Down in the some of the darkest and more unseen sectors of the city, there is a large, brick building that long ago had been abandoned. Over the years the building fell into disuse and fewer and fewer people ever stopped by to look at the place. After all, who would want to rent this space, much less buy it? But as time passed, so did the views of people. Especially those that were part of the dance and music scene. Before long the space was found out to be perfect for a dance club, one that would draw only the most serious of clubgoer due to its location…and how you got in.

Though outside the music could be heard practically throwing itself against the walls and flashes of light could be seen in the windows high above. Yet, though the music pulsated and the lights were hypnotizing, it was difficult to get in.

Against one wall stood a bouncer, a large, dark skinned man with his tree trunk arms crossed over his massive barrel of a chest. Before he him guarded a line the most stalwart of club hoppers, young people dressed in all sorts of attire, and each of them scrambling for entrance into this exclusive club. But there was only one way in…

…through the hole.

An old exhaust pipe was used as the entrance. It was huge, easily the size of a large man crawling on al fours. The very sight of it brought inspiration to the owner when he saw it. Which was why he named the club: The Hole in the Wall

Yeah, moment of brilliance there.

But inside the club he really spared no expense. Dance floors on two levels, bars at each corner of the interior and plenty of shadowy places and corners for people to chat, watch, or make-out. The place was richly decorated, everything done in the most expensive manner for the simple illusion of making each and every single of the club’s décor looked secondhand and rundown. Little ironic but it was worth it for the effect.

Out on the dance floor, though, was where the real action was. Bodies pressed together, danced atop a lit floor that shined with a riot of colors at each of their steps. But it was near the center of this dancing that a single man was smirking and laughing wildly as he the music really began to swirl around him. Though he had some talent to be passable at dancing, the man was far too much of a goofball to be taken seriously.

But hey, Akshay didn’t care. It was his night off from the shop, he got more drawing done then he thought he could get done, he deserved just a little bit of a break.

What better way to take a break than to dance?!

“Oh yeah! Watch out!!” he cheered as he began to do a variation of the Macarena, instilling a few laughs from nearby dancers. But he didn’t care. He naturally assumed they were laughing with him, not at him. “Woooo! Christ Brown eat your heart out!!!” he cheered as he then shifted (Dear lord…) into dancing the Funky Chicken.

But hey…he was having fun…

Lydia couldn’t believe how much she’d been fooled. Seriously, did she just not know how to read people? Was she a creep-magnet? Why did all of the good guys turn out crazy?!? She sighed as she fled her “date” and scurried through the crowded dance floor.

She should’ve known it from the start, starting with his name: Lloyd Digglesby. His name was freaking Lloyd Digglesby. If that didn’t scream weird…

Except he’d seemed so nice! So genuinely caring! And he had really original pick-up lines! He’d been so smooth when he asked her out the day before, during her afternoon shift at Full Circle. He’d caught her right between busy crowds, during a peaceful lull, smiling sweetly and casually buying some book on cats.

She should’ve at least figured it out when he brought her to…The Hole in the Wall. Not only was it in a very shady, very scummy part of town, its entrance was an actual hole, in a wall. And that was the only entrance. Lydia’s shoes were not suitable for climbing through random pipes.

The girl had to admit though, the inside of the club was pretty kicking, especially the bar area, and the fast-paced music reinvigorated her after the harrowing entrance. However, she didn’t get to enjoy any part of the establishment, as Lloyd was very intent on guiding her to one of the dark hideaways and getting his hands all over her. Ew. She took off quickly, making a quick excuse she no longer remembered.

And now Dia was wandering alone through the dance floor, her night surely ruined. It can’t get any worse than thi— “Hey! Watch it!” She called out at the Indian man who had rudely knocked his elbow into her.

>> “Woooo! Christ Brown eat your heart out!!!”

Was he…was he dancing? What were those strange, jerky leg movements? What were his arms doing? She cringed with second-hand embarrassment.

In the middle of a particularly complicated, yet impressive turn, Akshay accidentally felt his elbow brush against one of his fellow dancers. But hey! It’s all good! All is fair in the love and war, right? If anything his fellow dancer would have simply laughed it off and cheered him on to continue his augmented Charleston dance, when he heard, instead of praise…anger? There was no way that that was right but the sound and tone was so shocking that he had to listen in…

>> “Hey! Watch it!”

He blinked as he turned to face the owner of that voice. A smile on his face, he locked eyes on a woman that was looking particularly embarrassed. His heart panged in sadness. Maybe she was embarrassed because she didn’t know how to dance and was attempting to brave the dance floor? Poor thing! He would definitely have to take her under his wing.

Not that it was any particular trial do so. She was rather attractive so that added greatly in her favor. He wouldn’t give up on her! No! She would be Jennifer Grey and he would be Patrick Swayze! The dance shall be their language of love! And he was even DRESSED the roll in an unbuttoned white shirt and black slacks!

He grinned, not in a creepy way or overly disturbing, and looked at her with an approving nod.

“Aww babe, don’t worry. No need to be shy,” he said as he noted the embarrassment on her face. “The dance is a language that ANYbody can learn. And I’ll be happy to teach you!”

His voice was enthusiastic, the look on his face mirthful, and it was obvious that he was fairly limber due to the extravagancy of his dance moves. All in all, he looked purely and truly honest when he spoke to her, as a truly nice guy does.

He laughed as he switched into an energetic Salsa dance that in no way fit the music that was playing and waved for her to join him.

“Come on! The waters great!” he said with a laugh. Ah Akshay…such the lady killer…

The man was very cheerful, even when he was dancing like a fool and earning the laughter of the other club-goers. She should’ve figured out why passage in that area of the dance floor was so easy. Everyone was giving him a clear space to do his…thing. He turned and shot her a grin and a nod of indiscernible meaning.

>> “Aww babe, don’t worry. No need to be shy. The dance is a language that ANYbody can learn. And I’ll be happy to teach you!”

First of all, he called her “babe”. They were certainly not on terms such that he could call her that. Second, he needed to button his shirt.

…and was he actually offering to teach her how to dance? Crazy sauce. The situation and proposition were completely astonishing. The man, who was clearly the object of the other patron’s derisive amusement with his bizarre and outlandish dance moves (and did not seem to notice or care), was proffering to share knowledge of those moves. And it appeared he was being serious! It seemed he was honest in his proposal, with a genuine grin on his face. Who is this guy?

Lydia flinched as the strange stranger began some Latin-inspired hot mess and beckoned for her to join him. He accompanied his dancing with some comment about water that was drowned out by the resounding bass, his face still contorted with eagerness.

She felt the corners of her mouth twitch upwards.

Was she…was she actually going to humor him? Only to save the rest of humanity from his dance moves. “Where’d you learn to dance like that?” she asked, tone almost void of sarcasm. She couldn’t help but sneak the tiniest amount in there, but hopefully the man wouldn’t notice. Lydia wasn’t exactly sure what her endgame was, but her intentions surely weren’t innocent. She smirked and decided her night was starting to look up.

Akshay could only smile. From out of his peripheral he could see that many of the people had backed away from his position but he was not surprised. After all, they were intimidated by his great dance moves so it was of little wonder that they would want to give him a wide expanse of space to perform. Many were more than likely in such awe that they were willingly giving over their dance space to him, just so that they could watch and learn. If that were the case then he would definitely give a lesson or two they could learn from!

Still, he danced his modified salsa dance as he stood and watched this beauty simply staring at him. It was obvious that she was entranced by his awesome dance steps. What beautiful young woman wouldn’t be? Though he must not break out his more serious moves or he might overly intimidate her with his skill.

Instead, he still danced along to a beat that really did not exist in the song, a beat that only he could hear, as he smirked mirthfully at her.

It was then that he saw the smallest twitches of a smile at the corner of the pretty brunette’s lip. An encouraging sign, always…

>> “Where’d you learn to dance like that?”

“Ah, you know, some people just have a natural talent,” he grinned. “But all that means is that I simply have a greater responsibility to the world to teach others.”

He smiled, genuinely, as he stopped for a second to watch the young woman who seemed to be regarding him so curiously. Apparently she was not 100% enticed by his abilities. She was on the edge, she just needed a little shove to be truly impressed by him.

It was then that the next song came filtering through the speakers. Optimus Prime by Cookie Monsta echoed out through the dance floor and immediately began to take hold of people. It was a heavy, tech sounding beat. One that only the most experienced of people should ever take on.

The glint appeared in Akshay’s eye as he turned back to the interested young lady and nodded.

“You should really consider letting me teach you. You might even be able to do…this…”

As he said those last words, it seemed as if the music itself actually entangled him. Before long, Akshay pulled out the big guns and actually danced. And it was a dance that…well…Must be seen to be believed…

Lydia nearly burst out laughing when she heard the man’s reply. It was his responsibility to teach the world? Or whatever he’d said over the music. How could he say that with a straight face? The nineteen-year-old kept her laughter in check, only continuing to smirk, and nodded as if she understood what he was saying. Of course he was that good, of course it was his duty to share his knowledge with others. Of course a girl like her would be interested in a guy like him.

When the song changed, however, something shifted in the stranger. He glanced at Lyd with a different intensity, and she almost grew scared. A heavy beat like that, there was no way he was going in with light footing…

>> “You should really consider letting me teach you. You might even be able to do…this…”

Pfffft, yeah right— “Holy crap,” the girl gasped under her breath. H-he was actually…good!? No way! The way he was moving, in perfect sync with the music, was amazing. Freaking amazing. What the f—

She had been prepared to laugh, to give some snarky insults…not to actually admire his dancing! He was completely backwards! Backwards! How did a guy who had just been dancing a demented salsa start doing an insane dubstep boogie?

“W-wow….that’s actually really…good…” In her shock, she forgot her false pretense and gave the stranger an actual compliment. The others around them, the ones who had previously gawked and giggled at the man, were now staring in amazement with Lydia as well. “Who are you?” she asked with wide eyes.

This was the type of dancing that Akshay was actually pretty proficient at. For whatever reason, every other type of dance seemed absolutely out of his control. He tried salsa, he tried line, he even tried the Macarena! But somehow he just could not find the rhythm to dance to those beats. They eluded him like a mirage on the horizon of a desert. Akshay, despite his best intentions, simply could not achieve the proper dance steps!

But dubstep dancing…well…that was an entirely different beast. Akshay just…GOT this type of music. He was able to sync his body up with the beats, the tones, the erratic bursts of music. His brain was just hardwired for it.

Though he never REALLY liked to brag about his skill with this type of dancing, he always smirked whenever he saw the looks on people’s faces when he managed to wow them. They never expected it! And this young lady only strengthened his point…

>> “Holy crap,”[/color]

He beamed like a madman, though clearly not a creepy. He did not reply right away but instead continued with his dance. His rhythmic yet erratic look steps were definitely done to impress yet Akshay looked so lost in the music that he did not have time to revel in their shock and awe. Instead, all he could do was continue to dance, like there was a fire inside of his soul that could only be appeased when he danced. It was the only way to keep the fire within him, by forcing it to move throughout his limbs, torso, neck and head.

It was the fire within that truly gave him his gift…

When the music had begun to lull and fire inside lessened, he finally looked up to acknowledge the young lady he had been dancing to.

>> “W-wow….that’s actually really…good… Who are you?” [/color]

He smirked as the song finally began to dim lower, and lower, and lower until it finally faded from existence and Akshay, giving a little spin, stopped with a flourish and smirk. People around him cheered, clapped, or shouted congratulations on his skill. He waved to them all before he turned his attention back to the girl, after giving a large, dark skinned man a well-meaning high-five. He smiled his thousand-watt smile at her.

“Thank you! Can’t believe you had any doubts about my skill,” he smirked and winked. It did not sound as conceded as most would have assumed it should have sounded. Instead it sounded more like a playful joke, little more than that. As to her second question, he could only pose as one of his heroic comic book characters, arched his eyebrow comically and put on his silliest smirk. “You, young padawan! Can call me, Dance-Man!” he chuckled playfully before he took a more relaxed posture and nodded to her. “So, how about it? Care for a dance? Drink? Game of checkers?”

Impressed, Lydia was impressed. She couldn’t believe it, but she was in awe. It didn’t even annoy her that he knew how much talent he had. The cocky grin on his face would have immediately turned her off, had he not the skill level he did. But she didn’t care, because anyone that good would be smiling like that. The whole while, the stranger was absorbed in his movement and the music, it almost appeared as if he was in a trance.

Not many in the vicinity were dancing anymore. No one wanted to embarrass themselves. Only a few brave souls attempted to, though truthfully no one paid much attention to them and their wimpy set of dance moves, unless to draw negative comparisons between them and the dancing paragon in their midst. Lydia certainly wasn’t paying them any heed.

All too soon, the song came to an end and the man slowed his movements, ending in a short spin. The crowd cheered and clapped, and Dia couldn’t help but clap lightly along with them. After some waving and a high-five, he turned his gaze back to her, grinning largely (she didn’t think he ever stopped smiling).

>> “Thank you! Can’t believe you had any doubts about my skill.”

So perhaps he had noticed the sarcasm before…well, his toothy smile still seemed genuine, and his words had no harsh edges in them. They were a bit impish, playful, nothing more than a jest. She thought she might actually like him until, well…

>> “You, young padawan! Can call me, Dance-Man! So, how about it? Care for a dance? Drink? Game of checkers?”

Right when he almost seemed cool…he ruined it with some nerd joke! And a wink! And a stupid pose! Seriously, who talked like that? It was enough to make her cringe again. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to call him “Dance-Man,” and she had been rendered speechless by the sudden nerdish outburst. Maybe if I slowly back away… But something told Lyd she wasn’t going to be able to shake the man off that easy.

...Might as well make the most of the situation. “I need a drink.” And stat!

>> “I need a drink.”

“OH! Then, by all means, allow me,” he grinned. He stepped to her side and motioned in the direction of the nearest bar.

The dance floor had returned to normal, the majority of the dancers had returned to their normal dancing but it was obvious that they were still impressed by what they had just seen from the young Indian man. Then again, they had not been close enough to actually hear what he had just told the young lady. They were either paying too much attention to the music or were too wrapped up with their own situations to take notice. Though their reactions probably would have mirrored the young woman’s, Akshay, himself, didn’t care.

He was who he was.

He was a damn good dancer.

But he was also a comic nerd, a comic artist, and an all around goofball! Take him, love him, or leave him! Simple as that. But…it didn’t mean that Akshay would make that an easy decision for whatever pretty young thing managed to find herself tangled in his web of impenetrable seduction!

Heh, she didn’t stand a chance.

Once they had reached the bar, Akshay was able to lean in and grab the bartender’s attention. Obvious it was someone who knew him well as the tender smiled and nodded to Akshay.

“Nice moves tonight!”

“Thanks!” Akshay chuckled. “Uh, bottle of Heineken! And…whatever the lady want’s,” he indicated to the girl.

The tender arched a brow as he eyed the girl but gently shook his head as he turned and began to gather their drinks whenever the girl finally decided to order.

When that was done, Akshay turned back to the girl with a nod.

“Sorry about back there, I was just jokin' around with the whole 'Dance-Man' label. Caught up in the moment,” he said to her. Then stuck out his hand to shake her’s. “The name’s actually Akshay, Akshay Malik. And it is an extreme pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

He swiftly led her to the bar, apparently unfazed by her fazed reaction. Man was he a bundle of undeterred joy. Lydia wondered if his mouth ever ached from smiling so much.

Apparently he was a regular at the club, the bartender greeting him warmly, complimenting his dancing. The young man quickly ordered for himself and then directed the barkeep’s attention to the girl. She was met with a skeptical look, one that probably meant one of two things: he couldn’t believe a girl like her was with a guy like that, or he wasn’t sure if she was old enough to be drinking alcohol. Either way, eventually he shrugged it off and asked her what she would like.

“Lime vodka.” That, and a look that told the bartender to please make it quick. She wasn’t sure if she could get through a conversation with the geeky stranger without it.

>> “Sorry about back there, I was just jokin' around with the whole 'Dance-Man' label. Caught up in the moment. The name’s actually Akshay, Akshay Malik. And it is an extreme pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

She tilted her head and gave Akshay a scrutinizing look. He seemed kind of cool again. Kind of. “I’m Lydia. Shorten it however you like,” although, to her chagrin, she realized he might drastically abuse that power, “I guess it’s nice to meet you too.” Sort of. A little. Eh.

As she unwittingly studied her companion, she took idle guesses at his age. Early twenties? Too old? Too young? “So, you come here often?” Lyd asked, making small talk until their drinks came. She figured it was a pretty safe question to ask.

>> “I’m Lydia. Shorten it however you like…I guess it’s nice to meet you too.” [/color]

“Aww, you guess?” a mock look of hurt appeared on his face. “Breaking my heart, Lydia.”

The look of hurt did not last though before it broke in a small smile. He really did not know if she was joking. There was a tinge of…something in her voice. Whatever it was, he could not identify off the bat. Irritation? Boredom? Fear that he was a closet Trekkie? Or was she really just playing? If she was then she was damn good at it. Akshay could feel, though, like he was losing her. What did he really have to say to a young beauty like her?

He remembered his friend from college, Jean. The first time he took him to a club he told him, ”Be yourself, man! Don’t try hard!” Of course that was after Jean had a few drinks in him and also abandoned him for more than half the night.

That was why Akshay started dancing. That was why he was so good at it. He needed to do something to be noticed.

They waited for the drinks and Akshay bopped his head briefly to the music before he noticed that Lydia had given him another glance. Studying him like she was a scientist and he was an amoeba in a petri dish. For half a second he felt awkward, eyebrow raised, before she finally spoke again.

>> “So, you come here often?”[/color]

“Oh yeah!” Akshay replied with a pleasant nod. “Since art school. My buddies and I used to come here to unwind. Be surprised how good dancing is for the soul the night before finals.” He chuckled. “What about yourself? Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. I’d surely remember.” He beamed in a friendly manner.

He was a jokester, a funny guy. He didn’t take her words seriously, which Lydia supposed was a good thing. She hadn’t really spoken seriously, but hadn’t injected enough sarcasm in her tone to sound like she was kidding. It was awkward, but Akshay seemed to laugh it off. She had to make her mind up about what she was going to do.

Akshay explained how often he came to The Hole in the Wall, how he had been going since art school. So he was an artist? Admittedly, she found that interesting. She wondered what medium of art he partook in.
Oh no, she actually wanted to know more about him.

>> “What about yourself? Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. I’d surely remember.”

Now that was a topic Lydia was well-versed in. Herself. “S’my first time here. I had a date but…he turned out to be a real creep.” She gave a sigh and leaned her elbow against the counter, resting her chin in her hand. “Story of my life, really,” she said with a wry smile. She shrugged, not really wanting to delve deeper into the sob story that was her nonexistent love life. Although she could. And as nonexistent as it was, she sure did have a long story to tell.

As she spoke, the bartender delivered their drinks, the beer for Akshay and the vodka for Lydia. The skepticism was back on his face as he observed the duo, but quickly he was called away to other customers before he could make an inquiry. She took a sip immediately, enjoying the slight burning sensation as it slid down her throat. She smirked and turned back to her involuntary companion. “Art school, huh? What kind of artist are you?”

I’m just repaying him for the drink, she reasoned. She might as well grin and bear it, right?

>> “S’my first time here. I had a date but…he turned out to be a real creep…Story of my life, really,”

Tragic, utterly tragic, was all Akshay could think. Why did all the pretty ones end up going out with the creeps? It was completely unfair and in no way was it good for already weak relations between men and women. Whoever this “creep” was, was definitely making a bad name for good intentioned men such as himself.

She looked off in the distance and Akshay debated whether or not to pursue the issue. It was obviously a sore subject because, after all, who likes being left behind at a club when a date was supposed to be going on? Unfortunately Akshay had his fair share of those but because of his humor he knew how to deal with it. Lydia, well, she was not weak, but it was painfully obvious that she was not a funny as himself. Poor thing.

He hoped his mouth to offer his condolences again when suddenly the bartender returned with their drinks in hand. Akshay took the Heineken with a grateful look and watched as he gave the lime vodka to Lydia with still a suspicious look on his face. Akshay did not have time to question the bartender’s look because someone else down at the far end of the bar was waving for his attention.

Once he was gone, Akshay simply shrugged off the man’s look and took a sip of his beer. The combination of talking and dancing back there had left him a little parched. Thankfully, as the beer washed down his throat, it revitalized him as he turned back to Lydia was sipping her drink as well. She definitely seemed to be enjoying it.

She then smirked as she turned her gaze back to him.

>> “Art school, huh? What kind of artist are you?”

The ladies always love the artistic type. It was a cliché but he was thankful he was an artist!

He shrugged modestly as he took one last sip before he said his bottle down to turn his attention to her fully.

“Eh, I dabble in a lot of things: still life, sketch, charcoal, digital,” he explained. All true terms, but he hoped she did not think he was just throwing out random artsy sounding things. “I like a lot of mediums. My favorite though is penciling and inking. That’s actually how I make my living,” he grinned a little proudly. Not obnoxiously, but really happy with his line of work. “I’m an independent comic book artist. I produce a series that currently running.”

Well it was only popular amongst the indie circles; but popularity was popularity, right?