She Let Go of Fear & He Let Go of Doubt

As dessert plates were cleared and wine glasses quietly topped off, a spotlight flared to life, casting a bright circle on the stage.

A man in a tuxedo stepped up to the mic.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight. We hope you enjoyed the dinner. Now, it’s time for our special entertainment!”

Polite applause rose. Akio’s heart thumped.

Even the HR manager, who had been prowling the edges of the hall, searching for dress code violators or overly enthusiastic dancers, had paused her patrol and turned towards the stage.

Akio felt his pulse skitter as Naomi emerged into the spotlight. She was dressed in an ivory costume swirling with filigree. Tiny silver bells were pinned into her pixie-cut hair, chiming softly as she moved. In her hands, she carried a longbow and a quiver of silver arrows rested at her hip.

Naomi began with a graceful bow, then melted into a liquid series of stretches that flowed one into the next. Her movements were balletic but sharp, like she was dancing on the edge of a blade.

She arched backward until her spine formed a perfect O, one leg raised high over her head. Mr. Snuffles cocked his fluffy head at the impossible shape she made.

As soft, music floated from the violins, Naomi flowed into her contortionist routine in earnest. She twisted and folded her body with mesmerizing ease, limbs curling like ribbons in a breeze. In one stunning pose, she balanced only on her forearms on a pair of crystal stands and slowly drew a leg back to grab one of the silver arrows with her pointed toes.

Shinji had his jaw hanging open. Akio could relate. Don’t drop it… he found himself thinking, sweat beading on his brow as Naomi, upside-down, nocked the arrow onto the bowstring with her feet.

With a playful wink at the audience, she released. The arrow whistled through the air in a silver blur and struck a suspended bell high above the stage with a resonant ding! The clear tone rang out, perfectly on cue with the music. A burst of applause erupted. Old man, Tanaka-san, nearly spilled his champagne in surprise.

Naomi wasn’t done. She gracefully somersaulted down from the handstand, seamlessly transitioning into a backbend on the floor. Two more arrows remained in her quiver. In a fluid motion, she picked up another arrow, this time by hand as she bent in half, and arched backwards so far that she could aim behind herself, targeting a second bell on the opposite side of the stage. Akio’s heart skipped as she let it fly.

Clang!

The second bell chimed a lower, richer note. The melody emerging was almost like a slow, enchanting tolling, part of the performance’s artistry. The audience was transfixed. Even the CEO had unconsciously risen half out of his chair, clutching Mr. Snuffles to his chest as the pup’s black eyes followed the glittering arrows.

For her finale, Naomi drew the last arrow and dropped into a full split, her flexibility on full display. She balanced the bow on one foot, the arrow poised between the toes of her other foot, arms raised. In this seemingly precarious pose, she aimed straight upward at the largest bell hanging centre stage. There was a single beat of silence in which Akio realized he wasn’t breathing and then Naomi released with a mighty exhale. The silver arrow streaked high. It struck the bell dead-centre, setting off a bright, cascading peal of bells from above that rippled like laughter. The stage lights flashed silver in concert with the ringing.

The audience burst into cheers. Shinji whooped, shooting up from his seat. “That’s my girl!” he hollered before catching himself and turning red as a beet, sinking back down while the crowd around him laughed and clapped. Naomi leapt up from her split and took a deep bow, blowing a kiss toward Shinji with a cheeky grin. Akio could swear Shinji’s face outshone the stage lights. Akio applauded vigorously, relief and pride swirling in his chest.

Naomi skipped off stage to thunderous applause and the lights dimmed once more. Akio allowed himself a quick sip of water, trying to calm the adrenaline fizzing in his veins.

He wiped his palms on his suit pants, heart starting to thud harder than ever.

A hush fell. High above, a single spotlight clicked on, illuminating a trapeze bar descending from the ceiling. This was it. Amaya’s performance. Akio’s chest tightened. He instinctively straightened up, every nerve in his body on alert. He knew how much this moment meant. Amaya’s first trapeze act since the fall…

He swallowed, throat dry. In the dim ambient glow, he could just make out a slim figure climbing the ladder to the trapeze platform high up in the rafters. As she stepped into the full spotlight, a soft a soft wave of awe swept through the crowd. Amaya van der Windt stood poised on the tiny platform, one foot slightly forward, arms relaxed at her sides, head held high. She was breathtaking.

Her costume was pure artistry: a flowing gown that melded into a leotard, coloured in deep midnight blue that glittered with thousands of tiny crystals, like a piece of the night sky had wrapped around her. The fabric of her skirt fluttered behind her like wings.

She wore her long hair half-up; silvery-white locks with pink highlights spilled down her back, crowned by a subtle halo of pearls. She had transformed into a creature of the heavens.

But Akio wasn’t looking at her costume.

He was looking at her face, even from afar, he could see the way her brows were drawn, the slight tightness around her eyes. Amaya was smiling, but not the careless, lopsided grin she usually wore when teasing him or hanging upside down from doorframes.

This smile was focused. Braced. A little nervous, a little brave.

A low, haunting melody began to play from the orchestra – a single violin joined by a piano, the tune tender and tinged with nostalgia. Pale blue lights bathed the stage, as if dawn were breaking in mist. Amaya reached out and wrapped her hands around the trapeze bar. Akio heard himself exhale shakily. His fingers dug into the armrests of his chair as he watched her lean forward.

She launched herself off the platform, the trapeze swinging smoothly into motion. Akio’s heart launched with her. For a moment, all his senses narrowed to the girl in flight above. Amaya hung by her hands, arching her body back in a graceful curve as the trapeze swung. Her skirt and hair streamed behind her like a comet’s tail.

On the upswing, she hooked her knees over the bar and released her hands, dangling upside-down with her arms outstretched. A spotlight followed her arc, illuminating her like a solo star traversing the night.

Akio felt a mix of awe and bone-deep anxiety. She’s okay. She’s fine, he tried to assure himself, but his racing pulse didn’t agree. Every time the trapeze reached its apex, hovering momentarily in space before gravity yanked it back, his stomach flipped.

He couldn’t help it, images of a dark Berlin theatre and a terrifying fall tried to claw their way into his mind. He had not been there, but he’s heard enough. The mere thought of it made him clench his jaw. Now, seeing Amaya fly again, Akio’s hands trembled on his armrests. He was utterly helpless down here, forced to watch.

Above, Amaya transitioned into a series of stunning poses on the swinging bar, at first simple and controlled. She sat up on the trapeze, one leg extended in front, and one curled behind in a mermaid-like pose, then stood on the bar with perfect balance as it swung, raising her arms slowly overhead. There was a fragile, crystalline beauty to her movements, as if she were testing the limits of her courage with each motion. The audience watched in rapt silence.

Narisawa-kun had both hands over his mouth.

Shinji had gone quiet for once, his brow furrowed in concern and wonder.

As the music built, Amaya grasped the ropes and leaned backward off the bar, holding on with only her hands. Her body arched downward in a daring inverted crescent, and a few people gasped. Akio’s own gasp stuck in his throat. He could see the tension in her arms from here. She’s shaking. It was almost imperceptible, but he knew Amaya’s moves well by now, he’d seen her practice enough to sense when something was off. The trapeze swung forward and back, and she lifted herself upright again. Instead of flowing into the next trick, Amaya hesitated, crouching on the bar. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the ropes.

A flicker of uncertainty rippled across her face. Even under the stage makeup, Akio thought she suddenly looked pale. The next portion of her routine was supposed to be the biggest—he remembered Declan calling it a mid-air release move, one that mirrored the stunt that had gone wrong in Berlin. And now the moment was here.

Down below, you could hear a pin drop. Come on, Amaya… Akio begged silently. He had half-risen from his chair without realizing it. If sheer will alone could keep her safe, he would pour every ounce of his into her. His heart was hammering so loudly it drowned out the music.

For a terrifying second, Amaya remained crouched, frozen by the ghosts of her past. The trapeze swung in a gentle pendulum, as if waiting with bated breath.

Akio’s throat tightened. He had never wanted so desperately to shout encouragement. Part of him actually started to rise to his feet, ready to run forward, what he meant to do, he had no idea. Catch her from twenty feet below? Steal a trampoline? His mind raced uselessly. Thankfully, Naomi’s voice suddenly carried from the wing, clear and bold in the quiet: “You got this, Amaya!”

Though not loud, Naomi’s words seemed to echo. Amaya’s head turned slightly toward that voice. And then, as if a switch flipped, Akio saw Amaya draw in a deep breath. From across the hall he could see it: her shoulders squared, her chin lifted. The fear in her posture melted away, replaced by resolve. When she faced forward again, he recognized the familiar fire blazing in her eyes.

She stood tall on the trapeze bar, her silhouette proud against the spotlight. With a decisive movement, Amaya launched herself upward. She swung once, twice, gaining momentum. Then she let go of the bar entirely, flying into open air. A collective gasp erupted below.

For an eternal heartbeat, Amaya was airborne without anchor, a graceful figure against the void. Time seemed to slow. Akio’s heart stopped dead.

In that still moment, something incredible happened: Amaya twisted mid-air, a full somersault, and reached out. Her hands caught the trapeze bar on the downswing as it met her exactly where it needed to be. She caught it!

A cheer burst forth before the audience could even stop themselves. Akio realized he had lurched so far forward that Shinji was gripping the back of his jacket to keep him from toppling over the railing. He didn’t even care, his eyes were on Amaya, who was now hanging by her hands once more, safe and secure.

But she wasn’t done. Now that she had tasted her fear and overcome it, Amaya seemed to glow with new confidence. The music swelled, rising into a powerful, soaring symphony. With fluid agility, she lifted herself back onto the trapeze. Then, in one smooth motion, she split into a perfect upside-down split beneath the bar, hooking one knee and stretching her other leg skyward. The flowing skirt of her costume fluttered away to reveal the glittering leotard fully.

She transitioned from pose to pose, each more daring: hanging by one knee and reaching out into the air as if to grab a piece of the moon, then rolling forward to hang by her ankles with arms extended in a flying cross position. There was no trace of hesitation now, only joy.

Akio’s fear slowly transformed into awe. He watched, unblinking, as Amaya performed a final breathtaking sequence: she climbed on top of the trapeze bar as it swung to its highest arc. For an instant, she was standing with nothing but thin air beneath her. Then Amaya dove forward off the bar, executing a graceful forward flip.

Gasps and a few screams rose, the HR manager yelped in fright, but Amaya’s hands found the bar again on the return swing with flawless timing. She hung by one arm and spiralled down around the rope in a dramatic finish, flipping upright to sit on the bar just as the last note of music struck.

For a heartbeat, there was silence. Amaya sat breathing hard on the trapeze, her chest heaving, face lifted toward the lights.

From Akio’s angle, he could see tears of triumph glistening on her cheeks. She raised one hand high above her head, an exuberant smile breaking across her face, the purest expression of victory.

Then the entire hall erupted. Applause, cheers, and joyous cries thundered through the space. People shot to their feet without a second thought. Shinji was on his feet whistling and clapping; Akio dimly noticed Narisawa-kun vigorously wiping tears off his face with his jacket sleeve while clapping over his head.

“Bravo! Bravooo!” someone yelled, was that the CEO? Indeed, the normally reserved old man was standing and applauding firmly, while Mr. Snuffles barked in excitement atop a centrepiece of peonies. The CFO was already mid-ovation as well, his glasses askew as he cheered.

Akio’s coworkers exchanged astonished looks at their higher-up’s losing composure, then happily joined in the rapture with cheers of their own. The entire audience had become a sea of standing figures, a roaring approval like ocean waves.

Akio found himself on his feet as well, though he couldn’t recall standing. He was clapping hard, his palms stinging, but he barely felt the pain through the overwhelming emotion surging in him.

Up on the trapeze, Amaya bowed as the apparatus gently lowered, then she leapt off the moment it was safe and landed in a perfect dismount on the stage. She immediately looked toward their table. Through the standing crowd, her eyes found Akio’s.

Akio’s breath caught. Amaya’s face was glowing, sweat and tears and all, glowing with accomplishment and relief and so much happiness that Akio felt his heart might burst. She did it. She did it.

The flood of pride and admiration he felt was almost too much to contain. He wanted to run to her, sweep her up and say everything: how amazing she was, how breathtaking, how—

A lump rose in his throat. Akio’s vision blurred; belatedly, he realized his own eyes were damp. He managed a smile, hoping she could see in his face all the congratulations he couldn’t shout over the noise. Amaya gave a little wave, meant for their whole group perhaps, but her gaze lingered on Akio for a heartbeat that felt like an eternity. In that moment, something crystalized inside him with absolute clarity.

As the applause thundered on and his heart pounded like a drum, Akio knew he was completely, irreversibly in love with Amaya.

There was no more wondering, no more denial.

It hit him like the final note of the music: she had conquered her fear, and in doing so, she had utterly conquered his heart.

Akio stood there amidst the standing ovation, a goofy, tearful grin on his face, feeling lighter than air.

I’m in love with her.

The realization glowed warm and undeniable within him, as dazzling as the spotlight that still shone on Amaya taking her bows. 

And for once, Akio didn’t overthink or panic about it. He just let himself feel it, applauding the incredible girl who had just taken flight and quietly, joyfully hoping he’d catch her if she ever fell.