Yesterday - Bucciarati Fanfiction

Chapter 12 - Tango

Often it is described as sensual, intimate, vibrant, so many words could be used for tango, but in my mind, easy was not one of those. Maybe I was wrong, maybe it was going to be simpler than what I'd expect, maybe Bruno will be a great teacher and maybe, just maybe, I won't be left a blushing, stuttering mess by the end of this dance lesson. All of those are but assumptions, but I will soon find out how it'll turn out.

As Bruno set his phone on the speaker, I waited on the couch, my hands roaming Timo's fur. It's going to be a disaster, it's going to be humiliating, why did I agree to this? I can't dance. I could still back out, right? Plus, my body felt already sore from Abbacchio's rough treatment, if someone wants to interrupt us, they sure as hell can do it now, right now. Throwing a glance at the door, I was hoping someone would heed my silent plea, instead I saw Bruno's chest entering my view.

"Before we begin, I forgot to tell you how proud I was of you," he started, pulling me to my feet, "you did well with Abbacchio, surprisingly well. Great job, cara." He praised me, as he moved us to the middle of the room. Thanking him, I let him move us in a proper position to begin; I was as stiff as a board, my lack of grace and comfort was definitely noticeable, but Bruno didn't seem to mind, he put my left hand on his right shoulder, taking my free hand with his left one.

Humming in satisfaction once our arms were angled properly, he lifted my chin, "Keep your head high," gliding a finger on my back, I giggled at the sensation and he whispered smiling, "your back straight, but not stiff. You can relax, cara, I'll be leading." Letting out a nervous breath, a bit of tension left my body as I relaxed the best I could.

"Do you have any basic knowledge of tango?" he asked, not moving yet. Thinking for a moment I quirked a brow, smiling awkwardly before giving him a short answer, "I've watched the movie Chicago once?" it earned me a laugh from the raven-haired man who shook his head, drawing me closer. "I'm afraid it doesn't count; we'll start with the basics." He stated, before beginning.

The basics weren't so hard to grasp, as he stepped forward, I was to step backward but at the same pace. I had a mantra to not misstep, I would whisper 'slow, slow, quick, quick, slide' then bring my foot back to the other. For the half hour we only glided across the floor, getting used to each other's body along the song. I find it harder to find the tempo than to remember the steps, but those two came in pair, tempo and steps. Not knowing one of those lead me to stepping a few times over Bruno's toes, he only hissed in response before resuming our lesson.

I'll admit, I'd never think simply walking energetically across the room would be so draining. Every time I'd misstep Bruno would ask if I wanted to stop but I shook my head, determined I'd reply 'Again.' And we'd continue, adding different kind of steps, which would increase the difficulty and the amount of effort I put in. In the background played a playlist of different tango music, we would adapt to their tempo and kept going, silently.

After about an hour or so, Bruno insisted we took a break and brought us some water. "Are you still good, if you want to stop we can-" taking the bottle of water, I cut him off, a smile painted on my face, "No it's fun, I'm just very focused on not messing it up too much," I started, drinking some water before continuing, "At this point I don't know if we're going to waltz or tango at the ball, but whichever it is, I won't let you down." Grinning, I gave him a thumbs up, my determination was unwavering, I was going to nail whatever he threw at me.

As Bucciarati smiled at me, while it was genuine, I could see mischief in his eyes. "We've only just began, cara. I'm sure you won't be so confident with what's next." Furrowing my brows in response, I kept my gaze on him as I opened a window to bring some fresh air. "What does that mean?" The nervousness that had left my body earlier rushed back to my body without an ounce of hesitation. Yes, I felt confident after an hour of practice with my basic steps, but that confidence was wavering with how ominous he sounded.