Come a little closer
Summary: Sap for your Monday:)
He could watch her dance all day long and never get tired of it.
Walt leaned his back against the bar and watched Vic move in time to the music, a smile on her face. He lifted the beer in his hand to his mouth and took a swallow, his eyes never leaving her. Once, she caught his eye for the briefest of seconds and tipped her head just a little, her smile shifting almost imperceptibly.
The song was one he didn't know. It wasn't his kind of music. He wasn't even sure where it came form since Henry didn't keep this kind of upbeat dance music on the jukebox. It wasn't anything that he would ever voluntarily listen to, louder and faster than suited his taste. But, Vic was clearly familiar with it and she was moving in perfect time to the beat.
Her chosen dance partner made him smile even more.
Cady, who also seemed to know the song.
They weren't so much dancing together as they were dancing beside each other individually, talking and laughing over the music. It did his heart good to see his daughter smiling and having a good time.
The past year was a rough one for all of them.
But, it was over and they were working to put it behind them.
"They are good dancers."
Henry invaded his thoughts, leaning on the bar, his elbows resting on the wooden surface. Walt glanced at his friend before his eyes drifted back to the dance floor.
"Yep."
He took another drink from his beer.
"I thought the two of you were not going public yet."
Walt didn't look at Henry.
"We're not."
His oldest friend smiled.
"You do realize that you have been watching her for three songs. Anyone who is paying attention is going to see that there is something going on. Or, that you are stalking her."
Walt shook his head and finished off his beer, setting it on the bar. In all honesty, he didn't care who noticed. No, they hadn't officially gone public yet. But, they also weren't working all that hard at keeping it a secret anymore. Those closest to them already knew for both practical and personal reasons.
With his retirement all but official, it didn't seem to matter anymore if the general public knew about them or not. People would have opinions. But, Walt's only concern were those closest to them. He knew Vic didn't care about public perception at all.
"I take it things are going well."
"Yep."
He heard Henry exhale predictably at his characteristically short answer.
"It is serious?"
"Yep."
Another loud exhale.
"This is an enlightening conversation, Walt. You are a fountain of information."
Walt turned his eyes to Henry. He didn't respond to the jab, but Henry studied his face with an ease that came from forty plus years of friendship.
"You are in love with her."
It wasn't a question.
"Yep."
"I am happy for you, Walt."
That was all Henry offered. The song ended and Walt's eyes were drawn back to the dance floor. Vic leaned in and said something to Cady, who nodded. Fixing her eyes on him, she started in his direction. Walt watched her approach in jeans and a button down shirt that was cut just right. The top few buttons were unbuttoned and she wore a tank top underneath. With the cooler temperatures of fall came the layering.
She was smiling she slid onto the stool next to him, small beads of sweat just visible along her hairline, despite the chill in the air outside. She was flushed and her eyes were bright as she leaned on the bar, her breath a little quick. Walt turned on his barstool so that he was facing the bar, his back now to the rest of the room.
It did him good to see her seem so happy. So much like herself. It didn't happen as much anymore. The new heaviness she carried saw to that. But this evening, none of that seemed to be on her mind. Her good mood was contagious.
Without being asked, Henry set a beer in front of her. Vic tossed him a grateful smile as her hand closed around the bottle.
"Thanks."
Henry nodded to her.
"You are welcome."
Leaving them alone, he moved off down the bar to where another thirsty patron had landed. Vic raised the bottle and took a long drink from it before lowering it, her head twisting towards Walt.
"Why are you sitting over here by yourself?"
He shrugged.
"I was talking to Henry."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cady drift over and take a seat at a table with Zach. It didn't escape him how his newest deputy smiled at his daughter. Or, how she sat closer than was necessary and leaned towards him to talk.
Vic must have noticed the silence. She turned her head and followed his line of sight.
"I feel like there's something going on there."
Vic nodded, taking another swig from her bottle.
"Yeah, seems like it."
She paused.
"How do you feel about that?"
Walt turned his eyes back towards Vic.
"I'm not sure just yet."
Vic set her bottle back on the bar and nudged him with her elbow.
"She deserves to be happy, Walt."
His eyes dropped.
"I know."
A slower song started to play on the jukebox. An older country song that Walt recognized, but couldn't come up with the name to.
"You're good."
She gave him a questioning look.
"Dancing. You're good."
She smiled.
"I'm pretty sure I told you that once."
He nodded, the memory felt like a lifetime ago. She eyed him, her bottle in both hands, one index finger picking at the label.
"You're not too bad yourself. I have seen you dance."
Another distant memory. Her smile faded some and she grew serious.
"Do you want to dance?"
She seemed unsure of her own offer. Walt gave the slow dancing couples a quick look.
"I'm not much of a public dancer."
Vic seemed to accept that, her head bobbing a little. Her finger now tapped on the bottle as quiet settled over them. Walt cleared his throat, drawing her attention.
"We…could…go to the cabin."
Her eyes flicked to his.
"It's kind of early. People see us leaving together. They might talk."
Walt let his eyes leave her and rove around the room. There wasn't anyone really paying them any attention. He turned his eyes back to find her watching him.
"Let 'em."
He grabbed his hat off the bar and stood up, waiting. Vic took the hint and slid her mostly empty bottle away, rising off the stool and offering her a smile as they left the bar.
xxx
"Come a little closer."
Her arms were draped over the back of his neck, her hands clasped behind his head. She tugged, he complied. The move put them chest to chest with no empty space between them. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he danced so intimately with a woman. Vic tilted her head back and smiled up at him. It was a different smile. A more private one.
"You don't mind that I wanted to come here, do you?"
Vic shook her head.
In the privacy of his cabin, with a fire going, she was down to just her tank top and jeans. Even her feet were bare, accentuating the height difference between them. A slow song played from her phone, which was in her back pocket. He could just feel the tip of it with his hands resting on her lower back, his fingers extending down.
"Nope."
It was a battle. Reconciling the old him, the one that held back for so long, with this newer version that simply wanted to feel her presence in all aspects of his life. He was eternally grateful that Vic didn't seem to mind the slower pace that he seemed the most comfortable with. Truth be told, he was pretty sure she preferred it as well at this point.
There was something incredibly freeing about the lack of outside pressure.
She exhaled audibly and dipper her head towards him so that her forehead rested on chest. Walt readjusted and tightened his grip on her.
"You're not so bad yourself, you know."
The words were muffled by her face being so close to his shirt. Walt tipped his chin farther into her hair and inhaled the smell of her. There were faint traces of her shampoo from her shower that morning in his bathroom accompanied by the smells of the Red Pony, a touch of sweat.
"My mother was musically inclined. She played the piano and was a good dancer."
"She taught you?"
"Mmm-hmm. Haven't really danced in a long time."
"Then, I'm impressed."
He smiled against her hair as the song wove a quiet melody around them.
"What were you and Henry talking about?"
No pause.
"You."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"What about me?"
Another smile.
"I think he's happy I found someone who can tolerate me."
He felt her laugh more than he heard it and she lifted her face.
"Isn't that they key? Finding someone who can tolerate you?"
Their eyes held for a moment before he ducked his face towards hers and kissed her softly. Her arms drew him in even closer as she pushed up on her toes and returned the kiss. The song was ending, but they stayed where they were.
Vic pulled back just a bit, her breath warm on his face.
"One more."
"Kay."
She tilted her head, her smile reappearing as another song started on cue.
"Just…a little closer."
End
