6 | Ice Cream Sandwich
~☁☀☁~
One of the many perks of being home alone was waking up peacefully. No little sister or best friend jumping on your bed. No parents waking you ten minutes before your alarm goes off, causing you to lose that precious last bit of sleep.
It was just me, my pillow and blankets, and my alarm set to play a pleasant melody in one hour.
So upon hearing a male voice before that hour was up and feeling a hand on my arm, I did what any half-asleep person would do if they were home alone.
I screamed and blindly punched in the direction of the voice.
My fist made contact and I heard a grunt of pain. Hissing through my teeth at the throbbing ache in my knuckles, I shot up to better defend myself.
"What the hell was that for, Ferret?!"
I screamed back at him, "What the hell are you doing here, Ian?!"
I was wide awake after that scare and my heart beating out of my chest. The initial fear was gone, quickly replaced with an anger that simmered down to annoyance when I saw his hand cupped over his nose.
His voice was muffled as he said, "I think you broke it."
"I did not hit you that hard," I huffed, getting out of bed and stepping over to him. "Let me see."
Ian's gaze followed my movements, dropping down from my night shirt to my bare legs before darting away. I pulled his hand away so I could see the damage I caused, if there was any at all. His nose was a bit redder than the tint creeping up his cheeks.
"Did I just hit your nose? Or the surrounding area too?"
He scoffed, refusing to meet my eyes when I gave him a teasing grin. Though he couldn't seem to resist another glance at my legs.
"You could've warned me that you weren't decent under the blankets," he muttered. "Or stayed in bed."
"Your fault for exaggerating about your nose," I shrugged. "I had to make sure it wasn't broken. Besides, I am far better than decent so I don't know why you're complaining."
I would have flipped my hair, but the nest of a bun on top of my head wouldn't allow it. I honestly didn't care about my appearance in front of him because he had seen me in more unattractive clothing than what I was wearing.
Judging by his reaction and wandering eyes, an oversized shirt that rested mid-thigh didn't make that list. So I had no reason to be embarrassed and instead basked in the glory of making Ian Winters uncomfortable.
I poked the tip of his sore nose, making him flinch and drawing his attention away from the wall. And the ceiling. And the floor.
"So are you going to tell me why you're here?" I backed up to my bed and sat down on the edge of it, making a point of crossing one leg over the other.
He was seemingly unaffected by my action as he answered, "I am your chauffeur today."
My cocky expression collapsed. "What?"
"Your parents were worried about you making the trip alone, so they asked me to stay behind with you."
Humiliation and anger warred within me until they joined forces, causing an outburst that I regretted as soon as the words left my mouth.
"I don't need a babysitter," I scowled.
He held his hands out in surrender and said his favorite line to use whenever I was mad at him, "Don't get feral on me, Ferret."
I crossed my arms and glared at him and he had the nerve to chuckle. I wasn't doing myself any favors, but I was offended and embarrassed that my parents did that, and to Ian of all people!
"Look, I wouldn't like to make the drive by myself because it would be lonely and boring. So..." he exhaled and shoved his hands into his back pockets, hesitating as if he had a big confession to make. "So I offered to stay behind because I didn't want you to have to do it alone."
"Oh," was all I could say. It was my turn to blush, but it mostly had to do with my behavior. If only he had said that first, instead of leading me to believe it was all my parents' doing. "I, um, need to get ready to go. I can't be late for the class."
"Okay," he sounded eager to move on and get out of my room. "I'll be waiting downstairs. Take your time."
I watched him hurry out and stayed where I was for a few minutes after he left. I could never tell if his care was brotherly or something else, because I always had a habit of reading too much into the behavior and actions of others. Maybe I was doing that to him too.
Shaking my head, I jumped to my feet and got dressed.
There was no room in my mind to overthink when it was time to dance.
☁☀☁
"You know, a bag of frozen peas would have been better," I commented as we walked into the empty dance studio.
Ian insisted on driving me there in his truck. I offered to meet up afterwards, but he asked if he could stick around since he had nothing to do. With a healthy dose of sarcasm, I told him what an honor it was to be his cure for boredom.
He was allowed to stay, but with the stipulation that he had to participate in the lesson. The guy couldn't dance to save his life, so he could benefit from learning a few moves.
He agreed to my terms without knowing who his fellow students would be, or to be more precise, their age range.
Ian sat down on one of the chairs lining the far wall, while holding a packaged ice cream sandwich against his nose.
"I know," he said as he readjusted the frozen treat to the other side, "but I can't eat those when I'm done and a convenience store doesn't carry vegetables."
I smiled, "That's true. I suppose frozen vegetables aren't very convenient."
"Exactly," he grinned and peeled off the wrapper to enjoy the melting ice cream.
When I moved over to the stereo, I found a note from Noelle. She informed me that the music was all set up for the lesson with a 'Good luck!!!' at the bottom of the page. Some nerves were starting to set in, but there was just as much excitement too.
I was going to start warming up, but the heavy door squeaking open stopped me mid-stretch. My heart leaped to my throat at the sound of my first student arriving. The jittery feelings wouldn't stop until the actual dancing began, so I took a breath and shook my hands out before turning around with a welcoming smile.
Instead of seeing a senior person ready to learn how to tango, I saw the broad back of a very fit man in very tight clothing. He kicked the door stopper down then faced me with a blinding smile.
I wasn't one for scruff, but the five-o'clock shadow over his sculpted jaw worked wonders for him and complimented the warm undertones of his flawless skin. His eyes were such a dark brown that they almost looked purple and they were twinkling at me.
"You must be Ferra," he spoke with a rich accent as he took my hand and kissed the back of it. "I will be your assistant today."
"You're Alex?" My voice came out a little too breathy than I intended. I barely even registered Ian's sudden presence beside me.
"My full name is Alejandro," he explained, "but Alex is easier on the tongue."
I couldn't refrain a small giggle when he smiled at me.
"That's like the Lady Gaga song, right?" Ian asked, nudging me aside to shake Alex's hand. "How does it go? 'She's not your babe.' Something like that..."
I blinked out of my stupor and scowled at Ian.
"Please forgive Rudolph the Red-Nosed dipshit over here," I referred to his sore nose and jammed my elbow into his ribs as I spoke to Alex. "He's going to be sitting in, if that's alright?"
"Of course your boyfriend can stay! Rudolph is a very," Alex paused as if to think of the right word to use, "interesting name."
"My name is Ian," he corrected with a frown.
I waited two beats to see if he was going to correct the other misunderstanding. When he didn't, I added, "He's also not my boyfriend. Ian is more like a guard dog."
"I see," Alex nodded slowly, though he seemed to be a little confused. "Ah! A bodyguard for the beautiful lady, yes?"
I would have melted like that ice cream sandwich if Ian's glare wasn't already scolding me. It may have been wrong to call him a guard dog, but he was certainly acting like one and he had no right to do so.
Our conversation was cut short when a group of older people shuffled into the room, chatting and laughing boisterously. More followed as they trickled in for the dance lesson and I felt my stomach drop. I recognized some of the faces, but most of them were new to me.
I shoved Ian in their direction and a few of the ladies eyed him curiously as he took his place beside them. One woman got a little handsy as she stroked his bicep and I ignored his look that said, 'What have you gotten me into, Ferret?'
"Hello," my voice was shaky, but it couldn't rival my hands. "My name is Ferra and I'm filling in for Noelle today. I'm sure you've all had the privilege of meeting Alex already."
With a charming smile directed at them, he inclined his head as a greeting.
"Alex, would you be so kind as to tell them what we're going to be learning this afternoon?"
I was used to the spotlight when it came to dancing, even though I still got nervous before a performance. Speaking while in the spotlight was completely different and I had yet to master it. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my leggings and moved aside for Alex to explain and show them the basic tango steps.
"I thought this was supposed to be a sexy dance," complained the woman who had her hand on Ian's arm.
The men and women chuckled, most of them nodding their heads in agreement. Alex and I shared a look and laughed at their enthusiasm and expectations. Noelle was right when she said they were pretty chill, so I could feel my nerves beginning to settle.
"I assure you that it can be," Alex assured her in a playfully defensive tone. "Would you like us to demonstrate?"
He pressed play on the stereo, starting a slow song that had the perfect rhythm and snappy notes for a tango. Alex's hands slid boldly around my waist and he twirled me to face him.
"Is this okay?" He asked softly so they couldn't hear. "You looked nervous so I thought a bit of dancing would help."
"Let's do this," I told him as I put my hand in his and the other rested on his arm. I smiled at the handsome kindred spirit in front of me, already feeling the music smothering my nerves into nonexistence.
Tango was all about passion. It could be sensual, angry, full of love, or any combination of the three. It was an artform. The man, a statue for the woman to dance around. Then a shift to the woman being an instrument for the man to worship. And in between, lovers fighting for dominance over the other and neither knowing who would be victorious until the end of the song.
I was rusty with the more intricate moves, but Alex made it easy to follow his lead and each stroke of his hands instilled a confidence in my limbs that would have otherwise been lost with every fumble. The tango we did was intermediate compared to the beginner steps we would be teaching, but they wanted a show and we gave one to them.
The music guided us, displaying a sensual passion on the surface, but beneath that I was only dancing with an attractive stranger. All the emotion I felt was superficial, due to fade after the dance was over.
Ian crossed my mind once as I felt his gaze on me, but when I missed a step, I pushed him to the back of my mind and focused on my partner. All of my worries and fears fell to the floor one by one as he spun me throughout the dance and kicked far away with my own feet.
I arched my back in Alex's arms when he dipped me on the final harsh note of the music, hanging in a dramatic pose until he pulled me up. He kissed the back of my hand again as our audience applauded for us.
"Alright!" I clapped my hands together, feeling infinitely more myself after leaving everything on the dancefloor. "We'll teach you the basic steps on your own first and then you can all partner up."
I did well to avoid Ian's eyes, though I couldn't help but glance over every so often when he wasn't looking. It didn't come as a surprise when the adoring woman chose him as her partner.
His pained expression almost brought me a sadistic joy, but I had to draw the line when her wandering hands landed on his butt. I took pity on him as he tried to create some distance while still being polite. I made my way over to them after telling the couple I was instructing to keep up the good work.
"May I step in for a minute?"
"Must you?" The woman gave a dreamy sigh. She looked longingly up at Ian from her short stature.
With a tight smile, I parted the two of them with my hands on their shoulders. "Alex!"
He came right over to us and I noticed how Ian tensed at his presence.
"While I help Ian, can you give this lovely woman the experience of a tango with a real man?" I leaned over and whispered to him, "And proper hand placement for a lady."
Understanding flashed across his features before he grinned at her. "It would be an honor."
"Well, you're quite the upgrade," the woman winked and let him sweep her away for a few minutes.
"You're getting the steps all wrong," I stated to Ian as we moved into position.
"I was too busy trying not to get groped," he muttered stiffly, looking down to follow my steps.
"I'm sorry," I told him genuinely. "I should have come over here sooner. Why didn't you stop her?"
"I wasn't going to be rude and ruin your class."
"Wow," I found myself saying under my breath. "That's really sweet of you, but you don't have let her get away with what was practically sexual harassment."
He looked up at me from our feet, coming to a stand still while I intertwined my legs through and around his own. I was guilty of doing more than the basic steps required, just so I could show off to him a little bit.
My last move was curling my leg around to the back of his, sliding it up his thigh and wrapping it around his hips. Then I brought it back down slowly, watching his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed before meeting his gaze. We starting moving again and he missed another step.
"Well, you didn't have to let him do what he did either."
I lifted a brow, "It's called dancing, Ian."
"This is dancing," he said as if he was convincing himself more than me. "That was...not."
A thrill ran through me as I realized why he was so sulky. "Are you jealous?"
He looked away and muttered, "No."
"Oh my god. You are jealous!"
The smile was wiped off my face when he sharply tugged me against him, melding our bodies together. The firm set of his jaw and the heat of his stare took the breath right out of me.
With a quick recovery, I instinctively threw my arms above my head in a move I knew about, but had never done with a partner.
I didn't know how he knew what to do-maybe he was following his own instincts-but I didn't care in that moment. His hands grazed from my wrists down my arms, the pressure increasing as his palms left a blazing trail from my waist to my hips. He spun me so my back was pressing against his chest.
Then he whispered in my ear, "I'm not jealous."
Yes, you are, I thought as Alex and the woman returned.
I was breathing like I just finished a quickstep and my heart was the beat for it.
And that wasn't dancing.
From then on, Ian's partner kept her hands in more appropriate places. Whatever Alex did or said to her seemed to work, but she looked disappointed to be dancing with Ian and she lit up anytime Alex passed by her.
The rest of the class went by without a hitch and all of the students were happy and worn out by the time it was over. A few came up to me afterwards and thanked me. One couple in particular told me I did an amazing job. They took the class for their 40th anniversary and hoped to see me again next year.
I was sweaty and exhausted, but I never felt so good or accomplished as I did after teaching a few people how to dance. Part of me wanted to jump around and squeal like a lunatic, but I held back since I wasn't alone or with Reyna.
"That was fantastic, Ferra," Alex said to me. "It has truly been a pleasure to work with you."
I smiled, bubbling up with pride. "Thank you."
Ian already had my duffle bag thrown over his shoulder. He said from the door, "We should get going, Ferret."
I saw the clock on the wall, gasping at how late it was already. With an apology and a short goodbye to Alex, we left the studio in a hurry. I still had to stop by my house to get a shower before we got on the road.
The odds of getting to the campsite before dark were dwindling and I actually started to feel glad that Ian stayed behind. He could be a fun travel buddy and it was nice not to be alone for the trip.
We were stopped at a traffic light and the radio was playing in the background to fill the silence.
"Thank you," I said, thinking about what he went through and everything he did for me.
The light turned green but Ian spared me a glance, "For what?"
"Just...thank you. I'm sorry for punching you." As an afterthought, I added, "And for the perverted grandma."
A few moments passed before he spoke again. "So does that mean you're done hating me today?"
I could never hate you, Ian Winters.
"There are quite a few hours left in the day, so we'll see."
"I can accept that," he smiled while keeping his eyes on the road. "Hey, do you mind if we stop by my house instead of yours? It's closer and I could use a quick shower too."
The last thing I wanted was to go on a five hour drive with a stinky, sweaty guy. And he always smelled incredible after a shower; I knew that because of the many sleepovers with Reyna. Catching a glimpse of him still wet from a shower was also a perk, along with a very rare towel-only sighting when he forgot to take his clothes to the bathroom with him.
I blamed him for triggering my boy craziness, but it was like trying to find a better guy and falling short every time.
It would be too easy for him if I readily agreed, so I considered my options until I remembered that I didn't pack a sweater for the chilly nights.
"Only if I can steal a hoodie for the weekend."
He sighed, ever reluctant to loan out any of his precious collection. "Fine."
~☁☀☁~
Ferra has a passion for dancing. What do you love to do? -->
A/N: Hi! *big hugs* I hope you're doing well and that this gave you a nice distraction of butterflies and smiles.
Did I name him Alejandro strictly for Ian's "She's not your babe" Lady Gaga line? You guys know me well enough by now to answer that yourself...
In my defense, it was Spotify's fault when I was writing the chapter. Not mine, but...I've heard it both ways.
You win a pineapple if you get that joke.
Stay toasty (and healthy!), Sweeties!