Tala looked up from his perch on the couch as the door to his apartment swung open. He stood. Hilary glanced at him as she shut the door behind her. For a moment the pair just stood there, staring at each other.

Hilary took in his appearance. Tala had removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie. A few of the buttons on his nice shirt had come undone at the collar. She noticed a large purple bruise forming around his eye and grimaced. She tore her eyes away from his face to the rest of the apartment which was illuminated only by the light from the Christmas tree and the fire buring in the hearth. Finally, Tala broke the silence.

"You must be frozen," He said as he took the blanket from the couch and brought it over to her, before draping it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," She said softly. She moved away from the door to sit on the couch. "I think we should talk," She said honestly. A feeling of relief rushed over Tala and he came to sit next to her.

"I think you're right."

"Listen-"

"Here's the thing-" They both started simultaneously.

"You go first," Hilary offered as she pulled off her heels. Tala nodded.

"Hil...I'm really sorry about all the mixed signals I've been sending you for the past few weeks," He said to her earnestly. He had the desire to reach out and touch her, but resisted. "And I am so sorry for what happened at the party. I shouldn't let Kai get to me like that. I just want you to be happy. The truth is, I do really care about you, but I was so scared that I was only a means to get over Kai for you. I know that's really terrible to think, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head."

"What are you feeling now?" She questioned as she pulled her legs under her.

"I want to be with you...but if that's not what you want, I'll take being your friend," He admitted. Hiding his feelings almost made him lose her. He wasn't about to risk that again.

"What made you change your mind?" She asked curiously.

"Let's just say Bryan knocked some sense into me," He said with a small laugh. She did too.

"Yeah, he has a tendency of doing that." Her eyes shifted ot her lap, then almost shyly back to his face. She leaned forward, her hand pressing against his cheek.

"You should know, Tala...you will never be a rebound," She said honestly. Tala leaned his face into the warmth that was her palm. She brushed her thumb over the swelled up wound under his eye. "...I'm sorry. Does it hurt?" She softly asked him. He shook his head. His eyes drifted down to her lips. He remembered the last time they had kissed and he basked in the feeling of her soft lips against his. He wanted her so bad...

A feeling of courage welled up inside of him and he leaned in. Hilary seemed to have had the same idea as she did, too. They met in the middle, their lips pressing together in a soft, barely there brush of the lips that sent goosebumps down both their spines. For a moment, they stayed like that before one of them pulled away.

They measured each other reactions before going in again. This time, the kiss was hotter and more urgent, filled with the passion that had built between them in the past few weeks. Hands began roaming. Tala pulled the petite brunette closer and let one of his hands rest on her hip while the other trailed up her back. Hilary moved her hand from his cheek to his neck and let her other grip his shirt gently. They needed each other and tonight, no one was going to stop them from getting what they needed.

Their lips moved against one anothers' in tandem before Tala tentatively slid his tongue into her mouth. She responded by moving even closer. The quilt drifted to the floor, but neither teen noticed. Bryan's coat had dropped to the floor somewhere between the door and the couch. The hands around her waist pulled her into his lap and for a long time they merely sat there, kissing.

Soon, Hilary began to tug at Tala's dress shirt. He chuckled and watched as she unbuttoned it before letting it flutter to the floor. She moved in, brushing her lips against his neck. He shuddered. How could someone so small be inducing such a reaction? His fingers trailed up to her hair and pulled out the clip holding it in place, letting her chestnut curls fall to brush the tops of her shoulders. His fingers lightly ran over her skin before pulling her dress straps down to reveal naked, creamy shoulders. He kissed her shoulder blade lightly before stopping to look up at her.

She smiled softly at him and they shared another soft kiss. Suddenly, Tala stood, picking her up as he went. She expected him to bring them to the bedroom, but instead he laid the quilt down before the hearth and put her down there. He then grabbed a few pillows and placed them around her. After he adjusted them to his liking, the pair shifted so Hilary was laying ontop of the pillows and Tala's torso was over hers, unlike his lower half which was beside her legs on the quilt. He kissed her palm, moved onto her neck, then each of her cheeks and forehead before finally kissing her lips again.

XXX

Hilary's eyes fluttered open. She groggily took in her surroundings before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was laying facedown in her bed, facing the window. She sat up slowly and suddenly became aware that she was naked...The events from last night came rushing back to her. There was a heavy breath next to her and she turned to see an equally naked Tala beside her. He must have moved them to her room after she had fallen asleep. She smiled and leaned down to kiss his shoulder lightly.

The action must have woken him because his eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," She said to him as she stroked the tips of his fiery hair.

"Hey," He responded somewhat groggily as he flipped over onto his back. He pulled her down and kissed her gently. Hilary's heart fluttered in her chest. She pulled away, resting her head on his chest and still looking up at him. Her eyes trailed to his neck.

"You have a hickey," She giggled as she brushed it with her fingertips. Tala grinned mischeviously and tumbled her beneath him.

"We should give you one to match," He said before dipping his head to her neck. Hilary laughed. She quickly glanced at the clock on her to see what time it was. Her eyes fell on Kai's sweater that was still on the nightstand. Her stomach clenched.

Oh my god...Kai. She snapped her head back so she was staring at the ceiling as tears came to her eyes. She lifted her hand to her mouth, but the tears fell anyways. Tala stopped what he was doing and lifted his head, looking down at her, confusion and concern in his eyes.

"Hil? What's wrong?" Hilary slid herself out from underneath him and began to pull her clothes on.

"I just...I-" She couldn't put her words together properly. That, or she didn't want to. How could she have forgotten Kai? Poor Kai who was waiting for her! They were on a break and she slept with another man...His best friend, of all people!

"Hil," He said again as he sat up. "Did I do something wrong?" Hilary shook her head and continued to get dressed without looking at him. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a red sweater, before wiping away her tears with trembling fingers.

"No, Tala. It's not you...I just-" How could she explain to Tala what she was feeling? She glanced at him. He was staring at her, looking lost and a little hurt. "I need to go somewhere and think..." She ran to her closet and grabbed a bag before haphazardly throwing a few miscellanous items inside.

"Hilary, why are you packing?"

"...I just need to clear my head," She answered as she willed the tears to stop. "Just for a few days." Tala said nothing, clearly awestruck and severely confused.

"Is this about last night?" He questioned tentatively.

"No!" She almost yelled as she continued to throw things inside. "Last night was amazing...I don't know how to explain this to you..." She dashed to the bathroom and got a few of her items from inside. When she returned to her room, Tala was standing, the bedsheet wrapped loosely around his waist. Hoping she had everything she needed, Hilary tossed the remaining items inside and closed the bag before swinging it over her shoulder. With a final apologetic glance at Tala, she dashed to the door. Tala, being quicker and more agile, beat her to the front door.

"Hilary, if this is about last night...Well, I won't apologize because it was amazing. I know you feel the same way." Hilary refused to meet Tala's gaze and felt her cheeks heat up. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tala cut her off. "And you know what? I've been trying to deny it for the past few weeks, but I'm done trying to please everyone else. I love you, Hil. I'm not afraid to admit that anymore." He paused, measuring her expression. Hilary almost dropped her bag. Her jaw fell as she looked at Tala who was staring at her with a look half-proud and half-apprehensive. Tala continued, "And I know that as much as you try and fight it and say you love Kai...well, you love me too. You just won't admit it."

Hilary's heart was beating rapidly against her ribcage as she stared at Tala. She tried to find words to say something...anything.

"...I need to go," She said finally, opening the door and making her way into the hallway.

"Hilary...please don't leave," Tala said in a last desperate attempt to stop her. She stopped, before glancing at the redhead who stood in the doorway clad in only the bedsheet, his eyes pleading. A feeling of deep affection filled her, but she stubbornly pushed it away.

"I'm sorry Tala." And like that, she took off, leaving a confused and distraught Tala behind.

So, I really wanted to include what happened between Hilary and Tala, aka the lemon, in this chapter, but I didn't know if you guys would be okay with that. If you guys want me to include it and possibly up the rating on the story then I will do that and put the lemon in chapter eleven. Let me know what you thinking via review or PM.