“And a girl I work with at the school paper. “I’m just here for the great Cuban food,” he whispers conspiratorially as he nods his head at the long table filled with various dishes and small bottles of water. With his brown hair and soft eyes, he has an infectious personality that puts me at ease. “What! Are you kidding me? Delaney Shaw comes to salsa lessons?” He grins broadly and I automatically give him a hug. I’m here and I’m ready to rumble.īobby Gene appears in front of me. “I like your spirit,” he says as I scrawl my name on it with a pen and slap it on my Game of Thrones shirt. Ricardo’s face breaks into a smile as he swishes around the table to hand me a nametag to put on my shirt. You never know, it could be the next big thing in ballroom dancing.” “I’m here to have fun with or without a partner, and who’s to say I might not start a new trend: salsa sans partner. I slap my money down on the table and Ricardo turns back toward me, a surprised expression on his face as he takes in my crossed arms. Where are your balls, Delaney? WHERE ARE THEY? Why do I care so much? So what if I’m alone? The instructor gets distracted as another couple comes in the door, and I ease off to the side, looking for the nearest exit. I push my glasses up on my nose and shuffle my feet, thinking I should have just stayed at home and watched a movie. “Ideally you learn how the rhythm of the body works when you have someone to mirror the moves with you.” I mean, who doesn’t want to learn to salsa…” My voice peters out and I sigh as I realize I’m rambling. Normally my roommate would jump at the chance to do this, but well, she’s got this new boyfriend. Even the teacher doesn’t want to dance with me.Ī group of people standing next to a refreshment table a few feet over swivel their heads as his voice carries over to them. I might be able to jump in and dance with you, but I’m usually too busy.”

“Typically, it works best if you have a partner. “Is that okay?”Ī doubtful look crosses his face. “Um, yes,” I say, forcing conviction and confidence into my voice. “Alone?” I can hear the surprise in his tone.

He looks up from his clipboard and brushes his gaze over me. I catch a small white nametag pinned to his shirt that reads Ricardo, Dance Instructor. Dark gelled hair is brushed straight up from his forehead, and there might be the sparkle of shimmery eye shadow on his lids. He’s sitting at a small table in the corner, next to the sound system. My eyes scan the space and land on a tall, thin male wearing super tight black pants and a red sequined shirt. It’s a large square-shaped room with a sound system in the corner and an entire wall covered in mirrors.

I make a mental note to take a selfie and send it to him later. I’m tempted to text He-Man and tell him what I’m doing, to see if he’d be proud of me for coming alone.

Tempted By My Roommate by Shaw Hart