After their dance, which had put them both in a strange, hard-to-grasp mood, Sarah stood before Jareth. She saw an expression in his eyes that she could not read – longing, pain, hope. Her heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm.
"Sarah." His voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. Slowly, he raised his hand to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, but hesitated in the movement, as if he wasn't sure if he was allowed.

"You are beautiful."
She felt the heat in her cheeks, wanted to respond, but the words got stuck in her throat. It was as if time had stopped around her. She felt uncomfortable, almost trapped in the intimacy of the moment.
Then Jareth took a step toward her, so slowly, as if he was afraid of scaring her away. His closeness made her hold her breath, and for a tiny moment there was something she almost forgot – the mistrust, the anger, the doubts.
And suddenly he leaned towards her. Very slowly, almost hesitantly, like someone who doesn't know if he is welcome. Her eyes widen, and for a heartbeat she thought she could surrender to this moment. His closeness, the warmth, the familiar scent – it drew her to him almost irresistibly.
But just as his lips almost touched hers, a thought shot through her head like a sharp dagger: "He's done this before. He's manipulating me again!"
Sarah jerked her head back and pushed against his chest with both hands. "No!" Her voice echoed louder than she had intended, and was laced with panic.
Jareth stood there – frozen like a statue. For a moment his expression was frozen, then it changed. Pain flickered in his eyes, followed by an emptiness that Sarah could almost feel physically.
"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice trembled as she stared at him. "You think you can just invade my mind, my life again, whenever it suits you? I'm not the naive girl I was back then, Jareth!"
He took a deep breath, lowered his gaze and took a small step back. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I...I thought." His voice broke, and for a moment it seemed as if he himself had lost the words.
"What?" Sarah folded her arms in front of her chest, her posture rigid and defensive. "You thought I would just give myself to you again? Do you think I've forgotten what you did? How you tried to distract me from my brother with your games? How you tried to manipulate me?"

Jareth lifted his head, and she could see the despair in his eyes.

"No, Sarah. I don't think so. But I didn't know how else to show you how I feel. How I've always felt."

Jareth looked at her, and there was a pain in his eyes that almost drove her mad. "Besides, I didn't do it to manipulate you. Not this time."

There was silence between them for a moment, but the tension was almost tangible. Sarah didn't know what to think, only felt the chaos inside her.

His words sounded honest, vulnerable even, but she couldn't be sure if it wasn't another trick. She took an involuntary step back, and her back touched the cold wall behind her.

Jareth raised a hand to calm her down. "Please, Sarah. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to make you feel like you couldn't trust me."

"Then you should have done better!" Her words came sharply, like a whip. "You manipulated me back then, Jareth. You took advantage of my fears, my weaknesses."

He looked at her for a long time, and she saw that his demeanour had changed. The desperation inside him seemed to be crushing him like a weight. "I know," he finally whispered. "I made mistakes. Terrible mistakes."

Jareth straightened and looked Sarah straight in the face. "Sarah!" he began in a tone that, despite his hurt, contained a hint of gentleness. "I didn't try so often back then to show you how I felt about you, only for you to reject me in the end."

Sarah looked at him in astonishment before her face hardened. "What did you show me that I could have understood? I was 15, Jareth! I hadn't had anything to do with love yet."

Her words were like daggers piercing his already shattered heart. But they also had a truth that he couldn't deny. Jareth lowered his gaze, his shoulders slumping slightly, and a heavy sigh escaped him.

"I..." he began hesitantly, "I never learned how to deal with my feelings. Let alone communicate them."

His voice became brittle, and he closed his eyes briefly, as if he were fighting with himself. When he opened them again, there was a determination in them that sent a cold shiver down Sarah's spine.

"But I've changed, Sarah," he said. "I'm not the man I was back then."

"Why should I believe you?" Her voice was calmer, but no less suspicious.

He took another step toward her, this time without haste, and kept his eyes on her. "Because I have no choice but to tell you the truth. And I... I've missed you so much that I can't take it any more."

His voice almost broke at the end, and he felt his pride finally crumble. The words he'd suppressed for years were now laid out in front of her, and yet it didn't seem to make any difference. Sarah could feel the raw emotion in his words. She didn't want to believe him, couldn't – and yet, deep down inside of her, she felt something she couldn't explain.

Sarah's irritation gave way to a spark of confusion, but she held her position. She watched him suspiciously as he took a few steps toward her. Instinctively, she backed away.

Jareth dared another step, but when he saw the look in Sarah's eyes – a mixture of fear and distrust – he stopped abruptly.

"Sarah." He paused, his gaze boring into hers. "You are safe in my world. Whatever you think of me, I swear it to you. As long as you are here, I will do everything to protect you. Whether in my castle or my mother's – no one will dare to harm you."

Sarah's eyes widened at his words. It was not just the intensity with which he spoke, but also the conviction behind it. She wanted to ask him why he was so sure, why he promised her such a thing, but the words stuck in her throat.

"You can't believe me, I know," Jareth continued. "And I can't blame you."

Sarah's heart was pounding, but not just because of the Goblin King's closeness. His words, his vulnerability, all of it brought back her own memories. The fear, the confusion, the constant question of whether he was just manipulating her. She couldn't trust him – not after everything that had happened.

And yet there was something in his gaze, something she couldn't completely ignore. But was it worth the risk?

Jareth turned abruptly and took a few steps away from her, as if to protect her from his own despair. Sarah watched him, feeling the conflicting emotions raging inside her – and didn't know what to do.