With the waiter gone Paulina and Bruce fell into an awkward silence that was quickly becoming tenser by the second. Soon enough it became a battle of wills to see who would have the courage to speak first.
"So… how did you get roped into this?" Paulina asked with a level gaze, breaking the stalemate, as she took a sip of her water.
"Well," Bruce started as he took a sip of water. "I guess it's the same as you really. My friend asks me if I have any plans only to tell me that he already made plans for me. Not only that, he made plans in advance and even got some help setting everything up." He stated whimsically. "Worst part, he made sure I had no way out of this."
"Sounds about right." Paulina commented bitterly.
"I'm guessing your friend came up with the when and where while mine thought of the how." Bruce said taking another sip.
"Why do you say that?"
"My friend – as great as he is – does not have… any sense of fashion so I know he wasn't the one to pick out my clothes." He stated with a smile and dismissive wave. "That and his idea of a 'fancy dinner date' is an All You Can Eat Brazilian Steak House, so I know coming here wasn't his idea." Bruce says with a chuckle. "But I do know what was, and I got to admit I do kind of like it."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Paulina questions as she slightly leans in.
"These masks and… this." Bruce replies, pointing to the voice changing choker.
"He's responsible for these godawful things?" Paulina hissed as she recoiled back.
"I know, I know, at first I hated it too." Bruce confessed defensively. "But he had a good reason. He said that this was the only way there could be a blind date."
"Oh come on." Paulina groaned.
"Weren't you told the same thing?" He counters.
"Yeah, something like that." She retorted dismissively.
"Besides I find it kind of… liberating."
"Liberating?" Paulina questions.
"Yeah." Bruce says taking another sip. "I mean with these on, we don't have to worry about any of the superficial crap. Like looks, social standing or anything like that. We can just be ourselves." He states with a smile, spreading his arms wide in the universal gesture of openness.
"I guess you're right." Paulina relented as she thought over what Bruce had said. It never occurred to her that there was any benefit to wearing such gaudy clothing. But now she could see; with the mask hiding their faces and the chokers distorting their voices there was no real way to tell just who the other was. For all she knew Bruce could be a jock, a geek, or just about anyone. And that from Bruce's point of view the same could be said of her. "I just never thought of it that way."
"That's alright." Bruce replied comfortingly. "I know that neither one of us wanted to do this. But since we're here we might as well try to make the most of it and have some fun, right?" He says with such hopeful optimism that Paulina can't help but smile.
It was at that moment when the waiter returned. "Here we are." The waiter spoke. "One rare Steak Salad for you and one rare Prime Rib Fajita with extra tortillas for you." They said as they placed the food before Paulina and Bruce respectfully. "Enjoy." And with that they left once again.
"So Selina, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" Bruce asked as he filled a tortilla and took a bite.
"What do you want to know?" Paulina questioned before taking a bite of her own meal.
"You know, the little things." He stated, taking a sip of his soda. "Favorite color, likes dislikes, hobbies, stuff like that."
"Well if you must know, my favorite color is purple but I think I look better in pink." Paulina started with a coy smile as she told Bruce about herself, making sure to leave out certain details. As she spoke Paulina noticed how interested Bruce was. Of course he nodded and smiled at the appropriate times but it was the fact that he would ask questions and make jokes here and there that showed his attentiveness. He would smile cutely whenever he was amused, nod solemnly in understanding, and despite the lenses of his mask Paulina could practically see his eyes shine with delight whenever he found something funny and laughed.
"Ok, let me see if I got this right." Bruce chuckled as he took a drink of his soda. "Your favorite colors are purple and pink; your favorite thing to do is go shopping with your friend so you can have some 'girl time'; you also have a deep yet secret love of comics, manga, anime, cartoons, movies, and video games; And your favorite genres are Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action–Adventure, and Romance?" He summarized in disbelief.
"Not so loud." Paulina giggled. "I don't want the whole world to know."
"Why not?" Bruce laughs. "There's nothing wrong with being a little geeky or nerdy."
"But I'm a cheerleader." Paulina stated with a laugh.
"You're a cheerleader?" Bruce questioned as he sat up, leaning back into his chair.
"Yup." Paulina confirmed with a wide bright smile.
"You must be popular." Bruce comments offhandedly.
"Only very." Paulina declares with confidence. "But what about you Bruce? Why don't you tell me about you?"
"Ok, what do you want to know?"
"Same as I told you, maybe a little more." She replied encouragingly.
"I guess my favorite colors would be white, black, red, blue, and green." Bruce stated with some nervousness.
"That's quite a lot." Paulina commented with interest.
"Yeah well they're just the colors I tend to wear the most." He replied with a slight shrug.
"What about hobbies? You must be interested in something." Paulina pleaded, hoping to learn more.
"Well there are a few things…" Bruce began with a smile. As Paulina listened to him happily chatter on about his interests and hobbies, she couldn't help but find herself drawn in. Not necessarily by his words, though admittedly they were interesting, but the sheer passion with which he spoke.
Bruce had started by saying that he too shared in Paulina's love for the nerdy and geeky things, except his is more public. In fact, according to him, Bruce is one of the top 3 players of one of her favorite games: DOOMED. Of course Paulina had laughed and stated that is was pretty obvious when they met. Bruce then went on to tell Paulina about his interest and hobby of Astronomy and Astrology. When Paulina asked what those were she could practically see his eyes light up with joy. He told her that Astrology was the ancient way of studying the stars; to study there movements and patterns in the sky to predict events of the present and future; and that Astronomy could be thought of as the modern version, or as Bruce put it 'To study the universe and all its mysteries'. Bruce then started to prattle on and on in great detail the finer interstices of the cosmos. The sheer joy and way Bruce was animated in his explanations; a shaking clenched fist fanning out to represent the big bang, clasping his hand together while slowly spinning them around to demonstrate the birth of the starts, and so on; was simply enthralling.
At least until he mentioned something completely unexpected.
"Wait, wait hold up." Paulina giggled leaning in. "Are you telling me you're like a space cadet or something?" She asks in a fit of laughter.
"No," Bruce laughed back as he too leaned in. "I'm a 'Certified Junior Astronaut'." He defends mirthfully.
"Really?" Paulina chortles in disbelief.
"Yup, signed certificate and everything." Bruce boasts proudly. "I even graduated space camp at NASA with perfect scores."
"Impressive."
"And I'll be getting my pilots license soon." He states beaming with pride.
"Oh now you're just showing off." Paulina scolds lightly, playfully swiping at Bruce's hand. As she brought her hand back Paulina's eyes traveled to her plate and noticed that a little less than half of her food remained. The realization that she had been so enraptured by Bruce's story that she never noticed herself eating was shocking to say the least.
"So Selina," Bruce says breaking Paulina from her thoughts. "Is there anything else I should know about you?" He asks taking a sip of his soda.
"No, not really." Paulina admits off handedly. "I'm just your average single child with great loving parents who just happen to have great income."
"So what you're telling me is that you're spoiled." Bruce comments with a smile.
"Rotten." Paulina giggles. "What about you? What about your family?"
"It's, kind of complicated." Bruce replied with some disinterest, shoveling some food into a tortilla.
"Oh come on." Paulina pleads. "I want to know. Please." She says sweetly.
"Well, my family's kind of… eccentric." Bruce explains slowly. "My parents are… scientists and inventors. My Dad is the more… excitable of the two. He's very… passionate and is the one who tends to come up with the inventions most of the time. My Mom, I guess you could say, is the more grounded of the two. She really only believes in what can be proven. My older sister on the other hand is the most 'adult' out of all of us. While Mom and Dad were off researching, my sister was busy taking care of us. She's also the most 'book smart', mostly because she wants to be a Psychologist-slash-Psychiatrist and is trying to get into one of those Ivy League schools."
"Wow." Paulina says in wonder. "So is science like a family thing or something?"
"Something like that, I guess." Bruce answers with a small shrug and a slight smile.
"You must be, like, the top student at your school." Paulina praises.
"Nope, not at all." Bruce admits with a rueful chuckle. "Not even close."
"Really? But you're super smart."
"Yeah well… life tends to get in the way." Bruce clarified bitterly.
"Want to talk about it?"
"No. Not really." He says flatly, creating an awkward silence.
[I]
As the two nibbled at their food awkwardly, Paulina's mind went over all that she had learned of the mysterious date: Bruce.
While a gentleman Bruce has a good natured yet sharp witty and sarcastically cynical sense of humor. It was a refreshing change of pace when compared to the 'lapdog' attitude of most of the boys Paulina knew that did their best to cater to her every whim. She had also learned that she and Bruce shared many of the same interests. Of course when most of her free time activities were considered 'boyish' it was to be expected, but it was the fact that he encouraged her to be more open and proud about it that she found endearing. And of course the most interesting facts that Paulina had learned about Bruce were the more personal things, such as his love of space and his family's knack for science. By the way he had described it Bruce's whole family are incredibly intelligent and are specialist in their own fields. A sister who studied mental science, parents in research and development, and Bruce himself who studied space science. All in all, it was very impressive to learn and admittedly kind of intimidating.
As Paulina thought over these facts she couldn't shake the feeling that everything felt strangely familiar somehow. Sadly though, the more she tried to understand the feeling, the more it eluded her.
[I]
Looking up from her plate Paulina noticed that Bruce seemed to be uncharacteristically withdrawn. Paulina couldn't help a pang of guilt as she watched him pick at his food. She didn't want to admit it, but she was genuinely starting the like Bruce. There was just something about him that she couldn't help but find appealing. Maybe it was the fact that he effortlessly being such a gentleman, or it was the endearing way he spoke so passionately about the little things, or maybe it was the simple fact that Bruce actually listened and paid attention when she spoke. Whatever the case may be, Paulina couldn't help but enjoy his company and to see him so broody did not sit well with her; so much so that she felt compelled to do something about it.
"So Bruce," Paulina said in a happy tone, breaking the silence. "Besides space and science, do you have any other hobbies or interests?" She asked innocently. "Anything at all?"
Upon hearing her question Bruce came to a complete stop. Paulina could practically see the gears of his mind turning.
"Well there are a few other things." Bruce stated slowly. "But I've never talked about it before." He says with a sly smile.
"Oh?" Paulina cooed with piqued interest. "And why is that?"
"Mostly because I don't think my friends would approve." Bruce replied with a hint of shame.
"Come on, it can't be that bad." Paulina giggles encouragingly. "You can tell me." She smiles. "I promise I won't tell."
"It's not, it's just… I can speak Spanish and I really like 'Latin/Hispanic' music."
"Really, that's it?" Paulina questioned in disbelief. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, in fact I think that's actually impressive."
"Thanks."
"So why wouldn't your friends approve? Speaking Spanish is a very useful skill to have."
"Well, you see…" Bruce mutters apprehensively. "It all started because I wanted to impress this girl."
"Ooh." Paulina cooed. "Now this I have to hear."
"What, why?" Bruce retorts in shocked confusion. "I mean isn't it—that some sort of taboo or something?"
"Sure, I guess." Paulina shrugs dismissively. "But that's for 'normal' dates, and this isn't a normal date now is it?"
"No." Bruce answers with a chuckle. "No, it's not."
"So, why don't you tell me about her?"
"Oh, alright." He relents before a sly smile forms. "But only if you tell me about yours."
"Alright." Paulina agrees with a tilted nod and an equally sly grin. "Deal."
"So, who goes first?"
"Well, I asked you first."
"Fair enough." Bruce concedes with a sigh. "Okay… so this girl, she's the most amazing girl I have ever known."
"Oh really?"
"She has these eyes that just—! And her hair shines like—. And her smile, ah when she smiles she's just so… beautiful." Bruce says excitedly, sighing happily before falling silent with a frown, picking at his food once again.
"Bruce?" Paulina calls after a few moments. "What's wrong?" She questions, practically feeling the gloom radiating off of him.
"It's just…" Bruce answers softly, just above a whisper. "No matter what I say, no matter what I do, no matter… anything; it's never enough. Anytime I've tried to talk to her or anything really, all she has even done is ignore me, shove me aside, or just outright ridicule me." He says with a forlorn sigh. "I thought that if I could impress her somehow that she would… I don't know… at least be nice to me. But, after everything I've been through I just can't deal with it anymore."
"Oh Bruce." Paulina coos softly. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok. It's actually why I agreed to this."
"But you said you didn't want to do this."
"Not at first." Bruce admits. "Mostly because I thought I had… other stuff to do. But, after a while I realized that this was my chance: my chance to move on and find someone new. Someone who might like me for, well, me you know."
Hearing Bruce's painful confession, Paulina can't help but feel conflicted as his story hits close to home. A little too close to home. Well, that is if the situation were to be reversed. Paulina knew what it was like to treat others as Bruce had been treated first hand: the rush of power, the thrill of control, and the intoxicating feeling of schadenfreude. She knew it all too well. And never once had she considered the consequences of her actions. Yet, now Paulina had heard the other side of the story and felt no small amount of regret. Especially since Bruce's story seem to echo that of another she knew. Someone special to her.
"I'm sorry." Bruce says sadly, breaking Paulina from her thoughts. "I didn't mean to go off like that. I just get really worked up whenever I talk about… her. She used to mean the world once."
"That's alright Bruce." Paulina insures as comfortingly as she can.
"Okay, enough embarrassing myself." Bruce states as he regains his composure. "Now it's your turn."
"My turn?" Paulina squeaks at the sudden declaration.
"That was the deal." Bruce replies with a smug grin. "A confession for a confession. Or are you going to back out now that I've laid my heart bare?"
"I didn't forget." Paulina defends. "It just seems a little sudden."
"Well…" Bruce says expectantly.
"You're not going to like it." Paulina states as she takes a long sip of her tea.
"I'll be the judge of that." He laughs.
"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you." She replies with a fading smile.
"What's wrong?"
"Well… it's kind of complicated."
"Why?"
"You see, there are actually two boys."
"Oh really." Bruce chuckles heartily. "What, one wasn't enough?"
"It's not like that!" Paulina defends only to receive a silent blank stare from Bruce. "Okay, maybe a little…"
"Well…?"
"The truth is I really only like one boy. The other is more or less a front, a scapegoat really."
"Really? What's he like? The one you really like."
"He's a bit of a socially awkward goofball of a dork." Paulina answers with a smile. "But he is the kindest, sweetest, and most compassionate and understanding person I know. He has these eyes that are so—ah. And long, thick, messy hair that I just want to—ooh." She gushes with a purr.
"Interesting." Bruce inquires, leaning in. "But if you like him so much, why would you need a 'scapegoat' at all?"
"That's where it gets complicated." Paulina states apprehensively. "See being very popular as well as head cheerleader made me part of the A-List of my school. So there are certain… standards and expectations. One of which is; I should only date people who are 'equal' to me."
"I see." Bruce replies understandingly.
"Yeah… and for a while I believed it too. And that meant I couldn't be with the boy I liked. Not only that, the only way I could even be close to him was to string him along while pretending to chase someone else." Paulina confesses shamefully. "And to make matters worse I—"
"I understand." Bruce cuts in softly. "I know what it's like to pretend to be something, someone, you're not because everyone is watching you. And I know what it's like to pretend for so long that you start to believe the lies." He states, looking Paulina in the eye. "But are you happy being like this? Hiding the real you from everyone?"
For a few long minutes Paulina sat and thought over the question. Was she happy with the way things were going? Certainly having popularity, power, and influence had their perks. Yet Paulina would be lying if she said she didn't feel lonely at the top, even with Star by her side, sometimes. And in those moments of loneliness her mind always wondered to… him. More specifically how her actions have destroyed whatever chances she ever had and caused him to become distant.
[I]
The awkward silence was broken by the timely arrival of their waiter.
"How are you two doing?" The waiter asked looking at the table. "Almost done I see. Did you leave room dessert?"
"I'm not sure." Bruce says turning to Paulina. "Do you want anything?"
"I really shouldn't." Paulina replies. "But it does sound nice."
"Well if you don't want any dessert, perhaps you would like to stay for tonight's special?"
"Special?"
"Yup, every weekend we have live band performances as well as open floor dancing. And tonight's theme is 'world music'."
"So in other words 'Latin/Hispanic' music?" Bruce questions with a hint of interested hope.
"Yup. Now don't worry about the check. It's already been taken care of."
"Really? By who?" Paulina questions.
"It was all part of the reservation." The waiter states simply. "At least that's what we were told. Anyway, I'll leave you to it then." They said as they went to check on the other tables.
"You sounded hopeful at the mention of Latin music." Paulina comments. "Now why is that?" She questioned sweetly.
"Well like I said, I really like that style of music." Bruce answers simply. "Oh look, the band's already setting up." He said pointing to the stage. Sure enough a band was already setting up and in the process of tuning up.
"True, but don't change the subject." Paulina retorts. "There's something you're not telling me."
"That obvious huh?" Bruce questions meekly, turning back around.
"Well?"
"Ok, fine." He huffs in defeat. "Remember how I learned Spanish to impress that girl? Well, I also taught myself… those dance styles too."
"Wow." Paulina murmurs. "You really went all-out for her." She says with admiration.
"Yeah…" Bruce mutters softly. "So what do you want to do?" He questions hoping to change the subject.
"I'm not sure." Paulina replies.
"Well—oh they're starting with Santana." Bruce stated completely distracted by the music. "Flor De Luna I think."
"Wow, you really know your music." Paulina comments as she too recognizes the music.
"Of course, he's one of my favorites. Sometimes when I'm having a rough day or just want to relax I play some instrumentals to help me unwind."
"Really? What is about Santana that you like so much?" Paulina questions as she nibbles on the last of her meal.
"Well it sounds funny to say out loud, but his music sounds like a woman dancing." Bruce explains shyly.
"What?" She giggles.
"Just close your eyes and listen." He says with conviction. Deciding to humor him, Paulina does as she is told. "Now just by listening, tell me what do you see."
For a moment Paulina saw nothing in her mind's eye, yet just as the music started to swell see saw something. "Colors." She answered slowly.
"What colors?"
"Black, red, orange…"
"Are they moving?"
"Yes."
"What are they moving on?"
"Fabric… like—"
"A dress?"
"Yeah…"
"Who is wearing the dress?" Bruce questions leaning in.
"A… a woman." Paulina replies in concentration.
"What is she doing?"
"Dancing. She's dancing with the music but not quite. It's like she is the music."
"Is she alone?"
"No…" She says slowly leaning in. "There's a man with her. They're dancing together. It's… it's…"
"Makes you want to dance doesn't it? Makes you want to copy them?" Bruce questions knowingly.
"Yeah." She replies opening her eyes.
"Would you like to dance with me tonight?" He asks offering her his hand.
"Yes." Paulina answers taking his hand, leaving their table behind.
[I]
As the two walked down the stairs to the dance floor, near the end of the song, Paulina couldn't help but notice a few things. The first: that there were several dozen couples and individuals who were already dancing. And the second: that despite the way things started, she was really looking forward to this.
By the time they reached the floor the song was over and a new one was about to begin. Once they were near the center of the floor, Bruce abruptly stopped. Paulina didn't notice and kept walking until she felt a slight tug on her arm causing her to turn around.
"Oh." Paulina squeaks in surprise as Bruce takes one quick step forward, catching with his free hand just above the waist in the classical ballroom dance pose with a playful smile. Once again Paulina finds herself grateful for her mask. As the music started to play Bruce lets go of Paulina, takes a few steps back, and starts to sway to the music. It took a second or two for Paulina to recognize the movements before she too started to dance the Cha Cha. Surprisingly Bruce's movements were not as ridged and forced as Paulina had expected, instead they were fluid and natural.
After a few seconds of dancing by themselves, Paulina raises her hand and is once again pulled in by Bruce who catches her in the classic pose again. Without missing a beat Bruce and Paulina start to dance.
"You're really good." Paulina complimented with a smile as they danced.
"You think so?" Bruce questions happily.
"Yeah." She confirms. "Where did you learn to dance?"
"YouTube mostly." He replied as he spun Paulina around. "I'm self-taught." He says with pride.
"You're a natural." Paulina beams as they shuffle, slide, and rock to the rhythm of the song. As they danced Paulina couldn't help but feel completely drawn to Bruce. Sure he came off as a bit of a nervous dorky nerd, but after getting him to open up Paulina found him to be quite the charming gentlemen who was—as cliché as it sounds—literally sweeping her off her feet. Perhaps a little too much of a gentlemen she thought as she noticed the rather large gap between them.
"You know…" Paulina says sweetly as the song starts to fade.
"Hmm?"
"You can hold me closer…" She says with a bright coy smile. "If you like."
"O-oh?" Bruce stammers, nearly squeaking. "I-I thought that this was enough." He says making Paulina shake her head. "So then, uh, how close?"
"This close." Paulina giggles as she pulls Bruce in, practically pressing herself against him, before spinning away as a new song starts to play. As she danced, switching from Cha Cha to Salsa, Paulina couldn't help but laugh at Bruce. Despite the mask and clothing, she truly thought he looked cute as he stood there in shock.
"What was that?" Bruce questioned as he regained his composure and started dancing with Paulina again.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Paulina laughs as she grabs one of Bruce's hands before spinning into his arms, pressing her back into him.
"Oh, so that's how you want to play." Bruce whispers in Paulina's ear before lifting his arms, spinning her in place.
"Come on Bruce show me what you got." Paulina giggles in delight.
[I]
And so he did.
As the songs played Paulina grew bolder and more flirtatious. Spinning, twisting, and moving in ways of a lifelong dancer, trying ever harder to trip up her partner in some way. Amazingly, after the initial shock, Bruce never stumbled. In fact not only did he rise to the challenge, he exceeded all expectations. With every new song Bruce took the lead by changing to dance styles that matched perfectly to the music. Samba, Rumba, Mambo, Merengue, and even a few others that Paulina only barely recognized. And throughout it all Paulina couldn't help but be amazed; especially when she took the lead and started to Tango.
Recognizing the song, Paulina spun away from Bruce and started moving slowly and gracefully, like a Temptress or a 'Spanish Rose'. Yet, Paulina was not alone in this as Bruce had once again taken up the challenge. His movements, while equally slow and graceful as Paulina's, were also strong, confident, and powerful. Yet, despite Bruce's display of masculine bravado, Paulina couldn't help but notice that mischievous smile that started to form causing her to wear one of her own.
And all of this was in the first few seconds.
When the music picked up the two slowly approached each other, yet it was Paulina was the one to make the first move. With one quick step Paulina closed the distance and placed her hand on Bruce's chest before she started to circle around him, dragging her hand along the way. As she did this, Bruce kept his gaze on her until she stepped behind him. At that moment Bruce quickly spun around catching Paulina at the waist. For a few tense seconds neither one moved as they stared each other in the eye, silently gaging one another. Bruce broke first as a small smirk tugged at his lips, giving the slightest of nods to Paulina; who returned the gesture; before the two spun away from each other.
This was no longer a game, this was war. And Paulina aimed to win; sadly though she lost in spectacular fashion.
[I]
For the rest of the first song Paulina did her best to reenact the first Tango scene from Take The Lead. This included all the dips, spins, turns, and all around manhandling on her part, plus just a little bit extra. Bruce however, seemed to be full of surprises and moved in near perfect sync with her. When she turned he would turn, when she dipped he would guide her, when she spun he would follow, and when she shimmied; instead of standing still with minimal movement like his movie counterpart; Bruce mirrored her movements. And just like in the movie, their eyes never broke contact. As the song came to an end, with Bruce and Paulina slowly rising to their feet, Paulina realized that the battle had been lost: this battle at least. Yet the night was still young and the war was not over yet.
As the next song slowly started to play Paulina tried to take the lead only to be stopped dead as Bruce placed a hand on her belly, circling her just like she did to him. And just like he had done, Paulin spun around as soon as Bruce was out of her line of sight. However, instead of catching Bruce in a position where she could take the lead from him, she found herself stopped by Bruce quickly stepping forward: placing a hand on the small of her back, pulling her in, with the other cupping her cheek. Paulina, left breathless in her stupor, shudders as she feels his fingers caress her slowly and softly from her cheek; down her neck; and back up to her chin, lifting it up ever so slightly. As her head tilted up, Paulina's lips parted of their own accord at the sight of Bruce moving ever closer. Soon enough their noses were touching and Paulina's eyes started to grow heavy. But just as suddenly as it started, it ended when the music finally reached its crescendo and started to play in earnest and bringing Paulina back to reality. Sadly for Paulina though, Bruce decided to whip her to the side and pull her back before she fully recovered; causing her stumble on the return only to be caught in a low one-handed dip. As Bruce held her Paulina let out a soft growl at the bold indignity of it all, only for it to come out as a purr because of her choker. An angry feral purr, but a purr none the less. Bruce's response was to stand up so fast that Paulina had to hook a leg around his just to keep balance.
"I hate you." Paulina all but snarls lightly, despite the grin tugging at her lips.
"Ready to fly?" Bruce replies with a roguish smile causing Paulina's eyes to widen.
No sooner then she realized what was said, Paulina found herself being literally swept off her feet and lifted into the air. For the rest of the night Paulina never set more than one foot on the floor as she was spun, flipped, twirled, and at some points thrown into the air. All of course in perfect sync with the rhythm of the music.
[I]
"Alright, you win, you win." Paulina nearly squeals in delight as Bruce gently lowers her to the floor from above his head. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?" She beams.
"You have no idea." Bruce replies with a hearty chuckle. "Sadly though, it's time to go."
"What?" Paulina questions in shock. "No it's not. Come on, one more song. Just one more dance." She pleads with a slight whine.
"That was the last song." Bruce states calmly as he points to the band starting to pack up. "Besides it's almost midnight. It's time to go." He says as he loosely takes her hand and heads for the door. "So…" He starts slowly once they are outside, releasing Paulina's hand. "What happens now?"
"What do you mean?" Paulina questions.
"Well isn't this the point where most dates end?" Bruce says in confusion. "I mean, I don't know what to do. Do I walk you home, to the bus stop, do we just shake hands and walk away?"
"Oh. Well… I don't really know either." Paulina mutters softly. "I guess we could walk a little?"
"Okay… Well I live about a few blocks that way." Bruce says nervously, pointing in the same direction of Paulina's home.
"That's… actually the same direction I live too." She states awkwardly.
"Oh, so I guess we'll walk home after all…" He mutters softly. "I mean if you don't mind."
"No. I don't mind." Paulina says with a small smile before she starts walking. "Coming?" She says looking over her shoulder.
"Right behind you." Bruce replies happily as he catches up.