“I cannot believe you talked me into this,” Riley said.
James grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’ll be all right. Just - knock back a few shots of tequila and get out there. Shake your skinny arse to the beat.”
Riley pressed his lips into a thin line. “You really know how to build a man’s self-esteem.”
“The ladies love you and you know it,” James said. “C’mon - admit it. You’ve heard them coo all over you during episode screenings. And during interviews. You’re Riley Finn - they think you’re the cutest thing since puppies and bunnies.”
“Adorable does not equal sexy or - or a good dancer,” Riley said.
James shoved him toward the dance floor. “Go, go!”
Riley ducked his head and sighed, loped into the crowd of writhing bodies. As soon as he was out of James’s sight, he ducked off the dance floor and toward where Serena and Fiona were waiting.
“He’s here, then?” Fiona asked.
Riley nodded. “Yeah. I played nervous a bit, let him give me a good talking to, and so now he’ll be keeping an eye on the dancefloor to watch me make a fool of myself.”
“Good.” Serena nodded decisively. “Any moment now, Asia will be here. She promised us a demonstration of her dancing skills if we could find sufficient music. According to one of the make-up girls, Shakira is a perfectly acceptable substitute for traditional tribal music.”
As if on cue, Asia materialized from the crowd. “We have an agreement, yes? If I get out there and do one solo number, you have to join me on the next one.” She swiveled her hips and cast Serena and Fiona meaningful looks.
“An agreement?” Riley asked. “I know of no agreement.”
Asia smiled at him. “I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight. Didn’t Fiona and Serena tell you? They want to learn how to belly dance. I told them I’d teach them, but they said they refused to subscribe until I demonstrated my skills.”
“I didn’t realize you could do anything but the usual club twitch like the rest of us,” Riley said. “Isn’t bellydancing a bit...feminine for a girl who swings swords for a living?”
“Don’t make me punch you,” Asia said dryly. “Are you game, ladies?”
“We’re game,” Fiona said. “In fact, here comes your music right now.”
And Shakira poured from the speakers. Asia rolled her eyes. “In a place like this, I reckon this is the best you could get. Out to the dancefloor I go.”
“No one’s going to see you in that crowd - you’re too short,” Fiona said. She craned her neck.
Asia grinned. “I’ll clear a space. Just wait and see.” She started into the crowd.
Riley grinned. “I’m going to go stand by James. If I can get a shot on my camera, I will - the look on his face will be classic.”
It was.
(485 words)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Night Out
Bryan's feet were twitching as soon as he got out of the car. He couldn't hear the music yet, but he could feel the vibrations in the cement beneath his feet, could feel it echoing in his body, thumping in time to his heartbeat.
The doormen smiled and waved him through as he approached the door, bypassing all the people still waiting in line. Bryan stepped from the dark night into a twilight; strobe lights only partly illuminated the large room that was filled to almost overflowing with people. A heavy beat was rocking through the room, he could feel it in the core of his bones. Bryan let his eyes slide closed as he nodded his head to the beat; felt his body begin to move, rocking in time to the music.
Bryan's eyes snapped open and he flowed onto the dance floor, moving with perfect precision between all the other dancers, his body moving sinuously. He paused now and then to dance with a not so pretty girl, spinning her around the floor before returning her to where they started. He smiled slyly and kissed their hands before slipping away into the crowds.
Bryan found himself near one of the platforms that people used to display their dancing skills. He grinned as he jumped up on the small stage and whipped off his shirt. He was dimly aware of the cheers that met this action as he showed off his tightly muscled core and sharply defined arms, but most of his mind was lost in the music. Bryan let his eyes close again and let his body move to the beat, not paying attention to how he looked or what he did.
After he was finished dancing Bryan jumped down from the stage only to find his shirt gone. He looked briefly around, then shrugged and walked towards the door.
"Hey Bryan, loose your shirt again?" John as he waved a couple more people through the doors.
Bryan shrugged again, "Guess I did," he said and grinned before dancing out into the night.
The doormen smiled and waved him through as he approached the door, bypassing all the people still waiting in line. Bryan stepped from the dark night into a twilight; strobe lights only partly illuminated the large room that was filled to almost overflowing with people. A heavy beat was rocking through the room, he could feel it in the core of his bones. Bryan let his eyes slide closed as he nodded his head to the beat; felt his body begin to move, rocking in time to the music.
Bryan's eyes snapped open and he flowed onto the dance floor, moving with perfect precision between all the other dancers, his body moving sinuously. He paused now and then to dance with a not so pretty girl, spinning her around the floor before returning her to where they started. He smiled slyly and kissed their hands before slipping away into the crowds.
Bryan found himself near one of the platforms that people used to display their dancing skills. He grinned as he jumped up on the small stage and whipped off his shirt. He was dimly aware of the cheers that met this action as he showed off his tightly muscled core and sharply defined arms, but most of his mind was lost in the music. Bryan let his eyes close again and let his body move to the beat, not paying attention to how he looked or what he did.
After he was finished dancing Bryan jumped down from the stage only to find his shirt gone. He looked briefly around, then shrugged and walked towards the door.
"Hey Bryan, loose your shirt again?" John as he waved a couple more people through the doors.
Bryan shrugged again, "Guess I did," he said and grinned before dancing out into the night.
Project Assignment # 54 - Dancing
Take your characters dancing. Do they dance alone or do they club? Do they never dance or are they always dancing?
Max 500
Max 500
Overview #53: Resolutions
At first I thought this would be easy, but then I realized it might border on painfully repetitive. After all, New Year's resolutions are made at new year, which meant all my stories would be set at the same time, and that seemed kinda lame. I tried switching up universes to give things a little variety, and I think combining Riley's birthday wish with Asia's new year's resolution was a nice touch. Possibly the best thing that came out of this week is that I finally came up with a decent end to the Carolyn-verse. That made me very, very happy. The juxtaposition of Bob's new year's resolutions when he's fresh off the end of his relationship with Carolyn to Carolyn's resolutions after she's married Bob were pretty powerful (or so I like to think), and even though this is a fractured universe, it's one that, in its fractured state, is done. I suspect that sometime down the road I'll come through and finish it off properly, like the fractured universe I started in high school. Maybe that's what I'm doomed to do - write fractured universes left and right and let them simmer before I come back to them years later.
This is precisely the sort of writing revelation that M&M is meant to inspire.
A few finishing notes on the Carolyn-verse: in my head, the story ends like this - Bob and Carolyn get married. Carolyn continues working as a lawyer, but she retires from heavy business litigation and becomes an estate planner. Bob goes back to school and gets his teaching degree and ends up teaching English at some nice school in the south, probably Tennessee because that's where Clay is working and recording still (after an unsuccessful gander at Hollywood). Dan and Joey stay up in Calgary and Dan eventually works his way up to detective. Scott gets engaged to a girl but then breaks it off when she cheats on him, and he still works as an EMT, though he continues to write music with his brothers and on his own. Thanksgiving is always at Shelley and Dinah's, and Kevin is usually invited. The boys spend Christmases with their own families, but once in a blue moon John crashes Carolyn and Bob's Christmas. Scott ends up marrying Carolyn's law school friend Melanie.
I guess, for once, this one ends happily ever after.
Sometimes John still has to shoot people to keep Bob alive.
This is precisely the sort of writing revelation that M&M is meant to inspire.
A few finishing notes on the Carolyn-verse: in my head, the story ends like this - Bob and Carolyn get married. Carolyn continues working as a lawyer, but she retires from heavy business litigation and becomes an estate planner. Bob goes back to school and gets his teaching degree and ends up teaching English at some nice school in the south, probably Tennessee because that's where Clay is working and recording still (after an unsuccessful gander at Hollywood). Dan and Joey stay up in Calgary and Dan eventually works his way up to detective. Scott gets engaged to a girl but then breaks it off when she cheats on him, and he still works as an EMT, though he continues to write music with his brothers and on his own. Thanksgiving is always at Shelley and Dinah's, and Kevin is usually invited. The boys spend Christmases with their own families, but once in a blue moon John crashes Carolyn and Bob's Christmas. Scott ends up marrying Carolyn's law school friend Melanie.
I guess, for once, this one ends happily ever after.
Sometimes John still has to shoot people to keep Bob alive.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Big Plans
Carolyn sat on the roof and waited for fireworks to light up the sky. Ten minutes before the show was set to start, Bob scrambled up the ladder and skimmed across the tiles to sit beside her. He was armed with a thermos and two mugs.
“Hot cocoa?” He smiled at her.
“Please.”
Once the hot cocoa was poured, Bob and Carolyn leaned into each other and clutched their mugs to absorb some of the warmth.
“Aren’t the others coming?” Carolyn asked.
“Joey hates the cold, so Dan’s trying to work his silver-tongued magic,” Bob said. “Scott and Clay will be here before too long. They’re probably trying to give us privacy or something.”
Carolyn pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and laughed. “Even after all these years, they’re still bashful about catching us kissing. They never actually caught us in flagrante delicto, you know. I don’t know what they’re so worried about.”
“I’m sure they’re just being polite,” Bob said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “So, what are your big plans for the new year?”
To not think about the past, Carolyn thought. To be able to close my eyes and dream of something other than felled bodies and blood on my hands. To wake without a lie on my lips. She said, “To remember to answer to Mrs. Summers.”
Just as Clay and Scott made it up the ladder, Bob leaned in and kissed her.
(243 words)
“Hot cocoa?” He smiled at her.
“Please.”
Once the hot cocoa was poured, Bob and Carolyn leaned into each other and clutched their mugs to absorb some of the warmth.
“Aren’t the others coming?” Carolyn asked.
“Joey hates the cold, so Dan’s trying to work his silver-tongued magic,” Bob said. “Scott and Clay will be here before too long. They’re probably trying to give us privacy or something.”
Carolyn pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth and laughed. “Even after all these years, they’re still bashful about catching us kissing. They never actually caught us in flagrante delicto, you know. I don’t know what they’re so worried about.”
“I’m sure they’re just being polite,” Bob said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “So, what are your big plans for the new year?”
To not think about the past, Carolyn thought. To be able to close my eyes and dream of something other than felled bodies and blood on my hands. To wake without a lie on my lips. She said, “To remember to answer to Mrs. Summers.”
Just as Clay and Scott made it up the ladder, Bob leaned in and kissed her.
(243 words)
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