Please review. I've had 38 hits on my last chapter I had posted and only 2 reviews for it which I find ridiculous, although happy that so many seemed to have read it if not reviewed for it.

Chapter 20

Many people crowded inside the barn, tables pushed aside for more room, and were instructed to their places for practicing some dances.

"Men and women please pair off and make a circle," a cherubic woman instructed from amidst the crowd. People did as they were told and stood so that the man of each pair (or boy since several children joined) were at the left of the women (or girls) making it so that the rough circle of humans were alternating between man and woman.

"Women face outward and men face inward," she continued to instruct as the crowd obeyed.

They continued on, men at times one on knee as the women circled them in eight steps or men and women weaving around each other, grasping each hand that came by and ending with a different partner than before, smiling, laughing, and then continuing the dance being taught to them. Soon they learned another dance that broke the men and women into pairs of four or so, holding hands up as another pair wove under the bridges made by arms and spots stolen by men and women, or pairs, of the weaving pair stealing partners in good fun and for the weaving people to bow out gracefully when their spot was taken only to do it to someone else in return.

Most everyone became breathless and took breaks for some refreshments or to sit on bales of hay or benches. John followed Sarah to the barn's open doorway, away from all the voices that melded together to the point where words could not be distinguished, where she breathed in the cool air and looked at the darkening horizon. The sun had just dipped beneath, its light kissed the sky above it in a dim orangish red that spread out to night blue and black that rolled out with stars across the rest of the sky to hide its hem behind trees and waving grass on hills.

"The moons are shadowed tonight, I can barely see their outline," commented Sarah as she stared up at the night sky thoughtfully as an older couple walked passed them from inside the barn.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Sarah asked as her breathing slowed.

John nodded as he took a seat on a bale of hay near the entrance. The dry grass prickled through his stiff pants. His hair was in his eyes. He swept it back and away and thought, 'I need to remember to ask who the local barber is.'

Sarah turned to John and came over to the bale of hay and gathered her skirts as he scooted over to the right and she sat down beside him. They sat in silence, Sarah noticing the curve of his sturdy back and the nearness of his leg to hers and John noticing her small but strong hands in her lap and the nearness of her to his side. John made a decision; he brought his left arm up and put it around Sarah's waist, pulling her closer to him as he continued to look at the sky. Sarah blushed profusely, although she had to admit that she had wanted this and leaned a little into him as she said nothing.

"Sarah?" John whispered, his head turned slightly so that his lips were near her ear.

"Yes?" she inquired softly.

"Who's the local barber?"

There was silence.

Sarah was briefly bemused then started laughing, covering her mouth with a hand, trying to hold it in. John smirked, his arm still around Sarah's shuddering back as she calmed down. She turned to him, looking up with a smile and a quirked eyebrow and reached up with a hand to rub his hair between her fingers near his neck and as she smoothed her own features said, "I would miss some of this beautiful hair," John quirked his own eyebrow at that, "but I guess you would look better with a shorter cut. I could cut your hair myself; I've had plenty of experience on my father's hair."

He was glad to see that she said this with a fondness, although a hint of faraway sorrow was present.

John nodded and said, "Please, thank you."

Sarah shivered and crossed her arms as a breeze swept through.

"Should we go back inside?" John asked.

"Actually I think I would like to head home for the night, tomorrow's another day of festivities and all," she replied.

John pushed himself up from the bale of hay and briefly brushed off his pants as Sarah followed suit. He offered a hand for her to take and she smiled as she took his calloused left hand with her right. They walked into the fresh night, feeling the nip of autumn in the air around them and on the cold ground they walked upon. Their gently swinging joined hands warmed them more than it should have physically, but it did despite any sense.

Sarah woke up the last day of the festival realizing that she really didn't want or need to get to the festival center until it was near time of the dance since she has already been to it the other two days and have seen everything. Her warm bed really called to her, the familiar smelling blankets and pillow really keeping her in and she couldn't fight them even after she realized that she should probably get up and tell John that she wasn't going out until later that day. She sighed, unwillingly winning the battle to get out of bed and rolled out with a grimace as her feet touched the cold wooden floor.

John was changing into a shirt when he heard the tapping at his door. He pulled the shirt down and called out, "Come in."

Sarah came in wearing pants and a sweater, "Good morning."

"Good morning Sarah."

"Um, John, I was just coming up to tell you that I think I'd rather stay in until it's time for the dance," Sarah started, her hands in her pants pockets, "I mean, since we've already seen all that there is out there and all, although since this is your first festival here you might want to go around…"

"That's fine, I was thinking somewhere along the same lines. I'd follow you around though if you were to go."

Color tinted her cheeks at that comment as she looked down. John was having some thoughts that included closing the door and dropping Sarah onto his bed… not that he would actually follow through, but it was there in the back of his mind as he pushed it down even further trying to concentrate on more proper thoughts when Sarah stepped into his room and closed the door behind her. She came up to him shyly, but surely and reached up to wrap her arms around his torso and he let his arms come up and hold her to him. She got up onto her toes and whispered into his ear, "Want to take a nap?"

"Want to take a nap?" Sarah asked from across the room.

John shook his head from his daze and double checked to see if this was reality, "What?"

"You look a little tired, are you okay?" Sarah asked as she came up to him and put a hand to his forehead, "You look a little red in the face."

John felt highly embarrassed that he lapsed into a day dream while the subject of his affections was there to see him.

The young woman saw his expression and realized that he was not fevered but looked a bit uncomfortable in an adorable way, if a full grown man can be adorable, 'Which of course they can,' Sarah thought as she tilted her head in contemplation. She reached up her hands to his shoulders and lightly pushed him back until he was near enough to his bed and gently pushed down for him to sit to which he complied, wondering what she would do. Sarah tip-toed to his door and closed it and came back to him, her face flushing at what she was about to do.

John felt his heart jump as he waited in anticipation of what she was about to do and hoping that he wouldn't do anything to scare her off since she was clearly summoning up her courage to approach him after closing the door.

Sarah pushed at him lightly so that he would get onto his bed, legs and all and then sat next to him, her legs tucked up as she leaned into his side, his back resting against the head board. He put an arm around her, amused at her behavior and nervous all at the same time, knowing that they couldn't really do too much in their current situation with their sense of honor and possibly drawing attention. He briefly wondered about how protective Berin may become and a concern from his least heard corner of his mind poked up, 'I hope she doesn't do castrations.'

He let out a huff of air that didn't complete its transformation into a chuckle at that cautionary thought.

Sarah put a hand on his strong chest, her hand moving subtly with each intake of his breath and she looked up into his face, his head tilted towards her, his long bangs falling forward over his eyes. Sarah reached up and brushed his bangs aside to see his beautiful eyes and John caught that hand up in the right hand, the cool metal cradling her hand gently and pressing against his face. The young woman felt the slight prickle of growing facial hair, indicating he had yet to shave, although it was rather unnoticeable in the first place as he had very light colored hair and his beard doesn't grow in thick. She was brought out of her reverie when he slid her hand down along his strong jaw to his subtly curved lips and pressed kisses into her palm, holding her body close to him with his left arm which was rubbing her side gently and sometimes stroked her belly in a soothing motion. She felt warm and comfortable but also seduced as he lowered her hand, sliding it across his mouth as he grazed his teeth against it until he had her finger tips and nibbled on the tips of them.

John saw Sarah blush under his intense gaze as he grazed his teeth against her fingers and saw her shattered-jewel blue eyes shift away, but she put her head against his shoulder as he continued. John smirked and stepped it up a notch and licked her fingers. He felt her startled flinch against him and heard her gasp. Her skin didn't have much of a flavor as they were freshly washed, but trace amounts of salt left her fingers and onto his tongue, so little flavor and yet enticing and arousing, John wasn't the only one to think so. He put her captive hand down onto his chest and drew her up against him more so with both arms around her, mattress shifting under them, and lowered his head to hers. Sarah was still blushing, but she responded and met him halfway. Their noses didn't bump since they were at an angle that each had their own head twisted at an angle. Sarah would have been happy enough (and light-headed and red-faced enough) at that, but John had other plans, although he would not go too far as to make her uncomfortable with their new found intimacy. His tongue slowly slid from his lips that were pressed against hers, probing, prodding gently at the seal of her lips very briefly to not make her feel pressured, only suggesting. His hand softly rubbing her back, one arm supporting her back with his hand at her hip, her hands trapped between them, but that soon changed.

Sarah parted her lips hesitantly, too shy to initiate the use of her oral digit, but wanting to feel as being part of this… whatever this was. Her hands crept up slowly until they were on his shoulders and then slid around his neck, her arms following until she couldn't reach around any further. John felt happiness at her acceptance and soon they were pressing their mouths closer together, tongues probing each other's, Sarah timidly and John slowly. They parted, eyes open and arms still around each other, breathing in pants, feeling puffs of air on their faces from the other. Their kiss lasted not too long, but it felt as though it did and Sarah knew that she shouldn't kiss like that too often with John as it was making her body feel bothered.

She silently rested her head against his chest, her body curled into him as John calmed himself down rubbing her back, calming himself down before his ardor became physically apparent and he'd have to hide himself from Sarah until it went down. He could feel her smiling lips against his chest as she kept her face from view. John started shifting them down on the now wrinkled blankets as he mumbled into her hair, "I think I'll take that nap and sleep in a bit."

Sarah's face was warm as she thought about what the arms that still circled her body implied. She put her left arm out and around his stomach as she settled herself up against John's left side, her head still resting on his chest that moved up and down with his breaths and pounded with his heart beats that became slower and slower. John felt acceptance of their situation from Sarah when she snuggled into him and he reached an arm past her body and flipped up the hanging edge of the blanket up around her.

'My heart must be going faster,' Sarah thought. But soon her blush faded until it was nothing but a becoming tint in her cheeks and both of the young adults had slowing breaths as they started to drift off into sleep. John's arms were possessively wrapped around the maiden of his choice, hoping that red stick will help him even though it was a silly traditional ritual of this town.

Author's Note: blushes, scratches head Ummm, well… That was highly embarrassing and I'm sure that many of you can tell that my embarrassment leaked into that last few paragraphs as well. Sorry if things got repetitive. I was trying to draw out my vocabulary but I couldn't think of better way to describe what I wanted short of getting my huge encyclopedic dictionary while I'm here getting ready for bed. I wish I was more descriptive of something though. I love details and I find myself lacking in this chapter. Well, nothing says I can't come back and revamp it later.

Sorry I haven't updated forever. I've been working ever since I got back from school for a day camp and haven't felt what to write since as soon as I get home from work with those kids I feel like a vegetable and acting like a little kid myself when I get pushed since I had to an adult the whole day for the kids. LOL! This is my last week of work then next week I have to check in for jury duty, hopefully I won't get called in since the week after I'm going to be in Washington with my family for vacation and then go to school. Wait… I'm wondering if my vocabulary has been affected by the kids I work with… Of course my brain could have just gone to mush anyhow… :-P

Please, please, please review! Seeing new reviews makes me happy!

-LSR7