Nobody was there to be seen. She looked in the hall, to her left and to her right, but there was no one. She started to close the door, disappointed, when she noticed a little fuchsia origami rose on the threshold. She quickly grabbed it and reentered her apartment. She was shutting the door when she observed writing on a petal. It was written 'unfold me please'. She did so, very carefully, trying to memorize every fold. Once again, Harm's calligraphy was covering the soft paper. 'I hope you are still with me on this... If so, take a look at the back of the booklet, the answer you were looking for is there, written black on white. Harm.'
She hurried back to the couch where the blue leather notebook lay and sat down before she flipped the back cover open. Her heart was pounding fast and she had to close her eyes tightly and take deep breaths to try to steady it. Her hands were trembling when she read the words. 'Yes, you can. Well, I should say we can. I do think we can use the word 'love' for the two of us. Harm.' Tears were rolling again down Mac's cheeks, but this time, they were tears of pure joy she had no will to stop. She was lost in her daydreams when a voice she knew better than her own made her start. She looked around her for him before she realized it was coming from the television again. She hadn't even notice that the tape was still playing. Harm was now standing in front of the camera, his hands trembling a little on his guitar. "Sarah, I've finally been able to open my heart to you, so there's only one more thing I need to do. Would you please join me down the stairs of your apartment? I'm there for you, as I'll always be from now on. See you soon..." The screen went black once again, and the tape stopped. Mac rushed to her window to see Harm's Corvette on the street right in front of the door. She didn't even bother to put her coat on. She ran down the stairs and stopped short in her tracks when she saw him.
He was stepping down of the car, with his mess whites on. His medals were shining on his chest, as well as his golden wings, and his waist band was flattering his muscled abdomen. He walked without a word towards a speechless Mac, took her hand in his, brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. He took his other hand from behind his back and held her a dozen of red roses. He stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Sarah."
Mac couldn't move; her body was totally unresponsive. She could only feel the tears falling on her cheeks. When Harm embraced her tightly, she relaxed in his arms and stopped sobbing. She managed to answer back, "I love you too, Harm," before her sobs changed into some kind of laughter. She backed up a little from him and looked directly into his shining eyes. "You really wanted to impress me tonight, right?"
He feigned a guilty look, cocking his head to the side. "Well, the night is just about to begin. Are you coming with me?" he asked her as, in a wide movement, he opened the passenger's door.
"Only if the plans include feeding me," she answered, smiling, before she gave him a tender kiss on the cheek.
"More than that, actually," said Harm, looking lovingly into her brown eyes. He waited for her to sit down and closed the door courteously before he returned to the driver seat, started driving and continued. "First, I reserved a table at Galileo for dinner. They serve the best pastas in all D.C. Then, I have two tickets for the ball at the Fairmont Hotel, and a suite with two bedrooms for the weekend in said hotel."
Mac's eyes were wide open with astonishment and she clasped a hand to her mouth to muffle a high pitched cry. "You are kidding, I hope," was all she managed to say.
"I've never been more serious than now. I want our first date to be magic," Harm answered, taking her hand in his to brush a kiss on her fingers.
"I can't go to a ball in my uniform..." she argued.
Harm stopped short in her protests by putting his finger on her lips. "With all the electronics Webb shipped me yesterday, I found a large box with a long midnight blue silk dress in it. On the box, it was written 'It should fit her perfectly. Don't mess up this time. Webb.' It costs me to admit it, but he's not a bad guy after all." Saying that, Harm parked the car in front of the hotel, killed the engine and quickly reached the passenger's door to open it. He offered Mac his arm, which she accepted gratefully. When she was standing in front of him, he slowly bent down and his lips met hers in a sweet loving kiss. The kiss was short, although filled with affection and tenderness. They both knew they would have a whole weekend to give way to passion, so they appreciated every little step their new relationship was bringing. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder as he leaded her to the hotel, singing a capella a part of a song that filled Mac with happiness.
I see the dawning of a new beginning
And it feels like I'm riding on the winds of change
Yes, I'm taking the lead, but I still ain't winning
Takin' all that I can before the light of day
I can see the world goin' on around me
I can smell the scent of magic in the air
FIN
(1) With A Little Help From My Friends, The Beatles
(2) I Want To Tell You, The Beatles
(3) Rose Garden, Beres Hammond
(4) Never Say Goodbye, Bon Jovi
(5) Lean On Me, Club Nouveau
(6) The Search Is Over, Survivor
(7) Hello, Goodbye, The Beatles
(8) We Can Work It Out, The Beatles
(9) Mother of Our Child, Kevin Parent
(10) Wait, The Beatles
(11) Back In The U.S.S.R., The Beatles
(12) (It's Hard) Letting You Go, Bon Jovi
(13) Don't Let Him Steel Your Heart Away, Phil Collins
(14) Do I Have To Say The Words, Bryan Adams
(15) Broken Wings, Mr. Mister
(16) Straight From The Heart, Bryan Adams
(17) Against All Odds, Phil Collins
(18) I'll Be There For You, Bon Jovi
(19) I Call Your Name, The Beatles
(20) My Immortal, Evanescence
(21) Do I Have To Say The Words, Bryan Adams
(22) Misery, The Beatles
(23) More Than Words, BBMak
(24) Do You Want To Know A Secret?, The Beatles
(25) A New Beginning Lyrics, Psychefunkapus