Chapter 9
Ryan
People like Marty think I’m some dumb jock, but clearly not that dumb.
Took a couple of days, but since my bet with the guys, I came up with a plan that could earn Marty’s trust and maybe get him off my ass long enough to survive this probation and prove to my fratbros I didn’t get to be linebacker for Peach State without having some discipline and self-restraint.
I can only see a sliver of Marty as he stands in the bathroom, hidden behind the door, obviously enticed by the plan I’ve concocted. That he’s even opened the door again assures me I struck a nerve.
I know your weakness, Marty McGovern.
“You want me to tell you through that crack, or you want to come back out here and talk?”
“I can hear you from here,” he insists, so I approach him.
“I’ve noticed you don’t exactly have smooth moves with Angie, right? But you’ve seen the way I am, not only with her, but other girls. I could maybe help you out in that department. Be your coach, basically.”
His eyes narrow as he studies me, as though still trying to work out if this is all a con. I mean, guess it is, but not in the way he’s thinking.
He cracks the door open a little more.
“You’d help me flirt with Angie?”
“Hell, if you’d asked me before all this, I would’ve.”
That’s the truth. If we hadn’t been down each other’s throats, then I wouldn’t have had an issue giving him some pointers.
“And all you want in exchange is for me to show you some tango moves?”
“Yeah, sure. Seems like a fair trade to me.”
He angles his head as he glares at me. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing? You’re trying to get on my good side so when you fuck up again, which you will, I won’t get you expelled from the house, so I should warn you this isn’t gonna work.”
“Then what do you have to lose?”
“Besides my pride?”
I throw my hands up. “Okay, guess you didn’t like Angie as much as I thought.”
As I spin around, he says, “Wait, wait, wait. I didn’t say no.”
I can’t help but smirk, appreciating that I have some damn good negotiating skills. Those guys will have to pay up.
I turn back to him, and he bites his bottom lip, clearly thinking it over. “I feel like I’m gonna regret this. I don’t want to, like, trick Angie into liking me back.”
“Is that what your flirting is? Tricking someone into liking you?”
Misguided as his comment may be, it’s sweet that he wouldn’t be interested in tricking someone into dating him. He’s got good parts to him that, whether he shows them to me or not, a girl would be interested in.
“Honestly, I’m not even sure I know what flirting is,” he admits. “Isn’t that obvious?”
Fair point.
“It’s about being comfortable with yourself and confident,” I explain, “and if she’s into that, then she’ll be into you. I don’t know her type, and I can’t guarantee she’ll like you back, but at least, even if it doesn’t work for her, maybe you can use it when you run into another girl you like.”
“Confident and comfortable? Great. Two things I’m shit at.” It’s like he’s already talking himself out of it. “And if we agree to do this,” he goes on, “does this mean you’re gonna stop flirting with her around me?”
This again.
“I’ve never flirted with her,” I insist. “Maybe I talked to her more than I would have normally for, like, a day to get under your skin, but trust me, if I were flirting, I would’ve already sealed the deal.”
He studies my face as though trying to work out if I’m being sincere, but he’s seen me operate, and I’m sure somewhere in that messy head of his, he knows it’s true. His gaze wavers before he says, “This is a horrible idea.”
Fuck. Well, I tried. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.
“When are we starting?”
My lips twist into a smile. Touchdown.
“Then it’s a deal?”
He extends his hand, and we shake on it. I’m impressed that this is going according to plan.
“So,” I say, “how about, in the name of good faith, you go ahead and show me something?”
It’s not that I’m excited to learn how to tango, but the sooner I can get Marty to let his guard down and chill, the easier it’s gonna be for us to get along…and maybe get him past writing down every infraction he could potentially use against me.
“We’re starting this tonight?” he asks.
“We don’t have to get into anything complicated. Show me some basics. Did you have something else you were planning to do instead?”
“No, I mean, I guess we can. Uh…” He pulls out his phone and fidgets with it.
I can tell by how quick he is to do this that he really wants to get with Angie.
When the music starts up, I recognize it from when I’ve caught him practicing.
He places it on the desk before saying, “Okay, let me figure out how to do this without making it awkward as hell. Sit on the bed.”
I plant my ass down on the edge.
“So this is a basic move…” He raises his arms, positioning them like there’s another person there, before showing me some basic steps as he counts out loud.
Looks kind of ridiculous as he does it by himself.
“That’s the thing we come back to every time, and then we can get more creative after that,” he explains.
“Here, get up, and let’s try together. I’ll start off leading, and maybe we can switch out once you figure it out.
I don’t know that it’s the best way to do it, but it’s the only way I know how. ”
I laugh, pushing to my feet. “Show me what to do.”
“So this is, like, the basic move that we do in a circle, which will be kind of weird given the lack of space here, so we’ll have to get creative, but I’ll do the counting, and you’ll follow my lead.”
“You’re gonna be leading me?”
“Like I said, this is the only way I know how to do it.”
“Okay,” I concede.
He positions one of his hands on my lower back and takes the other in his hand. The only time we’ve ever been this close is when we’re getting onto each other. I notice how warm his hand is and the light scent of his cologne—cedar and citrus. It’s a nice fragrance that hits my nose just right.
“Now your other hand goes on my shoulder,” he says.
As I follow the instruction, he gulps, not making eye contact as he begins counting. I try to follow the movement, and he steps on my toe.
“You have to actually follow,” he says.
“Whoa, whoa, I’m the student. You can be patient with me.”
“You’re right, sorry. I’ll go slower. The way I learned it, don’t try to pay attention to my feet, but feel when I’m shifting my weight, and that’s how you’ll know which leg to step back with.”
“Okay…”
We start again, and Marty counts out loud. We fumble a bit to start, but gradually, as I start to realize what he’s doing, he gets a little less self-conscious, and we manage to make a complete circle.
As we continue, I can’t help but notice the way he’s counting, his gaze shifting around as he clearly stresses about his movements. It’s kind of adorable.
The thought catches me by surprise and throws me off-balance, and he steps on my foot again. As I halt, he practically slams up against me, face into my chest. After he recovers, he glances up at me.
“You good, man?” I ask.
As I study his face, I notice the pink in his cheeks. But my gaze settles on his mouth—those smooth, thin lips.
“Those are pretty lips.” I figured I was thinking that in my head, but it comes out of my mouth, and his eyebrows shift quickly, his forehead creasing.
“What did you just say?”
“I was only making an observation. I mean, you have some qualities girls would be attracted to, and that’s one of them.”
Yeah…that’s a good excuse. Not really sure why I was thinking it, let alone saying it.
“Oh…” he says, nodding. “Maybe we should call it a night on the tango lesson. That’s a good start, and we can practice some more until you get the hang of it.”
“Sounds good.” As he pulls his hand away, my thumb lingers against his flesh, caressing. He’s got nice, smooth skin too.
“So now you gonna give me a tip or a pointer or something?” he presses.
“Patience, young Jedi.”
His head tilts slightly. “You like Star Wars?”
“You kidding? I used to watch them all the time as a kid.”
“Like…The Phantom Menace?” he asks, like that wouldn’t have counted.
“No, like A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi.”
“Hmmm…interesting.”
“What? Did you think a dumb jock couldn’t be a fan of Star Wars?”
“You never bring it up.”
“There’s a lot of things we haven’t brought up since we’ve gotten to know each other.”
And it seems a stretch to even suggest we know each other.
“That’s a fair point,” he says, “but I just showed you some moves. What happened to the whole I show you something, you show me something? Is this the part where you say you duped me and piss me the hell off?”
“Relax. There’s a party on Friday, and there’ll be lots of girls around. I’ll show you then. In the meantime, maybe a couple of nights this week, you show me more of this.”
“Wait, a party? You’re gonna throw me into it like that? I’m not making you compete in a tango championship to start with.”
“I got you.” I rest my hand on his shoulder. “Where do you think Keegan got his moves from? Not to brag, but I know what I’m doing.”
“Yeah, I guess,” he says, as though still waiting to find out this has all been a prank.
“Come on, you gotta shower off, and I’ve gotta get to bed. We have a long, painful journey ahead of us if we’re gonna make you fuckable.”
“Shut the fuck up. At least I know you’re not gonna be any less of a pain in the ass.”
“A pain in the ass? Excuse you. I’m the pain in the ass.”
This earns a smile from Marty, and I’m kind of proud I managed that much from a guy who’s usually barking away at me. It makes me think that despite our differences, he might not be as unbearable as he sometimes acts.