Chapter 12
Dancing
After a few minutes though, she couldn't deal with the silence anymore. Walking out of the room momentarily, she came back with the record player, which she set down on the counter. After making sure it wouldn't get in Vincent's way, she set it up and turned it on. The soft melody she had played earlier began to play again.
"Come on Reno. Dance with me while Vincent cooks." she said, offering him her hand. He frowned.
"But I told you, I don't know how to, yo." he said. She smiled and grabbed one of his hands, dragging him into the living room.
"I'll teach you. After you help me move all this stuff out of the way." she said, pointing at the living room furniture. Once that was done, she stood in front of Reno and took his hand in hers.
"I'll lead until you get the hang of it, alright. Then I'll let you take over." she said, placing his right hand under her left arm and her left hand on his right shoulder.
"Ready?" she asked. He shook his head, but was ignored as the music suddenly got louder, compliments of Vincent who had stepped away from the stove to watch the lesson. She started counting from one to three, repeating it until it was an easy rhythm to follow. She pulled him toward her a step and then to the left, pushed him back a step and to the right. This continued until Reno started to understand how the steps worked. He was soon leading, dancing all around the living room with her in tow. Vincent smiled to himself and returned to his cooking, leaving the two alone.
"This particular song is called Waltz of the Flowers. Vincent gave the record to me because he said that a Waltz of the Flowers reminded him of me. I'm often told that I smell of flowers." she explained, smiling as Reno led her around.
"You do, yo. It's the first thing I noticed about you actually." he replied, his eyes fixed on hers. She blushed lightly as he spun them once again.
"You look beautiful tonight, you know. Valentine's lucky he gets to see you like this so much, yo." he said softly, smiling slightly down at her. He pulled her closer as the continued their seventh lap around the room.
"Thank you. I'm pleased that you picked this up so fast. I was a much slower learner, but luckily for me, Vincent is quite patient." she replied as she was pulled closer yet again. Her cheek was now resting on Reno's chest. He looked down, having never realized how small she really was.
"Aeron. Reno. Dinner's almost ready. Would you come join me?" called Vincent, his tone back to the sweet sounding one he always used with Aeron. After a few more steps, Reno stopped and let her go.
"Shall we, milady?" he asked bowing and kissing her hand. She giggled.
"Why yes, I believe we shall my kind sir." she said, unable to hold back her cheer. Reno smiled and led her back to the kitchen where Vincent was serving dinner. Reno pulled out the chair on the end for Aeron and pushed it in once she was seated. He then sat beside her.
"Smells good, yo." he said, sniffing the air. Vincent frowned slightly as he pulled the bread out of the oven.
"Do you even know what it is?" he asked incredulously. Reno shrugged.
"Not a clue. How about you tell me then, yo?" he asked. Vincent rolled his eyes.
" A Savory Coeur a la Crème with crackers as an appetizer. Tortelli di Castagne: Chestnut Tortelli and fresh French bread for the main course. And Crème Brulee Tarts for dessert." he replied smugly as Reno just looked at him dumbly. Aeron couldn't hold in a laugh.
"And what kind of wine are we having this time Vincent?" she asked excitedly. He smiled and walked over to the grocery bag he'd brought with him.
"I know how much you like aged red wines, so I brought my best Merlot made in Junon." he said, easily popping the cork out with one of his gauntlet's fingers. Aeron clapped and waited happily for him to pour the wine. Reno, on the other hand, would have preferred a hard liquor to any kind of wine, but he held his tongue.
Vincent served the appetizers, which Reno thoroughly enjoyed. Then the main course, which was then followed by dessert. Aeron had had two glasses of wine by the end of dinner and had a soft flush to her cheeks. Vincent had only had a single glass. They were having a lively conversation while Reno quaffed his seventh glass of wine. He reached across the table for the bottle, but Vincent quickly moved it out of his reach.
Not wanting to argue, Reno told Aeron that he would be going to bed now. She kissed him on the cheek and he stumbled out of the dining room and flopped down on his bed in the living room. He was quickly asleep.