one thing about me is i love me some Black Detroit Ballroom & Swing! you always see Black dance couples of all different sizes and shapes just getting down and grooving, i love it.
i really became my ol folks as i get older and i aint mad it, lmao.
Author note - truthfully this one shot was written before a few of the others I just have been holding it off because itâs too cute in my opinion đ€
- Bradley Bradshaw isnât afraid of a lot of things, he flies an F-18 for a living. But when he challenges Y/n to a two-step dance on their first date he might be more than a little nervous.
âWhat do you mean you challenged her to a two-step when you donât know how to two-step?â
Bradley knew heâd made a mistake the second the words left his mouth last night. But it wasnât until Jake Seresin was staring at him like heâd grown a second head that the full weight of his stupidity settled in.
He dragged a hand over his face, wishing he could sink into the chair and disappear. âShe gave me her number and said âI should call her if I ever wanted to debate song choices again.â
âAnd your next brilliant move was to challenge her to a dance youâve never done in your life.â
âI didnât want to just⊠call her. Sheâs only here for a couple days. I wanted to make an impression.â Bradley bowed his head, heat crawling up his neck.
Jake barked out a laugh loud enough to echo. âOh, youâll make an impression, alright. When you fall flat on your ass.â
Bradley groaned exactly what he neededâpublic humiliation before the briefing even started. Phoenix slid into the seat across from them, raising a brow. âWhat are you teasing Rooster about this time, Hangman?â
âHe challenged this girl to a two-step date. This manââ Jake slapped his knees, practically vibrating with joy. He pointed at Bradley like he was presenting evidence in court, ââdoesnât have an ounce of country twang in his body.â
âCan you not announce it to the whole hangar?â
Jake leaned back, boots crossed, grin wide. âBradshaw, buddy⊠you donât even clap on beat. Youâre a danger to rhythm.â
âI can keep a beat.â Bradley shot him a glare.
âOn a piano,â Jake said immediately. âWith your hands. Not your feet. Feet require coordination. Swagger. Soul. You walk like a dad at Home Depot.â
Phoenix nearly spit out her coffee. âOh my god.â
âIâm not that bad.â
Jake pointed triumphantly. âThatâs the voice of a man about to embarrass himself in front of a very pretty girl from Nashville. They two-step in the womb, Rooster.â
âOkay, enough. Let him breathe.â Bradley exhaledâuntil she added, âBut Hangmanâs not wrong.â
Jake slapped the table. âThank you!â
âBut itâs fixable.â
âFixable?â
âYeah.â She jerked her chin at Jake. âHeâs from Texas. He can teach you.â
âI did not volunteer for that.â Jakeâs laughter died instantly.
âYouâve been running your mouth for ten minutes. Put your boots where your ego is.â
Bradley looked between them, mortified and desperate. âJakeâŠ?â
âRooster, if you step on my toesââ Jake groaned like he was being tortured.
âYouâll live,â Phoenix said.
Jake muttered, standing like he was preparing for combat. âAlright, Bradshaw. Up. Letâs see what weâre working with.â
âThis is going to be amazing.â Phoenix leaned back, sipping her coffee like sheâd bought frontârow tickets.
Jake clapped him on the shoulder. âYou want to impress Nashville girl? Then youâre gonna learn. And if youâre lucky, youâll only humiliate yourself a little.â
Bradley swallowed hard. But beneath the embarrassment, something warm flickeredâdetermination. He wanted this to go well. He wanted her to have a good time. So he let Jake drag him into the open space. And of course, Phoenix immediately pulled out her phone.
âNatasha,â Bradley warned. âDonât you dare.â
She hit record. âToo late. For posterity.â
Jake cracked his knuckles like he was about to perform surgery. âAlright. First rule of two-stepping: donât be weird.â
âIâm not weird.â
âYouâre already being weird,â Jake said, circling him. âYouâre standing like youâre about to give a safety briefing.â
Phoenix snorted. âHe is a safety briefing.â
âCan we just start?â
Jake grabbed his shoulders and physically repositioned him. âRelax. Pretend youâre not a 75-year-old man who collects vinyl and reads weather reports for fun.â
âI do not readââ
âShh.â Jake patted his cheek.
Phoenix whispered dramatically, âDay one: Hangman attempts to teach Rooster how to be a functioning human.â
Bradley glared. âI can hear you.â
âGood,â she said.
Jake clapped. âStep one: left foot forward.â
Bradley stepped and Jake stared at his foot. âThatâs your right foot.â
âOkay,â Jake said. âNow do it again. But in time.â
âIn time with what?â
Jake stared at him. âThe imaginary music in your soul.â
âJake, I donât have imaginary music in my soul.â Bradley rubbed his forehead with a hand.
âThat,â Jake said dramatically, âis the problem.â
Phoenix whispered, âThis is the best day of my life.â
âWhat are youââ Then Jake grabbed Bradleyâs hands in his.
âDance with me, Bradshaw.â
Phoenix nearly dropped her phone when Jake tugged him into position like they were at prom as Bradleyâs voice cracked. âJakeââ
âShut up and follow my lead.â
Phoenix whispered watching the two men move their feet almost in sync, âIâm sending this to the entire squad.â
âOkay, okay, youâre getting it. Just donât look at your feet.â Bradley immediately looked at his feet. âRooster. Eyes up. Youâre dancing with a woman, not inspecting runway damage.â
Phoenix cackled. âHe canât help it. Heâs built like a dad.â
âNatââ
âDonât stop,â she said. âI need at least three minutes of footage.â
Jake spun him and he stumbled badly. âWarn me!â
âNope,â Jake said. âReal two-step is chaos.â
Phoenix whispered, âHeâs gonna die on this date.â
âEffort counts.â Phoenix lowered her phone slightly.
âAlright! From the top! And this time, try not to look like youâre being held hostage.â
Phoenix hit record again and Bradley groaned. âI hate both of you.â
Y/nâs point of view
Three knocks came from outside my hotel room door right at six oâclock, right on the time we had set for the date tonight. Staring at myself one more time trying to calm the nerves building in the pit of my stomach. Walking up to the door I turned the handle, opening it only to have my mouth fall open slightly at what I saw standing in front of me.
Bradley âRoosterâ Bradshaw was wearing a green Hawaiian shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, dark blue jeans paired with some dark boots he has for work and his aviator sunglasses lazily hanging from the middle of his black tea shirt. He stood in the hallway of my hotel room with a bashful expression on his face as he took in my appearance while I was obviously doing the same to him.
I had changed a total of four times before finally going back to my first outfit choice : a tan tea shirt tucked into some jeans, a red-brown-white flannel thrown over that paired well with my cowgirl boots that I got for my high school graduation before I left Indiana to go to Nashville. My hair was left in its naturally wavy manner.
He blinked a few times and shook his head pulling himself from the trance. âWowza - you look - you look good.â
âThanks.â Tucking some pieces of loose hair behind my ear I nodded, closing the door behind me. âYou donât look too bad yourself, Bradshaw.â
Exiting the hotel lobby he led me out and helped me climb into a Bronco after opening my door first like a gentleman which I appreciated. The drive was a nervous quiet for us until we parked outside a bar that was quite a ways away from my hotel yet that wasnât what caught my eye about it. Bradley held my hand helping me out of the passenger seat with the familiar and comforting sounds of country music meeting my ears before weâd even stepped inside. âYou found a country music bar all the way out here in North Island. Howâd you manage that?â
âI had some help from my friends.â He responded, finding us a spot up close to what appeared to be a dance floor in front of a stage. âBut thatâs not the best part.â
He raised a finger pointing to a sign that read âCountry two-stepping tonight.â
âYou werenât kidding about challenging me were you.â Whipping my head back around I gasped kicking my legs back and forth underneath the table ready to see what he had up his sleeve.
He shrugged his shoulders, dropping his gaze quickly like he was afraid to look me in the eye when he said his next words. âWell I did let you win in pool so I figured I needed to get one win under my belt.â
âLetâs see what youâve got, Bradshaw.â Getting up from my barstool letting my boots hit the hardwood floor I was curious as to why he seemed nervous yet the still cocky pilot right now.
The bar smelled faintly of whiskey and fried food, the kind of place where neon signs buzzed above the counter and boots scuffed against the wooden floor in rhythm with the music. Couples were already two-stepping across the dance floor, skirts twirling, laughter spilling out as the band on stage struck up another country tune.
Bradleyâs hand brushed mine, as he led me toward the dance floor. I could see the nerves in the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes flicked toward me like he was checking to make sure I hadnât bolted yet. âAlright. Hangman swears Iâm ready for this.â
âJake Seresin taught you how to two-step? Oh, this is going to be good.â I raised a brow, teasing.
Bradley chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. âDonât laugh too hard. He made me practice in the hangar. Said if I stepped on your toes tonight, heâd revoke my man card.â
That earned a laugh from me as I let him place one hand at my waist, the other holding mine. His touch was careful, like he was afraid Iâd slip away if he wasnât gentle enough. The first few steps were clumsyâhis boots dragging slightly, mine trying to keep us in rhythm. He spun me too quickly and before either of us could recover, we stumbled, collapsing in a heap right in the middle of the floor when his longer legs got tangled with my short ones making us both lose our balance.
The crowd chuckled around us, but Bradley only laughed, covering his face with one hand. âHangman is going to roast me alive for this.â
âCorrection,â I said, giggling in his direction, âIâm going to roast you alive for this.â
He helped me up immediately, brushing off my flannel like it had been through battle. âOkay, okay, round two. No more falling. Scoutâs honor.â
As we found the rhythm again, Bradleyâs confidence grew as did my own where I started asking questions during our little dance. âSo, what made you want to be an aviator?â Looking up at him I kept one hand on his shoulder and my other was intertwined with his, finally keeping his other hand on my lower back.
His eyes softened, and for a moment the bar noise faded. âHonestly? I wanted to be like my dad, Goose was his Callsign. He died when I was really little, completely broke my mom but luckily she had me. Flying though, Itâs in my blood. Carrying that forward felt right. Plus, nothing beats the view at 30,000 feet.â
âThatâs⊠actually really sweet.â I smiled, squeezing his hand.
âDonât tell Hangman I said anything sentimental. Heâll never let me live it down.â He smirked down at me then he shot me a look. âAlright, your turn. If you werenât a singer, what was your plan B career?â
âPlan B? Teaching high school English. But then I realized teenagers are scarier than stage lights.â
Bradley barked out a laugh, nearly missing a step. âI can see it nowâMiss Y/n confiscating phones while secretly writing songs in the teacherâs lounge.â
âYour turn, whatâs your favorite color?â
He stared up at the ceiling for a minute before he decided to mess with me. âPurple.â
âOh no, no. Weâre done here.â Pulling away from him I attempted to remove myself from him. He chuckled watching me push my hands against his chest playfully shoving him away from me.
âWait, you really donât like purple.â
Nodding my head, yes I sternly looked at him. âYep. You won't find anything purple in my closet and if thatâs your favorite color then itâs a deal breaker.â
âGood thing I was joking cause itâs green.â
Wiping a hand over my forehead I sighed, slumping my shoulders in relief. âPhew, there may be hope for you yet Bradley.â
âEven if I can't do two-step right?â
Smiling up at him with a dorky grin playing on my lips I couldnât remember the last time I laughed this much with a guy on a first date. âEspecially then, you silly goose.â
âAlright Little Singer,â Bradley must have been starting to feel confident again when he caught me off guard by twirling me away from his chest and then back in with me going underneath his arm. Once my body coiled with his chest I gasped when he leaned his head down closer. âHow did you learn to play guitar?â
âSelf-taught,â I said proudly, moving forward so that our chests were up against each otherâs. âI begged my mom for one when I was twelve, and when she finally caved, I locked myself in my room until I could play âSweet Home Alabama.â My fingers were blistered for weeks.â
Bradley grinned. âSo basically, you tortured your family until you got good.â
âExactly.â
The tempo picked up, and Bradley misstepped again, sending us tumbling sideways into another fit of laughter. Once we caught our breath, I nudged him with the tip of one of my boots. âOkay, your turn. Tell me a funny childhood memory.â
Bradleyâs grin widened. âWhen I was eight, I tried to impress a girl by riding my bike with no hands. Ended up face-first in a bush. She laughed so hard she snorted, and I decided right then maybe comedy was my calling instead of romance.â
âSo youâve been crashing for love since you were eight?â
âGuess some things never change,â he said, giving me a wink as we spun againâthis time without falling.
Around us, couples swayed and spun, boots thudding against the floorboards in perfect rhythm. The bandâs fiddle sang, the steel guitar twanged, and the air buzzed with energy. Bradleyâs hand never left mine, his touch grounding me even when he stumbled. Every time he caught my eye, his grin widened, and the nerves that had knotted my stomach earlier melted into something warm and steady.
By the time the music slowed, Bradley pulled me close, his forehead brushing mine, his voice low and rough from laughing. âThanks for not laughing too hard at me,â he murmured.
âOh, I laughed plenty,â I teased, âbut only because you made it fun.â
Eventually we left the busy bar laughing like we had been together for months and not simply on our first date. Bradley moved forward to open my door for me but saw me halt in my tracks when an idea came to my head, thinking about doing something reckless in order to keep the date going just a little longer. âYou know when I was growing up as a kid I went through a phase where I wanted to go fast. And since youâre an aviator you know a thing or two about that.â
âGoing fast in what way?â Bradley raises a brow curiously.
Rolling back on the heels of my boots with my hands clasped together behind my back I shot him a wink. âI could show you if you're cool with me driving your Bronco.â
âLetâs see what you can do I guess. Just donât scratch it.â He put one hand into the pocket of his pants, fidgeting for keys. He dropped them into my open hand getting into the passenger seat.
Bradley carefully watched me the whole time as I adjusted the seat and mirrors, patiently waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Shifting the gear into drive I turned my head to look him in the eye, smirking a giddy grin. âWhatâs something you aviators say before you take off?â
âLetâs turn and burn.â He asked me simply. âWhy?â
âLetâs turn and burn then, Rooster.â
The Broncoâs tires burned rubber on the parking lot, squealing as she floored the gas and quickly turned the wheel doing two donuts before racing out the exit. âHoly shit!â Bradleyâs back got harshly pushed into the back of his seat when Y/n gave the Bronco gas a heavy push where he swore it was fully down on the floorboard. He gripped the middle console and the door handle of the passenger door for deer life. He thought he was frozen in fear until he shifted his gaze over to Y/n and his whole demeanor became focused on her.
He was in awe of her at that moment. Her free spirit was something heâd never be able to ignore. Heâd dated other girls but this one - his little singer was someone who could match his world just from the ground and not the air.
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We Should All Be Birds: A Memoir by Brian Buckbee with Carol Ann Fitzgerald is a lovely memoir about chronic illness and pain, and the connection between one man and the pigeon he rehabilitates to death...the pigeon that soon becomes many pigeons.
Buckbee writes using dictation due to his paralyzingly painful migraines. Disabled after a mysterious illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, took over his life years ago while he was on vacation trying to grieve a lost relationship, Buckbee's life has become startlingly isolated. When he finds a hurt pigeon, who he names Two-Step, he's surprised when their bond quickly starts to grow. Before he knows it, his home has become a refuge to a bird that too many humans constantly malign.
While it feels scattered at first, it comes together beautifully, and contains many poetic meditations on care, grief, and what it means to heal to someone who will never "get better." While not solely a chronic illness memoir, chronically ill readers will relate to his journey, and animal lovers and general readers will enjoy the story of how this man and Two-Step came together.
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe made it through Week 3 on Strictly Come Dancing 2025 and will perform the rumba Week 4 to Tracey Chapman's "Fast Car" | 12.10.2025
Don't forget to vote for Alex and Johannes every week during the live programme!
Adaile is looking, unblinking, eyes glowing, his stare intense.
"I want you."
Well this was completely unexpected. In fact, he was trying to let his brain catch up, because Adaile was staring at him so intently and with conviction, that it threw him off.