As fall came, Callie began to think about the homecoming dance and wonder if Frank would ask her to go as his date. It was likely given the fact that he had only gone out with her since school started. With that thought, she felt her nervousness growing. Her only background with homecoming were the stories that her older cousins had told her. Those stories gave her little to go on as her cousins had all attended high schools in the city whose festivities were not likely to mirror those of a school in a town like Bayport.
Two weeks before the big day, Frank ever timely asked her to go with him to the dance. He chose Bayport Park as the place and presented her with a bouquet of pink roses which were her favorite flowers. It was a simple, yet tasteful move, and Callie was in awe of Frank's ability to make it special and just right for her without making it a big production. As she thought about the dance, she knew she wanted to make just as good of an impression. Frank Hardy was such a good guy and deserved the best, and she wanted to fill the role of his girlfriend perfectly. It was with trepidation that she set out dress shopping with Iola the following weekend. They had no luck at the stores in town until Iola suggested a small consignment shop where Callie found a sky blue tea length dress that she thought just might be the one.
Having no better options, Callie was wearing that dress as she waited for Frank to pick her up on the night of the dance. Between her makeup, high ponytail, and dress; she looked straight out of the 1950s. She was rather pleased with how the look had turned out, but she still wasn't sure if it was right. What if everyone else was wearing ball gowns and she was over there in an eyelet dress? Plus, the dress with its thick straps and sweetheart neckline only served to accentuate her small frame and curves. Callie generally was happy with her body being focused on staying healthy and making sure she ate and exercised enough. Still, she knew that others sometimes thought she was too small. What if Frank and everyone else who saw her tonight thought that too? She crossed her arms over herself and tried to push those thoughts away.
By the time Frank arrived, however, Callie was almost at the point of marching back inside and changing into something else. Iola and her mother had only had good things to say about how she looked, but they loved her and wouldn't want to her hurt her feelings. Maybe they were exaggerating just a little to boost her confidence. Before she could go back in, Frank's parents' car pulled up, and Callie shivered. She had to do this. She saw the car door open and walked towards it trying her best to keep from tottering on her very high heels. On the plus side, they made her 5'7", but in addition to adding four inches to her height, they made it very difficult for her to walk. Frank must have run because before she knew it she was in his arms. He grabbed her hand and remarked something about how beautiful she looked. She felt the blush rise in her cheeks; Frank was never anything but sincere but still it felt too incredible to be true. She had wanted so much to look the part of his girlfriend for the homecoming dance and to hear that he approved made her feel very relieved.
On the drive over, Callie was distracted by worries about the dance. Would she be dressed appropriately? Would she make it through the evening without making a fool of herself? She was relieved when they arrived at the school gymnasium because the environment seemed lower key than she had imagined. There were people everywhere, but they were clustered in groups and seemingly focused on their dance partners and friends. She and Frank immediately found his friends whom she knew and felt comfortable with. The music was a little loud, but the song choices were surprisingly good. The decorations might be a little campy for her taste, but that was to be expected when she was an artist with high standards of what was aesthetically pleasing.
She was lost in noticing the buntings and lights hanging from the corners of the gym when Frank's voice broke through her thoughts. "Want to dance? I kind of think that's why we're here?" She felt her heart beat faster with his words. She was not a dancer, and she always felt clumsy when she tried to dance not to mention the fact that she was not sure would even be able to tonight given the shoes she was wearing.
"Yeah, I guess." She smiled despite her fear. Frank was always ruthlessly practical. Some people might call that boring, but she liked the way he helped her focus her meandering thoughts.
"What a perfect song," he remarked as he reached out and put a hand on her waist. Following his lead, she found his shoulder and put her other hand in his. Her heart lit up in a glow of happiness to see the smile that consumed his face. She knew that smile—it was one that Frank sported often, a smile of pure enjoyment of something he loved.
Luckily for her, the song was a slow one that gave her time to anticipate each step as she followed Frank around the floor. She was soon completing absorbed in dancing—listening to the music, letting its beat fill her head and heart, counting one-two-three, and forcing her feet to keep pace and not fall behind. She smiled as the music ended. She might not like dancing, but dancing with Frank was not so bad.
Callie turned her head from the scene around her when she heard Frank speaking to her softly. "That was beautiful, Callie. Why didn't I know you could dance?"
She found it hard to get her mind around the meaning of his words. She a dancer—in no way was that true. She had chosen gymnastics over dance as a young girl, and even when repeated injuries had forced her to quit, she had not had the opportunity to dance. Her doctor had advised that she chose something less physical which had lead her to take up photography a move that she had not regretted. Still, as much as she was intrigued by moving to music, she could not dance, and she was surprised that Frank would think anything to the contrary. "I'm not a dancer. You're lucky I didn't step on your toes," she said with a laugh.
Frank smiled, "I'm serious. That was incredible. I'm sure everyone was watching us." She felt the fluttering of butterflies at his compliment. Frank was being much too kind as usual.
"Oh, I hope not," she gasped horrified. "There were a lot of people out there. I'm sure they were watching them."
"It's okay, Callie. You were great. You're so graceful."
She wasn't sure if that was actually true, but Frank apparently believed it was. That put a smile on her face and reminded her of how her dad had remarked once that she was so coordinated that she would probably be good at any sport she attempted. She hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but now it made her wonder if that was why she had been so successful at gymnastics before she had had to quit and why Frank thought she was such a good dancer when she had never really danced. "Thanks," she said shyly not just for the compliment but for the way that he had reminded her that she was so much more than who her insecurities told her she was.
"Can I convince you to do another one?" he asked. "I feel like we're just getting started."
"Okay," she said following him back out to the floor. Finding a new rhythm, she couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be. The dance with its crowds and dancing might be a little overwhelming for her, but with Frank beside her to ground her by reminding her of who she was, she was doing just fine. Staring up at him as they waltzed around the floor, she couldn't help feeling thankful that he was in her life. He complemented her perfectly and helped her to be the best possible version of herself.
As the year continued, Callie made new friends, and she began to realize that a lot of people did not understand her relationship with Frank. Although some of her new friends were clearly jealous of her for dating such a catch, the vast majority didn't quite understand why she would want to date a detective especially if that detective was Frank. Joe might know how to let loose and have fun, but Frank was uptight and so structured. Sometimes, even she had a hard time understanding how he enjoyed life when he was so focused. She too poured herself into the things she loved, but she still found it hard to imagine not letting loose and going with the flow sometimes. Still, she was deeply aware of how much he enjoyed life. She saw how often he smiled, the lighthearted comments he made when it was just the two of them, and the stars in his eyes when he talked about his dreams for the future. She loved that—the way that just by being himself he made her notice and appreciate the little moments every day.
Author's Note: I thought I would go ahead and post this since I finished it quickly after writing it yesterday. I hope this doesn't paint too negative of a picture of Callie. This Callie is the same Callie that I wrote in the fic from Frank's perspective. The difference is just that that is how he sees her and this is how she sees herself in her worst moments. Thanks for reading along. I'd love to know what you think.
