4. Dancing around flames

Chad almost bit his own tongue off.
Way to go... - he thought.
"You were saying?" she asked.
"I said it's not like that. I just... I do not socialize very much."
He could see, that Rachel is not buying this BS.
"I mean... uh..." Chad let out a nervous laugh "I am making a complete ass of myself."
He was somewhat relieved, that he saw Rachel mirrors his expression.
"It's okay. I also tend to do that" she said.
Chad was somewhat torn between letting her go and asking her to stay with him all night. He did not want to leave Rachel behind again. It was painful once, doing the same thing twice would be self-gutting, and he was more selfish than to do the right thing.
Besides, who says, it would be the right thing? We are teenagers now. She has no memory of her being the supreme leader, the Teen Ninjas cannot use her for anything, would even have no chance for that, and Abby seems to be at least accepting me being here... What could go wrong? - he thought.
EVERYTHING.
"Maurice sometimes tends to do this" Chad said with a wry smile "If he goes to meet someone, he arranges for me to be with someone too."
Rachel arched an eyebrow.
"Sooooo what you are saying is that I am now the plan B?" she asked with a blank face.
The blonde boy sighed, deciding that he should dig a hole for himself and his failed communication skills somewhere under the magnolia tree. Why is that he can talk himself out of everything, but when he speaks with Rachel, his brain goes on a vacation? He tried to do some damage-control.
"C actually," he said, "Plan B was to go home, and bury my social life for all eternity."
Rachel laughed, and Chad's heart did a small elevator ride from its place to his throat and back.

It was really easy for him to fall back into their old rhythm, as they began to hop from topic to topic, even though he knew her life from A to Z already. They just talked about every random stuff they could come up with, and after five years of pushing away, Chad accepted, that he will not be able to let her go, even if the sky turns green and the grass blue.
She laughed a lot, like back in the days, making jokes, listening to him, having the same gaze as she did. But Rachel also matured, seemed to be a bit more flexible, than she was back then.
"So, I bored you out of your skull already with my family and teeeeerrible teenage life." she smirked, "What about yours?"
"They are... well... they have their own values to live according to..." Chad tried to be as vague as possible.
Rachel arched an eyebrow, not saying anything regarding the again noticed BS.
"You should be a lawyer with this phrasing-skill of yours..." she tried a tentative approach
Chad laughed.
"It is really hard to say, that I agree with anything they do, or how they do it." Chad saw frozen KND agents lying around all across the globe flashing before his eyes.
"Maybe they want to do what is best for you, only... I don't know, screwing up the process?" Rachel offered to which Chad grimaced.
"The road to hell is also paved with good intentions, and look, where it goes..." the blonde boy said looking at her sideways.
This could be applied to this situation also, Chad mused. What will happen after this night ends? Even if they are talking now, at the moment, the situation looked like this: he is talking to a girl he liked for ages, and Rachel talks to Maurice's friend while he and Abby did whatever they need to do in order to get themselves into a huge mess.
"You..." Rachel started, nudging his arm a bit with her index finger "are so negative."
"Or realistic" he looked at her, catching her hand, inviting her to a round of thumb-wrestling.
"Realistic like a Nolan movie" the blonde girl retorted, concentrating on the match and not to scratch Chad with her nails.

Rachel enjoyed herself and was glad she decided to stay.
When they talked, touched – that happened a lot apparently since she sat next to him – she felt, that the thing she searched for was found at , or at least she felt less overwhelmed with the need to find her answer.
Hearing Chad talk and laugh with her made Rachel feel at ease, glancing at him more and more when he was looking away from her, listening intently, and discretely ogling him every chance she got.
How would it feel to touch his hair? Is his face as smooth as it looks? Can you drown in eyes this blue? - she thought, falling out of the rhythm of their wrestling.
"Rach?"
She registered the question, but only seconds later, he asked it. Rachel shuddered herself out of her musings, looking at Chad.
"Huh?"
Chad looked at their joined hands, as did Rachel, noticing, that she lost the match, as her small thumb was buried under Chad's larger one.
What... how... when... - she thought.
"You need more practice" he flashed her a charming smile.
You need to be less hot... - she thought, almost losing herself in his sea blue eyes.

Chad saw her blush a bit, looking away, and his brain short-circuited for a moment. For a brief second, he really believed, that he can somehow woo her, erasing Uno's memory in a flash. That reminded him of an important question.
"Would your boyfriend not be mad, that you just lost against me in an all-deciding thumb-fight?" his gut was clenched from his nervousness because of the answer. He tried to distract himself with another invitation to continue their game with a rematch.
"Ask him yourself, if you meet him in La-la-land" Rachel shrugged.
Chad smiled a bit wider than he intended to.
"How come?" he asked.
"I had one relationship so far, and I ended it three years ago."
That long? - Chad almost forgot to evade Rachel's thumb-attack.
"Why?"
"It didn't click. We tried, but I could not get attached to him that much. It didn't work, so I ended it. I did not want to lead him on or lie."
"And since then?"
Rachel looked at Chad, shrugging again, letting a small smile go.
"Nothing. I am waiting." She locked her gaze with him.
"For what?" Chad lowered their hands, match long forgotten.
"The right person, maybe."
Chad was so close to her, that he could see the small, golden spots in her brown iris.
"Lucky bastard" he muttered, as Rachel also inched closer, almost meeting his lips.
"HEY, GUYS!" Maurice jumped in the bower with Abby on his side.

Rachel instantly went beet red, almost jumping away from Chad in embarrassment. What did she think, they almost kissed, what the hell...
She looked at the boy next to her, who also was a bit dazed, but he regained his straight face almost in an instant. He still held her hand under the table, drawing little circles on her palm, driving her pulse up to the ceiling, but she also tried to put on a 'nothing to see, move along' face.
"Anything new?" Rachel looked at Abby, trying to also appear nonchalant.
"I asked our song, mah gurl!" she answered with a bright grin.
"If it is the Rainbow Monkey theme song, we are sogoing home..."
"Noooooo. Abby has more fantasy than that." Maurice winked.
Then the track started, and Rachel's eyes lit up like Christmas.
"This is our song!" Rachel grinned, standing up, and hugging Abby, dragging the girl with her to the dance floor, burning to spill her everything that happened while she was away with Mau. She threw one apologetic look at Chad, briefly looking at Maurice then back to him. This was enough explanation for him, and the football captain produced a half smile and a slight nod, watching as Abby dragged Rachel to the dance floor as the first beats started.
"What is this?" Chad asked.
"You know that chick-flick, The Ugly Truth?" Maurice followed Abby with his eyes "Apparently, it's their favorite track from the OST."
Maurice stood next to Chad, looking at the two girls as they danced to the Spanish tunes. He put on his best Jack Sparrow face, turned to his friend, and wobbled a bit - true to the character, putting his hand on Chad's shoulder.
"If you were waiting for the opportune moment... that was it." he slurred just like Johnny Depp, following the girls, swirling them in a playful manner.
You were the one, who ruined it in the first place... - Chad thought, and against his brain and common sense, he followed his friend, 'stealing' Rachel, dancing with her in the middle of the floor.
They moved in tune, as she almost flowed in his hands. Spinning her, guiding her back to him, and leading her to the floor, her hips swaying, and as they danced the sparks that were present before Maurice interrupted them, came to life again. They touched their foreheads as they spun around, Rachel laughing and he just admiring her...

They have danced before.
His parents held a Christmas party every year, where they invited some friends and acquaintances from the street. As Rachel's mother was a prominent lawyer in town, naturally Mrs. McKenzie got an invitation too, and as this was a family gathering, she brought her two children with her: Rachel and Harvey.
The siblings held each other's hand as they stood next to their mother, looking up at her with fondness, and Mrs. McKenzie knelt down to them, asking them to be on their best behavior. The two children just nodded. Harvey fiddled with his tie, and Rachel was seemingly uncomfortable in her dress, but still, they hugged Mrs. McKenzie and tagged along with Chad and a group of other kids.
The party was in full swing, when Chad's mother got the 'brilliant' idea, to drag him from the kids, and start to brag about his achievements to Mrs. McKenzie and the other women, hoping to make them jealous.
"And Chaddie just finished his first dance-class year" she gushed "My little cute boy, he was so cute in his tie and suit, and everything... does your little princess dance?" She turned to Mrs. McKenzie.
Chad saw the woman politely smile, and nod.
"She wanted to try it out after we saw the Swan Lake last year."
"Splendid, isn't it, Martha?" Mrs. Dickson turned to one of her 'maid of honors'. The woman instantly started to nod eagerly "Would your daughter like to dance with Chaddie? Of course, she would want to, where is she at?"
Chad saw Mrs. McKenzie's eyebrows rise a bit as if she would think of a polite way to decline the offer and burn his mother alive at the same time. He instantly liked the woman a bit more.
"I think, Rachel should have a say in this too" Mrs. McKenzie oozed grace and calmness, signaling her daughter to come over to her.
As Rachel arrived, she let out a small smile to his direction as a greeting and turned to her mother.
"Yes, mom?"
"Would you like to show Mrs. Dickson, how you can dance, sweetie?"
Rachel shrugged, looking at Chad. He was already her superior on the Moonbase, so if he commanded, then dance it is. She was hesitant, seeing that his face was like hers looked before bedtime when the movie wasn't over.
"Come on, champ, dance with the little lady!" Mr. Dickson echoed, nudging him a bit closer to Rachel.
Chad emitted a sound of defeat and stretched his hand out to Rachel.
As a slow waltz music began, and they followed it with the learned steps somewhat unsure, Chad started to feel less and less pressured.
"I am sorry, my mother brought you into this" he muttered.
"It's okay, sir" Rachel answered.
"Rach, we are off duty tonight, remember?"
"Yes, I remember, sir."
"Are you going to call me by my first name ever again?"
Rachel did as if she would be thinking about it hard.
"If there will be a time for that, you will know, sir."

They were dancing away, and Rachel felt like this has happened before. He and her...
He knew how she moved, he knew how to lead her.
"You are a natural talent, as it seems" she said to his ear.
She felt him first tense up, take a deep breath and let it out in a small laugh. He spun her out, then in with her back to his chest.
"One of my few positive traits."
Rachel still could not shake the feeling of familiarity off. She thought that it would be oh so easy to lose herself in him. Even the shortening of her name sounded sweet from his mouth.
They must have touched each other even before this night in the past (in very platonic ways, mind you), Rachel was certain. Normally she would be opposed to getting so close to anyone, who was not a friend of hers. It took Nigel a whole two weeks until he could get even a kiss from her. Then Chad popped up in her life, and after roughly two hours she cannot separate from him, thinking about what could have happened, if Maurice waits a few seconds with his arrival.
Why the hell is happening to me... - she thought.
Rachel was by no means an easy going girl, jumping from lap to lap, but damn, she wanted to throw away every belief she sported until now. She blamed the alcohol and Chad's personality in general for the sudden change, also for her lack of self-control.
She was suddenly thirsty as hell, licking her lips.
As Rachel felt Chad nuzzling her neck, she drew in a sharp breath, tensing up with whatever she felt. "Oh, God" she mumbled, turning around, meeting Chad's lips halfway, opening them for his tongue to explore. She grabbed his shirt with one hand, his waist with the other, feeling dizzy, searching for a stable point.
The blond boy hugged her waist, guiding them out from the spotlight, back to the rose bower.
They bumped into the table, that resulted in a surprised gasp from her. Chad smirked against Rachel's lips, breaking the kiss for a moment to look at the girl's flushed face. Her pupils were blown black, and he had the suspicion, that so was his, and the heated make-out session continued. Their teeth sometimes collided in the hurry to get more out of the other, push the boundaries a bit further.
Chad set her on the table, as her legs were starting to fail her, putting his hands on Rachel's face to find a steady point in this spinning world. It's her. It's always been her. Her hands found their way into his hay-blond locks, massaging his scalp.
"Rach..." he managed to utter before he lost himself in her again.
Positioning himself between her legs, he trailed a line of kisses to her jawline and collarbone, caressing her face. She let out a strained, small moan.
She wanted to stop herself, but his physic and kisses were not a helping point. He was the football captain all right. Abs and arms with just the right amount of muscle in them to drive her mad. On one side, she did not want him to stop, and the other side flew right out of the window, as her lips were tingling, her pulse almost flatlined from being so fast. His scent filled her senses, numbing her to be the receiving end on Chad's attention.
Tingling spread from her mouth, buzzed in her pulse, and coiled her stomach. She put her hands on his chest, feeling a strong heartbeat, caressing his abs, coaxing a low growl, that vibrated in her also, melting her bones into a pile of jelly in his hands.
"Ch... Chad..." she managed to utter.
"Hm?" he growled from the back of his throat, holding her a bit stronger to himself, letting her feel that he wanted more of her.
Alarm bells and butterflies went on in Rachel's head, trying to stop her and urging her on at the same time
"I... ahh..."
"Yes?" Chad was nuzzling her neck again, planting little bites along the way, then soothing it with more kisses. Rachel was getting lightheaded again but tried to use whatever sense was left in her.
"I am not..."
Chad instantly froze.
She is not what? Comfortable? Is she not trusting enough? Not enjoying it?
The hazy fog started to lift, and he saw a disheveled looking Rachel with swollen lips, pink cheeks, and all Chad wanted to do is to resume what they started (the bulge in his pants strongly agreeing to this), but Rachel's eyes stopped him. She tried to avoid eye contact, but the boy gently turned her face so their gaze could lock.
"What is it, Rach? Did I do something wrong?"
Rachel shook her head.
"Then what, starshine?"
Damn you and all your blabbery, Dickson, you Taygetus positive idiot! - he thought, hoping, that he did not screw up everything with her old nickname. He had luck. No bells rang.
"I just... I am not like this..." she said "Going around, reeling up guys, then go to the next party, doing the same... But I kinda passed on the opportunity to prove this to you now, huh..."
You are adorable - Chad thought.
He put his hand on Rachel's head, hugging her.
"I can assure you, that there is no reason I would think that" Chad murmured, stroking Rachel's tresses.
His well raised, well behaving, cute little starshine.
"It's just that... I don't allow this to anyone. And I do mean anyone. Just you... You... confuse me to no end. I feel like I know you... Like my own hand. It is so scary and weird, and it must creep you out to no end, and now I am scaring you away, what the hell is wrong with me, and I am still talking..." she looked absolutely out of it, rambling on "It's just... I look at you, and...It is really easy to think, that I know you long enough to... let myself be... like... uh..."
Chad started to stroke her hair again to calm her down, and in an instant, she was silent, relishing his touch, putting her hand on his as Chad touched her face.
"I will not do anything until you ask me to do." he said kissing her forehead softly, enjoying her sighing in contentment.
"And you are not creeped out because of me?" she asked still a bit unsure
If only you would remember, why I am not. - the blonde boy thought, shaking his head.
"Maybe we did know each other in a past life" he winked at her "We were soldiers, you were the toughest of them, saving my ass and so on..."
Rachel let out a nervous laugh, sliding her arm around Chad's waist again.
"You did not quote Mulan just now, right?"
Chad sighed, feeling some bitterness mixing up with the sweet taste in his mouth.
"Busted..." he whispered, kissing Rachel, trying to chase the bitterness away.