First Love's Dance

The Dance of a Lifetime

By Josh Watkins

The corner of the room is his place. He sits there all alone. The music emits about him; hordes of dancers sway its tune. But not him. He remains almost motionless with a drink in his hand. Swirling its contents endlessly. Few people seem to notice his presence; those who do, fire a quick glance and assume he is sulking. For who in their right mind would go to a dance just to sit. Little be known to them his intentions have a purpose.

He stares off to a corner of the room, right through the throng of dancers as if they aren't even there. His eyes land on a figure, her beauty rare. He watches as she laughs with her companions; for some time he has been watching. He knows not her name, but he does know her style, her quirks, her friends, and her grace.

Finally, her friends depart and he begins to show signs of life. The sound of glass clinking on wood is heard, but no one turns their head. He slowly stands, but wonders how he will ever trek across a jungle so dense that even an obsidian blade couldn't slice the tension. Suddenly, his eyes fall as another suitor approaches his target. He watches as his opponent’s tongue twirls and turns, spewing forth lies covered in sugar and honey. His rival kisses her hand and from his mouth come the words “Want to dance?”

His heart throbs with fear and his eyes become aflame with envy. He wants to charge across the chaos and pulverize the poor chap to a pulp. But his conscience holds him firm and to his delight, she turns his rival away.

His jealousy subsides, but his nerves begin to quiver. Beads of sweat begin to rain off his brow. He tries to make his way to her, but the crowd was far too great. He continues to stare and the music slowly fades.

Suddenly, she catches his stare and returns it with a devious smile. He dares not breathe nor move one muscle for he did not want to lose her. Almost as if it was meant to be, the crowd mysteriously shifts, leaving a narrow path to where she was. Music once more fills the room, but this time with energy and power.

He mouthed the words “May I?” and she returns it with a “Come and get me” smile. Their feet move in a flash as they near one another. They don’t stop for the dancing folk; they don’t stop for the flashing lights, nor do they stop as soon as they touch.

His left hand interlaces with her fingers, stretching high above their heads. His right he places upon her lower back and her left she places upon his shoulder. They dance as if their lives depend on it, never removing their eyes from one another. All the other dancers have stopped dancing and are now watching this love story unfold before their eyes.

Those who watch say it was almost as if they had been in love their entire life. As the music grew to its vertex, they held nothing back. He twirled her, tossed her, and pulled her in close. They were breathing hard and could feel the warm air off the nape of their necks. The crowd was now clapping thunderously to the rhythm of the music. They took no notice for their world consists of each other…dancing. They show no hint of fatigue and move as if they were floating on air.

Finally, the seemingly endless symphony comes to a close and he graciously dips her and remains still; close enough to her that the tip of his nose touches hers. He lifts her up and she finally breaks her tense form into a heavy breathing and an enormous smile. Then, to his surprise, she firmly grips his shoulders and plants a fiery kiss upon his lips.  Without hesitation he returns that kiss. The crowd roars with approval. His head began to spin and his heart was beating harder than ever before. She has waited so long for this moment, but waited for him to make the first move and now she was living her fairy tale. This was her dream. This was his wish. This was their dance of a lifetime.                                                                                  

  Surprise! Another prose. I normally don't do these (because of lack of inspiration and I'm more of the poetic type), but this one came to me and I couldn't resist.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 I only ever went to one dance in my life and that one was my eighth grade graduation dance. I never went to homecoming nor did I go to prom. Do I regret it? No. Do I wish I knew water it was like? A little part of me does, hence the inspiration here. I didn't attend these events A) Because I didn't want to go through the trouble of finding someone to go with. B) I didn't want to get all dressed up. C) I didn't want to deal with the crowd, the cliques, and the suggestive movements that are called "dancing". D) I didn't feel like spending the money.

                                                                                                                                                       
Nerd moment alert. An obsidian blade is one of the sharpest tools known to man (sharper than current scalpel knives) and was developed in Ancient Egypt. They are made from volcanic rocks and can slice through bone.

                                                                                                                                                     
If I ever went, this is my best case scenario of how I wish it would go. I am a romantic...no?