The bar is the noisy sort that Jack enjoys. He and Rose are having a merry time, drinking and chatting and laughing noisily. The Doctor joins in, but his heart isn't really in it. He's never been one for bars, and he especially doesn't care much for alcohol.
Jack is tossing back some cocktail with about five ingredients that the Doctor wouldn't even let near his skin, let alone his stomach. Rose, on the other hand, is nursing some fancy wine that Jack recommended. The redness reflects over her face everytime she lifts it to take a sip. The Doctor is entranced by the way her mouth fits over the rim of the glass, the way her lips pucker prettily, and the way she runs her tongue over her lips after each sip.
Music blares loudly in every corner of the bar. Jack takes Rose's hand and pulls her away from the bar to dance. The Doctor watches as Jack leads Rose for a few minutes before she picks up the steps. Before long, the two of them are twirling and spinning through the room. Rose is smiling and laughing giddily.
The Doctor stands up and walks over to his two friends. He taps Jack on the shoulder.
"Doctor?" says Jack, briefly pausing his dancing.
"Is something wrong?" asks Rose.
Her cheeks are red and her hair is mussed from all the dancing. Still, she looks rather worried, like she's ready to leave for an adventure at a moment's notice. The Doctor almost wishes there were some faraway emergency that would enable him to pull her away from everyone else in the room.
"Everything's fine," he assures her.
"Oh, well in that case, would you care to dance?" asks Jack.
Jack holds out a hand to the Doctor, but the Doctor waves him off. Instead, he turns to Rose. She smiles shyly when she realizes what the Doctor's about to ask her.
"May I?" he asks her, as gentlemanly as he can.
He holds out a hand. His palm is probably sweaty. Oh lord, he probably should have wiped his palm on his shirt before he held out his hand for Rose to hold. His hand is probably shaking, too. She's definitely going to turn him down; he's almost sure of it. Jack's a much better dancer than the Doctor, that's for sure.
"It'd be my pleasure," says Rose coyly.
She places her hand in the Doctor's, so delicate and light by comparison. The Doctor briefly considers leaning down to kiss her hand, but he decides that that would be too forward. Or perhaps too formal. Both, probably both.
Jack steps away toward the bar, most likely to find someone with whom he can flirt. The Doctor places a hand on Rose's waist. They start slow and simple at first, stepping from side to side and swinging their arms. The Doctor can see Rose trying not to grin at his abysmal dancing skills.
After a minute or so, Rose takes the lead. She swings them in a circle and steps closer to the Doctor. He feels his breath catch in his chest for a second at how close she is. She slows down their pace, stepping more slowly and swaying her hips instead of travelling around the room. The Doctor tightens his arm around her lower back.
"I reckon you're better than Captain Jack," says Rose.
The Doctor chuckles.
"I'm serious!" says Rose, "You don't believe me, do you?"
"Not for a second," says the Doctor.
Rose gives him a petulant look, but the Doctor's laughter pacifies her. She gives in and laughs too, throwing her head back and smiling widely. If she's lovely when she dances, then she's captivating when she laughs.
"You're beautiful," the Doctor can't help himself from saying.
Rose smiles, and it damn near knocks the Doctor off his feet. She replies, "Not so bad yourself, Doctor. Now why don't we go see what Captain Jack's gotten up to?"
The Doctor can only watch, mystified, as Rose parts herself from his grasp and steps away to find Jack. The Doctor follows behind her. He watches the swing of her hips and the swish of her hair, the look on her face as she searches the bar and the polite way she taps strangers on the shoulder to ask if they've seen a dark-haired man who doesn't know what's good for him.
Jack proves more elusive than they had expected. Rose gives up the search after about ten minutes. She returns to the Doctor and takes her hand in his.
"Let's get back to the TARDIS, yeah? Jack will make his way back there eventually," she says.
The Doctor nods. Rose leads him out of the bar and into the ally where they parked the TARDIS. The night is chilly, and the Doctor wraps his hand tighter around Rose's. She hums happily.
The thing is, tonight is no anomaly. Rose always affects the Doctor like this. She's always gorgeous and vivacious and friendly, and it always kills the Doctor not being able to close the space between them and kiss her, even just once. Sometimes, when he looks at her, he gets the feeling that she can feel this whatever-it-is, too. The Doctor contents himself with her every smile, every touch, and every laugh. Just being near her and being able to make her happy is enough for him.