Chapter Nine- What is this feeling?

I can't believe that I screwed up this badly.

Kaylie pulled her jacket closer to her thin frame, trying to shield herself from the icy air. She let her eyes pass over the shop lined streets near the hotel. Some of them were ones that she and the rest of the Rock Rebels had browsed through while dress shopping.

She stopped in front of the quaint little shop where she and Payson had found their dresses. A faint smile touched her lips as she looked into the darkened display window, she could almost see Lauren and Emily lounging on the stools in front of the dressing room, calling dictatorial orders to the changing Payson and herself.

Things were so simple. I was going to go into Worlds and finally prove that I deserve my title, once and for all. And I blew it. She kept walking, thinking about how this time it was no one's fault but her own. The whole ordeal was burned into the front of her mind, no matter how much she wished it would fade away.

Kaylie stared down the vault run, trying to calm her heart rate. I need this to be amazing. Kaylie bit her lip and started twisting her hands together, rubbing the chalk more thoroughly across her palms. The day had been going well for everyone, especially Payson.

The blonde had been surpassing everyone's expectations, clearly making a statement. Like it wasn't hard enough to defend my title before. Kaylie shook the thought from her head, knowing that Payson wasn't trying to discredit her, if she was then would she be waiting at the bottom of the podium, cheering for her along with Emily and Lauren?

Kaylie glanced around for Sasha, he was watching her sternly with a vein jumping in his jaw. She tried to smile and reassure him that she had this is the bag, it was only vault after all, but he didn't relax. He had been on edge around her all day, ever since her less than perfect dismount on bars.

Kaylie looked away from her coach and looked to see if she got the go ahead yet. Nope, still adjusting vault height. As her eyes wandered, she caught sight of Austin in the stands. Her stomach gave a lurch, and she ferverently tried to push back the memory of how he just shoved her away, looking angry and disgusted.

He had never looked at her like that before. Right now he was grinning, laughing at someone's joke. He turned in his seat and then he's waving. At first it looks like he's waving at Kaylie, she smiles and almost waves back, maybe she had just caught him at a bad time last night, but them she see's who he is actually waving at.

It's Payson. She's smiling and waving back, looking happier and more relaxed then she usually does during competition. Kaylie's stomach drops into her lower intestine just as the flag goes up. She swallows hard and steps onto the mat with a salute, pasting a brittle smile on her face for the judges.

She takes a deep breath before she starts her run, hoping to calm herself and just focus for one minute. That's all I need, sixty seconds. I can do this. And then she's running, as jittery as ever. The vault table is coming up quick, much quicker than she'd like.

Something goes wrong in her brain and she's no longer in control of her body. Her hands fly out to stop her momentum and then she's at a standstill. The flag turns red, error. She steps off the mat blindly, bumping into a harried looking Sasha.

She still has no control over her limbs, running in a stunned state of autopilot. Sasha doesn't seem angry about the scratch, he just seems worried that she might be injured. He asks repeatedly is she's okay, she mumbles a lie about a tweak in her ankle and a gut feeling.

He lets her walk away to get a drink, his eyes still on her, probably not buying into her bull. Kaylie walks right past a concerned Emily and a confused Lauren. What's worse is that Payson has this twisted look on her face, a cross between surprise and disappointment.

Great. Just perfect.

She passed by a newsstand, a scruffy looking man in his mid twenties watching her walk by. She was just about to pass without a second glance, when her eye caught sight of Payson's smiling face on the cover of a magazine.

Kaylie picked it up in disbelief. Sure enough it was Payson, standing atop the balance beam, clad in the team USA colors in a pose, smiling wide. Shown on the other half of the cover, prepping for a parallel bars set, was Austin. The cover was covered in gibberish, well it was gibberish to her, but there was one thing that she definitely understood, and it made her stomach drop.

Connecting the pictures was a large heart, with a question mark in the center.

What the hell? Kaylie tore open the magazine, flipping past random articles and advertisements, stopping only when she saw a page that was absolutely covered with photos of Payson and Austin together. There was one of them exiting the airport together, he was standing close, whispering something in her ear. There were photos of them at the gala together, looking perfectly adorable. He had his hand on her back, pulling her close. There were even some from the first day of competition, he was talking to her before her bars set. Payson looked so relaxed and happy, a soft smile that Kaylie had never seen before touching her friends lips, captured forever in this glossed over magazine.

Payson and Austin? There's no way. Kaylie swallowed hard, tossing the magazine back onto the rack, taking off at a brisk pace down the street. She shook her head as she walked, trying to shake the images from her mind. She said they were just friends. Payson wouldn't lie to me…right?

She stopped dead in her tracks, would Payson lie to her? Kaylie shook her head again. No, no of course not. A sudden warm blast of air alerted Kaylie back to the world around her, along with a heavenly scent that enveloped her senses.

Kaylie looked up, she was standing outside of a cute little café. Her stomach gave a familiar, but pitiful whine. She frowned, she should probably eat something. Kaylie walked inside the shop, smiling almost immediately.

Standing behind the pastry counter was an adorable old woman. She just gave off an aura of warmth that reminded Kaylie of her Abuela. The woman looked extremely busy, but she spared Kaylie a glance, smiling warmly in her direction.

"Elaine we have a waiting customer," She called behind her, her faint accent sounding joyful. She turned so that she was facing Kaylie in full from behind the counter. "Just a minute dearie, take a moment to warm up. It's hard to believe that it's only October with the way that wind is biting." Kaylie only smiled back, this woman was exactly like her Abuela.

Someone tugged on her sleeve. Kaylie looked down to find a young girl with long dark curls, probably no older than nine or ten smiling at her. The little girl, Kaylie assumed this was Elaine, led her to a small booth near the back of the café, which was much larger on the inside than the exterior might lead you to believe.

Elaine waited patiently for Kaylie's order, a small coffee and a scone, before she smiled sweetly and skipped away to her grandmother. Kaylie let her eyes wander the shop, trying to push all thoughts of Payson and Austin and what they might be doing together out of her mind.

Kaylie's eyes passed over young men and women typing away on laptops, old men reading newspapers. Young couples cuddling in booths sent an ache ripping through her chest. She looked away quickly before she could dwell on boys and romance just in time to see Elaine coming over with her order. That was quick.

"Thanks," She thanked the girl quietly, earning another bright smile before she was left alone with her thoughts. She brought the warm mug to her lips, closing her eyes at the rich taste of the coffee. It was delicious.

Suddenly feeling much better, as if she had been warmed from the inside out, Kaylie smiled and let her eyes go back to wandering the shop. She chuckled softly as she wondered if there was a pattern in the people who were sitting in the shop.

Let's see…Old guy, laptop, old guy, couple, laptop, laptop, Austin , old guy…The mug froze between her lips as she backtracked quickly.

Austin?

Sure enough, there was Austin Tucker sitting at a booth a few tables away from her. There was no mistaking that damn charming grin. He was obviously with someone, and had been for awhile. His stance was lax, his infamous leather jacket tossed on the seat beside him.

Who is he with? Kaylie watched as he laughed, running a hand through his short hair, grinning like he was the happiest man alive. Payson? Kaylie leaned out of the booth a bit further, just enough to see, but not enough for Austin to notice her presence.

She searched for a glimpse of long blonde hair, a tell tale mark of Payson, but all she could see was the curve of a slender arm, feminine at a glance, encased in a charcoal sweater.

Small hands came into view on the table, the fingers drumming against the tabletop. Austin's hand enveloped the smaller pair, bringing them to his lips gently. Kaylie leaned further out of the booth, the hands definitely belonged to a girl, but did they belong to Payson?

The girl shifted in her seat, swinging her crossed legs around so that they were now unknowingly in Kaylie's field of vision. There was such an easy confidence in the way the girl was conducting herself that Kaylie had a feeling that she was most certainly not Payson. Payson had never been smooth with boys she liked. She had been shy and bumbling when Nicky had caught her attention, barely able to string two words together around the boy.

Kaylie smiled at this conclusion. Austin wasn't out with Payson. Good. As nice as the revelation felt, it soon turned sour as Kaylie realized that it meant something very bad for her friend. He was out with another girl. After leading the blonde on all week he goes and does this? That was low, even for the Bad boy Olympian.

She set her mug firmly on the table, resolve hardening inside of her as her watched him laugh and smile with the girl. First he messes with me, and now Payson? No way. The petite brunette stood and quickly, before she could regret it, walked over towards the table.

He didn't notice her approach, too wrapped up in his conversation with the girl, he was still holding her hands on the table. Kaylie slammed a hand down on the tabletop, not even sparing a glance at the unknown girl. His eyes finally tore away from his date, widening a bit when he saw her standing in front of him.

"Kaylie?" For a moment she is speechless, realizing that she had never prepared what exactly she had planned to say to him before storming over. He drew back his hands, waiting for her to speak. She decided to just wing it. After all, he was the one who was in fault here.

"How dare you?" So far so good. He arched an eyebrow at her, silently asking for an elaboration on her extremely vague statement. "It's one thing to completely reject me, but I never would have thought that you would mess around with Payson all week and lead her on, only to then go on a date with another girl!"

"Uhm, Kaylie?" There was a light twinkling in his eyes; he was obviously trying not to laugh at her. The bastard! This isn't funny! Anger flared in her stomach again.

"No. Listen here Tucker!" He held up his hands in surrender, his eyes flicking behind her to the girl. Kaylie pressed on, the words coming easier to her now. "Payson is amazing, way better than you'll ever be. Now I know you're brain is too small to comprehend just how great she is, but that gives you no reason to do this to her! I can't believe I thought for even two seconds that you were actually maybe interested in her and not just playing games. And I did, but of course you're just going to prove me wrong time and time again because here you are with-"

"Me." Kaylie froze, her rant dying off at the sound of an extremely familiar voice. Oh no. Austin smirked at her, and his amused demeanor suddenly made sense. She slowly turned around, and she was face to face with none other than Payson Keeler.

"Payson?" Kaylie squeaked, her voice shooting up three octaves, a sour taste coating her tongue.

"Hi Kaylie," The blonde smiled weakly at her, waving her fingers at her friend. Kaylie started stumbling over her words, mumbling what sounded like a hurried and embarrassed apology before rushing back to her own table to pay the bill, and she left the shop, her face flushed red.

Austin chuckled softly, "Well that was…entertaining." Payson rolled her eyes and took a sip of her tea.

"She took it a bit better than what I had imagined." Payson placed her hands back on the table, her skin still tingling where he had touched her. He mimicked her actions, his long fingers overlapping hers with a smile.

"So what were you saying about your grandmother?" They had been exchanging stories about their families, Austin found it highly amusing that Kim was the oldest of six siblings, where as Payson was interested in how both of his parents were hippies living in South Dakota somewhere.

"The fact that she makes the best cookies ever or the part about her living in over thirty different countries?"

"The cookie thing." He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes; she pulled her hands back, using them to explain herself more fully. They talked for awhile more, sharing pasts and joking around, neither realizing that the café was slowly emptying around them. It was only when Payson's phone alarm buzzed to signal ten minutes till curfew, it having been extended in honor of the fantastic job shown by both teams this week, did they both realize how long they had been talking.

Austin dropped a few bills on the table, ignoring Payson's blatant complaints, smiling when she insisted on leaving the tip. He pulled on his jacket, not wanting to carry it, holding out a hand to her. She took it with a smile.

"Why do you insist on doing that?" She asked him as they walked outside, the brisk air feeling sharp as knives after the warmth of the café.

"What? Paying?" She nodded, "What kind of gentleman would I be if I let the lady pay for the date?" He chuckled deep in his chest, "A crappy one that's for sure." She didn't answer, her hand slipping out of his arm as she snaked her arms around her chest.

"Is that what this is?" Her voice was quiet, nothing like it had been only moments ago back in the booth as they laughed at the stupidity of their younger selves. He stopped in his tracks, turning to face her on the sidewalk. The moon was bright tonight, the silvery light reflecting off of her hair and throwing her face into an odd contrast, but surprisingly beautiful all the same.

"What?"He asked her, his throat suddenly going dry. Things had been going so well. You just had to throw out the D-word. Moron.

"This. Us. Was it a…date?" She cocked her head to the side slightly, her eyes shimmering with uncertainty and confusion. There are two paths here. You can be bold and take a dive, or you play it safe. Austin bit the inside of his cheek, if it were anyone else he would have launched straight into a state of cocky bravado, but it wasn't just anyone. It was Payson.

"That depends," He stepped closer to her, half expecting her to step back. She didn't. "Do you want it to be?" She bit down on her lower lip, silence stretching between them for what felt like hours.

"Am I a bad friend if I say yes?" She kept her eyes trained on him, searching his face for unspoken answers. Austin smiled softly at her, shaking his head, and only closed the already small distance between even more. She didn't move away, not when he was directly in front of her, or when he reached out to frame the side of her face with one of his big hands.

Her skin was soft under his touch, her hair even softer. It dawned on him that she had the kind of hair that would be awesome to just run your fingers through. All the damn time. He hesitated, waiting to see if she'd just suddenly back away, like Kaylie used to do.

But she didn't.

Payson kept her gaze on him, her hand coming up to touch the back of his, like she was checking that he was really there. He ran his callused thumb over her cheekbone, tracing the shadow the moonlight cast. They both stepped closer to one another, smiling and he couldn't believe where they were heading. It was all falling into place and she had brought her own hand to his chest, gripping his t-shirt while looking determined, when the distinct sound of a cell phone ringing shattered the moment.

She groaned softly, resting her forehead against his chest in defeat before pulling away and reaching into her pocket to pull out the traitorous device. Austin sucked in a deep breath of cold air in an attempt to cool down. Payson sighed heavily as she glanced at the screen.

"What do you want Lauren?" Her tone was beyond annoyed and Austin couldn't help but grin, She wanted that just as much as I did. Payson saw his smile and she rolled her eyes at him, focusing in on whatever Lauren was saying.

"That is absolutely none of your business." Payson answered defiantly, though a faint blush colored her cheeks. Austin glanced at his watch, five minutes till curfew. He tapped his wrist and Payson nodded sighing heavily as Lauren rambled on. He chuckled, she began to walk back toward the hotel, he followed close behind.

"What do you…Lauren don't kid with me." Payson tightened as they walked, visibly troubled by something. Not even bothering to think if it would be awkward Austin touched her arm gently, letting his hand trail down to grip her hand. She relaxed at his touch, but she was still troubled as she sighed. "Fine, just try to calm her down."

Austin poked her side, silently asking who she was talking about. She rolled her eyes, mouthing Kaylie. He responded with a roll of his own eyes. She smiled, but it didn't last very long, Lauren wasn't too keen on getting off the phone. Payson looked so suddenly drained that Austin decided to take action.

He reached over and plucked the phone from her hand, and hung up on the bossy blonde. "Better?" He asked sweetly as he tucked the phone back in her pocket.

"Much." Payson brushed her hair behind her ear, the wind blowing it right back into her face again. She screwed up her face in annoyance, he tried not to laugh at her, but she saw right through it. With a roll of her eyes she led the way to the hotel, the lights from the lobby shining out into the dark.

The hotel lobby was much warmer than the nighttime air, and it wasn't until they were inside did Austin realize just how cold it had been. Payson shivered from the drastic change, her cheeks flushed pink from the wind. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hoping to warm her up a bit.

She smiled up at him gratefully and they made their way towards the elevators. A shrill voice stopped them in their path.

"Payson, Tucker, what are you still doing up?" Austin felt Payson freeze, and he caught the grimace before she turned around, smiling sweetly at Ellen Beals. Austin didn't put on an act for the woman, he had no respect for her.

"Just out celebrating, you know it's not every day you win Worlds," His voice was tight to his own ears, restricted, but he forced a smile. Payson nudged his hip with her own, her own attempt to calm him. Beals stared long and hard at the two of them, her eyes focused in on Austin's arm, still wrapped securely around Payson's shoulders. She seemed to be contemplating whether or not to reprimand them, but what had they done wrong? They had gotten back to the hotel by curfew, and neither were doing anything that broke Committee rules. She dismissed them with a sharp nod of her head with an almost reluctant congratulations, and stalking off towards the hotel bar.

"Well isn't she just a ball of sunshine." Austin stated flatly with a scowl as he watched her retreat. Payson nodded in agreement, smiling once more. Austin still seemed put out by Beals' appearance, Payson took his hand, leading him towards the elevators.

The doors shut behind them, and Austin seemed to snap to attention. He hit a button on the panel and then stood in front of it so that Payson couldn't see which floor he had hit.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a wary hint in her tone, though she was smiling brightly at him. He grinned and pressed a finger to his lips, she rolled her eyes.

"It's a secret." She took a step closer, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised.

"I don't like secrets," Her voice took on an unexpected tone, alluring and well…sexy as hell. Austin mentally doused himself with ice cold water, bringing his mind away from those kinds of thoughts. He didn't want to turn into that guy, the guy he used to pretend to be, not with Payson.

"Well then you can consider it a surprise," he replied, successful in keeping his voice even and controlled. She grinned, her eyes sparkling in that fascinating way of hers. She reached up and let her small hand frame his jaw. His baser instincts fought to take over his mind, but his brain fought back twice as hard.

Still, she was acting so out of character, at least as far as anything he was used to seeing on a daily basis, that it had him frozen in place. She smiled devilishly and just when his control was just about to break and he was about to just grab her and kiss her until she couldn't remember her own name, she turned his face in the direction of the elevator doors.

He stared blankly while she grinned triumphantly, backing away so she leaned against the wall of the elevator. He'll catch on eventually. Payson couldn't help but giggle, yes a legit giggle, as his face crumpled into a disappointed pout as he realized that there was an LED light panel above the doors that had the floor numbers, slowly lighting up and fading as they passed each floor.

Austin frowned at the panel. Payson thought he looked vaguely reminiscent of a small child; frustrated, yet adorable. His handsome face settled into an adorable pout, he turned his eyes on her, silently begging her to humor him. Payson raised an eyebrow, laughing at him, Really?

His pout continued for several more seconds until she groaned, letting out an exasperated, "Fine! Have it your way," before she turned her back on the door, staring at the wall of the elevator. Payson rolled her eyes as he murmured a triumphant cheer, barely audible, to himself. Only him.

"Happy now? I have absolutely no clue where we're going." She said, sounding only faintly annoyed, and more amused than anything else. She could almost hear him grinning foolishly as he wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug.

"You won't regret waiting," She rolled her eyes, trying not to give into the seductive purr of his voice as he whispered into her hair. His lips brushed her cheek and she relaxed into his frame. She wondered if her attempt at allure had any effect on him, because he most definitely had her full attention when he pulled it.

A sharp ping! tore through the silence. Austin placed his hands over her eyes, ignoring her exasperated, though halfhearted protests. He certainly has a flair for the dramatic. He led her, completely blind, out of the elevator and into a quiet room. He had her sit on what she guessed to be an extremely comfortable couch.

"Close your eyes," he whispered again, though the authority in his voice was not to be missed. She did as instructed, only because she knew that she'd just give into him eventually. His fingers peeled away from her eyes, the darkness lightened considerably. She heard him shuffle away from her, her ears strained to hear anything in the apparently silent location.

"Alright," Austin's voice rang through the silence, "You can open them." Payson did as instructed once again, and a surprised gasp escaped from her lips.

She was sitting on a midnight blue sofa beneath the beautiful starry sky. Upon closer inspection she saw that they were actually beneath a glass ceiling, giving one the impression of being outside, but still, the effect was breathtaking.

They were inside some kind of lounge, that much was apparent, but they were completely alone. No bartenders stood behind the polished counter, the chairs up on many of the tables. A gorgeous grand piano shined under the bright moonlight and leaning against it was Austin.

He grinned at her reaction, moving back to her side and settling beside her on the couch. "So what do you think?" He asked, as if he didn't already know her answer. "Pretty great right?"

"It's wonderful," She couldn't tear her eyes away from the starry sky, there were just so many of them, more than she'd ever seen while stationed in the middle of a city. She looked to him, her face growing warm when she caught him staring at her. "How did you…?"

"I got bored while everyone was primping and preening for the gala and decided to do a little exploring." Austin explained, looking to the sky as he threw his arm along the back of the couch, her skin tingled delightfully when his brushed hers. "Granted it was packed with people and there was an old crooner at the piano when I first found it," He chuckled, looking back at her, "I just knew I had to show you."

"I'm glad you did," Payson smiled gently, "It's absolutely beautiful up here." He had his intense gaze fixed on her and his face set into an odd expression, like he was desperately trying not to say something. She couldn't help but laugh."What?"

"Nothing, its stupid," He insisted, smiling himself, though he averted his gaze with a smile. Payson raised an eyebrow and stared fixedly at him until he turned back to her and sighed. "You're gonna laugh."

"No I won't," She answered, turning in her seat so the she faced him fully, one leg curled underneath her. "Pinky promise." She held out her pinky finger, completely serious, grinning when he started chuckling. Austin linked his pinky with her, sending sparks flying up her arm. Oh God, why the hell is this happening now, and with him?

"I was gonna say, The stars may be beautiful," His eyes flashed once as he locked them onto her, turning up the intensity almost instantly, "But they got nothing on you." The line was so cliché that it seemed to have come straight from a movie. But he had said it with such a serious demeanor that Payson didn't even entertain the thought that he could be joking.

She just sat there and stared, stunned into silence. She'd never been one to notice boys before, and she was sure they didn't notice her. Who would if she was next to Lauren or Kaylie? But here she was, just good ol' Payson Keeler, sitting next to the Austin Tucker, easily one of the most amazing men to ever pass through her life, and here he was telling her she was beautiful.

"See? Stupid," Austin averted his gaze, taking her silence for her apparently trying not to laugh at his moment of sweet vulnerability. Payson thought she could see some out of place color on his cheeks, but it might've been the moon playing tricks on her.

"You really think that?" She asked softly, moving closer to him. Payson placed a hand on his arm, trying to get him to look at her. "I mean I've heard you say similar things to me before, but I never thought you were serious." Austin turned back to her in surprise.

"Of course I was serious," Austin shifted towards her, closing the distance without even realizing it. Payson's heart beat in her chest, so hard and loud that she was sure that Austin could hear it. "God Payson, there's just something about you. I don't think I could put it into words." Oh my God, he's stumbling over his words. Never had she thought that she'd see Austin out of his ever present state of calm, cool, and collected. It was quite amusing actually and under normal circumstances she would have teased the crap out of him, but she could barely breathe.

"Try," Her voice rang out into the silence without her realizing it. Austin looked hopelessly confused, as was she. Payson took a shaky intake of breath, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder, praying that she wasn't over stepping any lines. "Please. Help me."

Somehow he seemed to understand what she was asking of him. Austin nodded, taking one long deep breath, turning to face her just a bit more, taking her hands in his. "You are amazing. Just throwing that out there. I mean, you've got literally everything that a guy looks for in a girl. You're funny and smart, but not a snob about it. You're sweet, but not afraid to fight for what you want. It's really just a bonus that you're so damn beautiful. And you are." Payson had to remind herself to breathe. "I've never met anyone like you, and I don't think I ever will again."

Austin's eyes flashed again, the light blue swirling like two whirlpools in the midst of a storm. "You've always been there. Someone to admire and respect. And now you're someone else entirely." He tightened his grip on her hands gently. "You're a friend." She slowly felt her heart sink in her chest. As inexperienced as she is with the species that is boy she thought she knew enough to tell friends from something more. Guess not. Austin continued, completely oblivious to how much he had affected her already. "A damn good one at that. You knew exactly what to say when I started to sink back to the Kaylie drama." He paused, staring at her for a moment, apparently collecting his thoughts. "You're just always there when I need you, sometimes before I even realize it."

Austin never broke his gaze with her; Payson felt a spiraling warmth growing in the pit of her stomach. The last time she had felt that was in California with Nicky, but only half as strong as when she felt it now. Austin picked back up his speech, flowing into it as if he had never paused.

"So yeah, we're friends, you might just be the best friend I've ever had." There's that word again. Friend. Payson never thought such a harmless word could hurt so much. How the hell could they have gone from almost kissing on the sidewalk to friends? How is it that she feels this way, and he just…doesn't. She knew that she was feeling more than a simple attraction to him, the warmth in her chest was more than simple teenage hormones. They were actual feelings, ones that were now turning sour in the face of subtle, and apparently oblivious rejection.

Austin seemed to sense something was wrong the second time he mentioned the f-word. He rushed on, obviously trying to clarify a missed point. "But you're so much more than that."

Payson jolted upright in her seat, her spirits rising with her posture. , he gave her hands another squeeze, smiling a bit at her reaction. "What?" She spoke quietly, carefully, hesitant to ruin the precarious moment they had hanging in their midst.

"You heard me." Austin moved one of his hands so that it was now framing the side if her face. His long fingers tangled in her hair, she almost closed her eyes from how nice a feeling it was. "I don't know what you think of me, but I need to make you understand that I no have fucking clue what I'm doing when it comes to you." He chuckled to himself and Payson smiled, finally letting all of this new information sink in.

"I don't have to censor myself when I'm with you, and things are just so easy. It's new and strange, but it's just what I want and everything I need." Austin leaned in closer, dropping his voice down to a husky whisper, "You're everything I need."

That did it. Payson felt her chest swell with an unrestricted happiness, and she couldn't help but close the distance entirely and kiss him. Payson had always thought that people exaggerated when they talked about feeling sparks while kissing. They weren't.

Sparks. Fireworks. A goddamn atomic bomb. She wasn't sure what she was feeling because she had never experienced something as wonderful as kissing Austin before. She let her body melt into his, he took the signal to deepen the kiss. His fingers tangled deeper into her hair, tightening around soft curls, while her own were pulling him closer to her.

The kiss wasn't gentle, but it was far from unpleasant or painful. It was wild and urgent, their lips working in perfect synchronization, all if the what ifs and almosts cultivating into this one moment. She ran her fingers through his hair, her nails lightly raking his neck, he shuddered and somehow deepened the kiss even more.

She didn't know how long they stayed locked, nor did she care. All coherent thought was wiped from her mind. There was no worries about her family and friends. No Sasha, no Kaylie, nothing. Just the simple pleasure of everything that is Austin. And it's great.

When they finally detached they were both breathless. Her cheeks felt warm and he had a glazed look in his eyes. Austin grinned though, clarity apparently seeping back in as they got their bearings back about them. Payson rested her forehead against his, her eyes halfway lidded, their noses brushing.

"So I take it that you need me too?" Austin asked softly, triumph and joy blending into his allure tone. She laughed breathlessly, staring at him from under her lashes.

"Something like that." He grinned, leaning his head back with a bark of laughter. She rolled her eyes, touching his cheek to grab his attention. "Now shut up and kiss me."

A/N: So...I FINALLY DID IT.

YAY. Happy dances all around.

This chapter nearly killed me. I obsessed and perfected forever over it and it got to the point where my brain was sitting in a messy liquidy pile on the floor. I can't write mushy things. Tension yes. Drama, absolutely. Mush? Eh, apparently not.

But I'm happy with it.

Once again a great big thanks goes out to the lovely JCI for getting me out of my funk. She is absolutely Ah-Mazing. And yes you should imagine me singing that hyphenated exclamation. I feel like I'm on this huge gigantic sugar rush of pure accomplishment. I am invincible!

Yes to answer your questions I've gone a bit stir crazy. 8)

And now...IT'S YOUR TURN TO CHOOSE. Leave in the reviews which scene you want to see next. a)Team celebration. b)Back in Boulder. c)Press tour/MJ arrives on the scene or d) You don't care.

So its late...well early. And I need to go to bed. Because I have school in five hours. Fun. So I'm gonna go and sleep. Please review and enjoy.

Hugs and Kisses.

xoXoxoXoxoXoxo