Hi everyone! So we're back, picking up with where we left off... the kiss.

Thank you to shepeppy for her speedy turn around and much needed words of encouragement with this chapter. I appreciate both, more than she'll ever know.

Chapter Song: Falling In ~ Lifehouse

SM own Twilight. I own Seth and Olivia beginning to fall.


Every time I see your face
My heart takes off on a high speed chase
Now don't be scared, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in

I can't wait till tomorrow
This feeling has swallowed me whole
And know that I've lost control
This heart that I've followed
Has left me so hollow
That was then, this is now, yeah you have changed everything

Every time I see your face
My heart takes off on a high speed chase
Now don't be scared, it's only love
That we're falling in
I would never do you wrong
Or let you down or lead you on
Don't look down, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in

I'm standing in your driveway
It's midnight and I'm sideways
To find out if you feel the same
Won't be easy, have my doubts too
But it's over, without you I'm just lost, incomplete
Yeah you feel like home, home to me

Every time I see your face
My heart takes off on a high speed chase
Now don't be scared, it's only love
That we're falling in
I would never do you wrong
Or let you down or lead you on
Don't look down, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in

All those nights I stayed awake
Thinking of all the ways to make you mine
All of those smiles will never fade
Never run out of ways to blow my mind

Every time I see your face
My heart takes off on a high speed chase
Now don't be scared, it's only love
That we're falling in
I would never do you wrong
Or let you down or lead you on
Don't look down, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in
Don't be scared, it's only love
Baby, that we're falling in

Falling In ~ Lifehouse

SPOV

There were no words to describe that kiss. When we leaned in and I breathed in her breath, her sweet scent and felt her soft heat next to me, I could barely contain myself. I wanted to kiss her, but I was afraid of fucking everything up, because I knew that kissing the one you're meant for was some powerful shit.

At one point in time or another, I'd seen what it was like for every other wolf in the pack who had done it. It was like offering a glass of water to a man dying of thirst, or granting a suffocating man his first breath of fresh air – it was exhilarating, incredibly satisfying... and undeniably necessary. It usually hit them like a Mack truck. One second they were high strung, vibrating with the need just to be near her, or as close to her as possible, wanting so badly to make her feel even a fraction of what they felt and the next second – BAM! They were goners. All it took was one little kiss, one peck on the lips and everything else in the world disappeared. The crazy attraction that they felt towards their other halves would rush over them and cloud their senses like a tidal wave. From what I'd seen in their thoughts, it was really hard to reign in and control.

So I was waiting for it... the lust... the desperate attraction. I already felt it to a degree. She was a very beautiful girl, there was absolutely no denying that. She was small but she definitely had some incredible, soft curves. Between her body, her gorgeous face, her wide icy blue eyes and her incredibly sweet and thoughtful personality I knew that everything about her appealed to me. But physically, I wasn't dying to take things anywhere beyond a kiss yet. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to kiss her. Hell, did I ever. But that was it – just kissing for now. She was too special to want to rush things with. I just wanted to connect with her and feel her connect with me. I wanted to hold her softly and let her know how pretty and incredible I thought she was.

And yeah... I wanted to taste her lips. With a scent as sweet as hers, I was willing to bet that she tasted like heaven. I was dying to find out.

But... I was worried also about what might happen once I was feeling, well, desperate for her. It's sounds extreme to describe it that way, but I knew I would be. It was a given. Every imprinted wolf was and the attraction got ten times stronger with the first kiss. It was like setting a boulder rolling at the top of a steep slope. I'd seen it at least a half dozen times with the others. One kiss - just one - and it was full speed ahead.

But I could tell that Olivia was feeling hesitant – not unwilling, just... cautious, or unsure maybe? I had to go slowly. I knew it would probably be torturous, like the thirsty man sipping instead of gulping the water to quench his thirst, but I was determined to keep things light and gentle with her. She deserved to be treated just as sweetly and kindly as she treated everyone and everything else.

And I wanted to be the guy who kissed her the way she deserved to be kissed, regardless of what I wanted or needed.

So... I did.

I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers so softly it almost tickled.

I felt our electric tingle jolt through me like a bolt of lightning, ten times stronger than it had before. It shot straight out into the rest of my body from my lips to my heart, my head to my toes, and everywhere in between. It was powerful... and it was hard to keep myself in check, but not in the way that I had expected it to be.

When my lips brushed against hers it was like nothing I'd ever felt before in my life. From the first time she touched me on the day that we met, and every time after that, I felt like I had been plugged in. Our tingling, pulsing vibration would kick in and start drumming out a steady beat under my skin. I would shiver and hum with it. But this time it was so much more. It was like being plugged into the sun. I went from feeling that steady hum and drum of energy under my skin to feeling like I'd been lit up from the inside out. My skin felt like it was glowing. And my heart and the blood in my veins weren't drumming out a beat anymore, they were softly vibrating with a steady buzz.

I was expecting it to hit me a lot harder than it did. It practically knocked the other guys flat out when it happened to them.

The only comparison I can make to explain the difference between what I expected to feel and what actually happened is to say that it was like the difference between the harsh light that comes from a modern energy efficient bulb and the gentle, more natural light that comes from a regular round one. I was expecting to be railroaded with extreme sensations and lust, and instead I was tossed into the deep end of a warm pool of soft light. It made me feel hot – everywhere – but in a really good way. The lust wasn't boiling and bubbling over like a hot tub under my skin, though. It was more like the water in a heated pool, sliding through my veins, warming me up from the inside out. It was totally unique... and it was incredible.

Soft, pure, warmth.

Soft, pure and warm. Just like her.

And in response to feeling that, everything I wanted to do next followed the same pattern.

I softly nuzzled my nose to hers. I gently nipped at her bottom lip, just barely pressing it between mine.

Kiss me, I begged with my mouth and mind, please. Let me kiss you.

She whispered a sigh and tilted her head back with mine.

And finally... finally, we sank into a warm, sweet and gentle kiss.

I opened my mouth a fraction of an inch and she responded with the same. I let my tongue graze the soft, plump skin of her bottom lip and I felt my insides tighten up with want and anticipation. She opened her mouth just a little more, inviting me in. That's when I felt her breathe mingle with my breath when it left my body, right before she drew it in. There was something about that. It did things to me. Good things. She took something from me – and I liked it. I wanted to give her more of me. So I did. I let my tongue glide out and into hers – just a little.

Her mouth was all smooth, velvety, chocolaty sweetness. Her lips and tongue were warm and wet, like a melted candy bar. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head just tasting her and feeling her like that.

Holy shit, this is incredible, I thought as I gently tasted the skin of her lips. She's like nothing I've ever imagined. This is just... I... oooh fuck. So good.

Slow, Seth, take this slow, I reminded myself and began to pull back. I was still waiting for the lust filled insanity...

But then her tongue flicked out softly to meet mine.

And that's when it really hit me.

With that one flick of her tongue against mine, I lit up – instantly. I went from forty watts to hundred in a fraction of a second. But there was no Mack truck, no insanely desperate lust, no need to take it anywhere further. And I was really glad about that. I didn't want to rush this with her. Being with her like this was like drinking a really good bottle of wine. You could rush it, but then you'd miss all the rich, deep flavours and sensations that came with it. And I didn't want to miss a damn thing. I wanted to savour her.

I was falling for this girl, hard and fast and sure, and wanting to kiss her to show her how much she meant to me. How much I needed her. How much I wanted to be everything for her.

So that's what I did. I kissed her forever. And thankfully, she let me. Our heads and mouths and tongues worked together like the gears in a slow moving clock. She was the left to my right, the up to my down, the tick to my tock.

It was simple. It was slow. It was perfect.

But when the breeze picked up and she shivered I slowed it down to a crawl and then eventually to a stop. I didn't want to stop, I could have kissed her for hours, but she I figured that she had to be getting cold, and she was still wet from running in the rain. I didn't want her to get sick, so I took a deep breath and laid my forehead against hers to steady myself. I didn't open my eyes. I was enjoying the moment for a bit. The light in me dimmed a bit when we pulled apart, but didn't go out. It ended up staying lit, like a soft, subtle twenty-five watts sitting in the centre of my chest. I knew it wouldn't ever go out as long as she was around. It was a bit intense, to be honest, but I was looking forward to adjusting to it. I'd never spent a day in my entire life feeling as good as I had in that moment.

The sound of her deep exhale was what made me open my eyes. It was shaky and she leaned into me as she did it. I wasn't expecting that.

"Hey," I said softly as I peered down at her face. Her eyes were still closed. Her fingers hadn't moved an inch from the collar of my t-shirt, but her grip on the blanket around her was strong. Her knuckles were white.

Was she too cold? I wasn't really thinking about it while we were wrapped up in the kiss to end all first kisses, but now that I was I noticed that the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees. Now that I was paying attention I realized that there was also a subtle tingling in my spine that told me that there was a fall storm brewing and creeping up on us quickly.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled back a bit to look at me. I felt myself smile when I saw what she was feeling. Her big, bright blue eyes were filled with warmth. They were like the warm oceans in the tropics. I wanted to dive right in.

I wanted to hold her close to me and feel her small, soft body against my chest. And I wanted to run my hands through her hair and stare at the oceans in her eyes when I did it. I could warm her up and make her feel better.

I slid my hands up from her hips to her ribs, intending to wrap my arms around her and give her a hug, but everything about that moment changed in an instant the second I did it.

She stilled and stiffened from head to toe. Her breath caught in her throat. But worst of all, the warmth in her eyes disappeared and the oceans quickly drifted away. Then they squeezed shut.

What the hell just happened?

I stepped back and slid my hands over her arms to her elbows and left them hovering there. She shivered again and I really started getting worried about her being too cold. I wanted to hold her, but she was so stiff... I didn't want to catch her off guard and make her feel more tense.

What did I do?

"Olivia?" I whispered, suddenly really worried that I'd done something wrong.

"I'm ok," she said quietly but firmly. I didn't like the tone of her voice. It was like she was talking to me and answering my question, but kind of like she was talking to herself too.

Why would she need to tell herself that?

She took a deep breath and released it through her nose. She shook her head lightly from side to side before slowly opening her eyes. I was more than a little confused by what I saw there when she lifted her eyes to meet mine.

An apology.

I felt my face crinkle up a bit in confusion. I had no idea what she was feeling sorry about... unless... oh no... was she sorry that we kissed? Was it too much? Should I have stopped sooner? Did she regret it?

I stepped back again, while trying to swallow my heart, which seemed to be fighting with my Adam's apple for space in my throat.

I can't believe I fucked this up. It was too much. You said you were going to go slow, and then you kissed her forever and kept her out in the cold.

I broke her gaze and swallowed again, trying to find the right words to say to fix this. Somehow I just knew that "I'm really sorry for kissing you for so long, and I know that we just met, but you're gorgeous, kind and incredible and we're soul mates and I just couldn't help myself because I feel like I'm alive when I'm with you," would be ok. It would probably just freak her out even more.

I'd sound like a stalker.

Yep, like the kind that watches her window and listens to what she's doing in the privacy of her home at night when she's alone...just like I've been doing all week.

Fuck.

'"I'm sorry."

Wait, what? That hadn't come from me. I looked up and into her eyes.

Another apology.

"Seth, I... I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

In the distance thunder rumbled. The rain was still coming down in sheets. We stood a foot apart under the awning, her still dripping wet and me more or less just feeling damp. She was apologizing and I was seriously confused.

Why is she apologizing if I'm the one who crossed a line?

"No," I shook my head. "I..." I swallowed thickly one more time, "I guess I shouldn't have done that." I swallowed again, this time against the bitter taste that those words left in my mouth. I didn't want to believe what I just said. Kissing her was the single most amazing and exhilarating thing I'd ever done.

But if she... if it wasn't for her... then I shouldn't have done it.

She gasped quietly and her eyes widened.

"No," she whispered fervently, "please don't say that. I'm sorry. I just," she paused, glanced at the ground and shook her head at herself.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward, covering the space I'd put between us and putting herself directly in front of me again.

Then, for the first time ever, she reached out her free hand and took mine in her gentle grasp. Her fingers were trembling a bit. I stood there feeling nervous and sort of dumbfounded. Something about this was off. I was missing something, but I had no idea what. I would have asked her about it, but she seemed to be preparing herself to say something, so I just stood there and waited until she was ready, anxious to hear what she'd say next, and really hoping I hadn't screwed things up.

"I'm not very good at this," she whispered towards our hands.

Not good? You're amazing. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"I'm shy and I get... nervous easily," she continued.

I'm nervous too. It was rare for me, but this girl... she was better than anything I could have dreamed up for myself. Who wouldn't be nervous about messing things up with someone as incredible as her?

"I... that was..." she paused again. I could see her forehead crease a bit as she thought about how to word what she wanted to say next. She was obviously trying to find the right words. I stood quietly and waited. After about half a minute she took a deep breath and blew it out with her next set of words. "That was the best kiss I've had."

Holy crap. The best she ever had? Did she really just say that? I mean, yeah, it was definitely the best for me by a long shot... but hearing that it was the best for her made me feel ten different shades of proud and happy.

"Me too," I confirmed quietly. She should know that. If it made her feel even half as good as I felt when I heard it, then she needed to know.

Her eyes flew up to mine in surprise.

I smiled and looked down at her in amazement. That must have been hard for her to admit. But she did it – for me.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The thunder clapped again, this time along with a flash of lightning. We turned to look out at the storm at the same time. The sky had darkened and the wind was picking up.

"Seth," she whispered so quietly I could barely hear her over the rain.

"Yeah?" I answered looking down at her to find her staring at the storm with a furrowed brow. Her lips were pursed too. She was thinking about something.

"You can't walk home in that."

I shrugged and shook my head. It was just a storm. I'd be ok. With my heightened senses I could easily find my way around the worst pockets of stormy weather and avoid any trouble.

"I'll be fine," I told her.

"You don't know that," she replied worriedly. I did know that, actually. But there was no way to explain it to her without her knowing more about me.

I felt my face soften into a smooth smile, while my heart warmed up.

She's worried about me, I thought incredulously. I wish I could tell her that she didn't have to be. But I can't – not now. Eventually... but not yet. Keeping secrets from her isn't going to be easy, I abruptly realized. She seemed like the kind of person who appreciated honesty. I hated the thought of looking down into her big, open blue eyes and telling her a lie about who I was. I didn't want to do it. I hadn't so far. Even with my tattoo. When she surprised me by recognizing the animals as wolves and asked what the design was about, I told her the truth. Well, half of it, at least. I was pretty sure that it didn't make sense and I could see in her eyes that she had more questions, but she let it drop. I'd somehow managed to tell her the truth even if I did edit out anything to do with my wolf status or my feelings for her.

I have to keep doing that. I won't lie to her, I decided. She deserves better than that. It wouldn't be easy, but I was sure it would be worth it in the end.

She broke our brief silence as we stared out at the rain by clearing her throat softly.

"Um, w-well..." she stammered a bit and then paused to take a deep breath. "Would you like to come in and, um... wait out the storm?"

Her hand shook again. I didn't blame her for being nervous about that one. Sure we'd just shared an out of this world kiss and had seen each other a few times, but that didn't change the fact that we'd just met. What girl wouldn't be nervous inviting a guy she'd just met up to her dorm room after their first date, even if it was just to wait out a storm. And with Olivia being probably the shyest girl I'd ever met, this was huge.

I had to act fast to keep my jaw from landing on the concrete step below our feet. There was just no way I would have expected her to invite me upstairs – storm or not.

And then I was conflicted, because I really, really wanted to say yes. Not for the usual reasons a guy might be hoping to get up to a girls apartment after a date. I just really wanted to see where she lived. I wanted to see her stuff and be in her space. I wanted to know her better.

But... not if it made her uncomfortable. The fact that her hand shook when she asked me to come up made me hold back. As much as I wanted to know everything about her, I could wait and hope that I'd get the chance to see it another time.

"Um, thank you. That's really sweet of you," I replied quietly, "but you don't have to do that. I can call Jake to pick me up." It wasn't really necessary but he'd come if I asked him to.

"Oh," she nodded and shrugged with a small smile. "I hadn't thought about that."

I smiled back and gave her hand a little squeeze before letting it go to pull my phone out of my pocket.

"Just give me a sec," I murmured as I flipped it open and hit number three on my speed dial.

It rang four times.

"Hi, this is Jake, and I'm obviously not around so... you know what to do," I heard his voicemail recording rattle off. I hung up during the beep and dialled Nessie's phone next. Sometimes they only kept one on if they were hanging out together, knowing that anyone who was important to them could reach them at either number.

It rang five times.

"You've reached Nessie. I'm not available-." I hung up in the middle of her voicemail message, sighed and scratched my head. They were supposed to be having a movie marathon night. They should have been home, and Jake always answered his phone. The lightning flashed again and thunder rumbled loudly, making me wonder if they had lost reception.

That's when I realized that I was really out of options. And so was she.

I turned towards her a bit sheepishly. I figured I could always ask if there was a common room in her building that we could hang out in, or I could tell her that I'd wait it out under the cover of the awning...

But when I looked at her, I saw that she was smiling at me shyly with a knowing look in her eye.

"They didn't pick up, did they?" she asked.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"No, they didn't but... um, it's ok. I mean, you don't have to-."

"Seth?" she interrupted quietly before reaching out and taking my hand in hers again, squeezing it very gently one time.

"Come on," she murmured. She let go of my hand and slid a key from her pocket into the door lock, turning it while pulling the door open with the hand that was still clutching the blanket. I reached over her head and held the door for her, stopping just before the threshold.

"You sure?" I asked one last time.

She smiled and glanced up, flashing those big baby blues at me from under her long, black lashes.

"Yes."

She sounded confident, not a waiver in her tone at all. She meant what she said. And I couldn't have been happier.

I smiled and stepped in the door, letting it close softly behind me. I took a second to look around. The foyer was bright, spacious and clean, so it seemed like the place was well cared for. There was a large cork bulletin board on the right with sheets advertising all sorts of things from job postings for students, to book clubs, to parties. And the wall directly to my left housed the mailboxes. I couldn't help but notice that the boxes were labelled with various names of both male and female students that lived there. I have to say that I was less than excited to find out that she lived in a co-ed dorm. I didn't like the thought of her being locked in there at night after visiting hours with other guys, whether they were in their own dorm rooms or not. But there really wasn't anything I could do about it. As I glanced over the names quickly I noticed a few guys by the name of John. I made a mental note to make sure that I somehow got bagel-boy's last name so I could check to see if he lived in this building or not. That was definitely something I'd want to know.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that she was standing on the bottom step of the stairs, waiting for me to finish looking around.

"Ok," I breathed, trying really hard to rein in the excitement coursing through my veins, knowing that I'd get to see more about her world and what she was about. I gestured toward the large, honey coloured, wooden staircase in front of us. "Lead the way."


Yes, he's really going up to her apartment after their first date. I mentioned that they had a bit of a whirwind romance in WG didn't I? Well, they did, with a little divine intervention in the form of a fall thunderstorm and a few other things to help them along the way.

Olivia's up next. Or Maybe Seth. Orrrr, maybe both, now that I think about it. LOL! Who would you like to hear from?

Any ideas/suggestions about what these two should do while they're waiting for the storm to pass? As always, I'd love to hear them. You know what to do...

Until next time,

~Hitchy