Lovino remembers the day as if it were yesterday; Carmen had came in with shopping bags out of the Spanish rain barely holding them against her chest as if it were a last ditch effort to keep them dry.
"You could have tied them." Lovino found himself muttering as his best friend came closer and nearly wrapped him up in the fabric of her dress, pants, and naturally thick, water resistant jacket that her parents had gotten her, realizing that nothing normally got in the way of her wandering off, following some new passion.
"No, Lovi! See, what I bought!" She brandished a long dress that surely would have cascaded down her legs, black and red fabric, ruffles to match, first.
Lovino could already imagine what she'd look like in such a dress, beautiful tan skin ablaze with the passionate flames of the dress that captured every aspect of her young beauty in its innocent design.
It would not be the only thing she'd pull of her bags as the next was a suit, clearly meant for Lovino, with a red tie that somehow managed to successfully match the blaze of her dress.
"I wanted to show you something." She chimed innocently, hands reaching into another bag as she pulled out the shoes to match for each of them and brown castanets.
"What is it that you want to show me?" Lovino asked, aware that her interests often ran varied and that whatever it was that she wanted to show him, demanded his own participation.
"I want to teach you the Flamenco. I've been learning it." She beamed up at him, looking ever more like the enthusiastic student that she truly was whenever her interest was piqued.
"The Flamenco?" His voice rose in question to which he only got a grin in return as she motioned first for him to get changed before she strode out of the room to change into her dress, becoming a mixture of reds and blacks that somehow only grew dazzling when they were placed on her body.
She came back out with a grin wider than before and that only grew wider as she took in the way he looked in his black suit before she motioned for him to sit down.
Castanets in hand, she began to dance, long fluid movements that caught his eye despite himself.
Her hips led with a command not unseen as she clicked her castanets to a tune that only she could hear before she paused to motion him closer.
His steps were nervous and unsure as he moved to her and let her hands guide his frame into fluid and smooth movements under the brush of words against his ear, muttering that fell forward in Spanish dictating what he was to do.
Carmen watched him begin, fluid movements pulled close by the darkness of his suit, as she slowly took to clapping, beating out the steady drum of her hands, castanet for once not going off as she watched him follow the previous commands of hers before she moved just close enough to nearly kiss him, fire burning beyond her green eyes.
It was enough to still his frame as his eyes became glued on her, beautiful brown hair tied back into a bun, red and black dress curling around beautiful curves, and the strong and passionate expression within her eyes that left his mouth dry before she stepped down and back.
Carmen claimed Lovino's seat as she began clapping again, castanets on her lap, as she encouraged him just by the gentle rhythm that her hands tapped out.
When he stopped, her hands did too, as she ushered him over to change places with him and pleaded for him to clap that same rhythm out, beat by beat, as she took over the living room yet again.
Her hips moved slowly and temptingly at first as the beat signalled her rhythm and her heart's desire to go on and on; she couldn't breathe past the brush of exertion and the thrill of his eyes on her only heightened by the passion in her veins.
It was some time later when her faster movements slowed to a portion of their previous excitement that Lovino saw the look in her eyes: passionate, excited, and yet ready for a break.
Carmen couldn't resist a smile nor could she resist coming closer and hugging her best friend through her lessons of dance and music.
She promised then that she'd show him how it sounded when a guitar joined you on stage and smiled at the wonder in his eyes.
It was more than enough of a pleasant and soothing surprise for her to find someone just as eager to learn more about what she longed to teach, every step closer was another cheerful step down the road of discovery.