Old dance hall on the outskirts of town

[a_time_slip]

The old wooden building was built from graying planks, and the windows were covered by shutters that looked like they'd fly away at the gentlest of breezes. Inside was another story, as the walls were a cream color, the tables and bar were nearly black, but so old that no one could be certain if they were wood, or had been spat out of a factory somewhere. The smells of alcohol and cigarette smoke mingled with solemn old jazz music, all making the place feel old and comfortable.

Janie wore a red dress and heels, with her hair pinned back at the ear, and cascading in soft curls over her shoulders and down her back. She grinned up at her partner, a tall man wearing a black trench coat and wide brimmed black hat.

She walked towards the bar and ordered a scotch, and the man silently hurried out the door.

Comments

[lostinthefog]

The dance hall was one of the few places Julian hadn't explored yet, as it hadn't seemed very inviting. But as he approached the building now, he noticed the music coming from inside which instantly changed the whole atmosphere of the place.

Curious what he'd find, he decided to have a closer look, just as the door swung open to let someone hurry out. He stood aside to let the man pass and then entered the building.

It felt much more inviting in here, and he soon liked the feel of the place. But what made him instantly feel at ease was the sight of his friend at the bar. Smiling, he walked up to Janie, quietly admiring her outfit and nicely styled hair.

[a_time_slip]

"Julian! Hello!" she said, smiling and glad to see her friend "I'm glad you're here. Do you want a drink?"

[lostinthefog]

"Hey, Janie!" He greeted her with a smile which turned into a grin. "You know me, I always want a drink. What are you having?"

[a_time_slip]

"Scotch." She said "I didn't think I would see you here. This is wonderful. There's so many things in this town to see."

[lostinthefog]

"Good choice. I think I'll have one, too." He leaned against the counter next to Janie. "I didn't plan to come here, but then I heard the music and thought I'd have a look. Seems that it was worth it. Have you been here before?"

[a_time_slip]

"I came here because of the music too." Janie said, right before ordering the scotch for Julian "I'm here almost every night, unless I have plans with you."

[lostinthefog]

"Oh." He felt foolish for a moment for not knowing. "It's a nice place. But I, uh ... don't want to invade. If you'd rather be here alone."

[a_time_slip]

"No, no, you're not invading. It's nice to have you here. I like you. I- it's nice, because I know you, and... I don't want to be alone."

[lostinthefog]

"Alright." He grabbed his glass, relieved that she seemed to want him to stay. "I just thought you were waiting for someone ... " Glancing at Janie's dress, he added. "You look gorgeous."

[a_time_slip]

"No, I'm not waiting for anyone." Janie smiled at the compliment "Thank you. I danced tonight, with... a friend, I suppose. A former friend. And I was going to spend the rest of the night drinking."

[lostinthefog]

"Oh ... such a lucky man. I hope you had a fun time. Is he good at dancing?"

[a_time_slip]

"I always have fun dancing, but he wasn't that great at it, and I don't think he had a good time.'

[lostinthefog]

"That's a shame. Well, if you'd like to give it another try, let me know."

[a_time_slip]

"I'd love to, but I need a couple of drinks first. He left just as you were walking in."

[lostinthefog]

"Sure thing." He raised his glass in confirmation, then glanced towards the door. "Oh, the tall dude in black? I saw him, seemed to be in quite a hurry."

[a_time_slip]

"yes, him." Janie said, "I'm lucky that he's nice, like everyone else here... "

[lostinthefog]

"Yeah, the people are really nice here ... why, didn't you expect him to be?"

[a_time_slip]

"We broke up" Janie said, quietly "Usually, that ends in tears and shouting, but instead we had a last dance and promised to meet up again."

[lostinthefog]

"Oh, I didn't know ..." He took a sip from his scotch. "Well, that's a comparably good ending then, I suppose?"

[a_time_slip]

Janie took a long sip from her drink. "It is. And now, you're here."

[lostinthefog]

"... is there anything I can do for you? If you want to talk or something?"

[a_time_slip]

"I made a choice, and I'm happy with it." Janie said, after finishing her drink "I didn't want it to come to that, not now anyway... but it did."

[lostinthefog]

"Well, if things just took such a turn, I'm glad that you're at least happy with the outcome." Julian eyed her anyway, to see if she indeed seemed like it.

[a_time_slip]

Janie smiled as she spoke, and seemed happy. "I am. It's all for the best, isn't it?"

[lostinthefog]

"It sounds like it, but that's for you to decide." He smiled, though. "It's great to see you happy."

[a_time_slip]

"Thank you." she smiled "I hope you're happy here... and that you're okay with staying for so long. I don't really want to leave."

[lostinthefog]

"I am. I like it here. Although I'm still not quite sure what we're doing here ..." He looked at his whiskey with a little frown, but shrugged off the thought as soon as it had come.

"As long as you're here, I'm fine with spending a lot of time here."

[a_time_slip]

"We're doing... there's a project, I thought." Her drink was refilled, and Janie focused on that instead of thinking about why she was there. "I think, as long as we stick together, I'll be happy."

[lostinthefog]

"So there's no such project anymore?"

He was a little confused by the sudden thought that it in fact didn't matter that much to him why they were here, or for how long.

"I intend to stick with you in any case", he added with a smile.

[a_time_slip]

"I'll check on it in the morning, if I have time." Janie said

"Do you want me to buy you dinner? More drinks? We're still going dancing, aren't we?" she seemed eager to change the subject

[lostinthefog]

"Sure, there's no hurry, right?" He made a mental note to ask her again tomorrow, just out of curiosity. After all, the longer it took, the longer he had time to enjoy this place.

"Uhm. I'd never say no to another dance. There's still a lot to learn ... and the rest sounds good, too."

[a_time_slip]

"None at all." Janie grinned. She knew there would be plenty to keep them busy for as long as the wanted to stay.

"I have a lot more free time opening up. Do you want to do more things together? Order whatever you want to eat, they have everything here. And as many drinks as you can. It's on me"

[lostinthefog]

"Thank you ... but I have to warn you, I can do a lot of drinks." He just ordered another scotch though, and, after some thought, a bowl of chili.

At the prospect of having more time with Janie, his face lit up. "Sure, I'd love to do more things together with you. Let's enjoy your free time. Did you have anything specific in mind?"

[a_time_slip]

"I think that I can out drink you." Janie said, as she ordered another drink for herself as well as a sandwich.

"I don't really have anything in mind, but I... You make me really happy, and we could do anything together, and I'd like it."

[lostinthefog]

"Ah, is that a challenge? I'm in." He smiled, raising his glass.

"Well, that leaves us with a lot of possibilities. I was thinking about going for a swim at the beach ... but I suppose you're not too keen on that?"

[a_time_slip]

"A swim would be alright." Janie said, after thinking for a long moment "If you see anything in the water will you protect me? And, if a jellyfish bites, just get me to my boat. If you get attacked I'll save you."

[lostinthefog]

Julian grinned, delighted, as he hadn't thought Janie would agree.

"I swear I'll protect you from anything in the water, and we'll stay close to the coast. We'll look out for each other, this way nothing can go wrong."

[a_time_slip]

"I trust you." she said, before ordering another drink and drinking it quickly.

"I don't think anything will go wrong here. We'll dance before we go, won't we? I feel safe when we dance."

[lostinthefog]

"Of course, we're here for dancing, aren't we? But we don't have to go if you'd rather not. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

[a_time_slip]

Janie looked at Julian for a long moment, then smiled.

"I'm comfortable with you. I think we'll have a great night."

[lostinthefog]

Julian returned a wide smile and seemed clearly happy.

"We will. I'm really looking forward to this, it's been a while ... Here's to a great night." He grinned and raised his glass.

[a_time_slip]

"To a great night." Janie said, touching her glass to Julian's.

After finishing her drink, Janie set some money on the counter and stood, waiting to go to the dance floor once more before going swimming.

[lostinthefog]

Julian emptied his glass as well and stood up, offering his hand to Janie. Mentally, he went through all the dance steps Janie had thought him, as he wanted to make it better than the guy she had danced with before.