There were a lot of things he had often fantasized about but never actually acted on.
Here was such a scenario.
Couples of many species swayed all around Andrew. The music probably wasn't the most upbeat, but many still twirled as they fell into a rhythm beyond his hearing. They jived, they dipped, they swung upside down and…oh…
Andrew didn't even know he could blush inside a dreamscape. He hastily walked past, trying to get the perception of what he'd just seen out of his mind.
Actually, he was already in his mind. That wouldn't work.
A new tune commenced: woodwind and brass accompanied by horns. It was slow, melodic to the point that the crowd ceased its rampant jungle atmosphere and various couples held each other close, readily falling to the grace of the big band's rendition of the song he now recognized as 'Begin The Beguine'.
The clarinet was added to the forefront as Andrew finally realized he had nobody to dance with. He glanced around, hoping to no avail to find at least one familiar face, then he grimaced. It would probably help if he wasn't in the middle of the dance floor. He waddled, make that struggled, against the dancing people, looking for some purchase to push through but the process was akin to walking through mud, very slow going.
When the waterfowl arrived at the entrance, he almost stumbled as one of the many couples bumped into him from his left. They uttered a rather perfunctory "Sorry" before they resumed their close dance and put him out of their minds completely. Andrew was irritated but the couple was gone by the time he turned around, lost in the deluge of dancers and music.
The entrance itself was adorned in bright red velvet, displaying the crowded auditorium in a very realistic classic 1940's setup. A white haze drifted above the dancer's heads from multiple points inside: cigarette smoke.
"Wow, what a dreamboat!"
"Ssh, he'll hear you!"
"He probably has, ladies. He's a bird, remember?"
"I don't care. I'm claiming him."
He turned in the direction of the voices, finding himself a bit shocked that he both did and didn't recognize them. Sophie, Carly, and Rachel. All were made up in the same 1940's dress as most of the dance floor. Then he realized he was too.
Sophie was clad in a sleeveless emerald green dress, looking devastatingly seductive, the velour fedora adding flavor to her demeanor. As well, the tiger smirked in a 'come-hither' way when she caught his eye. It was somewhat unnerving to see her like that, when she was usually so firm in her blunt demeanor, but Andrew could not deny he found it a little sexy.
Carly was, for vanity's sake, covered neck to tail tip in a burgundy colored sash. The upper half of it was imprinted in white lines while the bottom half imitated a bouquet of red roses. Lilies rested atop the snake's head. Her makeup had been verily emphasized; lipstick and eyeliner giving her the aura of what he assumed was supposed to be Betty Grable or Lana Turner. She noticed him watching and her fangs lifted up into a smile.
But it was Rachel who took the cake. The clouded leopard was clad entirely in white; a floury dress that rippled with persuasion and dipped down into a v-neck. Her head wasn't covered like Sophie or Carly, but that only served to make her more beautiful, something he didn't think was possible. His heart began to sing along with the encore as the band played 'Star Dust'. There was a smoky gaze fixed on his eyes and a cigarette burning in her paw as she sashayed in his direction.
Carly looked terribly morose as he watched her leave the auditorium.
Sophie looked downward for a moment before a black paw tilted her chin up. She smiled at the panda who'd grabbed her attention before both disappeared into the dance.
Andrew's wing fumbled around his neckline as Rachel approached, feeling as though he was starting to choke through his tuxedo. The air was stifling, but all of that feeling and noise from the band and the crowd faded when he saw the gleam in her eyes.
"What's a dish like you doing in a place like this?"
The answer, to his surprise, came easily, "Aiming for the best." That being said, he captured her mouth.
The faded music suddenly rebounds as the band leader sings,
"In my heart, it will remain, baby,
My stardust melody,
Oh memory, oh memory…
—
"…oh mmrri…"
It was a gradual development as he woke up, something to be as prolonged as possible, but he soon opened his eyes, vaguely aware there was singing issuing from his lips.
Andrew tried to get up, but found he could only move a modest portion of his neck. His eyesight was still a little bleary, but it came to his attention that Rachel had her arms around him. Unlike the nap he sat through going to Sartell, this was peaceful; a symphony of her soft breathing without the drawback of the intense snore that had made him so flustered. Her eyelids were shut, corneas rolling underneath, but that same enchanting smile she gave him earlier was playing across her mouth. He wondered if her dreams were as good as his had been.
He carefully placed his wings around her waist, and was met with a contented 'Mmmm'. The leopard inhaled deeply, then blinked in leisurely succession. "Morning," she said, voice soft with the aftereffects of sleep. Her smile didn't fade as she sat up on the bed. "How did you sleep? Well, I hope?"
"Quite well, actually. Thanks for the reminder," Andrew drawled. He had almost forgotten about his ribs. He removed a wing from her waist, then he winced; there was a slight twinge as he touched them, but the pain had mellowed. He frowned. "Okay, that's bizarre."
"What?" She placed her paw on his stomach. He winced again. "Is it okay?"
"It's…well, I can't honestly say I've broken any of my bones before. Is it supposed to be healing this quickly?" She pressed in further. "Ow. Ow Ow! Okay, okay, I take it back! I take it back! It…oh fuck…still hurts. Please take your paw off."
"Sorry, Andy." She brought her feet under herself, knees to the side, looking concerned. "I just wanted to be sure. I smashed a couple toes a few years back when I accidentally dropped a lifting weight on them. Speaking from personal experience here: there is nothing that can heal that quickly."
"I'll take your word for it." He dropped back to a horizontal level.
Rachel had gotten up from the bed and made her way to the drapes. He watched as she drew a sliver of it open. "Still dark out." She turned around, slitting her eyes to gaze at the digital clock on the bed-stand. "Oh, duh, it's six a.m. Dawn's not for another hour."
"We could order room service."
"No, it's too early."
"What else is there to do?"
"Well, we could walk. Or we could take advantage of the mini-bar."
"There's a mini-bar?"
Rachel looked around the room. "There should be one around here. It'd be a pretty poor hotel otherwise." She began searching the cabinets.
"Don't you think it's too early?" he teased.
"Very funny," she said as she opened the fridge. "And FYI, no, I don't. We had no choice in abandoning our beers when we took you to the hospital. Besides, I'm still operating on a Hellenic time frame. To me, it's a little after two in the afternoon."
"Ah."
After searching every drawer, she had to admit defeat. "Well, shit. Not one bottle in sight. What kind of hotel doesn't have beer in its inventory?"
"Any place that's not the Hilton." He sat up and swung his legs over the bed, slowly as to not exacerbate his ribcage. "I've got an idea to pass the time. You may not like it, but I was just dreaming about it. It was really vivid. Grab my bag, will you? I've got a few cd's in there, and I wanted to see if I packed it along."
"Packed what along?"
"This." He held up the jewel casing.
The leopard raised a brow. "Ella Fitzgerald?"
"Huge big band fan here. Don't knock it," he mock-scolded.
She grinned, holding up her paws in surrender. "Hey, to each their own. Who am I to judge a person's music tastes? I listen to the old-fashioned country in my spare time. What were you planning to do, anyway?"
"Play it, obviously."
"Yes, and…?"
"Dance with my partner."
Her eyes did their best to mimic dinner plates. "Um…"
Andrew frowned. "What?"
Rachel started wringing her paws, not answering him.
"You can't dance?" It wasn't exactly a question.
She sighed, looking down at her feet. "No, Andy. I don't even know how! I've never been asked before, not even in high school! I suppose if I hadn't been so cold to people…"
He digested this silently, then slowly extended his wing, taking her paw in his grasp. "Then let me teach you."
Skepticism showed clearly on her face, eyes searching his. "You'd do that?"
He smiled reassuringly. "Of course. Just listen to the songs, and follow my lead. Open the drapes, and we'll do it slowly. Trust me, Rachel. Please?"
The flat expression remained on her face another moment before it broke with a beautiful smile. "All right." Her eyes were shining with gratitude in the dim light, and something else, as she squeezed his wing.
"Okay," he said, feeling satisfied with her response. He left to press 'Play' on the stereo and quickly made his way back to her, still standing at the window. "Listen to this."
A jazzy piano theme emitted from the speaker, a delicate murmur that Andrew has no trouble pursuing with his voice,
"I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light."
They went through the whole disc in just under an hour. Neither swayed; it was hardly the right environment, but they moved as slowly as they were allowed to in order to avoid the furniture. They were their own private audience. Her head still rested on his shoulder as the stars faded. He held her close, no longer singing along. He felt content to be silent in her presence, high enough that no amount of caffeine or drug would be able to measure up.
The last song filtered out, but both held on, reluctant to be apart. The sky was lightening into a pinkish-orange color, making the snow covered ground coruscate in the imminent brightness. A fragment of sunlight leaked through the window, bringing the spartan room to life. Through all of it, Andrew was holding Rachel, still silent, still immobile as he gazed into her eyes.
They kissed as the sun emerged from the twilight.
Andrew knew it was going to be a good day.