Chapter 4: Surprised
Luckily for me, Elvin wasn’t going to his family’s vacation home for the two more days we had off of school. I was preoccupied the previous day with the arrival of my grades, and the odd behavior of Elvin. I had forgotten to ask him if he was staying in the valley. Usually when they are gone, I’ll have Poppy and Sage over, but it’s never the same without Elvin. Hurray, I wasn’t going to be bored out of my skin!
My mom is best friends with Elvin’s mother, Maple. She happened to be going over to visit, and I asked her if she could find out whether they were going to leave the valley. She returned with the happy news that they were sticking right here! I had never seen their vacation home, but I was surprised that they had decided not to travel. They usually scurry off any chance they get. I’ve been told how relaxing it is to sit on the shore by the pond.
My mom also came back with an invite. Maple had told her that Elvin wanted me over, so I was going to their home for a fun day with him. When she told me, I brightened up a lot. What could be better than spending the day with my best buddy?
I went looking for Flick. I checked in his room first, but he was not there. I needed him to take me over to Elvin’s. I searched the house, yelling out his name and annoying my mom. He was nowhere to be found! Grrrrrr, why was he always gone when I actually need him, but annoying me when I didn’t want him there? I needed to be taken to Elvin’s home by way of wings, and my mom didn’t want to take me because she had just come back from there, and my dad was working.
I found myself ranting on in a mumble about my young age. I suppose every elf goes through this. Elves will wish they are fairies, but everyone has to wait until it is time for them to change. But that is not going to change my mind about wishing I could fly myself over to my best friend.
I ended up assuming that Flick had snuck off somewhere, and I wasn’t going to catch a ride from him. Guess who my only option was? I had to go nag my mom to take me, which I knew before I went to her was going to be time consuming.
My mom tried to convince me that there was no rush and I could wait a day to visit. I strongly disagreed with her and argued that I would be extremely bored at the house by myself. Then, she argued that I wouldn’t be alone; she was staying here. Smartly, I didn’t tell her that I didn’t care whether she was here or not, no way was I going to have fun with my mom when I could be with Elvin.
After lots of whining and complaining, I won. The arrangement was that I would help out in the house when I got back. I wasn’t too excited about that, but Elvin was worth it.
She flew me over, trying to make small talk the entire time. Thank goodness they only lived a few minutes away. I swear, awkward small talk could kill me. She couldn’t have dropped me off soon enough!
“Hey, Lore!” Elvin greeted me with that captivating smile of his. He had been sitting on the doorstep, waiting for me to come. Guess someone else was a little bored, too. He held out his left arm and gave me a fast wink. I giggled and linked arms with him. Such the gentleman. He gestured toward the door, and escorted me inside.
Immediately, the delicious smell of Maple’s cooking wafted into my nose. I wondered what she could be making today. Maple loves to cook. She always has something new for me to try when I visit. There hasn’t been one thing that she’s cooked that I haven’t liked. She is the truly the cooking expert.
Elvin led me up to their lounge area. The room was filled with comfortable chairs and a low table in the middle. Elvin sat down on the lounge chair, and I sat down on the couch across from him. He put his feet up on the table in between, using it as a foot rest.
Elvin’s dad works for a furniture company, and they get lots of great deals on furniture. Aside from cooking, Maple loves to arrange her furniture. She sets every piece in the exact place that she wants it. Sometimes she will walk into a room, see a chair out of place, and rush to adjust it. There is nothing like watching Maple arrange new furniture. She is so fickle, it’s silly.
“How are you doing today, Lore?” Elvin asked me from across the room.
“I’m pretty good,” I smiled. “But it’s you I’m a little worried about...” I made a reference to Elvin’s behavior the previous day.
Of course, with Elvin’s taking everything too seriously problem, he obviously did not understand my point. He frowned slightly and curled up the corner of his lip. He didn’t even bother voicing his confusion.
“You know...Yesterday,” I prompted. He still didn’t catch on. I realized it was necessary for me to explain what I meant.
I sighed at him from the other side of the table. I should be used to this now. Everyone has flaws that others need to adjust to. I guess Elvin has so few flaws, that when he doesn’t understand, I get a little frustrated.
“Lore, what do you mean?” Elvin piped up. Whoops. I guess I was taking longer that I thought to think about Elvin’s flaws.
“Yesterday, when you had that blank look on your face. You told me you were thinking about something that was difficult to think about.” I tried not to sound frustrated, but I think I failed.
“That is what you are referring to?” He chuckled and comprehension showed on his face. “Lorelle! That was so insignificant that I forgot! No need to worry, Dear. You will find out all in good time. Trust me, it’s not that important, Lore.”
I wasn’t fully convinced, but I let myself relax. “Ok, of course I trust you.” He smiled, glad to hear he was trusted. He should already know that, but maybe hearing it made him happy. Whatever works.
“Thanks, Lore.” He shifted and took his feet off the table. “Hey, do you want to go do something fun today?” He stood up and came to stand beside my chair. I guess that was my queue to get up out of the chair.
I jumped up. “Ooooh! Fun is always... Fun” I laughed at my redundant sentence. “What are you thinking?”
“Hmmm. Well, how about we catch a ride up to the tree and decide from there?” He suggested.
“Yeah, sure. As long as I’m with you and away from my family, I’m up for anything.” I said truthfully.
Elvin laughed. “Okay, sounds like a plan! Although I’m glad you like being with me, you shouldn’t be so hard on your family.” I just sighed.
Elvin held out his arm enthusiastically, and I linked arms with him for a second time. Were we going to walk everywhere like this? I guess I didn’t mind; it felt kind of natural. He started heading down to the kitchen area.
“I have to inform Mom about our where abouts before we can leave.” He explained to me, and pointed to the kitchen. He was towing me along like we were an airplane, or something. He veered off towards the kitchen. Still linking arms, he pulled me behind him right into the room.
Maple was cooking. She heard us come in, and turned around to face us. She smiled slightly when she saw our linked arms. She was used to our close friendship, and Elvin’s enthusiasm. Elvin broke away and went over to her.
“Hi mom. What are you cooking?” He asked curiously, trying to look into the oven.
“I’m trying a new recipe for home made brownies.” She smiled.
“Mmmmm, smells good! How soon will they be done?” Elvin was hopeful.
“Well, you two came in at the perfect time. I was just about to take them out of the oven. If you give them a minute to cool, you can both have one.” She bent down, and used moss to take out the brownies and set them on the table to cool.
“Mmmmm. Yes, that sounds great. Want to wait a minute, Lore?” He turned toward me, and noticed I was still standing in the entrance. He motioned for me to come in and join them.
“You know I never turn down Maple’s cooking!” I walked in and stood around, a little awkwardly. I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation with his mom. I felt out of place a little, but they both made an effort to include me.
“So what have you been up to, Lore?” Maple asked me, striking up conversation.
“Oh, not much, really.” I answered. “I’ve been basically just going to school and hanging out with Elvin, actually.” We all laughed.
“Well, you weren’t with me most of yesterday. What else were you doing? Besides worrying, and sleeping, Lore.” Elvin asked me, causing me to grin sheepishly again.
“Well, I got up, went downstairs to eat, went upstairs got dressed, heard my mom tell me my grades had come, and then I fell asleep.” I admitted. Nothing exciting in the least.
“Oh! Elvin why don’t you tell her about what you’ve been up to?” She suggested.
Elvin’s smile washed away from his face. He stared at his mom with a warning look. I became very suspicious. What was he doing that he didn’t want me to know?
“Oh, never mind. I think the brownies are cooled off now. You two can take one now.” She stepped aside and got out two plates for us. Elvin opened a drawer and took out two forks. He took the plates from his mom, and put a brownie on one of them, then handed it to me. He truly sticks to the rule ‘guests first’. I waited for him to get his, and then I tried it.
“Maple, this is absolutely delicious!” I exclaimed. I carefully took another bite.
“Thank you, Lorelle! I used an old family recipe for the first time. I’m glad it turned out well.” She smiled with pride. It’s great that she loves to cook and is proud of her creations. Everyone should have a hobby that they can enjoy. Sometimes I really need to follow my own advice. I made a mental note to find a hobby besides reading.
When we finished our food, Elvin took my plate and set it in the sink with his. “Mom, Lorelle and I are going to head over to the tree and find something to do. Is that alright with you?”
“Of course! Have fun. Don’t hold Lorelle hostage for too long.” She laughed. I smiled, and Elvin hugged his mom and we both thanked her.
He linked arms with me once again, and we left his home.
“I didn’t want to bother my mother, so we will pay for a ride up.” Elvin explained to me as we made our way toward the base of the tree.
There were booths around all sides of the trunk where you could pay to get a ride up. Of course, the usual customers were still Elves, such as Elvin and I. Or they were the lazy folk and older fairies who didn’t have as much energy in them as the old days. Most of the workers were young fairies, still teenagers, who wanted to earn a little cash or community service hours for school. There were also a lot of neat scholarships, but I really don’t know much about it. My mom keeps suggesting I work there when I become a fairy. Who knows, maybe I will?
“Mind if we don’t go to the entrance first? It would be better so we can save money. Besides, a little walking wouldn’t hurt too much.” I suggested. I didn’t have much money with me, in fact, I barely had enough to buy a snack. I didn’t know that we were going on a little field trip.
“Who said ‘we’? Lore, I was the one to suggest we get a ride, so therefore I am paying. Or my parents, rather. I’m just as broke as you are,” He said with a chuckle.
I sighed. “I suppose you wouldn’t let me convince you otherwise?”
“Not a chance.” He shot the words out so fast it almost sounded controlling. He must have realized it sounded a little strange, so he added on his famous smile.
I always felt bad when people insisted on paying for something. I knew they were being nice and everything, but it always left me feeling a little uncomfortable. I know I liked not having to pay for something, but it always felt like I should be.
For instance, Elvin’s family took me along with them to dinner once, in celebration of finishing another school session. I ordered something inexpensive and very affordable. When the waiter came over with the check, I had my money out, ready to pay whomever I was supposed to. Naturally, when Maple and her husband saw what I was trying to do, they refused and told me they were treating me. And I, being me, asked them if they were sure. Of course, was their reply. So I made a deal with them, and they finally let me to pay half of it. I’ve always wondered what was going through their head when I was shoving the money at them and insisting they let me pay. Elvin was the same way, always. The only difference was that he never gave in to my pleading.
Elvin and I strolled over to the nearest booth, still linking arms. Elvin had to slow down a lot so I could keep up with his long legs. He didn’t mind my sluggish pace, which was definitely a plus.
The girl sitting in front of the booth by the cash register looked up from her computer and gave us a smile. It was one of those fake smiles that employees used, but there was still warmth behind it. She had long red-brown hair that went down behind the counter where I couldn’t see. Her wings stuck out on both sides of the chair, but not in her way. They were pink with a delicate silver. I caught myself admiring them for too long, and then focused my attention on her face.
She had dark, thin eyebrows above her blue-gray eyes. Her face was round, with very defined cheekbones. She was really pretty. In my subconscious mind, I sized her up, comparing her to me. She looked tall, but I couldn’t be sure since she was sitting down in front of a computer. I am fairly short; shorter than most people my age, but taller than the really short ones. Her eyelashes were straight, and not very long, just like mine. She looked pretty athletic. I wouldn’t say I was athletic, except for the few runs and walks I do every once in a while.
All around, she was much prettier than me, and of course I wished I could steal those wings on her back. Not exactly steal, but somehow make her turn into and Elf again and me turn into a fairy. Yes, I want to be a fairy so badly. How wonderful it would be to fly around, and then show off for the Elves.
“Hi, my name is Lina. What can I help you with, today?” Lina asked, smiling slightly. She had wiped off the fake smile in exchange for a smaller one. I didn’t blame her, I think my cheeks would fall off if I had to smile that widely every time I was with a customer.
“We would like a ride to floor number 9, please,” Elvin said as he smoothly took his money out of his pocket, ready to set it down on the counter. What was on floor 9? I couldn’t remember, but I knew that the entrance to the normal hanging out place was one floor above. Maybe Elvin was just saving money, as I had suggested? Or did he just want to let me have part of my way?
“Ok. That will be 8 flares, please.” Elvin counted out 8 flares, and set them down on the counter within about 5 seconds. Lina smiled. I could tell she appreciated the speedy payment. No doubt she’d already had plenty of slow pokes who couldn’t find money, or something else.
“Your driver today will be Dan. Thank you for your business!”
Right when she said Dan’s name, he came around the corner with a smile. Luckily, his didn’t look fake. He gestured for us to follow him to the back of the booth. Elvin led me around and followed Dan.
We approached a little contraption with one two-person seat in it. In the front was where Dan sat. Elvin let me crawl in first, and then sat next to me. Dan was already sitting in his seat. It was made specially with seatbelts for the one flying. The seats were made out of a light wood. Elvin fastened his seatbelt, and then I realized I should too. I had trouble getting it in the buckle, but Elvin saved the day and got it for me.
Dan turned around from his front seat. “Have you two done this before?” He asked.
“Yup, both of us.” I said.
Dan smiled hugely. “Well, good, this should be easy then. I can skip the beginning lesson.” I smiled. Well, I’m gad we made someone’s day a little bit easier and more enjoyable. Dan seemed like a really happy-go lucky guy.
Dan checked our seatbelts, and then stood up in his seat. I guess I shouldn’t call it a seat, because it’s more like a hole that he stands in. His feet were on the ground, but the upper part of his body was seat belted in and everything.
Dan pushed off from the ground and we went up, the seat still attached to him, thank goodness. The seat was tilted back, like we were going up a steep hill, except it was going around a tall tree.
I sat back and relaxed. I closed my eyes so that the only things I was aware of was the wind on my face, and of course Elvin who was sitting right next to me.
Halfway through the ride, I opened my eyes and saw Elvin looking over the edge. He looked a little anxious. Was Elvin afraid of heights? I didn’t think so because we’d done this before, and he had fun. I tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to look at me. I frowned my eyebrows to show my confusion, and I shrugged my shoulders. He just smiled and pat my leg. I turned away from him and rolled my eyes. Thanks for the clarification, Elvin.
I closed my eyes again for the rest of the ride. It helped me imagine how it will be when I grow my wings. Flying freely with the wind whipping by. I also came up with a few theories about Elvin. My first theory was that he suddenly became afraid of heights, or he was good at hiding it until now. Likely. The second theory was that he didn’t get enough sleep last night. Sort of likely. The last theory was that he was nervous about what we were going to do. Possibly likely. I knew Elvin pretty well, but I haven’t seen him like this, so really I couldn’t decide which one was probably right.
Dan started slowing down, and I opened my eyes. He gently set down the carriage down at the opening to level 9. As usual, I had trouble with my seatbelt, and Elvin smiled while helping me out.
“You and your lady friend have fun, now,” Dan said to Elvin as I struggled out of the carriage. Elvin had to literally pick me up, and set me down on the ground. He made it look easy. His strength surprised me. He really didn’t look very strong, but I was proved wrong.
We thanked Dan, and waved as he pulled away. Elvin ignored his reference to me as his girlfriend, as did I. We got that a lot. I’m sure that’s what we looked like; walking around, holding hands, and smiling at each other. But we were used to it and didn’t care what other people thought.
As we turned, I realized that this was the floor that sports companies had their offices. And then I remembered that he had asked for floor 9. I was going to get it out of him.
“Why did you ask for this level?” I asked him.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “You’ll see. No questions, now.”
I was curious. Where were we going? Was he taking me to an exercise room or something? I remembered something else I wanted to ask him.
“Wait, can I please ask one more?” I asked, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
He chuckled at my eagerness, and nodded.
I wasn’t sure why he had looked anxious on the ride up, but I had something to add to one of my theories. I wanted to cross off one of my previous ones in order to help prove myself right.
“Are you afraid of heights?” I asked, trying to read his face.
He was startled by my question. “No...” He was trying to figure out why I was asking. That was answer enough for me.
“Ok, that’s all I needed to know.” he still looked confused, but he let it pass. So now I had two theories, one more likely than the other. I scratched off the one about him being afraid of heights, and added more to my third theory.
Maybe he was nervous about where he was taking me. Maybe he was afraid I would get mad at him, and walk out. Maybe he had spent a lot of money for me to go swimming, or something? I promised myself that whatever it was, I wouldn’t get mad at him. I knew that he always had my best interest at heart. But what if it was really bad? No, no it couldn’t be...
Elvin pulled me around a corner with his hand. He headed right up to the dance studio. I was so dumbfounded that I just let him pull me along, with an odd expression on my face, I’m sure.
As soon as he approached the door, he suddenly stopped, and turned around to face me.
“Lorelle, I did something that I think you will like.” He struggled a little bit with the words, sizing up my reaction.
I was speechless I had no idea what he was talking about. We were standing by the doors to a dance studio. I wondered what he had done, and why were were right in front of a dance studio. Yeah, sure I loved dancing as a little girl, but what did a dance studio have to do with anything?
I forced myself to speak. “What are you talking about, El?” I asked him, so loudly that it echoed off the walls. Hmmm guess I hadn’t lost my voice as much as I thought I had.
“Well, you know how you always watch dance shows?” I nodded slowly. He ran his hands nervously through his hair. “I tracked down your dance teacher from when you were little. She agreed to teach you some Ballroom dancing.” He smiled tentatively, waiting for me.
My jaw dropped. Ballroom dancing? I always liked watching the girls twirling around, looking so graceful. The men were always so elegant and smooth. But I never expected to learn how to dance!
“Elvin. Are you serious?” I asked with wide eyes, excitement boiling up.
He saw that, and grinned widely. “Yes, I am. I’ve been planning this for a while, trying hard to keep it a secret. You don’t know how hard it’s been. After all my work, my mom almost slipped up today!” He felt relieved to tell me about his secrecy.
“Yeah, I noticed that.” I remembered Maple’s question to Elvin, and then the subject being dropped. It did not go unnoticed by me. “But why would you do all this for me?” I asked, still astonished and surprised.
“Lore,” he picked up both of my hands. “You are my best friend, and I like it when you are happy. I wanted to do something nice for you.”
I grinned. Then I did something he had not expected. I jumped up and down, and lunged at him. I hugged him so tightly, with his arms stuck in my grasp. “ Thank you, thank you!” I said so fast that it came out slurred together.
“Um, Lore? Will you release your grip for a second? At least so I can pull my arms free?” I laughed and pulled away. “Hey, that’s not what I meant!” Elvin put his arms around me and hugged me tight, but not as tight as I had. I hugged him back, restraining myself from the death grip.
“Mmmm you hair smells good!” Elvin admired. I laughed and we pulled out of our hug. Elvin really was the best ever. He was too good to me. I needed to find some way to make him happy, too.
“So why did you take me to this floor? Wanted the right place to tell me?” I asked my burning question.
Elvin laughed. “No, actually. Our first lesson is today. Right now.” I jumped up and down some more. I was too excited to notice that he said ‘our’ lesson.
He led me through the doors, and onto the dance floor. It was shiny, and very well kept. Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t wearing the right shoes for this kind of thing. No doubt, flats wouldn’t be appropriate for ballroom dancing. Or any type of dancing, for that matter.
“Uh, El? I don’t think I can do the lesson today..” I said.
He frowned down at me. “What are you talking about?” I pointed down to my shoes. He smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot. Wait here.” He ran off through a door. I waited patiently. I looked at myself in the mirror across the floor, and twirled around. I wasn’t wearing a skirt, but the effect was nice.
Elvin returned with a box. As he ran over to me, I recognized it as a shoe box.
“You got me a shoe box? Oh, Elvin, I’m so thrilled!” I joked around. He smiled, rolled his eyes, and opened the box.
“I asked your mom what size shoes you wore, and went and picked out the best ones I could find.” He took out the silver ballroom heels.
They were simply made, without all those complicated straps. He probably had a good laugh at the idea of me struggling with them. The shoes had only one strap that went around the ankle.
“Ok, wow. You thought of everything, didn’t you!” I asked him, taking the shoes out of his hand, and walking over to a corner where I could put them on. Way in the back of my head, I wondered how much money he spent on them.
“Well, I guess I sort of did.” He answered sheepishly. He watched me put on the shoes with ease, and walk back over to him.
“ Really, thank you Elvin.” I said, giving him another quick hug.
“Do the shoes fit?” he asked me.
“Perfectly,” I answered. And they did fit me perfectly. I could tell I was going to have to break them in, but that was only a given.
“Excuse me for another moment, please.” Elvin said.
“Of course.” I answered as he ran off through the door in the back again. I danced around in my new shoes. Surprisingly, they were very comfortable, and easy to move around in. Finally, the mystery of the ballroom dancers was solved. I always saw those high heels and wondered deeply how they could move in those without tripping or falling down. They had a secret weapon of comfortable shoes. Well, it was secret to me, at least.
Elvin came back in, with my old dance teacher behind him. I was surprised that I recognized her after all these years. She had aged a little bit, with some gray hairs. She had long brown-graying hair, but it was pulled up in a tight bun. She had on a flowing black skirt, and gold ballroom heels.
“Lorelle! How have you been?” She asked as she approached me, and pulled me into a gentle hug.
“Really great! What about you?” I asked.
“Great, also. I’ve been traveling around the place, teaching dancing.”
“Wow that sounds cool. Thank you for doing this.” I said gratefully.
“Don’t thank me. Your friend, here, did all the work.” She gestured toward Elvin. He winked at me, and walked to my side.
I noticed that he had changed his shoes. He was now wearing shiny black shoes. It suddenly hit me. He had said ‘our’ lesson before. He was going to take the lessons with me. I was happy and upset at the same time. I was absolutely thrilled that we were taking the lessons together, but I wasn’t happy about putting him on the spot like that and making him dance too.
“Elvin, you are doing the lesson, too, aren’t you?” I asked him.
He could tell there was a little something in my voice. “Why, of course. I wasn’t going to leave you without a partner, was I?”
“Well, I guess not. That makes sense. Thank you, again, El.” I thanked him, once again.
“You don’t need to thank me. You already have. But you are welcome.” He smiled and turned toward Amber, the teacher, showing that we were ready to begin our lesson.
“Alright then,” Amber smiled. “What shall we start with today?”
I honestly didn’t know and couldn’t think of any ballroom dances, so I couldn’t decide. I thought Elvin wouldn’t know, either, but then he answered.
“Waltz,” he said confidently.
Ok well I definitely knew that one. I wasn’t completely out of the loop.
“What a fine choice. Exactly the one I would have suggested. When you get the feel of the waltz, it will be easier to learn other ones. The basic box step is also used in a few other dances, except to a different beat.” Amber explained.
“I did my research.” Elvin smiled. Wow, he definitely did think of everything. Well, I was the least prepared. I wonder if he’d done any dancing before.
Amber taught us the basic box for waltz. I had lot of trouble with it at first; I kept switching my feet when I wasn’t supposed to, and not switching them when I should have been. I watched Elvin do it perfectly. My question was answered. Yes. He had done this before.
I had widened my eyes when I was watching Elvin. I was a little frustrated with myself. It took me a long time to get the box right.
Amber noticed my worried expression.
“Don’t worry, Lorelle. It takes time to get it right. It is more important for the lead to know what they are doing. The guys lead the girl to do whatever they want. Elvin is your lead. If he leads you well, which I know he will, you won’t even know what you are doing. It will come naturally to you.” Amber explained.
Ok so basically I understood that it’s all up to Elvin. Well, that made me feel better, but I did know that I had a lot of practicing ahead of me.
“You’ve got the basic down. Why don’t you try it with Elvin now? I will show you the proper dance position.” Amber pushed me over to Elvin.
I tripped over my shoe, and started falling. Elvin caught me before I could hurt myself. I was worried that I had done something to my ankle, but I think I just caught the heel of my shoe on my other foot.
“Careful there, Lore. You’ll get used to those shoes soon, don’t worry. I got used to mine within a week.” Elvin assured me.
I got back on my feet when I realized what he had said. “You were taking lessons, already?” I asked him.
“Well, I didn’t want to look like a fool in front of you did I?” He asked with a smile.
I laughed. “I guess not. Except now I’m the fool.”
“No, don’t say that. You are doing excellent.” He reassured me. I couldn’t think of anything to say in reply, so I just smiled. I would have thanked him, but I was already annoying him with my constant thank you’s.
“Ok, Lorelle. Put your left hand right here on his bicep muscle.” Amber grabbed my hand and showed me where my hand was supposed to sit on Elvin’s arm. “Good. Now Elvin, put your right hand on her shoulder blade. Yes, that’s it. And take her right hand in your left. Lorelle, straighten up a bit. Perfect!”
I smiled. This was actually pretty comfortable. Amber told me to relax, but stay in dance position. And she reminded me to let Elvin do the leading, and simply follow.
Elvin began the box step. He stepped forward with his left foot, and I stepped back with my right. We did one box, two boxes, three... It was surprisingly much easier than I thought. It was true, it was all in the leading. Elvin kept the time perfect. 1,23, 1,23. He started rotating the box, which I hadn’t learned yet, but I was doing it!
I was looking at Elvin as he smiled. “Look over my left shoulder. It’s what you are supposed to do. It helps with the awkwardness.”
“It’s not awkward,” I said. And it wasn’t. It felt completely natural to me. Elvin’s arms were very comfortable and strong. He made a great lead.
“But when you dance with other people, it will be. Trust me.” Then he whispered quietly to me, “It’s happened to me before. You are the only one that it hasn’t been awkward with.” Then he winked.
I smiled. Then, I secretly hoped that I would always be dancing with Elvin. He didn’t make fun of me at all, and hey, there was no uncomfortable moments.
I wondered if Amber had heard what he said, but when I looked around she wasn’t there. El told me she had gone to turn on some music, and sure enough, a slow waltz started. El stopped dancing, and then began again so he could adjust to the new beat. He started doing the rise and fall, but I just focused on the box. I messed up a few times, and when I apologized, El just said it was his fault. I knew it wasn’t his fault, because he was dancing flawlessly. He was a natural lead. I was lucky.
Amber walked back onto the dance floor. She clapped and smiled. “You are both doing wonderfully! This will be easier than I thought.”
I was so happy. I was finally learning Ballroom. It was better than I thought it would be, which was awesome since I thought it would be great already. Elvin continued through the song, and then Amber taught me a fun turn so that we didn’t have to only do the box. I picked up on it pretty quickly. I had a little trouble walking to the beat as I turned, but I got it eventually.
Our lesson lasted 2 hours. About halfway through, my feet started hurting, but I was having so much fun I barely noticed it and ignored the pains. I could tell the shoes were leaving blisters on the back of my heels, but in truth I didn’t care all that much.
By the end of the lesson, I had started with the rise and fall part of the waltz. I had started to dance on my toes, rather than the whole flat of my feet. When I went to change back into my other shoes, I confirmed that I had blisters on my heels. My feet were extremely sore, and if felt a little strange to go back to my normal shoes, but a lot more comfortable. I was glad that my shoes didn’t rub against my blisters. That would have been extremely painful. I’m pretty positive Elvin would have had to carry me back.
We walked back to the opening on the 9th floor, where Dan had dropped us off. This time, since we were going down, we took the elevator.
