The Rhythm of Life: Part Twenty-Seven
Feb. 8th, 2013 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
antivanrufflesIt's the 8th now.. it's no longer spamming, right? (Edited because I FORGOT TO ADD IN THE INSPIRATION FOR RAMONA'S DRESS! THIS IS SO IMPORTANT zOMG! AND RUMBA LINKS!)
Jaden rolled his neck and shoulders, surveying the large number of couples that would be taking the floor for the first round of Latin.
“I’d forgotten what a zoo Blackpool is,” he mumbled to Ramona.
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, bending to touch her toes. “Let’s hope things go well.”
“Oh, we’ll be fine.” They were near the judges panel and he caught sight of a young woman with dark hair and a bright smile. He waved and gave her a wink.
“You know a judge? Interesting.”
“I don’t really, she’s just been around for a few years. I swear she pads my scores depending on how tight my pants are.” He kept a grin on his face. “She’s a doll though, her name is Tabby.”
Ramona snorted, shaking her head, and continued stretching. Ramona’s fiery red dress, as most Latin costumes, left little to the imagination. The skirt was made entirely of tassels that swayed with the slightest movement, going from a hot chili red to dark burgundy, giving an illusion that the dress was dripping molten fire. Her back was completely exposed, no netting or leotard underneath; the front of the bodice sweeping across her chest, leaving part of her midriff uncovered, and a swirl of beads in varying shades of red made it look like flames were dancing across her chest.
Jaden’s outfit was far less conspicuous -- a plain red shirt that was the same shade as the base of Ramona’s dress, with only three buttons, leaving his chest bare, and black pants and shoes.
“Alright, let’s do this shit.” Jaden grinned at Ramona and offered his hand. She didn’t look at him as she slipped her hand into his, instead fixing a bright smile to her face as their names and number were called.
***
“Semi-fucking-finals. How did this even happen?” Jaden blotted his face with a towel, wiping the sweat from his eyes. Under the hot lights and with all the physical exertion, he wanted nothing more than to douse himself with a bucket of ice water.
“Through hard work, you’ve done good.” Kam smiled, handing him a cup of water.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jaden knocked back the water. “It’s brutal out there, though! If Rugov cuts me off one more time, I’m going to deck him because I know that bastard is doing it purpose!”
“Don’t, Jaden.” Kam sighed. “You’ll get tossed out, besides he’ll have points taken off, stop worrying. Just take a break, rest up for the next round.”
“I’m not in good enough shape for Blackpool.” He settled back and threw an arm over his eyes. “Dolche and Velo are like fucking powerhouses, have they even broken a sweat?”
“They’re not sweating, but their flicks on the last Jive were sloppy.”
“Good, I hope their legs are burning.”
“I’m not sure if I should say this or not, but I think you and Ramona have a really good shot at placing.” Kam seemed surprised by that, and Jaden swatted him with his sweaty towel.
“Of course we do, we’re amazing.”
“Speaking of, you better go find her; they’re going to start calling numbers soon, and I need to go prep Mina and Anton.”
“She’s probably in the changing rooms.” Jaden stood slowly, letting out a deep sigh. “I think I’m too old for this shit, Kam.”
“Uh huh,” Kam grunted. He patted Jaden’s shoulder and left to find Mina and Anton. With his towel around his neck, Jaden made his way toward the changing rooms in search of his partner.
He kept his eyes down as he searched for Ramona, most all of the dancers were hardly shy, but he thought it best to respect their privacy at least a little bit.
Jaden was ready to give up on finding her when he heard a familiar voice, raised in anger, and using several Spanish words he knew to be profanity. He popped his head around a corner to find Ramona squaring off against her father and Martino; she stamped her foot for good measure, calling them both idiots.
Martino looked up from Ramona, his grey eyes meeting Jaden’s and narrowing. “You are not wanted here.”
Ramona turned around, and if Jaden hadn’t known better he would’ve said she looked relieved. He stepped into the room, yanking the towel from his neck. “They’re close to calling numbers again, I came to get Ramona.”
“Just leave us, boy.” The elder De La Vega looked at him as if he were a piece of garbage on the bottom of his shoe.
“No!” Ramona hissed, whirling back on her father. “I want him here!”
“En español, por favor.” Her father sighed, pinching his nose.
“No, papa! Your decisions concern him, he should know!” Ramona turned back to Jaden and he stepped a bit closer to her, concerned.
“They,” she waved a hand toward Martino and her father, “have decided my future! According to them this is to be my farewell competition!” Ramona held up her, pointing to the ring there. “They think I should retire from dance and play good little wife to Martino.”
Ramona slipped the ring from her finger and held up, fixing Martino with an icy glare. “Well I won’t! All I have wanted since I could walk, was to dance. You will not take that from me,” she ground out.
“I settled for you. Do you understand that? You were not my first choice, ever. I settled because it was easy, because I thought…” Ramona took a deep breath, her eyes darting toward Jaden. “I thought I could do no better. But I will not have you running my life like I am some mindless child. I will not have you crushing my dreams and my hopes, because I have worked too hard and too long to throw them away.”
She glared down her father and Martino, full of ire. “Neither of you own me; I will not be your puppet, I will not be your wife! I will do as I choose, and I will live my life how I wish!” In a final act of defiance, she threw the ring at Martino’s face. “Now excuse me, I have a competition to try to win.”
Ramona grabbed Jaden’s hand and whirled on her heel, storming out of the room with him in tow. They made it halfway back to the main hall when Jaden’s brain finally caught up with the recent events, and he tugged Ramona to a halt.
She turned on him, still full of anger, but backed down once she realized it was him and not her father or Martino.
“Are you alright?”
“I will be once we win, come on.” She yanked him a few more paces, but he was not so ready to let things go.
“No, Ramona.” He stopped again, looking around for a quieter place; he spotted an alcove leading to a janitor’s closet, and figured that was the best they could do. He pulled her toward it, putting her back against the wall, and positioned himself in front of her -- blocking her from view of any passersby.
“That was a huge thing, I’m not even really sure what all happened, but it was big. So you need to let me know if you’re alright?”
She lowered her eyes. “You don’t care.”
“No, I’m pretty sure we established yesterday that I care more than I should; which is why you need to tell me if you’re okay.”
Ramona leaned back against the wall, her hands clasped behind her back and looked up at him. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing away from him. “I don’t know?”
He waited for her to continue, and several strained moments passed while she stared over his shoulder at the people milling around before the start of the Latin semi-finals. When he was tempted to speak again, Ramona seemed to come back to herself. Blinking rapidly she focused her gaze on him again.
“I never loved Martino, I meant what I said; I settled. As for Papa?” She shrugged callously. “He never truly cared for me, I tried to earn his affection, but I went about it the wrong ways. I tried to change for him, to suit him. It was all pointless, I realize now.” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
“You can’t think like that, Mona. He’s your dad and you tried, he didn’t. As for Martino…” he shook his head. Overhead the announcer’s voice started calling numbers for the semi-finals dance.
Ramona pushed at Jaden’s chest until he moved back, then headed for the dance floor. Jaden stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re not okay. Let’s get out of here, it’ll be alright.” He took her hand, intending to lead her to the front doors of the ballroom, but she wouldn’t budge, her hand slipping from his.
“Why do you care, Jaden?” He turned around to find Ramona dangerously close to tears.
“You know the answer to that,” he whispered.
Ramona met his gaze, steadfast and unwavering. She wetted her lips, opened her mouth to speak, but the announcer’s voice cut through;
“One-Seven-Seven.”
She shook her head, snatched up his hand, and together they made their way to the dance floor with the others; ready to dance the best rumba of their career.
And it was.
As the music started, everything seemed to fade away; the other dancers on the floor, the audience, the judges scrutinizing their every move. It was just the two of them, like those rare moments in the practice room.
Or even farther back; the quick practices before a competition; the elevator rides when he would offer to carry her bags after she dismissed the bodyguard her father had sent; or the shared meals in the back of restaurants in a foreign country where neither of them knew the language.
Every pent up feeling seemed to build until it was let loose in the dance; all the frustration, the longing, the confusion, and the attraction. She pressed against him, he ran his hand down her side, over her bare back and stomach, his free hand linking with hers to spin her out, and back in again. When the music stopped and the crowd roared to life, clapping and cheering.
The dancers on the floor all took their bows. Jaden and Ramona grinned widely as they looked to the crowd and then to the judges, they both knew they had done well. As Ramona bowed to the crowd again, she moved to fall in line behind the other dancers leaving the floor, but Jaden caught her by the wrist. She turned back to look at him, confusion written across her face.
Jaden gave her wrist a slight tug and she shuffled closer, her feet barely leaving the floor. He lifted his free hand, cupping her face, long fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck, her pulse beating under his palm.
Craning his neck, eyes locked with hers, he stopped when his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers. “The answer to your question,” he whispered against her lips, “is because I love you.” Then he closed the minuscule gap between them.
Ramona’s hands rose to cup his face, yanking his head down and deepening the kiss as she pressed herself closer to him. Jaden’s free hand circled around her thin waist, running up and down her back.
They stayed together for a long while, the kiss far from chaste, and hardly appropriate for the middle of the a dance competition, but neither one cared. Though finally they were forced to break apart for air -- her lips swollen, and his smeared with her red lipstick.
“Oh,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering open.
Jaden traced his thumb over her lower lip, tempted to kiss her again, but a loud wolf whistle distracted him. He glanced over to see Zander cheering him along with the rest of the audience and several dancers. Jaden found Kam behind Zander, smiling in an obnoxious way like he’d planned the entire thing.
Jaden wondered if he knew this would happen?
“I think we’ve put on more of a show than intended,” he said, turning back to Ramona.
“Oh well.” She shrugged, eyes dark.
“Come on, let’s find a quiet place to talk and wait for scores.” He stepped back enough to grab her hand, pulling her off the dance floor.
-----
Here have some sexy rumbas:
Red dress!
Group Rumba!
And Finally -- She has long black hair like I imagine Ramona to wear hers, and he's kinda blonde. BWAHAHAA!!
Jaden rolled his neck and shoulders, surveying the large number of couples that would be taking the floor for the first round of Latin.
“I’d forgotten what a zoo Blackpool is,” he mumbled to Ramona.
“Mmhmm,” she hummed, bending to touch her toes. “Let’s hope things go well.”
“Oh, we’ll be fine.” They were near the judges panel and he caught sight of a young woman with dark hair and a bright smile. He waved and gave her a wink.
“You know a judge? Interesting.”
“I don’t really, she’s just been around for a few years. I swear she pads my scores depending on how tight my pants are.” He kept a grin on his face. “She’s a doll though, her name is Tabby.”
Ramona snorted, shaking her head, and continued stretching. Ramona’s fiery red dress, as most Latin costumes, left little to the imagination. The skirt was made entirely of tassels that swayed with the slightest movement, going from a hot chili red to dark burgundy, giving an illusion that the dress was dripping molten fire. Her back was completely exposed, no netting or leotard underneath; the front of the bodice sweeping across her chest, leaving part of her midriff uncovered, and a swirl of beads in varying shades of red made it look like flames were dancing across her chest.
Jaden’s outfit was far less conspicuous -- a plain red shirt that was the same shade as the base of Ramona’s dress, with only three buttons, leaving his chest bare, and black pants and shoes.
“Alright, let’s do this shit.” Jaden grinned at Ramona and offered his hand. She didn’t look at him as she slipped her hand into his, instead fixing a bright smile to her face as their names and number were called.
***
“Semi-fucking-finals. How did this even happen?” Jaden blotted his face with a towel, wiping the sweat from his eyes. Under the hot lights and with all the physical exertion, he wanted nothing more than to douse himself with a bucket of ice water.
“Through hard work, you’ve done good.” Kam smiled, handing him a cup of water.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jaden knocked back the water. “It’s brutal out there, though! If Rugov cuts me off one more time, I’m going to deck him because I know that bastard is doing it purpose!”
“Don’t, Jaden.” Kam sighed. “You’ll get tossed out, besides he’ll have points taken off, stop worrying. Just take a break, rest up for the next round.”
“I’m not in good enough shape for Blackpool.” He settled back and threw an arm over his eyes. “Dolche and Velo are like fucking powerhouses, have they even broken a sweat?”
“They’re not sweating, but their flicks on the last Jive were sloppy.”
“Good, I hope their legs are burning.”
“I’m not sure if I should say this or not, but I think you and Ramona have a really good shot at placing.” Kam seemed surprised by that, and Jaden swatted him with his sweaty towel.
“Of course we do, we’re amazing.”
“Speaking of, you better go find her; they’re going to start calling numbers soon, and I need to go prep Mina and Anton.”
“She’s probably in the changing rooms.” Jaden stood slowly, letting out a deep sigh. “I think I’m too old for this shit, Kam.”
“Uh huh,” Kam grunted. He patted Jaden’s shoulder and left to find Mina and Anton. With his towel around his neck, Jaden made his way toward the changing rooms in search of his partner.
He kept his eyes down as he searched for Ramona, most all of the dancers were hardly shy, but he thought it best to respect their privacy at least a little bit.
Jaden was ready to give up on finding her when he heard a familiar voice, raised in anger, and using several Spanish words he knew to be profanity. He popped his head around a corner to find Ramona squaring off against her father and Martino; she stamped her foot for good measure, calling them both idiots.
Martino looked up from Ramona, his grey eyes meeting Jaden’s and narrowing. “You are not wanted here.”
Ramona turned around, and if Jaden hadn’t known better he would’ve said she looked relieved. He stepped into the room, yanking the towel from his neck. “They’re close to calling numbers again, I came to get Ramona.”
“Just leave us, boy.” The elder De La Vega looked at him as if he were a piece of garbage on the bottom of his shoe.
“No!” Ramona hissed, whirling back on her father. “I want him here!”
“En español, por favor.” Her father sighed, pinching his nose.
“No, papa! Your decisions concern him, he should know!” Ramona turned back to Jaden and he stepped a bit closer to her, concerned.
“They,” she waved a hand toward Martino and her father, “have decided my future! According to them this is to be my farewell competition!” Ramona held up her, pointing to the ring there. “They think I should retire from dance and play good little wife to Martino.”
Ramona slipped the ring from her finger and held up, fixing Martino with an icy glare. “Well I won’t! All I have wanted since I could walk, was to dance. You will not take that from me,” she ground out.
“I settled for you. Do you understand that? You were not my first choice, ever. I settled because it was easy, because I thought…” Ramona took a deep breath, her eyes darting toward Jaden. “I thought I could do no better. But I will not have you running my life like I am some mindless child. I will not have you crushing my dreams and my hopes, because I have worked too hard and too long to throw them away.”
She glared down her father and Martino, full of ire. “Neither of you own me; I will not be your puppet, I will not be your wife! I will do as I choose, and I will live my life how I wish!” In a final act of defiance, she threw the ring at Martino’s face. “Now excuse me, I have a competition to try to win.”
Ramona grabbed Jaden’s hand and whirled on her heel, storming out of the room with him in tow. They made it halfway back to the main hall when Jaden’s brain finally caught up with the recent events, and he tugged Ramona to a halt.
She turned on him, still full of anger, but backed down once she realized it was him and not her father or Martino.
“Are you alright?”
“I will be once we win, come on.” She yanked him a few more paces, but he was not so ready to let things go.
“No, Ramona.” He stopped again, looking around for a quieter place; he spotted an alcove leading to a janitor’s closet, and figured that was the best they could do. He pulled her toward it, putting her back against the wall, and positioned himself in front of her -- blocking her from view of any passersby.
“That was a huge thing, I’m not even really sure what all happened, but it was big. So you need to let me know if you’re alright?”
She lowered her eyes. “You don’t care.”
“No, I’m pretty sure we established yesterday that I care more than I should; which is why you need to tell me if you’re okay.”
Ramona leaned back against the wall, her hands clasped behind her back and looked up at him. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glancing away from him. “I don’t know?”
He waited for her to continue, and several strained moments passed while she stared over his shoulder at the people milling around before the start of the Latin semi-finals. When he was tempted to speak again, Ramona seemed to come back to herself. Blinking rapidly she focused her gaze on him again.
“I never loved Martino, I meant what I said; I settled. As for Papa?” She shrugged callously. “He never truly cared for me, I tried to earn his affection, but I went about it the wrong ways. I tried to change for him, to suit him. It was all pointless, I realize now.” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
“You can’t think like that, Mona. He’s your dad and you tried, he didn’t. As for Martino…” he shook his head. Overhead the announcer’s voice started calling numbers for the semi-finals dance.
Ramona pushed at Jaden’s chest until he moved back, then headed for the dance floor. Jaden stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re not okay. Let’s get out of here, it’ll be alright.” He took her hand, intending to lead her to the front doors of the ballroom, but she wouldn’t budge, her hand slipping from his.
“Why do you care, Jaden?” He turned around to find Ramona dangerously close to tears.
“You know the answer to that,” he whispered.
Ramona met his gaze, steadfast and unwavering. She wetted her lips, opened her mouth to speak, but the announcer’s voice cut through;
“One-Seven-Seven.”
She shook her head, snatched up his hand, and together they made their way to the dance floor with the others; ready to dance the best rumba of their career.
And it was.
As the music started, everything seemed to fade away; the other dancers on the floor, the audience, the judges scrutinizing their every move. It was just the two of them, like those rare moments in the practice room.
Or even farther back; the quick practices before a competition; the elevator rides when he would offer to carry her bags after she dismissed the bodyguard her father had sent; or the shared meals in the back of restaurants in a foreign country where neither of them knew the language.
Every pent up feeling seemed to build until it was let loose in the dance; all the frustration, the longing, the confusion, and the attraction. She pressed against him, he ran his hand down her side, over her bare back and stomach, his free hand linking with hers to spin her out, and back in again. When the music stopped and the crowd roared to life, clapping and cheering.
The dancers on the floor all took their bows. Jaden and Ramona grinned widely as they looked to the crowd and then to the judges, they both knew they had done well. As Ramona bowed to the crowd again, she moved to fall in line behind the other dancers leaving the floor, but Jaden caught her by the wrist. She turned back to look at him, confusion written across her face.
Jaden gave her wrist a slight tug and she shuffled closer, her feet barely leaving the floor. He lifted his free hand, cupping her face, long fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck, her pulse beating under his palm.
Craning his neck, eyes locked with hers, he stopped when his lips were a hairsbreadth from hers. “The answer to your question,” he whispered against her lips, “is because I love you.” Then he closed the minuscule gap between them.
Ramona’s hands rose to cup his face, yanking his head down and deepening the kiss as she pressed herself closer to him. Jaden’s free hand circled around her thin waist, running up and down her back.
They stayed together for a long while, the kiss far from chaste, and hardly appropriate for the middle of the a dance competition, but neither one cared. Though finally they were forced to break apart for air -- her lips swollen, and his smeared with her red lipstick.
“Oh,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering open.
Jaden traced his thumb over her lower lip, tempted to kiss her again, but a loud wolf whistle distracted him. He glanced over to see Zander cheering him along with the rest of the audience and several dancers. Jaden found Kam behind Zander, smiling in an obnoxious way like he’d planned the entire thing.
Jaden wondered if he knew this would happen?
“I think we’ve put on more of a show than intended,” he said, turning back to Ramona.
“Oh well.” She shrugged, eyes dark.
“Come on, let’s find a quiet place to talk and wait for scores.” He stepped back enough to grab her hand, pulling her off the dance floor.
-----
Here have some sexy rumbas:
Red dress!
Group Rumba!
And Finally -- She has long black hair like I imagine Ramona to wear hers, and he's kinda blonde. BWAHAHAA!!
