After everyone had partnered up, Jesus came up to each group individually to position them properly. He moved Michonne's left hand on Rick's shoulder, as he was the lead, then took her right hand in his left one with their elbows at shoulder height. Rick's right hand was on her left shoulder blade since she was the follow, and his left hand clutched her right.
Rick felt his breath stall in his lungs when Jesus pressed him and Michonne together. Her chest brushed his sternum and Rick was granted a whiff of coconut from her hair.
Her hand was so soft and unconsciously, he tightened his grip on it and in turn she squeezed his shoulder. His breathing returned to normal as he looked down at the woman. Soft upbeat music played in the background of Rick's musings.
"So what caused you to sign up for this, Mr. Rick Grimes?" Michonne cleared her throat.
"My son, Carl, actually went and signed me up for all of this. I think he's sick of me being around all the time. Can you imagine raising a kid for 13 years and they get sick of you? It's bullshit," Rick chuckled.
Michonne's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Oh, I agree. My little boy, Andre, is only 5, and he has so much personality but thank goodness, he doesn't know how to work electronics yet."
"Carl has me thinking I'm an idiot when it comes to new technology sometimes."
"I don't doubt that for a second. Teenagers can be mean, man! That's why I want my little peanut to stay little. He at least likes hanging out with me still," she grinned.
"So how exactly did you get roped into this waltzing thing?" Rick asked.
"It was on my list of things to learn this year. My bucket list, if you will but spread out in increments so I don't get overwhelmed. This year was learning to waltz and sign language," Michonne revealed.
"Oh you're much more interesting than I am," he snorted. "The most fun I get up to is playing video games with my son or the annual APD banquet in November."
"You're a police officer?" Her perfectly arched eyebrows rose.
"Sheriff. 5 years going on."
"No way. I think I've been to that banquet at least once in the past 5 years. I would've remembered you." Rick smiled bashfully. "When I was still a junior partner at the law firm I used to work at, they sent us tickets all the time."
"General law?" He inquired.
"Correct." She nodded gracefully. "Just a year ago, I opened my own firm. One of my associates actually recommended Jesus to me."
"Hmm, I bet your clients are lucky to have someone so beautiful and smart representing them. I know I sure would be," Rick squeezed her shoulder.
It was her turn to blush, though thankfully for her darker complexion, it went unnoticed.
Just then Jesus stood in the middle of the room grinning excitedly. He turned the music off and called for their attention. Rick and Michonne's little bubble was broken as they looked at the long-haired man.
"We have 25 minutes left but I still want us to do one more exercise before we go. It's a simple box step. I need my leads to take a step back from their partners for a second and copy what I do. I want you to start with your right foot forward, then your left foot to the side, and bring your right foot to close it. Do that."
Rick begrudgingly released Michonne's body from his grasp and took a step back to copy Jesus' movements which were simple enough. He still kept an eye on Michonne while he did so and found her watching him with an amused expression that had his ears burning.
Michonne covered her mouth, stifling her amusement. Despite the embarrassment he might have felt, he cut a rather dashing figure in his blue jeans, brown button-up, and cowboy boots. There were a few buttons undone to his shirt, allowing her to see a sliver of his slightly hairy chest. A combination of that plus his cologne had her knees quaking when they were linked.
Bumping into the handsome stranger was without a doubt the highlight of her day, her week in fact. The first connection of their eyes sent a rapid shiver up her spine. His tentative smile made her chest warm as he would hold her gaze.
Most men never left much of a lasting impression on Michonne. She wasn't easily amused nor impressed. It took more than a sickeningly sweet smile, a pretty face, and some corny pickup lines to get a second glance from Michonne Williams.
Considering the last guy she gave the time of day literally ran off with her ex-best friend the day she gave birth to his child, Michonne was a much better judge of character now than she was then. She found most men underwhelming when she really got to the bones of them.
Though this Sheriff Rick Grimes was an intricate puzzle. Not because he was complicated, in fact, he seemed the complete opposite. He was an open book, in feelings and appearance. Obviously, he was attracted to her but he didn't make an overt performance of it. It was actually quite charming the way he would blush anytime she spoke.
The puzzle stemmed from Michonne's instant attraction toward him. She estimated that either something extraordinary could come from that, or something totally disastrous. She quickly glanced at his left hand and found no ring which she found surprising.
As she watched the man who showed up to a waltz class in cowboy boots follow their instructor's movements, she felt a shift in her chest and decided that whatever will be, will be. Fighting this strong attraction could have worse results than allowing the cards to fall where they may.
"Great job to my leads. Now for the follows, we're gonna start with your left foot back, right foot to the side, and then your left foot closes it. Easy as pie." Jesus snapped his fingers and clapped the beat they needed to be following. "Now I wanna see your right go forward, then your left to the side and you close it."
The follows completed those steps with little to no difficulty. It wasn't that hard of a dance when the steps were broken down bit by bit.
As Michonne simultaneously watched her feet and her hippie-looking teacher, she felt a set of eyes on her. The way her nipples tightened in the confines of her bra, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that it was Rick.
He was in the direct line of her peripheral vision and damn, did he look good standing there with his big arms crossed over one another while he rested his weight on one leg. There was no reason for a man to look so fucking good.
She saw some of the other women eyeing him when they first walked in and every single minute after that. She was sure the inside of her cheeks bared teeth indentions from her biting them in an act of keeping her face natural.
Michonne imagined that having a jealous scowl adorning her face could have a negative impact and make her out to be unapproachable. Besides she held no claim on the man as they were practically strangers.
She found Rick being completely oblivious to the attention he attracted far too appealing. She almost reveled in the fact that only seemed to have eyes for her.
"That's our time tonight, people. This was an amazing first class. I dare say that I'll make trained dancers out of you all. I hope to see you all next Friday." Jesus smiled at them and then started gathering the chairs to close up shop.
The group mingled and slowly tricked out of the building. Rick bit his lip, thinking of something to say to Michonne. She walked beside him and they had nearly reached the center of the parking lot where they would eventually have to part ways.
"You did great today. You're a natural, Michonne," Rick complimented.
"Oh stop it, it's not rocket science. And it didn't look like you were struggling at all, cowboy," Michonne sent back, smiling.
"Well, it's no simple two-step but I got the gist of it." He shrugged halfheartedly, with a quirk of his pink lips.
Michonne wanted to giggle like a virginal schoolgirl. This man was despicable and he had not the slightest clue.
"Luckily, I wasn't cursed with two left feet and no rhythm because that would be the biggest tragedy of all."
"Oh yeah, I bet you get down when your jams come on." Smirking, Rick bumped her shoulders.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Michonne poked his side with one of her fingers. Her finger bent when it came in contact with the hard flesh of his body which pulled on something in her stomach.
They came to a stop in the parking lot, standing in front of one another.
"Maybe. I don't know. Probably." He shifted on his feet, looking down at her.
She tucked her hands in her back pockets and met his gaze with a questioning entertained expression. "Is that right?"
He tilted his head, squinted his eyes, and huffed out an anxious breath. It made perfect sense that a woman like her was going to make him work for it. The question was whether or not he felt that it would be worth it.
The short answer was, yes. Rick had no ability to see into the future and they did say hindsight was 20/20 but he got the feeling that this woman was going to change his life.
"Yeah. If that's something you wanted…" He bit his lip, rocking on his heels.
Michonne pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow. She searched his face for any sign of insincerity. His cerulean eyes reflected off the moonlight and his dark curls swept in the wind. Rick scratched the back of his neck nervously waiting for her response which she found endearing.
Wanting to put the poor man out of his misery, she nodded, a wide grin spread across her face.
"I think we can make that happen, cowboy." She held out her hand for his phone.
His jaw went slack at her response. He gave her his phone so she could input her phone number. Rick firmly believed this gorgeous intelligent woman was far out of his league. He was certain he would wake up in his bed to find this whole interaction to be a figment of his imagination.
Michonne saved her name in his phone and gave it back to him. The stunned look on his face made her snicker like someone twenty years younger.
"I expect to hear from you soon, Sheriff Rick Grimes." The way her tongue wrapped around his name had to be the work of dark forces aligned against him. "Be safe."
"You too," he whispered but she had already turned away from him. Rick couldn't help watching her jean-clad backside as she walked away to her car. He blinked out of his stupor, found and climbed in his truck to drive home.
"So how was it?" Carl asked his father when he stepped into their two-story house. The living room was dark save for the television flashing from scenes from a movie.
Rick still in a daze, jumped when his son addressed him. It was nearly half past 10, he wasn't expecting his son to be waiting up for him.
"What in the– Carl, why are you awake?" He put his keys on the hook and toed out of his shoes at the front door.
"I wanted to see how the class went. Was it fun? Did you like it? Did you make any new friends?"
"This couldn't have waited til tomorrow?" Rick sighed, heading for the kitchen to get a glass of water with his son right on his heels.
"No."
"You are relentless, son." He rolled his eyes, scratching his forehead. "It was alright. I met some folks, yeah. Y'know this feels so weird. I feel like I'm answering my parents after going on my first date or something."
Carl paused, pouting his lips then gasped softly. "You need one of those too." The teen smiled like a light bulb went off over his head.
"One of what?" Rick froze.
"A date. You haven't had a girlfriend in forever. I have a perfect idea," Carl smirked.
"No–"
"I should sign you up–"
"No, Carl–"
"–For a dating app," he said gleefully.
"Absolutely not. Totally out of the question. No sir." Rick shook his head fervently.
"What? Why not?" His son whined.
"Because…" Rick sighed, dropping his shoulders. He contemplated telling his son that he may or may not have scored a date then decided there wasn't any pressing reason as to not tell him. "Because I'm already kinda sorta talking to someone."
"With who? How? You don't talk to people. How'd you get a woman to agree to that?" Carl asked skeptically, eyebrows furrowed.
"Excuse you but I happen to talk to people every single day."
"Okay but that's for wo–"
"REGARDLESS," Rick cut Carl off from his usual route of being a smart ass. "I might be a lil' taken with one of the women at this waltz class and we talked a bit. I got her number and that's it."
"Well, what was she like? Was she pretty?" Carl mirrored his father's stance of leaning on the kitchen island.
"Gorgeous." A wispy look fell over Rick's features.
"What's her name? I bet I can look her up." Carl whipped out his phone while Rick sent him an unamused glare. "What?"
He shook his head and yawned. Today was long as fuck and Rick was ready to hit the hay, after a quick shower to wash the day's excitement away. He didn't even have enough energy to eat; sleep would be his dinner for tonight.
"Michonne Williams. She said she was a lawyer," Rick said, yawning again, trudging up the stairs. "Don't stay up too late, Carl. Goodnight, son. Love you."
"I won't. G'night. Love you too, Dad." Carl had already put the woman's name in the search engine and a few articles popped up. He found out she had her own law firm in Buckhead which lead him to their website where he found a picture of her. She was very pretty. Clearly, she was smart too. Despite him being only 13 years old, Carl knew that his dad got lonely sometimes, even if he claimed he didn't. Maybe a woman like Michonne was what Rick needed because his last girlfriend, in Carl's opinion, was a nutcase.
There seemed to be a permanent grin stuck on Michonne's face as she walked through the door of her modern one-floor home. She kept replaying her interactions with Rick in her mind.
With her keys in the bowl and her shoes off in their cubby, she walked around her home in search of her child. There was a movie at a high volume accompanying a light emanating from the living room where she assumed her big brother and Andre resided.
She found them on her couch knocked clean out. Her toddler splayed across her brother's broad chest, rising and falling with it. There were toys all over the living room, an empty pizza box, juice pouches, and popcorn on her coffee table. Clearly, these two had a fun night.
Andre loved spending time with his Uncle Tyreese. When Tyreese wasn't traveling for his job as an NFL linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, he made it his personal mission to spend as much time with his nephew as he could. When Tyreese was around, Michonne ceased to exist in the eyes of her son.
The first thing she did was turn off the TV then pried her son from her brother's clutches and Andre immediately clung to her. He was so little, her heart wanted to burst every time she thought about how she made this little human.
With his little hands and feet, to his plump lips, tiny nose, and big brown eyes. His little ears picked up on everything and his curly brown hair that she loved kissing. He might be getting older but he would always have that new baby smell to her.
"Mama," Andre stirred.
"Shh. Go back to sleep, peanut." His head tucked further into her neck and she rubbed his little back.
"Love you…"
Michonne stroked his head, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I love you too, baby," she whispered.
Michonne managed to smuggle Andre into some pajamas without waking him then quickly wiped his face with a baby wipe.
She kissed his face again, flicked on his night light, and left his door cracked before walking back to her living room. She kicked Tyreese's foot and waited for him to wake.
"Ty," she called and kicked his foot again when he snuggled deeper into her couch. "Ty!"
"Not now, mommy," he mumbled. Michonne rolled her eyes at him thinking she was their mother.
"Ty, if you don't wake your big ass up." She pinched his side. Tyreese yelped out of his sleep and glared at Michonne.
"Damn, Mimi was that necessary?" He rubbed his side, grumbling.
"Yes, because why is my living room a mess?" She gestured to the space incredulously. "I left y'all alone for 2 hours."
Tyreese scratched his beard, nodding his head. "My nephew is a ball of energy. But I ain't gotta tell you, sis. And he likes to eat too." He crackled a smile.
"Please don't tell me all of these juice pouches are his. I don't need him having an accident tonight." Michonne started cleaning up with Tyreese following suit.
"Now you know I know better than that Michonne. He only had like 2. The rest, however, are mine. Who knew those things were so good?"
She laughed, tilting her head. "You're not wrong. They take me back to childhood. I take it y'all had fun then if my house is any indication I guess. Thanks for watching him again, by the way."
"Oh you know it's always fun times when Uncle Ty is around," he boasted. "And you're welcome. That's my guy. I'd do anything for you and him, little sis."
"You're his bestie. It's like 'mama who?' when you or Sasha are here."
"Nahhhh Sash is his real best friend. After she took him on a tour of the fire station and let him honk the horn in that firetruck, she's the coolest person to him. I got pushed to the wayside."
"Pfft. Then you should know how I feel," she scoffed playfully. "Hell, even Daryl is above me. And I have no idea how that happened."
"Ah, now Daryl is cool as fuck. I can't argue with that one."
Michonne sucked her teeth. Daryl Dixion had been her best friend since middle school. He was every bit of a redneck as he sounded but he was good people. When he became the new kid in school, Michonne instantly latched onto him and broke down each barrier of his that he constructed to keep people out. He would spend a lot of time at the Williams household after school and on weekends, and he practically became a part of the family. Then became an official one when he married Sasha three years ago. He owned his own sporting goods business which was very successful.
"Whatever. I mean how cool can motorcycles and crossbows be anyway?"
Tyreese sent her a blank look. "Very."
Michonne promptly flipped him off and he laughed at her foolishness.
"Meanwhile I'm just the boring attorney who helps people get justice. Whoopee," she drawled, pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Her house was back to the way it was and she felt she could relax.
"Mommy and pops think you're very cool, if that helps," Tyreese added, sitting next to his sister on the couch.
She shot him the most annoyed look as she chewed her food. Compared to the famous football player firstborn, the firefighter baby of the family, and the redneck son-in-law, the middle child lawyer was decidedly low on the interesting totem pole but she genuinely didn't let stuff like that bother her. She loved her job and was proud of her accomplishments.
"Did you like the dancing class tonight?" Tyreese asked, switching subjects suddenly.
Michonne stopped midchew as her thoughts tumbled back to the handsome cowboy sheriff she met tonight. That bowlegged walk he had, that smooth southern accent, his expressive eyes that revealed all of his thoughts…He was like someone she had never met before. She didn't know where her boldness had come from when she gave him her number.
She didn't even know she was grinning until her brother poked her cheek.
"Why are you smiling like that?" He squinted his eyes at her.
She sighed contentedly. "I met someone tonight. I gave him my number."
"Must've been some dude if you gave him your number that quickly. We all know how unamused you are by men as a whole."
"That's…very true. But this guy was different. I know how cliche that sounds but I'm serious, Ty," she clarified when he began snickering at her.
"Mimi, you're a grown woman. You're a good judge of character. And every dude ain't Mike, contrary to popular opinion. But it's not just you. It's you and Dre, he's really the one you gotta look out for." Tyreese opened his arms wide in an understanding gesture.
"Of course, I know that. I literally haven't dated a man since Andre was born." Michonne paused. "I think I'm ready to try again." If anything, Michonne felt that Rick Grimes might be a good start.