Chapter 20: The Fall Line

The free dance began with silence.

Then music.

Then motion.

Every second mattered.

Every edge.

Every breath.

Every connection.

The waltz sequence flowed perfectly.

The transitions felt effortless.

The audience disappeared.

The judges disappeared.

Only the two of them remained.

Halfway through the routine came the hardest lift.

The one they'd practiced hundreds of times.

The one that had nearly failed weeks ago.

Dominic lifted.

Nadia trusted.

The rotation completed flawlessly.

The landing was perfect.

Applause erupted before the program even ended.

By the final sequence, Nadia wasn't thinking about skating anymore.

She wasn't counting steps.

She wasn't calculating scores.

She was simply present.

The final note echoed through the arena.

The music stopped.

The crowd rose to its feet.

Standing ovation.

Dominic's hand found hers.

Just for a second.

Just enough.

"We did it," Nadia whispered.

"Yeah," he said.

"We really did."

"Yeah."

Neither realized they were still holding hands.