I am on stage and at first, I'm alone. It's dark and I can't see anything. I call out again and again, but no one answers. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and she's there, a bright light shining in the darkness. She reaches up to wrap her arms around me and I return her embrace, pulling her close. Her scent overwhelms me as I breathe her in. It is a soft floral fragrance that reminds me of happier times – when Sammy was still alive, when Tara and I were still together. She is wearing a white dress and her hair hangs loosely over her shoulders. She moves effortlessly as I dip her back, and then lift her into the air as if she weighs no more than a feather. We dance, easily anticipating what the other is going to do next. Step, lift, spin. We are perfect. We let go of each other's hand and I quickly erase the distance between us, reaching up to hold her face in my hands. Her eyes are full of desire, much like my own.

We lean towards each other until our lips meet. My heart thumps loudly in my chest and I can feel myself tightening the hold I have on her. I kiss her slowly at first, but the more she responds – moving her body closer to mine, wrapping her arms around me – the deeper the kiss becomes. I don't want this to end. Nothing else matters. No one else exists. There's only her. It's always been her. She is everything.

I feel her melting slowly into me and I am overcome by the sudden need to protect her, to keep her safe from everything that she has been through, all that she has suffered. We reluctantly pull back and I lean my forehead against hers and close my eyes, unsure of what my next step should be.

"Christian..." The shakiness of her voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I can see she is just as anxious as I am. I don't know what to do. There are tears in her eyes and I reach up with my thumb to catch one as it rolls down her cheek.

"What's wrong Tara?" I ask no longer caring about the steps. All I care about, all I can think about, is her.

"Why did you leave me?"

Before I can answer, I am jolted awake. I call out her name, reaching for her blindly in the darkness. When I realize where I am, that it was only a dream, I glance over at the clock. 7:00am. Groaning, I lie back down and try to catch my breath. I can still smell her. I can still feel the warmth of her lips on mine. It makes me wish that she is really here next to me, to hold me, to tell me everything is going to be alright. Stop it, I scold myself, but it doesn't work. It doesn't make it any better. I roll over, trying to fall back to sleep, struggling to ignore the emptiness her absence has left behind.

After lying there for a while, I accept the fact that sleep isn't going to happen, so I slowly push back the covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed. My muscles are still sore from yesterday's classes. Who knew teaching would be so tiring? I expected it when I was at the academy, but not now. It's been four months since graduation, but it still hasn't fully sunk in. I am a teacher. Associate Instructor technically, but that doesn't mean anything to me. Titles and accolades have never mattered much in my eyes. Not at the academy and not now. All that matters is that I get to do what I love.

Yes, I love it. More than anything I've ever done before in my life. It's more than I could have asked for, more than I deserve. But what's done is done. Being a teacher, working with the kids that have been coming to class, seeing how much progress they've made, knowing that I've had a hand in it, has made me more willing to accept the opportunities I have been given. It's reassured me that this is what I am meant to do. Fair or not, deserving or not, I've been able to stop feeling sorry for myself and just be grateful for what I have. This job has given me the confidence to enjoy life and not worry about every little thing, knowing that I am making a difference, being there for kids who have nowhere else to go.

And I have friends. With the pressure of the academy gone, we've all been able to get to know each other better and realize that we actually like each other. We haven't had to force anything like we did in the past. It's a lot easier to be friends with someone when you're not competing for the same prize. We deserve that. We worked so hard and it's paid off. Now we can enjoy the freedom that all our hard work has given us. Not that there's a ton of freedom. Between me teaching in Sammy's studio, Ollie and Abigail being so busy with the company and Kat traveling between auditions to promote her movie, Ben dancing in the states and Grace going on her journey of self-discovery, we haven't really all been together since graduation. It makes the times we do see each other mean more. Not to sound cheesy, but it's true. We've all come into our own. I guess you can say we've grown up.

As I make my way into the kitchen, I flip on the light and head straight for the coffee. I can already tell that today will require a lot of caffeine. Then I fumble through the cabinets, trying to decide what to have for breakfast, trying to distract myself from the lingering remnants of my dream. They started just after our third year tour and they're always the same. They had stopped for a while but now they're back, haunting me, waking me up at all hours of the night, making it hard for me to stick to my decision.

Even though I've seen Tara since the hospital, it's always been awkward. After working everything out, coming to some sort of truce, we're right back where we started. It hasn't been easy, especially at the few get-togethers we've been able to squeeze into our crazy schedules – a dinner to celebrate graduating from the academy, a going away party for Grace and Ben. I could feel her watching me as I talked with the others, see her starting to edge over towards me. But if she ever got too close, I would always find some reason to leave. Whether it was for some appointment or because I had an early class the next day. Whatever it took to keep my distance, to keep her at arm's length.

I know I'm being stupid but I don't have a choice. If I let her back in, I know what it will lead to. It's inevitable. Fighting, heartbreak, unhappiness. I don't want to disappoint her again. The look on her face when I told her I was giving up the company, that I was choosing something different, is still burned in my brain. I can still see the pain, I can still feel her eyes on me, questioning why I was throwing everything away. It hurt to see her so sad when all I wanted was for her to be happy. I still do, which was why I've been ignoring her calls and texts. I've given in before and we still weren't able to figure out a way to be together. We had still ended it because going back and forth between dating and not dating got tiring after a while. I had hated it and I could only imagine how hard it had been for her. And with all that she's going through now, her injury and rehab, not being able to dance in the company, she doesn't need any extra stress in her life.

I take a granola bar from the cabinet and throw it in my bag. Then I fill a to-go mug with coffee. Even though class isn't until 10, I like to get there early to warm up and run through my schedule for the day. It helps me prepare and gets me into the right frame of mind. And as much as I love teaching, I don't get to dance as much as I used to, so I try to sneak it in when I can either before or after classes.

Grabbing my stuff, I head for the door. Before I get there, I trip and almost go flying. Once I regain my balance, I look down to see Ollie's bag lying in the middle of the floor. I can only roll my eyes and sigh. He is hopeless. No matter how many conversations and near-death experiences there have been over the last few months, it hasn't seemed to have any impact. Whether it's because he was too tired after a late-night rehearsal or he meant to move it and forgot. He always has an excuse for everything, leaving me to clean up after him. If only I had known what I was getting myself into. Not that it would have made a difference because even between the two of us, it hasn't exactly been easy street. Dance instructor and corps de ballet aren't exactly high-paying jobs and we haven't wanted to take advantage of his parents' generosity too much. They've already helped us out more than necessary. And with our different schedules, we can go days without even seeing each other. We seem to communicate more through texts than anything else.

Kicking his bag aside, I walk out the door and head for the studio. The sun is just coming up over the building. It's been raining for the last few days and it feels good to see the sun again. I don't have a long walk but it's long enough to let my thoughts wander back to Tara. It's been a few weeks since the last time I saw her but it's not a day I will easily forget…

I had a meeting with Zach. I walked up the stairs to his office, the one that used to belong to Miss Raine, and as I turned the corner, I heard a laugh I would recognize anywhere. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. I couldn't breathe. What was she doing here? Why was she in Zach's office? I stopped short of the door, trying to compose myself. Taking a deep breath, I walked in, hesitating until he saw me.

"Christian! I'm so glad you could make it! Come on in and have a seat. Tara and I were just catching up." Zach greeted me warmly, extending his hand which I shook firmly. He was in a good mood, even more so than usual. What was he up to? I looked warily over at Tara and she gave me a nervous smile as I sat down next to her, putting my bag on the floor. It had been a while since I'd been in this room. Working with Zach every day meant I usually didn't need to make appointments to see to him. I could just do it at the studio without any of the formalities. Besides, my memories of this office weren't the best. Between being dragged in here to talk about my poor class performance as a student and when I had come back late at the beginning of third year, it wasn't exactly my favorite place to be.

As much of a home as Sammy's studio was, this place was the opposite. It reminded me of how scattered I had been, how unsure I was about my future. I never felt like I had belonged at the academy, an outsider with no hope of fitting in. Still, I was grateful, especially when I had almost ruined everything by not coming back after Sammy died. Why they had let me come back, I had no idea. I guessed that Zach had a lot to do with it. He never knew when to quit. But where would I be if he had? I didn't want to think about it.

"So, let's get right to it. You're probably wondering why I asked you both to come here today. Sammy's studio has been very popular the last couple of months. With such a high demand for classes, it's been getting harder for me to balance everything between my commitment here and there and keep my family happy. That's why I've come up with a solution. Tara." He smiled widely, arms crossed over his chest.

"What about Tara?" I snapped before I could stop myself. I cringed a little because I hadn't meant to sound so rude. I looked over at her and she was just as confused as I was. I guess catching up hadn't included telling her the reason she was here. What did he think he was doing? Surely he didn't mean for her to teach? With me? How could he expect me to work with her? He knew how complicated things were between us! Did he think he was helping? That putting us together would somehow solve everything?

"She can teach in the studio," he said in an obvious tone, like I hadn't already figured it out. "A couple of classes to start, which would give me a little more free time. Unfortunately teaching at the academy isn't an option right now because of the tight budget but because Sammy's studio is funded through donations, there's a little more wiggle room. It wouldn't be much, but it's something. You'd still need to interview formally with the board, but it's more of a technicality than anything else. I've already sung your praises to them and they seem very keen on letting you teach if you want to."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Technicality? The board had made me jump through hoops to get this job! It hadn't been easy. It took them ages to even consider me! At least it felt like ages. But maybe that's because I had wanted it so badly. But to let her just waltz right in as if it were the easiest thing in the world? They should at least make her work for it a little.

Not that I didn't think she would be a good teacher. I knew she would be. That wasn't why I was so upset. I was upset because of what Zach was doing. I was trying to avoid her, give her space. Zach knew this! He knew about my decision and he was still butting in where he didn't belong. Not that I was surprised. I looked over at Tara and I knew she was processing everything Zach had just told her. I was torn. I didn't want to stand in her way, but seeing her every day, being that close to her… I wasn't strong enough to handle that. It had been hard enough not to call and text her before, but working with her would make it almost impossible.

"Oh my gosh really? That would be amazing!" Her eyes were bright and a smile spread wide across her face. "I would have to look at my rehab schedule but I'm sure I can work something out. When can I meet with the board?"

"How does next week sound?"

"Sounds great!" She chirped. I held back a groan. Of course she would want to. Any way she could be involved in dancing. Not that I could blame her. She was probably dying to dance again! We were sitting close enough that I could feel her excitement. It was practically radiating off of her.

"What do you think Christian?" Zach's voice was hopeful and Tara looked at me expectantly. What? Why was it up to me? Why did I have any say? Shouldn't it be up to the board? Didn't they have the final word? Besides, it wasn't like I could say no! Not with both of them looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes. I shot Zach a quick death glare, hoping to let him know that I knew exactly what he was doing.

"I suppose we could find some use for her," I drawled sarcastically, smirking as I looked over at Tara. "As long as she's up to the challenge." I waited for her to roll her eyes and laugh, to react the way she always did when I teased her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Her irritated tone made my heart start to beat nervously in my chest. Uh-oh. This wasn't good.

"Well, with your back and all, we'd want to make sure you can handle such a grueling schedule. We wouldn't want you to feel overworked," I said gently, trying to explain myself better.

"Overworked? Really Christian? I know all about hard work! In case you forgot, I've broken my back twice! I've worked harder than you can possibly imagine! You can't honestly think that I wouldn't be able to handle this job! If you can do it, I certainly can!"

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" I shot back, offended by her high and mighty attitude.

"Okay guys, maybe we should-" Zach tried to cut in but she cut him off quickly.

"It means that you don't know the first thing about what I've been through since I started my rehab!" She cried, standing up quickly. "You haven't cared enough to even pick up the phone and talk to me! You've ignored all my calls and texts! I've tried to stay in touch! I've tried to apologize for kicking you out of my room at the hospital and you just pushed me aside! I thought we were friends Christian! Friends don't ignore each other! Friends don't treat each other this way!"

"Tara-"

"What Zach? What do you have to say that is going to make any of this okay? Don't you dare defend him! I don't care if he is your star instructor! Nothing has changed! He still has no idea what he wants!" She paused, letting her accusations hang in the air, her eyes boring in to mine.

After a few more moments, she added, "You know what Zach? I'm in! Tell the board I want the job and text me the details. I have to go. I have rehab. Wouldn't want anyone to question whether or not I was up to it!"

She grabbed her bag and pushed past me, not waiting for me to move out of the way. When she reached the door, she spun around and met me with an intense gaze. "Enjoy being the star while you can Christian, but I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. I'll see you soon." And with that, she swept out of Zach's office, leaving both of us speechless.

What just happened? I was just joking around and she had thrown down the gauntlet! Who was this person? I didn't know her. The Tara I knew would never act this way! Sure she had her moments but none of them compared to this! Zach and I sat there for a while, an awkward silence settling between us. I stared down at the floor but I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for me to say something.

"What was that all about? Can you believe her?" I scoffed, pretending not to care about what she had just said. I didn't want Zach to see how hard Tara's words had hit home. She had always been able to see right through me. And she was right. Even though I loved my job, I was still searching for that missing piece. How could she tell? What had given it away? I had barely said a word to her! It wasn't fair.

"Her? What about you?" Zach's sharp tone made me look up at him. "All she wanted was your approval and you made her feel so stupid! She knows how important this job is to you! She would never want to take that away. She just wants to spend some time with you! Do you honestly think she won't be a good teacher? She's probably the only person who would be able to work with you. I thought you would make a good team! You know each other so well that it just makes sense."

"A good team? Really? That's not what this is about Zach! Don't think I don't know what you're doing! Swooping in, trying to fix everything! Super Zach to the rescue! I'm fine! I don't need your help with Tara! I know what I'm doing! And it was just a joke! I was only teasing! I didn't know she would take it so personally-"

"How did you expect her to take it Christian? How could you make fun of her like that? After everything she's gone through? She deserves your support, your help. This job could be so good for her, build up her confidence, help her get back to where she was before she fell. She's really hurting Christian! You would know that if you ever bothered to pick up the phone! She needs you!"

He stopped to take a breath, running his fingers through his hair. I could tell how uncomfortable he was. He hated laying down the law. It took a lot for Zach to get angry. He was usually so calm and easy going. Slow to judge. I guess this wasn't one of those times. He had obviously already made up his mind and no one was going to sway him. Besides, he was right as usual. I had laughed at her when all she wanted was my approval! But hadn't she done the same thing? She had made me feel so guilty for turning down the company when all I had wanted to do was teach! And now she was trying to get in on the action!

"Look, why don't you get to the studio before classes start. Just think it over, yeah? I'll be down later. I have a couple of phone calls to make." I knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore. He had said everything he had needed to say. And I certainly didn't want to hear anymore. Unable to come up with a clever retort, I simply nodded my head, grabbed my bag and made my way out of his office…

Walking to the studio now, I remember the regret I felt after leaving Zach's office that day. How could I have been so mean? Why had I made fun of Tara when all she needed was a friend? I should have been more supportive. I should have been able to put aside my ego and just be happy for her. I should have told her that she'd be a great teacher, that I wanted to help any way I could. I have tried so many times since then to call and tell her that, to apologize for the way I acted but it hasn't worked. This time she's been the one to ignore me.

As I walk into the studio, I stop short. She is here. My heart races and my palms start to sweat. She's standing in front of Sammy's picture on the wall, lost in thought. She smiles sadly and any uncertainty I am feeling evaporates instantly. She's really here! It's all I can do to not rush over to her and put my arms around her. She's wearing black leggings and a white jumper and her hair hangs loosely in a way that brings back memories of my dream from this morning. She heads over to the barre, pushes a button on the remote she's holding and settles into first position. I stand in the doorway watching her, holding my breath as she beings her routine. Tendu, plié, relevé. So simple and yet so beautiful. She is beautiful.

I walk up behind her, trying to find the right thing to say, something that will tell her how sorry I am for being such a jerk, that I'm glad she's here. When it comes to me, I can't help smiling.

"You're rolling forward on your right foot."

She turns around, and arches her eyebrows, a crooked smile spreading slowly across her face. "Oh really?" She asks sarcastically. "Well maybe the star instructor should show me how it's done!"

She grabs my hand and pulls me closer. The warmth of her touch sends shivers down my spine and I can barely breathe. Suddenly, my dream comes into sharp focus. Everything falls into place and I finally realize what I've been missing. How could I have been so blind? She's been right in front of me all along.

Unable to stop myself, I reach up to hold her face in my hands. I know what I want.

"Christian, what are you doing?" She asks nervously, her voice cracking, her eyes wide with uncertainty.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." Then I lean in and kiss her.