author's note: I own nothing you recognize, and some of the things you don't. I've taken an eight year hiatus because, well, life happened. I decided to pick this story up later in Adam and Delilah's lives, because I honestly can't think like a high schooler anymore, no matter how hard I try—I've gotten too old. Hope you don't hate it!

Playlist:

Quelqu'un m'a dit — Carla Bruni

XO - John Mayer

Anna Sun - Walk the Moon

Sea of Love - Cat Power

Sunlight streamed through the gauzy white curtains that framed the window next to Dee's bed. She listened to the sounds of the city on the street outside and smiled; there was nothing quite so nice as sleeping in on Saturday morning. She snuggled deeper into her pillow and shut her eyes as she pondered her next steps for the day. Would she get out of bed and make some coffee? Or maybe text some of the girls from yoga and try to set up a last minute brunch?

All pondering stopped and her eyes popped open when a masculine arm in a heavily decorated cast draped across her stomach and pulled her in tightly. Dee became acutely aware that she was naked under the blankets that covered her.

Adam.

How could she have forgotten about Adam? She listened to his slow, soft breaths and deduced that he was still asleep and had simply pulled her close out of habit. Do I move and wake him up, or do I lie here a little longer and think about how to handle this? It would appear that the decision wasn't hers. A sudden, sharp intake of breath and withdrawal of his arm from around her waist indicated that Adam had woken and was just as surprised to have a bed mate as Dee had been. The two lay side by side in deafening silence before Dee decided she would bite the bullet. This doesn't have to be awkward. This kind of thing happens in movies all the time and they turn out just fine. Of course, they have a script... Dee rolled over to face Adam, hugging the bedclothes close to her naked body so as not to reveal anything, even though Adam had seen it all before.

"Good morning," she said, her voice husky with sleep. Adam's hair was wild from having dried as they... slept; paired with his wide eyes and otherwise blank face, he looked totally bewildered.

"Good morning," he replied with what looked like a forced smile, then he rolled onto his back to face the ceiling. They lay in silence for a few seconds more before Dee decided she couldn't stand lying in the bed anymore. She looked behind her to the head of her bed; her favorite bathrobe- the long black silk one with the cherry blossom embroidery- hung from its normal resting place, the headboard post on her side of the bed. She reached behind her and grabbed it, sat up on the bed while clutching the blankets close, and wrapped the robe tightly around her.

"I have to pee," she announced rather unceremoniously as she ran from the bed to her loft bathroom, sliding the barn style door a shut a little too emphatically behind her. She hoped maybe he'd get dressed and slip out of the apartment by the time she was done in the bathroom, but quickly realized that wouldn't be a possibility; the evidence of their tryst covered the bathroom floor: his shirt, her swim suit, a towel, and a rather large puddle of water by the tub that must have been created when she was washing his hair. Dee sighed heavily as she sat down on the toilet to relieve herself.

Great, Dee. What was the one thing you promised Marianne and yourself you wouldn't do? Get drunk and screw him. What did you do? You got drunk and screwed him.

Dee finished her business with the toilet then washed her hands and face and brushed her teeth. While she didn't come up with a remedy to her situation, she did come up with a next step: food. Before exiting the bathroom, she rummaged in her medicine cabinet and produced a still-wrapped toothbrush given to her by her dentist at her last cleaning. She laid it on the counter for him, took a deep breath, and slid open the door.

Adam was sitting upright in bed and staring out the window. The blankets were tucked around his waist; his broken arm lay in his lap while his other hand ran through his hair. Even after all this time, Dee had to admit, he was still so handsome he gave her butterflies and made her knees weak. She pulled her robe tighter around her and cleared her throat. Adam looked slightly startled as he turned his attention her way, as if he'd been deep in thought. "What do you say to breakfast?" Adam smiled and slowly nodded his head.

"Breakfast sounds good."

After Adam had placed her on the bed and removed her bikini bottoms, Delilah had risen to her knees at the edge of the bed, grabbed him by the belt, and pulled him against her. She kissed hungrily at the base of his throat while undoing his buckle, unbuttoning his jeans, and giving his jeans and boxers a good tug towards the floor. Adam had stood at the edge of the bed kissing her while running his fingers through her hair for as long as he could stand it. When he could wait no longer, he gently pressed his hand against her collarbone; she took his meaning and leaned back, scooting her body towards the head of the bed as he wiggled his feet free from his bottoms and climbed onto the bed after her.

He hovered over her for a moment, their bodies not yet touching. She appeared to shiver all over, as if from fear or anxiety. "Are you okay?" he asked leaning into his good arm and raising the other to run his fingers against her soft cheek. "We don't have to do this," he said, searching her eyes for an answer. Did I move too quickly? Did I misunderstand?

It wasn't fear or anxiety, but rather nervousness that caused Delilah's shivering. What if we've lost all our chemistry? What if we're disappointing? Deciding that they'd already reached the point of no return, Delilah raised her head to kiss him as she placed her hands at the small of his back and pulled his body to hers. He parted her knees with one of his, and she gasped as their bodies joined, biting into his shoulder as he pressed into her.

Their bodies moved rhythmically, each eliciting gasps and sounds of passion from the other. Their breaths grew more shallow and their movements became faster, more powerful, and only ceased when they'd both reached the point of ecstasy. He collapsed on her for a moment, his shoulder stinging a bit from where her teeth had been, while his arm throbbed; he'd but too much pressure on the cast, but he didn't mind it one bit. They lie silent for a moment, their heavy breaths out of time as they recovered their senses. Adam began to move, pushing his chest up with his good arm, but Delilah wrapped her arms around his back and pulled tight to stop him. "Don't move," she pleaded, entwining her legs with his. Her neck was flushed the most beautiful shade of pink, and her hair began to curl with sweat.

"I don't want to crush you," Adam panted, wincing slightly as he tangled the fingers on his broken arm in her hair.

"You're not," she assured, pulling him tighter still, "I just want to feel you a little longer." Adam relented, Easing himself onto both forearms on either side of Delilah's head. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then the tip of her nose, but at her lips the kiss was deeper. Delilah loosened her grip on his back and wiggled one arm up to tuck his hair behind his ear.

"I missed you," she whispered, then pulled him into a deep kiss again.

The sun shone a little too brightly on the patio of The Green Place, the ultra trendy, buzzword-heavy restaurant that Delilah had walked them to for brunch. The clientele all seemed to have just finished their Cross-fit workout or yoga class, or were getting ready to go drink a cold pressed juice and buy some used records as soon as they finished their fair trade, locally sourced, organic, paleo meals. He regretted not carrying sunglasses almost as much as he regretted not speaking up when Delilah asked if he mined sitting on the patio. Last night's drinking had his head pounding, and he felt altogether fatigued, but being honest with himself, he knew he'd make all the same decisions he did the night before if given the chance. The server, sporting half-shaved head and a ring through one of her purple eyebrows, placed a carafe of mimosas on the table and breezed away.

"Hair of the dog," Delilah said with a smile, pouring some mimosa into the champagne flute and handing it to him. It had been the first thing she said since they placed their order. The awkwardness was palpable. He accepted and took a sip. She was radiant; the only sign that she'd been up until the wee small hours of the morning was her partially wavy, partially curly hair that while altogether unruly, suited her quite well. The orange juice and champagne were acid in his stomach, so he followed quickly with a bit of free-range eggs and organic bacon from the plate in front of him.

"So, let's talk about the elephant on the patio," he said, innocuously trying to continue conversation before a second awkward lull set in.

"What elephant?" Delilah set down her fork and picked up her glass, swirling it before taking a sip.

"You know what I mean." He could feel the rakish smile settling on his lips. If all went well, maybe they'd be performing an encore after brunch, then he'd take her out again later in the week. They were two different people now; they couldn't just return to old habits and recurring conversation. They had to learn each other again, date from the start again, if they were to date at all. "What do we do now, after last night?" Delilah threw back the rest of the mimosa in her glass before answering.

"I assumed we'd go on with our lives like any other one night stand." Adam could feel his face growing hot and made sure to take a deep breath before responding.

"One night stand?" he asked as Delilah leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms across her chest; her arguing pose. Some things never change.

"Yeah, one night stand. It's when you sleep with someone you don't intend to sleep with again."

"I know what a one night stand is, Delilah. Patronizing is not a cute look on you."

"I'm 'Dee', Adam." Apparently her request for him to call her Delilah was only for the night. "But, come on! What did you think was going to happen? We'd sleep together once and fall back to where we were before? That we'd just start planning the wedding again?" Her cheeks were reddening, as were her upper arms. She was angry or unsure of herself and Adam wasn't ready to bet one which one.

"Now you're just being an asshole." He regretted the words the instant he said them.

"Maybe I am, but at least I'm being an honest asshole." Delilah grabbed for the carafe and poured herself another glass of mimosa. "I'm not the one who painted a pretty picture of romance out of a few drops of sex and lust." She gulped down the glass in one drink, then made intense eye contact with the potted cactus next to their table. Adam ran his hands through his hair and leaned back in his chair.

"All I remember asking is 'What do we do now?'" Delilah looked up and locked eyes with him, her mouth a hard line.

"Those words were loaded, Adam." He took a deep breath, placing his elbows on the table and cradling his head in his hands. He massaged his temples with his thumbs before speaking. Deep breath. Deep breath.

"I didn't imply anything and I certainly didn't propose." He looked up at her now, his fingers scratching at the scruff that had grown on his cheeks overnight.

"Well, what did you expect my response to 'what do we do now?' be?" She shifted in her chair and scratched at the nape of her neck, another old habit of hers which only came into play when she was uncomfortable or unsure of herself. "'Oh, yes, my prince has finally come to sweep me off of my feet to live our Happily Ever After!'?"

"You know what, since you brought it up, we loved each other once and I think we could again." Why was he reacting so emotionally? It was just sex. Just one night of sex.

"This is exactly what I was worried about. Be realistic, Adam! Be an adult." Her voice had grown shrill and loud. People were turning to look at them; they were making the quintessential scene in a crowded restaurant, but neither of them truly cared who watched.

"You know what, Delilah, I don't know where this cynicism came from but I don't like it and I don't have to sit through it." Adam pushed back his chair, stood and reached for his wallet. "If your attitude changes, let me know," he said, counting out bills as his face grew hot, "but based on the way you're acting right now, such a sudden shift might be a brain tumor. Maybe I can refer you to specialist." He threw what he guessed to be enough money to cover the check and a tip on the table and walked away, hands stuffed in his pockets. He could feel the sea hipster eyes on his back as he stormed away from the restaurant, more than a little embarrassed by his reactions, but more than anything, wounded by Delilah's behavior.

Dee felt her face grow hot as she pushed through the lunchtime rush. She thought she'd left the office for a quick bite to eat, but she found herself pounding down the street towards the children's hospital, cursing her choice of heels as she walked. It was Friday. Almost a full week since she'd last spoken to Adam at The Green Place. The Green Place - she certainly wasn't headed back there anytime soon. They'd probably looked like something out of a 1980's soap opera to the onlookers. Brunch and a show. Why was I such a bitch? She'd spent the last six days replaying and agonizing over their last conversation. She'd taken a few of his words and turned them into a melodrama, and what for? Fear of heartbreak? When she was honest with herself, she realized that she hadn't felt passion in the last six years like the passion they'd felt that night, and hadn't slept as well as she had in his arms. Why not give it another go? But could he ever forgiver her? They'd been good together once. Why had she been so against them trying again? Why had she reacted so defensively to such an innocuous phrase?

When she reached the entry to the hospital, she stopped for a moment, perhaps to steel her courage. Dee took a deep breath and looked over the entrance. The parking bollards were decorated like crayons, blue, red, yellow and green. Murals of ballet dancers, doctors, policeman, teachers and firefighters on the exterior doors and walls were painted to look as if they were drawn by children in crayon, presumably the large ones that lined the curbs. If I were a sick or broken kid, she thought, this is the kind of place I'd want to come to be healed. Dee took a deep breath and walked into the building, eyes locked on the intake desk.

"Hi," she said with a tentative smile to the woman in scrubs behind the desk, "I'm looking for Dr. Banks." The woman looked up at from the screen in front of her with a smile.

"We've got two. Dr. Banks in Oncology or Dr. Banks in Orthopedics?"

"Orthopedics, please."

"Is he expecting you?" Dee fidgeted for a moment, not sure what to say. She gave a tentative smile, and her voice broke when she began speaking.

"No, I'm an old friend from high school, actually, just dropping in," the woman behind the desk adjusted her glasses and smiled brighter; perhaps she thought this would be a pleasant social call and not the humbling experience it was sure to be.

"Fifth floor, office 507. Turn left when you exit the elevator."

"Thanks," Dee called over her shoulder; she'd taken off towards the elevator as soon as the woman had said "fifth floor."

Her heart beat hard against her breastbone like a drum as she rode up; her hands were shaking. Beep. Second floor- according to the list in the elevator, Oncology. Beep. Third floor - Intensive Care Unit. Beep. Fourth floor - Otolaryngology... Ears, nose and throat, if memory served. Beep. Orthopedics. Dee took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator, then made a left turn and began to walk, slowly and quietly as possible in her heels. 504. 505. 506. 507. There she was. 507. It was a shared office, with 4 names on the door- the interns' office, perhaps. The door was open, and as far as she could tell, Adam was the only one inside. She could hear him having a one-sided conversation with the telephone. She waited patiently for him to finish up the call and hang up. She stepped into the doorway, then raised her hand and rapped on the door frame. Adam looked up, the smile on his face fading as he realized who was darkening his door.

"Delilah, come in," he rose from his chair and walked to close the door behind her.

"Adam, I'm sorry for just showing up like this," she stated, wringing her hands in front of her body as he sat down on the edge of his desk, his arms crossed mouth strern. He looked so ... adult. Where had the time gone? Under his white doctor's coat, he wore slacks, a crisp blue button-down with a white collar, and a red tie. Where was the beautiful boy in a hockey jersey and jeans she'd fallen in love with, and who was this man who'd replaced him? She looked around the room and saw three empty desks; they were in a shared office - the interns' office - and luckily, everyone who shared it was either with patients or out to lunch.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Dee could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she spoke; she hated being wrong, and she hated being vulnerable. "I was awful." Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to respond.

"It's okay," he replied, uncrossing his arms and shrugging. "It's murky water." Dee closed the distance between them and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Let's do it." she said, pressing her nose into his. "Let's try again. I mean, if you still want me."

"Okay." He rose, pulling her in tight against her before pressing his lips onto hers; she melted into his arms like chocolate.