friday night 🎆 [3 online]
[Rakan 20:22]
What time does rehearsal end?
[Sett 20:32]
We just called it a day
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Sett's phone rang almost immediately. Rakan's name flashed on the screen and Sett smiled. He couldn't keep it out of his face as he said, softly, "hi."
"Hey, Sett. How was your day?"
"Great and getting better," he teased. His band mates threw suspicious looks at him.
"I was wondering, we were wondering actually, if you'd like to go dancing with us again."
Sett's stomach tightened in anticipation. He had been texting them nonstop the whole week and accepting their invitation felt as natural as breathing. "Sure, I'd love to."
"Thank fuck, 'cause we're turning round the corner and we'll be outside of your building in like 30 seconds."
"What?" Sett turned around and went to the window, spotting Rakan's dark red car outside.
"Oh my God, is that the couple?" asked Ezreal, rushing to take a peek outside.
"What couple?" asked Kayn, their newest band member. This was only their third rehearsal together and he wasn't there on Sunday morning when he arrived home after leaving K'sante alone on Friday night.
His best friend had teased him endlessly about his delusion, becoming more and more incredulous as the day passed and he had to deal with Sett glued to his phone speaking to them.
"There is no couple," K'sante insisted, getting a hoodie from his bag. "There's no way Sett pulled a couple of dancers. That's ridiculous."
The car honked twice and Sett heard it from the window and in his ear. Through the phone, he heard hurry up! in Xayah's sultry voice. Then the call disconnected.
Sett watched the car for a moment, then turned around and picked his bag up, shoving his things into the bag without bothering to check if everything was there.
"Sorry, guys. I gotta go." His heart beat faster at the prospect of spending another night with Xayah and Rakan. It was a high he wouldn't stop feeling any time soon. "I probably won't be available tomorrow. Sorry. Feel free to rehearse without me for the day. It'll be fine."
He looked up and saw his band mates with similar stunned expressions. With a final apology, he left the studio, ran down the hallway and went down the stairs two at a time.
Outside, they waited for him with the engine on. Rakan drove away the second Sett had his seat belt on, while Xayah turned the volume down to greet him through the rearview mirror. "Hey, Sett."
"Hey, gorgeous," he said, giving her his best smile.
She bit her lip and looked away, and Sett knew he'd won something with that look.
"What about you, Rakan?"
"No 'hey, gorgeous' for me?" he raised his eyebrow at him, glancing at him in the mirror. "I'm wounded."
"Hey, gorgeous," he repeated, trying his best to sound apologetic.
"Hey, yourself."
"Where are we going?" Sett asked, curious.
"Dancing," Xayah replied.
"Are we going to the same club or—?"
"We are going to a tango lesson," Rakan said.
Sett felt his hands sweat. He wasn't a good dancer, he'd just embarrass himself. "Tango?"
"Yeah, we've always wanted to try it and I figured it's not something you do every day," Xayah said.
"Xayah, I can barely dance at the club. I'm pretty sure there's acrobatics in tango."
"There's no acrobatics in tango, Sett. And we're going to learn the social dance, not exhibition."
"There's different types?"
Xayah nodded. "It's a whole different world."
At the next red light, Rakan glanced at Sett in the rearview mirror. "We can go to the club if you want."
Xayah looked between both of them and said "of course. Your pick."
"I feel like I should know what you want me to dance." At Xayah's smile, he continued, "show me. I want to make an informed decision."
Xayah got her phone out and started typing, then opened a video. Sett watched enthralled, enchanted by the intimacy of the dance. Heat pooled at his stomach as he realized how close they'd need to be the whole time.
"One of us will be left alone," he stated.
"We'll take turns," Xayah replied swiftly.
"You mean we could dance this?"
Xayah pointed to her screen, where three men danced together in what looked like a warm embrace. "We can do whatever we want, Sett," she said, delighted.
He looked up just in time to see Xayah's smile bloom. She looked so beautiful that Sett felt something stir in his stomach. He finally understood why they call it butterflies.
"Let's tango then," he said in the end, and both Xayah and Rakan celebrated loudly.
It turned out that tango was easier than he expected. Or at least, the instructors made it easy for him. He got paired up with Xayah and she let him set the pace. Every once in a while, an instructor would come correct their steps and Xayah would become serious and focused, asking useful questions about their tempo and paraphrasing the instructions to make sure she got it. Sett liked seeing her in her element, humming focused and happy.
Once he picked up a set of steps, it felt natural to guide Xayah through the dance floor and the smile she gave him once they completed a whole set with minimal stumbling was bright and satisfied.
They danced so close together that he felt Xayah's breath on his cheek, the heat of her body as he guided her into a spin. Xayah's breath hitched when she spun around, a surprised gasp that turned into a laugh when Sett managed to catch her exactly how the instructor showed them. He felt a thrumming in his veins, a pleasant feeling of accomplishment mixed with those butterflies he felt in the car.
"That was really good!" said Rakan from behind them. Sett's face warmed up, a little embarrassed, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. "No, really, you guys are good at this."
Sett lowered his face, flushing from the praise. "I was alright. Xayah is the real star here."
"That she is," Rakan agreed. "I was wondering if I could have the last dance tonight? The class is about to wrap up."
She looked between the two of them and bit her lip. "I'm sorry—"
"Xayah, babe, you were having fun," Rakan reassured her. "And maybe I waited for the last dance strategically, so I could surprise you with my new tango skills."
She laughed when Rakan did a little dance in the spot, then shook her head at his antics. Xayah turned to Sett and said, "I owe you a last dance."
"Next time," Sett replied immediately, leaning to kiss her cheek. It was barely a brush of his lips, but Xayah smiled at him sweetly before taking Rakan's hand and letting him lead her into the dance floor.
"Rakan!" he called. The man turned to look at him with a curious tilt of his head. "You too."
The smile that broke in his face was so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at him. The butterflies were back, fluttering their way up to Sett's throat, threatening to bubble out with impulsive words. Sett vowed to find a way to woo Rakan properly, to show him he wants him just as much as he wants Xayah.
Sett stayed on the sidelines and watched with a bunch of the students. There were only three couples on the dance floor and the instructors were directing them on where to stand for the cameras. Xayah and Rakan were quickly mumbling at each other in technical terms that Sett only caught in passing.
"Are they going to film everyone?" he asked, turning to a woman next to them.
"No, they asked a couple of people," the woman said. "The girl you were dancing with, she's a dancer, right?"
A fast song started playing very low in the background, very different from the slower tangos they danced during the lesson. Sett nodded, expecting the woman to understand, his eyes couldn't leave Xayah and Rakan, who were practicing a double step to the music. They stopped after three tries, when they managed to get it right.
The instructor signaled the cameras to start rolling, then turned to the DJ and gave him a thumbs up. A new song came through the speakers. Xayah and Rakan looked at each other for a couple of seconds while they figured out the tempo, then Rakan extended his arms and Xayah stepped into his space, embracing him very close, Rakan guided her in a slow walk that Xayah followed gliding elegantly, her cheek next to Rakan's, stopping when they reached the middle of the sequence to do the double step that they practiced a minute before, but finishing with a flourish where Xayah stepped out of Rakan's space with a long spin.
They looked at each other and a whole conversation seemed to pass between them. Xayah let go of his hand, and made a turn that could have ended with her on the floor, but Rakan was next to her in two strides, holding her by her waist in a motion so delicate that it would be more at home in ballet. The studio burst into clapping when Rakan gently took her from the spin into a lift, then smoothly into another walk like the one they began the sequence with. He led Xayah into a smooth stop as the music came to crescendo, then gave her space to showcase some of her footwork. He was smiling widely, clearly having fun with the show they were putting on.
Xayah did another spin and the music came to an end just as Rakan lowered her into a dip. It was perfect, as if they had spent the whole evening practicing together. Xayah straightened up and happily gave Rakan a hug. They didn't kiss, but they didn't need to: they were looking at each other with wonder, as if they couldn't believe their luck. They looked so happy it warmed Sett from the inside. With a pang, he remembered they were a couple and he was the outsider, but he was content knowing that they had each other. He wouldn't do something stupid like fall for someone who was already in a relationship, right?
Everyone at the studio burst into an excited ovation after the couples danced. Some people asked for an encore, but Rakan and Xayah were already making they way back to Sett.
"That was amazing!" Sett exclaimed, and he meant it. It was one of the best dances he'd seen —not that he had seen that many tangos, but they could have convinced Sett that they were professionals. He said as much to them.
"We are professionals," said Xayah.
"Professional tango dancers?" Sett asked, somehow, it never occurred to him that that could be true.
Rakan laughed, but answered Sett's question gently "I'm not saying dancing tango is like dancing k-pop, but they're all a set of instructions. You learn to read it you can cook a decent meal. Wait, I'm mixing my metaphors—"
"And —full disclosure, I guess—, sometimes we go swing dancing," Xayah added.
Sett's brain short circuited at the idea of watching Xayah and Rakan swing dancing in period appropriate clothes. He wanted to see them like that, free, in their element, enjoying themselves.
"You guys are full of surprises," Sett said.
"Is that a bad thing?" Xayah asked.
Sett smiled. "No, not at all."
They walked out of the studio and to the car in silence, full of anticipation and want.
Rakan was playing with the car keys, tossing them and catching them, until Xayah grabbed it from him and clicked the fob to turn off the alarm. Sett followed them closely, on edge. He didn't want to go home yet.
"We can drop you back at your place if you want," Rakan offered, a little hesitant. He looked nervous for the first time since Sett met him. "Or…"
"Or what?" he asked, a little too eager for his own liking.
"Or you could come over to our place, we could order something to eat and watch a movie?" Rakan continued, trying to gain some of his confidence back, yet he stumbled over his next words. "Or if that sounds too romantic, we could just get drunk and have mind blowing sex, no strings attached. Your call, really."
Sett looked from Xayah to Rakan and saw similar cautiously hopeful looks. He wanted to believe it was because they wanted him —all of him— but would take whatever Sett was ready to give.
He didn't have to think it twice.
"Let's watch a movie, then."
Their smiles warmed Sett's insides in a way that felt charged and dangerous. Sett had half a mind to wonder if watching a movie meant no mind blowing sex.
He quickly realized that as long as they were together, he didn't care.
This time, Sett woke up when Rakan got up. Sett watched the man look for his clothes on the floor, before giving up and grabbing a new pair of sweats from the wardrobe.
"Don't bother on my account," Sett joked.
Rakan stumbled but recovered quickly with those great reflexes of his, leaning on the wall behind him with his left hand while he finished putting on the pants. He straightened up and tilted his head in direction to the door, then put his finger on his lips in a universal keep quiet gesture, nodding towards Xayah.
Sett slowly moved his arm from around the woman's shoulders and rolled to the other side to get out of bed. He picked up his jeans —with his underwear still inside— and put them on as quietly as he could. He grabbed his t-shirt and followed Rakan out of the room all the way to the kitchen.
"Are you hungry? I could make you breakfast," Rakan offered.
He hoped he wasn't blushing when he said "sure, I'd love to."
Rakan started the coffee maker and turned his attention back on Sett. "So, sweet or savory?"
"Shouldn't we wait for Xayah?" he asked, hesitant.
"She's probably exhausted and will sleep at least another hour. We don't want you to waste away without any food," Rakan said. When Sett didn't answer immediately, Rakan reassured him, "Sett, it's fine. She won't be mad we ate without her. We do things separately sometimes. Besides, it's not like I'm making her favorite soup."
"What is her favorite soup?" Sett asked curiously.
"Miso. She likes simple stuff."
"What's yours?" Sett asked next.
"Not really a soup person, but I love kimchi stew."
"Hearty," Sett remarked.
"Reminds me of my grandma. Xayah keeps trying to replicate her recipe but it's not the same."
"She passed?" He wasn't sure if he was stepping on dangerous territory, but listening to Rakan share more about him was something he couldn't pass up on. Rakan gave a curt nod. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it was a couple of years ago." Rakan's sad smile broke Sett's heart. "I think she would've liked you."
Sett's heart threatened to burst as he ached to kiss Rakan's sadness goodbye. Instead, he broke the tension with a joke. "All grandmas love me."
Rakan laughed, covering his mouth to not wake Xayah up. Then he turned his gaze on Sett as he asked again "sweet or savory?"
"Sweet. But only if you're on the menu." Sett almost visibly flinched. That was a terrible line.
Rakan smiled at him, coming closer. "That was so cheesy. I'm telling Xayah you're the cheesiest person here."
Sett shrugged. "It would've come out eventually."
They kissed softly, Sett's hands on Rakan's waist pulling him close. It was a drawn out thing that had his blood rushing south in a minute as he was reminded of the previous night. His heart beat faster, trying to keep up with the damn butterflies.
He wouldn't do something stupid like fall for someone who was already in a relationship, right?
But what about two someones?