"Hold on, the hell are they doing here?"
When Ash stepped into the room, he didn't hold back his glare. Meanwhile, Serena had a feeling beforehand that she should fully expect the bits of frustration from him today.
"Ash," Serena started saying, close to a warning on her tongue. "Calm down. They're here to help us."
"I've had you this whole time and still do," he said and flopped down on the bench, pulling out the shoes she gave him. He put his feet into them oddly aggressively. "We don't need their opinions."
"Yes, we do," Serena told him with a tired sigh and tried to explain further. "It's not even about your dancing, it's about my choreography."
Ash didn't say anything for a second, but looked at his feet as the words slipped from his mouth. "You shouldn't doubt yourself. Your choreography is great."
Serena ended up blushing at what was aimed towards her. For some reason, he has his ways with words at random moments. It would catch her off guard, but she was happy he believed in her.
"I know you probably don't understand this, but I just want them to check my work." She made her way to the middle of the room as she spoke. "Peer review so to say?"
Ash adjusted his shoes once he stood up. "Lets get on with it."
"I'm happy to see you finally got some real shoes, Ash," Drew said with proud nod and a little to no sarcasm heard, which Ash couldn't read to save his life.
Ash grunted within seconds and he turned to narrow his eyes on the green haired guy. "You can comment on Serena's choreography all you want, but that doesn't give you the green light to do the same to me."
Drew pursed his lips. "It was a simple observation."
"Not talking is just as simple." Ash gently brought Serena into position, pulling her close to his body. She could tell he didn't like that she felt she the need ask for advice from these two. Actually it looked like he wanted to punch Drew in the face with the way he was hawk eyeing him.
"You don't need to be seem so aggressive, Ash. You're aware Drew and May are amazing dancers. I just want them to see if they can add or change anything for us. I do this for them all the time." He twisted his lips, his hand sliding down her back and Serena went on. "If you don't want to be there for their critique, you don't have to be, but it would be easier to make adjustments to the choreography with you here."
Ash clicked his tongue, clearly not taking it. "I understand."
Maybe she was going about this all wrong. She pulled in a breath of air, still looking up at him. She pulled her lips into a devilish smile. "Don't you want it to be the best it can possibly be?"
Ash frowned at her question. "Of course I want it to be the best it can possibly be. Isn't that obvious?"
"Then lets deal with the critique." Serena's lips pulled itself to a smile as a small giggle came. "It will be helpful, I promise."
He nodded. "Take it away, teach."
"Of course," she said. He was fighting his pride and his desire to be the absolute best at everything he tried to accomplish. "We'll show it to you without music for now."
They hadn't quite gotten to that step yet. Serena wanted to make certain everything flowed properly before really starting to push him in that direction.
"Okay!" May called out.
"Are you ready?" Serena asked. Her blue eyes stared up into his focused brown eyes. Whenever she asked if he was ready, a look would come over his eyes, one that showed how intense he was when he took things seriously. They narrowed towards her, determination flicking across his gaze.
"The 'take it away' from before wasn't a question," Ash deadpanned, jokingly.
"Right, you can start whenever—"
Serena barely finished her sentence when he pulled her forward. His hand was a bit sweaty against hers as he led her across the floor. She swallowed, suddenly remembering no one had seen her or Ash dance the tango, and May was most likely going to notice the tension.
The first pose was her dip down. Serena slid her hand around Ash's neck, her fingers brushing across the back of his black hair. Her eyes moved from his eyes to his lips and she pursed her own. Dammit! She purposefully told him they had to keep their eyes locked and she was not doing a very good job of that right now herself. But God, he was so close and she could feel him against her lips, drying her own out. Her mind just felt dizzy.
Ash pulled her back up and frowned slightly, his brow furrowing. She could tell he wanted to call her out, but knew it wasn't the time.
He moved her back in the other direction and she dragged her leg out. Her eyes half-lidded as she stared at his. Her arm wrapped around his neck, her breasts pushing against his chest, and she sucked in a long breath of air. His hand slid a bit lower, barely brushing the upper curve of her ass as he held her in place.
Serena was bad; She knew she was. She wanted Ash to touch her. She wanted the rest of the world to disappear and fall into him.
This dance was dangerous.
They moved around the floor for a bit more until they danced into the final pose. Serena wrapped her leg around his and he cupped her back, pulling their bodies close together again. The poses were short, only held for a few seconds, but the world seemed to move in slow motion. She breathed, her hands cupping his face. She quickly remembered she was supposed to bring her hands around his neck and dip her head back, so she moved awkwardly fast, setting herself into the right position.
Ash stared at her strangely, confused why she was changing her own damn choreography most likely. She quickly turned her gaze backwards, holding her shape in place.
Her chest heaved as they finally pulled out of the pose. She smoothed out her skirt, willing her flushed cheeks to calm down. Hopefully Drew and May would chalk it up to her being winded, but she had a feeling Momo, at the very least, would see right through her little act.
She was going to be a professional dancer. She had to be a better actress than this. Maybe Ash was good practice for a lot of things.
"Uh, so... that's it," Serena said, smoothing out the practice skirt again.
May stared at her, swallowing, and then she awkwardly began to clap. "It... It was great!"
"Sensual," Drew stated bluntly. "One hundred and ten percent."
"Really?" Serena asked, though she wasn't surprised by that critique.
May nodded and bit her lip hard, her face flushing. "I actually think your choreography is really fantastic."
"For the level Ash is at, it seems like a good first competition dance." Drew noticed Ash about to cut it and interrupted him. "It was a compliment. You're much better at the tango than you are at the waltz. Maybe the shoes helped."
"So you wouldn't change anything?" Serena wondered aloud.
May tapped her chin. "During your transitions, I think you could do more interesting footwork. It's not a requirement of course, but I would say if you can get down the poses and can move fast enough with the music, try adding a few tiny alterations. It'll boost your scores."
"That's valid," Serena said in agreement. "You're right."
"I don't know why you were worried about your choreography. It's always incredible." May said genuinely, smiling. "You seem to really know what people excel at and you've done a fantastic job of it for you and Ash."
"I don't know." Serena shrugged. "I figure it's good to be certain."
"I don't disagree." Drew took in a deep breath as if to prepare himself for the reaction after what he was about to say. "The poses are good picks. You hold them well. Though Ash needs to be tighter with his movements. The tango is much tenser than the waltz for instance and it needs to have solid movements. He's sloppy."
Ash roughly let his hands go through his own hair. "Fucks sake, man."
Drew sighed irritatingly. "You can't do this and be the best partner you can be for her if you're not willing to hear how to improve. This isn't just about you, Ash. You play a sport. You should know what it's like to be a part of a team. Serena is your team — your partner — and you need to make her shine. Right now, all you're doing is taking away from her."
"Wait a second, Drew," Serena said, putting her hands up quickly. "That's not-"
"I know it's not about me!" Ash snapped, his lips turned into a snarl.
He clenched his hand and Serena gently placed her own over it. "You're still new at this. Don't take what Drew says to heart. He's offering you advice."
"Drew," Ash began, pointing at him. "Lets go talk."
Drew stared at him and folded his arms, a sharp gaze going unchanged. "What? Why would I willing go somewhere with you and potentially put myself in harms way?"
Ash clenched his jaw. "I'm not going to hurt you, man!" He stormed towards the door, leaving the other three behind. "Move it, twinkle toes!"
Drew huffed out a laugh, flicking his green hair. "I suppose I'm going to die then. I shall do so in style."
"Goodness, Drew!" May giggled, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "I think you'll be fine."
"Ash doesn't say things he doesn't mean," Serena stated, matching May's laugh. She knew that much about him for sure. "He's not exactly violent... just a bit loud."
Drew shrugged and followed Ash out of the room, leaving the two girls alone.
Both girls blinked, staring at the door. "Serena," May whispered to her friend. "Are you sure he won't beat Drew half to the death?"
Serena snorted, laughing. "No! I have no idea what they're going to talk about though. Maybe Ash has a question and he's too embarrassed to ask."
The two laughed, finding it highly unlikely. Though it was strange. If he was going to be frustrated at Drew, why not do it in front of them like he always did?
May thought for a moment and nodded. "I'm sure Drew will tell us when he gets back."
Serena let out a long sigh. "Possibly." May then was about to say something else, but the honey blonde haired girl cut her off. "You don't have to say anything."
May's lips pressed into a thin line. "I've danced enough with Drew to know when something is just a dance and when it's... charged with something more."
Serena looked at her friend, nodding slowly. "I know that well."
"It's not just you," May said softly, gently touching her shoulder. "Ash looked just as into it as you were. However, you should tell him to keep his hands in the proper places. You'll lose points if he strays too far." The girl then winked teasingly. "Besides, it'll help you too."
"You're right." Serena pushed her hands together, rubbing her thumb onto the palm of the opposite hand — trying to rub off his touch if possible.
"I almost wonder if you should get it out of your system before the competition," May said as if in thought, shrugging her shoulders. "I know what I said before, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe Dawn has a point."
"What?" Serena gasped, her movement on her palm pausing in surprise. "But my resolve?"
May began to giggle. "It doesn't seem like you have much left." She shook her head, still laughing at Serena's expression. "I'm sorry, I'm sure if you really don't want to, you won't."
A determined look was found in Serena's eyes. "I wouldn't want him to believe he's forgiven so easily."
The two boys made their way back into the room. Ash looked frustrated and sat down on the bench as he took his shoes off.
May lightly pulled her boyfriend in for a kiss. "Is everything okay, Drew?"
He shrugged, showing nonchalance. "We just talked, is all. It's fine."
"Did you?" Serena asked curiously, watching Ash put his shoes into the bag with a great amount of frustration radiating off of him.. "I'll be right back," she said and slowly approached the bench. "Is everything okay, Ash?"
He stood up, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "It's fine. I told Drew. He's not gonna be a pain anymore."
Serena swallowed because honestly, she didn't think Drew was being so blunt, but perhaps she could word things with him in a way that made more sense later on. "
"Okay." She nodded, taking a breath. "That's fine."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Ash told her before stepping out of the room, leaving far quieter than normal.
Serena turned back towards her friends. "Sorry about that. I really wanted your opinions though. I didn't think Ash would get so frustrated, he would chew you out privately Drew."
Drew's expression was unreadable as it often was, but a grin was on his face. "No apologies needed. I was blunt."
May nudged his shoulder. "You always are a bit blunt."
"Still, I want you to know I really appreciate your opinions," Serena admitted and she bit the inside of her cheek. "I wish he wouldn't be difficult about it."
"All is really fine, Serena," Drew comforted her, then suggested, "Perhaps we should all get some food?"
May placed a hand on her side and smiled at the idea. "Sounds great to me. I'm quite hungry."
"I think I'm going to wait here for a little bit," Serena spoke up, looking around the room. "I'd like to work on some solo stuff."
May hummed and took Drew's hand. "Then see you for dinner tomorrow, I assume?"
"Of course. Count on it." Serena then smiled while the couple waved of as they left her behind.
Serena was undoubtedly hungry, but she was feeling mostly pent up over everything. Ash was doing the usual, in so many ways, and her mind felt clouded. She was sick of it and she wanted to focus on dance. She wanted to not worry about what he was doing, thinking, or making her feel.
She turned on the music she was working with for one of her solo dances and began in the opening pose, arms wrapped around her body. She jumped high in the air, leaping forward, her feet landing lightly on the ground. She twirled around herself, her body reaching forward as she leaped across the room.
Serena's hands curled up to the sky and she let the music take over her mind. She felt her skin pulsing, her heart pounding in her ears. Sweat rolled down her neck and her body collapsed in on itself as she lightly sank to the floor, rolling up into a different pose.
She was working on this solo dance for an end of the year project and though it wasn't quite where she wanted it to be, she enjoyed practicing it, especially now when she was feeling worked up with everything around her.
Occasionally, Serena preferred to dance alone. There was no one to worry about but herself, and she could tell a story on her own, her emotions belonging to her and the audience she was performing for. It was a different feeling, but a good one nonetheless.
There was a loud impact sound and Serena squeaked, jumping forward, almost tumbling onto her face. She turned around, seeing Ash staring straight at her, his bag on the floor, and his jaw opened wide.
"Oh my— Ash?" She gasped, swallowing down what piled in her throat. "I'm sorry, I was just— What exactly are you doing here?"
He snorted and reached down to pick up his bag as if pulled from his daze. "I came to get my jacket. I left it here," he said and grabbed the dark coat from the bench.
"I see." Serena swallowed, forcing her blue eyes to blink into concentration. "Right. I didn't even notice or I would've texted you."
Ash looked like he wanted to laugh, but snickered. "Couldn't get very far in the cold without it."
Serena giggled instead, her voice awkwardly echoing in the studio. "I'm sure it's freezing. Winter is right around the corner."
"You're acting all weird, Serena." Ash placed the jacket down and walked closer to her, standing in front of her. "You didn't go to dinner with that snob dynamic duo."
She frowned, placing her hands on her hips. "You do know May and Drew have names."
Ash pouted, tucking a hand into his pants pocket. "Why didn't you go?"
Serena bit her lip — Maybe because he was on her mind and she couldn't stop thinking about him? Because she felt like an idiot for performing so sensually in front of her two best friends?
"I just had some things to work on here," she lied through her teeth — well it technically wasn't a lie if you look at it from a different perspective. "You know, solo stuff. I do dance alone."
"It..." Ash muttered, but cleared his throat and talked louder. "It was nice. You looked good."
"Huh?" Serena knew she was blushing due to the fact she really didn't expect him to compliment her. He was normally terrible at things like that. Vocalizing it, that is and for the most part. It came at rare moments like this one.
"I said you looked nice, or the dance looked nice. You did or—" He decided to stop himself by biting on his lip unnecessarily hard as he brushed his fingers through his black hair.
"Right. Thank you." She despised how her heart was pounding, but she had her resolve. "I would hope for it to be after all the work put into it."
Suddenly, Ash was so close to her. Why was he so close to her? With their proximity, she felt herself moving closer, and her eyes flicked down towards his lips again. God, she had to stop doing that. Sooner or later, he was bound to notice and knowing him, he would probably just come right out, and ask her about what she was doing, and—
"What are you doing, Serena?"
She really needs to stop jinxing herself.
"What do you mean what am I doing?" Serena asked, trying her absolute best not to panic. "I was just practicing dance, but I honestly believe I'm good for the night—"
"No, not that." He leaned his head down towards her, watching her. "I mean the lips thing."
"What... lips thing?" She questioned as her mouth ran dry, and she scolded herself internally to not look back at his lips.
"You keep staring," Ash pointed out. "You told me we had to keep our eyes locked during the dance and you kept looking away. How are we supposed to do well if you aren't listening to yourself?"
She blushed an infuriatingly great amount. Of course he would call her out.
"It was... because May and Drew were watching. It was making me feel weird and you were touching me weirdly," Serena replied, getting defensive.
"What are you talking about?" Aur eyebrow twitched in confusion. "Touching you weird how?"
"You kept putting your hand too low," she said, her nerves and mixed irritation peaking. "What was I supposed to do?"
"You could tell me," Ash suggested, an equal amount of irritation as hers appearing, "Instead of looking like you want to kiss me."
"But what if I..." Serena trailed off, catching herself. The last thing she needed was telling him she wanted to feel his lips on hers again. Wanting to kiss him and wanting to believe she didn't want to do so was two sides she couldn't choose.
Ash stared at her, looking momentarily confused. He grunted and stepped forward, moving his hands to her cheeks. "You're not being honest, are you?"
"Oh, that's ironic coming from you," she threw back at him, taking her face away from his hands. "You haven't done that either. You've done nothing, but lie to me this whole time."
He wiped his tongue over his bottom lip. "I didn't lie."
"Then why did you leave the first time?" From the corner of Ash's eye, he could see Serena's body deflate in unsaid disappointment. "Why didn't you just accept my offer?"
"Because I can't do this, Serena!"
"But you can!" She told him, breathless of anger. "You're doing exactly that. Right now!"
Serena had stilled and Ash's searched her eyes and in secret, hoping she felt the same as he did now. He swiftly placed his thumb and pointer finger above and below her chin in a hold, whispering in raw desire, "Fuck... let me kiss you."
He slammed their lips together. She knew he was avoiding the subject. She knew he was being an ass. More than that, she knew she should push him away, but she'd been dying to kiss him again since they left her home. She couldn't deny herself the pleasure which rolled down her spine.
Against her better judgement, Serena pressed her lips close to his, sucking on his lower lip. She let out a soft noise, her desperate needs finally being met. She panted, pulling away from Ash's lips as she gently pushed her hands against his chest.
"Ash," she breathed, "We can't."
So much for her resolve, which was apparently incredibly weak.
He narrowed his gaze at how her eyes fell on his lips again and brought it to hers like before, kissing her savagely. He bit on her lower lip and swiped his tongue across her lips, pressing into her mouth. His hands had slid over her ass and pulled her closer. Her mouth addicting to his eager one. They were in such a frenzy.
"We can't kiss like this," she whimpered and immediately pushed him away. She knew it was hypocritical to say, knowing she kissed him before they got on the road not so long ago. "I don't forgive you."
Ash blinked, staring at her. "What do you mean?"
"I said I would only think about forgiving you after you did the competition. Me kissing you, is basically forgiving you."
Confused, a wrinkle formed between his brow. He then shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "Gary once told me something about hate sex. Pretty sure he had it before. Have you not heard of it, Serena?"
"Absolutely not." Serena paused, taking a deep breath. "If there's a chance we happen to do anything like that, I'd want it to be because I like you and care about you. Not because I hate you."
A light shade of red was found over his cheeks as he mumbled loud enough for her to hear, "It was a joke. I wouldn't expect that to even— You get my point."
"I'm tired of you... not saying what you mean. You always say one thing and do another, Ash. I never know what you actually want from me." A heavy weight filled the bottom of her stomach and the memories of them still hard to forget. "Honestly, I like you more than I should. I've denied it and I know I shouldn't feel anything for you, especially after what you did, but you are someone to me. Even so, I never how you feel, and it does hurt me."
It was moments before Ash spoke, his eyes downcasted, ignoring her own disheartened gaze. "I told you how I feel. You're a distraction and these dance lessons are the same. Just more." He paused and shut his eyes, running his fingers through his hair. "But truthfully, I like... being distracted by you."
Blues searched the golden specs within brown eyes, Serena softly asking, "You like it?"
Ash's face was scrunched in disbelief. "Do you really think I would be here if I—"
Serena suddenly remembered what Gary had told her some time ago.
"He does have a crush on you. Ash doesn't go and watch dance performances, knowing he could be training instead. He doesn't do things unless he wants to and he sure as hell wouldn't have kissed you for shits and giggles."
"He doesn't do things unless he wants to," she said the words Gary told her days ago. Deep down she always knew how he really felt. She could see it in his eyes and she felt it in the way he held her. She also knew he was terrible at speaking his feelings out loud and as much as she wanted to stick to her resolve, she wanted him.
He frowned, confused by what that entailed. "Huh?"
"It's just... something I've noticed," Serena said, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck. She ran her fingers through his black hair and pulled him in close, moving her lips with his as her tongue danced against his. He kissed her deeply and she moaned against him, never wanting to pull away.
She liked how his mouth felt on hers. She loved how he cupped her cheeks and pulled her close, their kisses wet and hot. She breathed out his name and she felt him tense, kissing her more passionately.
"Dammit, Serena." Her name fell from his lips, his voice dropping, so attractive and needy.
She pulled back, lips swollen and cheeks flushed. Ash still held her cheeks in his hands, his rough thumbs brushing over her face. She took a few shallow breaths, trying to breathe. Her name sounded so good and his felt so perfect on her lips.
She pulled her bottom lip back with her teeth, looking up at him. "I still don't forgive you."
He smirked at her; That damn smirk. "I figured."
He pressed their lips together again and Serena whispered on his, "Stop trying to convince me otherwise."
"I'm only kissing you." He grinned and dimples were shown. "Nothing else. Let me enjoy you."
"Oh, sure." She snorted, giggling against his lips as she pulled away slowly. Her body wanted to melt, sink down into the floor of the dance studio and kiss him all night. "I told you that you had to earn your forgiveness and I meant it." She glares at him playfully and points a finger at him. "I won't be rewarding you with anymore kisses."
Serena turned away from him and made her way to the piano to pick up her bag, tossing her phone inside. She jumped, however, when Ash came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his nose to her neck.
"You can be mad at me all you want," Ash muttered against her skin. "As long as I still get to hold you like this."
She simpered, moving her hand to the back of his neck. She scratched her nails through his hairs and heard him hum his appreciation. She tilted her head to the side to face him and made their lips meet together lightly, savoring him.
"That was the last one," Serena said sternly, ducking away from him as she headed towards the exit. "I won't be fooled by you again."
"In my defense, you did it to yourself," he argued flippantly. "You were the one who kept staring!"
"Oh, shut up. It was a little mistake!" She yelled back, hoping her blush wasn't covering three fourths of her face. "I'm still undeniably mad at you."
Ash blew out an amused breath. "A little mistake, huh?"
The two of them stormed out of the studio and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into one more kiss as the cold breeze blew around them. Her hair brushed against her cheeks and a shiver rolled down her spine.
"I'll see you Wednesday," she whispered as she peered into him with hazy eyes before shoving him away. "And no more, mister. I mean it."
Ash's brow turned into an determined line, eyes deepening in a darker brown; a challenge within them. He smirked, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I'll take your word for it, Serena."
She avidly accepted whatever challenge seemed to be inscribed in his eyes with a simple nod. Asshole.
Serena got what she wanted and she had a sinking feeling this was only going to be harder and harder to resist.