ONE LAST REQUEST

"May I have this dance, my lady?" 8-year-old Jacin bowed, offering his hand to his mother. That was all the amount of courage he could muster at that point. To ask his mother for a dance, instead of Winter, while his and Winter's fathers and Winter made up the audience.

"Why, of course." Jacin's mother bowed and took his hand. Winter put on the music for a ball dance and smiled at them, containing a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

"I must warn you, though," Jacin tore his eyes away from Winter at his mother's voice, only then realizing they were both staring into each-other's eyes, "I am a terrible dancer."

"Oh," it took him a while to catch up, "Oh, well. That most certainly does not matter. I must say, I am not so quite..." he searched for a more gallant word, but there's only so much an eight-year-old's dictionary could do, "awesome, myself."

His mother chuckled and then they started dancing. The dance went quite well, with both he and his partner enjoying themselves, if you would ignore the whole stepping on each-other's feet at least 20 times in 3 minutes part. They were dancing to another song when Winter went up to her father, tugging at his pants' leg and said, 'Offer me a dance."

Her father chuckled and said, "Well now, don't I have a confident partner."

Winter remained unfazed though, just repeating herself, "Offer me one!"

"Ah well," he set down his glass and stood up, "May I have this dance, my lady?" he bowed, offering his hand like Jacin. This sparked joy in Winter's heart, and there was only so much she could do to not jump up and down and rather look mature and lady-like.

"The pleasure's all mine." She said, smiling warmly and taking his hand. He guided her to the dance floor where they danced side-by-side Jacin and his mother. She often noticed him watching her from the corner of his eyes and she would do that to him herself too quite often.

After a few more dances, both Jacin's mother and Winter's father retired. But Jacin was still very much full of energy, and looking at Winter, she was too.

"But my feet are hurting with all this dancing and my toes are sore from all this stepping. Not to mention I am wearing high-heels." Said his mother, "I am going to go and have something to eat now."

He was disappointed but Jacin understood his mother's need to go and rest. Beside him, Winter was having the same conversation with her father as well, and it was all he could do to not go there and do something, anything, to keep that expression off Winter's face which resembled a wilted sunflower. But of course, he understood he could do absolutely nothing in this matter. It was between her and her father.

Finally Winter accepted the fact that his father had to go and be with Jacin's father, but her expression had turned such a sad one that his father after some time said, "Now, giddy-up sweetheart. Why don't you and your valiant knight Jacin have a dance?"

Winter looked down from her father's face and looked at Jacin. Jacin, who had been staring at the ground and been listening to their argument till now from some distance, shot his head up to look at his princess in the eyes, those beautiful, warm, lovely eyes, which held a glimmer of excitement.

Winter's heart was swimming in a pool of confused emotions. Excitement and fear regarding Jacin's answer. Admiration to meet his handsome blue eyes' gaze. When after a few moments Jacin still stood there paralyzed and gazing into her eyes, her anxiety started eating at her and she turned to her father, smiling warmly, "This is an amazing idea!" she squealed, clapping, but then, grew a little serious, "if Jacin is comfortable with it too."

Jacin blinked and realized that he'd still been staring at Winter. He felt a sudden rush of heat in his cheeks and then, after a few seconds, said, "Alright. Anyways, what are the chances of you not insisting me until you got me agreeing even if I did refuse?"

"Slim to none." She smiled sweetly.

"Well in that case," Winter's father said, "I am going to go play the music and go sit with Jacin's parents."

Winter followed her father to the music speaker with her eyes to avoid Jacin's eyes. She felt nervous all of a sudden. She tried to calm down, saying that it was only Jacin, but she could not. She finally looked at Jacin, who had come up to her and now bowed and said, "May I have a dance?"

"I'd be honoured." She took his hand and he guided her to the centre of the dance floor. Suddenly, she felt very shy and could feel that shyness in Jacin too. After some time, they both relaxed and started enjoying the music. Or she did. Jacin's body was still a little stiff. She looked at him and said, "Are you afraid?"

Jacin jerked his head away from the spot on the wall he was focusing on to avoid Winter's gaze. He looked at her to find her wearing a mischievous smile.

"Huh?"

"Are you afraid?" she repeated.

"Of what? You?"

She nodded, "Yes. Well, not exactly. Of dancing with me?"

"Why would I be afraid of dancing with you?" he scoffed.

"So, am I to assume you are actually a terrible dancer?"

"What? Why?"

"Just let loose your body. Sway it with the music. Feel the music."

"I am feeling the music." He glared.

"No, you're not." She frowned.

Jacin let his body loose a little, then a little more, till he was swaying to the music. They danced and danced, both of them smiling and talking and laughing till they both did not know how many songs they had danced to. When their parents said it was time for them to retreat to their bedrooms and sleep, they asked for one last song, and their parents were kind enough to allow that. As the song was about to come to an ending, Winter said,

"Well, what do you conclude? Am I terrible dancer?"

"No. You are an amazing dancer. Quite a competition for me."

She chuckled, "Is my brave knight scared of a little competition?"

He scoffed, "Of course not. I can defeat you any day in dance."

She smiled and after a few moments, she couldn't restrain, "Well, would you be so kind as to take one last request so as to please your partner tonight?"

"What is it?"

"Hug me."