@secondofeternity continued from here
The concept of a 'guilty pleasure' is largely foreign to River - why should she feel guilty about anything that brings her pleasure? - but if she were to have one, it would without a doubt be her taste in music. She's a sucker for 20th century earth music, specifically the likes of Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Elvis or anything else equally as sappy romantic and easy to dance to. Although aware of the Doctor's altered musical tastes, the record is set in the player and the needle placed on top in the hope that the familiar notes will persuade him to dance.
She doesn’t realise her mistake, or rather her thoughtlessness, until her body is pressed against his, her right hand resting on his left shoulder, her left hand curled loosely at the base of his neck. The absence of his hands around her is the first thing that gives away his discomfort, followed swiftly by his wide eyes and stiff body, and compounded by his helpless question as he tries, and fails, to decide where to place his hands. Stupid stupid stupid. She, of all people, should have known better than to assume this face would be like the last, that he would know how to move in time with her, that he would even want to. River desperately wants to pull away, silence the music and pretend this never happened, but such a response would speak so clearly of her vulnerabilities that she can't bring herself to. Instead she reaches for his hands.
"Here." One hand is returned gently to her waist, the other is taken in her own, lacing their fingers together, their new position freeing up his shoulder to rest her head against it, breath against his neck, all the better for hiding her face.
He'd been staring at her in that moment before she intervened, eyes fixed on her like... like she doesn't know what. Reading this face, this body, is still new, and while the man inside remains the same she's all too aware of how much one person can change. At least he didn't step away, or even push her away; it breaks her hearts whenever he puts distance between them, and doing so here, now, would be more than she could bear.
