Sorry for the wait. I've moved again and it's all been a mess. But, finally, the last chapter, and I'm still squealing it, when I find time…:)

And the format is a bit messed up, but i cant be bothered to fix it right now. So, sorry.

The next morning I was awakened by a series of rapid knocks on my bed-room door. I let out a loud groan before yelling at the person on the other side 'Mum, stop knocking on the door. I am not getting up! And mean this in the nicest way possible, but please, please just leave me alone'
When I didn't hear an answer I figured that she'd gone back downstairs and I went back to hiding underneath my covers. The same covers that I had been hiding under for the past three days now.

I just couldn't find it in me to leave my bed, to put it simply, I was miserable and hiding was helping me cope with it. I guess I was angry at everything, but mostly at my head for tricking me into believing that Erica actually felt the same way as I did.

Another couple of knocks interrupted my rant. 'Go away!' I said out loud, pulling a pillow over my head to help drown out the sounds. Surprisingly it helped and I began to retreat back into my previous drowsy state when suddenly I felt something heavy land on top of me. Something heavy, human shaped and followed by a muffled chuckle…

Those three things could only mean one thing. Danny Jones. 'Ahh' I groaned, both out of anger and from the pain his bony body was causing me 'Fing hell Danny!'

'Now, that's no way to talk to your very best friend, who has travelled all day on a stinking train, to come and see you and first laugh at your pathetic form and then, as always, help you fix this little mess that you have created, now is it?'

To this I said nothing, I just remained where I was, ignoring both his voice and his knee that was currently placed on my stomach.

He chuckled lightly before answering 'You cant ignore me forever Tommyboy, you know you want to talk to me'

'No I don't' I said, but I wasn't sure that he heard it due to the several layers of fabric now in-between us.

'Fine' he said with a huff 'I'll just sit here then, make myself comfortable, and wait until all the air inside your little cave will run out, and trust me the longer you wait the harder it will be to catch that one single breath you need so desperately to remain hidden, and that time my friend, will come a lot sooner than you think'

I cursed inwardly at every word he just said, despite hating to admit it, I knew that he was right. The air was going to run out sooner or later, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
I took one deep oxygen-deprived breath before pulling the covers to the side and focusing my eyes on Danny who was grinning madly. 'You may be right about the air-thing Jones, but just because I want to breath doesn't mean that I want to talk about…anything'
Danny shrugged his shoulders 'I'm hungry'

I frowned at him 'What? You come in here, crush me with your bony body, force me out of my cave and then this, you're hungry?' I shook my head 'Who are you and what have you done with the incredibly annoying person never missing out on an opportunity to psycho-analyse me that used to be my best friend?'

'No worries Tom' he snickered 'He's still in here'

'You're not going to stop until I either feed you or talk, right?'

He nodded 'I couldn't have said it better myself'

'Fine' I said with a sigh 'Food it is then'

'Awesome, I'm totally starving' he said with a pout, rubbing his stomach.

'Danny?' I asked him carefully.

'Yes Tom'

'Are you aware that you're still sitting on me?'

He seemed to think about it for a fragment of a second before answering 'Yeah'

'And…' I began tiredly 'Yet you don't move'

'Nah, I like it here'

'You do know that the food is in the kitchen right?' I said with a smug smile.

I watched his face fall a bit 'Oh.. Oh well, that's ok, I've already completed my mission anyway' he said and stood up from the bed, and me.

This time it was my time to look shocked 'What? What mission?'

'You smiled' he stated proudly before leaving the room 'Sucker' I heard him chuckle as he pounded down the stairs.

I let out a defeated sigh before freeing myself from the covers completely. 'Stupid Danny with his stupid mind-games, stupid knowing me better than anyone, cheeky prick' I continued to mutter under my breath as I followed him downstairs.

---

Two plates of egg and bacon later, which I had reluctantly prepared while Danny sat on the counter snacking on a cookie he found somewhere, I was now completely focused on ignoring Danny and the looks he kept shooting me from the other side of the table.
After another couple of minutes of this I gave in to the silence 'You can keep staring at me' I started quietly 'That doesn't mean that I will talk to you'

'I know you wont' Danny responded in the same tone that I used just seconds before 'But you can, you know, if you wanted to'

'I know' I said with a sigh 'I don't know why' I began slowly 'But I really thought that she liked me in the same way that I like her'

Danny looked up from his place with a surprised look on his face, apparently he wasn't expecting me to talk this soon 'How do you know that?'

'There was just something about the way she was acting towards me' I continued 'Like she was hiding something. And I know her so well, and for the first time, I felt like there was this distance between us'

'You've been through a lot over the last couple of weeks, and I honestly don't think its that strange for things between you to be a bit off'

'But at the same time, it wasn't off at all' I said as I frustrated hid my face in my hands 'I mean, she hugged me and it felt so right you know'

'Didn't she walk away from you though?' he questioned.

'Yeah, because of some evaluation or something' I muttered, now starting to regret opening my mouth at all.

'Without telling you that thing she apparently needed to tell you?'

'I've already told you all this, haven't I?' I snapped, probably sounding a lot more harsh than I intended.

'I think its pretty easy then' Danny said leaning back on his chair with a content look on his face 'Tell her that you love her, and this time actually tell her, and then you'll know for sure'

'What? What do you mean by "know for sure"?'

'Well you feel like shit now, don't you?'

'Duh' I replied with a childish pout.

'Then you have nothing to loose, if she doesn't feel the same way, which you already think that she doesn't, you wont feel any different'

I stood up from my chair and put my plate down in the sink 'I'm going to go back to my cave now, please feel free to use anything you want to around the house, and I will see you when I feel like it'

'Tom…' Danny said and I could feel his eyes on my back as I left the kitchen. He didn't follow me though, which I greatly appreciated, and soon I had climbed the stairs and retreated to the comfort of my bed again, determined to forget all about our conversation.

Erica

I slammed the book close and looked at the watch for about the tenth time the last hour. Another five minutes gone, that's just great, I thought to myself as I looked around the room and rested my eyes on nothing. I knew I needed to keep busy, to avoid thinking about Tom, but not even having my stuff wasn't helping. Right now, all I wanted was my music and my head-phones and a pair of boxing-gloves and a sand-bag. I let out a sarcastic huff, like hitting something would help me think.

I had been distraught ever since I left Tom by the school the other day and I knew precisely why. I hadn't told him how I felt, I had chickened out and now it was too late. I had my chance and I blew it. I let out a frustrated sigh before throwing my pillow onto the opposite wall.
I watched it miss one of the pictures on the wall before landing, perfectly on my bag. Annoyed at my precision I threw the next thing my hand could find, which just happened to be my book. This time, to my own enjoyment, I hit the wall a lot harder before falling to the ground. As it landed though, I noticed something sticking out in-between two pages.

Forgetting my troubles for a second, I curiously climbed down from the bed and walked over to the book. I bent down and grabbed what appeared to be a photo. I noticed that there was something scribbled on the back of it, and before even looking at the actual picture I read out-loud: Me and Erica.
Instantly I recognised Tom's handwriting and in doing so I felt something tug at my heart, I hadn't looked at the picture yet, but I still knew what it would show.
I slowly turned it around and found myself looking at me and Tom, him with his arm around me faking a mad-look while I had the biggest grin on my face. It was the day that we went golfing, just before the final hole, and I was laughing at Tom's pathetic attempt to look offended over the fact that I was winning.

Just by looking at it now brought a smile to my face, and I couldn't help it growing wider when I realised what I had to do. I couldn't leave it like this, I had to at least try and tell him how I felt. And if he didn't feel the same way, then I would deal with that, but for now, I just really needed to try.
I quickly pulled a shirt on, still clutching the photo, before I ran out of the house and made my way over to Toms.

---

When I finally reached Tom's door I suddenly felt nervous. I still wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be though. Sure I was scared as hell that he'd reject me, but at the same time, I felt strangely calm. I took a deep breath before knocking, and waited as the following seconds felt like hours.

Suddenly I heard the sound of footsteps followed by a loud bang, and some pretty colourful words. After a few more seconds the door opened and revealed a guy about my age pressing his hand on his head with a pained look on his face. I noticed the rug behind him, lying curled up against the wall and that plus the sight of him made me giggle.

'This is so not funny' he muttered under his breath
I struggled to regain my normal face before looking back at him 'Sorry'

'Who are you anyway?' he asked with a curious look, seeming to have forgotten his injury.

'I'm Erica, Who are you?' I retaliated.

'Danny'

'Oh' I said quietly.

He seemed to think the same and soon copied my 'Oh'

'I've heard a lot about you' we both said at the same time, causing us both to break into a fit of laughter.

'I came to see Tom' I said finally.

'He's in his room' Danny nodded, before opening his mouth to say something more ' He's a good guy you know'

I flashed him a small smile 'He's the best'

Danny

I waited for a couple of seconds after Erica walked up the stairs before I followed her. I stopped at the landing and watched her go into Tom's room, and let out a little 'yes' upon seeing that she left the door open. I quietly made my way up to the door and took a seat, making myself as comfortable as possible, for all I knew, this could take a while.

Stubborn and stubbornett trying to do the impossible and declare their undying love for on and other…Yeah, if you're picturing me on the floor, strongly gesturing as I try to choke myself you are quite right. How hard does it have to be to just get it out there? Geez, if only people were more like me.

Tom

After getting back up to my room I grabbed my guitar and took a seat on the bed, resting against the pillows. Absent-mindedly I started strumming it, chord by chord, not any particular melody and after a while my mind started to drift and somehow I just kept playing. I had no idea how much time that passed, it could have been minutes as well as hours, but it didn't bother me too much. For the first time since Erica left the other day, my head was completely free from the thoughts that usually occupied it, and to be honest with you, it felt damn good.

As I realised this I let out a little chuckle at my own mental progress and, as a result, I failed to do a simple F. Immediately I stopped strumming, half-agitated at myself for snapping out of my lovely daze.

'Don't stop' I suddenly heard someone say.

Startled I looked up and found Erica standing in the middle of the room. 'That was beautiful' she continued with a small smile 'and hi by the way'

'Hi'

'Mind if I join you?' she asked with a small gesture towards the end of the bed.

I simply nodded as a response and moved back a little bit so that she could sit more comfortable.

I looked at her and it was clear how nervous she was. She kept her eyes firmly locked on the floor and was fiddling with her fingers, tapping them continuously on her leg. We sat there in silence for a while before I heard her take a deep breath. Erica looked up at me and said 'We need to talk. Or I need to talk maybe. Or, I don't really know, but there's something I have to tell you'

'Ok, you know that you can tell me anything' I said honestly, but I couldn't help but wonder if I was going to like it or not.

'Yeah…Of course' she began with a small smile 'Well you see, lately I've been thinking quite a lot and…I'm, eh, oh god, this is hard'

Suddenly I couldn't keep it in anymore 'I love you' I said quietly.

Erica continued unfazed by my statement 'And well, I've been having these…' she paused mid-sentence though, as if taking something in.

I quickly realised that this was my only chance, and since I'd already blurted out A I might as well continue with B too. 'I love you, and I know that you don't feel the same way but I just had to say it. There, now it's done and…'

'I love you too'

I looked up at her and was met by a shocked expression that probably resembled my own.

'Did you just say what I think you said?'

She nodded, confirming that this was as much of a shock to her as it was to me.

'Yes, did you just say what I think you said?'

'Yeah'

'Whoa' we then said in unison, causing us both to giggle.

Danny

Tom leaned closer and placed his hand over Erica's and in turn she laced her fingers together with his, not breaking eye-contact for a second.

Wow, I though to myself, this is running a lot smoother than I expected it to. Right now they were sat on his bed, still in the same position, facing each other and exchanging looks and giggles. All very cute, but it was beginning to get a bit much.

'Oh for god's sake' I blurted out causing them both to turn around in shock 'Just kiss already, I'm dying out here'

Tom's eyes snapped from Erica's to mine in a fragment of a second, and he gave me this look that should have told me to back off. Not that it worked of course.

'Go nurse your wound or something' Erica said with a smirk before returning her attention to Tom.

Faking hurt I placed my hand over my heart 'Ouch'

'What do you mean by that?' Tom asked as his eyes darted back and forth between us.

'He tripped on the rug by the door when he was on his way to open it, and hit his head on the wall' Erica explained to which Tom only shrugged his shoulders.

'You know that he does that all the time, if there's a rug, you can bet money on Danny tripping on it'

'Alright, Alright' I began standing up 'I can tell when I'm not wanted' but I didn't turn around until I gave Tom one last "Go for it"-look.

Tom

I waited until I could hear Danny thundering down the stairs, and if I'm not mistaken I'd say that he was snickering to himself. That cocky prick probably thought all of this was because of him.

With a smile I returned my focus on Erica, and for the first time since she came over reality started to sink in, she actually liked me back.

'Screw this' I said before leaning closer to her 'I can't wait anymore'.

I closed the gap between us and softly pressed my lips on hers. She responded instantly and I placed my hand on her cheek to bring her even closer to me.

I couldn't help but smile into the kiss, and I felt Erica do the same. To put it simply, it was just one of those kisses with butterflies, fireworks, cascade of raging emotions. String-quartet music and, well, just pretty damn good.

…

'So' Erica said, her voice slightly muffled by the fact that she had her head resting on my chest 'Why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner?'

I thought about it for a second before answering 'Why didn't you tell me any sooner?' it was a cheap-shot and I was very aware of that, but that knowledge still didn't stop me from asking it.

'Hm…' she began looking up into my eyes 'It seems we've reached a standstill here'

'Yep. It does indeed'

I ran my hand through her hair as I continued to gaze into her eyes. Despite knowing very well that it was really happening, I was still so completely overwhelmed by this entire situation. I couldn't believe that it was Erica who was lying in my arms, laughing at my stupid jokes and letting me play with her hair, it just wouldn't sink in.

'I think I knew from the first time I saw you' I said quietly 'The way you caught my eye and smiled at me. Deep down, I think I knew that second'

'Is that why you winked at me?' Erica asked with an amused smile.

'Kind of' I replied, feeling a light blush spread across my cheeks 'I just wanted to make you smile'

'Well, I'd say that wink got you very far' she concluded while shuffling higher up so that her nose was in level with mine.

I moved my face closer to hers, so that our noses were almost touching 'Are you happy?'

'I couldn't be happier' she said with a content smile, and suddenly she seemed miles away. I mean, not in a distant way, she was still very much here with me, but I could see that she was genuinely happy. And that was a feeling I wouldn't trade in for anything.

…

Erica

The moment Tom pressed his lips against mine I was in pure bliss. The softness of his lips and the emotions that single kiss held turned my body into milk and honey. And when he asked me if I was happy, for once, I could completely honestly say that I was, and it felt pretty good. I guess this is what it really feels like to be in love.

'You want to know something?' Tom whispered as he caressed my cheek softly.

I simply nodded, to deep in this happiness-daze to bother with words.

'As cheesy as it might sound, you've got me captivated'

'I thought that you were immune to my woman-powers?' I responded with a chuckle.

'So did I' he said, mock disappointment covering his face 'but, obviously not'

I watched him as he tried his best to keep his face calm, but soon the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards and I couldn't help but join in. My giggle soon turned into full-on laughter as Tom, in a surprisingly swift move, turned us around so that he was hovering above me.

'Want to make a cave?' he whispered in-between kissing me all over my face.

'I'd love to' I said and let out a squeal as he pulled the cover over his head, leaving us both in complete darkness.

…

'Tom! You cheeky…'