challenge 53 Dance and Hockey
Title: Dance and Hockey
Challenge: #53: Romance - Apocalyptica
Media: Original Fiction
Rating: T
Notes/Warnings: I’ve had this in my head for a while now. Vále and Ka get to celebrate their engagement.
One of the reasons I had chosen our house because it was close to the Wonderland Ballroom. Once the largest Ballroom in New England, it was now a small concert venue. There was still dancing. Different things every night, and it was open for parties.
Bob let me know that the team had put together a party for Ka and I, for our engagement. They had scheduled it so that it could also double as an end of the season party. They said that it was so my cast would be off.
The cast was off, but I was a long way from perfect. I still needed to have the silver removed from my ankle. I still needed to rehab, but I was walking around fine. The party was supposed to be a surprise, but Bob was worried I would, in his words, ‘boot it back to Finland’ before the party and spoil it for everyone.
It was a pleasant night in early April, so we walked to the Ballroom. We had been walking a lot that spring as part of my rehabilitation. But we had always walked together and it was such a lovely spring how could we not walk places?
We walked down the beach until my ankle started to ache and then we walked up to the sidewalk. Ka ran her hand up and down my back, “do you want to go home?”
“No, we have plans tonight. And it doesn’t really hurt,” it wasn’t really a lie but from the look Ka shot me she could tell I wasn’t feeling as well as I said I was. We walked in silence to the blue line station where Arttu was standing waiting for us.
“Hurry up netminder!” he called out to us, “You are late and we still have to get you up all these stairs!”
I glanced at Ka. “You are limping,” she told me gently. I thought that I had managed to not limp even with the burning ache in my ankle.
“It hurts today,” I admitted.
“They will take the pin out soon,” she said and kissed my cheek as we stepped up into the station.
“Do I need to carry you?” Arttu joked.
“It will be you one of these days,” I told him.
Ka held me close acting as a crutch, matching her steps to mine. We made it up and then down the stairs without much effort. I’ve always known that without Ka I would be lost, since I had been hurt it was much more noticeable. Then all we had to do was walk across the parking lot to the Ballroom.
“End of Season party?” Ka asked Arttu.
“In a way I guess,” he told her, “You two are the guests of honor. You get to hold court at the bar,” Arttu gestured to the round bar close to the dance floor.
The main ballroom holds over one thousand people and it seemed to be filled to capacity. People were dancing and eating and talking. We were late. No one had told me exactly when to be there. Everyone turned and looked at the three of us as we walked in the door. I could feel myself blushing and it took a huge effort not to hide behind Ka. Arttu stepped away so we would be the focus. Ka tightened her arm around me; she rested her hip against mine. She was my biggest comfort when I had an attack of shyness.
They toasted us. They toasted our engagement. It was terribly embarrassing.
Arttu walked us up to the bar after all the attention died down. Bob and his wife were waiting at the bar for us, and they made sure that we were in the seats of honor. It wasn’t getting less embarrassing, but drinks were being served to us and that made things better. At least somewhat better.
“Murph picked the band,” Bob told me handing me a vodka tonic. He glanced down at the ring on my left hand, “what the fuck, did you go and get married without telling us?”
“No,” Arttu laughed, “bands for engagement. Diamonds for the wedding. You have it backwards here in the U.S.”
Then Arttu was gone into the swirling mass of dancers.
I turned to Ka, “After I’ve rested I would like to dance.”
“Of course, Vále,” Ka said putting a hand on my knee.
“Let us know first,” Bob’s wife Maggie said to us, “you are supposed to have a big dance. A waltz I think. It seems so old fashioned but Arttu said that he’s seen you two waltz.”
“Vále is a fine dancer,” Ka said to Maggie with a bit of a blush, “and I need practice before our wedding.”
Dance was something I did better than Ka. Dance and hockey. And both had been denied to me for the past few months. It had been difficult, but it would be over soon. I wish I didn’t need to rest before our dance but I needed the pain in my ankle to ease a bit before I could take Ka in my arms and spin her around the dance floor.
It was twenty minutes of drinking and talking before I felt up for a dance. Ka seemed to know that I was ready and she went to tell Maggie. They spoke for a few moments and then Ka came back to me and took my hands in hers. Maggie scooted off towards the stage.
“We’d like to introduce our guests of honor to you all,” Maggie said from the stage as Ka and I walked down from the bar area, “For those of you that don’t know them Kaija Nieminens and her husband to be Vále Ek. Who better have a better year next season, or my husband may just have a heart attack.”
There was laughter around us at that. I smiled and laughed as well. There was no way I wouldn’t be fine for the next season even if I had to push myself to the limit to be at my best.
“He will be,” Ka said stridently, through all the laughter.
“Hush now, Maggie,” Bob called out at the same time. Ka and Bob looked at each other and burst out laughing.
The music came up and I took Ka into my arms, “it has been too long since we’ve done this.”
“Yes it has,” Ka said smiling up at me.
“But please don’t step on my left foot if you can help it,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll try not to,” she said to me with a laugh.
I spun her around the dance floor, my eyes looking into her winter sea colored eyes. It felt like she and I were the only people on earth. I thought it might feel that way forever.
Challenge: #53: Romance - Apocalyptica
Media: Original Fiction
Rating: T
Notes/Warnings: I’ve had this in my head for a while now. Vále and Ka get to celebrate their engagement.
One of the reasons I had chosen our house because it was close to the Wonderland Ballroom. Once the largest Ballroom in New England, it was now a small concert venue. There was still dancing. Different things every night, and it was open for parties.
Bob let me know that the team had put together a party for Ka and I, for our engagement. They had scheduled it so that it could also double as an end of the season party. They said that it was so my cast would be off.
The cast was off, but I was a long way from perfect. I still needed to have the silver removed from my ankle. I still needed to rehab, but I was walking around fine. The party was supposed to be a surprise, but Bob was worried I would, in his words, ‘boot it back to Finland’ before the party and spoil it for everyone.
It was a pleasant night in early April, so we walked to the Ballroom. We had been walking a lot that spring as part of my rehabilitation. But we had always walked together and it was such a lovely spring how could we not walk places?
We walked down the beach until my ankle started to ache and then we walked up to the sidewalk. Ka ran her hand up and down my back, “do you want to go home?”
“No, we have plans tonight. And it doesn’t really hurt,” it wasn’t really a lie but from the look Ka shot me she could tell I wasn’t feeling as well as I said I was. We walked in silence to the blue line station where Arttu was standing waiting for us.
“Hurry up netminder!” he called out to us, “You are late and we still have to get you up all these stairs!”
I glanced at Ka. “You are limping,” she told me gently. I thought that I had managed to not limp even with the burning ache in my ankle.
“It hurts today,” I admitted.
“They will take the pin out soon,” she said and kissed my cheek as we stepped up into the station.
“Do I need to carry you?” Arttu joked.
“It will be you one of these days,” I told him.
Ka held me close acting as a crutch, matching her steps to mine. We made it up and then down the stairs without much effort. I’ve always known that without Ka I would be lost, since I had been hurt it was much more noticeable. Then all we had to do was walk across the parking lot to the Ballroom.
“End of Season party?” Ka asked Arttu.
“In a way I guess,” he told her, “You two are the guests of honor. You get to hold court at the bar,” Arttu gestured to the round bar close to the dance floor.
The main ballroom holds over one thousand people and it seemed to be filled to capacity. People were dancing and eating and talking. We were late. No one had told me exactly when to be there. Everyone turned and looked at the three of us as we walked in the door. I could feel myself blushing and it took a huge effort not to hide behind Ka. Arttu stepped away so we would be the focus. Ka tightened her arm around me; she rested her hip against mine. She was my biggest comfort when I had an attack of shyness.
They toasted us. They toasted our engagement. It was terribly embarrassing.
Arttu walked us up to the bar after all the attention died down. Bob and his wife were waiting at the bar for us, and they made sure that we were in the seats of honor. It wasn’t getting less embarrassing, but drinks were being served to us and that made things better. At least somewhat better.
“Murph picked the band,” Bob told me handing me a vodka tonic. He glanced down at the ring on my left hand, “what the fuck, did you go and get married without telling us?”
“No,” Arttu laughed, “bands for engagement. Diamonds for the wedding. You have it backwards here in the U.S.”
Then Arttu was gone into the swirling mass of dancers.
I turned to Ka, “After I’ve rested I would like to dance.”
“Of course, Vále,” Ka said putting a hand on my knee.
“Let us know first,” Bob’s wife Maggie said to us, “you are supposed to have a big dance. A waltz I think. It seems so old fashioned but Arttu said that he’s seen you two waltz.”
“Vále is a fine dancer,” Ka said to Maggie with a bit of a blush, “and I need practice before our wedding.”
Dance was something I did better than Ka. Dance and hockey. And both had been denied to me for the past few months. It had been difficult, but it would be over soon. I wish I didn’t need to rest before our dance but I needed the pain in my ankle to ease a bit before I could take Ka in my arms and spin her around the dance floor.
It was twenty minutes of drinking and talking before I felt up for a dance. Ka seemed to know that I was ready and she went to tell Maggie. They spoke for a few moments and then Ka came back to me and took my hands in hers. Maggie scooted off towards the stage.
“We’d like to introduce our guests of honor to you all,” Maggie said from the stage as Ka and I walked down from the bar area, “For those of you that don’t know them Kaija Nieminens and her husband to be Vále Ek. Who better have a better year next season, or my husband may just have a heart attack.”
There was laughter around us at that. I smiled and laughed as well. There was no way I wouldn’t be fine for the next season even if I had to push myself to the limit to be at my best.
“He will be,” Ka said stridently, through all the laughter.
“Hush now, Maggie,” Bob called out at the same time. Ka and Bob looked at each other and burst out laughing.
The music came up and I took Ka into my arms, “it has been too long since we’ve done this.”
“Yes it has,” Ka said smiling up at me.
“But please don’t step on my left foot if you can help it,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll try not to,” she said to me with a laugh.
I spun her around the dance floor, my eyes looking into her winter sea colored eyes. It felt like she and I were the only people on earth. I thought it might feel that way forever.