Getting Hitched Fiction - A Valentine Dance

By Sue Radke

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Well, maybe not good, interesting might be a better word, or even crazy.

"St Mac's Hospital – Valentine's Day Charity Dance" the sign had read. "Singles, be matched up with your perfect partner. Register now! Everyone welcome. All proceeds to the Children's Ward."  

Abbey and Tess, friends and fellow nurses, had encouraged Liz to sign up - owing mainly to the fact that they were happily matched already.

"Come on, Liz, this might be your big chance to meet Mr Right!"

"Sure, if he worked here I'd have met him already."

"Maybe not, it's a big hospital."

"It's a masked dance," she had protested.

"Yes, one dance. Then you can spend the rest of the evening hanging around with us," Abbey countered.

"Unless he is Mr Right!" Ever optimistic Tess. "Who knows, maybe you’ll have some fun. Besides, it's for the kids' ward, what better reason to join in?"

So here she was, dancing with her masked partner, who remained strangely silent throughout their dance.

Sure he was tall and muscular and his aftershave was addictive, but that was all she knew about him. Oh, and he was a good dancer too. There was something comfortable about the way he held her. Not intimidating and definitely not aiming to be the center of attention.

Not like that Dr Patrick West who would bounce onto the ward, grab her from behind and twirl her around. He was so ... infuriating.

What was it about him that annoyed her so much? His extroverted personality? How about his weird sense of humour, or his flirtatious behaviour? Who knew, it was probably the package deal, and why waste time thinking about him anyway?

'This must be the longest slow dance they could find', she thought.

The song finally ended and it was time to get on with the rest of the evening, but not before the dancers removed their masks.

Liz took hers off. There was laughter and conversation as other partners introduced themselves. Why was her partner taking so long?

She reached for his mask herself and started to unveil her mystery partner, but he grabbed her hand and stopped her. She could see his eyes studying her carefully as he removed his mask.

One look at Patrick's face and she was striding quickly for the door and down the corridor, leaving the celebrations far behind. She had almost reached the lift when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Come out here," he said, pushing open the door to a nearby balcony. "Now tell me why you were running away."

"You," she searched for appropriate words to express her anger, "you were on the organizing committee for this dance, weren't you?"

"Yes, but I don't see …"

"Let me guess, you 'assisted' in the matching, and that's the reason for this appalling match."

"Well I did …"

“Were you trying to be a pain in the butt or just having a laugh at my expense?”

"No I …"

"Then what on earth possessed you to match yourself up with me?" She came to an abrupt halt.

"Have you quite finished?" Liz folded her arms and regarded him distastefully as she nodded. "Yes I did have a hand in the matching. Maybe I did – uh – arrange things so that we were matched up."

"Why?"

His clear, blue eyes studied her face as he replied, "Maybe I wanted to spend some time with you. Lately you seem to be rushing off somewhere important every time I see you. We barely have time to exchange two words."

"You weren't exactly the best conversationalist on the dance floor," she pointed out sharply.

"Perhaps I was enjoying our dance."

Damn it if he wasn't smiling at her now. He had no right to look this handsome when he was teasing her this way. She wanted to remain mad at him.

"Really? Why would you enjoy something like that?" He usually got more fun out of embarrassing her. She wasn't used to this Patrick and it threw her completely off guard.

"Well," he moved towards her and she fidgeted nervously, unfolding, refolding, and unfolding her arms again. He stopped her when his hands found hers.

His voice was huskier as his actions mimicked his words. "Maybe I wanted the chance to take you in my arms."

Her mind was racing, busy trying to make sense of the scene she found herself in. Maybe that's why she wasn't controlling her arms and pushing him away. And that intoxicating aftershave must be the reason she remained glued to the spot, unable to resist him. She knew she should be telling him to leave, she had to say something.

"Why?" Was that really all she could say?

"Do I have to spell it out for you?"

He drew her closer so her head rested comfortably on his shoulder. Gosh he smelt good and somehow it just felt right to be held by him. Her arms wanted to wrap themselves around his waist …

Tess would have a field day with this. She was always pointing out how handsome Patrick was and couldn’t understand Liz's dislike for him. Come to think of it, neither could Abbey. At the present moment Liz was having a little trouble remembering why herself.

Somehow she regained control of her own arms and tried to switch her brain back into gear. She pushed him away, well to half an arm’s length.

Still a little confused, she said, "But we get on each other's nerves, we really don't get along at all."

That drew a reaction. Now he was the one looking puzzled "When did I say … never mind, I'm more interested in why I get on your nerves." As an afterthought he whispered, "And if that's true, why you've been responding the way you have for the last five minutes?"

She ignored that last remark since she couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation, even to herself.

She chose the old defensive mechanism – attack. "Because you, you're, well, you're so … extraverted. You're always teasing me about something, having a laugh at my expense, and you, you, you're a terrible flirt!"

Her explanation didn't sound reasonable, even to her. She wasn't particularly good at expressing the discomfort she felt at his jokes or flirting drawing attention to her. She preferred to stay comfortably in the background.

"Hmm," he considered her lame words. "Well, I'm not particularly shy, I give you that. Teasing? I like to have a bit of fun sometimes, but that's why you like me, isn't it? I notice that Abbey is just as big a stirrer …"

"Well, that’s just Abbey." True, and Abbey had teased her about Patrick's attentions too, but she took it from her friend.

"And as for being a terrible flirt," his words interrupted her thoughts. "Maybe I just need more practice." There was that to-die-for grin again. "And I can see why flirting would cause you to think I dislike you." He mimicked nurse Sarah’s gossipy voice well, "Just look at that pair flirting, they obviously hate each other."

She had trouble suppressing the grin that threatened to spread across her face, so she gave him a playful punch on the arm to cover it up. "You fool, it's not just me you flirt with."

"Ah yes, Tess. She’s quite definitely taken, and about thirty years older than me. She knows it’s just in fun." His manner changed and he spoke sincerely. "I never flirt with anyone who would take it seriously … unless I want them to."

Their gazes locked and Liz wondered just how long she'd been suppressing the emotions that were now overwhelming her.

Patrick's arm crept around her waist and with the other hand he gently tilted her face towards him. "And for the record, you don’t get on my nerves. If you did would I be doing this?"

The fleeting brush of his lips against her own was over too soon. She opened her eyes to see him watching for her reaction. When she could do nothing more than gaze back into his, he took her silence for consent. Their next kiss was tender, and full of promise, their third full of meaning.

He held her close while they caught their breath and whispered softly in her ear "Happy Valentine's Day."
 

© Sue Radke 2008

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