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“You two take a minute to get ready,” Mom said with a smile. “We’ll keep them entertained for a bit.”
Dad spoke with the audience before walking over to the dangling straps to demonstrate something.
“Thanks, Mom.”
We headed backstage. Nic lounged in a chair, waiting for us. He stood as soon as we were close. “Good discussion?”
“Yes, very.” I let him fold me into his arms for a quick hug.
Mom came back just then, but other than a quick tightening of her lips until she glanced at Geraint, she didn’t react.
I pulled away and slid out of my warmups, revealing the mint green leotard I wore underneath. Geraint pulled off his shirt, and I might have drooled a little. His pants matched my leo.
“Ready?” Nic smiled kindly.
I took a breath. “Yeah. Knight?”
“Of course.” Geraint handed me the rosin so we could give our hands some grip aid. Centering myself, I watched Knight. There was only him and me, and that was all that mattered.
The world fell away as he took my hand and held it up as if presenting me to the audience. The first strains of the slow rock ballad filtered from the speakers. Gazes locked together, Geraint and I went out onto the stage, walking until we were just under the dangling straps.
He gently twisted my hand, slowly spinning me until my back was to his. We sank to the ground together, hands reaching upward. Geraint caught the straps in his hands and raised himself upward until he was doing a handstand in the air. I sensuously lay back to the ground, watching as my knight playfully danced into the air above me, our routine a bit of a play on a courtship between two lovers.
If we had an older audience, I’d add some movements that would show exactly how I felt about watching Geraint in the air above me. As it was, he had all my attention as he held himself parallel to the ground over me with just the strength in his powerful arms and shoulders, core tightened to keep him in a plank position.
I licked my lips so only he could see. Geraint winked before lowering himself back to the ground next to me, landing on his knees, one arm still stretched high, caught in the straps, the other coming to take my hand and spin me around until I was on my knees.
I twisted, leaning back, and he slid his hand under my neck, raising me to my feet and cradling me with my back against his chest while his free hand slid back into the hand hold. Putting my arms out in a T shape over his biceps, I let him support my body. I pulled my knees up while he spun us around, partially suspended, though he kept one foot on the ground.
The momentum took me as I set my feet down, spinning me away for a moment, before I came back behind my knight and hooked my arms around his shoulders. He leaned forward, and I leaned back, my shoulders on his. I did a slow flip over backward until we were both suspended, him by the straps, me by my knight. We spun in a circle, counterbalanced together.
The movements were so natural, so practiced, so right, that I lost myself in them. Not thinking beyond the next counterbalance, or the signal Geraint sent me to warn me of the next shift in our weight.
He moved us until we both hung down toward the ground, and I slowly climbed him, hooking a leg over his shoulder and making my way up until I stood, all while we spun in the air.
This was where I was meant to be. Flying in Geraint’s arms. My heart felt close to bursting with the joy coursing through me.
I slid my way down until he cradled me again, then brought us both to the ground. He helped me switch places, sliding my hands into the straps, then lifting me until I spun with one leg hooked over my arms, the other outstretched, back arched, and he sank to the ground, to watch my part of the courtship.
The familiar burn of muscles and the pressure of the strap on my wrist as I twisted my body into different shapes above my lover felt like coming home after too long away. I had to blink away a couple of tears as I stretched my legs into a vertical split, one leg above me wrapped around the strap, one stretched below.
Knight stood, and I lowered myself until my feet touched the ground. He took the strap, pulled me to his chest and spun us until we flew together as the rock ballad picked up intensity. I slid down his body until I lay parallel to the ground, one of his legs trapped between my thighs, the other foot cradling my neck. I put my arms out and reveled in our connection as he spun us through the air.
Knight reached down, took my hand, and we flowed through a couple more shapes together before I touched the ground again.
This time we each took a strap, mirroring each other’s moves as we flew together in perfect sync, showing a courtship turned into a practiced relationship between two lovers.
As the music came to a close, we slowed our spin, lowering to the ground, releasing the straps from our grasp and sinking to the stage together.
It wasn’t until then that I heard the enthusiastic clapping from our audience. I’d forgotten about them completely in our dance.
Geraint stood and pulled me to my feet. We took a quick bow, then hurried backstage.
“Well done,” Nic said, voice strangely tight.
For now, I wasn’t going to let whatever was on his mind bring me down from my high. I’d done it, and I hadn’t had one moment of fear.
My knight pulled me into his arms, and we held each other while we got our breathing under control.
