Dancing The Night Away

by Laura Conway

  “That’s it!” Spencer grinned at her before they tried it again.

  “Alright. I think we got it,” Delaney said, as Julia took a turn explaining the next move.

  Before Delaney knew it, the class was over, and Jay gave her a wink from a few feet away. She ignored him as she tried to figure out what to do about Spencer. Part of her wanted to ask her to join them, but she also knew she had an early start tomorrow. Plus, Matt and especially Jay would tease her endlessly if Spencer sat down with them for a drink.

  “So, we weren’t bad, really, were we?” Delaney asked as the dance floor slowly emptied.

  “We were pretty good. For our first time dancing together, I thought that was really good.”

  “Will you be here next week?”

  “Yes,” Spencer said. “And I’m going to make sure there’s enough staff on. I hardly got a chance to talk to you.”

  Delaney wondered if that was half an invitation to stay for another drink, but she went with her gut instinct. “Well, I’ll see you here then. Next week. Thanks for dancing with me.”

  “Thank you. I work here most days. If you’re here with your friends,” she said, glancing over to their booth, “Don’t be shy. Come say ‘Hi.’”

  “I will,” Delaney said, giving her a genuine smile. “I had a good time tonight. Next week should be fun. Anyway, I’ll see you then. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

  “You too.”

  Delaney said a quick goodbye to Matt and Jay. She didn’t mean to, but she took one last look around the bar before she left, and there was Spencer chatting with a woman, her arm around her waist.

  Delaney tore her eyes away. She didn’t need to see anymore. Her initial impression of Spencer had been spot on. She was a typical player or at the very least a serious flirt. It was easy to dance with her, but Delaney wasn’t going to fall for her charm. If she wanted to get back out there, she was better off creating a profile on one of those dating sites. At least, she could only meet up with women who were looking for something serious.

  The muggy night air hit her as she left the bar and flagged down a taxi, giving the driver the address to her apartment in the East Village. The temperatures had crept up in the last two weeks, and she knew she had to get her air-conditioning fixed. She’d never make it through the rest of June without it. She’d probably have to sleep naked tonight.

  Delaney checked her phone. No new messages. She should have gotten Spencer’s number, you know, just in case she couldn’t make it next week. She had every intention of being there, but sometimes things came up.

  No, it was probably for the best that she didn’t have it. She could see herself flirting with Spencer over some messaging app, because that was so much easier, safer even, than doing it in person when those honey brown eyes were on her.

  The way Spencer had looked at her, almost like she wanted to undress her, had given her a momentary boost of confidence, but Delaney knew that wasn’t what she wanted. After five more nights of dancing together, Delaney wondered if she’d still feel the same way. She needed a distraction, a date this weekend maybe.

  Tomorrow, she’d set up a profile and take it from there. She’d wasted so many years already and being so close to Spencer for the last two hours had reminded her that she missed having someone in her life. All of her previous relationships had been short-lived and secretive. Things could be different this time around.

  Delaney watched the city’s lights go by as the taxi turned onto her street. She had no reason to hide now. She could date whoever she wanted, and it wouldn’t affect her career. She hadn’t had an acting job in the last five years. They’d been getting smaller and smaller over the years. She was the guest detective or doctor, but she never seemed to get more than one or two episodes.

  Now, she was a writer on one of the biggest primetime TV shows, a psychological thriller, something she never thought she’d be doing, but she loved it. If only she’d made the switch ten or twenty years ago. She tried to stay away from thinking about the ‘what-ifs.’ They didn’t achieve anything. Things were starting to fall into place for her now though, and Delaney had to trust that her love life would too.

  Chapter 3

  Spencer closed her apartment door behind her, tossing her keys on the narrow wooden table inside the door.

  “Hey,” Zoey said from the black leather couch in their living room. She was in her navy plaid pajama shorts and a white tank top with her feet up on the coffee table, her blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail. “How was salsa? I thought you’d be out all night.”

  Spencer kicked off her black boots that she always wore to work and flopped onto the couch beside her best friend and roommate. She’d stayed at Club Pink for another hour after Delaney Meyers left, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her and what had happened.

  “Hello? Spence?”

  “Sorry. Salsa was...” Spencer sighed. She didn’t have the words to describe tonight.

  “Wow,” Zoey said with a sly smile. “So, who is she? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this... Enamored.”

  “Zoey, you know that woman, that actress that I had a crush on when I was a teenager? I mean, I still do, but-”

  “The lawyer?”

  Spencer nodded, biting her lip. “Delaney Meyers. She was there tonight. In Club Pink. Without a partner.”

  Zoey almost pushed her off the couch. “Get out!”

  Spencer couldn’t keep the grin off her face any longer. “And I asked her to dance.”

  “Oh, my fucking God. Spence, you are a piece of work. How...?”

  “She was there before my shift ended, so I had to beg Karen to let me finish up early.”

  “Did Karen know who she was?” Zoey asked, her eyes wide.

  “No, but I all I had to do was explain that it would be like Rachel Weisz walking in...”

  “She has an unhealthy crush on that woman,” Zoey said with a laugh. “Not that my infatuation with Kate McKinnon is much better, but hey, a girl’s gotta dream.”

  “And what happens when they just appear?” Spencer only had two drinks, but her mind was all over the place. She was starting to wonder if she’d imagined the whole thing, but her calves were a little sore, and she’d never forget the way Delaney’s eyes had locked onto hers.

  “You play it cool and thank whoever you believe in for letting you be this lucky.”

  “It’s crazy,” Spencer said in just above a whisper.

  “So, are you going to meet up with her this weekend?”

  “I never got her number,” Spencer said with a sigh.

  “What?”

  “I know. It was stupid, but she said she’d be there next week so... I just have to hope that she is.”

  “How did you get so lucky?” Zoey asked, shaking her head.

  “Hey, I’ve been through enough shit in my life that I don’t think I could ever be called lucky.”

  “Sorry. You know I don’t mean anything by it, when I say stuff like that. I just forget about-”

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” Spencer wasn’t in the mood to drudge up the past.

  “So, what was she like?”

  “Lovely. Beautiful. Her eyes are just... Mesmerizing. So blue.”

  Zoey smiled. “Tuesday can’t come fast enough.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wait, what was she doing in a gay bar? Is she bi?”

  “I don’t know. I saw her with a couple that I kind of recognized. Two guys in their forties. I don’t know. She didn’t say anything. I might try and figure it out this week.”

  “Yeah, because if she’s straight... You’re gonna want to know about it now. Before it’s too late.”

  “It could already be too late,” Spencer said with a weak smile. “A very attractive woman came up to me after the class, when Delaney had left, and I had no interest in her, whatsoever.”

  “You? No interest in a living, breathing woman?” Zoey asked, leaning in to press her hand against Spencer’s forehea
d before she swatted it away.

  “I’m not that bad.” Spencer knew she was only joking, but her words stung her, nonetheless. She put on a show. That much she knew. She loved flirting with women and meeting new people at Club Pink, but she rarely brought anyone home.

  “How old is Delaney, anyway? This show was on when you were a teenager, right?”

  “I was watching re-runs... She’s forty-six.”

  “Oh wow. Even if she is gay or bi or whatever, a sixteen-year age gap is no joke.”

  “I’m just going to enjoy dancing with her,” Spencer said. “If she’s there again next week.”

  “Can I come?”

  “To the salsa class?”

  “Yeah? Why not? You can catch me up on what I’ve missed,” Zoey said, leaning forward to lift her laptop off the coffee table. “Right now, though, I think we should do some research.”

  “On what?”

  “Delaney Meyers. See where she’s been since she was on that show, see if she’s ever dated another woman.”

  “I think I’d know about it,” Spencer said as she scooted closer to Zoey so she could see her screen.

  “We’ll see. She might not have made headlines by coming out, but I’m looking at body language in photos or interviews. There could be something there. You know my gaydar is shockingly accurate. Plus, I’ll get to see the real thing on Tuesday.”

  “You’re really going?”

  “Yes. I know I need to find a partner, or maybe I should just observe from the bar,” Zoey said as she typed ‘Delaney Meyers’ into the search bar.

  Spencer’s eyes fell on the dozens of photos of Delaney, spanning across her entire career, her blond hair a variety of shades and lengths, but those piercing blue eyes were always the same.

  “So,” Zoey said, hovering the cursor over a photo of Delaney in a navy pantsuit. “This is the Delaney you fell for? Early twenties. Shoulder-length blond hair.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And this is what she looks like now?” Zoey asked, moving to a photo from a red-carpet appearance.

  “That’s a few years old.” Spencer knew Delaney was a writer now, and she thought that was an awards show from the series’ first season.

  “She is beautiful. She’s got this elegant look about her. I have to say; I’m getting a good vibe. Mostly pantsuits, very few dresses. I know that’s in now, but not ten or twenty years ago. She was either ahead of her time or very gay.”

  Spencer gave her a playful elbow. “Don’t tease me. I just can’t believe she was in Club Pink.”

  “Another tick in the gay column.”

  Spencer sighed. “What if she really is gay?”

  “What was she wearing tonight?”

  “A sleeveless blouse and skinny black jeans,” Spencer said, knowing that image of Delaney walking into Club Pink would never leave her mind.

  “Okay. That’s neutral. I’m going next week, and you can’t stop me. I need to meet her and see what we’re dealing with.”

  Spencer rolled her eyes. Zoey’s gaydar was good, but she took it way too seriously. “Fine. I swapped shifts so we can go whenever you want.”

  “We’ll be early. Get a booth and see who she comes in with.”

  “I’m really trying not to get carried away. Just dancing with her is...” Spencer trailed off. It still felt like a dream. She’d danced with Delaney Meyers just a few hours ago. It was surreal.

  “I know. Sorry. I’ll play it cool on Tuesday. Promise.”

  “I’m the one who needs to play it cool. I mean, I think I did tonight, but I was still in shock. I’m going to be a nervous wreck next week, expecting her to walk in.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  “Maybe I should teach you how to dance,” Spencer said, thinking out loud. “It’ll give me a chance to practice.”

  “Hey, I’m up for it. I’ve always wanted to learn how to salsa.”

  “How do you feel about leading?” Spencer asked, getting up and holding out her hand as Zoey looked up at her.

  Chapter 4

  Delaney slid into the booth across from Matt and Jay, wondering how a week had gone by already. Work was crazy right now, and she’d had little time to think about her dance partner from last Tuesday. They were coming to the end of their fourth season, and they still hadn’t gotten word about whether they were being renewed or not, so that made writing the last few episodes even more challenging than it needed to be.

  “What are you drinking?” Matt asked her, drumming his fingers on the wooden table between them.

  “A Shiraz, please.”

  “The usual, Jay?”

  “Yes,” he said, giving Matt a quick peck on the cheek before he got up.

  “What’s the secret?” Delaney asked, her chin resting on her palm.

  “To...?”

  “To longevity. To being happy... I don’t know. All of it. Whatever you two have.”

  Jay smiled. “I don’t know.”

  “What? You have to have some wisdom.”

  “Not really,” Jay said, running a hand through his thick black hair. “We just clicked. The last five years with Matt have been nothing at all like my previous relationships. It’s not work... I love being around him. He makes me happy,” he said with a shrug. “It’s easy. That’s the best way to describe it.”

  Delaney nodded and took a quick glance in the direction of the bar. Spencer wasn’t serving Matt. A blond-haired woman was.

  “There’s a woman I work with,” Jay said. “I think you two might have a few things in common. I could invite her over some night, you know, if you’re interested.”

  “I really don’t want to be set up,” Delaney said with a sigh. “No offense. I appreciate the thought. I’m just...” Delaney didn’t know what she was. She’d signed up for a dating site on Friday night with a glass of wine and a bar of chocolate which was not what she filled in on her profile for a ‘typical weekend.’

  “Why don’t you ask that woman out you were dancing with last week?” Jay asked.

  Matt was back with their drinks. “Oh yeah. You two looked good together.”

  “She works here,” Delaney said, not knowing what her point was.

  “So...?” Jay asked as Matt handed him a bottle of beer.

  “Spencer’s been working here for years. What does that have to do with anything?”

  Delaney stared at Matt. “You know her?”

  Matt shrugged. “Yeah. The same way I know Karen, the woman who owns this place... By coming here at least twice a week for God knows how many years. She seems nice.”

  “And young,” Delaney added.

  “Not that young,” Matt said, bringing his pint of beer to his lips. “She’s been working here for at least ten years. She was starting when they were remodeling the place. She did all sorts of jobs until she was twenty-one. Painting, cleaning, working on advertising.”

  “How did you remember all that?” Delaney asked as she took a drink.

  “I asked Spencer if she was Karen’s daughter. She spent so much time here, I just assumed, but she said she wasn’t and that started a pretty long chat one night when there were only a few people here. She struck me as mature for her age back then, but that was so long ago. She had her thirtieth birthday party here a few weeks ago.”

  “She’s thirty?”

  Matt simply nodded, and Jay couldn’t keep the smile off his face. They both looked at each other for just a second, and Delaney knew they were doing that thing where they somehow communicated without speaking. How many years did you have to be with someone for that to happen?

  “So, is your dance partner here?” Jay asked, having a quick look around the bar.

  “I haven’t seen her,” Delaney said, using every ounce of willpower not to turn and survey the bar. She’d done it once when they came in and hadn’t spotted Spencer. She wasn’t going to do it again. She could always dance with someone else if Spencer wasn’t there. “How did last week go for you two? I never asked.”
/>   Jay chuckled. “I don’t think we thought this through.”

  “We’re both leads,” Matt explained.

  “I didn’t know. I just did it the way it felt natural,” Jay added. “And we kept colliding and messing up our hands. I kept forgetting that I was supposed to be dancing the ‘woman’s’ part,” he said using air quotes.

  “It was a complete disaster.”

  “Well,” Delaney said, her eyes darting over to the bar. “I am of no help to either of you. I’m also a lead.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Jay said, taking a swig of beer.

  “What? Why?”

  Jay shrugged. “You just seem like the one who would be in charge. Matt, back me up.”

  “You like being in control,” Matt said.

  Delaney’s eyebrows arched. “Oh. Okay.”

  “It’s not a dig,” Jay said. “Just an observation.”

  “Uh huh,” Delaney said, taking another drink as the music in the bar was turned down and Carlos’s voice filled the room, asking everyone to join him and Julia on the dance floor.

  Delaney was glad she didn’t have to sit through anymore ‘observations,’ but at the same time, she hoped Spencer would be here on time. The lights in the bar came up as the twenty or so people taking part in the class made their way onto the dance floor. Delaney scanned the room, her eyes landing on every brunette, waiting to catch a glimpse of their face before moving on to the next.

  “Hey.”

  Delaney smiled as she turned to meet Spencer’s eyes. She’d somehow snuck up on her. “Hi.”

  Spencer was wearing dark wash jeans this week and a dressy emerald green tank top, her vibrant caramel brown eyes on her as Delaney felt her cheeks heat up. She’d been caught staring.

  “So,” Spencer said, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Ready to pick up where we left off last week?”

  “Absolutely.” Delaney followed her out onto the floor, finding a spot at the back like they had last Tuesday. The lights dimmed as Julia turned on the music and got them started with the basic step again.

  Delaney discreetly wiped her sweaty palms down the sides her white pants. She’d tried on at least ten different outfits before she left her apartment, settling on these comfortable yet flattering pants along with a royal blue sleeveless top.