Rhythms of Steel and Grace

Old Rhythms

The next few days passed in a blur of routine and surprise. Blakely spent her mornings in the garage, tinkering with engines, while Luka and Austin took to exploring the town. In the evenings, they all gathered in the garage again, where Austin's curiosity for cars grew with each passing hour. The rhythm of her life hadn't changed all that much, but Blakely felt a shift—a slow but steady pulse that came with Austin's presence.

On the fourth day, Luka had to run off to handle some family business, leaving Blakely and Austin alone once again. The garage was quiet except for the distant sounds of birds and the occasional rumble of an engine from the nearby street. Austin was fiddling with a wrench, turning it over in his hands, clearly lost in thought.

Blakely wiped her hands on a rag and looked over at him. "You good?"

Austin glanced up, his eyes finding hers. He set the wrench down and leaned back against the workbench. "Yeah, just thinking."

"About?"

He hesitated, then let out a breath, his gaze thoughtful. "About dance. About you, really."

Blakely stiffened slightly, not expecting the sudden shift in conversation. "Me?"

Austin nodded, crossing his arms. "You haven't mentioned it much since that first day. But I can tell you still love it. You should be dancing, Blake."

Blakely shook her head, turning back to the car she was working on. "It's complicated."

Austin tilted his head. "Is it?"

She sighed, stepping away from the car, suddenly feeling restless. "Look, I loved ballet. It was everything to me for so long, and then... life happened. I didn't stop dancing, not completely, but it wasn't the same after I quit ballet. And now I've got the garage, and I'm happy here."

Austin pushed off the workbench and walked over to her, his presence filling the space between them. "But are you happy not dancing?"

Blakely opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She didn't know how to answer that. She had buried her passion for ballet so deep that she wasn't sure she knew what it felt like anymore.

Austin studied her, his voice softer this time. "You can love more than one thing, you know. Cars, dance—they're not mutually exclusive."

Blakely scoffed lightly, though there was no bite to it. "Easy for you to say. You never stopped."

"That's not true," Austin said, his tone firm. "I had no choice but to stop. For months, I couldn't dance. And when I could again, it was hard. So hard. But I fought for it. Because even on the worst days, dance was still there, waiting for me."

Blakely's chest tightened at his words. There was a part of her that longed for that connection again, to feel her body move with purpose, to lose herself in the music. But another part of her—the part that had grown comfortable with letting go—was afraid to open that door again.

Austin took a step closer, his voice quiet but insistent. "Dance is in your bones, Blake. It's who you are. You don't have to hide it."

Blakely looked up at him, her heart pounding. She had always prided herself on being strong, on knowing exactly who she was. But standing in front of Austin, she felt exposed, as if he could see the pieces of her that she had tried to keep hidden.

"Maybe," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Austin smiled softly, sensing the shift in her. "I think you should show me."

Blakely blinked, taken aback. "Show you what?"

He stepped back, giving her space, and gestured to the open area in the garage. "Dance. Right now. No pressure, no judgment. Just move."

Blakely stared at him, her pulse quickening. She hadn't danced in front of anyone in years, not like this. But there was something in Austin's gaze, something encouraging and warm, that made her feel safe.

For a moment, she hesitated. Then, before she could second-guess herself, Blakely reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and opened her music library. She scrolled through her playlist until she found a track that made her heart race—a song she used to practice to back when hip-hop first captured her soul.

She hit play, and the familiar beat filled the garage. Her body responded instinctively, the rhythm seeping into her muscles, pulling her into the movement. Slowly at first, she let her feet glide across the concrete floor, her arms flowing in sync with the music.

Austin stood quietly, watching her, his expression unreadable.

As the song picked up, so did she, her body moving with more intensity. Every pop, every lock, every wave of her arms felt like a release, as though the weight she had been carrying for so long was finally lifting. Her muscles remembered what her mind had forgotten. She spun, twisted, let her limbs flow with freedom, until she was no longer thinking—just feeling.

By the time the song ended, Blakely was breathless, her chest rising and falling as she stood still in the middle of the garage. Her heart pounded in her ears, but it wasn't from exhaustion. It was exhilaration.

Austin stepped forward, a wide grin stretching across his face. "That was incredible."

Blakely couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. She felt alive in a way she hadn't in a long time. "It's been a while," she admitted, still catching her breath.

Austin shook his head, his eyes sparkling. "Didn't look like it."

For the first time in years, Blakely felt the possibility of balance—between cars, her family, and the dance that still burned in her soul. Maybe Austin was right. Maybe she didn't have to choose. Maybe she could have both.

Austin chuckled, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You know," he said, "if you ever want to do a collab for TikTok, I'm down. I have a feeling people would love to see what you can do."

Blakely's eyes widened in surprise. "Me? On TikTok? I don't know about that..."

"Why not?" Austin grinned, raising an eyebrow. "It could be fun. No pressure—just two people who love to dance."

Blakely laughed, shaking her head. The idea seemed ridiculous, but also... intriguing. "We'll see," she said, echoing the words she had used earlier.

But even as she said it, she knew there was a part of her that was ready to step back into the world she had once loved. Only this time, it would be on her own terms.