Spoilers for the Halloween episode if you haven't seen it! I just had to do something about their dance and figured I'd throw Cameron's jukebox into the mix.
Cameron couldn't figure out where he stood with Kirsten. At the party they had formed this little bubble where it was just the two of them. They flirted back and forth. Something had shifted in their relationship since the night before. Waking up with Kirsten snuggled into his side was a dream Cameron had long since cast aside. When Liam showed up, Cameron had decided to bury any sort of romantic feelings he had toward Kirsten. After they had broken up, he resolved himself to be her friend and nothing more. If that's what she wanted from him, then that's what he would be.
Now, he wasn't so sure that was what she wanted, but he was too afraid to talk with her about it.
It had been entirely out of character for him to ask her to dance. Sure, he had been thinking about it all night. The alcohol definitely helped lower his inhibitions then. The only other time that they had danced together was during the rave. It was one of the first times they had connected. That moment was one of Cameron's favorites. His heart had soared when Kirsten agreed to dance with him again.
And then that damn twin showed up and tried to kill the girls.
The bubble had popped.
Kirsten didn't want to talk anymore. She just stared out the window as they drove back to his apartment. Cameron was worried about her. She had handled herself tremendously, but her approach had been emotional. It was one of the first times Cameron had ever seen her use empathy as a weapon. Her ability to talk the evil twin down, manipulate him, had been impressive. That combined with her waning adrenaline had taken a toll though.
Kirsten looked like she would be sleeping in his bed almost as soon as they walked through the door. Cameron seriously considered letting her do just that and calling Camille and Linus to cancel. They were planning on having a mini-party at Cameron's since the other one got cut short. Camille and Linus were rescuing the most important decorations, like Zed, while Cameron and Kirsten were supposed to make food.
When they arrived at the apartment, Kirsten set down her purse and wandered into the kitchen. She stopped in front of the jukebox and inspected it. Her fingers lightly ran over the keys.
"We never got to have that dance," she told Cameron wistfully, never taking her eyes off of the machine. "I was looking forward to it."
His heart thundered dangerously in his chest. He thought that would be something they never addressed, something he would always wonder about. It would become this pivotal, yet missing moment in their history.
Cameron cleared his throat. "It's okay. You were saving lives, which is so much more important than a dance."
Truly, he did feel that way. A tiny, selfish part of him wished that they had their dance before Kirsten had kicked ass twice. At this point though he was just thankful she made it out alive.
When her eyes finally met his, it was hard for Cameron not to melt right then. "We've got time now." Kirsten gestured to the jukebox. "And music."
It was looking like getting delayed was actually a good thing. They were all alone, no distractions. Cameron had taken his gloves off to drive, which meant those wouldn't be in the way. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, of course. Pick a song."
Kirsten smiled slightly before she turned back to the machine. She scanned the list of songs available. Cameron shuffled things often, but the current theme was music of the eighties with a few other albums mixed in. He had purchased most of them at secondhand stores so there were a lot of compilations. There was no telling what Kirsten would find or pick.
Kirsten made her first selection quickly. "Is there anything you want to listen to?" When Cameron shook his head, she scrunched her nose. "I'll just pick something at random then. Cameron. Goodkin." She pressed the C button then the number 7. "Kirsten. Clark." She pressed the K button then the number 3.
Cameron smiled at her idea. He watched as the jukebox's arm picked up an album. It placed the vinyl gently on the player. The needle hissed as it danced across the disc. A fun beat started up. It took Cameron a couple of bars to place it. When he did, a giant smile spread across his face.
"And to think at one time you called me a nobody," Cameron joked.
The corner of Kirsten's mouth tugged upward into a half smile. She started to roll her shoulders as she moved closer to Cameron. Kirsten took his hand and spun herself under it. The skirt of her dress billowed around her legs, nearly tripping them both. Cameron laughed. Kirsten was so different, so much more open than she had been the first time they had danced.
She was having fun.
Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me
They bopped around to the beat. Kirsten twirled Cameron a few times. He would go so far as to say he spun around more than she did. The song felt really long. Cameron simultaneously wanted it to stop so he could rest and go on forever so he could be with Kirsten. They were both breathing heavily when the needle lifted to switch records.
The next song started up. It was much slower, something Cameron recognized, but couldn't quite pinpoint. It was an eighties love song, that much he knew. Cameron opened his mouth to tell Kirsten that they didn't have to dance anymore. She beat him to the punch, pulling herself into his space. Her right hand wrapped around his left, while her other hand rested lightly on his chest.
Close your eyes,
Give me your hand, darlin'
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Cameron's heart fluttered as Kirsten looked up at him before leaning her head against him. He pulled his right hand around to lay just above the small of her back. Earlier he had wondered if the material of her costume was as silky as it looked. He never would've guessed that he'd be feeling the heat of her skin through it.
And yet here he was.
They swayed back and forth to the beat. Cameron wanted to spin Kirsten again, but he wasn't sure she would return as closely as she was then. He was enjoying holding her in his arms far too much to chance her leaving. It was probably for the best that she couldn't see the absolutely besotted smile on his face anyway. His eyes slid shut as he tried to catalog every millisecond of the dance.
The rasp of her dress against his suit.
The way she curled further into him with each step.
How the hand at his chest traced little circles against him.
When he had asked her to dance, this was the dream, the fantasy, not the reality. It was hard not to overanalyze the moment like he had with others in the past. For instance, Cameron had woken up with Kirsten in his arms, which was great. It was more than great. He hadn't felt that happy in so long. Kirsten had asked him to stay then cuddled up with him all night long.
Then doubt seeped in. Her desire for closeness could easily be explained away by her fear. She didn't want to share a bed until she was scared. Plus, he knew that she crawled into Camille's bed from time to time when she was upset. It could signify nothing more than her trust in him as a partner.
This moment was harder for his self-doubt to tear apart though. Kirsten wanted to slowdance with him.
She pulled him close enough to feel her breath across his skin.
She brought her head to rest in the same nook that she had claimed as hers last night.
She threaded their fingers together.
It might actually mean she was interested in him. Cameron was following her lead on this. He was completely at her mercy. When the song stopped along with their feet, neither one let go. They stood there waiting to hear what came on next. Cameron nearly groaned when a familiar intro thrashed out of the speakers. The Ramones were not exactly what he was hoping for. That boombox song from Say Anything or the really popular song from Dirty Dancing were his top picks. Hell, he'd even take that annoying song from Top Gun at this point if it meant holding Kirsten a little while longer.
Kirsten lifted her head and pulled back just enough to look Cameron in the eye. "Thanks for the dance, Captain Big Hair." She punctuated her sentence by tapping their foreheads together like Cameron had earlier.
There was a softness to her expression that he hadn't really seen before. Her smile was blinding, even though her lips hadn't parted. It was nearly impossible for Cameron to believe he had dubbed her Death Stare earlier.
Although, Cameron's heart could give out any second given the way it pounded. He needed to find a way to even out his heartbeat. He disentangled himself from Kirsten and headed into the kitchen. "I found a recipe that uses chocolate hazelnut spread to make cookies. Wanna make some?"
Kirsten nodded. "Of course." She leaned against the counter and looked at the clock with a frown. "Is it too early to start worrying if Camille and Linus ditched us for some alone time?"
Cameron shrugged before opening a cabinet. "If they haven't shown up by the time we're done baking, then they've probably abandoned us. That does mean more cookies for us though."
They were halfway through mixing the ingredients when a loud noise sounded from the front door. It was three short raps with a pause before two more, which was Camille's signature knock. Kirsten pushed off of the counter and went to answer the door. She paused before she left the room and turned back toward Cameron.
"I'm a little sad it won't be just the two of us tonight," Kirsten told him, her voice tinged slightly with confusion. She pressed her lips together before leaving to answer the door. As soon as Kirsten was out of the room, Cameron scrubbed his hands over his face. He tried not to read too much into her revelation.
Cameron was fairly certain Kirsten Clark would be the death of him.
Songs used: I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston, Eternal Flame by The Bangles, and I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones
