him through the end of the song. His thoughts wandered to imagine what it would be like to stop and grab her face right there in the studio. Or on the off chance he made it through this rehearsal, spinning her around on the sidewalk and kissing her in the rain.
Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
My mind forgets to remind me
You're a bad idea
You touch me once and it's really something,
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be.
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
But with you I know it's no good
And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would...
Lauren kept him behind next rehearsal too. He wasn't sure if he was messing up so she'd make him stay forcing alone time or because he was truly that bad at choreography. They once again started with the ballroom dance, Lauren catching his hand to lead again. Joey felt skin warming up every place their bodies were connected, praying silently that Lauren couldn't feel how clammy his hands were and how feverish to the touch he had become. If she noticed, she certainly hadn't said anything.
Lauren was however becoming increasingly more frustrated with Joey struggling because although she might have missed his sudden shift temperature, she could see he clearly wasn't giving his all to these rehearsals and decided to try a new angle. Attempting to shake what she had assumed was the nerves from him, she sat them down on the floor just to talk. Starting with dumb chats luring him into security attempting to get to the root of why he was half-assing this. Joey tried to lie and stay vague but there was something undeniable about Lauren and her energy. He wanted to share everything with her, all of his thoughts, feelings, and fears. He juts felt safe around her but he knew he had to be careful. They sat on the floor, shoulder to shoulder, subtlety switching between nudging and leaving on one another. Joey maintained hard eye contact with the back wall not allowing himself to see how close Lauren was beside him, but his heart fluttered thinking about how he could turn slightly and pin the small dancer to the ground right there.
