"Good evening, everyone. For those who are new, my name is Damien, and this is my teaching assistant, Estelle. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask her if I am occupied. As you know, this is an introduction to Tango, we will start basic and go up".

      Damien and Estelle took their starting positions, "Now, let us show you what you will be able to do by the end of these few weeks". The song began, and they struck their first pose. Yvette stared intensely as she tried to memorize the moves. 

      As they danced, she could see how well they complemented each other. Damien was a little taller than Cane, lean yet toned, with broad shoulders that emphasized his small waist. His expression was inviting, almost loving, when dancing with his partner. Estelle was tall and lean, yet a little curvy. Hair in a tight bun. Her expression was flirtatious as she looked away and back at her partner. 

     They spun, their feet moving quickly and interlocking. They held each other tightly as if they would lose each other completely at any movement. As her step required her to fall, she trusted him enough to catch her, and he did. Their hands interlocked and let go, their bodies closer than before, then far apart, they spun as they came together again. His strength complemented her speed and flexibility. Their roles changed; at one step, he was protecting her, at others, she was leading him and standing on top. 

     As the song ended, they seemed to interlock before doing a final pose. Yvette was mesmerized as she remembered her love for dancing. She couldn't remember why she stopped.

     "Okay, everyone, get into your first position as so". Damien and Estelle demonstrated, and all the couples followed. Each one danced at their own speed as Damien led them step by step. 

     Cane and Yvette were hand in hand. Yvette mostly led until Cane memorized the steps. However, within minutes, Cane was able to lead. Step by step, they supported each other. Cane held her firm each time she was going to fall, and Yvette guided his feet with hers to correct them. Each movement brought them closer, their bodies synching up more and more until they perfected the first set of movements.

      Cane saw Yvette's face shift with each step. Her face turned serious as she rectified his mistakes. The playfulness popping in her eyes as he swooped her, the shyness in her expression as he held her close. He could feel her heart beating fast against his. With each step she took, he could predict her expression. Yet her eyes remained distant, as if to keep herself hidden. However, she was having fun, and she let him know it.

     Yvette was getting nervous, even though they had discussed their boundaries, she felt she was too close for comfort and didn't want to invade his space. She couldn't control the expressions she so desperately wanted to hide, but this was fun. She only hoped he couldn't feel how fast her heart was beating.

     The lesson ended, and Damien clapped, "Excellent, you are all catching up so quickly. Well, I look forward to seeing you all in the next lesson if you enjoyed today. Have a good night, everyone".

      Everyone packed up, and one by one, the couples left until only Yvette and Cane were left with the instructors. Damien stretched and shook out his arms as Estelle fixed her hair in the mirrored wall.

     Damien made his way to Cane, and Estelle followed. "So, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be. Good job on not stepping on her feet more than 5 times", Damien joked as he playfully slapped Cane on the back. Cane was still panting but was grinning at his playful friend, "How do you do this all day? I feel like I'm out of shape. What about you, Yvette?". 

     Yvette was slightly panting as well, her grin matching Cane's, "I'm also out of breath, but that was so much fun. I don't know why I stopped dancing?". Estelle and Damien's eyes lit up at the remark, "You must be crazy to stop dancing, tell me, was it because of a guy?" Damien questioned.

      Yvette's grin turned into a somewhat somber expression, but she kept a smile so as not to ruin the mood. "A little bit, yeah. But that's all in the past now." There was silence after that. 

     Estelle was taken aback by this, but wanted to know more, "Hey, why don't I buy us all a drink at the little bar down the street? We can talk more". Yvette was on the fence, but Estelle was looking directly at her with her million-dollar smile. Yvette agreed.

    The bar was covered in festive lighting due to the winter season. Even if it was open to the elements, it managed to keep all of them warm. None ordered alcohol due to having a mixture of excuses. "So work tomorrow for both of you, huh? That sucks," Damien taunted as he downed his non-alcoholic drink. 

     Cane rolled his eyes as he sipped on his drink. He felt a bit awkward as he didn't know what to talk about. Cane was glad that Damien and Estelle were here, but it didn't help that they were also a bit quiet. His eyes then began to wander, yet fell on Yvette. He watched as she admired the bright lights adorning the walls while also sipping on her straw. He never knew why, but he was always drawn to her eyes. 

     They were not a special color, but they were always so soft and bright. Her long eyelashes reminded him of a brush he liked using while painting due to the soft bristles. Then, the light fizzled out, and her eyes became black as if she had left her body.

      A shiver went down his spine as his heart beat rapidly. He chuckled at the uneasiness he felt, but he couldn't help but be intrigued by what was happening in that distant smile.

     Since the first moment he saw her, she made him laugh. It was unintentional, of course, but it was all her. From the sad expression that she wore, the blood emphasizing her roughness, she was far from beautiful at that moment, fighting her boyfriend's crazy mistress. But he never saw a person let go of everything so quickly. She left that night with no help and created a new place for herself. Compared to him, he went searching for a guy whom he didn't want to find or had a plan for when he found him. But because of those actions, he found someone peculiar. He wondered what she was doing on that rainy day, her eyes soulless as they were now.

     Damien nudged Estelle to look at the man who seemed love-struck. He was worried for his friend. Betrayed by the person he was going to marry, and then she had the nerve to crawl back, and then find her in that state. He felt bad for the girl, of course, but he felt worse for his friend. 

     Cane was cooped up in his apartment for what felt like months, only leaving for work. Then out of the blue, he said he wanted to dance, and that he found a girl in the rain, and he saw a new sparkle in his eye. Compared to the look he gave his fiancée, Cane looked at Yvette with a more curious expression. He couldn't remember the last time he was interested in a person like this. But it felt a bit too soon to get them closer. 

     Damien wanted Cane to ask him for help, but before that, he needed to know more about Yvette. However, it looked like Cane had a staring problem when it came to Yvette.

     Cane snapped out of his staring when Yvette looked at him and gave a smile with the straw still in her mouth. He looked away to find Damien giving him a cheeky grin, which embarrassed him. "I'll be right back, I have to make a call", Cane stepped away as Damien laughed.

      Damien felt like he had to pay Yvette for the laughter she had gifted him. What a priceless expression.

     Estelle also excused herself as she left for the restroom, laughing. Damien scooched closer to Yvette as they were now alone. He smiled with anticipation, bombarding her with questions about how they met, "So tell me, did you bump into him in the rain?". 

     Yvette was taken aback. How could she word this interaction without sounding like a lunatic? Yvette gathered her thoughts and tried to start from the beginning without coming on too strong or depressing. She had to leave out the parts of murder and mutilation, but felt like those were crucial moments in her life. Thus, as she began, it all fell into place. Damien listened attentively as Cane looked on from a distance, almost glaring at Damien.