Dancing Away With My Heart
Earlier in the day, his name was called to walk across the stage to accept his high school diploma. In the crowd, Jake's family watched with huge smiles on their faces. He was the last Hart kid to graduate high school and at eighteen, he couldn't wait to head off to college with all his buddies and start a new chapter in his life.
With a glass of wine in her hand, Reba reflected on her son's life as she sat at her table at the graduation banquet that was held after the ceremony. The families of the graduates and the graduates themselves were urged to attend. Dinner was served before the dance floor was opened and the lights were turned down low.
Reba couldn't believe that her little boy was all grown up. She had known he was going to be leaving soon, but now it was all too real. She watched him laugh and kid around with his friends a few feet away and couldn't help but smile. She was happy for him even though she would miss him like heck.
"Hard to believe, huh?"
Reba looked over to see Brock sit down in the seat next to her.
"Hey, stranger."
He picked up a glass of champagne from the serving platter that was in the center of the table. "Yeah, it's been a while hasn't it?"
"How's San Antonio treating you?"
"As good as it can be, I guess." He took a drink from the glass and Reba wondered how it had been a year since they had last seen each other.
She nodded, unsure of what to say next. She didn't want conversation to seemed forced. It was already odd to talk to him after so long.
"Have you talked to him?" Brock asked after awhile. Reba noticed his gaze was settled on their son.
"Not much," Reba admitted, thinking about how earlier in the day, she couldn't hardly find the boy in the crowd of people that was milling around campus, much less offer kind and encouraging words to him. She'd have to wait until later in the evening or even the next day to tell him how proud she was of him.
"Busy kid."
"He really is. You know he got a job in Austin."
"He did?"
Reba nodded. "About a week ago. He'll start when he moves down there for school at the end of the summer."
Brock shook his head. "'Member when we were in his shoes?"
Reba laughed faintly, looking at her lap. "Long time ago."
"Wasn't that long ago." Brock drank the last of his champagne and set the glass on the table, listening to the music playing throughout the place for a moment.
"Long enough to forget that I wanted to remember every second of it."
Brock nodded and sat back in his chair, glancing at her. He thought her simple green dress looked beautiful on her and the way the lights hit her face made her look out of this world. The way she tilted her head when she smiled that smile that only she could made him miss her even more than he thought he could. He chuckled to himself. If only she knew his thoughts.
"What are you laughing at?" He heard her ask.
Looking at her, he shrugged. "Just thinking."
She turned in her chair to face him. "About what?"
He shook his head. "Nothing." He watched her give him one of her looks. He was glad she didn't feel too uncomfortable around him.
"How's Barbra Jean?" Reba asked after a moment, realizing he wasn't going to answer her question about his thoughts.
Brock shrugged, looking for another glass of champagne. "Fine, I guess. Hey, do you know if there's anymore to drink?" He gestured towards the empty serving platter.
She scooted her glass of wine towards him. "You can have mine."
While he took a drink, she asked a different question.
"Do you not talk to her much?"
"Who?"
"Barbra Jean."
"Oh." He downed the wine. "Only when I have Henry for the weekend. She's not the type of ex-wife you can stay friends with."
"And I am?"
"I didn't say that." When she was about to protest, he held up a hand. "But you are."
"That's what I thought." She kind of smiled, but it faded. "You didn't keep in touch very much when you left."
He sighed. "I didn't leave. I moved. There's a difference."
She shrugged. "Either way, you weren't around anymore."
"I was trying to save my marriage."
She nodded, trying not to let her bitter thoughts ease their way back into her mind. She had a hard time convincing herself he was doing the right thing when he left Houston eighteen months ago. His excuse was that him and Barbra Jean needed to be alone and away from everyone for a while so they could fix things. Six months later, they divorced but Brock never moved back. He stayed in San Antonio.
"I am sorry I didn't call or anything, though," He finally said. "But you know, the phone works both ways."
"I didn't know if you wanted to talk to me," She admitted.
He laughed, but it wasn't a laugh where anything was funny. It was almost sad.
"Why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"
She shrugged. "My silly assumptions."
"I'm thinking about moving back."
She looked at him now. "You are?"
He nodded. "I don't really like San Antonio, to tell you the truth. It's a nice vacation spot, but living there is weird. Houston will always be home to me."
"I felt the same way about Oklahoma for the longest time. But I grew to love Houston."
Smiling, he scooted his chair closer to hers and for a while, they were oblivious to anyone around them.
"You know, Oklahoma wasn't bad. We had a lot of great memories there."
She smiled, nodding at his words.
"Like our first college dance," He said with a wink.
She had to shake her head, remembering how that night ended. It involved the two of them, a bottle of Jack and no clothes.
"Of course you would bring that up," She said, blushing. She was thankful the lights were dim so he couldn't see. Surely he would tease her about it.
"Hey, you were the best."
"Okay. Enough of that talk." It was awkward enough to talk to him after not seeing him in a whole year, but to talk of one of the first times they were together intimately really took the cake.
"Why?"
"Because we're not together anymore. It's inappropriate."
He rolled his eyes. "We have three children together, Reba. Can't I joke?"
She didn't respond. She just let his question float away with the music that was booming from the speakers.
"Alright, everybody," The DJ said through his microphone. He was set up in the corner of the room, a few kids surrounding him. "We're about to shut it down for the night, so if you haven't gotten to dance yet, here's a nice slow one for ya."
Reba didn't know the song, but the intro was nice. She was content to just sit and listen to it, but was startled when Brock stood, holding out his hand.
"Wanna dance?"
She looked up at him. "No."
"Aw, come on. One dance? It's the last slow song."
She shook her head. "They always say that. There'll be ten more."
"Please, Reba?"
"Brock, I don't dance."
"Yes, you do. In the kitchen in the mornings in your socks and pajamas, pancake spatula for a microphone. Seen it a million times."
She blushed harder than she had before. "Making fun of me isn't the way to get what you want," She said as she held her forehead in her hand.
"I'm not making fun. Please, just one dance?"
"Brock..."
"Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her from her chair. She felt a tingle go up her arm when his hand touched hers and brought her to the dance floor. Gently, he eased her against him and they moved in a slow circle.
I finally asked you to dance on the last slow song
Beneath that moon that was really a disco ball
I can still feel my head on your shoulder
And hoping that song would never be over
I haven't seen you in ages
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are
For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful
And dancing away with my heart
"Relax," He told her softly. They were close enough so she could hear his words, even over the music.
"I am," She said.
"You're tense," He countered.
"It's been a while since we've been this close," She admitted.
"Does it feel different?"
She shook her head. "Just like old times." She allowed herself to look into his eyes for the first time that night. Lately, with Jake's impending graduation and him getting a job, she had felt quite alone. More times than one, she wished her best friend were back to help her through the rough times.
"Feels the same to me," He told her, bringing her closer to him. Taking a chance, she leaned her head on his shoulder and breathed in the smell of his cologne. It was the same kind he always wore and that made her smile.
Letting his hand slip away from hers, he wrapped both arms around her waist, settling on her hips a moment later. Her arms went around his neck and she found herself closing her eyes and wanting the song to last forever. There was no reason she should have to leave his embrace.
"You know, just because I didn't call doesn't mean I didn't care about you," He said a few moments later.
She nodded, lifting her head. "I understand."
He brushed a curl out of her eyes, smiling when she shivered slightly at his touch on her cheek.
"I don't want you to ever think I didn't care."
"I know you and Barbra Jean were going through a lot."
"We really were. But ending it was for the best."
"You don't have to justify it, Brock. I've been there. I know what it's like. Divorce is never easy."
He nodded. "Makes me think, though."
"What?"
"Maybe all we needed was a little break."
"Who? You and Barbra Jean?"
"No, me and you."
"We've been divorced for eleven years."
"My point exactly."
She narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
"Whatever you want me to."
She squared her jaw and let him grab her hand to twirl her in a circle before bringing her back to his chest.
"Do you really miss me that much?" She asked.
"I only miss you on two occasions. When it's my birthday and when it's not."
She had to smile. He always made her laugh at some stupid joke of his. It was a gift that Kyra had inherited from him.
"Oh, really?" She asked.
He nodded. "And I do believe that with the kids gone, there would be no one to judge our actions should we decide to do something that would be frowned upon."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What did you have in mind?"
"Maybe we could have dinner sometime?"
"That's so cliche."
"I just know how you love food." He laughed and winked at her. "Really, though. We could do anything you like."
"Anything?"
"Anything. Unless it's illegal."
"Oh, you know me. Always living on the edge."
"You always told me you never took risks because you were so afraid of the consequences."
"Yes..."
"Well, let me be there to hold your hand so you won't be afraid. I know that trusting me again won't be an easy thing to do."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Brock."
He shrugged. "Maybe I don't. I just know how much of an ass I was a long time ago."
"People change."
"Do you think I've changed?"
"I do."
"For the better?"
She nodded. "You changed for the better a long time ago. I guess it just took awhile to realize it. I was so bitter for so long..."
"You know, I do understand why." He took a chance and touched her cheek with his hand, running his thumb over her lower lip. He watched as she closed her eyes for just a moment.
"If you're going to kiss me, do it now so I don't change my mind."
He smiled and leaned in, connecting their lips. He put his hand on the back of her neck and smiled faintly when her lips began to move against his own.
I brushed your curls back so I could see your eyes
And the way you moved me was like you were reading my mind
I can still feel you lean in to kiss me
I can't help but wonder if you ever miss me
I haven't seen you in ages
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are
For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful
And dancing away with my heart
When their lips parted, Reba sighed in protest. She wasn't one for public displays of affection, but it had been so long since she had felt his touch in that way. Sure, they had hugged in the past, but it hadn't meant the same thing as it meant now. His touch was different. It was gentler, maybe more loving.
"Is it okay to say that I love you?" He whispered against her lips.
She touched her forehead to his and played with his hair as her arms rested around his neck. "Yeah, that's okay. Can I say it, too?"
"We can say it together."
"I love you."
The words spoken in unison didn't feel strange or out of place at all. It was as if time was all that was needed for the two people who were meant to be together since the beginning of everything were finally finding their way back to one another after being apart for so long and learning so much about how to truly love someone, to respect them. They had grown so much as people and now, finally, they could share what they had learned.
"I'm glad I came tonight," Brock said. "I was going to leave after the ceremony."
Reba pulled away a bit to look at his eyes. "I'm glad you decided to come, too." She smiled, pushing herself closer to him. "I've missed you."
He held her tight. "I bet I've missed you more."
She shook her head while laying it on his chest as they swayed back and forth, the song ending. She knew it was useless to argue with him. It would be a never ending argument.
As she watched Jake from afar off dance with a girl he was considerably taller than, she had to smile, wondering when he would find his soul-mate. She hoped he never strayed from her.
"You know," Brock said, interrupting her thoughts. "I expect to see you dancing in the kitchen in your pajamas and socks again. It always was the highlight of my morning. After we got out of bed, that is."
She smiled as he ran his hands up her back and back down to her hips, wondering how all this would work out. But somehow, she knew it would. She had loved this man since she was eighteen years old. She had loved him longer than she didn't know him. She knew him inside and out and thanked God He allowed them to dance their way back to one another.
I haven't seen you in ages
Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are
For me you'll always be eighteen and beautiful
And dancing away with my heart
-The End-