Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in The Art of a Great Date

(snip)

“Hmm?” She looked up. “Oh, not really, just…” Eela sighed and lowered her menu, leaning in towards him. “I’ve been glancing at the plates others have and the portions are quite large, but I haven’t had much of an appetite since Sunday.” “Stress?” he asked?” Eela nodded. “I don’t want it to seem like I don’t enjoy my dinner, when I actually might really love it, you know?”

Dash smiled at her and nodded. Perception was a huge part of the role some days and he knew Eela treaded a fine line at times. “Tell you what, they have a decent small plates section. Why don’t we order a few and share? Then you can eat as much or little as you want and no one will be the wiser?”

It was such a simple solution and yet there was an intimacy insinuated about sharing food with someone else that caused her to beam, not just for his being sensitive to her situation but also because it was yet another thread of connection. “I think that’s a great idea.”

They ordered several dishes and a bottle of wine, and fell into a flow of conversation that always seemed so effortless between them.

Halfway through dinner, Dash had noticed that Eela had had moments where her attention was pulled elsewhere. At first it wasn’t obvious, but he eventually found where her gaze landed and smiled to himself: the couples on the dance floor. The band was amazing and people had been flowing to and from the dance floor since they arrived. But there was something about the way she watched them and said nothing that made Dash hesitate. It was like at the showcase where he could pick up her longing and he suspected he knew what was holding her back even as he didn’t want to make assumptions.

Pulling his napkin from his lap and setting it on the table, he laid his hand on the table before her, his vivid blue eyes lit up. “If I ask you to dance with me, will you?”

Her eyes widened. “I… I mean, yes…”
“But?” he asked.
Eela drew in a steadying breath. “I love to dance, but it’s a bit different now and I have to be really careful what I do.”
“What do I need to avoid so we don’t aggravate your back?”
“I have to keep my steps soft and no dips or bending backwards. I also can’t spin fast, or spin much at all actually. My brain has a hard time tracking my position and I get easily dizzy.”
Dash grinned at her. “I can work with that.” He wiggled his fingers. “Come on. I want to dance with you and I know you want to be on the dance floor.”
She let out a breath and placed her hand in his.

Dash rose from his seat, helping her up, and hand in hand they made their way through the tables to the polished white and black tiles. The guitarist has switched over to an alto saxophone and the smooth tones of In a Sentimental Mood sounded through the lounge. It was a slower song and Dash held Eela close but there was a little space between them as he led her gently around the dance floor. “See? Not so bad, now is it?”

She let out a throaty chuckle. “This is easy.”
“I’m okay with that, aren’t you?”
“Mmmhmmm.” Her hazel eyes were bright. “Honestly, I could use a few more things in my life that are simple and easy.”
It was his turn to chuckle. “We do lead rather complicated lives, though in all honesty, while the work is complicated at times, I like to think that the rest of my life is a lot simpler these days, even now.”
“Good. At least one of us knows what that’s like,” Eela said.
Dash’s eyes crinkled. “You just like living adventurously.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?”
He winked at her as the short song came to an end.

The band went into a faster paced song and he saw her expression shift to worry. Dash just squeezed her hand. “I’ve got this. Just follow my lead, okay? I promise you’ll be alright.”

And thus Dash swept her about the dance floor as the band leader sang Zing! Went the String of My Heart. But though they were moving fairly quickly, Dash and Eela promenaded about in a large circle so that Eela’s vertigo wasn’t triggered. She beamed at him and he couldn’t help but return the grin.

When the song was over, they returned to their table, slightly breathless and laughing. Eela was all too aware that people were watching them and she decided she didn’t care. She was having the best time! Let them see that.

“Well?” Jones asked as they sat.
She sighed with a wide smile. “That was great. I know I have limitations that dictate the kind of dancing I can do, but honestly I haven’t had the opportunity to be on a dance floor like that in a very long time.”
“Well, I’m glad I could do something to fix that,” he said as they both delved back into their shared meal.

Eela gazed at him for a moment, that little flip flop in her stomach returning as she realized she didn’t want this night to end. She wanted to hold onto that feeling as the precious thing it was.

OOC: The Songs they danced to. A little meta there with Spiner, but I couldn’t resist! lol
In a Sentimental Mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqLn8APW4Ts
Zing! Went the String of My Heart- Brent Spiner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zek40L5I8ew

[To be Continued…]

~Eela & Dash