Title: Slow Dance
Author: SneetchesToo
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Ethan/Rox
Summary: Rox had never seen Ethan look quite as handsome as he was tonight.
Author's Note: Violet wanted some slow dancing, so here it is ;)
—
Rox wasn't entirely sure why she had agreed to accompany Ethan to his buddy's wedding.
It's not like he wasn't capable of going by himself.
He was a grown man after all.
But when he had casually mentioned it a few months ago she had said 'sure' and hadn't given it any more thought since then.
She honestly didn't expect them to still be together by the end of February.
She was almost certain that Ethan would have dumped her ass by then.
But he hadn't, and they weren't, so here she was.
Standing in front of her closet at 11:30am on a Saturday trying to decide what the hell she was going to wear to the wedding she had completely forgotten about.
Ethan had reminded her last night about the event when he had kissed her 'goodbye' in the ambulance bay.
He was headed to the rehearsal dinner and then to the bachelor party and he had been reluctant to let her go.
He said he would much rather spend the evening with her, but she didn't believe him for a second.
But now, well now he was on his way over and she had to be dressed and ready to go by 12:15pm because he would be there by 12:30pm.
The wedding wasn't until 3:00pm, but since he was a groomsmen he had to be there early.
Something about pictures and getting dressed and making sure that the wedding party wasn't too drunk before the ceremony started.
He had rolled his eyes when he told her that last part, but she had just chuckled.
She knew he would be the most sober one there, whether he liked it or not.
"What's the problem dear?" Emo's voice startled her from her thoughts and she whipped around, her eyes catching sight of the older woman.
She had completely forgotten that she had asked Emo to come over and help her get ready.
The woman had been entirely too quiet while she had been showering and she had thought she had left.
"I have no fucking clue what to wear." She let out a huff.
She wasn't one to cuss, but dammit if she wasn't having a really tough morning.
She didn't know what Ethan was wearing, but she knew that he would look handsome regardless.
She was fearful of not looking good enough to be his date.
She didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends.
"What's Ethan wearing?" Emo moved into the room slowly, depositing herself on the bed with a sigh.
"I don't have a clue." She turned back toward her closet before grabbing her phone from the dresser.
What the hell do I wear to this? She hit send before she reached out, grabbing a red strapless dress from the back of the closet.
She held up in front of her and turned toward Emo.
The older woman's expression said it all.
"You're going to a wedding Roxane, not a night club." The sarcasm dripping from her words made Rox laugh.
She honestly had no idea why she even still owned that dress.
She couldn't remember the last time she had worn it.
Something pretty? Ethan's response reminded her of just how much of a man child he really was sometimes.
What are you wearing? She added an eye roll emoji before tossing the red dress to the bed and turning back to the selection in front of her.
My uniform. She felt her breath hitch in her chest.
She had only seen him in his uniform once, at the funeral they attended with Martin almost a year ago.
He had been the most delicious sight she had ever seen and she had had a hard time keeping her hands to herself.
Even back then.
She couldn't imagine what seeing him in it today would do to her.
So… not blue then? She didn't want to clash with him too much.
She was sure she was already going to be making a fool out of herself.
Or red. That's what the bridesmaids are wearing. At least according to Jeff. But what does he know? She rolled her eyes once more.
These men were certainly not helping her situation any.
Whatever you wear you'll look beautiful in Rox. Just something simple. It's nothing fancy. Church wedding, rec center reception. His response made her smile. He always knew how to bring her back down.
So not my hooker dress?! She was curious to see what his response would be to that.
No! She could almost imagine the look on his face when he read that.
But you can save that for later ;) She let out a laugh at his words.
He really was too much for her sometimes.
"So… what did he say?" Once again, she had forgotten that Emo was there and she felt bad.
She was so wrapped up in Ethan that she kept forgetting about the other woman's presence.
"He's wearing his uniform." She turned to face her as she spoke.
"Well I'll be damned." Emo whispered.
Rox just rolled her eyes. Emo was so dramatic when she wanted to be.
"He said the bridesmaids are wearing red and it's a church wedding." She turned toward the closet once more, her hands reaching for the simple black gown she had bought on a whim a few years ago
She had never worn it though. And it just hung in her closet waiting for the perfect time to get worn.
It had cap sleeves and a crew neckline with a straight skirt that stopped right at her knees.
The whole thing was covered in lace and she had fallen in love with it the second she had tried it on.
She hoped it still fit like it had back then.
"What about this one?" She held it up in front of her as she moved toward the full length mirror on the other side of the dresser.
"Oh Roxane, that's perfect!" Emo practically squealed with delight and she felt like a teenager getting ready for prom.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a minute, her eyes taking in every detail of the dress as she contemplated whether it was the right choice or not.
"You think he'll like it?" Her question was whispered as she closed her eyes briefly.
They had never done the whole 'dolled up' gig before.
Sure they had been slightly fancier than jeans and t-shirts once or twice.
But she never wore dresses, and she had certainly never worn one around him before.
"You could wear a brown paper bag and he'd still think you were the most gorgeous woman in the world." Emo's words caused her to snap her eyes back open.
She shook her head as she turned.
"Oh hush Emo." But the smile on Emo's face told her all she needed to know.
Ethan would indeed love it.
"Go honey, finish getting ready." The older woman gestured toward the bathroom. "He'll be here soon and we still need to do your hair."
Rox looked at the clock on the nightstand.
Somehow it was already 12:10pm.
She had less than twenty minutes.
She had better hurry if she was going to do anything with the mess of curls on her head.
Not that she thought Ethan would mind one bit if she left them just the way they were.
He always made the comment that he liked her hair slightly curly anyway.
Today, that might be just what he got.
—
After getting dressed and convincing herself that she indeed looked fine, Emo had fixed her hair for her, pinning it back slightly with some fancy silver clip that had appeared out of nowhere.
She had tried to convince her to put on some makeup, but Rox had swatted her off, claiming that she was perfectly fine with her soft pink lipgloss and nothing else.
She had just fastened the clasp on her necklace, the one that Ethan had given her for Christmas, the one that she wore everyday without fail, when she heard the front door open.
"Anyone home?" Ethan's voice called softly through the small space.
"We're in Rox's room dear!" She was thankful that Emo spoke up because she had all of a sudden forgotten how to speak.
"Is it safe to come back?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"Of course!" Once again, she couldn't speak, so she was thankful when the older woman behind her did.
She heard Ethan's footsteps as he made his way down the hall and she found herself holding her breath.
It's not like this was a special occasion.
It's not like it was their wedding.
And yet, she was so incredibly nervous for him to see her that she felt like she was going to throw up.
"Hey Emo." His voice was soft as he stopped somewhere just inside the door.
She could feel his presence close by and it made her heart flutter.
"Hi Ethan." The older woman said softly.
She patted Rox on the shoulder before leaving the room, the sound of her feet echoing as she made her way down the hall.
She knew that she should turn around, but she had forgotten how to move.
Her whole body was frozen in place.
"Hi love." She felt Ethan's hand on her hip and she let out a breath.
"Hi." She whispered.
She didn't understand why she was so nervous.
This was absolutely insane.
She got ready to speak when he gently turned her around, his hand leaving her hip briefly as he let her move to face him.
He let out a breath when she stopped turning, his eyes lighting up at the sight in front of him.
"You…" He reached out once more, his hand going to settle against her cheek this time.
He pulled her in for a searing kiss, his lips hot, yet soft, as they crashed against hers.
She let her hands fall to his chest as she kissed him back.
She was sad to see that he wasn't in his uniform yet.
Instead he was clad in jeans and a flannel shirt.
But he looked handsome nonetheless.
"You look so fucking beautiful." He whispered as he pulled from the kiss.
"Shut up Ethan." She whispered back.
She absolutely did not look 'fucking beautiful'.
She was lucky if she even looked halfway decent.
He stepped back from her then, his eyes giving her a once over as he reached out for her hand.
She took it, and he spun her gently as he continued to ogle over her.
"You do realize that I'm gonna have a very hard time focusing tonight right?" He pulled her close after she gave him a good spin, and he let his hand settle back against her cheek.
"It's really nothing special Ethan." She wasn't sure why he was so lovestruck.
There was noway that she looked that nice.
"We had better get going." He whispered.
She could tell by the look in his eyes that if they didn't leave now, they never would.
Nodding her head, she reached behind her and grabbed her clutch from the dresser before sliding her feet into the simple pair of black heels she had dug out from under the bed.
He held his hand out to her and she took it graciously.
"Behave yourselves tonight you two!" Emo called as they made their way past her.
Ethan let out a soft chuckle as he held the front door open for her.
Rox doubted there would be any behaving involved.
—
They had made it the venue around 1:15pm and Ethan had deposited her in the care of the bridal party before disappearing down a hallway with a man she could only assume was the groom.
She had been nervous about spending almost two hours with a group of women that she had never met before.
But lucky for her, they had all turned out to be rather nice.
And they had welcomed her with open arms and wine and a few stories about Ethan that she had been extremely thankful to hear.
She had excused herself around 2:45pm and made her way out into the main part of the church, finding herself a seat toward the back.
She knew she wasn't the only one there that was sitting alone, but she still didn't want to make herself noticeable.
At least not to anyone other than Ethan.
She had flipped through the program, her eyes straying extra long on Ethan's name next to the title of 'groomsmen', before checking her phone one last time before the ceremony started.
When she heard the doors at the front of the church open she had snapped her eyes up quicker than she thought possible.
She waited with bated breath for Ethan to appear.
And when he did, she felt her heart stop in her chest.
He looked even more precious today than he had last year, his uniform making him all the more handsome than he normally was.
He had tamed his hair ever so slightly, and while she liked it when it was a little wild and lopsided, the slicked back affect was doing things to her as well.
She let out a breath when his eyes locked with hers, and she couldn't help but blush when a giant smile came across his face.
"I love you." He mouthed to her, his eyes soft and relaxed.
"Love you too." She mouthed back.
She watched as the man next to him jabbed at him and whispered something.
Ethan blushed slightly before replying, his eyes never leaving hers.
She guessed that maybe the man had made a comment about her.
The old Rox would have been embarrassed by it.
But today, she was okay with seeing just how obsessed with her Ethan truly was.
—
The ceremony had been short and sweet, but beautiful all the same.
And when the preacher had been talking about 'in sickness and in health' and 'until death do us part' Ethan's eyes had wandered to hers.
She had offered him a soft smile, which he returned, but he kept his gaze focused on hers long after he should have broken it.
She knew what he was thinking.
She knew that his mind was going to a place where they were the ones saying those lines.
To a place where she was the one wearing the pretty white gown and the handmade lace covered veil.
She had broken the eye contact when her mind had started going to that place as well.
But then the bride and groom had been kissing and the wedding party was making their way outside and she had let out a sigh as Ethan had strolled past her, his arm linked with a redhead she had shared a candy bar with earlier.
She had waited until all the guests had started making their way toward the recreation center next door before she had exited her pew.
She really didn't like making small talk with people, especially when she didn't know what to say.
She didn't know anyone here other than Ethan.
And while she had met the bridesmaids and the bride, she doubted any of them would remember who she was.
So instead she had loitered outside for a bit, taking in the sights of the old church's grounds, her clutch held tightly in both hands.
"You coming inside beautiful?" She snapped her eyes up from where they had been taking in the view of the mountains from behind the church.
She certainly wasn't disappointed with the sight in front of her either.
"Just taking in the view." She said softly.
She watched as Ethan made his way toward her with careful steps, his eyes soft and gentle as he stopped just in front of her.
"It is quite a beautiful one isn't it?" He whispered.
She simply nodded her head at his question.
She wasn't sure if he was referring to the mountains like she was, or if he was referring to her, but either way, she wasn't sure exactly how to respond.
"Come on inside." He said softly, reaching out for her like she was the most fragile thing in the world. "I wanna show you off."
"I'd rather you not." She whispered.
She wasn't something to be shown off.
She wasn't a trophy or a prize.
She was just his girlfriend.
That was it.
"Please." He took her hand in his softy and tugged her to him.
She went willingly, her hands settling against his chest as she stopped right in front of him.
"Ethan…" She didn't know what she was pleading with him for.
She knew she was a goner.
"Come on Rox." He leaned down and kissed her softly before pulling back and continuing, his words sending her heart into a tizzy. "We'll make the rounds, have a glass of champagne, and maybe sneak in a few shrimp." He let his forehead fall to hers with a gentle smile. "We can even share a dance or two if you'd like."
Her heart skipped a beat.
A dance?
She didn't dance.
Nope. Never.
"I don't dance Ethan." She whispered.
"Bullshit." He pressed his lips against hers softly. "Let's go."
And the next thing she knew he was gently escorting her inside the reception hall, his hand soft against the small of her back.
She wasn't entirely certain how she felt about this, but all of her was certainly freaking out about it.
—
They had made the rounds slowly and Ethan had beamed from ear to ear as he introduced her to all of his military buddies and their significant others.
He hadn't hesitated to call her his girlfriend.
He hadn't hesitated to hold her hand and kiss her cheek and agree with his friends when they said he was a lucky guy.
She wasn't entirely sure why that had done her in, but it had, and she had been putty in his hands the rest of the night.
They had taken part in a few champagne toasts. And they had shared a small plate of food.
And then the next thing she knew Ethan was leading her out onto the dance floor and she was helpless to stop him.
He had settled his left hand on her hip as his right hand took a hold of hers and she had let her free hand settle against his uniform jacket.
He had smiled at her softly as he started to sway them back and forth and she had let her eyes fall closed for a second as she took in the moment.
The song was soft and slow and was, of course, something about love and forever and growing old together.
She vaguely recognized it from the radio.
She was shocked when Ethan seemed to know the words though.
She had expected their dance to end after one song, but it hadn't, and instead he had pulled her close, his hand moving up her back and away from her hip.
His forehead fell to hers as he tugged their hands between them, resting them against his chest as he pressed a kiss to her nose.
"You're the most beautiful woman in the room." He whispered.
She rolled her eyes at his statement.
"I most certainly am not." She whispered back.
"Well you are to me." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and she felt like her world was going to ignite.
As many times as they had kissed before. As many times as they had made love before. This was by far the most intimate of situations they had ever been in.
She felt herself falling further and further in love with him.
If that was even possible.
"Well then," She let her hand travel gently from his shoulder to rest at the nape of his neck, her fingers scratching lightly at his hair, "you are the most handsome man in the room."
"Lies." He nipped at her lips softly and she chuckled at him.
He was such a tease.
They swayed back and forth to the music for a few minutes before he spoke up, but when he did, she felt her heart start to race in her chest.
"Maybe the next time we dance this close will be at our wedding." The smile that was on his face made her mind, and her heart, completely forget about how much that topic scared her.
Because for the first time in a long time, it didn't.
"Maybe." She whispered.
She watched as his eyes grew wide and his smile softened.
She knew she had hit him right in the heartstrings.
He pressed another kiss to her lips as he continued to sway her back and forth, his forehead going to rest against hers once more.
"You know," He whispered after a minute, "as good as this dress looks on you," he had a twinkle in his eye and she was pretty certain she knew where he was going with this, "it would look so much better on my bedroom floor."
She let out a soft chuckle as she let her fingers rake through his hair slowly.
"I could say the same thing about you and that uniform." She offered him a wink and she chuckled when he raised an eyebrow at her.
She wasn't one to counter back with such suggestions.
She must have thrown him off his game.
"You wanna get out of here?" He had slowed their pace down so that they were now just standing there together.
"Don't you have to stay?" She figured he would have to be there for speeches and gifts and all that fun stuff.
She was perfectly okay with staying if that's what he had to do, but she also really, really wanted to get him home, and out of that uniform.
"Nah." He pulled back from her slowly and she all of a sudden felt very empty. "Jeff will understand."
She nodded her head then, watching as a giant smile broke out on his face.
He stepped back from her, his fingers tangling with hers as he lead her off the dance floor.
He shot a look, and a nod, toward the bride and groom, before they headed out the door and out into the cool evening air.
She had wondered if she would need a cover-up of any kind, but she had forgotten to grab one before they left.
But then Ethan was sliding his uniform jacket off and over her shoulders and she was instantly wrapped up in a scent that was uniquely him.
And her whole body relaxed.
He took her hand in his once more and lead her toward the car.
They didn't speak a single word on the car ride home, but their hands stayed entwined on the center console the entire time.
*Don't forget to comment.