"Then I now pronounce you to husband and wife! May the Harvest Goddess bless this happy couple." All the friends and villagers present took this as a cue to burst into a loud applause. Although she clapped far more enthusiastically than he did, they both were happy for their friends. She thought her friend Lanna looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress, while he hoped Denny didn't think too much about what was underneath mentioned dress. After the ceremony, a party was given at Nick's Dinner on Verdure Island.
So there they sat at the bar. Pretty much ignoring the loud and cheerful music and watching the others dance while he sipped his milk and she nipped her lemonade.
"You're not much into partying, are you?" Vaughn inquired.
"What do you mean?" He gestured at her lemonade.
"Nah. I've got a soft spot for sugar," Chelsea replied. He nodded and the conversation was ended. She averted her gaze to the bride and broom. Even though the broom had messed up her hair, she still thought she'd never seen Lanna this happy before. Neither had she ever seen Denny's smile this broad, while he had solemnly sworn never to wear a suit. Leave alone a tie. She let out a giggle when she noticed the old man Taro dance with Julia, probably attempting to show Elliot how it's done. Vaughn noticed.
"What's so funny?" he asked. She nodded in Taro and Julia's direction. He grinned.
"I can tell you, that's the most…" he cleared his throat, "…Surprising couple I've seen this evening." She grinned back and he took another sip of his milk.
"And the least surprising?" she asked, taking another nip of her sweet strawberry drink.
"The bride and broom. The kids they'll get will probably learn how to fish before they even know how to walk." She laughed, acknowledging the essence of truth in his statement while he patted on her back when she choked on her lemonade. After that, they remained silent until Lanna motioned for Vaughn to come. Chelsea didn't have a clue what their conversation was about, but the mischievous grins didn't predict anything good. She took another sip from her drink and let it slide, and Vaughn didn't bring it up either. Until the end of the evening, when the music was changed to a slow and romantic tune. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Lanna gave Vaughn two thumbs up as a sign. Not very subtle. He slid off his seat.
"May I have this dance from you, my lady?" he asked with a badly faked English accent, bowing politely and holding up his right hand, the palm faced up. A real gentlemen.
"But I can't dance!" she hissed, her cheeks flushed pink.
"I'll teach you," he smirked and before she could object any further, she had been dragged to the dancing floor. Like an experienced ballroom dancer, he placed his right hand on her hip and took her hand with his left.
"Step forward, backwards… Now left, then right…" he whispered in her ear, taking disadvantage of the position they were in. To be honest, it sent the shivers up her spine. He guided her into a slow swirl and repeated the instructions.
"You never told me you could dance," he whispered, smirking.
"You're a jerk, you know that?"
"Not just any jerk. I'm a gentle-jerk," he declared. If it weren't for him holding her right hand, she would have slapped her forehead with it. Instead, she just pursed her lips for the moment. But soon, she began to get the hang of it and she was biting her lower lip in utmost concentration. He noticed it and decided to press his luck a little more by moving his hand from her hip to the small of her back to pull her in a little closer. A light blush settled itself on her cheeks and when he noticed Denny giving him the thumbs up sign too, his cheeks turned into a light shade of pink too. He was pretty sure that if the small brunette leaned in a little closer, she'd hear his heart beat against his chest.
"When did you learn how to dance?" she asked. His blush deepened and he looked away.
"Taro taught me the day before the ceremony." She snickered, but let out a surprised yelp when her dancing partner picked her up marriage style and swirled her around. She couldn't help but take note of his warm chest and his strong arms.
"How do you like the result of old man Taro's dancing class?" he questioned. Instead of answering, she just took his hat off and ruffled his hair.
"Very funny," he commented.
"Your hair looks cute." He let out a small growl of disagreement and put her down when she'd returned his hat. But before he could take her hand again, the married fisherman had tapped her shoulder and had invited her for a dance. Just as the cowboy had done, he placed his hand on her hip and took her hand. From the corner of her eye, Chelsea noticed Vaughn had already retreated to the bar and his milk. Her feet appeared to be moving on their own, she noticed satisfied.
"Now don't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself this evening," he grinned rascally. She smiled awkwardly, glancing once more at her former dancing partner.
At the end of the party, the bachelorettes gathered and Lanna threw her flower bouquet in their direction over her shoulder. The lucky girl to catch it by accident was Sabrina, who, judging by her sudden sneezes, happened to be allergic to the flowers and handed it to the person next to her. At first the brunette sheepishly looked at the bouquet, but when violet eyes met hers, she couldn't help but smile.
Ballroom dancing is sexy, isn't it?
