Disclaimer: I stole the characters when no one was looking but I'll give them back later - maybe
Authors Note: Hah see told you I would update again soon! Actually I just did really badly in a quiz and so am feeling a bit reckless, in rebellion, with my time now. Please review to make me feel better!
EDGE OF LOVE
Chapter 8 – Dancing Angel
"Where the hell is my red dress?" Max demanded as she burst into Alec's bedroom.
"Ever heard of knocking Maxie?" Alec asked lazily not budging from his position lying on his stomach watching MTV. "I mean I could have been in the middle of something with a girl in here."
Max snorted in a very unlady like fashion and Alec hid his grin. "Not likely Alec. What's it been for you, 5 weeks? Losing your stamina or have you just run through all the girls in the college?"
"Hey, I'll have you know my stamina is just fine thank you." Alec wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at Max. Not wanting to admit to himself the real reason he had laid back on bedding the women he met, he teased Max. "Want to test drive me?"
Max screwed up her face. "Ew no." Test drive, gross.
Ew no? Placing a hand over his heart Alec rolled over melodramatically. "Ouch." Truth told he was actually a little insulted. What the hell was so wrong with him? She would sleep with that sleaze of an ancient professor but he, Alec, was ew?
"Grow up." Max instructed him at his drama.
Shrugging Alec settled back into his old position and resumed staring at the fast moving images on the television.
Max pursed her lips and switched the TV off. "Hey!" Alec dropped his bag of pork rinds.
"Hello Mr Attention Deficit, I asked you a question."
Alec drew himself up. "Actually you didn't. You demanded, yelled, threw a hissy fit, but you were not 'asking'" He corrected, a little fed up.
"Whatever." Max dismissed the details. "Where's my red dress?"
Alec pretended to think. "Hmm. It could be under my bed. I borrowed it because it looks great with my red sparkly high heels" He said seriously.
Max stared at him incredulously for a moment before Alec started laughing.
"C'mon Max how the hell should I know where your dress is." Alec bent to retrieve his dropped pork rinds. "Trust me I'm not a closet transvestite." He looked thoughtful for a moment "Although I do have a friend who…Never mind, off the topic."
"So you don't know where it is then?" Max asked still in her angry tone.
Alec threw his hands up in the air. "No! Why on earth did you think I would anyway?" He asked.
Max shrugged. "You don't see anyone else living here do you?" Alec looked at her like she was crazy. "What?" She demanded.
"Nothing." Alec sighed. "I'm sure all of that made logical sense in whatever world you live in. What do you need it for anyway? Last I heard classes weren't going black tie or anything"
"Oh, Logan's taking me some formal party that's going on tonight in the city." Max said absently, obviously trying to recall where the dress was."
"When did this happen?" Alec asked trying to keep the jealousy from his voice and a little hurt she hadn't told him before.
"He just called me a couple of hours ago. Apparently his sister Asha really wanted to go so he was taking her as a favour but now she's sick."
"Oh." Alec frowned, it sounded a bit dodgy to him. But Max looked preoccupied by the dress. "Are you sure you didn't leave it at the dry cleaners or something?"
Max's face lit up. "That's it! I forgot to pick it up." She grinned at Alec who instantly forgot all his wounded pride.
"You better go and get it then. You need a lift?" He asked.
"No thanks, its just a few blocks.
Max hesitated before leaving his room.
"What?" Alec asked confused.
"Nothing. Just…" Max ducked to the floor quickly scanning under his bed. Alec watched her incredulously. Max blushed. "Just checking."
"Max!" Alec cried outraged.
Max shrugged and went to the door. "Nice collection of porn under there Alec."
Alec groaned. How did he always come off worse in these exchanges?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you think?" The voice was so soft and uncertain that Alec hardly heard it. Turning from his seat in the living room he looked at Max. His breath stopped. Alec struggled to inhale. He had thought Max had been perfection to begin with so seeing her dressed up threatened to kill him.
Max frowned at the lack of response from her room mate. She smoothed the red silk of her long dress down and fiddled self consciously with the dark mass of curls delicately pinned up. "Too much?" Her hand reached for her pins. "Maybe I should wear my hair down."
"No-" Alec's voice was choked. He walked across the room and lightly haltered her hands nervous movements. "It's perfect. You're perfect." He whispered.
Max's tense face studied Alec's for any insincerity or sarcasm and finding none she broke into a small smile and her tension visibly left her as she laughed slightly.
"Well I feel like I'm afraid to move in case I bust something or trip over." Max laughed gesturing to her 4 inch heels."
Alec grinned. "Well if you weren't so damn short…"
"Hey!" Max smacked him lightly on the chest.
Alec caught both her hands in one of his and held them gently. His grin faded to a more serious expression. "You are going to be the most beautiful woman on the dance floor."
Max rolled her eyes. "Well that's not going to happen." She said.
The moment broken Alec gave her an obvious look over. "Want to bet?" He asked teasingly.
Walking over to pick up her purse Max spoke over her shoulder. "I mean I can't dance."
Alec laughed. "What do you mean? I've seen you dance at Crash." He said, naming the popular student hangout.
"That's not real dancing, I mean like formal dancing or anything." Max said. "I didn't even go to my prom." Her voice had turned sad and Alec was reminded again of her rough childhood.
Going to the stereo he switched the radio to the classical channel. "Everyone can dance Max. C'mere." He instructed. Max's eyebrows quirked in query but Alec took her purse from her hands and tossed it on the sofa before pulling her in his arms.
"Alec!" Max protested.
"Hey you said you wanted to learn to dance." Alec responded.
"No I didn't!" Max denied.
Alec thought back over their conversation. "Okay so you didn't" He admitted. "But everyone really knows how to dance, including you."
Sensing Max relent and relax in his hold Alec stepped back to position Max properly. "Here hold my hand like this and rest the other here." He instructed her. "As for your feet you just move them in these four positions." Alec demonstrated, glancing up to see Max's brow furrowed in adorable concentration. "Now this is the easy part, you just follow my movements." Pulling Max flush against him Alec started to guide them around the room in a simple box step.
As they moved Max looked up at Alec. "This is dancing?" She asked uncertainly
"Yep, you're a natural." Alec grinned at her and Max smiled back. As Max continued to move with him with ease
Alec spoke again. "Feel up to something a bit more adventurous?" He asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.
Max's own eyes narrowed as she recognised the mischievous look. "Like what?" She asked suspiciously.
Without responding Alec spun Max out in a circle. Max gasped as her body followed the motion Alec had started, the room spun in front of her eyes and then she was back in Alec's strong arms again. "See." He smiled. "I knew you could dance."
"I almost tripped!" Max protested.
Alec rested his cheek against the top of her head. "I wouldn't have let you fall." He whispered.
The air was suddenly charged with something indefinable and Max tensed in his arms. Her face lifted away from where it had been resting against Alec's shoulder and she stared into his clear hazel eyes.
Alec felt her sudden awareness as he looked into Max's open expression. Her full mouth was calling to him, her soft body pressed against his hard planes. The natural red tint of her lips begged to be tasted and her scent was filling his lungs until he swore he was drowning in her. Deep pools of brown mesmerised him until he felt he would die if he looked away.
Three sharp raps at the door sounded. "Max? Are you in there? I thought we were meeting out at the front of the campus?" The voice came through the wood of the door.
Like glass breaking the tension in the room was shattered just like that. Almost drunkenly Alec stumbled back from Max, releasing her like she burned him. Max's eyes darted wildly around the room before she spotted her purse.
Grabbing it Max rushed to the door. Her hand paused on the handle. "Thank you Alec." She said turning her head to see him standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes met his. "For teaching me how to dance."
Alec swallowed heavily and managed a nod as he watched the woman he loved leave to dance with another man.
TBC.