“No, really, no thank you.” Spencer tried to pull against the hands that were tugging him onto the floor. “I really am fine, thank you very much.”
Garcia grinned at him and kept tugging. “Nonsense, my love. Everyone has to learn how to dance sometime! Isn’t that right?” She asked, turning to look at Emily who was busy pulling on Spencer’s other hand. Emily nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Come on, Reid .You have to learn how to dance at some point in time!”
In the middle of Dave’s now cleared out living room floor, Spencer looked at the two girls and then at the others sitting on the sidelines. Everyone was grinning at him. Morgan had a smug little grin that instantly put Spencer’s back up. They thought he didn’t know how to dance? His eyes moved back toward the girls. “You won’t let this go, will you?”
“Nope.” They said together.
Spencer sighed. “I can dance, you know.” He tried to tell them. All he got in return was a skeptical look. So, with a sigh, he prepared to not only embarrass himself, but prove them wrong. He walked over to Dave’s stereo, sifting through CD’s until he found one that would work for him. Then, without even asking permission, he put it in the CD player and skipped until it was the song he wanted.
As the music sounded around them, a soft number that seemed to flow through the room, Spencer turned around and took a deep breath. Memories of the last time he had done this were filling his mind. He could do this.
With more grace than he ever showed, Spencer stepped forward, one arm tucked behind his back. He bowed gently, as he’d been taught, and then held his left hand out, palm up, towards Emily. He guessed her to be the only one who might be familiar with this style of dancing because of how she’d grown up in a political lifestyle. It would be easier if he had a steady partner who had a general idea of the moves.
Surprise lit her eyes. But she placed her hand gently in his, automatically stepping up against him, their bodies pressing flush against one another. His right hand came up to rest on her shoulder blade and her hand rested on that arm. Then, with a small smile shared between them, Spencer proceeded to dance.
He knew he’d made the right decision in a partner. Emily was not only graceful, but obviously experienced with the waltz. As they twirled and spun around the room, her steps never faltered. A smile lit her face and good humor had her eyes sparkling. But beyond that, she never faltered, never tried to take charge from him. She trusted him totally to lead, which was an important part of dancing with someone. She even kept her eyes locked on his, something that made the dance so much easier and less dizzying.
The music rose and swelled around them and the two continued their waltz around the living room. Spencer gave a half a thought to be thankful that the furniture had been moved far back for his ‘lesson’ and that Dave’s living was large. Really, really large. It meant he didn’t have to worry about spinning into anything.
Beyond that, Spencer let go of all thought. He let go of everything but enjoying himself. It had been a long time since he’d danced like this and with such a talented dance partner. Smiling, he and Emily locked eyes, twirling a few final times as the music wound down to the end.
When it stopped the two stepped apart, keeping his left and her right hand laced. They turned to the others and lavishly bowed while applause rang through the room. As soon as they straightened, Spencer turned to look at Emily, squeezing her hand. “Thanks for assisting me in my demonstration.” He told her.
“Oh, Dr. Reid, trust me. It was my pleasure.” She answered flirtatiously, making him blush and let go of her hand, much to the amusement of the entire room.
To Spencer’s great surprise, Morgan rose and walked over to him. “Ok, man, that’s it.” He said. Crossing his arms over his chest, Morgan stared at his best friend, making Spencer squirm slightly. What on earth was this about? But then Morgan’s face split into a huge grin and he said “You have got to teach me how to do that.”
“What?”
“Yeah, man. Come on. You can’t show off like that and not show us how to do it.”
At Morgan’s words, everyone rose to their feet, all demanding they be shown how to waltz. Surprised, Spencer looked at them all, flustered at being the center of attention. They wanted him to teach them? Well…crap. Just, crap. That hadn’t been what he wanted to come from this! One look told him that he wasn’t going to get out of it, though.
So that was how Spencer found himself sighing and agreeing to something he never would have originally done. Dave claimed first rights, it being his house and all. But he grinned at Spencer and offered him a glass of wine first, to which the younger man was eternally grateful. It gave him something to hold in his hands at first.
“Ok, well, um.” Spencer paused, taking a deep breath. Calm, he told himself. Calm. “Emily, would you like to help me?”
She smiled and stepped out onto the floor to stand facing Dave, about a foot apart. He guided the two together, showing Dave how to place his body and his hands.
Emily turned to smile at him. “I’ve got him, Reid, if you want to set up the others. Basic steps won’t take up too much space. You worry about those four and I’ve got Dave here.”
“Left in the arms of a beautiful woman? What a shame.” Dave teased her.
Spencer chuckled slightly before gesturing his other friends onto the floor. Naturally, Morgan and Garcia paired together, leaving JJ to pair with Aaron. They’d all watched Emily and Dave at first, so they knew how to hold out their hands and to step up to one another. Spencer nodded when they took each other’s hands.
He set his wine glass down on the counter before moving over toward JJ and Aaron. Caught up in the moment, he didn’t think about it as his hands hooked on JJ’s waist, shifting her stance a little. “The proper hold is full body contact along the woman’s right side.” He told her, moving her just enough that her right side was flush against Aaron.
Stepping back, he looked at the two couples. “Make sure you’re holding her at the shoulder blade. Ladies, your hand needs to be resting on his upper arm. It should line your arms up together.”
This part seemed to be going easy enough. Nodding, Spencer looked from one to the other. “Ok, now, one of the important things to remember is that the man is the one who leads. He has to lead. The man is in charge of timing movement and choreography. The woman follows and enhances his movement but is no less important in the moves.”
Chewing on his lip, Spencer looked over to Emily. “Should we just start with the simple box?”
“Yeah. That’s the most basic move. Just keep it easy for a bit, Reid. Let them get comfortable. You tackle those two, I’ll take a moment and show Dave.” She replied.
Nodding, Spencer moved over to stand between Aaron and Morgan, facing the same was as they did. It was interesting to put himself in the stance without a partner there, his arms holding on to air, but it was the only way he could show them the moves. “This is called a box step. It’s easy to count on the meter one, two, three. It’s just a repetition of three moves. In your mind it can actually help if you count off as you move. Girls, if you could step back for just a minute while I give them the basic idea.”
He took a deep breath and reminded himself to take it slow and not be nervous. These were his friends, who cared it he was a little fumbling? This wasn’t like he was teaching a class or anything. He was just playing around with friends at one friend’s house. Nothing formal. Nothing fancy. Thinking that made it a little easier to calm himself down. He waited until JJ and Garcia had backed up before continuing. “Step one, step forward with the left foot.” He said, putting that foot forward. “Two. Right foot step sideways to the right.” Again he moved, making sure they followed with him. “Three. Bring your left foot next to your right foot.”
“Seems easy enough.” Morgan said, looking from his feet to Spencer’s.
Spencer smiled. “Now, here’s the second count. We go to three twice in a box. So, one. Step back with the right foot. Two. Step back sideways with the left foot. Three. Bring your right foot next to your left foot.”
Twice more Spencer ran them through it. Then he stepped to the other side, by the ladies. This took him a moment to remind himself how to do. It had been a long time since he’d waltzed, but even longer since he’d been the follower and not the leader.
Looking from one side to the other, Spencer was relaxed by their smiles. “Now, just because you’re not in the lead doesn’t mean that you won’t be working hard at this. In a way you work a little harder. It’s been quoted that ‘Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but she did it backwards and in high heels.’ If anyone thinks that isn’t hard, they have no idea what they’re referring to.”
He held his arms up again, gesturing for them to do the same. It made it easier to learn the steps if you were in stance. “Now, your steps are essentially the same, but backwards. One. Step back with the right foot. Two. Left foot step sideways to the left. Three. Bring your right foot next to your left foot. One. Step forward with the left foot. Two. Step forward sideways with the right foot. Three. Bring your left foot next to your right foot.”
Three times he ran through it with them before pairing them up. Then he suggested they practice together, offering to watch and correct where necessary. “Many find that it assists them to learn while counting off the time. Though I recommend doing this inside your head as you don’t want to develop a habit of counting out loud each time you dance. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in a partner.” He teased.
Then he simply stood back and drank his wine for a moment, letting them all make their way through the moves. Emily and Dave did well together, which Spencer had known would happen. Dave was a generally graceful person on his feet. He made a few mistakes, but Emily patiently stopped him and corrected his moves before starting again.
It also didn’t surprise him to see that Morgan was pretty smooth moving. He made normal beginner mistakes, stopping and starting over, but he was doing well. Garcia…she looked beyond nervous. Overthinking it, really. That was one of the biggest problems a dancing couple could have. Thinking too hard and being afraid to make a mistake. That was what had made it take so long for Spencer to be able to learn to dance.
He walked over to the two of them, noticing the flush on Garcia’s cheeks and the way her eyes darted downward. They were signs Spencer recognized. He did those things when he was feeling self-conscious. All of his own nerves disappeared. “Hey, Morgan, let me steal your spot for a minute.” Spencer said, eyeing Garcia. “I want to show Garcia something.”
Morgan smiled and took Spencer’s wineglass, taking a sip from it when he wasn’t looking. Spencer didn’t notice. His eyes locked on Garcia’s face. Maybe words weren’t what she needed right then. By the way she stood, the way she moved, he had a slight feeling he understood what her problem was. He’d encountered it before in other girls he’d known. It just wasn’t something he’d have pegged to happen to Garcia.
Maybe actions would speak louder than words at the moment. Spencer adjusted his posture and held his hand out to her, waiting for her to accept. He saw the hesitation, the way her usually cheerful eyes were slightly darker than normal and her cheeks were stained with her embarrassment. Usually confident Penelope Garcia looked as shy and awkward as Spencer usually did.
Noticing it, Morgan almost started to say something. He only stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. Aaron was gently touching him, shaking his head. He and JJ had stopped to watch this. Aaron saw the same things that Spencer had and knew that this was something best left to the two of them. Even Emily and Dave had stopped on the other side of the living room to watch.
For a long moment Garcia didn’t move. Spencer didn’t either. He stood, that one hand extended, his eyes steady on her face. Finally she lifted her eyes, locking gazes with him. His hated seeing the doubt and the negativity in her face. She was always so confident and sure of herself that sometimes, people forgot what could be underneath that.
Garcia slowly lifted her hand, placing it in his. It wasn’t visible but Spencer could feel the small tremble there. He gave her a gentle smile and pulled her close to him, lining up their bodies. She hesitated only for a moment before swallowing and allowing him to lead them completely. His hand rested on her shoulder blade and hers came to rest on his arm.
He took the first step forward, eyes trained on hers. “Look right into my eyes.” He murmured softly, not wanting to break the spell over them. “It makes it easier. Now, count with me. Follow your steps. One, two, three.”
So softly no one else could hear them, the two counted together, moving through the box step over and over. “One, two, three. One, two, three.” Eventually Spencer stopped counting, simply flowing to the music, pulling her along with him. He saw her gradually start to loosen up. Some of the look faded from her eyes.
She stumbled a little, bringing a bit of that doubt back into her eyes, but Spencer had been prepared. He straightened her easily, leading her automatically back into the step. “Everyone stumbles, Garcia.” He told her in a whisper. With the music still playing softly in the background, it masked their words so no one else could hear. “Everyone becomes slightly awkward when they learn, no matter their shape or size.”
Garcia blinked in surprise before a wry grin covered her lips. “I really hate working with profilers.” She muttered.
Winking, Spencer started to add the small turn to their steps, taking the box up to the next level. Their conversation distracted her enough that she didn’t even notice. “Actually, it was more the friend than the profiler in me. Also, out of anyone, I think I would be the one to most easily recognize the signs pointing to low self-esteem and doubt. I never thought I would be able to learn how to dance this way, being so awkward and such. Yet now, it’s as effortless as breathing is.”
“I just feel…out of place.” That was the closest she could come to saying what she wanted to say.
He smiled gently at her, never pausing in their dancing. “Why? Because you made beginners mistakes? You were doing no worse than JJ was. All you were missing was confidence.”
“I don’t know if I can get that kind of confidence. I don’t, I mean, this is a dance for girls like Emily and JJ. It’s not for girls like…like me.”
“And yet, we’ve been dancing a perfect left box turn this entire conversation without a single misstep.” Spencer replied. He couldn’t help but smile when she stumbled again, noticing what they were doing. He squeezed her hand and drew her back into the move again. “You dance beautifully, Pen, when you don’t overthink it. You are one of the most graceful women I’ve had the pleasure of dancing with.”
“Really?” Her smile grew, that usual light coming back.
He smiled back at her. “I wouldn’t lie to you.” That said, he stepped away, releasing her shoulder and using their joined hands to twirl her toward Morgan, who caught her with a grin. Over her head he mouthed ‘Thanks’ to his friend. Spencer nodded, flustered when he realized that the others had been watching him.
JJ stepped up, her grin stretching her face. “Ok, Spence, come on now. All the other girls danced with you. Now it’s my turn. Let Emily move from Rossi to the other guys. I want my twirl on the floor.”
Laughter tickled Spencer’s throat. He pretended to sigh when he held his hand out. “If I must.” He teased.
“You must.” JJ teased him back.
With a wide grin, Spencer pulled JJ in close and let his friend around the room. He felt himself relax and couldn’t stop from smiling at her. This had turned into a much better night than he’d thought it would. When they spun by Morgan and Garcia, who were doing a good job practicing their own steps, Spencer let out a gentle laugh. There was nothing quite like spending an evening with those that you love. With family.