I glance between Joon’s face and hand, feeling a sudden flash of worry, but I accept it anyway.

“Why’re you nervous?” he asks, swinging our hands after he pulls me to my feet and walks to the stereo to dig one-handedly through the stacks of CDs.

“I haven’t danced at years,” I reply slowly. Trying to ignore my increased heartbeat, I softly add, “What if-”

“You can’t forget how to dance; it’s impossible,” Joon chuckles. “It’s in your body, your heart.”

    Finding what he wants, he switches out the CD and brings me back to the center of the floor. Releasing my hand and stepping a little away, he winks. Taking a deep breath, I quickly strip off my jacket and kick off my shoes. I notice Joon looking at me, but his eyes close so I’m not sure if I imagined it.

    A soft thump of a drum leaks from the speakers and I close my eyes as well. I’m surprised and infinitely pleased when that old, familiar feeling returns, coursing through my veins like a warm shower. My muscles tingle in anticipation of the music, of the movement, as my mind empties to leave only my senses and the notes. Letting my eyes open again as the drumbeat quickens, I feel rather than see Joon come behind me.

    His body emanates heat against my back as his arms move to wrap around my shoulders, still keeping the distance between us. Reaching up, I lift his hands and twist away. Joon’s hand grasps my wrist, letting me twirl before bringing me back against his body. One hand automatically goes to my waist, supporting my back as I let my knees give and dip backwards. When I straighten, I spin away, letting his hand give me extra momentum.

    As our bodies flit and connect, pull and circle, our reflections move like ghostly echoes, but I barely notice them. Past and present blur as we dance, falling into that unspoken rhythm we had since the day we met. Joon’s heart beat melds with mine until they replace the drums, drowning out even the music. His eyes, his hands, his legs, they’re all I see, all I feel.

    Eventually, I feel the music coming to a crescendo. Shifting my weight, I let myself fall into Joon. His arms wrap around me, taking my full weight against his chest. My breath catches as I gaze into Joon’s eyes, our faces inches away, to find an unfamiliar look in them. My hands, trapped between our bodies, feel his already quickened heart beat flutter. I glance at his parted lips, slowing being brought back to reality and try to find words in my still blank mind.

With a sudden intake of breath, those lips slam into mine, fitting perfectly. My eyes widen in surprise but before I can close them, Joon pulls back, looking just as surprised.“I-....I-...June...,” he stutters, his hold loosening by a fraction. “I’m-”
 

       Presented with this chance of the secret hope I’d held for so long in my heart, it takes over my body, making my hands slide up his chest to his neck to bring his lips back to mine. I close my eyes, pouring every ounce of love he’d ever given me and that I’d held inside into my kiss. When Joon slowly responds, it’s too much. His arms tighten around me in response as he lips dance against mine with a barely restrained desperation, leaving us both breathless. My senses, already on a high from dancing, explode in thousands of colors in my soul, making my legs go weak and any remaining thoughts evaporate. Underneath it all only one manages to survive: I’m no longer alone.

Finally, after I don’t know how long, Joon pulls back with a shaky breath, keeping his forehead against mine. Opening his eyes, he looks at me in dazed amazement. “You...?”

I nod slowly, clearing my throat. “Y-you ...too?”

He nods as well. “I- I kind of...had a crush on you...that summer, but I didn’t say anything because...”

“Because?” I ask softly.

“Because why would someone as beautiful and funny and witty as you...like someone like me? I-”

I stop him by curling my fingers in his hair and bringing his lips back to mine. Easing my hold, I look him directly in the eyes. “You are all those things; I can’t understand why you fell for me.”

“Because you’re everything I said too,” he says adamantly. “You’re June; why wouldn’t I love with you?”

“You...love me?”

Joon bites his lip before nodding firmly, his eyes both hopeful and slightly afraid.

My heart feels ready to burst as I shyly admit, “I-...I love you too.”

He beams, picks me, up and twirls me around. After he sets me down, he dips me, laughing.

I can’t help giggling too, too happy at this unexpected turn. Tracing his jaw with a finger, I bring him in for another meeting of lips.

Smiling into the kiss, he brings me back to standing, his long fingers finding the skin of my back where my blouse had ridden up and it. Joon frowns suddenly, his eyes flicking to something past me.

I look behind myself and seeing nothing, turn back to him with a puzzled look.

One of his hands find mine as the other goes to his lips. Stealthily, he leads me to the door and presses an ear to it.

I follow suite.

“You moved too much. Did he see you?” I hear Cheondung ask.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Seungho answers. “He might not have; it looked like him they were kissing.”

“Kissing?” GO says in a loud whisper. “Move! I want to see this!”

“It was my turn,” Mir whines.

“Hey, where’d they go?” G.O pouts.

Suddenly, Joon pops his head in front of window. “RARW!!!

A large thud sounds just before Joon yanks upon the door to the rest of his group sprawled on the floor.

“What’re you doing?” he asks, raising an eyebrow as I peek out from behind him.

“Ummmm....” Seungho splutters, avoiding our eyes.

“We were seeing if you were still here so we could order lunch,” Cheondong answers smoothly.

“Will you be joining us, June?” G.O asks, trying to regain some dignity.

“Are you and Joon hyung dating now?” Mir blurts out, immediately shushed by the other three.

Joon looks back at me, uncertainty written in his face.

I step closer and made suddenly brave, say quietly, “If you want me to, I’ll stay.”

Turning his back to the others, he answers just as quietly, “For how long though? What about your family, your job? I can’t ask you-”

I put a finger to his lips. “You don’t need to. I’ve got a little longer and....if this- we...work out...there are jobs here and I can still talk to my family.”

He smiles gently, raising my hand to kiss it. “This is a dream, right?”

“If was a dream, would you want us here?” G.O asks wryly, brushing off his pants as he stands.

“Yah!” Joon yells, jerking his head around to glare at him. “I just got June back and she just said she’d stay and you are just ruining it!”

Chuckling, I touch Joon’s shoulder, making him turn back to me. “It’s all right, Sunny oppa. They won’t scare me off.”

A muffled snort comes from Mir as he claps his hand over his mouth.

“In that case, I hope you’ll join us for lunch. We really did mean that part,” Seungho says, giving Mir a quick glare and a smile to me.

Shyly, I smile back and nod.

“Good.” With that, he starts walking away.

“It’ll be nice to get to know you, noona,” Cheondong winks, grabbing G.O and following Seungho.

Joon looks at Mir, who finally gives up and bursts out laughing.

“Sunny oppa? Really?” he wheezes. “Are you going to join SNSD?”

Joon feints a strike at him, but Mir easily dodges and escapes down the hall.

“Aish, those kids,” he grumbles. “We better go before they come back and try to spy on us...again.”

“Are they always like that?” I ask, tugging him back into the practice room so I can get my jacket and shoes.

“Pretty much. June...”

“Yes?”

“Did you really mean what you said?”

I put my shoes on before going to him and getting up on tiptoes to kiss him softly. “Yes.”

He smiles back and kisses me again, cradling the back of my head. “June.”

I think I can get very use to his kisses and the way my name sounds on his lips. “Yes?”

“If you do stay, you will never, ever be alone, arasso?”

I freeze, wondering how he could know what to say, what fear lurked in the deepest, darkest part of me.

“I might not have been able to be there for you in the past few years, but if you’ll have me, I’ll never leave your side,” Joon says, framing my face with his hands so I can’t look away. The sincerity of his words shine through his eyes, melting my heart.

Placing my hand over his, I nod. “You’ll never be alone either. I promise.”

He closes his eyes and leans closer, barely brushing his lips against mine. “You know what else this means, right?”

“What?”

“You’re my new, permanent dance partner,” Joon grins. “Because I’m not letting you go again.”

“I think I can live with that,” I chuckle. “Because I won’t either. Ever.”