As a refresher, this is a REPOST…blah blah blah.
Disclaimer: You know the other drill…Twilight and DWTS are not mine. Blah blah blah.
EPOV
"Oh, and also…start bringing heels."
I couldn't help smiling at her reaction. Yet again those beautiful brown eyes had nearly popped out of her sockets as she contemplated my words. Unlike my sister, the heel queen, I'm sure for Bella, 'heel' was a four letter word up there with some of the crudest language. I don't blame her though. If I had her balance issues, I'd hate them too.
I turned around and headed back to the stereo. It really was time to get down to business. I was just concerned at how professional I needed to be with Bella. Don't get me wrong, I am an enforcer when it comes to dance; a drill sergeant if you will. I've definitely heard that when my former partners didn't think I was listening. But damn, I wanted to win badly and I have been so close so many times and I was tired of it. But Bella…I didn't think she could handle me being a dick in the same way and I wasn't so sure I wanted to be one to her. She seemed so breakable and it didn't feel right.
"Do I have to?" It was a little voice behind me that broke my reverie. See what I mean? Fragile.
"Yes, Bella. You have to." I sighed.
"But, Edward," I shivered slightly at my name from her mouth. Get it together, Masen! "You don't know what you're asking. I mean, heels for me are suicidal. I'll break my ankle, my neck…your neck. I can't be held responsible for what happens when I'm in those kinds of shoes!"
Poor thing was turning redder than a tomato.
"Besides. You've already had to catch me twice and I was wearing flats! You know this is a bad idea." She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. Feisty.
"True, but your feet haven't tried to do you 'in' today." I smirked in response. It was true. She walked in here today and had yet to fall on her face. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad…but we hadn't even come to the dancing part yet.
"Yet," she replied simply, her arms unfolding and falling to her sides.
"Yet." I had to concur. "Anyway, if you want to win this competition, you need to look the part. That means heels, sequins, and whatever wardrobe puts you into."
"But I don't care as much about winning as I do making it out of this competition in one piece, Edward." Ugh, my name from her lips...the things it does to me! Get a grip Edward. Focus.
"Trust me, Bella. I will do whatever it takes to protect you and make you look good. If you're going to fall, I will do my damndest to either catch you before you do, or have myself be the one to break the fall."
She looked up at me with her big doe eyes and I got lost in them. She looked lost too, as if she were trying to figure out what I was really thinking, if I would really do what I said I would. Would you, Edward? Would you give up winning…AGAIN….for her? No, I wanted to win, but I could still protect her and get her to that damn mirror ball trophy. Couldn't I?
"Alright Bella, it's time to do this. Your first two dances of the competition will be the Foxtrot and the Cha Cha." I walked the two steps back to the stereo and flicked through my playlist looking for music for each dance for her to listen to.
I found a song she should know and pressed play. The brass of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" began to blast through the speakers.
"The Foxtrot is a dance that was born in the early 1900's. It's a very smooth dance that follows a simple rhythm. It's got a lot of back and forth movement and follows the time of slow, quick, quick, slow. Most dancers think of it as the Rolls Royce of dance."
Bella giggled.
"What?"
"I don't speak Car & Driver." She continued to smile and had a glint in her eye. I had to laugh with her slightly.
"Ok, a Rolls Royce is the classiest and smoothest car out there. The Foxtrot is considered to equal that, just in dance." I kept it simple for her, but it was the truth.
That smile held to her face, as if she were trying not to laugh. Her smile was contagious.
"Alright, fine. No more car analogies. Just think of Fred and Ginger, ok?"
"Fred and Ginger. Got it." She was too cute for her own good, which spelled trouble. Focus Edward.
"Wasn't Ginger the one who said that she did everything that Fred did, but she did it backwards and in heels?" She was smiling widely and that glint was back in her eyes.
"Well, at least you know your quotes," I admitted.
"I'm an author, Edward. Of course I know quotes." She was teasing me. Little minx.
"Alright then. Yes, Ginger Rogers did say that, explaining that she was just as good as Fred Astaire if not better. So this will be your chance to show the world that you can be Ginger Rogers. You can be just as good as me, if not better. I'm here to help you." It was true. I was here to help her. Help her win, which would help me win. So what if I'm helping myself along the way…
"So," I continued. "Do you hear the slow, quick, quick, slow in the song that's playing?"
I began to bop my head and clap my hands in time with the music to help pull it out for her. It was natural for me, but I wanted to make sure that she could feel the push and pull feel of the music. I had been impressed before when she was able to find and tap her foot to the on and the offbeat earlier, so I was hoping this would go smoothly.
She nodded with the music along with me, her tiny hand patting out the rhythm against her leg.
"Good. This is one of my favorites, because of the give and take nature of the dance. Simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. Hopefully, you'll like it as much as I do. If not, we've got plenty more to choose from," I said, stepping back to my phone and choosing the next song.
"Now, for the Cha Cha," I started as I found the one I was looking for and pressed play again. "It is a flirtatious dance that began in Cuba. It's lively, cheeky, but still light. Think of the spirit of the dance being 'catch me if you can'."
"Outkast?" She looked up at me in confusion. I had picked Outkast's 'The Way You Move'.
"Yeah. Can you hear the rhythm? What you're looking for is 'one, two, cha cha cha'. It's there, you just have to listen for it." I began to nod my head and speak the rhythm aloud so she could catch on. She did so quickly, again. Maybe this won't be so bad.
"You have to understand Bella, that we dancers don't traditionally have music specifically written for the purpose of ballroom dancing. We have to find it and it's everywhere. Musicians write their music, but it fits into categories for dancers. The right rhythm can become the perfect dance for us."
"I guess I never thought about that. It's always been just music for me. I never thought about putting specific dances or moves to it other than what I see on MTV." She was absorbing as much information as possible. You could tell she was an intellectual, and trust me, that was such a pleasant change from the plastic partners that I had in the past.
"Well, that's where I come in." I smiled at her and I could see her eyes smiling right back at me. I quickly composed myself. I stopped the music and turned to face her.
"So, which one would you like to start with first?" I was honestly curious. I had never given my other partners the opportunity to pick. I usually threw them into the Foxtrot because it was a classic dance that I would be able to fix technique with easily. With Bella, I wanted to give her a choice. She would always have a choice with me, if I could offer it to her.
I heard a cough to my left and looked over and saw Tyler with a shocked look on his face. I guess he realized that I wasn't throwing Bella to the lions just yet either. He quickly composed himself as Bella looked over to him as well.
"Um, Edward. This is all great and everything. I'm really learning a lot, but we both know that this isn't going to work for me. Sure, I can pick up a beat, but coordination is zero in my book and I'm just going to make you look bad." I was stunned. She continued.
"I mean, I've watched videos of you and you make everything look so effortless. I can't do that. I can't do this. I should just throw in the towel now because this isn't me and I don't think it ever will be." She looked down at the floor as she finished talking. I could tell her face was red again and this time, mine was too. The only difference was that mine wasn't red due to embarrassment.
She wanted to quit, before she even started. That was not good, for a number of reasons. One, she hadn't even tried yet. She couldn't possibly know what she could or couldn't do on the dance floor if she hadn't tried. And two, there was no way I was pulling out of this competition. Instructor Edward was about to show his true colors.
"Isabella," I stated simply. I had to take a deep breath before continuing so as to not lose my cool. "You are not quitting before you even begin. I don't think that's in your nature, so I won't allow it. Besides, so what if this isn't you. Didn't you tell me the other day that this was to get you out of your box? Well, you're out of it, Missy, and you won't be back in that box until this competition is over for you, which means either the judges and fans send us home or we walk away with that trophy. So step up."
"But, Edward…"
"No buts, Bella. Fine, you say that this isn't you, right? You're an author." She nodded.
"You have characters that you write about, right?" Another nod.
"Become one of your characters. Or another character for all I care. Become someone else. When you enter or leave this studio, you are Bella Swan, but once that music comes on, I want to see you become someone else that would fit into that dance. It could be a classic literary character, a modern one, hell, become one of the other competitors for all I care. Whatever it will take to keep you in this studio and working on the dances."
She looked stunned and slightly taken aback. I wasn't going to back down.
"Do you understand me?" My eyes were penetrating hers. I'm sure my eyes looked slightly crazed but I didn't care. She stared back into my eyes, testing to see if I was bluffing or not. Try me.
She gulped and squeaked out a yes.
"Good, because I'm not letting you give up."
I wouldn't let her give up because I wasn't going to give up. I couldn't. I realized now that it wasn't only because I wanted to win.
It was also because I didn't want her to leave.
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