A/N: Hey everybody! I'm back from my Mother's Day trip to Michigan and I was really anxious to write, so here it is: chapter 5, my attempt at writing romance. Like I said before, I'm only 15, so I haven't exactly had alot of romantic experience.

And for the park scene, just picture the street scene in The Notebook, except in NYC in the present instead of South Carolina in the '40s. If you haven't seen The Notebook, you should. It's a good movie.

An air of unease had settled over our table. I was confused; there were a million questions just hanging in the air that I knew I could never ask. To tell the truth, I was afraid; afraid that she was regretting the whole trip, that she hadn't felt what I just had. But most of all, I was absolutely terrified of rejection. I didn't want to ruin our partnership or our friendship, despite my more-than-friendly feelings for her. I could make myself forget how good it felt to hold her for those few minutes on the dance floor. I could get by, I always had. Trouble was, I didn't want to.

On one hand, she had never said anything that hinted she felt something for me. On the other hand, her eyes had just told me more than words ever could. But what if I had misread her? Could I have misinterpreted the signs? Wait, she's saying something…

"I should probably go," she said weakly. "You know, with work tomorrow and everything…" She pulled a $20 bill out of her purse and stood up. "Thanks for taking me out."

"Wait!" I called after her as she started to walk away. "Don't go…" I may not have known much right then, but one thing was certain: I couldn't leave this hanging. I know me, I would chicken out and let things go back to normal. And then I would always wonder about what could have been and spend the rest of my life kicking myself for not holding onto her when I had the chance.

"I was thinking that maybe…we could go for a walk," I said, hoping she would come. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Fortunately, she smiled back. "Okay," she said simply.

I left some money on the table and handed the twenty back to her. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Central Park

"I love coming here in the evening," I said. "It's so peaceful and calming."

"You always did seem like the type to find comfort in nature," she replied. I was glad to see her smile back again. Neither of us said anything else and we walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Suddenly I heard a soft buzzing noise. It took me a moment to realize that she was humming quietly to herself. It was the song we had just danced to, "At Last".

"You really like that song, don't you?" I asked her. "Wha-…oh," she smiled sheepishly. "It's one of my parents' favorite songs. I remember when I was a kid they would play it and dance in the living room when we kids were supposed to be in bed." Her eyes got a far-off look as she remembered. "I would sneak down to the top of the stairs to watch them and wonder why they looked so peaceful when they danced."

She stopped walking. Her arms came up around each other and she hugged herself and swayed. She closed her eyes and smiled nostalgically. I could tell she was thinking of her parents again, of the looks on their faces when they danced that must have resembled the one she now wore. She looked so beautiful there in the moonlight, dancing to a tune that only she could hear. Seeing her like that made me realize that I didn't want to fight it anymore. I was just going to have to stand still and let it catch me.

I stepped up to where she was standing, her back facing me. Slowly I slid my arms around her waist. She gave me a puzzled look over her shoulder, but then smiled and closed her eyes again. I felt her small warm body lean against me. I subconsciously started to hum the song again. She spun around in my arms and clasped her arms around my neck like she had at Grimaldi's. I replaced mine around her waist and pulled her softly into me. She cautiously laid her head on my shoulder and we danced together to music that no one else could hear.

I hummed the last few notes and went quiet, not sure what she wanted to do. "Don't stop…" she said quietly, her face still pressed against my jacket. "Don't ever stop…"

At that moment, I felt like staying in that park forever. Like the world could wait, let me just hold her a little while longer…

I started humming again, still holding her tightly. I let her go a little and spun her slowly around before pulling her back in to me. She smiled again. "Dip me, maestro," she said into my ear, and I obliged. She arched gracefully backward while I savored the feel of her hips in my hands. She pulled herself back up and replaced her head on my shoulder.

I bent down and kissed the top of her head. She looked up in surprise, but her eyes told me it was okay. I leaned in again, but this time I met her lips. I kissed her with all the feeling I'd been holding back since I met her. I kissed her without any reservations because the worst thing that could happen didn't matter anymore. My mind went blank and I thought of nothing but her, how she felt in my arms, how right it was to finally be able to show her how I felt.

She pulled back slowly and opened her eyes. They looked deeply into mine with a gaze that seemed like it could see right through me. She smiled, and her eyes smiled with her. "You don't know how long I've wanted you to do that," she said quietly. "I just wasn't brave enough to ask." She grabbed my hand from her waist and clutched in her own. I lifted my free hand to her face to wipe away the single tear that had settled on her cheek. She was beautiful, just standing there with me. I loved her more at that moment then I had ever loved anyone in my life. I wasn't letting her go, not now, not ever.

"Let's get out of here," I whispered into her ear. She nodded slowly. I reached down and took her hand, and together we left the park.