Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps

When it was first introduced, the waltz was considered scandalous by its critics. It required its participants to stand too close together. The focus of dancing rests primarily on the interaction between a man and a woman. Whether it is a ballet or a rumba, a tango or a waltz, the audience is drawn to the dancer's ability to convey emotions through movement. Want - outstretched arms and looks across a stage. Desire - the slide of a leg, a dip. Love - a slow revolution. In dance, the basis for movement is found in love.

She hovered by the door, unsure of what to say, what he was going to say. Her hand lay lightly on the doorknob, giving her an out even though it was her apartment. "So," she began, then stopped.

"So," he agreed. He shoved his hands into his pockets. His gaze roamed around her apartment, looking at everything but her. "So," he repeated. He decided to try the direct approach again. "I screwed up."

Surprisingly she nodded and moved to the couch. "You weren't alone. I did too."

"I never should have dated her."

She shrugged and pulled a pillow on to her lap. "I shouldn't have dated him." She glanced up at him. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

"I don't know." He hunched his shoulders and let them fall. "Maybe."

"I don't bite." She patted the cushion next to hers.

He answered without thinking. "Liar." As soon as the word left his mouth, he immediately wanted to take it back. His mouth opened as if he could swallow it before it could reach her ears.

Shocked for a minute, she stared at him before giving in to the urge to laugh. "Um, okay. I'll try to keep my hands and mouth to myself." She held up her right hand and drew and X over her heart with her left hand. "Sit. You're making me nervous."

He perched tentatively on the edge of the couch. His hands dangled loosely in the space between his knees. Turning his head to face her, he let his breath out in a soft whoosh. "The thing is, Mac, I'm terrified."

Her eyes widened and her fingers tightened on the pillow. "Of me?" She pointed to her chest. "You're afraid of me?"

"Terrified," he corrected. He sighed and brushed a hand over his hair before leaning back.

"But why?" Her eyebrows rose and knit together.

"Mac." He looked over at her. "You know why."

She fell silent and stared at the pillow. Cocking her head to the side, she mumbled, "Because I could break your heart?"

He nodded.

"Because of our track records with relationships?"

He nodded again.

"Because of our track record with each other?"

Again, he nodded.

She blew out a soft a breath that fluttered her bangs. Tossing her hands up, she said, " Well then. I don't know what to tell you. Honestly? I'm scared too. But I'd be willing to work past it. But, Harm," she leaned forward and tapped his arm lightly, "if you aren't, then let's just end this now. For real this time."

"I'm not walking away this time, Sarah." He captured her hand between his hand and his arm.

"Then why.." She trailed off.

He tugged her hand, pulling her closer. "I was just letting you know where I stand."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. She bit her lip and her gaze slid sideways.

"Now who's running?" He smirked and pulled her hand again. Off balance, she fell against him.

She laid the flat of her hand against his chest. "Me," she admitted.

"Because I could break your heart?" he asked softly.

The corners of her mouth turned up and she nodded.

"Because of our track records with relationships?"

She nodded again.

"Because of our track records with each other?"

Again she nodded.

"I can't promise anything." The words were hushed.

"I know," she whispered. She looked up at him. "I think I need to hear the words." She glanced away and bit her lip. "I thought - I thought I could live happily just knowing, but I can't. I need to hear them."

He placed a finger under her chin and turned her face to his. A breath shuddered out. These words were not easy to say but the direct approach had been working so far this evening. "I love you." The words weren't that hard to say either.

Cupping his face with her hands, she whispered, "I love you, too," a breath away from his lips, but she didn't move closer.

"I knew I could get you to admit it," he smiled and shifted her into his lap. Like her, he didn't move in for the kiss.

"Oh, so that's what this was?" she questioned. Her fingers combed through his hair to rest against the back of his neck. She bumped her nose against his. "So now that you got what you were looking for, are you going to leave?"

His arms wrapped around her torso and locked at the small of her back. "Can't think of any reason to stick around. Might as well go."

In her years of kissing and being kissed, she has found that, often times, the kiss cannot live up to the anticipation of it. That space between the movement and the meeting, when lips are suspended over lips, is more exciting that the feeling. But she knew now that was because she'd been kissing the wrong men. The heady anticipation still existed. It sat between them like an invisible barrier, keeping them from moving closer until it rose to an intolerable level. Her head tilted slight to the right. His tipped, mimicking her motion. Like dancers waiting for the crescendo, they hovered on the brink of movement, paused and taut, ready to leap forward.

She smiled and lowered head when his hands pressed against her back. He could feel her grin against his mouth before he claimed her bottom lip with his teeth. His hand moved to fist in her hair. Her fingers curled around his shirt collar. He could feel her leg slide and bump against his as she tried to find leverage to stand. She found purchase and used her grip on his shirt to yank him to his feet and guided him into her bedroom.

In ballets, many duets are comprised of four parts. The dancers begin together. Then they are given solos that highlight their skills and let them shine on their own. In the fourth movement, often the most dramatic, the dancers return to the stage together. The audience is allowed glimpses of their emotions through lifts and turns. The movements are a series of actions and reactions before the music fades and the dancers leave the stage.