Tara

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. He said it! And she knew he meant it. They had been strangers for so long that even though she wanted him to say it, it still came as a shock. Until recently, their only interactions had been out of necessity, never really being comfortable with each other, never sure what to say or do when the other was around.

He had played it cool, but she wasn't blind. She knew he was sorry for what had happened. She saw it in his eyes, in the way his shoulders would slump ever so slightly when he was around her. She had tried to be mad at him – and she was – but he was going through so much and she couldn't help forgiving him. And if he was happy with Kat, then that was all that mattered. His happiness was all she had ever cared about.

But here he was. He had come back to her. Despite all the drama, never seeing eye to eye on anything, her meddling and his short temper, they were here. Face to face. It made her heart race faster and she couldn't help but smile. He loved her! He loved her and she loved him and all she wanted to do was stay with him forever! To freeze this magic moment and never let him go!

Unable to hold back any longer, she leaned up to kiss him. His lips were warm, meeting hers with an eagerness that overwhelmed every part of her. After waiting so long for this, it was everything she hoped it would be! She loved how he held her, how special he made her feel. And she loved him. More than she thought it was possible to love anyone. She wrapped her arms low around his waist, inching herself closer to him, hoping it would be enough to let him know that she felt the same way he did. She hadn't actually said it like he had, but she wanted to show him. There would be plenty of time for talking later, but now all she wanted was this.

When they finally pulled back, they were both breathing heavily.

"What was that for?" He asked, repeating her question from earlier in an exaggerated tone. She knew he was teasing her so she decided to play along and tease him right back.

"I'm sorry, did you not want me to kiss you? Could've fooled me," she replied sarcastically.

"Who's being mean now Training Bra?"

"Just trying to keep up with you Christian! Don't dish it if you can't take it!"

And with that, she reached up and tickled him under his arms, causing him to let her go. She took advantage of his delayed reaction, running down the empty walkway with her arms in the air, celebrating her victory, laughing loudly as he raced to catch up to her.

"You think you're so clever don't you?" He yelled as he edged closer. "You know Tara, I'm going to catch you and when I do, it's not going to be pretty!" He was trying to sound intimidating, but she knew it was all for show. She could see right through him and knew he was playing the same game she was.

"I'll believe that when I see it!" She shot back playfully, adrenaline coursing through her body. It was exhilarating to feel so alive again after all the sadness of the past week. She was having too much fun to let him win just yet, so she kept running down the sidewalk.

When she decided he was far enough behind her, she stopped and clung to the railing, giving herself a few moments to catch her breath. As she admired the view of the harbor, the moon reflecting off the water and the lights glowing against the dark night, she couldn't help but think of Sammy. He had been her light in the darkness. When everything had been crashing down around her, he had remained constant. He had given her the courage to believe in herself again, to not give up, to fight for what she wanted. If it wasn't for him, she would probably still be back at the farm, her dream of being a professional dancer dashed for good.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, jolting her back to reality. She jumped and cried out in surprise, only to find Christian behind her. She was so lost in thought, that she hadn't heard him sneak up on her.

"Christian! You scared me!" Panting loudly, her hand clutching her chest.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Hey, are you okay?" He asked, reaching down to hold her hand, his voice full of concern. It made her heart melt, spreading goosebumps across her skin.

"Yeah… just thinking…"

"About?"

"Sammy… how much he would have loved this view. How he always saw the beauty in everything and never worried about any of the bad stuff. How much he loved dancing and his friends. He deserves to be here. Why isn't he here? It doesn't make any sense. What did he do wrong? How is it fair that he's gone? He had so much to offer and now he'll never get the chance to show it. It's not fair!"

She couldn't stop the tears from falling yet again. She stood there as Christian tried to pull her into a hug, but she pulled back, not wanting him to feel sorry for her. She didn't want his pity. She knew he felt the same way about Sammy, but she had already cried so much tonight that she didn't want him to have to clean up her mess.

"Let me go Christian! Leave me alone!" She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and started walking away from the opera house and towards the boarding house. She was so embarrassed! Why was she crying again? Weren't they just having fun? Wasn't she just laughing and teasing him without a care in the world? How had her mood changed so quickly? She wanted him to think she was strong! Not a weak little girl who couldn't control her emotions! Hadn't she cried enough tonight? Between the Red Shoes and being with Christian, hearing him tell her he loved her, she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go back to her room and sleep.

"Tara wait!" She could here him shouting out her name. "Stop Tara! Please!" She was struck by a strong sense of déjà vu, except this time, he was the one chasing her. She wanted to be strong enough to ignore him, to keep walking, but she wasn't. She couldn't help waiting for him. After all, he had stopped for her and it had made all the difference.

"What do you want Christian?" She couldn't hide her frustration as she spun around to face him.

"You know what I want," he replied gently.

"Do I?" She asked, unsure of where he was going with this…

"You should. I thought I made it quite obvious." He smirked again and pulled her into his arms, holding her closer and tighter than he had before, looking deep into her eyes as if he had some hidden secret he was willing her to understand.

She could feel her eyes widen and her cheeks flush as she realized what he meant. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was? How dare he make such an assumption? They had just started talking again! This thing they had started was brand new! And he just expected her to go along with it? This was crazy! Not that she hadn't thought about it. Of course she had. Especially now that he had told her he loved her. How could she not? She wasn't a child.

"What Tara? Don't tell me you haven't thought about it?" How could he read her mind so easily? Know exactly what she was thinking as if she were saying it out loud?

"Christian… I… that's not the point!" She was trying to stay calm but he wasn't making it easy. "And since when do you say quite? The whole two years I've known you, I've never heard you say quite before!" She exclaimed, hoping to change the subject quickly. She wanted to go back to the joking and teasing. The way the conversation was going was making her uncomfortable.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Training Bra!" He teased, taking the bait. Thank goodness! She was relieved even though she knew she couldn't avoid the subject forever.

"Oh really? Like what?" She asked doubtfully, wanting to keep him distracted.

He reached up and pushed her hair behind her shoulder, his hand brushing against her skin. It sent shivers down her spine.

"I hate peas." He said with mock seriousness.

She raised her eyebrows in disbelief at his ridiculous confession. She definitely hadn't expected him to say that! It made her laugh. He laughed too, like he knew he had said the right thing to lighten her mood. And he had.

"So is that it? Any other weird and obscure things I should know about?"

"Well I don't know about obscure or weird but there is something else, although you may have heard it before."

"Yeah? What's that?" Her nerves were getting the better of her, but she fought it because she wanted so desperately to hear what he was going to say. She had a feeling that it was going to be a little more substantial than his vegetable preferences.

"I love you Tara and I want to be with you."

Again, her breath caught in her throat. He had said it twice now and she knew he was waiting for her to respond. His sincerity pulled at her heart. She knew now she was ready to say it, and she wanted him to feel secure in the fact that she felt the same way he did. So, taking a deep breath in, she lifted up her hand, placing it gently on his cheek and prepared herself to say what she had wanted to say for so long.

"I know Christian. I love you too."