Dance of Passion Chapter 3
Jensen looked up from his books as he heard a knock on the apartment door. He looked at his watch. Steve wasn’t due for another couple of hours. Rolling his neck to release some of the tension, Jensen pushed back from the table, and made his way to the door. He wasn’t expecting the person on the other side.
“Jared?” Jensen asked, surprised.
Jared rubbed the back of his neck self consciously. “Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” Jensen was still holding the door.
“I came to apologise. Look, can I come in?”
Jensen stepped back from the door, allowing Jared to move past him and into the apartment. Jensen closed the door and then turned to face Jared.
“Look Jensen, I’m sorry about running off last week. I shouldn’t have taken what you said so personally.” Jared paced 5 steps one way, then 5 steps the other.
“It’s ok Jared. I shouldn’t have said what I said. At least, not the way I said it anyway.” Jensen stepped towards Jared and laid a hand on his arm. “Stop pacing Jared. Sit down.” Jensen gestured to his couch. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Yeah, a drink would be great. Thanks.” Jared made his way over to Jensen’s DVD collection, looking over the mass of movies and TV shows. There was a huge range, from horror to chick flicks, comedy to documentary. He was startled when Jensen came up beside him, a can of soda in his hand. Jared looked at it a little warily before taking it from Jensen with a smile. He really shouldn’t have it, too many empty calories, but he couldn’t refuse it. His momma had taught him to be gracious.
“Thanks.” He said quietly before he turned and made his way to the couch.
“So, why are you here Jared?” Jensen asked when he settled himself on the recliner diagonally from Jared. He waved his hand when Jared opened his mouth. “You’ve already apologised, so anything else?”
“Jeff thinks I’m a bad dancer.” Jared said after a while. Jensen raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his own soda. “Ok, so he didn’t actually say that. But he said I don’t have any passion. He said the same thing you said.”
“Oh.” Jensen didn’t know what to say to that.
“He said I need to do something to re-find my interest in dance. Something to ignite my passion. And I’m not allowed to dance ballet.” Jared said sourly.
“Did he tell you about Sam’s classes?” Jensen asked.
Jared nodded. “Yeah. He gave me her business card. That was when he told me he’d fail me if I danced ballet.”
Jensen snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like Jeff.”
They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. “Aren’t you going to say something? Impart some street dancer wisdom?”
“Huh?” Jensen was confused. “What sort of street dancer wisdom should I be imparting?”
Jared sighed as he rested his head against the back of the couch. “I don’t know. Jeff said you might be able to help me out.”
“Honestly Jared, I have no idea what Jeff would like me to teach or tell you. I dance because I can. Because I love to do it. It’s a freedom of expression that’s unlike almost anything else in the world. Photography maybe comes in second. In a world where everything’s right or wrong, dance is something where people can have opinions, but no one person’s thoughts or ideas are the right one.” Jensen shrugged. “I don’t know, but that’s how I feel anyway.”
Jared once again lost himself in thought. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Jensen was so calm about what other people thought about his dancing. He really didn’t care. Jared was the opposite. He tried so hard to be perfect that he spent all his time on technique, and very little on the emotion of the dance. After all, it’s technique that you are always marked on, isn’t it?
Jared was jarred from his thoughts when the apartment door slammed open and 2 men stumbled through it. They were both laughing hysterically, holding each other up as they stumbled into the lounge area of the apartment.
When they noticed Jared sitting on the couch, the laughter stopped. “Hey kid.” The shorter, dark headed one said to him.
Jared tried to shrink into himself a little bit. “Hi,” he said shyly.
The other one, the blonde, threw himself down on the couch next to Jared. “Hey Chris, stop freaking the kid out. Get us all a beer.“ he guy, Chris, grumbled good naturedly as he turned to the fridge and got out 4 beers. “I’m Steve,” he said as he stuck out his hand and Jared tentatively shook it.
“Jared.”
“You’re the guy Jensen was telling us about. He wasn’t lying when he said you were tall.” Chris said as he came over to the guys, 4 beers in his hands. He held out one to Jared and he shook his head.
“I’m underage.”
“So?” Chris said. “I’m not gonna call the cops on you for one beer. Just take it kid.”
When Jared did, Chris handed one to Steve, and one to Jensen before all but throwing himself onto the beanbag on front of the couch. “Let’s put a movie on. Something with lots of blowing shit up.”
“Yeah, alright.” Jensen got up and picked through the DVD collection, finally deciding on The Bourne Identity.
“I really should go guys. Got lots of homework to do.” Jared said quietly. In actual fact he was going to practice his dance he had to perform next week. He went to stand up but Steve’s hand on his knee kept him in his seat.
“Stay kid. The homework will still be there in a few hours.” Reluctantly Jared agreed, and settled himself in, more or less, to watch the movie. He’d never seen it, and he was surprised by how drawn into it he got. He never noticed the time pass, even when Jensen put in the following 2 sequels.
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Finally, when the 3rd movie ended, and the pizzas they had ordered somewhere around halfway through the second movie were gone, Jared realised how much time had passed. And, as he thought about it, he’d had a nice afternoon. He’d done absolutely nothing, but it didn’t really worry him at that point in time. That would come later.
“Jared, can you swim?” Jensen suddenly asked as Jared helped him clean up. Chris and Steve had gone out to see their respective girlfriends.
“Ah, yeah. Why?” To say Jared was confused was an understatement.
“And did you bring swim trunks with you?”
“It’s August. In California. Of course I bought swim trunks with me.”
Jensen smiled at that. “Ok. Well, do you have any plans on Saturday? Day or night?” Jared shook his head and Jensen grinned, big and bright. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up about midday on Saturday. Wear your swim trunks.”
“What for? Where are we going?” Jared asked.
“It’s a surprise,” Jensen whispered conspiratorially in his ear. Jared felt goose bumps rise on his skin as a shiver made its way down his spine and heat pooled in his stomach. He forced himself to step away.
“A surprise huh?” Jensen nodded. “Well, I guess I could go along with a surprise.”
“Tell your roommate to come too. And his girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or whatever. Yours too.”
Jared blushed. “I... I don’t have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend.” He stammered.
Jensen shrugged. “No biggie.” Jensen walked Jared to the door, glancing at his discarded books on the kitchen table. “I’ll pick you up on Saturday then. And don’t worry about anything. It’ll be fun.”
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Jared was still questioning what ‘fun’ might be when Jensen and Mike barged into his and Chad’ room a little before midday on Saturday. They both had on swim trunks, flip flops, t-shirts and sunglasses. They looked ready for a day at the beach.
“Ready to go?” Jensen asked as Mike practically threw himself onto Chad’s bed.
“Yeah. Chad’s just getting Sophia. His girlfriend.” He clarified at Jensen and Mike’s confused looks.
“Cool. Well, Jared can go with you Jenny, and I’ll wait for Chad and Sophia and we’ll follow you out.” Mike gave Jensen a look, raised eyebrows included.
“Yeah, yeah.” Jensen grinned as he good naturedly bumped his shoulder into Mike’s. “Come on Jared, the truck’s this way.”
Jared followed Jensen out, getting into the passenger’s side. He didn’t fail to notice the amount of booze in the back, nor the guitar case.
“Have to been to Sam’s classes yet?” Jensen asked, once they started on their way.
“Yeah. I took a basic hip hop class on Wednesday, and a freestyle one on Friday. Man, they’re so different to what I’m used to.”
Jensen laughed. “That’s kinda the point I think.”
Jared laughed. “Yeah, I think I’m getting that. Everytime I tried to do something even slightly resembling ballet Sam was on me in an instant, getting me to change everything.”
Jensen just grinned.
“So, where are we going?” Jared asked, as Jensen turned off onto another, smaller road, making sure Mike was still behind him.
“There’s a lake out here. We come out when it’s nice and just drink, have barbecues, swim. It’s something to get us out of the study mentality we put ourselves into.” Jensen shrugged with a grin. “And it’s fun.”
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Jensen wasn’t kidding. They were the last to arrive. Chris and Steve were already there with their girlfriends, Sandy and Danneel. Jared liked the girls instantly. They were so different to each other that they complimented each other, and the guys, well. They took a shine to him too.
Tom was there too. Jared had remembered seeing him around with Mike. “They keep skirting around each other.” Jensen whispered to him later. “I wish they’d just screw each other and get it over with.”
Jared couldn’t remember a better weekend in his life. They all sat around drinking, eating, and playing in the water. Jared had so much fun with the tire that was tied to a tree over the lake. That night they sat around a campfire while Chris, Steve and Jensen played their guitars and sang around the bonfire they’d made. They all fell asleep in the assorted sleeping bags they’d bought, and woke up ready to do it again the next day.
Exhausted, but happy, Jared fell into a deep sleep, the second his head hit the pillow Sunday night.
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He was not prepared for a 6am wake up call. He woke to a loud banging on his door. He glanced to Chad’s bed, grateful to see he’d already left for football practice. When the banging didn’t stop, Jared grudgingly got out of bed, opening the door harder than necessary. “What?” he growled.
“Morning sunshine.”
“Jensen?” Jared rubbed his hands over his eyes, but when he opened them again Jensen was still there, dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt, bouncing slightly on his toes.
“Get dressed. You’re coming with me.”
“Huh?” Jensen rolled his eyes and pushed past Jared into his room.
“Which drawers are yours?” Jared pointed out his side of the room and Jensen proceeded to go through each drawer, throwing Jared a t-shirt, a pair of sweat, and a pair of socks. “Get dressed.”
“Where are we going?” Jared asked as he pulled on the sweats and pulled the t-shirt he slept in over his head. He ignored the way Jensen’s eyes roamed over his upper body before he covered it up with another t-shirt.
“Running,” Jensen said as Jared sat on his bed to pull on his socks and sneakers.
“I don’t run.”
“You will today.” Jensen said. He snagged Jared’s dorm key off his desk and pocketed it. “Let’s go.”
30 minutes later Jared decided that maybe he did run, and maybe, just maybe, he liked it.
chapter 4