Ding-dong.
"Alright, he's here, Gesine. I'll see you later."
Sandra is wearing black capri running pants and a red tank top. On her head is a grey knit hat. She grabs a jacket, her purse and a bottle of water before she opens the door.
Keanu is waiting on her porch in all black. His smooth skin is interrupted by a hint of stubble on this day off of filming.
"Hey." His voice is inviting.
"What do you think? Am I ballroom-ready?" Sandra quips as she pulls her jacket out to the side like a gown and curtseys.
Hands on his hips, Keanu's smile is large and natural. "It's perfect." Another uncomfortable pause floats between them until he breaks it. "Your chariot awaits, m'lady," he bows, motioning with his hand in the direction of his black Porsche 911 Carrera.
Turning entirely toward his car, he offers his arm with elbow bent and not a second thought, so natural has this act become between them. She wraps her manicured hand around his arm and he pulls his elbow to his side, cradling her arm into his torso. He settles his hand against his stomach and guides her to the car. She reaches for the metal handle when she hears him say, "Ah-ah." Looking up, she sees him grin, hand cocked like a gun against his temple.
She chuckles at their inside joke and retracts her hand, allowing him to open her door. "Thank you," she says as she slides onto the tan leather seat and waits for him to walk around to the driver's side.
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Paolo and Ingrid, the husband-wife owners of the dance studio, greet them at the door. There are large, forward-facing, arched windows along the front wall. Dramatic drop chandeliers line the front of the studio, casting shadows into the entry. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors cover two additional walls. Mounted to the mirrors are a line of ballet barres at waist height. The floors are deep-toned wooden planks covered in a protective "dance floor wax" meant to promote easy movement while not damaging shoes or clothing. As they enter the main dance area, a black grand piano juts out from one corner. The lighting is brighter over the dance floor so performers can pay attention to how their bodies move alongside their partners.
"Good evening, Keanu," Paolo greets him with a handshake. Turning towards Sandra, he bends down to kiss her hand. "Miss Bullock, iss so nice choo meet joo. We're excited choo have joo choonight."
Keanu hugs Ingrid and gives her a quick peck on each cheek. Sandra holds her hand out to Ingrid and introduces herself. Ingrid ignores the hand and instead grabs Sandra's shoulders to pull her in for a hug. "Oh. We're hugging. Okay," Sandra's tone is of surprise. Ingrid kisses both of her cheeks. Sandra's body noticeably tightens with her arms straight to her sides and her eyes widened. She looks straight at Keanu who has his hand over his mouth, trying to hide his amusement at her awkward reaction.
"Uh, nice to meet ya." Sandra points to them one-by-one. "Ingrid and Paul."
"Paolo," he corrects her.
"PauL-L." Sandra repeats.
"PAO-lo"
"P-PauL. That's what I said, didn't I?"
"Paol-o. POW-Lo. Paolo." Keanu tries to help.
"PAOLO!" Sandra repeats.
Paolo smiles. "Yes, Paolo. Come, let us show joo around." He places his hand around Sandra's waist and leads her further into the studio. Keanu and Ingrid follow, with Ingrid's arm laced through Keanu's.
"Good. Ingrid? Joo want choo take dem drough some stretching and warm-up while I start dee music?"
"Yah, sure. Go over zere to zee barre." Keanu moves behind Sandra and helps her jacket slide off her bare shoulders, a vanilla bean fragrance piercing his nose. He hands her jacket to Ingrid who sets it down. They glance at each other and then follow her to the mirrored wall.
"O-kay. Let's get shtarted viz our hands on our core so vee can connect to our body." Ingrid places both hands against her flat stomach. Her thick accent is familiar to Sandra having spent so much time in Europe as a child. It brings her a sense of peace. Keanu and Sandra mimic her moves as she continues.
"Bring it in, ok, just flatten your belly, lengsen your shpine as you take a deep breas in." She expands her lungs with her inspiration and stretches her sinewy arms out to her side and then follows them with her eyes as they travel up over her head where her hands meet at the top. "And reach all zee vay up and hold. Zen..." There's a whir as she lets her breath go and her arms and chin start their descent. "Down. And, again. Inhale up, two, sree. Shtretch your shpine again, reach as high as you can and zen relax one side, keep reachink." She drops one arm and reaches up with the other. "Keep reachink viz one side up while zee ozer arm is just restink," she wiggles her lowered arm. "And change side...and," exhaling, she shakes both arms down. "Good."
"Come to zee barre, shtretch your shpine again, shtand tall. Place your pointer and middle fingers of each hand on zee barre. O-kay, relefé up on your toes, gently." She raises onto the balls of her feet. Keanu and Sandra follow suit. "Keep your belly pulled in, shtay tall, and up. And down, again, up. And down. O-kay, shtand back from zee barre now and flatten your back, keep zat shpine shtraight , find a ninety degree position, feet flat on zee ground."
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Ten minutes later...
A contemporary beat fills the air as Paolo returns to the three of them on the floor. "O-kay, so, Keanu, I dought wee'd stahrt with a little roomba, o-kay? Iss a slower dance, easy choo learn for Miss Bullock on her first night."
Keanu looks to Sandy for approval. "Uh, yeah? Sure."
"O-kay. Ingrid and I weel show joo a leetle bit right now, Ingrid?" She floats across the floor with ease, into Paolo's arms. They pause for a minute then Paolo calls out, "Five, seeks, seven, eight and..."
They slide about the floor as though it was as easy as walking and breathing, looking like tall, lean swans swimming without care. Sandra is no stranger to dance having taken lessons growing up, but she'd never learned any ballroom dances. She folds her arms across her chest and stares in awe. Her eyes are shiny and filled with pleasure, her head leaning to one side as she watches. Keanu finds himself watching her, instead, enjoying that look of pleasure in her eyes. He found peace during these lessons and is excited to share them with her.
Paolo claps his hands together. "O-kay, joo see? Iss eeesy choo do, ah? We'll dance wid joo first." Ingrid takes her place in front of Keanu who has already squared off, facing her. Paolo grabs Sandra by the hand and leads her a few feet away.
"O-kay, we start wid dee frame." Holding his hands up to shoulder height, Ingrid, Keanu and Sandra do the same. "Joo mus hold jour frame, always, o-kay? Now place jour hand like dis." He pats his upper right arm and she places her palm on the spot. "O-kay, now give me jour hand and joost let me lead joo."
Sandra looks at Keanu who winks, knowing this might be the hardest part for her. Paolo notices her hesitancy. "Iss o-kay, he hass already told me joo are ah strong, modern woman, I know. Joost relax and let jour partner lead joo, let me take joo on dis trip, o-kay?"
Oh, he told him about me? Sandra glances at her feet, subtle smile on her lips.
"O-kay we start wid dee alternative basic step. It go like dis. Ingrid?"
Keanu and Ingrid get into position. Keanu takes a step to the right, brings his other foot into the right before stepping to the left. The rhythm is step, two-three, step, two-three. He moves his hips from side to side in unison with Ingrid with the greatest of ease.
"Good, den move on choo dee close basic." They repeat the pattern but instead of stepping to the side, Keanu steps forward as Ingrid mirrors him moving back. Then they reverse and Ingrid moves towards him.
"O-kay, are joo ready?" Paolo looks at Sandra.
"Well that's not fair, you already know what you're doing!" Sandra exclaims, motioning to Keanu.
"Now now, I wad joo stretch, joo know how choo dance, joost relax," Paolo retorts. "Stretch jour body and hold jour frame and, go."
They work through two songs, trying to find the right movement. Sandra has excellent rhythm but there is something about being under Keanu's watchful eye that spikes her nerves. She moves stiffly, but on beat.
"O-kay, o-kay. Good, but dee roomba, she's romantic. She is desire sed choo moosic. Jour whole body muss respond, o-kay? Like, dis, churn around one second."
Sandra turns her back towards Paolo, who steps an inch away from her. "Iss okay for me choo touch here?" He points to her hips. Sandra nods. "O-kay, joo move jour hips like jou're making a figure eight, ah? Dey enunciate jour footsteps, iss passion. One, two-dree, one, two-dree, o-kay?"
Sandra moves like the Tin Man before he found oil, try as she might to relax. Paolo isn't giving up though. He continues to count and move behind her until a ring comes from his office. "Excoos me, I have choo answer dat real quick. Ingrid, come choo her now and let her choo chry?"
Paolo disappears while Ingrid walks over to act as her partner, holding her arms up to connect with Sandra's. Alternative basic. Alternative basic. Closed basic. Closed basic. One, two-three, one, two-three. Sandra tries to talk herself through her nerves but is still so rigid. The music changes as the familiar voice of Janet Jackson in "That's the Way Love Goes" echoes through the air.
Ingrid drops her arms and walks behind her, preparing to move her hips for her, when Paolo pokes his head out of the office. "Ingrid, I'm so sorry choo interrupt. Keanu, Miss Bullock, I need choo bring Ingrid in for a minute, o-kay? Keanu, joo show her dee hips like Ingrid, o-kay?"
"Sure." He pauses, uncertain how to approach. "Is, this okay Sandy?" his voice rings out like silk.
She can make no sound, all she can do is nod.
He walks behind her, so close she can almost feel his chest against her back. His warm breath on her neck causes tiny hairs to stand on end.
She closes her eyes and takes in the soap and leather, feeling a little off-balance.
Like a moth to a flame / Burned by the fire...
My love is blind / Can't you see my desire...
When he sets one hand on her, it's so large that his fingers curl around her hip bone. He places the other hand and draws himself in closer so she can feel the rhythm of his body in movement.
Come with me, don't you worry
I'm gonna make you crazy
I'll give you the time of your life
"One, two-three, one, two-three." He counts the steps as he guides her hips in circles matching his own. "One, two-three, one, two-three."
Her mind is resisting but she can feel it slip away as she loosens up, falling into his movements.
Come closer baby closer
Reach out and feel my body
I'm gonna give you all my love
Sandra's eyes are closed and she's moving on instinct now, sinking into the rhythm, the weight of his hands ever-present on her hips.
Keanu's eyes are wide open and focused in on her neck and bare shoulder.
His cheek grazes her hair, sending a tingle down every shaft that is so strong she loses her balance, stepping back hard and directly onto his foot. Horrified, she whips around, without warning, to apologize and is positioned so close, her hands are flat on his chest. She stares up at him in silence, his warm air now on her lips. They stand there, shoulders and chest rising and falling with rapid breath. She can feel his heartbeat speed up under her palms. It would take no effort at all for either one of them to inch forward and close their gap, but neither move. When Paolo and Ingrid emerge from their office at that moment, Sandra drops her hands and they both step away so quickly you'd think each other's body is burning their skin.
For the rest of the class, an awkwardness hangs in the air between them. Sandra's body is stiff again and Keanu focuses his gaze over her head instead of into her eyes. There are niceties and casual conversation, but both hold a protective stance until their hour is up.
What was that? Sandra wonders as Keanu politely helps her into her jacket.
Paolo shakes his hand and Ingrid kisses them both on each cheek. A light rain fell while they were in the studio. The black asphalt glistened and you can hear water spray as cars and trucks fly by. He opens her car door again, without argument from her, and they make their way back to her house.
They arrive and Keanu dutifully walks her to her door.
She places her key in the lock and turns the handle to open the door before turning around again to face him. "I really had fun, Keanu. Thank you." Her eyes are searching his, trying to decode what happened in the studio.
His face is stoic but kind offering no hint. "Thank you for coming. You're a natural. I know they liked you." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he leans in to give her a kiss on her cheek, his stubble tickling her skin.
"Goodnight, Sandy. See you tomorrow on set." He turns and walks to his car, not looking back until he's at the door. Giving her a small wave, he climbs in and turns the ignition, driving down the wet roads back to his hotel.
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