The Monday bustle and whirring descend onto the Rock. Gymnasts pouring in, sending their last texts before the phones were abandoned in the dropped bags by the side, the parents hovering, discussing politics, finance, sport on the mats before they were shooed and enclosed behind the glass screen.

Already stretched out and warmed up, Payson joined her three friends who had just arrived and were just about to get started.

"You're in early," commented Lauren, wriggling in her shiny orange leotard.

"Amn't I always?"

Payson smiled, flexing her hands. There was set look of determination upon her face, almost comical with her grim confidence and focused edge.

"You've changed tack," Kaylie mentioned, stretching her head down to her toes where her voice became muffled.

"Last week were complaining about how you weren't even enjoying training anymore," she continued, jumping back up.

"Yeah well," replied Payson, her eyes flitting towards stairs and what lay after them, "I've just got to power through, be determined."

She flashed them a wicked grin, moving away towards the floor. They watched her go, a little shell-shocked at her new found confidence. Payson strode out, ready to rehearse, not caring if anyone was watching her. It was as if Sasha's kiss had unlocked more than just her heart: lost emotions of confidence, pride, a feeling of worth she had thought had fallen and been broken along with her. Her eyes danced subconsciously to his office door. She needed to talk to him, she wanted to explain and to try and make him see that whatever link they had formed was slowly tugging and tearing at her heart whilst he seemed unscathed. Lauren was right. She would fight for the tiny impulse that had been awakened within her. An impulse she never though she could experience, a voice crying out and telling her to do things she had wanted to put on hold her whole life time up till now.

"Have you seen Sasha yet?" questioned Emily, passing by Payson on her way to the bars.

"No," Payson replied, shaking her head.

She gestured, a little disappointed, to his office.

"He hasn't left it yet."

Emily nodded and walked off. Turning back her focus to her routine, Payson tried to remind herself of the elegant lines and extended shapes she was attempting to achieve. There was maybe one silent moment of peace in which she pointed her legs and prepared for her first move, rapidly blocking out the world around her and focussing on the one person who could lead her through, remembering his eyes and encouraging smile. Then the gym exploded into sound again, piercing her reverie as the door to the office slammed open and down descended Sasha.

Their eyes met as he swept down the stairs, a pile of small squares of paper and pens in one hand, a bucket swinging on the other. Payson held her chin up, stretching a small smile for him, her eyes bright and sparkling. His hands tingled as he laid down his load, quickly turning away to address the gym as a whole. But not without lending her a smile in return.

"Everybody gathered round," he boomed, gathering in the gymnasts who grumbled as they made a sharp u-turn from the apparatus they were just headed to.

"Before you begin training," Sasha explained, "I think we need to do a team-bonding exercise."

There was mixed sound of irritated grunts and surprised groans, but Sasha held up his hands for silence. He didn't care what the others thought, he had spent all morning preparing his plan, and he only needed it to work for one person.

"I think we need to appreciate each other more, "he decided, pointing to the stack of paper.

"So, I want everyone to take some paper and a pen, and then write what you admire in anyone else sitting here. I want you to see just how other people see your efforts and, although they might not say it, look up to and value each other."

Payson seemed to blush a little more as she collected her pens, sitting slightly away from the other gymnasts and she squatted and sucked the end of the pen. Something inside her told her whirling brain that he was doing this for her, trying to show her that even in this new, uncomfortable zone of gymnastics for her, she could have confidence and shine.

"When you're done one, write the person you've written about's name on the outside, fold it, and put your slip in the bucket," Sasha reminded, going round the scribbling gymnasts and collecting the papers.

He picked up the bucket, swirling round his athletes and handing them the papers addressed to them. As he walked away, he heard the delighted laughs or giggles that people's kind words brought out, smiling as he dolled two slips to a rather surprised Lauren.

"See, you're not a bitch all of the time," he heard Kaylie whisper.

But he walked past the others to the girl sitting apart, still chewing her pen. Payson knew who she wanted to write to, even though the words wouldn't manifest themselves on the page. Sasha held out a flutter of paper to her. Payson looked up as he turned away, her hands closing around the fragile little slip.

An unknown hand had scribbled her name, crabbed and uneven vowels scattered erratically amongst looped consonants. She unfolded the page.

I love how you are so determined. How you never give up.

Please don't give up on me.

Instantly, Payson's cheeks flushed. The ink seemed to seep onto the page, life-blood poured not only from the heart of another but through the sweating, scented palms, the deft fingers she knew. She looked up, across the room.

Sasha's eyes were bright, dazzled as he met her gaze. He could almost feel her slowed breath matching his as she scrawled a message down on the paper lying open in her hand, without breaking the gaze stretching between them. He gave a quick intake of breath, almost a laugh, an exhilarated sigh of relief and her smile curved, tender and comforting as she came slowly towards him.

Message clutched tightly in her hand, Payson moved across the room, the springs of the floor pounding through her legs. She opened her slip, placing it into his hand. He glanced down. Sasha gulped as he looked back into her eyes. One of his fingers stroked her still-outstretched hand as he turned quickly, walking back up the stairs. Payson slowly followed him, every step she took reverberating through her body to a heart that beat quickly as her eyes traced his form moving in front of her. He let her in, the cold metal of the handle jolting him back to the moment of trepidation where he had stood, in wait by her bedroom door. The door swung shut.

They both stood, close enough to hear each other's slow, steadying breath. Two hearts seemed to jolt and beat as one.

"Me too," whispered Sasha.

It was a reply to her message, to her heart, to the incessant whirring in her brain.

Instantly he was enveloped in a tight embrace, a shudder and a soft, feminine forehead pressed against his. Salty tears appeared in the corner of Payson's eyes, running down her cheekbones and the curves of her smiling mouth, her lips slightly jutting into his shoulder and she laid her cheek across it, moistening a small circle of his tee-shirt.

He circled his arms around Payson as he ducked his own head into the curved nape of her neck.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, squeezing her close.

His voice was barely audible, a breathe merging for a second into a rapid murmur, trembling with emotion.

"I want to make you happy Payson."

The piece of paper fluttered from his hand to the floor, forgotten. It nestled into the carpet, face-up, Payson's message displayed to the world of the office.

I loved kissing you.

it didn't turn out how i wanted but i hope it is alright :)

please review!