Step 2 was not going to be an easy one, but it was something that had to be done. Serena loved to go to parties and she loved to dance. He always just sat there and watched her, or he just stood there while she tried to dance with him. Eventually he stopped going to anything that had to do with dancing, he missed some of her dances and a few of the girls birthday bashes, as they liked to call them. So here he was, in his apartment with Andrew, Chad and the one male who knows Serena the longest and the most, her little brother Sammie.
To say getting Sammie to come was a challenge was an understatement or all understatements. This kid hated Serena, but most of all he hated Darien. He hated Darien for the weird funk, as he called it, that Serena was in. She did not argue the same with him and she did not act the same all together. According to Sammie she was in this odd trance and she just put on an act to get through the day. Which for the most part made the house quieter, but it also made it lonelier for him. So, it took a long speech, begging, video games and a milk shake a day until he went off to college, for him to agree.
Darien banged his head with a closed fist. "He loved her and he was doing this for her." He repeated to himself.
"You really need to move with the music man..." Chad started. "You almost look like that air thing that blows and moves in the wind outside of a car dealership." Chad started imitate the air thing.
Andrew and Sammie just looked at each other for one second and then bursted into laughter.
"I am so glad I can amuse you two with my misery." Darien muttered.
"It should not be this hard." Andrew replied. "I gave you videos, did you watch them?"
Darien glared at Andrew. "I watched them over and over, and that is what I am trying to do."
"No, what you are trying to do is get out of dancing by faking a seizure..." Sammie cried out laughing again.
"Thanks Sammie..." Darien gritted his teeth.
"Look you wanted me here okay? I told you, I did not want to do this, but how can I reject free shakes for life." He shrugged. "I almost feel bad agreeing to that considering you may be a lost cause."
"How about we try slow dancing?!" Andrew called out hoping it would calm the mood before Darien threw his balled up fist through the window.
"Y...Yeah!" Chad hesitantly agreed. "It is so easy, anyone can get it. You just sway."
"With tiny feet steps," Sammie added.
"But the point is to be as close as possible." Andrew emphasized.
Darien looked at the three in front of him. "This isn't going to work." He slapped his face and pulled his hand down, dragging his cheek as well.
"I am throwing a last minute mixer for your ass, and I am staying late...so you better make this work!" Andrew demanded.
"And who do you say I dance with?" Darien asked addressing the fact it was him and three other guys.
"I refuse." Sammie said off the top crossing his arms, and leaning back in his chair. "This dude is in love with my sister, and some people say I have her eyes. That is too weird."
"I agree."
"Serena is not as tall as me..." Chad tried.
"We are almost the same height you dud!" Andrew threw a pillow at him.
"Hey!" Chad called trying to dodge the pillow.
"Guys, really?" The desperation could be heard in Darien's voice.
"Ugh... fine, I will play you for it." Chad put his fist in his hand and stuck it out. "Best two out of three."
Andrew sighed. Rolled his eyes. "Fine." He stood up, put his hand in the position similar to Chad.
"One, two three shoot!" The both called.
"Scissors beats paper, one for Chad." Sammie reported.
Andrew sighed again.
"One, two, three, shoot!" The called again.
"YES!" Chad yelled. "Paper beats rock! Oh yeah!"
Andrew turned to Darien, who just stood there, hands in his pockets.
"As if me throwing this mixer wasn't enough." He exhaled as he dragged his feet over to Darien.
"I will pay you back." Darien put one hand up and the other arm out in cupping position for Andrew to come into.
"The hell are you doing?" Sammie asked.
Darien looked confused.
"This is not some kind and queen ball!" He tried not to laugh. "Nobody slow dances like that anymore."
"Let's get this over with." Andrew grabbed both of Darien's hands out them on his waist.
"Now what the hell are you doing?!" He jumped back. "I am not trying to touch you ass bro..."
"Do you want to learn how to dance or not?!" Andrew asked annoyed.
"Fine..." Darien said walking back. Head down. He put his hands where Andrew had previously placed them. And Andrew wrapped both arms around Darien's neck.
"Now listen to the music..." Sammie instructed. "And just kind of sway."
"Left, right, left, right..." Chad added.
"You're moving too fast!" Sammie yelled. "You're overthinking!"
"Listen to the music." Chad added. "This of the words, and how it makes you feel."
"I feel like a loser, if I am being honest." Darien expressed.
"Remember this where you try to make small talk with her." Andrew instructed. "Compliment her dress, gaze into her eyes."
"I am not gazing into your eyes."
"You are still too stiff." Sammie observed. "My sister is going to feel you are uncomfortable. That is this weird thing with my sister, she can sense people's emotions."
"And she is definitely going to know you are not doing this because you want to." A female voice came from the door.
"Isn't this a sight to take in."
"Girls what are you doing here?" Darien said under his breath.
"Better question why are you still holding onto Andrew?" Lita said with a huge smirk.
The two stared at each other then jumped back.
"It is not what it looks like." Darien said fixing his clothes.
"We know what you doing Darien." Ami said slipping off her shoes.
"And what makes us laugh is you went to these three... and not us?" Mina pointed at herself. "You do realize that she is our best friend right?"
"We know her inside and out." Rei explained.
"Actually, I am almost certain I know my sister more than all of you combined." Sammie argued.
"Pshhhhh... you hardly talk to her, you only argue and pick on her." Lita scoffed. "I think we got you beat."
"Really... do you know how long she stayed locked in her room, the night she left the carnival?" He asked. "Did you hear her pace back in forth arguing with herself." He waited."Were you there, when she had to give herself a pep talk just to go out with you guys and your boyfriends?" He shook his finger. "No." He turned and glared at Darien. "And when this bozo forgot her birthday, who was the one who convinced her to go out with you guys? Ding ding ding! Me. I see things that you guys don't see in the walls of our home. I hear you voicemail every night when she tries to call you and you reject her call."
"I never rejected her call!" Darien shouted.
"Did you answer?" Sammie asked leaning forward, crossing his hands in between his legs. "A few times I walked by and you know her answer? 'Maybe his phone ran out of battery.' She always thought so positive of you, and did either of you guys know that? Serena is so busy being happy for you guys and trying to not bring you guys down, she basically goes at it alone."
"Okay we get it Sammie." Rei said surrendering.
"Guys, can we please focus?" Chad said walking over to Rei to give her a kiss.
Mina looked around. Pillows everywhere, empty cups, food plates, and different CDs laying around. She sighed. "Darien, Serena is going to see through this act. So I am going to tell you...if you really want to make her happy... be there, and don't be miserable."
"Serena is fairly simple Darien, go with her flow." Lita explained to Darien who looked clueless.
"I thought the men always lead?" Andrew expressed confused.
"No. We let you think you are leading." Lita squished that idea down quick.
"Watch," Rei drew attention to her and Chad, "And keep the music off." She demanded. She started sway her hips as Chad stood behind her. She put his hands on her hips. She moved one hand to pull him closer. He just watched her body move back and forth, and slowly he followed.
"Dancing is about making a connection with you dance partner and moving along with them." Ami explained in her soft tone. "You cannot practice with anyone else but them because each person is really different."
"You just move to each other, sometimes your movement will not go with the music, and that is okay."Lita ensured. "All that matters is you and the person you are dancing with."
"With dancing you can always tell if the person you are dancing wants to or not." Mina explained. "Or if your mind is somewhere else." She did this add movement with her body and her hands. "It is almost like you become stiff and your brain is not moving your body anymore. Does that make sense?
"No because you have been telling me to not to overthink, but I am supposed to make sure I am thinking about dancing with her?" Darien fell into his chair. "I am doomed." He started squeeze the area between his eyebrows. "And I paying all this money."
"Told you to keep it simple." Andrew said in the 'I told you so,' voice.
"Look Darien, we told you, Serena is beyond simple. She wants only a few things in life." Ami started.
"Unlimited pounds of food?" Sammie chimed in.
They all quickly turned and glared at him.
"Sorry." He put his hands up. "I was joking, you know something my sister loves. A good laugh..."
"For got sakes." Lita snapped. "You two enough already!"
Rei and Chad both leapt up and stopped dancing.
"Go get a damn room geez!"
Rei chuckled. "Sorry, got lost in the moment."
Chad just laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah we noticed." Lita rolled her eyes. "Can you two focus on Serena right now?" She pointed to Darien.
"And that is what you need to do Darien." Mina clapped. "Get lost in the moment with her! Don't over think your movement, don't think about tomorrow, think about what you two are doing."
"And trust me, Serena loves to dance, so if you make her feel off in anyway she will stop, or go get a drink, something stupid like that." Rei waved her hand in the air.
"Hey! You used to do that me!" Chad yelled.
"We are not talking about you honey..." Rei smirked. "We are focused on Serena."
"Gist of it Darien, let loose okay?" Amy explained
"But not to loose!" Sammie interrupted. "She is still my sister."
"And have fun. Laugh. Joke. Just chill." Mina reiterated.
Darien kept taking in the mental notes...This was easy he thought. He could do this he told himself. He watched at how Chad interacted with Rei. How he anticipated her every need without her saying a word.
That was how part 2 meshed into part 3. Adding the girls was what he was missing. Andrew was not enough. The other two males opinions took him backwards. Adding the girls helped him see the perspective of a female, and helped him understand Serena more.