the surprise leaves only a spare moment between them, one where celeste feels her pulse kick up while she waits for the offer to click. she’s not expecting him to say no, but her stomach still does a flip when his hand reaches for hers, familiar smile on his face except this time bigger. “ i’m hoping that you can’t. ” she laughs, though there’s a hitch of nervousness to it. it doesn’t fade as he leads them deeper onto the dance floor and the realization sets in that she’s actually going to have to dance, and with samson no less, a child of the god of arts. she reminds herself that she’s faced far more horrific things: monsters bearing too many heads and shark-shaped teeth. dancing should not be on her list of fears.
rejection, though ? maybe.
always a quick study and determined not to embarrass herself, celeste falls into it naturally, hand resting gently over the fabric of his shirt. she alternates between staring down at the ground to manage where she’s stepping and looking up to meet his gaze, but there’s a smile that stays planted firmly on her mouth. if he’s even half as nervous as she is, she can’t tell. he moves to the music like it’s something as simple as breathing, and celeste moves too, less gracefully but managing to follow his lead and desperate to capture a mental image of this moment. it’s not one she wants to forget.
just as the praise comes, the bottom of her foot finds his toes and she lets out a sheepish laugh. “ natural, huh ? ” celeste has never considered herself a clumsy person, but it’s thrown her off enough to trip up her small sense of rhythm. that and the fact that she’s tipsy means she falls forward before she quickly draws back. “ usually i prefer to lead. ” she teases to smooth it over, but her face is hot and her voice gives her away. “ it’s like teaching a fish to ride a bicycle. ”
𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒 they’re not the only two in the room, attention solely on celeste and their gentle movement across the dance floor, her smile as she catches his eyes filling his chest with dizzying warmth. then, as soon as they find a rhythm they’re broken out of it, his compliment seemingly the catalyst ; hands move to gently catch her arms as she falls forward, a light, good-natured laugh masking the way his own face — already red from the dancing and alcohol — grows brighter at her proximity.
❛ i’m pretty sure i saw a fish riding a miniature bicycle at the aquarium once, ❜ samson jokes in an attempt to ease some of the nervous edge he picks up in her voice, ❛ so i’m pretty sure it can be done. ❜ he’s about to speak again when the song’s last notes fade away to an announcement from the dj, warning of last orders before the impending ball drop.
the music starts up again, and samson’s eyes flick over to the bar where a queue is already forming, and back again to his dance partner, ❛ do you want a drink for the countdown ? my treat. ❜ a beat, trying to keep his tone casual despite how hyper-aware he was of how close they still were, ❛ or we can keep dancing until then. soon-to-be birthday girl’s choice. ❜