There are a few POV switches in here. Sorry about those! I try not to switch too much as to not confuse someone (In my OLD stuff I'd switch points of view every few sentences or so. It was awful). Anyway, story time is over! On to Chapter Seven! Enjoy 3!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dahlia's POV

"Oh...You're here."

"Yeah," he said. "I needed to see you again."

"I thought you were angry at me. For Kyle," I said, and I looked at the ground. "I feel bad about that, I honestly do-I never meant to go that far. I'm really sorry, Kenny, please don't hate him...He was only doing what my drunk ass told him to do."

"I don't," he said. "We aren't together anymore, me 'n you. I keep forgetting that." He looked at me with a small trace of a grin. "You can do whatever you want to with that fantastic body of yours and I can't do shit about it."

My heart thumped painfully and I sat down on the edge of the roof. He'd had Clover call me to the top of the roof, "to practice" she'd said, but I could see now that this was a trick just so he could talk to me (and, I'm not stupid enough to believe it wasn't suspicious...but it was Clover). I didn't blame him this time-I didn't really want to see him (you fucking liar, yes you did) after what occurred at the club that night. "Don't do that to me," I said.

He sat down next to me. "Look, I'm not pissed about it," he said. "I miss you, baby. I can't think of anything but you. I need you."

I looked at him. "Kenny, I have to leave soon."

"I know," he said. "Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

"Partly," I admitted. "I wanted you to get tired of chasing me. I was angry, really, really angry at first, but then I looked at the calendar and realized I'm leaving this weekend and wanted you to forget me." I drew my knees to my chest. "I realized that I love you, but I didn't want you to hurt like I'm hurting. So I decided it would be best to piss you off. I didn't know you'd chase me like this-you never have with any of your other women."

"Because, Dahlia, you're different from the other women. I didn't love them. They were only there for one thing, and once I got it I ditched them. But you…" He slipped an arm around me, burying his face into my shoulder. "You're like a drug."

"Kenny, please," I said. " You can't. I don't want to make this any harder than it has to be."

"We got long distance, don't we, baby?" He said it again. Baby. The way he said it made my chest hurt, my stomach tied in knots because I knew we didn't have the long distance. It wouldn't work. I had school, and if I spent all my time dreaming about him, it would do me no good and that scholarship I earned and was so excited about would be wasted. It would be better if we didn't.

"I...I can't," I said, on the verge of tears now. "I have a career to think of, I'm already enrolled in a good school...I can't afford to fail."

"Dahlia," he said, leaning back and tilting my head to look at him. "Do you know what it feels like to die?"

I gave him a curious look as he stood up and took a cigarette out of his pocket. He'd been smoking a lot lately. "No...but the way I feel right now, I think I may be dying a little bit." I was being honest with him, which probably was not one of my better ideas, but I figured I may as well do it now instead of never getting to do it.

"Well…" he started, taking a long drag on the cigarette. "Dying fucking hurts." I watched his face, seeing things flicker that I'd never seen before. I figured he was trying to figure out how to word things. "I've died. A lot. Any way you can imagine."

"What do you mean? You can't be dead, you're right in front of me," I said.

"I've been dead before," he insisted. "It's a curse. No matter what I do, I don't stay dead. And nobody remembers." He looked at me and gave me a faint grin. "I could die in front of you right now, come back and you wouldn't have any clue that I was even gone in the first place."

He wasn't lying, I knew that much, but I still didn't completely understand. "But...how?"

"I told you-I'm cursed. I don't tell many people because they think I'm fuckin' nuts-and be honest, from the look on your face I can tell you think so too-but I wanted to tell you. If it comes down to it, I'll show you. Not that you'll remember anything, but...after what went down that night, I don't want any more secrets," he said.

It took me a long time to speak. "I don't want you to die, Kenny."

"I never know when it's gonna happen," he said. "As a kid I got electrocuted, stabbed, squashed by fuckin' trees, eaten by a goddamn bird, and when I tried to show the guys-when I first started playing Mysterion-I shot myself in the head and they didn't say a fuckin' word when I came back. But I always come back." He looked like he was in pain when he looked at me. "Even though you won't remember, I fuckin' want you to. I want to know that someone cares when I die, and remembers, every time I die. It may be selfish, but dammit, I know I'm fuckin' selfish."

I looked down at my knees. "I don't think you're selfish," I said. "If you've died as many times as you say you have, I would be upset that no one remembered me, too."

"Can I test it?"

My head snapped up and I shook my head. "No," I said. "Please, please, don't do it...What if you don't come back?"

He snorted a laugh and put his cigarette between his lips. "Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I'll be back. I just hope I'm back in enough time to talk you out of going home."

"Don't jump."

"Don't forget me," he said, standing on the edge of the roof. "I love you."

"Kenny, no," I said scrambling up as he leaned back. I reached out to him, my fingers barely brushing his as he stretched out his arm. He was smiling at me, telling me it would be okay...but I didn't believe him. I wouldn't believe him until I saw him back with my own eyes. "Kenny!" I sat back down after seeing him hit the ground, shaking from head to toe. So much blood...I looked at my hands. Almost… I almost could have saved him, but I was too damn slow. It took a full minute for the tears to come and I wrapped my arms around my knees after pulling them to my chest and cried harder than I'd ever cried in my life. He was gone. And it was all my fault.

I walked around like a zombie for the rest of the afternoon, not being able to get out of my funk long enough to talk to Kyle. He felt my forehead, and I feigned tiredness and went to my room before bursting into tears again. It was late afternoon by this point, the sun nearly all the way down, but I went ahead and laid down, curling up in a little ball, blankets pulled up under my chin. I cried myself to sleep that night.

((Clover's POV))

"You did well tonight," he said, and all I could do is look at him. My heart started beating a little faster, my breath caught, and I couldn't think of anything to say to him. "I...I heard that your songs were good, so I came."

"Thanks," I said to him finally, when I felt safe to speak, packing up my guitar and hopping offstage. "But you shouldn't have."

"Clover," he said.

I turned to meet his eyes, one hidden underneath unruly curly black hair, the usual cigarette hanging between his lips. He had an unusual look on his face, one that wasn't the normal nonchalant, aloof one he always tried to keep. It was a look that he'd used to give me on the nights I'd be invited into his bed, if only just for the sex, and then we'd go back to what we were doing. After all, nine times out of ten, sex was permitted. "I'm not getting back together with you." He didn't say anything, but I knew I'd hit the nail on the head with that one. "Michael...I can't go back. Not after how far I've come."

"You'd rather spend time with those posers than with us?" Ah. So he was jealous. Even though the attitude was back, like he didn't care about a damn thing, he was jealous. It gave me a little sense of satisfaction to see that he even could feel jealousy.

"Yeah," Stan said, stepping up behind me. "She would. At least we have a little fun every now and then."

"Shut the fuck up, no one was talking to you," he snapped.

"Just leave," I said. "Michael, please. Just go. That would be the best thing for all of us."

He sneered at me before turning around, trenchcoat flying out behind him. "When this asshole dumps you, don't expect to come back."

"I don't plan to," I called after him. "Being alone is better than being with you."

"Was he bothering you too much?" Stan asked gently.

I shook my head. "No, he was alright. I was gonna handle it. But thanks...you made it easier."

"Glad to hear it," Stan said with a smile, taking my guitar from me. "Hey, instead of me walking you home, wanna come to my house? I mean, you'll have to hear the third degree from my dad cause he's fucking nosy, but if you want to hang out, you can."

I thought for a moment and then smiled at him. "Sure. I've never been there before, so it'll be fun to hang out. And...I guess it's as good a time as any to meet your parents."

Stan's dad, oh my God. I had no words. He was hilarious, but I had to wonder what the hell he'd been smoking. Stan pinched the bridge of his nose more than once in irritation, and I had to cough to keep from laughing. After about 15 minutes of talking, Stan excused us to go to his room and I followed him, giggling to myself. "Stan, your dad…"

He grimaced. "I am so fucking sorry," he said. "My dad's a loudmouth."

"He's great, though," I said with a grin. "He seemed really interested in my piercings. And his face when I told him about my clover being an actual tattoo?" I snickered, thinking of the way he'd poked the clover tattooed under my right eye. It was like he'd never seen one before, until he looked at me and asked me how the hell I sat still getting it tattooed.

"You only say that because you just met him. He's a pain in the ass," Stan said, rolling his eyes. "Ask Kyle. Dad got into more trouble than we did when we were kids."

I laughed. "Honestly, from the way he was right then, I believe you."

We both got a little quiet, and I toyed with the hem of my tattered tank top and smoothed it before he reached over and touched the top of my hand. "Hey."

I looked at him, noticing the concerned look in his eye. "Yeah?"

"You miss him, don't you?" He asked me.

The question took me off guard, and I looked down at our hands. "I…" I didn't know how to reply. The correct answer, if I had to be honest, was yes, I supposed. But I didn't, at the same time. It was a hard question to answer, and I shrugged. "I guess. Maybe a little. But I guess that's what happens after wasting 4 years of my life on someone."

"Tell me about it," Stan said with a little scoff. I assumed he meant Wendy, and knew that they had been on and off since they were children.

"You miss her too," I said, and he nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Why be sorry? I'm better with you. Happier," he said. "You're worth a million of her."

My heart jumped at that statement, and I looked down in embarrassment, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You can't tell me that," I said. "Makes me feel like we're getting serious already."

He tilted my head up and smiled at me. "And if we are…?"

I felt myself blushing. "I...I don't want to end up the same way as Michael and I."

"We aren't," Stan assured me. "Do you want to know why?"

"...Because you're nothing like Michael," I said, catching on and smiling at him. I laughed a little bit. "You're right. You aren't." I bit my lip. "Stan, I've liked you for a long time. I'm really scared something's going to happen."

He shrugged. "I don't see anything happening. You're not Wendy, I'm not Michael, and...I think we'll make it." He grinned again. "I just have a good feeling."

"You're definitely not Michael," I said with a soft laugh, hooking my fingers around his chin. "You're such a fucking sap."

"You love it," he said, kissing me then.

I kissed him back, not anything different from the norm, except this time, he got a little grabby. I didn't mind the way his hand went up my shirt, or the way he tugged it up. I didn't mind his fingers unlatching my bra. His hands were gentle, much more gentle than Michael had ever been, and I never knew how good sex could feel when going slowly. Or...at least the foreplay to sex, since we weren't exactly doing it yet.

He focused on my mouth for a long time before kissing a line down to my shoulder, downward on to my chest, and that's when I began to get a little nervous. I pushed past it, because it really did feel pretty awesome, and since I didn't want to fuck this up with Stan. He noticed me tense up, because he pulled back and looked at me in concern. "Is everything alright?"

I smiled at him and nodded. "I just haven't been touched this way in a long time," I told him. It wasn't exactly a lie, but I wasn't being honest with him, either.

He kissed me again, hand going to my belt buckle, and I pushed him back with a command to take his shirt off. Pants could stay for now, but if I had to go topless, so did he. He laughed and with a, "yes ma'am", flung his shirt across the room, taking his hat with it. I threaded my fingers in his hair, kissing him again, and his hand resumed its task in unbuckling my belt. I let my hand drift to his belt, and heard his low growl. So he liked this, did he? I took my time in unbuttoning his jeans, and when I did, he sighed in relief. I snickered to myself, but was quickly silenced by his eager hands pulling at my jeans to get them down. Pretty soon both of us were stripped to our underwear, hands and mouths everywhere. I started to get really nervous when his hand slipped into my panties, and told myself I could get through that-Stan was really gentle, and there was nothing he would do that would hurt me. After all, I wanted this too, didn't I?

My heart beat loudly, more rapidly, and I could feel a panic attack coming on. Oh God, what if I did something wrong? What if i disappointed him? He's so much sweeter than Michael, I don't know what I would do if he left me over this-

The next thing I knew, I was in tears, pushing him away and scrambling to get my clothes. He looked a little hurt, and I knew I wasn't being fair by dressing already and not explaining the problem, but I just couldn't. I saw him pick his phone up in a panic and dial a number before taking the phone and hanging up as quick as I could, tossing it on the bed. With a hushed, "I'm sorry," and a kiss, I left the house. I realized I'd gone to Kyle's instead of my house when I knocked on the door and asked for Dahlia. Kyle's mom told me that she was in her room and gave me permission to go to her, seeing how upset I was. I thanked her and rushed to her room, knocking on the door. I walked in after getting a greeting to see her sitting on the floor, flipping through the contacts on her phone. Her thumb lingered over Kenny's name, I noticed(that's right, he hadn't been at the gig tonight), sitting down with her. She looked up at me, and I could see that her eyes were puffy and red, but she spoke first.

"Clover, what happened?"

"I…" I bit my lip before the floodgates opened. I told her everything, starting with how I felt about Michael and what happened in the past 4 years. I told her about how tender Stan's touch was, how I was afraid of disappointing him, how I'd never let my guard down like that around anyone but Stan, and how I'd never felt so beautiful, so wanted, so loved by a man in my life. "I fucked it all up, Dahlia. I left him with nothing. No explanation, nothing but an 'I'm sorry', and now I'm afraid he won't want me anymore."

She shook her head. "Stan's a better person than that. Look how long he put up with Wendy's bullshit. I think he'll be more worried about you than anything." She gave me a reassuring smile, even though I knew by the tearstains on her cheeks that something had happened before I got here and she was upset. Probably something having to do with Kenny-I'd murder the bastard. She patted the top of my head. "Why don't you call him, Clover? I know that it would make him feel better if you did."

"I'm 99% sure he will never want to talk to me again," I said miserably.

"Actually, Clover...she's right," Stan said from the doorway. He smiled at me, walking into Dahlia's room and standing in front of me. He took my hands in his and squeezed them. "I'm not angry...what happened to you? I know that I'm not that bad a lover." His voice was teasing me and I bit my lip.

"No, Stan, you're fucking perfect," I said to him. "You're so much better than Michael at everything, and you scare me a little bit. I lose it a little bit when I'm with you, and I haven't done that in so long that it terrifies me."

"I'll help you with that," he said sincerely. "If we have to, we'll hold off on the intimate stuff. I don't mind waiting forever on you."

"You fucking sap," I said with a choked laugh, the tears coming back. I hugged him. "You're wonderful."

"Come on, guys," Dahlia said, trying to be light about it but there was a tone to her voice that said seeing us together was very painful for her. "Get a room. And not my room."

Stan chuckled, ruffling her hair like a big brother would. "Ah, sorry."

"Are you okay, Dahlia?" I asked softly.

"I'll be fine." She faked a smile and I saw right through it. "Go enjoy your boyfriend. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what's up."

"If you insist," I said, giving her a quick hug. It was unlike me, but I figured since I'd bared my soul to the girl, I could at least hug her. "Get some sleep."

She nodded as I walked out the door. She called Stan back in the room with her, and I leaned outside the doorway to give them privacy. She probably wanted to talk about whatever it was that Kenny did with him, so I wouldn't get so angry. "Hey, have you heard from Kenny today?" she asked. Her voice was hushed, but I still heard everything that was said.

"No, he hasn't called. I just figured he was takin' a lazy day. Why, he hasn't called you?"

"No," she said. "I'm worried about him, Stan. We met on the roof the other day, and something happened but what kills me is that I don't remember what it was. I'm worried that he may be dead or something."

"He's fine," Stan assured her. "I'll call him when I get home and let you know."

"Thank you," she said softly. "I've tried more than once to get in touch with him but there's no response." I heard shuffling and looked to see her pushing him out the door. "So now go have sex with your girlfriend."

He blushed crimson and stuttered as she giggled, closing the door behind him. I looked at him in concern, but his face told me that she didn't want to discuss it, and he'd let her call me and explain. I saw him slide something in his pocket, also, but I didn't ask what it was. We walked home, after an apology to Mrs. Broflovski. She laughed it off, thankfully, with no questions asked.

After a wildly successful night with Stan, I woke up still in his bed, still in his arms, and also still very naked. I tried to roll over, so I could get up and put my clothes on, but he held me tight and nuzzled my shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Stan, if your parents catch us…"

"They won't," he said, rolling me over to face him. He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but laugh at his severe bedhead. It was cute, but looked ridiculous on him. "Could I at least have a good morning kiss before you get out of bed?"

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. Just as his lips were about to touch mine, we heard his dad from downstairs, moaning Stan's name like he was dying. Stan grunted and rolled away, sighing. "What?!"

"Staaaaan, just come in here, Staaaaaaaaaaaan," Randy groaned.

Stan got up, grumbling to himself. I could have sworn I heard the words, "there goes my morning", and laughed to myself. About the time I checked my phone to see how late in the afternoon we'd slept (since we pretty much fucked each other all night long), it began ringing. Dahlia. "Hey."

"Clover, has Stan heard from Kenny?"

"We just got up," I said, frowning at the urgency in her voice. "I don't think he has."

"Okay," she said. "Sorry to bother you."

"Dahlia, can you tell me what he's done this time?" I asked her. "You're worrying me, and I don't worry."

"I'm afraid he's dead. I haven't heard from him, and I keep calling and texting, and messaging him online, and nothing. I'm really, really scared. He told me something that day on the roof, and I don't remember what it was or what happened and it scares me," she said. She was rambling, but I didn't blame her. My heart started to pound. As much as I bitched at him, I didn't want him to be dead-I really did love him. Not like Dahlia, of course, but I worried about him.

"I'm sorry," I said to her. I didn't know what else to say. "You haven't been to his house, have you?"

"No," she said. "Why isn't anyone else concerned about him, Clover?"

"I don't know," I said softly. "Calm down...I'm sure he's fine."

"Take me to his house," she said desperately. "Please, just so I know he's okay."

"I will," I promised her.

By this time Stan was back from whatever it was that his dad wanted, and walked back in the bedroom. He stopped smiling when he saw my face and looked at my phone. "It was Dahlia, wasn't it?"

"She's about to panic," I said. "She's really worried about Kenny. This isn't like her." I shook my head. "I promised to take her to Kenny's but I need you to go with me-his mom doesn't know me."

He nodded. "Come on, let's go get her."

((Dahlia's POV))

When we arrived at Kenny's, his little sister informed us that he was sleeping in his room. She looked at me, and with a sweet smile that I knew was genuine, told me that she'd allow only me in there-he was indecent as always, but since she was sure I'd seen it all, she'd let me go. I blushed scarlet, and with a rushed thank you, followed her directions to his room. I didn't bother knocking-I had to see him whether or not he wanted to see me. He was laying in bed uncovered, an arm thrown over his face and another on his chest, and I didn't dare look any lower-she wasn't lying about indecency. He stirred a little when I moved his arm from his face, but sighed and stilled. I brushed a few kisses over his face, kneeling in front of his bed on the floor, before settling on his lips and I swear to God I'd never seen him move so fast. "...Dahlia?" he asked, almost inaudibly.

"You're here," I said, looking at him with tear filled eyes. I couldn't hold back the sobs as I sat back on the floor, rubbing my eyes like a child. "You're okay...you're okay." I couldn't stop saying the words, relief flooding through my whole body. He knelt down in front of me, either forgetting he was naked or not caring, and took me in his arms, holding me close. I sobbed on his chest, balling my fist and hitting him a few times. "You bastard, how could you do that to me? You didn't call me back, or text, or answer my calls, and I knew something happened to you but you wouldn't talk to me and it hurts, Kenny. At least when I was ignoring you, you knew I was safe, but you-I worried so much after I saw you fall." The last words slipped from my mouth before I realized it, and he stiffened. I'm sure I tensed up as much as he did, and he pulled back to look at me.

"What did you just say?"

"You fell," I said slowly, looking in his eyes. "I remember now. You fell from the roof." I touched his face, running my hands all over his top half, in his hair, searching for any injury. "You should be dead, Kenny."

"You remember," he said in relief, grabbing me again and holding me so tightly I feared I'd break. "You remember." He buried his face in my neck and his shoulders began shaking. A moment later, I felt his tears on my neck and hugged him to me. I didn't know what to say, so didn't say anything. I didn't know what to do, either-Kenny wasn't the type of man to cry, especially in front of a woman. I was slowly starting to remember that day on the roof, but the conversation was still fuzzy to me. I didn't have to think for long-Kenny kissed me then, showing me his relief. He pulled back after a moment or two, and looked at me with a smile on his face. "You fuckin' remember."

"You died, didn't you?" I asked him. "When you hit the ground. You were dead."

"Yeah," he said.

"I didn't remember yesterday," I said. "Or this morning. I just remembered something bad happening to you, and then I couldn't get ahold of you. It scared me so bad...I had just wanted you to forget me, not to die." I bit my lip, trying to give him a shaky smile. "I love you, you idiot."

"No one else knows," he said. "No one else remembers when I die-but you did." He said again. "It worked."

"Don't ever do that shit to me again," I told him.

He grabbed my hands. "Don't go home. Stay with me. Forever."

"I have to go," I said. "But while I'm still here…I can stay with you, if you want."

"Oh, God, yes," he said.

I smiled at him, pecking a kiss on his forehead as I stood up. "Get dressed, and you can help me get my stuff from Kyle's house."

He seemed to realize then that he was naked, and began to laugh. "You sure you don't wanna do somethin' else first?"

"Clover and Stan are here, so no."

"Damn," he said. He grabbed his clothes quickly and dressed, taking no time in grabbing my hand. He pushed me back against the closed door first, kissing my breath away. After he pulled back so we could leave the room, I was a little dazed, making him laugh. "You sure you don't wanna stay here?"

"Oh, shut up and move so I can get out of here," I said good naturedly.

He laughed, obeying. Clover punched him when we got to his living room, making Stan laugh. "That's for worrying her so much, asshole!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said with a laugh. "We worked it out. Everything's okay now."

"I'd venture to say we were back together, if you'll have me," I said looking at him, a blush on my face.

"You know I will," he said, accompanied by a lecherous grin that told everyone that he was back to his normal self. He hugged me again after that, whispering how much he loved me in my ear and my knees went weak. I didn't think I'd ever get used to that…

This was it. This was my last gig, my last day here, my last day to spend time with all my friends before I left for Georgia, and Clover and I had a little secret up our sleeve. We weren't going to perform the type of music we normally did-we were going to dress up for our men tonight, and be classy. I had a floor length indigo dress with a slit up to my hip, the front with a little diamond to show off a little cleavage, and I looked fucking sexy. I bunched my wavy hair in a clip on top of my head, save for a few tendrils falling around my shoulders. My bangs were too short to put up so I left those alone, just swept across my forehead. I wore virtually no makeup-just red lipstick and I'd lined my eyes, but that was it. I had a thin silver necklace on, with the Celtic knot attached, and wore my typical rings. A couple silver bangles were around my wrists, and on my feet were borrowed heels from Clover. I cursed them-I was a tennis shoe wearing kinda girl, not these. They were black, not unlike the rest of Clover's belongings, about 4 inches tall, and stilettos. I'd spent many an hour in Clover's room learning to walk without killing myself-I wasn't exactly a pro now, but at least I walked without tripping all over myself.

Clover's outfit wasn't too much different than mine-the main difference being the color. When we'd discussed the possibility of this kind of thing, we'd really liked the idea of matching dresses, but different colors to match personalities. Her hair was in a bun, a couple strands curled and left to hang around her face, and she'd put a small decorative comb in to hold it in place. I thought she was beautiful in her long red dress, and told her so. She'd smiled at me, told me how uncomfortable she was, and left me to finish primping in front of the mirror before it was time to go to the club.

We had our usual attendees along with a few new faces, I noticed when I walked inside the club that night. I heard a few whispers when we walked in, and could feel the excitement from them-they wanted to know what we were going to do this time since we were dressed so drastically different from normal. Hell, we even had requested different microphones-I had always liked the old-timey microphones and the owner liked our performances (and the money they brought him) so well, he bought them for us. I was thrilled, so in our practices I liked to hang all over it. I imagined Kenny being there, and I planned to tease him tonight. He couldn't get handsy in public-or at least I didn't like him to-and so I took advantage of it.

Big band music, jazzy slow songs, had always been a favorite of mine, and I was stoked that I was able to talk Clover into singing them. We, unfortunately, didn't have a live band, but there was no way an huge band could fit into that club with all the townspeople packed in there, so I was happy with just a CD. There were 3 or 4 songs we were going to sing, and one in backup in case something went wrong or they wanted an encore. After all, tonight was the end of Clover and Dahlia (since we hadn't come up with a little more creative name for our duo), since I didn't know when I'd be back.

I was giddy by the time the show actually started, and had to contain myself when we walked onstage so I didn't trip and fall. I calmed when I saw the audience, telling myself that I needed to act like I had it together, even if I really didn't. "I'm going to kick this off by saying thank you so much for coming back after all that drama that we've had the whole time I've been singing, and thank you so much for your kindness. The tips went to new microphones, and these awesome new dresses that we bought just for all of you!" I gestured to the audience, gaining a round of applause. "I am sad to say, though, that today's my last day here. So all of you who came just for me, here's a kiss to all your faces because I love you." I blew them a kiss with a smile. "And now I'll shut up because you came here for a show-not a monologue."

They laughed as the music began, then all you could hear was shushing so they didn't miss anything. I smiled as I began to sing, holding onto the sides of the mic and swaying my hips to the beat. Every now and then I'd send a wink someone's way, maybe bite my lip a little bit and the guys would whistle at me. I looked over at Clover, noticing she was letting go a little more than usual, smiling herself, and doing the same things I was doing. She looked like she was enjoying herself immensely, and I could relate. I was having a great time- it was mind-blowing how much power a beautiful woman held over a man. I saw Stan in the audience, mouth open slightly, captivated by her. I was afraid to look at Kenny-knowing him, he'd run and grab me right off the stage if he could.

The show ended quickly, seeming much faster than our other shows, and Clover and I hugged as the club roared with applause and whistles. I gave her a huge kiss on the cheek, leaving a lipstick print and she shoved me slightly, laughing. If this was the way our goodbye was going to be, I was happy with it.

"E-excuse me," said a timid voice, grabbing my attention. I looked to see a boy, no older than 15 or 16 if I had to guess, with a bouquet of roses for me. He held them out, blushing. "For you. You were great. We're going to miss you."

"You're so sweet, thank you," I said, smiling as I reached out to take the flowers. They were smacked to the floor by none other than my wonderful boyfriend, a weird look on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Fuck off, kid. That's my girlfriend." He then bent down and pulled me over his shoulder, holding me like he would a sack of potatoes.

My mouth dropped open and I hit him on the back with my fists. "Put me down, you big dummy! He was just being nice!"

He smacked my backside with an order to hush. "You're going home with me right now."

I knew what he had in mind and elbowed him. "Put me down," I repeated. "I need to go see Clover."

"Clover can wait. I've got you now, and I don't plan on letting go," he said. He yelled a quick goodbye to my partner, who was busy trying to fend off a man that looked like Stan-his father, most likely. She tossed a quick wave our way, and Kenny carried me out the door. I heard one old man mention something to his friend about us, and laughed to myself. They had to think we were crazy. There was no other word for our relationship but crazy, and I found myself thinking that I really didn't want it any other way.

When we made it back to Kenny's, he power-walked through the house, ignoring what was said to him, and flopped me down rather ungracefully on the bed. He looked at me then, and I could see the hungry look in his eyes-the one he always had in his eye around me, and I felt my body heating up from my head to my toes. He kissed me heatedly, without a word, laying down beside me. He stroked my face. "What do I do with you on your last night here…"

I rolled my eyes. "I know what you want to do."

"You have no fuckin' clue, baby," he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes again, sitting up to take the clip out of my hair-it was starting to dig into my head. The red locks fell about my shoulders and I shook my head, breathing a sigh of relief. "Much better. That damn clip hurts."

"You make it hard to want to take my time," he said with a groan.

I laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart." About that time, my phone went off, and I saw that it was my mom. "I gotta take this, okay? You have to be quiet-my mom doesn't know that I'm staying with you." He nodded and I answered the phone. "Heya, mom!"

"Hey, Dahlia. Are you ready to come home yet? I miss you," she said.

"I'll be home tomorrow," I said with a laugh, watching the mischievous look on my boyfriend's face. He touched my foot, unbuckling the heel slowly, and it dawned on me what he was going to do. I shook my head, narrowing my eyes at him. "No," I mouthed to him.

He ignored me as my mom continued to speak. "Well, David's been asking and asking about you. He really misses his big sister."

"Aw," I said with a smile, imagining my four year old brother tugging on my mom's shirt and asking where I was. "He's cute. Tell him that Sissy will be home to tuck him in tomorrow." Kenny was unbuckling my other shoe now. He had a hand on the back of my calf, and kissed my ankle. A shiver went up my spine and I fought the urge to kick my foot at him.

"We also have some other news we want to tell you," she said.

"Ma, I'm too old to be a sister again," I said. He was sliding his hands up my leg, mouth following. He was making it very hard to stay focused, and he wasn't even hardly doing anything yet.

She laughed. "No, no," she said. "I'm too old to start over again-David's enough of a handful anyway." Sliding the dress over to expose my entire leg, he kissed up over my knee and pushed them apart. His hands travelled farther up yet, one stopping on my hip, the other hovering between my legs. His blue eyes met mine and I saw the wicked look as I shook my head violently. Please, no, not that, not while I was on the phone with my mom, what the hell is-

His tongue was on my thigh. I gave my mom a shaky laugh. "That's a good thing…"

"We'll tell you when we pick you up," my mom was saying. I gave her a breathy, "okay", and she kept talking. My mom didn't know how to shut up, but in all fairness, she also didn't know that I had a man touching me, his fingers teasing the thin fabric of my underwear as he nipped and sucked at my thigh. "You make sure to call me when you get to the airport, okay?"

I let out an involuntary gasp when two of his fingers entered me, quickly turning it into a yawn and faking exhaustion. "I will, Mom," I said. "I'm really tired...I had a long day today and will have a long day tomorrow, so I'll just call you before the plane takes off, okay?"

"Okay, honey," She said, and after we said our "I love you"'s and our goodbyes, we hung up and I didn't know whether to choke Kenny or kiss him. I buried my fingers in his hair, yanking him up from his position on the floor. He removed his hand from between my legs and climbed on top of me, shoving a knee between mine, kissing me so hard I was nearly pinned to the bed. I didn't mind, tightening my grip on his hair.

He laughed against my lips. "Was that good, babe?"

"Shut the fuck up, you asshole," I responded, but kissed him. "It wasn't fair of you to do that to me...what if I sucked your cock while you were on the phone?"

"I'd think I was damn lucky," he said to me.

I shook my head and laughed. "Of course you would."

He merely laughed before kissing me again, making sure I wouldn't remember how to speak when he was done. I allowed him to do as he wished-it would be the last time in a long time, and I planned to have fun tonight with the man I loved.

It's mushy, haha. I hope you liked it! Stay tuned, Chapter 8 will be up soon! Thank you for reading!