Inside Your Heaven

Chapter 13: Play it Again

A/N: Here it is!!! I absolutely love this chapter and I'm soooo happy about the way it turned out. It was the type of thing that I didn't have planned and when I started writing it I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before. It got pretty long, though... oh well!

Oh! And if you don't know the song they dance to, looking it up will clear up any questions you might have when I talk about the lyrics :) Annnnnnd, its a great song ;)

"She was like, 'Come here boy, I wanna dance.' 'Fore I said a word she was takin' my hand, spinnin' me around 'til it faded out and she gave me a kiss. And she said, 'Play it again, play it again, play it again.' And I said, 'Play it again, play it again, play it again.'" ~Luke Bryan

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Rick gently wrapped his arms around Kate and placed his hands on the small of her back. She leaned into his embrace and laid her head against his shoulder. There, they slowly swayed to the slow beat of "Bless the Broken Road" playing softly in the background.

Kate closed her eyes and let herself be carried away in the sound of the music and Rick's beating heart. This was the perfect moment, but for a split second she let her mind think about what it would be like tomorrow when she was back in the city. Was this their goodbye?

She pushed those thoughts away as fast as they came. She wanted to be here for this moment; wanted to actually be present for it. She wanted to remember the smallest details - the way her head fit perfectly against him, the way his cologne made her shiver, the way his touch made her skin tingle, the way his blue eyes sent butterflies to her stomach every time he looked at her.

She listened carefully to the lyrics of Rascal Flatt's song and quietly sang along, just soft enough that Rick couldn't hear. Her breath hitched as she sang the words and realized just how amazingly accurate they were to their situation. With tears threatening in the back of her eyes, she glanced up to look at him, and when she did she knew right away that this thing with them was something special. She knew in her heart that this was right, and that it shouldn't be terrifying. The problem was, though, the fear of falling was greater than the fear of flying.

Out of nowhere, and breaking apart her thoughts, Rick grabbed one of her hands in his, lifted them both above his head, and began to spin her in circles. Just like her thoughts, her body became twisted and tangled.  She couldn't keep her feet moving correctly enough to continue the turn, and Kate fell back into his embrace after a dizzying sequence of spins, smiling and laughing the whole while.

Before the song ended, Rick once again caught her off guard and, in one smooth motion,  adjusted his hands on her back and dipped her down towards the ground.  He supported her neck and held her there for longer than expected.

Kate laughed, "Are you just going to let me hang here by myself, Castle?"

Instead of meeting her near the ground, Rick lifted her up to his level. "I'd never leave you hanging anywhere by yourself, Officer," Rick replied jokingly, with a hint of truth in his voice.

Kate got lost deep inside Rick's gorgeous baby blues and couldn't find any words to say.  Instead, she planted her lips against his for a tender kiss that ended way too soon for the both of them. They were both still hesitant about everything. Rick knew what he wanted but didn't want to push Kate away, and Kate wanted to see past her baggage but couldn't quite scale the wall.

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Soon after, Kate and Rick were cuddled up on the couch together watching a cheesy chick flick that was playing on TV. They weren't really watching the movie, just enjoying the comfort the other gave. Every so often they would catch a funny part and Kate's quiet laugh would send Rick over the moon.