Chapter Twelve: Dancer's Miracle
Haru had chosen a simple amethyst dress to match her contacts along with a slightly bouncy blonde wig covering her real hair. When she had been growing up, she had wished for hair with a little more life to it, but its natural flatness made her various disguises easier. Her heart had trembled, seeing the blonde strands, but figured this was one way to show that she was leaving Machida behind her.
Part of the reason she was able to keep her cool was because Ron didn't mind her wearing a disguise, as long as he could safely escort to and from her place. It was warming, how defensive he was of her, although they hardly knew each other.
Thank heaven the crow had finally left her alone.
Ron had chosen to stick with the gray suit, which really did suit him and his personality. He had taken her to a small cozy diner, where they talked comfortably of various composers and interests. Haru was enjoying herself so much that she nearly forgot to eat her salad and baked potato.
"Fish is all well and good, but it just becomes so redundant!" Ron had chosen a steak plate with mashed potatoes. Haru giggled her agreement, swallowing her mouthful of potato.
"My cat Yuki loves fish, so sometimes I just give her all of it and have a PB and J. I've never been a huge sushi fan, but when fish is prepared right, it can be good."
He grinned at her, putting a bit more salt on his steak.
"I can understand. But it's greatly preferable to mice, wouldn't you say?"
"Easily. I can't understand why anyone would want to eat them."
He smiled again, taking a polite sip from his strawberry shake.
"That's because you're looking at them with human eyes. To cats, it would be difficult to understand why anyone wouldn't want to eat them."
Haru shrugged, grinning.
"I guess that's true. You seem to know a lot about cats."
He bit back a laugh.
"It's a family obsession. I suppose there are far worse hobbies to pick up."
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
She laughed, linking arms with him as they exited the diner. The night was still young, and Ron had suggested a walk to see what looked interesting.
One thing Haru liked immediately about him was that although he preferred to dress like a stuffy musician, he was actually pretty laid back. And it felt wonderful to have a meaningful conversation with someone that wasn't either related to her or happen to have whiskers.
Her eyes sharpened slightly, and she tightened her grip on his arm.
"Haru?"
She shushed him, her eyes locked straight ahead. He looked too, confused as to why a man and a couple who were clearly his parents were making her sweat. They argued heatedly as they passed the couple, not sparing them a glance.
"You said it yourself; she'd be an excellent mother and her genes are superior! Try harder!" the mother hissed at her son.
"But she found a new way to block my calls, and since she never leaves her house-" he went out of hearing distance of the blonde couple, the young lady now as stiff as a board. Ron rubbed her arm comfortingly.
"That was him, wasn't it?"
She nodded; a fake smile on her lips. He frowned; wishing for the genuine ones to come back. His sensitive ears picked up a familiar sound, making him grin.
"Follow me, Haru."
She looked at him with confusion, but let him guide her towards a growing sound. They come out to a fairly still street, some musicians playing a lively tune. Ron turned to her, a wicked smile on his lips.
"Have you ever jitterbugged?"
She stared at him, not having the slightest clue what he meant. He grinned, guessing what her silence meant. He guided her to a cleared part of the street, the majority of people surrounding the musicians. As Ron took her other hand, Haru suddenly understood what he wanted.
"I don't think this is a good idea; I'm a terrible dancer."
He grinned at her confidently.
"Just follow my lead."
Amazingly, she could, even when he wasn't touching her. By maintaining eye contact, she could tell what she needed to do, giving her the illusion that she knew what she was doing. Then she stopped caring about getting the steps right, enjoying the adrenaline rush as Ron picked her up and threw her over one shoulder, landing solidly on her feet behind him.
She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun…
Suddenly, she noticed that the music had ended, and people were now gathered around them, cheering wildly. She blushed happily, one arm still around Ron's neck as he had her in a low dip. He was still smiling at her.
"My, my; if that's terrible, I wonder what would happen if you were good."
She laughed and punched his shoulder playfully as he let her up.
"You flirt."
How had he done that? Her father had spent hours trying to help her learn, and this guy could make her dance without a word?
An older man came forward to shake her hand and her date's.
"I haven't seen the jitterbug correctly performed in decades; thank you for bringing back some wonderful memories."
Haru pointed the finger at Ron.
"His idea, his fault."
He wrapped one arm around her and squeezed warmly.
"Except it takes two to jitterbug."
Among other things. She grinned and hugged him back. Thank heaven she had thought to pin down the blonde wig to her real hair.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Seriously, Ron; thanks for tonight. I had almost forgotten what 'fun' meant." She decided this guy could be trusted with the secret entrance to her house, where he was now standing with her. He grinned.
"Does that mean I can prevail upon you for another date in the near future?"
She wagged one finger at him playfully.
"I'd have to hunt you down if you didn't."
He stopped for a second.
"Tempting, but I think I'll see you at practice tomorrow." He kissed her hand, getting her to blush again. "Till then, goodnight."
She smiled, glad that she had taken a chance with the blonde violinist.
"Goodnight."
He waited until after she had gone through the hidden door in the foliage before leaving though.
