*Author's note (Sorry about those all the time..) If you cannot find the chapter of Marcel - Part 2, go to my page and follow me; you'll be able to access to 2nd part of that date.
Phil - short for Philippe. He didn't like the name that his French-Canadian parents gave him. Never met a Canadian before that would have preferred being called American, but that's Phil.
We actually met during a salsa lesson. They have free workshops during the week, and on some evenings the ladies get free drinks, probably to ensure they get sufficient crowds in. In heels, I was as tall as he was, which is probably why he picked me. I wasn't too tall to dance with. I was wearing a summery dress, knowing from experience that these workshops can get pretty hot, both in temperature and in the dancing itself. I'm comfortable in dresses and heels, and I was feeling pretty with my hair done up nicely. I normally don't bother too much with make-up in this place, as it gets so warm that all the perspiration will make it run down your face. So very neutral, just some mascara and lipstick to compliment the summery pinks and purples from my dress. Yep, I was feeling pretty pretty.
The evening started as usual; the instructor talking about their workshops and also the professional classes they give, promoting their activities, bladibladibla. It's the same thing usually so I don't really bother paying too much attention, but when the instructor told us to pair up to start the lessons I immediately cheered up. This is the best part; some people come as couples but most of us don't. It could be considered as a hook-up place for some, although I had never considered it like that in the past. Or maybe I had been blind to it.
A cute guy with dark blonde hair approached me and asked if I already had a partner; obviously I didn't so we paired up. He introduced himself as Phil, and of course I had to make a joke about Dr. Phil encouranging exercise such as dancing lessons. Foot in mouth right there; he was actually a doctor. Family Medicine. My comment definitely broke some of the ice, and we had a pleasant time dancing. We chatted a bit in between, but since we had to pay attention to the instructor as well, we couldn't have a real conversation. More like the ususal; where you're from, how long have you been in Dubai, what do you do for a living, what area do you work in? This is a very very standard thing we do here locally, and I wasn't really impressed but I wasn't there to get wooed. I was there to dance.
As we got more aquainted on the dancefloor, we found out that we're pretty evenly matched when it comes to our dancing skills. Neither of us stepped on the other, and he actually managed to lead properly which was a blessing. Just a few weeks before I had to come up with an excuse to escape the dancing lesson as this guy kept stepping on my feet and pulling me uncomfortably close to him. Phil however managed to keep me at an appropriate yet intimate distance, was sufficiently tactile for a salsa lesson but not intimidatingly so, and was quite entertaining in his observations of the instructor showing off his skills. It was a fun evening.
After the lessons, we sat down for a bit of a breather. Most people stick around for a while and dance with other participants, having a few drinks in between, and generally just getting the most out of the lesson. After ten minutes or so, one of the other students asked me for a dance, and out of politeness I accepted. It was fun dancing with him, he was a lot taller than me so it was very different to dancing with Phil. After a dance, the instructor walked up to me and asked if I wanted to dance with him as well for a dance. I had danced with him before after several of the classes, since he checks regularly on whether people are enjoying themselves, if they're learning anything, and perhaps to convince them to join the paid lessons. This time he asked me if I was trying to make my boyfriend jealous by dancing with different guys. I looked at him, quite surprised, and he nodded in Phil's direction.
'Oh, he's not my boyfriend, I just met him tonight!'
'I'm sorry, I just assumed as you were dancing so well together...'
I considered that quite a nice compliment, but I could really predict what was coming next...
'Well perhaps you would consider joining our weekly dancing lessons? You make a good pair, perhaps you could even join some events...'
'Thank you Pablo, I will think about it...' This is the best answer to give in Dubai. Everyone knows you're not going to think about it for real, but they hope you will, and it's better than turning them down every time they come up with a suggestion. As the dance was over, I made my way back to Phil, who had gotten us a few drinks in the meanwhile. I didn't really know what to say but he broke the ice this time.
'You looked really pretty there, dancing with Pablo..'
~Blushes furiously~ 'Thank you. He's really a great teacher...'
'Well, you dance very well I think. I wasn't really looking at him...'
~Continues blushing~ 'Well would you like to go for another dance?' I asked, bravely smiling at him. I figured I might as well make the best of this evening, and I was feeling confident enough to take some initiative here.
This time we danced a bit closer than before. He seemed to hold on a bit tighter to me, and we had a great energy during those last few dances. I didn't really want the evening to end, but as it was during the work week, I couldn't stay up until 3AM either. I'm not 21 anymore. Thankfully, he seemed to have the same concerns about staying up, so instead offered to drop me off by taxi, as it was on his way. I should probably mention that drinking and driving is absolutely not permitted here in Dubai. Not even a drop! You get a huge fine, exceeding thousands of USD, might do three months prison sentence or even get deported from the country (causing you to lose your job and everything you've worked hard to build up) So people don't drink and drive, in general. And taxi's are dirt cheap, so a great alternative.
Now, I wasn't feeling all that needy this time, so I didn't offer him any nightcap, but we did exchange numbers, and he said he'd text me soon. It took him exactly 11 minutes.
