The Band Played On
Dani Beth
~*~
Must you dance every dance
With the same fortunate man
You have danced with him since the music began
Why don't you change partners and dance with me
Must you stand quite so close
With your lips touching his face
Can't you see I'm longing to be in his place
Why don't you change partners and dance with me
Ask him to sit this one out
And while you're alone
I'll tell the waiter to tell him
He's wanted on the telephone
You've been locked in his arms
Ever since heaven knows when
Why don't you change partners and then
You may never want to change partners again
~*~
Have you ever walked into a store, saw something that you absolutely
had to have and then saw the price tag? The price may have been high,
but then you decided that you were going to save up to buy it, no
matter
what. Some time later you walk back into the store and then you see
that
it's gone. Whatever you wanted is now gone and you see the person is
there at the same time, buying the something.
All right, what I want isn't a material thing, but a person. A
beautiful,
classy, powerful person. And I was a dumbass and let her get away.
Well, I didn't *let* her get away. I'm not even sure what that means,
but hey...
And here I am, looking across the room, seeing her in the arms of
another
man and I'm feeling a tightening around my chest and a sickness in my
stomach that won't let go.
~*~
I know he's watching me. It's...flattering. And I wish he'd come over
here, strike up a conversation; just something to get me away from this
guy.
Smiling and nodding, a thing that I've been doing since I've met him,
I nibble my lower lip and look back at my admirer.
Oh dear. He's talking with Ainsley. Um...maybe that's a *good* thing.
He did look bored.
A nudge awakens me from my mind and I shake another person's hand,
listen
to them drone on and then sigh softly as they walk away.
Looking back at him, I feel jealously eat at me.
Great, now he's *dancing* with her.
~*~
Through a break in the crowd, I see her duck away from my stare and
then
back at me. She does a little wiggle with her fingers and I wave back
with a slight smile.
Ainsley tugs at my jacket and beckons me to follow her to a couple on
the other side of the room when a familiar big band tune started up.
A low tenor sax played on and I looked back, seeing her on the dance
floor with her date, smiling and her head on his shoulder.
Good thing he's as tall as he is.
Kicking myself mentally, I excuse myself from the other three and go
to the bar. I may be in a room full of politicians, but the bartender
can't make drinks worth a damn.
Sitting on a stool, twirling my straw in my terribly watered down
drink,
I look over my shoulder to the woman that's been the center of my
thoughts
all night.
~*~
*Damn* it! Why is it that I can't go over there and just talk to the
man?
I mean, I'm not scared, am I? No, of course not. He's a friend. A
very...good
friend.
Cringing, I feel myself being spinned and grin half-heartedly. Why oh
why?
Putting my head on his shoulder again, I watch the happy couples dance
around us. I know then that I'm not happy in this man's arms. I can't
be.
Not if I'm thinking about being in another's embrace.
~*~
They left.
The room.
Into the hallway. She led the way and he followed, a hungry look in his
eyes.
I'm not exactly *thrilled* with that look.
Wading up the napkin, I squeeze it, my knuckles turning white and my
nails digging into my skin.
I must have drifted, 'cause I jump when a light finger tapped me on my
shoulder.
Spinning in the stool, I just stare. "C.J."
Smiling weakly, she clears her throat. "Hey Sam."
~*~
'Hey Sam?' What the hell was that? 'Hey Sam?' I'm the fricken' Press
Secretary to the President of the United States and I can only come up
with those two words. Right. Great.
Oh well, all he could get out was 'C.J.' and he's a speech writer.
Pointing to the open seat next to him, I wonder, "Can I sit down?"
"Yeah, yeah," he nods, motioning for me to sit. Taking my purse, he
sets
it down on the bar and smiled wanly at me. "Saw you dancing with
MacGregor."
"Uh-hmm." Nodding, I take a sip of my drink. Making a face at the
watery
taste, I put it back down. "God, they can't make drinks worth a damn."
~*~
"So," I start. "You and MacGregor are a thing now, huh?"
She laughs and shakes her head. "Oh, good God no!"
Shocked, I blink and say, "Oh."
"You're surprised at that?" she wonders, head cocked.
"Kinda."
"Don't know why, we weren't exactly the best couple." She shruggs and
rolls her eyes. "He didn't like that I was more powerful than him and
I think the only reason we lasted as long as we did was that we look
good in public."
I snort and choke on my drink with a smirk. "Well, you're both
photogenic."
"Thanks."
~*~
God, I'm not exactly great on the words tonight, am I? Okay, girl, get
it together. He's like...what...three years younger than you? Or, is
it more than that?
Then again, Eric was five years older...
Turning my head around, I squeeze my eyes shut and open them, seeing
Eric with another woman already. Figures.
"Sam?"
"Yeah C.J.?"
"Do we really have to stay here all night?"
"I seem to remember the President saying that we only had to make an
entrance."
"Thank God." Picking up my purse, I raise an eyebrow. "Wanna go?"
~*~
Thought she'd never ask. Not the party was all that bad. Okay, so the
food and drinks were terrible and I couldn't get her out of my mind for
the first half of the whole damned thing, but all in all, it turned out
okay.
For one, I left with her.
She came to the party with one man and left with another.
Me.
And now I can't get this smug grin off my face, for she's walking along
side me, her arm looped through mine and we're talking, having a great
time.
Well, I'm hope we're having a great time.
~*~
This is beyond good.
There is absolutely no words for what I am feeling right now and it's
a great feeling.
We decided on just walking. It's not as late as I thought it was, only
about nine-thirty and there's a group of people playing instruments up
ahead. A small band, one sax, one guitar and one trumpet. A slow song
that I don't recognize.
But then I do. It was the song that was playing when I knew that I
wasn't
meant to be in Eric's arms.
Change...Change...Damn it, I know there's another word!
~*~
"Partners," I help. By the look she's giving me, I can tell she didn't
know she was talking aloud. "It's 'Change Partners.'"
"Thanks."
"I like Harry Connick Jr.," I go on, and stop. I hate rambling.
"So do I," she smiles. "And they were playing this back at the party."
"They were?"
With a nod, C.J. just smiles.
With a sudden urge, I lean over, kiss her cheek and let my lips linger
there. "Glad you changed partners, C.J."
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