Honey and Jasmine
Jake Caldefore
Promptshot for The Firm's Monthly Challenge - October 2009.
"Motion" and "Companions"
He looks down at his neat, shiny dress shoes, the same ones that that were bought for him the last minute before his uncle's funeral. They're slightly scuffed now, after running quite a distance in them, but they look nice anyway.
Suddenly another pair of shoes appears in his line of vision. They're smaller, open-toed, and stand on short stilts, like daggers. He inspects the high heels for a moment, before slowly raising his head looking from the hem of her cream-colored dress, pass the small brown lines that crisscross the skirt, to the small brown bow placed smartly on the side like a belt, and then to the radiant necklace that covers her bare chest. The dress is strapless, he notes.
She smiles, her teeth gleaming in the low light. He offers a more forced smile, and stands up, not quite towering over her, but still taller. The pounding bass line matches the beat of his heart as he looks into her creamy brown eyes that math her dress perfectly. He is momentarily dazed as her lips form a question.
"Would you like to dance with me?"
She waits now, her lips closed, but that smile still lingering. He quickly glances down at his shoes, and then up at her dress again. She reminds him of chocolate. So, of course, he answers.
"Yeah, I guess..."
Her soft hand reaches for his own, drawing him closer to that continuously pounding bass line, beating faster and faster now. Once they reach the soft lights and the loud, rowdy crowd of other party goers, a thought suddenly occurs to him and his grip on her hand falters a bit.
"I don't know how to dance."
She turns back to face him, her brown hair thrown carelessly over a pale shoulder as her smile comes back.
"Don't worry about a thing."
He isn't sure he can do that, but he tries to let it slip his mind, disregarding the fact that now they're weaving through the crowd of couples to the center of the room. He gulps.
She drapes her slender arms over his shoulders, almost wrapping them around his back. When she notices his slight confusion, she throws her head back a little and laughs a rich musical sound. She gently sets his awkward hands on her hips, and she hums a bit to the song playing behind them – one he doesn't recognize. She brushes the lapels of his blazer, and then places her own hands on his shoulders.
The song is slower and more lyrical now, and the voices around them are hushed and quiet. The bass line is slow, and he wills his heart to do the same. He smiles – a real one now, albeit a bit shaky at the corners, and she grins back. They slowly rock their hips to the calm beat, and before he realizes it they're drawn in closer and closer to each other. Her arms are draped carefully over his back, and it seems almost like they're hugging one another. Her humming never ceases.
He watches as she rests her head in the crook of his neck and her eyes slips closed. He breathes in her scent of honey and jasmine, and the song is almost over now. He can feel the bow on her dress bushing against his sleeves, and he holds her closer, sharing a warmth that went beyond pressing bodies together. He tries humming too, but then breaks off into a chuckle in her hair.
They dance a minute longer, before the music gently fades away, leaving them in their locked positions. She ends their warm touch and slips though his arms. She gives him another beaming smile, before spinning away and disappearing into the crowd.
I'd been meaning to make it Halloween-themed, but I missed Halloween. Stupid cold.
Anyway, this is for my girlfriend Monica. It's kind of how we met.
Kind of.