Tara had not slept the entire night. Her brain refused to shut off. Had she and Christian really decided to call it quits? And this morning, Saskia talking about retiring….where had that come from? She was in a turmoil.
The fire alarm went off and all students had to step out again. Ms. Raine approached her then and admonished her on her decision to not dance Firebird, but Tara held her ground. Then Christian walked out and smiled at her. She smiled back and the impact of their decision hit her. She raced to him and pulled him aside.
"What's wrong Tara?" Christian asked.
"Saskia helped me practice my solo this morning and she said something that has had me thinking all morning."
"And…"
"For the first time ever, I have been imagining life without dancing. And the thought did not hurt me as much as I thought it would. But the thought of living my life without you is unbearable. Relationships are hard work Christian, just like dancing is. I am willing to put in the work if you are. What do you think?"
Tara looked at Christian with wary eyes. He said, "When do we start?" And they both smiled.