By the way, I forgot to point this out: since the rebel attack was at midnight and it lasted 2 hours, people have gone to sleep again. I'm so sorry I didn't point that out and I promise I won't do that again! Special thanks to the following: dayaya198, shawwwtttttyyyy, and Bluetardis00914! Thanks so much for reviewing! Also, if you want to keep reading, I will update fast. Maybe every 2-3 days. Enjoy!

"Maxon!"

He looks up at me in surprise when I sit down. Different ways to start a conversation flit my head. What've you been doing this week? Why are you out here? But I just sit. Finally, he speaks.

"Hey."

With that single word, something inside of me just snaps, and I let out all of the loneliness and confusion that have been bottled up inside of my head.

"'Hey'? Your first word to me in weeks is 'hey'? Seriously, Maxon? You haven't come to my room or even talked to me in a week and all you say is one single word!" I'm talking louder now and I stand up and start to pace. "You could've asked me how I was or something! And is it that hard to just come to my room for just a few minutes? Do you know how hard this week has been? Everyone-besides my maids- ignores me like I'm invisible! And Celeste and Kriss have just about finished convincing themselves that I'm a goner! So after a week, you haven't tried to come talk to me and when we do manage to be alone, it's not because you decided to visit me! And then all you say is-"

I'm cut off when he stands up and in one long stride, grabs my face in his hands and kisses me. I'm so shocked that I almost don't kiss him back. When he pulls away, he inspects my face to see my reaction.

Finally, I come to my senses. "W-what was that for?"

"To shut you up," he replies, grinning. I'm about to yell at him again, but he must see my angry expression because he adds, "I'm joking! But it was quite entertaining to watch you."

I spend two minutes trying to figure out how to reply when he starts talking. "America, I must say I'm sorry. I

tried as hard as I could to see you but Father kept trying to intercept by giving me more work or even

ordering me to go see Kriss, Elise, or Celeste!"

"Whatever it takes to avoid me," I say dryly, flashing him a small smile.

"Exactly," Maxon confirms. We move so that I'm sitting in his lap on the bench with my head against his chest, staring at the stars. It brings up an old memory, before all the drama that has happened now.

"Maxon?" I say. He makes a questioning sound so I know that he's listening. "Do you still remember the time when you told me that all the stars are different colors? And then when we had to go inside, I said you should teach me about them?"

"Yes, actually. I didn't think you would remember," He says. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking, maybe you could teach me now, because I seriously can't tell." I smirk, repeating the words I said so long ago. Maxon chuckles and points at a star. Then he goes into a detailed lesson about it.

"That star over there," he says, squinting, "is blue. Can you tell?" I shake my head. I don't even know which star he's talking about. "Well it is. A blue star is a young star and it burns very hot. It's like a baby star. That one over there is yellow." He points at another star, a bit left to the first one. "It's like a middle aged star. It is cooler than blue stars. Basically, the color of stars determines its temperature, age, and composition, and type."

"That," I remark, "is way more complicated than it seems." Maxon laughs.

"It sure is. And while the stars are beautiful, I think you're the most beautiful of them all." I blush furiously, attempting to protest that I'm not, but it comes out in stutters. How can he always come up with such sweet compliments from the top of his head that leave me speechless? Maxon turns me around so that I face him and gently brushes his lips against mine. While it's quick, the tenderness in the kiss make me feel loved and adored- and I want more. But I'm getting tired and Maxon seems to sense it so he sweeps me up into his strong arms and walks back to my room.

Maxon and I get to work, tidying up the mess the rebels made. I didn't notice the pillow on the ground or the toppled over nightstand before. I guess I was feeling a bit low. Until I saw Maxon, of course.

We're cleaning up the bed when I accidentally whack Maxon right in his face with my pillow while turning around. My hands fly to my mouth, dropping the pillow.

"Oh my God, I'm so-" Unexpectedly, something big and soft connects with my head, slightly knocking me back. My head darts up to see Maxon, holding the pillow in his hand and beaming victoriously.

"You were saying, my dear?" Without thinking, I grab another pillow that lay off to the side and hit him back.

Soon, my room is filled with our quiet shrieking and laughter. We continue to lightly pound each other, not caring about the messy bed or the fact that we should be sleeping. We keep striking each other in our heads, arms, legs, stomach. Anything that we can hit is hit.

I haven't felt so happy, so free in ages; I've been worrying about King Clarkson's threat and the rest of the competition for so long and haven't thought of having fun. But Maxon always seems to bring out the cheery side of me.

Finally, Maxon pulls me to him and gathers me up into his arms, and our giggling and chuckling gradually dies down into steady breathing. We sit there on my bed for a little while, just enjoying each other's presence. It's so much different than the awkward silence in the safe room. In fact, that seems like an unpleasant dream.

But now, I feel protected and secure in Maxon's arms rather than scared and lonely.

All too soon, he stands up and makes my bed while I wish that I could replay that moment again. Then he tucks me in like a small child and kisses me softly.

"I'll see you at breakfast," he says. I nod, thinking that breakfast can't come fast enough. Then he quickly plants a kiss on my lips and starts to walk away, but I grab his hand.

"And Maxon? I am not your 'dear'," I say.

"No," he agrees, "you are much more." Then he leaves.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face, happier than I've been in the longest time.

So? Whaddya think? I really hoped you liked it! So much Maxerica that I almost can't stand it! Any advice would be appreciated! I'm adding Maxerica to the dictionary ASAP. Btw, I learned a lot about stars while writing this.

-Cindy