by Laura Conway
“I know what I like.”
Something was going on here, and she had no idea if Delaney was even aware of it. There was an energy between them tonight, that was probably there when they were dancing, but it was innocent then, a good thing even. Dancing required chemistry, and they had it, but here, in a dimly lit wine bar, it was dangerous, and Spencer didn’t want to make the wrong move.
At least, Delaney was interested in women. Officially. She’d seen it with her own eyes tonight. Spencer just needed to get to Tuesday, maybe even ask Zoey to come along again. She rarely needed help with her dating life, but this was an unusual situation. She didn’t want to scare Delaney off by mentioning that she knew her from that show, but at the same time, the longer she went without saying it... It was going to be awkward when it did come up.
Spencer took a sip of her wine, remembering the way it felt to have Delaney’s arm around her waist, to have her lead them as they went into each turn. Spencer couldn’t stop herself from wondering if she’d want that same control in the bedroom. Would Delaney top her if they did fall into bed together?
“So, what do you like?” Delaney asked.
Spencer nearly choked on her drink, her mind clearly in the gutter, but then she remembered what they’d been talking about. “I drink just about anything, but wine is my preferred option. Mostly white, sometimes red.”
They moved from drinks to food, then to their favorite restaurants, and Spencer promised herself that she wasn’t going to flirt with Delaney. She’d wait and see what it was like between them on Tuesday. She felt a rush of desire pulse through her body when she imagined Delaney’s arm around her waist again, knowing that somehow, it would be different next Tuesday.
Chapter 8
Delaney carried their drinks back to their booth, sliding across the seat and meeting Jay’s curious expression.
“Well?” Jay asked and Matt sighed.
Delaney took a sip of wine. “Well, what?”
“You can’t just casually mention that you went on a date Saturday night and not elaborate,” Jay said.
Delaney sat back. “It was a disaster. There’s nothing else to say.”
“What?” Jay asked, his mouth hanging open. “But I saw her photo. She was gorgeous!”
“Yes, and we just didn’t click. I left after two drinks.”
“So, as usual, you were in bed by eleven o’clock on a Saturday night,” Jay said with a shake of his head.
“Not exactly.”
“You went somewhere else?” Matt asked.
“Spencer suggested a wine bar that was only three blocks away. Matt, you’d love it. We have to go there. An entire wall is made of corks.”
“Spencer asked you out?” Jay asked, his hand over his mouth. “I like her even more now. When can I meet her?”
Delaney was about to tell him to calm down, but her eyes locked onto Spencer’s as she came through the glass doors, and Delaney waved her over.
“How about right now?” Delaney asked as she took another drink, and Spencer walked towards them. Tonight, she was in skinny jeans and a white tank top.
“Spencer, this is Matt. We work together. And this is Jay,” she said. “Join us for a few minutes before the class gets started.”
“Sure.”
Spencer went to the bar to get a drink, and thankfully, Jay and Matt were lost in their own conversation, so Jay was too busy to grill her about Saturday night.
Delaney didn’t even know how to describe what had happened Saturday night. She’d had more fun having one drink with Spencer than she had on her date, but they knew each other already. Meeting someone for the first time was never easy. Delaney knew there was more to it than that though.
It was easy being around Spencer. Except for when she discovered that Spencer didn’t like to talk about her family, their conversation flowed naturally with no awkward silences. The two drinks she’d had on her date left her buzzed before she even sat down across from Spencer at that wine bar, and she found herself using every bit of willpower not to stay and have another one.
Delaney knew what would have happened if they’d had another drink. It didn’t take her long to realize she was in trouble either. Even though Spencer was in her work clothes on Saturday night, Delaney thought she’d looked beautiful. At some point, she shrugged off her button-down blouse, revealing a black racerback tank top that showed off her toned arms, and Delaney knew her eyes had lingered on her collarbone which was a sure sign that she was in trouble.
She enjoyed these Tuesday nights too much to go leaning in for a drunk kiss that she’d regret the next day, so they went their separate ways after a friendly hug.
Spencer’s familiar perfume drifted towards her as Spencer sat down beside her now. “It’s hard to believe this is already week three.”
“I know,” Delaney breathed as Spencer’s arm grazed hers. That tingling sensation was back, trailing down to her fingertips.
“At least you two are improving,” Matt said with a warm smile. “You should seriously consider finding somewhere to go dancing when the class is finished. You’re both too good to give it up.”
“Thanks,” Spencer said, brushing her hair away from her eyes. “But I don’t think I’d be any good with a random partner. If you were interested, I’d be up for it though,” she said, turning to look at Delaney.
She could get lost in those caramel brown eyes. Delaney cleared her throat. “We should go.”
The lights dimmed in the bar and the spotlights above the dance floor were turned up. Carlos and Julia asked everyone to join them, and Delaney wondered how this had happened. Spencer had reached for her hand, holding it for just a few seconds while they were moving through the crowd until they found a spot at the back corner of the dance floor, but it sent a wave of goosebumps across her arms.
Delaney made a mess of the first half of the class. Her mind was on every other part of her body except for her feet. Every time she touched Spencer, she wondered what she was thinking. Was this anything more to her than dancing?
Delaney had borderline flirted with Spencer Saturday night. It hadn’t been on purpose, and she wanted to blame the wine, but either way, Spencer hadn’t really responded. Even asking her out for a drink could have been part of the rescue plan and not a genuine offer.
Her head was all over the place, but by the second half, she’d regained her focus, joking with Spencer that maybe she couldn’t dance properly until she’d had two glasses of wine.
If this was what she was like now, what were the last three classes going to be like?
Julia got everyone’s attention just before the class ended. “I want to congratulate everyone on getting this far and sticking with it. Salsa is not the easiest style of dance to pick up, and both Carlos and I are incredibly impressed with your progress. So, we’ve decided to have a friendly competition during week six. We’re going to get a live band, and each couple will get a chance to dance. Whoever wants to participate can. There’s no pressure, and just to make it interesting, the winning couple will receive a voucher to one of New York’s best restaurants.”
The class applauded, and Carlos thanked them for coming again this week.
“Did you know about that?” Delaney asked as they left the dance floor and returned to their booth.
“Yeah,” Spencer said as she took a long drink of beer. “Karen suggested getting a band for the last night when she saw how well it was going, and Carlos mentioned that sometimes they have friendly competitions when they’ve finished working with a group. When I came into work yesterday, Karen told me.”
“Do you want to do it?”
“Yes. Only if you do though.”
Delaney wanted to. “Definitely.” But she had another thought, and she had no idea if it was a good one or not. “What do you think about practicing for it? On our own.”
Spencer quirked her eyebrow. “Someone’s competitive.”
“Matt’s right. We’re good,” she said, motioning between
them, doing her best to emphasize that this was about dancing together and nothing else. “An hour or two extra a week would probably make a big difference, you know... If you’re up for it.”
“Yeah. My apartment’s not really that spacious...”
“I live in the East Village. Is that too far from you?”
“No. A few stops on the subway. Not a big deal. I’m off on Friday. Would that work for you? Friday night? Unless, you’ve got a date.”
Delaney laughed softly. “No dates. I deleted my account, actually.”
“Oh wow. That bad.”
Delaney nodded. “I might be too picky... I’ll text you my address.”
“Yeah, and you can let me know what time works for you. I’m free all day, but I assume you’re working?”
“Yes. Hopefully, I’ll have some good news by then,” Delaney said as she finished her drink and slid out of the booth. “Okay. I’m not making the same mistake I did last week. Only two drinks on a weeknight. I’ll see you Friday?”
Spencer smiled. “Yes. See you Friday.”
“Enjoy the rest of your night,” Delaney said as she grabbed her bag, and waved to Matt and Jay who were over by the bar.
Delaney stood outside Club Pink, the warm night air surrounding her as she waited for a free taxi to appear. What if she was interested in Spencer? Was that the worst thing? She was mature, beautiful... Those eyes. And the way they danced together.
Delaney held out her hand, her shoulder aching from all those turns. A cab pulled up in front of her, and she gave the driver her address. She closed her eyes as the driver honked repeatedly, cursing under his breath as he pulled away.
She’d never been interested in someone so much younger than her, but then again, who had she really been interested in lately. No one. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship in the last six years, not since she’d turned forty. Before that, her relationships had lasted anywhere from a few months to three years. That was the longest one. A fellow actress, but she broke up with Delaney when she wasn’t willing to come out.
Maybe Jay was right. Maybe she could be more relaxed this time. She was out, well, maybe not to the world, but she wasn’t famous enough to warrant a headline anymore, and that suited her just fine. It wouldn’t matter if anyone at work discovered she was gay. She wasn’t worried about that anymore.
She knew she was getting way ahead of herself. She still couldn’t decide if Spencer was attracted to her. Okay, she probably was. Spencer had let her eyes linger on her more than once, but the question was, could Spencer be serious? Would she move from Delaney this weekend to another woman from Club Pink next weekend?
Did she even want anything serious right now? Maybe a casual thing with Spencer was exactly what she needed. A way to get back out there without the pressure of something too serious.
Delaney shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about this. She’d see Spencer on Friday night, in her apartment, and she’d take it from there. They’d probably have a few drinks... If anything was going to happen between them, that was the perfect chance.
Chapter 9
Spencer sat down beside Zoey, the park bench hard against her back as she looked up. High above them, in the limbs of the oak tree sheltering them from the afternoon sun, birds chirped, the branches rustling as they jumped from limb to limb.
She was really starting to feel those salsa classes. She didn’t notice it after the first week, but her shoulders and her feet ached after that last class.
Spencer took a sip of her iced coffee. She only had an hour before she had to start work, and Zoey was on her lunch break. Spencer could have waited until tonight to talk to her, but she was desperate for her friend’s advice.
“So,” Zoey said, crossing one leg over the other. “She asked you. Right? She suggested this.”
“Yes. This was her idea. Maybe, she just really wants to win?”
Zoey laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it last night. I might have picked up on something if I saw you two together again.”
“Well, your gaydar was as accurate as ever,” Spencer said with a sigh. All of this felt so surreal. “What do I even wear?”
Zoey glanced down at Spencer’s bouncing leg. “Jesus, you’re nervous.”
“I’m going for it,” Spencer said, biting her lip. “I have to. I was so jealous that Delaney was on a date, and then when we went for drinks, I thought she was jealous of me. I don’t know. It was strange.”
“I mean, let’s be honest. She’s probably interested in you. You have crazy chemistry on the dance floor, and Spence, you know I’m not into you, but you’re beautiful. You might be a few years younger than her, but I’d be surprised if she wasn’t interested.”
Spencer scoffed. “I don’t think she’s going to think of our sixteen-year age gap as ‘a few years.’”
“Bring her a bottle of wine you think she’d like. Dance like no one is watching, and... Go for it.”
“If only it was that easy,” Spencer said. “I know I said I was going to be patient, but I thought I’d lost my chance when I saw Delaney with that woman. She was hot, like smoking hot. I couldn’t believe it when Delaney came over to the bar, and we worked out an escape plan. I have to go for it.”
“Now, you’re making me nervous.” Zoey’s hand was on Spencer’s knee, stopping her from bouncing it.
“It’s just so... Unbelievable.”
“First of all, you got to meet your crush. That’s amazing in itself. Then, you’re dancing with her on a weekly basis. And... She invited you to her apartment.”
“It’s crazy.”
“If Kate McKinnon... Fuck, I’d have a heart attack. I don’t know how you’re playing it so cool, how you’re even speaking to her without turning into a stuttering mess.”
Spencer shook her head. “I don’t know either. Adrenaline? That and she’s just... Easy to be around, to talk to.”
“You’re going to be fine,” Zoey said as she pushed herself off the bench. “Seriously. You will be. We’ll figure out what you’re wearing on Friday. You said you’re off, right?”
Spencer nodded before she looked up at Zoey. “I just don’t want to mess this up.”
“I know,” she said, extending her hand and pulling Spencer onto her feet and into a hug. “Just be you. That’s all you can do, and it seems to be working so far.”
“She doesn’t know... You know, that I know who she is.”
Zoey tilted her head. “Hmm... That could get weird.”
“I know. I keep going back and forth about telling her, how to say it even. I don’t want to seem like a crazy fan.”
“We’ll figure something out. I have to get back to work,” Zoey said, giving her another quick hug. “See you tonight.”
“Bye.”
Spencer would have loved to stay there for another hour or two. As much as she loved this city, it was nice to spend some time in the park, where it was easy to forget that you were sharing an island with millions of people. All the hustle and bustle seemed to fade away when she came here, but she was too distracted today to enjoy it.
She still couldn’t believe that Delaney suggested meeting up outside the class to practice. She’d done her best to react in a normal way, with a smile, but in her head, she’d been jumping up and down, fist pumping the air like she’d just scored the winning goal in the World Cup.
Delaney Meyers wanted to spend more time with her. She invited Spencer to her apartment. It was insane, and Spencer needed to get all this excitement out of her system, so she could act like a civilized human being on Friday night.
Chapter 10
Delaney poured Matt another glass of champagne and refilled her own. They’d gotten the good news just before they’d finished working, and both of them had the same idea. They needed to celebrate. Matt suggested going out, but Delaney knew Spencer was going to be at her apartment at seven, so they’d agreed to have a few glasses of champagne at her apartment.
&nbs
p; Matt leaned back against the cushions. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so relieved,” he said with a grin.
Delaney shook her head. “I know. I still can’t believe it. I’d pretty much written it off.”
“We’ve got one more year. I think that’ll be it, though.”
“I’m okay with that. As long as we know that when we’re trying to finish writing it,” Delaney said with a laugh.
“Yeah. I’m not going through this again. Jay was seriously worried about me. Apparently, I wasn’t sleeping properly. I don’t know. I’m just glad it’s over.”
“The mood is going to be so different next week,” Delaney said, thinking ahead to Monday, but anything would be an improvement on the atmosphere they’d been working in for the last month.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation, and Delaney glanced down at her watch. “How is it seven already?”
“Spencer?” Matt asked as he brought the champagne flute to his lips.
“Yeah.” Delaney got up and answered the door. “Hey,” she said. Spencer was standing in the hallway with a bottle of wine in her hand.
“Hi,” Spencer said, her hair swept across one shoulder. She was wearing dark wash jeans and a navy top, and Delaney looked down at her own gray work pants as she held the door open for Spencer. She’d planned on getting changed, but they’d completely lost track of time.
“Come in. And thanks,” Delaney said as Spencer handed her the bottle of wine. It was the same bottle of Shiraz that they’d had in that wine bar. Delaney had commented that night that it was one of the nicest she could remember having, and she’d remembered.
“Hey, Matt,” Spencer said as Delaney closed the door, still studying the label.
“Hi,” he said as he stood up. “I’m not going to interrupt your salsa practice.”
“No,” Delaney said as she left the bottle on the coffee table. “Stay for a few minutes. Finish your champagne. I’m just going to get out these work clothes. Do you mind?” she asked, turning her attention to Spencer. “I’ll only be five minutes.”