Stella had always loved waking up to the birds chirping and the gentle lap of the waves against the shoreline, something she had really started to miss once she moved out to Connecticut. They were such a welcome alarm clock as opposed to the obnoxious beeping of her cell phone she had gotten so used to over the years.

However, this particular morning she wanted to curse both the waves and the birds for rousing her, for they weren't just waking her up for the day, they were shaking her out of the dream-like state she had blissfully been indulging in since the past Tuesday. She would have given anything to fall back asleep for just thirty more minutes, just a half an hour more to continue living in her own personal fantasy world where Brandon was hers and hers alone and she could indulge in waking up in his arms every morning.

But unfortunately, the real world didn't exactly work that way.

She allowed her eyes to flutter open, the early morning sun barely cresting the horizon as she was greeted with a sight that both made her heart flutter and break at the same time. The glorious expanse of tan skin belonging to Brandon's chest felt warm against her cheek and the gentle rise and fall of his breathing was rather calming and soothing, considering her nerves were completely shot after last night.

She glanced past Brandon toward the alarm clock on her bedside table, the blinking green numbers signaling that, unfortunately, she couldn't indulge in the extra thirty minutes she so desired or she'd miss her flight.

However, maybe getting out of there sooner rather than later would be better anyway. It was still going to hurt like hell, but the sooner she left, the quicker she could begin to fight the pain. The quicker she could begin to heal. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.

She turned toward the edge of her bed, feeling Brandon's arm shift against her back as she carefully tried to extract herself from his embrace. Sliding her legs out from under the covers and gently placing a pillow under Brandon's arm, she gathered her dress off of the floor, biting her lip hard to try and keep herself from crying as she picked up the remnants of their night together. Draping the dress carefully over the arm chair in the corner, she picked up the pile of folded clothes she set out the day before to change into and took a moment to turn back and glance at Brandon. His deliciously sexy form barely covered by the sheets was tempting her as his chest rose and fell evenly; but his face was boyishly calm and peaceful, reminding her of when they were younger.

When times were simpler.

Stella couldn't handle it anymore, biting her lip even harder before escaping into the bathroom and tossing her clothes onto the toilet lid. Bracing herself against the counter, she took several deep breaths, the effort proving to be difficult and labored as she tried to fight off the bubbling panic attack and emotions she felt at the thought that this was it.

It was over.

She finally glanced up into the mirror, her eyes a touch bloodshot and watery as tears she could no longer hold in streamed down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, evidence of a night spent with Brandon's fingers tangled through her locks as he looked into her eyes and made love to her. Her lips were pink and swollen, as his kisses had been quite fervent but reverent. Her neck, shoulders and breasts were spattered with tiny red marks, love bites Brandon left as little treasure maps as to where he had tasted and caressed. And the slight ache she felt in her muscles and in between her legs, a physical reminder of their night together. The last time she would get to love him like that. To feel him like that and to make love to him like that.

Part of her thought that last night may have just been the result of a lust induced stupor, but she knew that wasn't true. Last night, this whole week had been amazing with him and she hated that it all came to an end.

She didn't want to leave. She selfishly wished she could stay like this with him forever, but she knew that more than likely that was probably not going to happen. She lived in Connecticut, he lived in Chicago and they both had their own lives elsewhere. This week had been a little slice of heaven for her, but reality had been looming in the background, simply waiting to smack her in the face and kick her while she was down.

She knew this thing between them was only temporary, but the thought of leaving still hurt.

Her chest ached painfully, heaving a few times as she struggled to breathe before she finally noticed her entire body was trembling, her legs unstable as she thought of him lying in her bed on the other side of the door, knowing that it was all over.

She couldn't help that now. She had to pull her shit together before she took much longer or before he woke up, because if he did, it would make this goodbye that much more difficult. She definitely wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. But in order to make it out of here as intact as she could (since the whole notion of 'making it out of there in one piece' seemed ridiculous given her shattered heart), she needed to get her shit together quickly.

Stella rubbed her hands over her cheeks a few times, wiping away the tear streaks before deciding to splash some cold water on her face. She attempted to finger comb her mussed hair before giving up and throwing it up into a pony tail, trying to focus on anything but Brandon as she pulled on her shorts, t-shirt and cardigan. Looking at her face and her red-rimmed eyes, she simply gave up on make-up as it would be no use once she finally left before slipping on her boat shoes and taking one last deep breath, swallowing hard and trying to get her emotions under control.

Slowly and as quietly as she could, she turned the knob and stepped back into her room. Brandon was just how she left him, still lying in the same open position as when she left him. But despite her best efforts, she couldn't help it, silently bursting into tears as she looked him over, taking in every detail and every feature she could.

He looked so peaceful and so handsome and she was so head-over-heels for him that it was killing her inside.

But this was how it had to be. She couldn't do it anymore.

She couldn't be his friend anymore. She loved him and nothing would change that. Not after the past ten years, not after the last week and definitely not after last night.

It killed her to think this was the last time she would see him like this, that last night was the last time she would get to make love to him or feel his touch or hear him murmur words of reverence in her ear.

However, call her selfish but she wanted just one more kiss, just one more taste before she had to go. It may be breaking the rules since their deal was officially over, but she didn't care. She needed one more.

She silently made her way over to the bed and kneeled down, reaching out to touch the curve of his jaw before quickly retracting her hand, not wanting to wake him. He looked so peaceful and perfect and she just wanted to savor it all.

Slowly, she leaned in toward him and gently placed a tender kiss against his lips, her own trembling as she pulled away and licked her lips, tasting the salt of her own tears.

"I love you, Brandon. Always have."

Her voice was barely a whisper but she could still hear it crack with emotion, taking another brief moment to trace his features with her gaze. Once satisfied, she slowly stood and turned toward the door, picking up her suitcase before quietly stepping out into the hallway and easing the door closed behind her.

Her body wracked with silent sobs as she stood there for a few moments, internally warring with herself whether she should go back in there or make a clean exit before finally choosing the later and making her way down the stairs. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to collect herself before gathering her keys and opening the front door, taking the first few steps away from her childhood home and away from the man she loved.

She made it down the front pathway and had almost reached her rental car when a familiar voice startled her, Stella swallowing hard and taking a deep breath before turning around to face the music.

"Stellie!" her mom exclaimed, briskly walking down the sidewalk from the Shields' house as she waved at Stella. Her mom looked a little worse for the wear and still wore her dress from the night before, but she seemed awfully chipper considering the early hour. "You weren't going to leave without telling your mother goodbye, were you?"

Stella did feel bad about it, but the answer to her mother's question was yes, she was going to leave without saying goodbye. It wasn't like she was avoiding it, but she just needed to get the hell out of this place before she fully cracked.

"No mom," Stella sighed, forcing a smile and pulling her mother in for a hug, "Sorry, it's just I didn't want to miss my flight."

"I know, I know. I just miss spending time with you is all," he mother cooed, her gentle tone and words soothing on Stella's ragged soul. Her mom squeezed her tight once more before releasing her and looking up into her eyes, Luna's mouth opening to say something before her expression changed, the happiness disappearing as concern took over. "Stella, you're eyes are all puffy and red. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

God bless her mother and her keen sense of observation, but now was really not the time she wanted to go into this. Maybe once she was back in the safety of her apartment in Connecticut, but not here. Not out in the open in front of her childhood home when she felt so damn vulnerable as it was.

"Yeah," she lied, her eyes tearing up once more as she tried to think of a plausible excuse, "It's just – I really miss this place. It's always hard to leave, you know?"

"I know, and I miss you so much," her mom explained, giving her a soft smile as Stella tries to blink away the moisture. Luna simply nods and strokes her daughter's hair, "But I know that's not the reason."

Stella finally chanced another look down at her mom, her eyes burning as she saw all of the love and tenderness reflecting back at her. She didn't know if her mother was a psychic or if she just had a keen sense of motherly intuition but it always astounded Stella how her mom seemed to know everything that was going on inside her head.

She couldn't move besides simply shaking her head. She couldn't answer back, because what was she supposed to say? That she and the man she had been in love with for eleven years had a week-long passionate fling based on a stupid fucking agreement that was her idea and now it was all over.

Luna let out a gentle sigh before cupping Stella's jaw, "Is this about Brandon?" After simply hearing his name, Stella just about lost it and could no longer make eye contact with her mom, glancing away as the tears continued to gather, "You love him don't you?"

After fighting her feelings for him for so long, she couldn't take it anymore.

She struggled to take a deep breath and nodded as she looked back down into mother's eyes, the tears finally escaping down her cheeks as all of her resolve finally came crumbling down.

Luna gave her a sympathetic smile before opening her arms and embracing her daughter, holding her close and cradling her against her shoulder like she used to when she was a little girl, simply letting her cry.

"He loves you too, you know," her mom whispered, rubbing soothing patterns on her back.

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure it's the same way I love him," Stella sobbed, her tears staining the front of her mother's dress.

"It'll all be ok, sweetie," Luna murmured, "It'll all be okay."

But Stella wasn't so sure of her mother's conviction. She had gone into last night knowing it was the end and that broke her heart. Walking away this morning shattered her even more. It already hurt like hell and it would probably end up getting worse before it got better. But maybe eventually, somewhere down the road it would all be ok.

She didn't know what else to say, so she simply hugged her mom tighter, barely managing to squeak out her goodbye, "I'm gonna miss you."

"I love you, sweetie" her mom replied, letting go of her and patting her on the shoulder, Stella thankful that her mom was letting her deal with it on her own for the time being. They'd talk it all through eventually, but everything was a bit too raw to handle at the moment.

"I love you too, mom."

With one last parting glance, Stella slipped into her car and started it up, offering one last wave to her mother before pulling away from the curb and heading toward the Columbus Municipal Airport.


Once she had checked in and gotten herself settled on the airplane, she sat back in her seat and tried to relax for the next few minutes until her flight to Connecticut took off, slipping on a pair of sunglasses before closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths. She would rather have people assume she was tired or hung-over and leave her alone as opposed to seeing how red and puffy her eyes were and want to know if she was okay, and frankly, no amount of make-up could cover up the dark circles or splotchy complexion.

She had almost fallen asleep until her phone vibrated in her lap, Stella dreading who the text was from be until she saw the name 'Bloom' flash across the screen. However, her relief quickly dissipated as soon as she read the message.

"Saw you and Brandon at the reception and I couldn't help myself... you are awfully cute together! Hope you got everything worked out between the two of you. Love you both, Bloom and Sky."

Attached below the text was a photo of she and Brandon dancing together at the reception the night before, Brandon holding her close and smiling down at her as she tipped her head up and laughed with him, the happiness on both of their faces making her burst into tears once more, the resounding ache in her chest throbbing even deeper.

Last night felt like a fairytale. Being with her family, laughing with her friends, dancing with Brandon... him making love to her.

She had been truly happy for the first time in a long time.

Her instincts had been right though. She may hate herself this morning, but she loved him with all her heart the night before. She still loved him. That wouldn't change. To her, he was worth it. He would always be worth it to her... but none of that mattered if she wasn't worth it to him.

Leaning her head against the window, she watched as the airport got smaller and smaller until Columbus was no longer visible from the air, Stella finally closing her eyes and succumbing to the exhaustion and melancholy.