Another chapter! You guys seemed to like the last one, thank God! I loved the reviews, keep 'em coming please!


I turned away from the bar to see Derek fiddling with his collar. He looked nervous, uncomfortable even. I knew he wasn't a fan of this place, the loud music and the crowd stressed him out, made him restless. As I stepped down to go see him, a gentle hand grasped my arm and pulled me back, this time even closer to him than I was before. His breath fanned over my face, reeking of alcohol as he told me yet another story. His brown, almond eyes gleamed with happiness as he spoke.

"Oh and that's not it, the last time this happened I had to write the whole assignment all over again! How unfair is that. Anyways..."

I zoned out. Don't get me wrong, Simon was great, a real charmer, but he cold talk for days. And right now, I was on the recieving end of his never ending chatter.

Derek, Simon's brother, on the other hand, was more of a listener. We were both quiet people, which is why we were best friends. We were the same person at times, but others we were completely different. He was hot-headed, yet somehow logical. Straight to the point and never sugarcoated anything, while I tried my hardest to demonstrate patience and kindness with everybody. Tori and I always joked that we needed to train Derek in manners, but the gag never went down too well with him. He was too stubborn, too set in his ways.

We were at the Summet bar in downtown Buffalo, everyone's favourite place to catch up on a Friday night. We weren't here for any particular reason. Liz and Tori just wanted a night out and Simon, Derek, Rae, Brady and I got dragged along. Rae, Brady and Liz were nowhere to be seen, leaving Derek sitting in a booth with his sister Tori. I watched as she walked up behind him and smacked him upside the head with her open palm. She said something that I could only imagine was a dig at him for wanting to be anywhere but here. He murmured something back to her, a look of displeasure etched on his beautiful face. His forest green eyes darted around the room, a sneer of disgust forming on his lips as he ran his finger through his long, jet black hair.

I hated the bar. Hated it. We both did, and we only ever went because of our friends. Never out of our own volition.

Simon was still chattering away in the background as I watched Derek grab his jacket and head for the door after speaking a few quick words to Tori. I went to follow him outide but was stopped by Simon once again, striking up a completely different conversation. The boy clearly couldn't understand social cues. I endured another ten minutes of his rambling before finally excusing myself to the bathroom where I pulled out my phone.

Hope u got home okay xx - C

I pressed 'send' on my phone only to have it buzz in my hand again seconds later.

In the cab now, nearly home. Have fun tonight -D

I grinned at my phone, knowing he was being sarcastic. He knew I wasn't having fun, that I'd rather be at home in my pyjamas fiddling with my newest film editing software. Fighting the urge to reply back with something smart arsed, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and headed back out to where Liz and Tori sat at the booth, now joined by Simon. I slid in next to him and he stretched an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in uncomfortably closer. I smiled shyly up him as he grinned back down at me, clearly intoxicated.

We sat, we talked, we drank for another three hours before finally calling it a night. Tori and Liz hopped into a taxi while Simon insisted on walking me back to my apartment. Why? Who knows? I was more than willing to split the cost of a cab, but Simon protested. Something about fresh air, but it was the dead of winter. The fresh air would freeze us to death.

We walked down the streets of Buffalo. I didn't bring a jacket. The bar was hot, why would I need one? Oh that's right, Simon was being a jerk and decided to take the cold way home.

I shivered.

"Here, have my jacket." He murmured sweetly as he shrugged off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. The weight of it pulled me down, but kept me warm nonetheless.

"T-thanks." I whispered.

"No problem." He beamed. For a guy who was half frozen walking through the streets in the dead of night, Simon was unusually chipper. I chalked it up to all that alcohol. We walked in silence for another ten minutes before I stopped in front of the familiar apartment building. The streetlamps were the only source of light, casting shadows over Simon's face. He stared down at me, as if wanting to say something.

"Well, this is me." I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Thanks for walking me back. Can I call you a cab or-"

"Chloe," Simon interrupted. "I-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Instead he lowered his face to meet mine and I knew what was coming. I just knew it. His eyelashes fluttered as his eyes darted between my eyes and my lips. I saw it in movies all the time, the way the boy looked at the girl right before they kissed, but when his lips touched mine, I still jumped.

"S-sorry, I-I-"

He let out a low chuckle. "Skittish as a cat." He murmured, his eyelids heavy as he dipped his face down to mine again. A cold hand slid to the back of my neck, the other at my chin to tilt my head up towards to his. "If I'm moving too fast-" His breath fanned over my face.

"N-no." I interrupted. Yes, too fast. Stop it! My mind screamed.

"Good."

This time I didn't jump, I didn't flinch, there was no gasp. I didn't do anything and he was so, so cold. His hands, his lips, his nose. All freezing. I'd kissed boys before. Not many, but they were boys that I liked and every time it felt warm. Inviting. My brain finally caught up and I moved my lips against his, but kissing Simon didn't give me that warm, fuzzy feeling. The same feeling I got when I was around Derek. It felt awkward, like I was doing something wrong, making a huge mistake and-

He stopped and pulled away, his face only inches from mine. His dark, almond eyes scanned my face, trying to gauge what I was thinking.

"Wrong guy, huh?" He said, his voice so soft I barely caught it. His brow furrowed.

"Wh-what?"

He finally moved his face away from mine, completely devoid of emotion.

"There's someone else." He said simply, as if it weren't even a question. This time he spoke loud and clear.

"Someone? A boyfriend? Simon you know I don't- I would never-"

"Never kiss me back if that was the case, I know." He took another step back. "I don't mean a boyfriend, just someone." He glanced down pointedly at the watch on his left wrist, but he wasn't reading the time.

It was the watch Derek gifted him for his birthday two weeks ago.

"D-Derek? You think I-" I couldn't finish. I wanted to laugh, I did laugh. The thought of me and Derek together was so crazy, so ridiculous I scoffed at the thought. My breath caught as Simon watched me stumble over my words, trying to explain how utterly silly he was being.

"Derek and I aren't-"

"Not yet, I know."

"Not ever. I-I don't-"

Please, Chloe. Please just say it. Say 'I don't like Derek!'

But I couldn't. I stuttered and stumbled over my words but I just couldn't say it. We stood in an uncomfortable silence, Simon stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he waited for me to answer.

"It's not like that." I finally whispered.

"No, it wasn't like that at first. It started to change a year ago when he was in one of your history classes. You'd hang out, tutor him. You even had your little inside jokes. The vibe changed. I told myself I was just imagining it, and there were so many times I thought I was right. It was just my imagination. Then tonight when we were talking up at the bar, getting close to me, you had your hand on my arm. I thought tonight was the night." He looked around, anywhere else but at me. "But then you were so eager to check up on him, to go over and sit next to him." He went quiet. "Tell me I'm wrong, Chloe. Please, just tell me I'm wrong."

There was a hint of pleading in his voice that made me feel like the worst person in the world. Everything in me wanted to tell him he was imagining things. Here I had what I thought was my perfect dream guy. Handsome, charismatic, talented and dedicated. He was right there in front of me, confessing his love. Everything I could ever dream of in a boyfriend was in Simon and he was mine for the taking, but only if I could say those three words.

You're imagining it.

I opened my mouth to speak and nothing came out. Tears threatened to spill as he watched me make a fool out of myself, trying to spit out the words. I couldn't do it.

"It's not like that." I whispered eventually, repeating what I said only moments before.

Why? Why wouldn't I just tell him straight up? There was nothing there between me and Derek. But who was I crying to convince, Simon? Or was I trying to convince myself? Simon was everything I could have ever wanted. Why was I throwing it away? Why didn't it feel right to kiss him? Why didn't he give me that warm, fuzzy feeling that I thought I'd feel?

And why did I think about Derek when Simon was kissing me?

"Yeah, Chloe. It is like that." He clenched his jaw and turned to walk away. My eyes filled with tears as I called after him, knowing he could hear me.

But he didn't stop.

He disappeared around the corner before I finally let the tears spill, cascading down my cheeks as realised the mess I'd just dug myself into.

I stifled a groan and walked in the opposite direction, away from my apartment building and into the dark streets of Buffalo.