Fred and Ginger
by angellwings
Top Hat
Nate shook his head at Ella as she opened the door and motioned for him to come in.
"Remind me why I'm up at 6:30 in the morning?"
"My favorite movie is on."
"Right, and we couldn't wait for it to come on at a more decent hour?" He asked.
"No, because they rarely ever air it on television," Ella said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside her apartment. "Besides, it's Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They're the greatest dance duo ever. They're worth it."
He glanced down at their hands and smiled. No, this was worth it. Being here with Ella was plenty incentive for him. She'd been there for him a lot over the last year and a half, and he'd found he enjoyed spending time with her more than any other person he knew.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, come on," Ella repeated urgently as she pulled harder on his arm. He dug his feet in a little just to make it hard on her. The longer it took her to get him to the couch the longer he could hold her hand. They finally made it to the couch and Ella pushed him into the cushions. "There."
Ella collapsed next to him and sighed happily. Nate watched her in amusement as she turned the TV on with the remote. She squealed as the title card appeared and gripped Nate's arm in excitement. "Yay!"
Nate realized he was watching her more than the movie. She hadn't stopped smiling since the movie started. She gave him a strange side long glance and he quickly turned back to the screen.
"Is she expecting me for a weekend or a wedding?"
"Can't tell. You know how wives are."
"No, I don't. How are they?"
Nate laughed at the banter, and could relate very well. All anyone did these days was try to set him up with people. But they never tried to set him up with the one person he truly wanted. "What movie is this again?"
"Top Hat," Ella repeated as if she'd said it a thousand times. And she probably had. "Oh, I love all of Ginger Rogers' dresses in this movie. They just flow and flutter in all the right ways, you know? Oh! I love this part!"
Ella sighed happily as Fred Astaire spread sand on the floor and danced very softly to help Ginger Rogers (who was staying in the room below his) fall asleep. "It's so sweet! don't you think?"
"I—"
"And the flowers! I forgot about the flowers! Oh, I'm so jealous. I never get flowers," Ella said with a romantic sigh as she interrupted him.
"You've never gotten flowers?" Nate asked in shock.
"I got a dozen roses from my dad after Final Jam one year," Ella told him. "But that's it."
"None of your boyfriends ever bought you flowers?"
She shook her head. "No."
"No wonder you're not with any of them."
Ella laughed. "That would be silly."
"What would be silly?"
"If I'd stopped seeing them just because they never bought me flowers. That seems like a trivial thing to stop seeing someone over," Ella told him honestly.
"No, not at all," Nate disagreed. "I mean you wouldn't want them giving you flowers all the time, but I think…I think flowers are important. They're little reminders that someone is thinking of you."
Ella pursed her lips and looked upward as she thought. "I've never looked at it that way before."
"But," Nate said as he motioned to the couple dancing on the screen. "I suppose you have thought about dancing in a gazebo, before?"
Ella giggled. "Maybe. It just looks like a lot of fun."
Nate was making a mental list as he watched this movie with Ella. It seemed there were some things in here that impressed her. Maybe he could use them to his advantage.
As the identities of the characters became mixed up and confused Ella groaned, "This is why honesty is important. She should have just asked him for his name. Then none of this drama would have happened and they could have been together from the beginning."
"But then you wouldn't have this movie," Nate pointed out.
"That is true!" Ella agreed. As the movie went on Nate reviewed his list.
Ella wanted to get flowers.
Be lulled to sleep.
And to dance in a gazebo.
He could probably take care of those three things for her, he thought with a smirk. This would be fun.