Before their lips could connect the audience erupted with cheers and applause which brought Shane and Oliver out of their little world. Oliver brought Shane back upright and they smiled, took their bows and walked off the floor. As they neared the stage door, Oliver pulled Shane close to him.
"You truly amaze me."
Shane looked at him quizzically.
"To go through everything we have been through. To still be standing by my side as a friend back then and now, well… I'm just glad you're willing to do things I like and thank you for being so patient with me to reciprocate everything."
The stage door burst open.
"You guys! That was so amazing!" Rita exclaimed.
"Miss! You're not allowed to be back here!" The stage manager came running up behind her with Norman and Ramon right behind. "You can be outside the door, but not backstage."
Rita apologized while moving out into the hallway and stood next to her boyfriend and friend.
"You two okay?" The stage manager asked.
"Yes, thank you. Those are our friends and instructor."
The stage manager nodded, went out and closed the door.
"May I interest you in a drink at the Mailbox Grille afterwards, Ms. McInerney?"
Not wanting to keep their friends waiting, Shane smiled brightly, nodded and led the way out of the stage door.
Hugs and congratulations on a job well done were given. Rita, Norman and Ramon went back to the ballroom as Oliver and Shane walked into the large room with the other contestants that had gone before them. Without much of a chance to look around the couples started clapping.
"That dance was magical." One contestant said.
"That was one of the best dances I've ever seen." Another said.
"We couldn't take our eyes off of you!" A couple said.
Shane took Oliver's hand and smiled as they found two seats and saw how everyone had seen the dances. A big TV in the front of the room seemed to have most people's attention. The contestants that went on before Shane and Oliver were seated next to them.
"That was one of the most beautiful dances that my husband and I have seen in a very long time."
"How long have you been dancing?" Shane asked.
"Oh, about 12 years, hoping to become professionals to open our own studio. How about you two?" The husband asked.
"Not very long, we never imagined we'd go farther than the student showcase. We just like dancing. Together." Oliver said leaning around Shane.
"It shows." The husband said. "You might blow us all out of the water with that dance!"
"Thank you." Shane and Oliver said together.
The last six couples danced and filed into the waiting room.
Oliver whispered to Shane, "Whatever happens tonight, I love dancing with you. I don't need judges or others telling us how we did. Competition is for-"
"Are you jumping, Oliver?" Shane interrupted.
"Only if you want to." He smiled and kissed her hand.
She looked and him and couldn't believe what he was saying. All their hard work they poured into this dance, but they were a team. "Then let's go." Shane stood up.
Oliver stood up and started walking towards the door.
The stage manager stepped into the doorway and thanked everyone for participating. "The couples I do not call, please go into the ballroom, numbers five and six, 23 and 24, 31 and 32 and… 47 and 48."
"Congratulations you guys!" The husband and wife couple said as they came up behind them.
"You too!" Shane said. She turned to Oliver and whispered. "To jump or not to jump, that is the question."
"I suppose it would be rude to jump ship now, I guess our life raft came for us, Ms. McInerney."
Shane laughed.
The four couples were led to the stage door once again, and told to enter the dance floor one at a time, once the judges announced their names. After all the dance couples had entered onto the dance floor, Oliver reached for Shane's hand. She smiled as she felt him lace his fingers with hers.
"Thank you to all the couples who participated in this evenings dance competition." The head judge looked around the room at the other couples. "This was a difficult decision, as all couples were truly amazing, a real testament to your instructors and to your own determination to practice and compete." The other three judges gathered the few papers the head judge needed and handed them to her.
"Third place is a tie between numbers five and six and…" She took her time to say the other couple who was involved in the tie.
Shane squeezed Oliver's hand. Oliver lightly squeezed back as he smiled. He guessed she cared about this more than she led on about, and was glad that they didn't leave.
"The other couple is numbers thirty one and thirty two."
The crowd cheered for the two third place winners. Shane and Oliver looked at each other and couldn't believe they were in the top two.
"Settle down please. Settle down." A sudden hush came over the crowd. "Now, second place was a difficult decision as it was a very close choice. This couple was so breathtaking that we all agreed that no one this evening danced in their own world as much as the two of you did. To see such disregard to the competition, but such passion for each other, the music and the dance, reminded us why we all love to dance with the right partner. We hope to see you in more competitions, numbers twenty three and twenty four!"
Shane and Oliver hugged as the ballroom erupted with cheers and applause. The husband and wife team that won first place congratulated them and Shane and Oliver gave their congratulations to them and the two teams that won third place.
Ramon treated the Postables to coffee and dessert at the Mailbox Grille to celebrate. Rita and Norman talked about the way the dance looked and how everyone in the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"I told you I shouldn't have held on to that pin." Norman said to Rita.
"But Norman, if Shane or Oliver needed it, there it was, in your pocket."
They all laughed.
"Ovilear and the lovely Shane, you danced beautifully this evening. I thank you for choosing me to be your instructor again and for working with all of our hectic schedules. I must, unfortunately leave. Senorita Rita." He kissed her hand. "Normando." He held out his hand as Norman looked at it and shook it. Just as he did before Norman wiped his hand on his sweater after Ramon left.
"What is with that guy? I feel like I'm shaking a bottle of hand cream that's exploded."
They all laughed again. Rita looked at the time.
"Oh, Norman, we should get going too."
"We're doing more touristy things tomorrow and going antiquing." He told Oliver and Shane.
"Have fun you two!" Shane said as Oliver waved.
"Thanks! Congratulations again!" Rita yelled from halfway across their favorite place.
Once Rita and Norman were out of sight, Oliver turned more towards Shane, he smiled.
"What?" Shane asked as she matched his smile.
"We make a great team."
She searched his eyes. "Team, as in dancing?" Her smiled widened.
Oliver smiled brighter, looked around, and took her hand under the table in-between them, as he didn't want their other colleagues to be gossiping about them. "In dancing, yes." He looked at their fingers intertwining.
"Oliver." She whispered knowing he meant more. She sighed when he didn't continue. "I told you a long time ago that we make a good team, I never gave up on that." When he looked at her funny, she corrected herself. "Well, except when Holly came back."
Oliver laughed. "I suspect Ms. McInerney, that even then you held tight to the last string of hope that our "team" would still be "good". That is why my favorite letter opener is still at your house."
Shane scoffed, but couldn't deny it. Oliver smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Shall we go?"
Shane looked around and realized if they stayed any longer their private booth conversation would end up being the hot topic around the water cooler on Monday.
Oliver drove Shane home and helped her bring her garment bag up to her door. Shane fumbled with her keys, dropped them and bent down to get them. She met Oliver's hand on her keys and her eyes with his eyes. The two stood up together not losing eye contact. She realized how close they were standing.
Oliver smiled, let go of her keys and took a small step backwards. Shane turned to open the door disappointed with the loss of his closeness. She took her bag from him and put it on the closest chair in her home. Oliver had moved near the porch swing. Shane walked over and stood next to him.
They stood in silence for a moment, looking at the stars. Shane cleared her throat. "You know, our dance should've won first place, perhaps if you weren't talking, we would have."
He looked at her in disbelief. She smiled which then turned into a laugh. He gave in and laughed too.
"I will admit I was a bit nervous at first, it was not like the student showcase."
"A bit? Oliver! Both times I had to lead."
He chuckled. "Yes, thank you. The music and something Ramon said when we were at Montaldo's, which then he reminded me before we danced, finally made sense." He turned to sit on the swing. She followed and he put his arm behind her.
"That still doesn't answer why you needed to talk right then."
He turned more towards her. "I like dancing with you. I like to be able to dance, with you." He could see she didn't understand. He explained what Ramon had said about 'Dance is like love'. He stopped knowing how that sounded and didn't want to say something he felt but wasn't ready to tell her. Oliver looked at her, she knew what he meant.
She rested her hand on his chest. "It's ok. We are still figuring out dating, no need to say anything like that yet."
"Thank you." He felt relieved.
"I can't believe I am saying this, but I think Ramon is right. I think dance is like love too." Shane smiled at him, and with that returned his feelings.
They sat in the swing and lightly talked about the day and winning second place and the probability they'd never dance in competition again. Shane yawned.
"Oh my goodness, it's after two a.m."
"Wow, it is." She said stifling another yawn.
Oliver walked Shane the short distance to her door.
"Well, goodnight Shane."
Her knees wobbled a bit at the tone he used to say her name, and Oliver put his arms around her to steady her. The close proximity reminded Shane of their first kiss, and felt the anticipation of a second one.
"Goodnight, Mr. O'Toole."
Oliver smiled slightly. He too felt the anticipation. He knew he needed to lead in every way. Not wanting to break the closeness they currently shared, Oliver whispered to her.
"We never properly finished our dance."
Shane smiled. Oliver moved his hand waiting for hers as his other hand moved around her waist.
He started humming Billy Joel.
Shane giggled as they danced haphazardly around her porch.
As they reached the end of their dance, smiles faded and dancing became more steadfast.
Oliver dipped Shane in the final dip of their dance, and stopped humming. "And you can have this heart to break." He brought her back upright slowly. They stood there, impossibly close, hearing each other breathe, and their eyes never leaving each others.
Shane felt her heart beat faster; she waited for what seemed like an eternity to feel his lips on hers again.
Oliver leaned in and Shane closed her eyes.
Shane's alarm clock went off. While she would've been mad at other times for the alarm waking her up, she knew reality was better than her dreams.