El Tango De Fitz

"Jake, I've been waiting for twenty minutes. Where are you?" Aria Montgomery stood at the entrance of the Rumba Zumba Dance Company, yelling into her cell phone at her very unpunctual boyfriend. This was typical Jake- all talk about how he couldn't wait to sweep her off her feet on the dance floor, hearts beating in time to the Spanish violin-

And then not show up.

She heard him sigh on the other end agitatedly, noisily chewing his gum. "Babe, I already told you I had stuff to do today."

"You most certainly did not." Aria knew it was silly, but a wave of angry tears filled her eyes. She had been looking forward to this class for two weeks, but as usual, it hadn't mattered to Jake. He never showed interest in her interests, even when Aria compromised to suit his high demands. Now, she was standing outside the door to a studio filled with couples ready to learn the tango, and she was the only one without a partner.

"How could you, Jake? All I wanted was an hour of your time." Aria couldn't stand talking to him anymore. In spite, she hit the end button on the call and chucked it into her open bag. Teeth gritted and face flushed with embarrassment, Aria turned and trudged into the studio, ready to ballroom dance without a man to lead her.

About six or seven couples were in the room, either stretching on the floor or chatting with others. Aria made her way to the back, feeling insignificant and rather awkward. She had taken dance classes as a teenager, but had never studied anything even remotely close to Tango, unless you counted a brief lesson of the Cha Cha Slide.

She sat on the floor and stretched both legs in front of her, then leaned to touch her toes and press her forehead into her knees. It was one of the upsides of being small- it was a great deal easier to stretch.

She looked up then, but jumped, surprised to see that there was now a woman squatting before her. She had inky black hair and almond-shaped brown eyes- she was a Spanish beauty.

"You have wonderful flexibility," the woman commented to Aria, smiling a dazzling white smile. Aria assumed she was the class instructor. "But where is your partner?"

Aria blushed again, frowning slightly. "He couldn't make it." He never could.

"And yet, you're still here." The instructor nodded. "Shows dedication. I like that."

The woman stood then with a rare kind of grace, before gliding her way to the from of the studio. The long skirt she was wearing was slit so it exposed a part of her leg, and her high ballroom shoes were red satin. She looked ready to be on stage.

"Hello everyone, and welcome. My name is Angelina, and I'm your instructor."

As the welcome speech began, Aria took the time to glance around the studio. A few of the couples were middle aged, another were teenagers, but the rest appeared to be a little older than Aria. She felt very out of place and worried that she would look ridiculous not having a partner, but that was until she saw him.

A tall, slim and slightly built man stood off against the wall, alone, just like Aria. The first thing she noticed was the adorable curls that topped his head- then the tightness of his arms. Aria observed the man carefully, taking in every inch of his appearance. The diamond blue eyes, the precisely cut jaw- he was beautiful.

Her eyes roamed his stature, taking in just how well his outfit looked on him. Black dress pants and a form fitting white T-shirt. Aria gulped, legitimately salivating over his beauty. This charm- not just the physical appeal, but the aura of mystery in his beautiful blue eyes made him enchanting. Maybe Aria was being dramatic. Maybe Jake had lowered her expectations of men.

Angelina clapped her hands then, and Aria snapped back to attention. Angelina observed the class, then much to Aria's horror asked, "who here does not have a partner?"

Aria blushed a deep red and slowly raised her hand. Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She heard murmurs as they pondered about why she would come to a couple's ballroom class- single.

"Great. You will go with Ezra."

Aria gulped, glancing around for this "Ezra" that she would soon be chest to chest with. It took her seconds to realize that this Ezra was the man she'd been silently checking out not moments ago, and for a second, she was paralyzed- it would be wrong to dance so intimately with some other guy than Jake, especially since she was so attracted to this guy. But that was when a second thought occurred to her-

Revenge.

Aria smirked, pleased with herself for being so clever. She nodded to Angelina and smiled a bright, white smile, then as if she had all the confidence in the world, walked straight towards Ezra.

"Hi," she said to him, "I'm Aria."

Ezra watched her carefully, his beautiful lips turning up into a small, crooked grin. He extended a hand towards her, casting a whiff of sweet-smelling body wash over her. "It's nice to meet you."

He was spellbinding. As his warm, smooth hand met hers, Aria nearly gasped at the strength and stability of his arm. It felt as though he could hold her forever and never tire- as if he had everlasting grace. Aria stared into his captivating blue eyes, dumbfounded, feeling as if nothing else was ongoing in the room.

She had never experienced this form of attraction before. Not with Jake, not with any other man.

Angelina clapped again, and Aria reluctantly broke her eyes from Ezra's. He released her hand and they both turned to Angelina. She was now standing with her partner, a young man that was obviously trained in ballroom from the very posture of his stance.

"We are going to start with a basic stance," she instructed. "I want you to really get the feel of your partner's hold on you. Find an equilibrium." Angelina stood in front of her partner, and she wrapped one hand around his shoulder as his hand hooked around her ribs. The duo tilted their chins up, chest to chest, never looking each other in the eyes. Their arms were stretched to the side, hands locked together.

"Do as we do." The man instructed, and Aria's heart skipped a beat at the thought of being that close to Ezra.

"Have you ever tried Tango?" Ezra's voice said suddenly.

Aria shook her head, feeling sheepish. What if he thought she was too puny to dance with? Did she smell bad?

"I've done jazz, contemporary, and tap. Never Latin." Her breath hitched as Ezra steeped towards her, fingers taking her hands into his. She rushed to put her arms in the right spots, but failed and bumped her wrist against his neck. Humiliated, she blushed again and looked anywhere but his eyes.

Ezra did nothing but smile. With his soft, warm hand, he gently grasped her wrist and placed it right beside his neck, on his shoulder. Aria popped her elbow to a straight bend, like Angelina. Then, Ezra tugged her close. Really close. As in, every time she inhaled, her chest would touch him. And finally, Aria quivered as she felt his strong hand at the back of her ribs.

She tilted her chin up to find his eyes.

"Like this?" She asked, straightening her back and popping one knee.

Ezra nodded, his sweet breath on her face. "You're perfect."

It was in a sense that her position was perfect, and she knew that, but it didn't stop her heart from fluttering anyways.

"I take it you've had tango experience?" Aria was nervous, watching as Angelina began to describe the basic tango rhythm.

T-a-n-g-o.

Ezra grinned again. "Only eight years."

Aria gulped again. "You aren't a student, are you?"

Without warning, Ezra stepped forward on his right foot, causing Aria to step back on her left. She glanced down between their bodies at their feet, then back up to Ezra's eyes again.

"Nope, but you already seem to know how this goes." He took another step, sending her back another, then took three quicker, smaller steps. Aria followed, letting him lead. All she could feel was his presence, guiding her where to go next. "Are you sure you're a student?"

Aria beamed, pleased with herself for managing to grasp the steps so quickly. Her body tingled with the thought that she'd been able to impress him.

"So why aren't you teaching the class?" she asked as Ezra took another three steps, this time being a little less gentle. More direct. She struggled to keep up, but wanted desperately to be able to keep impressing him. Something about him being more experienced- teaching her the way of the dance made in really, really hot.

Ezra suddenly stopped, and all at once switched feet with a swing of the heel. At the same time, he slid his hand down her back and pulled her abdomen flush against his, and she instinctively raised her knee so it rested against his hip. It was a traditional tango pose- but Aria felt nothing besides a wave of impeccable lust.

"I like being on the floor," Ezra answered, chest rising and falling and pressing into hers. "I'm more of a hands-on teacher."

Aria hadn't noticed the music that had been playing. She hadn't noticed the couples around her still frantically trying to keep up with the basic steps Angelina had taught them- a few pairs seeking to out-do Aria and Ezra, the partners that had just met and so far were the best in the class. It appeared as though the world had stopped, the only thing remaining was the sensation of Ezra's arms around her.

Aria dropped her leg, and looked at him. Ezra was still smirking at her.

"You're fantastic," he complimented, removing his hand from her back. She missed the warmth. "You've already got the rhythm and technique."

Aria blushed, but this time it wasn't from humiliation. "Well, you kind of pushed me into doing it right."

"I saw the potential in you," he bit his lip and stared at her for a moment, before turning around to look at Angelina.

Giving her some sort of message, Angelina suddenly stopped the music playing by hitting the remote. She then silenced the class, and looked to Aria.

"Look at Aria," she said, pointing to Aria across the room. "Watch her posture."

Ezra chuckled at her wide eyes, then grabbed her hand.

"Come on," he whispered, pulling her into standing position. The music began to play, and Aria realized it was El Tango De Roxanne from Moulin Rouge. She had heard it before, and the familiar rhythm helped her as Ezra began to lead her again.

Step, step, step-step-step. Step, step, step-step-step. Step, step, switch legs, shoot out heel, pop shoulder, Ezra pulls her closer, and she bends her knee at his hip.

Ezra squeezed her back proudly, setting her back on her feet as she caught her breath. Aria looked around at the faces staring shocked at her, and blushed yet again when they applauded. She smiled, looking at Ezra.

He was such a good teacher.

"And that, is what I want to see perfected for next week," Angelina said, tilting her head in Aria's direction. "Practice!"

Ezra reached for Aria's hand again. "I want to try something different this time," he said as they made their way to the corner of the studio. Aria self-consciously adjusted her dance shorts. "When you step backwards, flick your heel like this." Ezra shot out his calf to the side and crossed it in front of his other leg, heel still off the floor.

Aria mimicked the action as best as she could. Ezra nodded, pleased. He nonchalantly placed a hand on her waist and they did the twist at the same time, feet landing in perfect synchronization beside one other.

"Excellent." He took her hand and they went back to the start, replacing their walks with heel-pops. During the last walk, she pushed out with his arm, and she immediately knew to turn. She spun, returning to the final pose. Aria smiled and laughed, filled with pride and happiness. Ezra held her for another moment, staring at her with the most beautiful gaze she'd ever experienced. Her mouth was dangerously close to his, another inch and she'd be kissing him. She wanted to. She had never felt so electric- so confident. Dancing with Ezra made her feel excitedly alive. She wanted to dance with him forever.

"You've done this before, you liar," he whispered, slowly releasing his grip on her, smiling. "Either you've done this, or you're the best dancer I've ever met."

Aria retracted her hand from his taut shoulder, letting her fingers brush against his chest for a moment. She wasn't even aware of her teasing.

"Maybe you're the best teacher," she was biting her lip again.

"Maybe I am."

Aria laughed, and suddenly felt overwhelmed by him. His face was so close and she had never seen something that looked as delicious as his lips.

Just as she leaned towards him, they were interrupted by the clapping hands of Angelina. Aria snapped out of her trance, embarrassed, and then turned from Ezra altogether.

What was she doing?! They were in a room full of people! They had just met! She had a boyfriend!

Yeah, a boyfriend that wasn't even here to dance with her.

"Today was great," Angelina said, smiling at her class. "Next week, we will start a combination, based on what we did today. Thanks for coming!"

The class dismissed itself, and Aria turned to Ezra.

"Thanks for today," she muttered, still slightly embarrassed by the I-almost-kissed-my-dance-teacher-incident. "It was great."

"You're amazing." Ezra's eyes held the purest honesty she had ever seen. Aria suddenly felt like he wasn't talking about the dancing.

"So are you, Ezra." Aria too, was being totally honest.

"I'll see you next week?" He asked, walking up towards her slowly.

Aria nodded. "Of course you will."

And despite how upset she'd been earlier, Aria was suddenly thrilled Jake hadn't showed. She flashed Ezra one last smile and turned to leave the now empty studio-

But before she could, she felt Ezra's warm hand lock around her bicep. In the same fashion as in a traditional dance, he spun her around to face him, and crushed his mouth to hers with every ounce of passion the Argentine Tango had to offer.

I take a Latin dance class every week, and it is literally my favourite thing in the world. Last week, I learned a tango routine to El Tango De Roxanne, and have been obsessed with it ever since. I have been prancing around my house to the t-a-n-g-o rhythm all week. So I wrote Ezria tango.

I don't know if I want to continue this or leave it a very ambiguous one-shot. If you like it and want me to continue, tell me. I'll write a second half if the response is asking for it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

And thank you to Julia, who is my buddy and helped me out with this.