“Marie. Pretty name.” He said, smiling her way once more even though she was looking at the ground. “I always liked the name Marie. It sounds really nice. Nicer than ‘Rick’, you know?” He wanted to try and get her to talk a little more, but she seemed so shy. Maybe she was just a shy person, though he’d never felt that way himself.
She shook her head. “Rick’s perfect.” The words were there before she could stop them and instantly she wanted to take them back. It was perfect. It reminded her of ‘rock’ which was kind of how she thought of him, but he didn’t need to know that. She looked away, hoping the mask hid more of her blush, but knowing at this point it couldn’t.
That had him grinning. “Well, thank you. Then we have both have perfect names.” He glanced back her way and then looked out over the dancefloor. “Wanna...get a drink or dance or something?” That was what people did at a party like this, right, they danced? “I promise to only step on your toes a couple times.”
Marie panicked. Dancing? He wanted to dance with her? Her eyes went wide behind the mask, and she glanced up at him, tense. “I…” She didn’t have an answer.
“We don’t have to, but I figured it might be nice. You have a pretty dress on, I’m wearing something decent. And maybe we could go out there and make fools of ourselves and embarrass the hosts for inviting us. Could be fun.”
“I’ve...never…” She hadn’t danced with someone else before. Not that she could remember. “I don’t want to embarrass you.” And not with him. This wasn’t really happening. She had to be dreaming.
Rick laughed, something throaty and loud, and shook his head. “I’d be embarrassing you before you ever could embarrass me,” He pointed out with a grin. “Or we could find a place to just sit and talk. But if you wanna dance, trust me, I’ll embarrass myself before you do.”
Did he really need to smile like that? Was he smiling at her? Marie felt her knees go a little weak, thinking that it was horribly cliche, but apparently it did happen. Which was worse? Dancing or talking? Neither really sounded appealing, but she also didn’t want him to leave. “Whichever you want?” She was going to fail at both.
“Well, I’d like to do what you want to do,” Rick said, watching her again with another smile. “Why don’t we start with getting a drink?” He offered her his arm, which felt natural to him because that’s what you did at fancy parties, right?
Now she had to touch him. Marie stared at his arm, then him for a long moment, before biting her lip and tentatively setting her fingers on his arm, trying hard not to focus on the fact that she could feel his strength, those muscles, through the suit. This wasn’t really happening. “Okay.”
“So, Marie, what is your favorite drink?” He wanted to know more about her, more about the quiet, pretty girl who stood off by herself when she could have easily gotten a dance with whomever she wanted.
Of course. He would have a question. “Usually...I’m fine with whatever.” It might have been the longest string of words she’d managed so far and they weren’t really answering any questions. She was so bad at this. Why had she thought that this was an even slightly reasonable idea?
Marie took the glass, looking at it and relieved to have something in her hands. She followed him towards the chair, not sure what to do for a long moment before she managed to find a way to sit in the chair in the dress. "Did you come by yourself?" She asked, not looking at him.