Chapter Text
The next few days went by uneventfully. There was homework, and schoolwork, and the occasional essay, and there was a lot of it, but Iffy supposed she could expect that from honors classes. Iffy spent most afternoons after class at the coffee shop with Nate -- on purpose, this time, no accidental meetups -- and while a lot of that time, they just did homework while sitting next to each other, it was nice to be so near him.
Then, on Tuesday, over homework and coffee, Nate slid his tablet under her nose.
So, remember how you asked me to go dancing with you? If you were serious about that, there’s something you should know. I can’t dance. Remember pool noodles and Muppets?
Iffy looked up with a wry smile. “Of course I was serious,” she said. She paused. “And, well, I can’t teach you everything by the time we go out, but I can bring you up to passable.”
Thank you so much!
Iffy wasn’t sure whether that was sarcasm or not, so she didn’t comment.
Nate knocked on Iffy’s door. He’d gotten turned around a few times in the large apartment complex, but finally found her place after about five minutes.
When he’d asked her to teach him to dance yesterday, he wasn’t sure she’d agree -- she was so busy, after all -- but when she did, he could have danced -- horribly -- right there in the coffee shop.
He didn’t have time to make cookies, but he picked up a tray of brownies from the store, and while he was there, he saw the most beautiful sunflowers, so he grabbed one of those, too.
Iffy opened the door and grinned when she saw him. “Nate, hi! I’m glad you’re here! My roommate is going to sit in on us, is that okay?”
Nate nodded, then shoved the brownies and the sunflower awkwardly into Iffy’s hands. "So, I really like you a lot, like, more than friends," he signed quickly. "And it’d be an honor if you’d let me take you out on a date?"
Iffy just stared at him blankly. Her brow furrowed.
“I only got half of that,” she said slowly. “You’re… glad we’re friends?”
Nate held up a finger and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He repeated the message in text and handed it over. His face was flushed dark and hot. What if she said no? Would she not want to be his friend? Would she think he was her friend only so he could try to date her? Nate didn’t know which was worse.
Her fingers loosened on the gifts and she fumbled, but caught them. Her skin flushed warm and dark and she cleared her throat, averting her eyes to his shoe, which suddenly seemed very interesting. He slipped the phone under her nose again.
Please don’t feel pressured. Of course we can still be just friends if you want. I won’t bring it up again.
“No,” Iffy said, “I mean, no, not no, I mean, shit.” She cleared her throat and looked up to Nate’s face, but didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I mean, no, I’m not pressured. I like you a lot, too. And a date would be… a date would be nice.”
Like dinner? Or a poetry slam?
“Or dancing?” Iffy asked, hesitant and stilted, looking up from the phone.
Nate grinned.
“Here, um, why don’t you come in and we can talk about it in the air conditioning and I can find a place to put these.”
Iffy took a few steps backward and looked to her right. “Renee!” she called. “I need you to disappear for a few minutes!”
As Nate pushed the door open to enter, he caught a glimpse of a head of red hair entering one of the bedrooms. “You got it!” she called.
“You’ll meet her in a minute,” Iffy said, “since you didn’t get the chance on Saturday.”
Nate nodded and grinned. Iffy finally smiled and turned around to put the brownies on the counter. Then, of all things, she grabbed her blender and started filling it with water. She stuck the sunflower in, and when she saw the alarm on Nate’s face when she turned back around, she assured him, “We use the blender for flowers because we don’t have a vase.”
Oh! He made a mental note to bring a vase the next time he brought flowers. Maybe. The blender would make a cute story. Iffy turned back to the brownies and popped the plastic lid off, cutting out three squares. She put one to the side for Renee, handed one to Nate, and took one for herself.
“Sit down with me?” she said.
Nate followed Iffy to the couch and sat down beside her.
“What if,” Iffy started. She paused and cleared her throat. “What if the dance club this Friday was a date?”
I’d love to take you out to dinner beforehand, if you want.
Iffy looked up from the phone with a small grin. “I’d like that. What’s that place Brett told me about… Pita’s Jungle?”
Pita Jungle.
“Yeah! What if we went there? As long as it’s not too far out of the way.”
We’ll look up locations at some point today?
“That sounds good,” Iffy smiled. “But I need to know, is this just a single date?”
Nate rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. He took the phone back and typed, Well, I’d like it to be multiple dates, and then eventually, maybe, if you decide you’re not sick of me, a relationship?
Iffy took the phone and her smile grew wider and wider as she read the words on it. She grinned up at Nate and said, “I don’t think I could ever get sick of you.”
She took a small bite of her brownie and placed it on the end table next to the couch. Once she’d finished chewing, she called out, “Renee! Come on out and meet Nate!”
Renee peeked out of her bedroom and grinned. She entered the living room and made a beeline for Nate, towering over even him, as he was sitting down. She propped her fists on each hip and cocked her head to the side, then looked at Iffy and said, “So, this is your cute friend who you’re totally not dating?”
Iffy’s face flushed hot and she curled her fingers up near her mouth. “Well, you know, that was then, this is now.”
Renee barked in laughter and grinned, holding her hand out for Nate to shake. He took it. Both of them had strong handshakes, and they stared each other in the eye a moment, sizing one another up. They smiled at each other, and Renee said, “As long as you treat her right and make her happy, Nate. That’s all that matters to me.”
Nate nodded.
“She’s learning ASL for you, Nate,” Renee continued. “She is learning another language for you. You’ve known each other a week and a half. You do realize what a big deal that is, right?”
Nate’s smile softened and he dropped his hand, looking back at Iffy. She looked back at him, and he gently hooked her hair behind her ear. Iffy smiled.
He looked back at Renee and nodded.
“Just making sure.” Renee signed as she spoke, now that she had both hands.
Nate’s smile widened. "Are you the friend teaching her sign language?"
“Well, me and Vi,” Renee laughed. “It’s a joint effort. She’s a slow learner.”
“Hey!” Iffy pouted, propping her hands on her hips. “I’m working really hard, okay?”
I know. And I appreciate it so much.
It was the shortest message Nate had ever written to her, but one of the most meaningful. She smiled and leaned against his shoulder, looking up at him and whispering, “I’m glad.”
She looked up at Renee as she handed Nate his tablet. “There’s a brownie for you on the counter.”
Renee lit up. “Really? Sweet!”
She skipped over to the kitchen as Iffy stood and offered her hand. “We’re going to start with cha-cha, because the basic steps are simplest.”
Nate put his tablet on the table on his side of the couch and took Iffy’s hand as he pushed himself up. Iffy let him go and pressed the play button on the boom box in the corner. She shook out her arms and legs and stretched her neck a few times, then put her arms out as if she were holding someone and said, “Like this. Two steps forward, cha-cha-cha, two steps backward, cha-cha-cha.” She moved her feet with her instructions, staying on her toes, which were covered in blue and green striped socks. Nate pointed at them, then winked at Iffy and gave her a thumbs up. I like your socks.
“Thank you,” Iffy said, “but pay attention.”
“They are cute socks,” Renee said as she came back into the living room and plopped on the couch. Iffy rolled her eyes.
“Okay, so, the whole point of Latin dance styles,” Iffy started, “according to my instructor of many, many years, anyway, is for the person leading to make the person following shine. You, Nate, are going to lead, because you are the taller one by a long shot, so your job is basically to make me look pretty.”
"That won’t be a problem," Nate signed. Renee translated it and both he and Iffy flushed hot.
“I wasn’t supposed to translate that,” Renee translated his next signs cheerfully. Nate groaned and covered his face with his hand. “That either, apparently.” She took a bite of her brownie and grinned.
“Well, um,” Iffy squeaked. “Thank you, Nate. That’s very flattering. But, what I mean is, you’re supposed to show me off, like a flower, or a --”
"A butterfly?" Nate asked. Iffy grinned. Nobody had taught it to her, but it was so similar to her name sign, she understood immediately.
"Or a butterfly," she signed back.
“That means ‘butterfly,’” Renee translated helpfully.
Nate covered his chuckle with a loosely curled hand, and Iffy rolled her eyes, but smiled.
“Thank you, Renee.”
“Welcome.” Renee took another bite of her brownie, quieting herself for a few moments.
Iffy brushed her hair away from her face and continued. “So, the steps are incidental for a lot of the dances. We’re not competing, so it doesn’t matter if you miss one or if you’re sloppy. So --” she opened and closed her hand a few times -- “dance with me.”
Friday couldn’t come fast enough. Iffy was vibrating in excitement and nerves when she woke up that morning, way too early to be reasonable. But GerBear and D were often online at weird times, so she logged on to see.
D was on, so she sent him a message.
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: Hey, there! You’re still coming out tonight, right?
SexyEwok22: OF COURSE
SexyEwok22: you bringing a date?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: :)
SexyEwok22: WHOOHOO!!!!
SexyEwok22: you decide to go for a natural hairstyle yet?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: Sigh. No, still perming. GerBear, you know I can’t, with my job.
SexyEwok22: how is your job going?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: Uneventful. But it might come in good for something! I might be able to use my connections to let my friend use the kitchens for his Food Not Bombs group.
SexyEwok22: are you involved, too?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: Sort of? Just a little right now, going when I can, no commitment.
SexyEwok22: ok just be careful if any cops show up
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: I know, I know. My parents have given me the talk multiple times. They were Panthers! They met doing the free breakfast program, remember? It’s in my blood.
SexyEwok22: oup, gerbear is up, do you want me to get him online
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: If it’s no trouble.
SexyEwok22: I literally just have to poke him, we share a room
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: I meant for him, you doof.
UGotPorn has joined your chat.
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: Hey, GerBear! You’re coming to our dance outing tonight too, right?
UGotPorn: UM YES
SexyEwok22: I already said yes iffy what the hell
SexyEwok22: and when are we not attached at the hip?
UGotPorn: You bringing a date?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: :)
SexyEwok22: that’s what she said to me!! that’s a yes, right??
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: That’s a yes.
UGotPorn: Are they a date or a partner?
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: HE is a date.
UGotPorn: Well, you’re bi, we can’t just assume these things.
Bobette_the_Lizard_Queen: I know, thank you. <3
Iffy chatted with the twins for a long while, mostly about dance clubs and music, swapping music files and links to new things while she waited for the time to pass. About an hour later, she logged off to make coffee, and as she stood, leaning against the counter and sipping at the cup while she looked at all the old show flyers on the fridge, she thought about life, and the universe, and everything, and whether The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy BBC Miniseries would ever be released officially to DVD in her region.
Nate threw another shirt over his shoulder. No good. He owned so many clothes. Why weren’t any of them suitable for a nice night out? Iffy had said it was a nice-ish place, a dance club, not a nightclub, and he had to dress accordingly or the bouncer might not let them in.
Justin poked his head into Nate’s room and asked, “You okay? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
"I don’t have anything to wear!" Nate signed. His hands flailed wildly and he buried his face in them once they finally stilled.
He looked up when Justin patted his shoulder and said, “Let me have a look.”
Nate sat down on his bed, worrying his nails between his teeth for just a moment before realizing it would ruin the nail polish he’d meticulously applied that morning. He put his hands in his lap instead. While Justin went through his walk-in closet, Nate sat back out of the way. Justin didn’t have the best fashion sense either. Maybe he should text Brett? Brett was good at these things.
Justin sorted through Nate’s clothes, calling out occasional comments such as “Why do you have so many denim jackets?” and “You probably have every pair of jeans that exist to fit your height.”
“You have too many clothes!” Justin laughed. But he straightened and turned around, holding a pair of slacks and a white dress shirt. He dropped them in Nate’s lap as he walked by and said, “I’ll get you one of my ties. Green okay?”
Nate nodded. "Okay."
Justin started to walk away and Nate caught his wrist.
"Actually, do you have red? Red looks better on me."
“I’ll look,” Justin said. “I think so.”
Nate stood and shut the door behind Justin so he could get changed.
Iffy couldn’t stop pacing.
Her red and black dress had been carefully picked to hide the few parts of her body she wasn’t comfortable with. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun with a little red flower. And Renee and Vi were watching her climb the walls over a date.
“Iffy, it’s okay,” Renee said. “He seems really sweet. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“I don’t, either,” Iffy said.
“So why are you pacing?” Vi asked.
Iffy whirled toward her friends and cried, “What if he doesn’t like me?”
Renee and Vi shared a confused look.
“Um, Iffy,” Renee said, “he asked you out on a date and said he’d like it to be a permanent arrangement if you’re okay with that. I’m pretty sure he likes you.”
“But what if he changes his mind?” Iffy asked.
“I don’t think he will,” Vi said. “And if he does, I’ll punch him.”
Iffy’s shoulders relaxed a little and she finally laughed. “I’d rather you didn’t,” she said. “But thanks for the thought.”
Vi opened her mouth to respond, but a knock came on the door and interrupted her.
“All right,” Iffy said. She smoothed down her dress and looked at her friends. “Do I look okay?”
Renee clicked her tongue and gave her double finger guns. Vi laughed.
“You look beautiful,” Vi said, “and from what you told us, I don’t think he’d care even if you didn’t.”
Iffy smiled. Another knock.
When she opened the door, Nate was on the other side.
“We match,” was the first thing she said. Nate looked down at Iffy’s dress and looked back up with a grin. He handed her a small bouquet of six roses and showed her his cell phone with a pre-written message.
For your blender.
Iffy laughed and said, “Come in while I get these settled, then we’ll get going.”
Sabor! was the same as it had always been: bright, loud, and beautiful. When they got there, Nate started to lead her into the entry line, but Iffy stopped him.
“Wait,” she said. “Some of my friends are already in there, but GerBear and D are still on their way. I want to wait for them.”
Nate nodded and led her to the side of the building that faced the parking lot. "They’re driving?" he asked.
“Yeah,” Iffy said.
Nate pulled out his tablet, but before he had a chance to write anything, Iffy jumped up and waved and called, “GerBear! D!”
She tapped Nate’s shoulder where he sat beside her and he slid his tablet back into his bookbag. He stood, towering over all three of them, as GerBear and D tackled her in a three-way hug.
“Iffy!” they both cried.
“Hi, guys!” she laughed. She disentangled herself from them and took Nate’s hand. Nate beamed. “This is Nate.” She turned to Nate and gestured toward the twins. “The one with the locs is GerBear, the one with the afro is D. Since they’re twins and they do that annoying thing where they dress alike, that’s the easiest way to remember. I’ll…” she trailed off.
“You’ll…?” D asked.
“Shush,” she said, putting her hand over his mouth. He licked it. “Eww!” she cried, wiping it off on his shirt. D laughed.
“I’m talking to Nate, anyway,” she said. She turned to him and nervously, lightly took his hands.
“I’ll probably dance with each of them before the night is over, and maybe my other friends, too. It’s tradition in our little group, to swap partners around and dance with everyone. So… so don’t get jealous, okay?”
Nate’s face softened. He booped her nose with a soft little squeak, and she smiled. He smiled back and signed, "No jealousy here. They’re you’re friends. Of course you would want to dance with them."
Iffy didn’t understand all of it, but she understood enough. Her smile widened into a comfortable grin and she nodded, just once. Her step was lighter when she turned back around to the twins, and she said, “Well, let’s go!”
When they got inside, D grabbed GerBear’s hand and dragged him off while calling over his shoulder, “We’re going to go request a song!”
Nate stood against the wall a little awkwardly, playing with his hands. Iffy stood beside him, arms bumping. Wordlessly, Iffy wove her hands around Nate’s wrist and gently tugged his hands apart, winding her fingers with his.
Then GerBear and D’s song started. It had to have been them. It was their song. The team’s song. The song they danced to when they won their first competition.
Shakira’s “Te Aviso Te Anuncio.” The tango. Iffy’s favorite style.
Nate grinned. He recognized this style, even if he didn’t know the song, and he led Iffy out onto the dance floor. He was a little clumsy and awkward, because Iffy had only been able to give him the single three hour lesson before they came.
And so they danced -- one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, spin, dip, three, four. Iffy had expected it to be more awkward with the height difference, but it wasn’t at all. They flowed together perfectly, fluidly, loosely joined by their hands clasped together and Nate’s hand on Iffy’s waist, Iffy’s on his arm. He had a lot to learn, but for a beginner, he was excellent.
It didn’t matter to Iffy that she’d had more talented dance partners, because dancing wasn’t about talent, not really -- it was about emotion and wordless communication.
Some people could tell all they needed to about someone through body language or the way they talked. Iffy couldn’t, but she could read anything through the way a person danced.
She wasn’t nervous about Nate anymore. She wasn’t afraid of his intentions and she wasn’t unnerved about what he might want out of her. He was sincere. He cared, honestly and completely. He didn’t want anything from her she wasn’t willing to give.
He’d said it before, and Iffy didn’t think he was lying, but dancing with him for so long -- the tango, the rumba, the cha cha, the Paso Doble, the samba and the salsa -- for hours… it drove the point home.
While heels were perfect for dancing, they weren’t so good for Iffy’s arches, and Nate noticed her slowing down.
Is there re-entry here? he used his phone to ask.
“Yeah.”
He deleted his message and wrote a new one. Do you want to go outside for a while? Get some fresh air and sit down?
Iffy grinned. “You read my mind, Nate.”
We can come back in after you’ve rested and you can dance with your friends then, maybe?
“Perfect.”
Even though it was August, it was comfortably warm, not too hot, because it had already been dark for long enough to cool down the pavement. A comfortable breeze ruffled through Iffy’s hair. She started when she saw Nate’s hand near her face, but when she turned toward him, she realized he was just rearranging the flower that had gone lopsided in her hair. His hand hesitated, then he gently ran his fingers down her cheek, and when she leaned into it, he smiled. It came to rest comfortably on her shoulder. Just that gentle touch warmed her all the way through. She sighed when he pulled his hand away so he could go back to his phone.
Thank you for inviting me out tonight.
“I’m glad you came.”
Me, too. He looked up at the sky and leaned back on the brick wall. The music seeped through the cracks, bass and drums.
The moon was full, even though they couldn’t see the stars through the light pollution. Care to go on a moonlit walk with me? He smiled hopefully.
“I’d love to. How about… that way?” Iffy nodded to the left. Nate nodded.
As they walked, Nate tapped away on his phone, and finally pulled Iffy to a stop so she could read it without tripping.
When you’re outside on a night like this, and it’s warm and the moon is full, when you look up at the sky, what do you think about?
They stood there on the corner, face to face on of Nate’s hands just barely hovering above Iffy’s side as he held his phone with the other. Iffy took the hand by her side and pressed it into her dress, holding it there, softly.
Finally, Iffy answered. “I think …I think about how great it would be to find a lake somewhere and go swimming with my best friend. I think about playing tag in a huge field with nothing but the moon and stars lighting my way. I look at the stars and I wonder what each of them is thinking as they all look back down at me.” She reached up for one of the stars sitting just higher than the moon, then slowly closed her hand. She looked back up at Nate, and said, “And I think about what it would be like to catch a star, and hide it away in a little box, to save in secret until I fall in love.”
Maybe it was inappropriate to say on a first date. They’d only known each other, what, two weeks? Nate might even think she wasn’t talking about him.
But on nights like this, when the moon shone so brightly and a few stars peeked through the light pollution, it was easier to be honest.
The two stood in silence for a while, and eventually they leaned against the wall, Iffy’s head on Nate’s arm and his arm around her waist. After a long, long while, Nate tugged his hand away and Iffy looked up, waiting for him to sign or write her a message.
It was a message. I have something for you, too. Not as nice as whoever’s lucky enough to get that star, but I thought of you when I saw it, and that’s the best kind of gift, I think.
Iffy looked up to see Nate worrying a small cardboard box between his hands.
“What’s this?” Iffy asked, returning Nate’s phone in exchange for the box. Nate held the phone close to his chest, watching anxiously as Iffy opened the small package.
Inside was a pair of blue and purple iridescent butterfly earrings, with little amethysts at the top where they went into the piercing. Iffy’s hand shot to her mouth and she gasped. She’d gotten thoughtful gifts in the past, from her friends, but never anything so beautiful. Especially not from a partner.
“I love them,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
The worry left Nate’s face and shoulders and he perked up. He typed something more into his phone and handed it over to Iffy.
I know we’re not even through the first date, and you can say no, and I don’t want to pressure you, and it might not be ‘proper,’ but can I kiss you?
Iffy laughed and pulled him down by his tie, playfully, so much more bold than she had been up to now. But the music and the moonlight had gone to her head, and she whispered, “Absolutely no pressure at all.”
Nate laughed against her mouth and softly, gently pressed his lips to hers. They stayed that way, neither moving to deepen it. A perfect interlude in a perfect night.
The End