Shaky legs take me down the hallway as I follow a lady in a suit that's leading me to the backstage. Mentally, I'm still in the main event hall, and Annabelle along with the rest of the crew is bowing, smiling widely, pleased with the booming applause the audience is rewarding her with. My hands still sting from the clapping. During the applause, I didn' even notice my hands were beginning to ache, there was so much adrenaline, pride, and astonishment coursing through my veins,

The lady stops an smiles at me beamingly. "Who are you looking for, sir?"

That's none of your damn business.

"Do you need to know that?" She should just take me backstage and I'll find my way around it.

She is a bit disoriented by the question, but nonetheless, she quickly smiles again. "The dancers are in separate rooms, sir. It would help to know who we are looking for."

Ugh, fine.

I guess it is her business.

"Annabelle Lois Taylor." Now take me to her!

The lady nods and thinks for a moment, probably trying to remember where we need to go. "Mhm..." She looks at me brightly and shows the way. "Down here."

At first tracking the room down was exciting, now it's taking a different turn. It's like I'm on a dangerous adventure and I don't know if I'm gonna get to the Holy Grail or Smaug. But I actually do know what awaits me, and that is just making it worse.

Shit, why didn't I bring her anything? Like a box of chocolates or something of the sort. It's common practice to bring something to the performer, like Parker and Harry from the first Spiderman movies bought Mary Jane flowers. Why do I only think of these things when it's too late?

My lungs are weighed down by anxiety. What do I even tell her besides giving her the praise? She was out of the world on the stage, and despite knowing her somehow well, I'm getting nervous about seeing her right now.

I want to see her anyway because she's Annabelle, but now after seeing her performance and how angelic she was, I need to see her.

I want to see her more than anything. If someone were here to tell me to fuck off home and forbade me from talking to her, I'd knock out his teeth. I just want to be around her, be in her presence.

I just want to tell her how much I liked the show, and primarily, and of utmost importance, that she wad terrific.

The noise in the hallway gets louder as we're nearing the occupied rooms. I freeze completely when one of the doors opens and a dancer, or two, chatting casually are dressed only in white lingerie and white tights.

Damn!

They don't mind me at all, even though I'm behaving like a fifteen-year-old that bought the first Playboy magazine. I guess they are used to being around people in tights and underwear. Still, I'm the one reacting ridiculously. I've seen many women naked before, how is this any different!

Busy glancing back at the dancers, I barely notice when the lady in the suit distances from me and knocks on one of the doors. All of a sudden my stomach decides to learn how to do a knot in pantomime, and I get a huge stomachache from it.

She peeks in the room and announces with a bright tone: "Taylor? You have a visitor."

"Oh, great!"

When I hear Annabelle's voice I get slight vertigo, and despite it being only slight, I'm worried I'll get through that door by crawling on my knees.

There are two things going through my mind when the lady shows me to the door and lets me in.

One is Nathan! You will see her!

And the second one: I need a bucket.

I get a look inside the room and I find her still wearing the dress she wore on the stage. It's needless to say that my heart flutters funkiliciously.

"Nathan?!" She exclaims genuinely happy and surprised when she sees me. She runs from across the room, jumping over the things lying on the ground. She looks exactly like when she was jumping on the stage.

At her response, I can't help but smile. Also, a huge rock rolls off my chest when I see how happy she is that I'm here.

When she jumps for the last time, she lands right in my arms, and as I catch her I get so playful and excited about seeing her that I spin her around, while burying my nose against her neck. She smells so like her, so tranquilising and calming.

"You came!" She squeals and keeps on hugging me after she's done giggling during the spin.

I set her down and I skip a beat when I see her peering up happily. "Of course, I came. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," she says. "You were in a weird mood the past few days. That's not important now, tell me, how did you like ballet, Mr. Engineer?"

I chuckle, but not as lightheartedly as one would expect. Disregarding the drums my heart is playing in my ribcage, I humour her a bit: "I was quite impressed with the difficulty to determine the yield, the point of maximum elasticity deformation of the dancers. Especially satisfying was the wavelength between the changes of potential energy on the seemingly non-gravitational field. The spatial periods between periodic waves were identical and I didn't note any possible variables. It'd be interesting to see what we could gather from the point of kinematics, especially because we're dealing with a group of objects, or a system of bodies if you will."

Annabelle glares at me distrustfully and unsure how to react to that, and it's amusing to see how she runs over her teeth with her tongue behind the closed mouth in confusion. It's especially entertaining 'cause I know damn well how much she loathes anything that is explicitly or implicitly connected to math, physics, and chemistry.

I can't keep a smile from my face, and because of that her confusion is gradually turning into a pout. "That means I liked it."

"Did you now! The system of bodies, or whatever!" She chuckles against her best intentions to remain serious.

My smile fades a little, but only because the memory of her performance and her on that stage is brought in front of my eyes again.

I finally get to hold her hand after wishing to do that for most of the performance. I don't care how weird it may look to her or anyone else, but I run my thumb over her knuckles and just start smiling like some madman. "No, I-uhm... I really liked the performance. Especially you." I look into her eyes because up until now all I could do was look at her hand that I'm holding in my palms. Even when I look at her and she's still wearing the white and glittery makeup that makes her look beautifully unearthly, I still see the Annabelle that I know, and I see that she wears a mixture of a shy and bubbly smile. "You were... I don't know. You were everything on that stage."

Annabelle smiles widely, but still acts modest. "If you liked it, then there really is something to it." She breaks the act soon, but continues to smile honestly and brightly.

"Trust me, I was stunned by it. This accounts for celebration." I grin. Maybe I didn't bring her flowers, but I can at least take her out for a glass of champagne, or even better, dinner. I would make up for not coming here bearing gifts, wouldn't I? And I'd get to spend time with her, which is exactly what I want right now - to be around her.

"What are you saying?"

"As much as I'd like to magically pull a bottle of champagne out of my ass, unfortunately, I can't. But I can take you out for dinner." Wow, aren't I romantic?

Annabelle's lips pull into a wide grin, and she even blushes a little. How could she not? I am pretty irresistible when I want to be. "That would be great. Much better than the champagne pulled from your ass."

She visibly relaxes her shoulders, like the burden of the world fell off her arms, then she jumps to hug me again.

It's just so... damn adorable that she has to jump to hug me...

"I can't tell you how glad I am that you came!" She whispers and continues to squeeze me, which I don't mind in the latest. Suddenly she pulls away and holds me at arm's length. "Wait! Did it put you in a better mood?"

A little stunned, flattered, and embarrassed I smile at the ground.

Jeez, if she only knew the only reason I was in the bad mood was her going on a date. Just look how worried she is, was I really that awful towards her? I mean, I did go completely mental by hiding in the bathroom, choking on coffee, and literally telling her out of spite to go on a date and leave me alone. Yeah, that was quite a Freudian slip there. And despite me being so blunt and... well, mental, she got me this invitation and tried her best to cheer me up.

"It did." I smile, but saving the display of my teeth for what I say next: "All the 78 circles you made did."

She smiles poutily at me, and nods slowly at that. "So, you did pay attention to the performance then!"

I chuckle goofily, and I tilt my head to the side a bit. "Trust me, I did pay attention. It was impossible not to with you on the stage."

Annabelle slightly tilts her head, but because her hair is braided into a crown, every move looks more apparent and obvious. Nonetheless, she is stunning.

"Maybe I should invite you to ballets more often." On the contrary to the belief this is playful, she just looks up from the side, and gives my hands a gentle squeeze.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind.

"And I'll come to each one of them." I smile lightly, trying to store the way she's looking at me right now in my memory so I'll be able to recall it later. It's something I don't want to forget, just like I won't forget one night of the summer vacation Patty and I took.

I could just kiss her right now.

Wouldn't it be romantic, though? We're holding hands like we're two romantic heroes on the run, and she looks like she escaped from a fairytale as well.

As I see her before me like that, and what I know about her merges with what I've seen today, I am contemplating whether I should lean in and give her a kiss or not.

I'm just here to congratulate her. People kiss when they congratulate someone. It's a normal thing!

Nate, I doubt they use tongue.

Ugh, I just really want to do it. It's nice to have her so close to me, and to hold her hands, feel the softness and smoothness of her feminine hands, but... I want to kiss her really bad!

I honestly doubt she'd mind it. If she will, she'll tell me about it. I'll leave the place feeling sorry for myself and pissed as hell, but you know, life sucks.

I lift one of my hands and gently graze the outline of her face with my knuckles.

Her face expression relaxes momentarily, and as I begin to lean to her, she leans up to me as well.

Just as I feel the heat radiating off her on my skin and just as I close my eyes to kiss her, Annabelle kind of frightened squeals: "Mum! Dad!"

I automatically steer the other way with the kiss, but somehow there still is a contact between her cheek and my lips. Basically I kiss her on the cheek.

Well, you wanted to congratulate her!

I quickly step aside, with my heart pounding so bad, I could swear I can see it through my chest, like I'm a cartoon character.

"Annie, honey!" The old lady, obviously Annabelle's mother, exclaims. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you have company!"

I look up like a frightened bunny, a look that doesn't really suit me, and what I see is the peering gaze of her father.

Fuck me three days through Sunday.

"Uh, no, it's fine. He was just congratulating me." Annabelle smiles and hugs her mum first, then her dad that finally stops glaring at me once he hugs his daughter.

Her mum is busy congratulating her, telling her how amazing she was, which is quite an understatement, while I'm here contemplating my shame.

One does not simply... kiss a girl in front of her father!

Her father hugs her tightly and when he looks at her, it shows he has nothing but love for her. He's proud of her as someone should be when your daughter is the star of the evening and has worked hard to get to this point.

"I'm really proud of you, Annie," he says when he lets go of her.

"Thanks, dad," she smiles widely and in a way only a daughter can smile to her dad. May has the exact same smile. Annabelle steps aside, looks at me a bit concerned and uncomfortable, and says: "Would be only appropriate... Mum, dad, this is my friend. He came to see the show as well."

Her mother is confused at first, probably because I looked anything but her friend right when they walked in, but soon she puts on a welcoming smile. "That's great!" She offers me a hand and introduces herself, "My name is Amelia, and this is my husband, Finn."

I shake her hand first, then his, making sure to intensify the squeeze for the second handshake. "It's my pleasure. I'm Nathan."

"Nathan, you said?" Her mother asks, then looks at Annabelle and her husband with a smile she cannot conceal from me.

I am lost for a moment, and creeped out, but the second my eyes lock with Annabelle's, I remember she said Caitlin did mention there was a certain Nathan in her life now.

Of course, this happened. Why would anything ever go smoothly...

Hella embarrassed, Annabelle tries to fix the problem, but her father beats her to it. "Yes, Annie has mentioned you before. It's very nice of you to come here on her big evening."

She is absolutely dying. Well, same. "I just wanted to show her my support."

"And are you in the... dancing business as well?" As he takes a pause, he eyes me from top to bottom. I doubt he tried to conceal that, but if he did, the effort didn't show.

I chuckle embarrassed. I don't know if my physique is like the one of a dancer, or if he's asking me questions as her father. "No, no, I'm not. I'm an engineer, actually."

Her father nods knowingly. "Ballet is quite a shift from your profession, then."

"It is, but I enjoyed the performance nonetheless," I say and give a quick look to Annabelle that finally looks a bit more relaxed now. I don't want to say it out loud, but I hope she can understand that what I truly found astonishing about the performance was solely her.

They proceed to talk about things completely unrelated to me, such as why Caitlin couldn't come to the event, and things like that. All the while, I just observe her. She is very relaxed around her family, and clearly she looks up to them. They both seem to be very affectionate parents that have the right means to express that.

I can't begin to imagine how it must've been for her parents to see her heartbroken and devastated. They must've seen how much she loved Mason. It's so weird to think that in this respect Annabelle will always be their little girl that falls off a bike every couple of seconds and scrapes her knee, even though she's here before us a grown woman with a job, desires, ambitions, and pain.

It was revelation to see her on the stage. It was definitely very different from the Annabelle that served me a pomegranate smoothie one morning. But it's not as nearly as different, as seeing her with her family now.

I kind of feel like an outsider observing all that. I'm like an intruder in their family dynamic, and even though it's very healthy and supportive, I just don't feel like this is something I should be a part of right now.

Her mother continuatively showers her with kisses every now and then. I guess this is what family should be like. At least she knows what that's like. I should just leave her to it, and enjoy the glory she is receiving.

"I'll just... wait outside." I say when Annabelle and I make an eye contact.

Her mother, absolutely flustered by that, tries to keep me around for as long as possible. "No, no, there's no need! We'll give you two some time alone, won't we, Finn?"

I expect her father to grumble something about not leaving his daughter out of her sight, but he just smiles. "Yeah, of course. We'll be the one to wait."

O-kay...?

"Actually," Annabelle says while keeping her eyes on me, "Nathan invited me out for tonight. To celebrate."

"We didn't know you two had plans. Where are you thinking of going?" Her father asks. No matter how hard I try to see the stern judgement going on in his head about me, he is so nice and relaxed about everything that I trust him even less.

I shrug. "I was thinking Winter River? It's pretty nice, I think. And it would fit the occassion."

Her mother literally vibrates at that. Obviously I'm not going to take her to Burger King, come on!

She hugs Annabelle again, but I'm not sure if for the last time. "Thank you for inviting us, honey. Stop by our place tomorrow and we'll have lunch. I'll make sure to invite Caitlin, so she'll see what she missed."

"Have fun, Annie. You really gave them hell today," says her father as he hugs her just as well, but obviously it's different.

The way her dad hugs her is wholesome and protective, while her mother is so affectionate towards her that I don't know how to describe her hugs. Bottom line is that they both love her very deeply and they're not clumsy at showing it.

"We'll leave you two now." Her mother hugs her again (I called it!), and as she's on her way out of the room, she gives me a beaming smile that is similar to Annabelle's. "It was very nice meeting you, Nathan."

I smile in return, I'm on my best manners tonight, and say, "Likewise."

Her dad offers me his hand again, and as I take it, I make sure to tighten my squeeze. I ain't no weak. "We'll see you around, Nathan?"

Ah, assuring I wouldn't just bolt.

"I don't see why not, sir."

Did I just call him sir?!

Her parents leave after giving Annabelle another glance that is just radiating their love for her. It's lovely to see. I guess this is where she gets the warm personality and hope for the future from.

The moment the door closes, she starts apologising, "Nathan, I'm so sorry... I didn't think you would all meet. I'm so sorry."

But it's fine... "Don't worry about it, it's all fine."

"You aren't mad?"

No, but it sure was something.

"I don't know why would I be."

"I don't know. It was just weird because of what Caitlin told them about you and stuff." She intertwines her fingers and starts playing with them nervously.

"Look, it's all good. Don't worry about it, and especially not tonight." I reassure her, and it seems to be working.

"Okay, then. I'll just get changed then."

Mkay, and I'll wait here.

And I'm not nervous.

Nope, nope.

Not nervous at all.

A/N: If anyone here is an engineer, since I know that one of the readers is, I apologise for possiblw improper use of certain engineering expressions. But please do tell me if I did a good job or not, 'cause as far as engineering is concerned, I'm a lot more like Annabelle, than I am like Nathan.

But besides that, you can all give me your other thoughts on this chapter. It would be much appreciated!

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~Blackie