I kissed Nathan.

My eyes remained closed as the mid-afternoon sunlight streamed in through my open window. I was almost certain that last night had been a dream. And I was not willing to wake up and let it end.

It was real. It wasn't a dream. Open your eyes, Ella.

It was almost as if someone was there, whispering these words into my ear. But I knew I was alone - if last night had been real, then Nathan and I had gone our separate ways just as the sun began to peek through the clouds.

I allowed my eyes to open slowly - cautiously, almost. My stomach was twisting itself in tight, unpleasant knots. I was scared. Scared that last night hadn't been real. And even more scared that it had been real.

You're not chickening out of this one, James. It's too much of a good thing to give up.

"I'm not giving it up," I whispered to myself, into the softness of my pillow. "I'm not." And I meant it.

The previous night had been wonderful - mind-blowing, actually. That first kiss had left me breathless, exhilarated, and ridiculously content. The feeling of his lips pressed against my own had felt so right, so absolutely fantastic. I brought my fingers to my lips momentarily, remembering exactly how that kiss had felt, as well as the others that had been shared throughout the night.

He smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling softly in the darkness that surrounded us. He placed his hand delicately on my face, gently tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, making my cheeks flush. "You really are."

"Nathan..."

"You don't have to say anything," he said, staring me straight in the eye. "You don't have to say anything at all."

I smiled, bringing my lips crashing against his once more. I was glad that I didn't have to say anything. Somehow, not talking seemed so much better.

I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my lips as the memory faded from my mind. This was positively insane. I, Haley James, love cynic extraordinaire, was grinning like an idiot because of a kiss. A rather good kiss, mind you, but a kiss nonetheless.

And the crazy thing about this whole situation was that I was happy. I wasn't regretting what I'd done. I wasn't wishing it had never happened. No, things were different now. Now I was happy, thrilled, almost, that I had kissed Nathan. Wow.

There was a soft knock at my door, so unexpected and surprising that I jumped slightly in my place on my bed. Shaking my head slightly, I smoothed my hair a bit and said, "Come in."

The door opened slowly, taking an eternity to reveal who was behind it. Finally, a very familiar head of dark brown hair poked through the door. He was smiling, his eyes bright and shining.

"Hey," Nathan said, taking a step inside of my room. "Mind if I come in?"

"Of course not," I said, scooting back a bit to allow him some room to sit down. I noticed that he was holding two frappucinnos in his hands, and I felt myself licking my lips in anticipation of tasting the smooth drink.

"Brought you something to wake you up a bit," he said, handing me one of the cups in his hand.

"Thanks," I replied, taking a long, enjoyable sip. "You got caramel. My favorite."

"Can't go wrong with caramel," he said, cracking a small smile. He took a sip of his drink as he began fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"So," I said, unsure of what to say to him. Last night had been wonderful, and had felt so right. I hadn't had any trouble talking with him then, so I didn't understand why I was having such a problem now.

"So," he repeated, sighing. A thick, awkward silence fell over us, unsettling my stomach and making me feel very uncomfortable.

"All right," I said, setting my drink on my bedside table. "Let's skip the awkward silences, okay? We don't have a reason to be this way around each other, do we?"

He shook his head. "No," he replied. "We don't."

"Good," I said. "Then I think we should just talk about last night, which is clearly what we want to do, instead of dancing around the subject."

He appeared surprised by my statement, but before long a smile was rapidly spreading across his lips. "You know," he began, a laugh escaping his throat, "that's why I like you, Hayley. You're direct. Forward."

"Honestly?" I asked, raising my eyebrows slightly. "A lot of guys thought I was too pushy for their liking. Which I didn't mind much, really, since I had no desire to be with them anyway."

"I don't think you're pushy," he said. "You just know what you want, and you're not afraid to get it. I really like that about you."

I smiled, a slight blush rising in my cheeks. "Thanks."

"So," he said again, although this time I knew there would be no awkward silences. "Last night."

"Last night," I repeated, memories flashing quickly through my mind. The get together, the lake, the kiss. It had all been wonderful. "Well, I enjoyed myself. Very much, actually."

He chuckled. "I did, too."

"So where does this leave us?" I asked him, staring into his deep, crystalline eyes.

"I don't know," he said after a few moments' silence. "I…well, I mean to say that..."

I smiled, watching as he spluttered nervously, searching for the right words to say.

"Okay," he said, running a hand through his hair as he sighed exasperatedly. "I'm rubbish at expressing how I feel. All I know is that...well, I fancy you, and I want to be with you."

My heart began beating faster as his words penetrated my ears. So last night had meant something to him, too. It wasn't just a few kisses shared with some girl to him...it had actually made an impact on him. I felt my smile growing wider, my heart fluttering like mad in my chest.

"I want to be with you, too," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He inched closer to me on the bed, his hands finding mine. His fingers laced with my own, sending a wave of shivers racing throughout my body. I squeezed his hand gently, my stomach flipping as he smiled down at me, his eyes bright and sparkling.

I leaned in, closing the space between us. I brought my lips to his softly, the butterflies in my stomach swarming around rapidly as he kissed me back. This, I realized, was pure bliss.

"It needs to not rain here so much," I said to Nathan as we drove through the streets, rain falling rapidly from the darkened sky. It pounded against the windshield, the wipers darting back and forth in a frenzied fashion.

"You get used to it," he replied, squinting to see through the thick sheets of rain.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "That's the problem. I love rain. It's just another reason why I'm falling more in love with this place every day."

He smiled, absently fiddling with the volume of the stereo. "You could always stay here," he suggested, a hint of hope evident in his voice.

"NYU is calling me," I said with a light laugh. "It's been my dream for as long as I can remember."

"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I want to make the most of this while you're here."

My stomach flipped uneasily at his words. I had been forcing myself to think of anything but the fact that I was leaving in less than a month. Nathan and I had only been together for a few weeks, and already I was starting to grow attached to him. No, attached wasn't the right word. I didn't get attached to anyone. I was just growing rather fond of him. I was dreading the end of August and everything it meant. Although I wanted to go to college and experience the freedom it brought, I was scared of being on my own. It terrified me, actually.

And even though I wouldn't admit it, I was scared of leaving Nathan. Because I knew that once I left, that would be it. We wouldn't be able to make a relationship work if he was in North Carolina and I was in New York. The second I boarded my flight back to New York, my summer and everything it had included - even Nathan - would end.

That's why I was just trying to have fun. I didn't want this relationship to be serious and committed. A summer fling, that's all it was. A fun, carefree relationship. That's what I would remember it as when I looked back on it. A summer romance. That's all.

"Jake's told me that he's taking Peyton to a play later on," Nathan said as he weaved in and out of traffic. "Think she'll like that?"

I scoffed. "God no. I don't think she has the attention span for something like that."

"Maybe they'll just skip the play and snog behind the theatre instead," he said thoughtfully.

I laughed. "Probably. Those two are making me sick with their lovey dovey wishy washy crap."

"It is rather disturbing," he agreed. "But I must admit that I'm glad to see Jake so serious about something."

"I guess so," I said, shrugging. "But I think they got too serious too fast."

"Do you?" he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. "I just think they've fallen in love."

I rolled my eyes. "Love," I said with a dry laugh, "is completely overrated."

He looked at me then, an unreadable expression on his face. "You think so?"

"Well, yeah," I replied. "I mean, I've never been in love, but...I'm not really sure if I want to be, either."

"Oh," he said, his face falling a bit. "Oh."

I sighed. "Nathan..."

"No," he said, offering me a half-smile. "No, I understand what you mean. Love is a frightening prospect."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding my head. "It really is."

"And why worry about it? I mean, we're young. What's the rush?"

"Exactly!" I said, excited that someone finally understood me. "There's no point in jumping into something you're not ready for."

He looked at me, a small smile on his face. "That's why I'm glad we're having fun, Hayley. None of that love stuff tying us down."

"I'm glad, too," I said, returning his smile and feeling at ease. "Really glad."