"Chances are you'll hate me in the morning," he whispered in her ear as she took his hand and led him towards the bed. She smiled and shook her head. No, she was sure of this. This is what she wanted. She'd been pushing away her feelings for so long, she wanted to completely open herself to him. "No, seriously. You will." Again, she refused to let this persuade her. Her mind was made up.

She sat herself down on the bed, linking their hands and leaning back as to bring him closer. He didn't initiate, nor deny, anything. He simply went along with whatever she put in motion, but he didn't even attempt to cover up the lack of passion he was putting forth.

"I…I don't understand," she muttered, embarrassed but more upset. "Don't you want this?" He let out a deep sigh, letting go of her and getting into a standing position. She lay on the bed, stunned and forcing herself to hold a stern face so that she wouldn't cry. He looked at her for a moment, then threw his head back in angst. When he brought his head to a normal position, his eyes locked with hers. Despite herself, her eyes gave away everything she was thinking.

"You know I do," he insisted, a slight edge to his voice. As he continued, though, he couldn't help but soften. "It's just…I didn't think that this would be the way you wanted it…" His eyes dropped to the floor.

There was silence for a moment before she said, "But what if it is?" He looked up to see her confident eyes gazing at him. Yes, this was what she wanted. At least, that's what he got from the way she was looking at him. And even if it wasn't, he could tell that she was determined to go through with it no matter what. At this point, giving in to his own desire, he moved towards her, kissing her passionately while laying his body on top of hers.

While in the middle of the act, her mind began functioning again. Was this really what she wanted? She wasn't quite sure. But it was too late to turn back now. How did this happen? She'd been so sure only moments before, and now suddenly her head was filled with doubts. Shaking off all of the thoughts in her head, she realized that this would be worth it. After this, he definitely wouldn't leave.

As they lay together in the bed, his bed, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Emily," he mumbled drowsily into her ear. She may not have been able to sleep, but he'd passed out moments after it was over. She smiled, kissing his forehead, then leaning her back against the bed's backboard.

"I wonder if this is what Lauren felt like?" Emily wondered, looking down at him. But it was different for Lauren, she reminded herself. Lauren had had sex with her best friend's boyfriend. As she watched his chest rise and fall, she felt a devotion towards him. It wasn't something that she could just shrug off. It was an eternal connection to him that meant more to her than she would ever admit, even to herself. With this connection she felt, she was sure that he'd never leave.

His eyes fluttered open, only briefly, to realize that she was still awake.

"You should…sleep," he stated, his speech breaking while trying not to fall back asleep. "…Training in the morning…" She smirked. Even in a tranquil moment like this, gymnastics was still unavoidable.

But she knew he was right. And with these words, she slid into a horizontal position, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling a moment before closing her eyes. So, yes, this really was real.

Hours later, she slowly opened her eyes. She was still in his bed, in his bedroom. She stretched out her hands, expecting to touch him, but all she found under her fingers were sheets. Her mind immediately thought of the next logical thing: the bathroom, or maybe the kitchen. Getting out of the bed, she wrapped herself in a sheet and left his bedroom. The bathroom was empty. Her heart raced slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm.

"Alright," she told herself. "If he's not in the kitchen, he's out getting something special for breakfast." When Emily found the kitchen empty, despite herself, panic set in. Approaching the kitchen table, she noticed a sticky note with writing on it.

Good luck at the Olympics. I love you, Emily Kmetko. Goodbye.

He was right. She did hate him.