"Five, six, seven, eight." Justin tapped his foot to the beat, eyes on his feet in the mirror as he launched into the first routine Calandra had taught him. She had slipped out of the studio, silent as always, a few moments earlier and he figured that she had either gone to the restroom or had made a run for the caramel frappuccinos she seemed to live off of. Smiling to himself as he thought of the way her full lips pursed around the straw whenever she sipped one, he cursed under his breath when he forgot a step.

Funny, he'd been joking when he told her he needed the extra practice.

Well, maybe not joking. He knew he did need a little extra practice. Spending eighteen hours a day in a studio to record had left little time to work out or even go for a run. The first run he had taken after recording had finished had lasted only a block before he was winded. And now he went home with aches in his legs and muscle spasms after every dance session.

Exhaling a harsh breath as he started again, he heard the gentle creak of the door as it swung open. He struggled to focus on the moves she had taught him but he caught sight of her in the mirror as she crossed to the corner where her bag was. It was impossible to not watch her walk. Her shoulders were always pulled back, her spine straight and chin parallel to the floor. Her immaculate posture didn't appear stiff, though. There was something so natural about the way her hips swayed. When her hands weren't full her arms swung gently, the movements seeming controlled to preserve her energy for more important matters.

He barely noticed the drink caddy she held, watching instead the way her calf muscles elongated with each stride. He knew she wore the form-fitting capris to enable free movement when dancing and he had never appreciated tight clothing as much as he did whenever she walked by. The athletic tank top she wore clung to her torso, hugging her chest tightly and he sighed softly when she leaned to place the drinks on the small table against the wall behind him. She bent to place something in her bag and he felt the now familiar ache settle in his nether region.

He would be the first to admit that he was a horny bastard. He had once been called a connoisseur of the female form in an article and had agreed heartily. But for some reason whenever Calandra bent over or backed her delicious backside against him he turned into a hormonal teenager with no self-control.

Women thought of hard-ons as compliments, right? Justin hoped so, considering Calandra had felt his more than once. He had apologized the first few times, offering that sheepish grin that always made her smile, but when she had shrugged and continued dancing he decided she probably didn't care.

So he made no move to disguise his erection as he turned to join her in the corner. If she noticed she showed know acknowledgement as she silently handed over his vanilla latte. Over the past few days he had grown accustomed to the silence, realizing that he didn't really need to fill their time with rambling monologues about everything and nothing. So he merely tipped his chin in thanks, slowly sipping the warm brew. A pleased sigh escaped him when he tasted the hint of cinnamon, thinking of their first run to Starbucks that first full day of rehearsal and her amusement over his request for cinnamon.

The CD that had been playing ended abruptly and he wondered if it was on automatic repeat. Hearing the series of clicks that signified it was changing to the next CD in the carousel, he wondered what her musical tastes were, eyes lighting up as a familiar tune burst from the speakers.

"You like Dino?" His voice was incredulous and he shrugged when she rolled her eyes at his tone. Seeing her nod, though, he set down his drink and reached for her hand. "Do you know how rare it is to find a girl that appreciates his music these days? Well, a girl that isn't pushing eighty..."

She rolled her eyes again, playfully pushing on his chest, but allowed him to draw her to the center of the room.

"Seriously, he was awesome. When I was a kid my Granny would pull out her old vinyl and sing all these great songs with me and dance me around the living room. She adored Dean Martin and made sure I learned to like him too." Without thinking, he slid a hand to her waist, drawing her close as his other hand found hers, twining their fingers as they fell into a slow waltz. "Think we can do something like this for one of the ballads? I don't have to be the one doing the dancing but I'd love to bring back some of the classic flavor..." His voice trailed into nothingness as he looked down and saw her gazing up at him intently. His tongue skittered over his lips and he hummed along to the song, briefly wondering what it would be like to see Calandra in something other than her dancing clothes. Somehow he knew she would be a knockout in anything. Wondering if he could... If it would be possible to...

The hand resting on his shoulder slid closer to his neck and he watched her eyelids flutter closed when her fingers brushed the unkempt curls at the base of his neck. Her mouth moved in sync to the words that Dean Martin crooned from the stereo and he couldn't help but sing along.

"...Make my life perfection. Kiss, kiss me darling then, kiss me once again. Make my dreams come true." His arm curled around her waist as the words faded into a slow, sensual instrumental break, not perturbed about the fact that their bodies moved fluidly together. It was as though she could sense each move he made before he made it and reacted accordingly. Tilting backwards when he leaned close, a smile played on her lips when the lyrics started again. "Thrill, thrill me with your charms. Take me in your arms and make my life perfection. Kiss, kiss me darling then, kiss me once again. Make my dreams come true..."

They twirled once more and when the final tones of the piano faded her eyes opened. Staring down at her his entire body seemed to hum with excitement and Justin was aware of a few select things. The way her body leaned against his, each curve painstakingly obvious. The blood thrumming in his ears as his head dipped. The way her lips parted in surprise and the feel of her breath rushing over his lips. The delicious taste of caramel when their mouths met.

Christ, she tasted good. Caramel and coffee and mint and that menthol cigarette he'd seen her smoking earlier. His hands found their way upwards, cupping her face before tangling his fingers in her hair. Her tongue met his, coiling and teasing and drawing it into her mouth. He felt her hands on his shoulders, fingers digging in before sliding down to curve around his biceps. Sensing her acquiescence, he backed her towards the wall, grunting when she dragged him close, one trim leg curving around his.

They slammed against the wall and one of his hands reached to support his weight against the reflective surface, his other hand grasping the thigh that was tucked at his waist. She arched against him, her teeth lightly scraping his tongue. Soft fingers tenderly slipped beneath the hem of his t-shirt. His hand roved upwards, cupping, caressing, bunching her top between his fingers. Groaning at the feel of her bare skin, he longed for more but pulled back abruptly when a sudden breeze fluttered through the room.

What the fuck am I doing? He panicked, clumsily attempting to tug her top back into place. Taking a step backwards when he saw her eyes had opened and she was pulling her hands down her face he sighed. "I'm sorry, Calandra. Really. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry."

She gave a noncommittal shrug and he could hear her sharp inhales and exhales, tearing his gaze from the way her chest heaved. He winced when he saw his sweaty palm print on the mirror behind her and when he shuffled back another step he felt how painfully tight his track pants had become. Longing to reach out to her and assure her he had meant no harm, he instead kept his distance, taken aback by the way her body seemed to call to him.

"I better go." The words sprung from his mouth before he could censor the harshness of them and he struggled when he saw her shoulders round forward slightly. "I'll...I'll see you tomorrow."

***

Calandra waited until the door closed behind Justin before sliding to the floor. Still trembling from his kiss, she pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes to seal the brief moments in her memory. Head falling back against the mirror, she wasn't aware of the tears that had slipped from her eyes until a tissue fell over her face. Ariella. Sighing, she wiped the tears from her cheeks before opening her eyes to look at her friend.

Ariella hovered just above her, small face a mask of concern and disbelief as she fought the box of tissues. "So. How'd it go?"

How'd it go? How'd it go?! How do you think it went?! Calandra's mind screamed, outrage building deep within her when she recalled the breath of air that had brushed over her during Justin's kiss. Scowling, she crumpled the tissue in her hand. It was going fine until someone decided to be nosy!

"Don't you get that attitude with me, missy! How was I to know what was going on?" Ariella lost the struggle with the tissue box and it landed with a hard thump on the floor. She huffed with annoyance, small hands brushing down her torso. "I left to go play with the kids across the street and when I come back he's got you pinned to the wall. For all I knew, he was forcing himself on you!"

Please. Calandra snorted, pushing herself into a standing position and crossing the room to begin gathering her things. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She would have locked the door if it would have meant keeping Ariella out of the room. Yanking her CDs from the stereo, she tossed them into cases, not caring if they were in the right sleeves or not. What part of 'God, please take me now' translated into him forcing himself?

"Well. You know how rusty I am when it comes to human intimacies." Ariella sniffed as she dipped a finger into Justin's forgotten latte. Sucking the brew from the tip of her finger, she smiled pleasantly, enjoying the flavor.

Go ahead, remind me that it's been nine months since I've gotten laid. Calandra thought. Though she was eternally grateful that the Dream Weaver had not managed to steal her ability to communicate with Ariella, she couldn't help being irritated that her friend had ruined a particularly perfect moment. If she had only waited five more minutes to barge in, Calandra was certain that she and Justin would have been too far gone to notice.

"Actually, it's been ten months. That guy nine months ago finished prematurely, remember?" Ariella reminded her.

If she could have vocalized one, Calandra would have growled. She yanked her bag onto her shoulder and snatched up Justin's unfinished latte, pausing to inhale the aroma that reminded her so much of the man she sighed. Carrying it into the bathroom, she dumped the contents down the sink and closed her eyes as she thought of the way his tongue had tasted like cinnamon. Back in the studio, she threw her CDs into her purse before fishing out her keys.

The ride home was blessedly silent. Ariella chose to hover in the passenger window, pulling faces at dogs that were being walked. She drew immense pleasure from gaining the attention of children and animals and grinned widely when dogs yanked hard on their leashes. The children merely spun to stare at the car, their faces lit up with excitement. When they reached the apartment the fairy busied herself with sorting through the mail, amused as always at the brightly colored advertisements and sales papers. Bills and bank statements meant nothing to her and Calandra had learned to check the trashcan for important documents before emptying the trash.

Calandra was frowning over the bank statement and picking at her dinner when the doorbell rang. Ariella had taken the flyers and sales papers to the spare bedroom, obviously sensing that Calandra wanted her out of her sight. Sighing, Calandra pushed the papers aside and went to answer the door, the breath pulling from her lungs sharply when she saw a familiar figure in the hall. The cap was pulled low on his head and his clothes were nondescript but she would have known him anywhere.

He entered the apartment without a word when she opened the door, seeming to fill up the living room with his presence. Hands in his pockets, he cleared his throat and looked around. "I... You forgot something at the studio. I went back and you were gone and... I found this."

Calandra quirked an eyebrow in confusion when he brought one hand out of his pocket. Seeing the small laminated rectangle that was offered, she winced when she realized it was her driver's license. Recalling that she'd had to fish out her keysand that's when it must have fallen from her bag, she wondered if he thought she had left it there just to get him to come to her home. But when she raised her eyes and saw the fire smoldering there she forgot all of her worries and her early irritation. A brief smile touched her lips as a way to thank him.

"Nice place." He said. He had barely looked around except at the cream carpet and the overstuffed couch. After saying the place was nice, though, he turned to look around the room, nodding as he took in the furniture and decorations. She noticed, though, that he barely seemed to take everything in and when he turned to face her again she bit her lip upon seeing him discard his hat. Not expecting him to want to stay, she didn't know what to do when he stepped closer.

His breath brushed over her cheek and she trembled. His hands framed her face and she melted.