Mr. Winter.

The entire day that Juliet spent at her dance studio was the hardest thing she had been through in forever. She had never danced so much or so well. She had worked as hard as she possibly could and now her dance was damn near perfect. When she got home she collapsed on her couch and left the door unlocked which was something that she very rarely did. About an hour after she got home she heard Shaun’s car pull up and then she heard his knock on the door.

“It’s open!” she called. She heard the door open and close and then he appeared at the foot of the couch.

“You never leave the door unlocked,” he stated.

“I knew I wouldn’t want to get up. I can’t feel my legs,” she laughed a little bit. “Did you lock it?”

“No.”

“Can you?” she questioned and he went back and locked the door before coming to sit at the foot of the couch. He lifted her feet and set them in his lap and proceeded to massage her feet. “You’re my hero,” she told him with a laugh.

“How was the studio?” he asked half knowing the answer already.

“Long and tiring,” she sighed.

“So my vote is with a movie so you can sit down and rest for a while. What do you think?” he suggested and she nodded with a smile. He got up and picked up a random movie and stuck it in before pushing play. She sat up to watch him and made room for him to sit next to her. He sat down and she leaned against him and he smiled at the feel of her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and held her a little tighter.

{ [: - :] }

When Shaun woke up the title screen for the movie they had been watching was playing and it was dark outside. He looked at the time on his phone, it was ten thirty. He stood up slowly being careful not to wake Juliet up. He picked her up and slowly carried her down the hall to her bedroom. He laid her down and climbed in next to her. She stayed sleeping throughout the move and curled against him as he pulled the covers up. He fell asleep again easily.

{ [: - :] }

Juliet was awake by nine thirty as usual and she had to be at the studio at noon to practice for a little bit and then get dressed and ready for her recital. She decided to let Shaun sleep for a little while longer. They’d have to leave her house by eleven forty five at the latest. She went to the kitchen quietly without waking Shaun and poured herself a bowl of cereal. He came stumbling down the hall not long after she had sat down. He sat next to her and rubbed his eyes.

“Your alarm went off and scared the hell out of me,” he said as he sat down.

“Oh I’m sorry,” she said, “I forgot it was still on.”

“It’s ok,” he shrugged. He leaned over to her and kissed her lips softly. She made him breakfast and showered while he ate. He was finished, dressed, and watching TV when she came in. She was dressed for rehearsal with her hair up in a loose ponytail, she would put it in a bun later. She had pulled sweats on over her tights and wore flip flops. She had her pointe shoes in hand as well as her cell phone and her wallet. “Ready to go?” he asked as he stood up, she nodded. He had his keys in his hands and they were out the door. Juliet was going to drive them both but he offered knowing that she would be worn out by the end of the night. They were both jittery and excited on the way to the studio. Juliet was excited to perform and a little nervous. Shaun was happy that he was able to see her recital tonight. She had spent hours explaining to him what dance meant to her and how she felt when she was dancing.

“Park around the back and we can get out faster tonight,” she told him as he pulled in the parking lot. He pulled around to the back of the building and parked and she took his hand and led him inside. “You have to meet Ashley and Lance, by the way.”

“Who are they?” he questioned while she pulled him into the studio. The rehearsal side of the studio was one big room and the performance theatre was the other side of the building. There were chairs lining the room so people could watch a rehearsal without having to sit on the floor or stand.

“Ashley and Lance are my two best friends on the planet and Lance is my dance partner for most of my recitals. Before you go all jealous on me, Lance is gay so don’t worry about him,” she laughed.

“Ok, where are they?” he smiled. Her answer was to lead him across the room to two people who were talking animatedly about something.

“Hey guys,” she smiled as they approached the two.

“Hey Julie! Are you excited? Because I’m definitely excited!” the girl who Shaun presumed to be Ashley spoke.

“Yes I’m excited and you need to take a breath or something,” Juliet laughed and he smiled simply because she did. “This is Shaun, the guy I told you about. Shaun this is Ashley and Lance,” she introduced them. He smiled at both of them and before anyone could get another word out a woman clapped her hands at the center of the room.

“I need all the dancers to start stretching. If you are here to watch please make your way to the seats around the edge of the room. I ask only that you be quiet so the dancers can hear me and or the music. Thank you. Dancers you have fifteen minutes to stretch and then we’ll start dancing,” she finished. Juliet pulled off her sweats. She put her sweats, her phone, and her wallet in a pile with Ashley and Lance’s things. Shaun kissed her and took a seat while she headed towards a group of dancers who were already seated and stretching. They practiced for around an hour before heading to wardrobe. Shaun had to go into the theatre then so he kissed her softly and wished her luck before going to find his seat. He sat in the third row close to the center.

{ [: - :] }

She waited backstage and her heart was pounding. Lance was standing next to her and they were both bouncing and just trying to stay moving. They were both adjusting their costumes, probably more than they really needed to. She was extremely nervous. She peeked out into the audience from behind the curtain. She scanned the crowd for Shaun and found him three rows back from the stage and right next to the center aisle. She took a deep breath and let the curtain fall.

“Nervous?” Lance questioned as she turned back to him and she nodded. “Don’t be, you’ll do great like you always do,” he promised.

“Thanks Lance,” she smiled. He hugged her tightly for a minute and then their names came through the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please, welcome Juliet and Lance to the stage.” Lance and Juliet were already where they needed to start and the curtains opened. As soon as the lights hit her all her nerves went away. The music came on and she danced and Shaun was mesmerized. He watched the way she moved so easily. She made dancing look as natural as breathing. He watched her muscles tense and release. Her face was so emotional. She would smile like she was seeing the sun for the first time or have the most heartbroken expression. She turned and leaped and performed better than she had in so long. When the music went off and she and Lance took their bows she cried. She got backstage and Lance hugged her and told her how wonderful she had done. She looked around backstage for Shaun and smiled when she caught his eye. He came up and hugged her tightly and then kissed her.

“You did amazing baby girl, that was unreal,” he told her. She smiled and kissed him again. She found her instructor next and thanked her and wished Ashley good luck before she led Shaun out the back door to his car. He drove to her house and she showered and made them both dinner while he showered. They ate and then went to her bedroom. They lay in the dark in each others arms. For the first time in a long time she was happy somewhere other than on stage or at the studio. She was content to just be in Shaun’s arms, to hear his breathing and know that he was hers and she was his.