Chapter 20

I didn't sleep for very long that night. Maybe it was the fact that Cory and I were sleeping nearly naked next to each other, or the fact that I had my sexiest encounter with a man in my entire life in the pool of our vacation home just hours earlier. Or, it could just be the fact that I had never been happier in my entire life.

I woke up around ten that morning. Instead of schlepping around the house waiting for everyone else to wake up and begin their days, I decided to be proactive and put on a pair of spandex shorts, a tank top, and my running shoes. I figured that jogging would clear my mind, at least for a little bit, and help me burn off all of the delicious food that we'd been eating throughout the week. My trainer would kill me if I went back home and was all out of shape.

I jogged through the peaceful, desolate streets for at least a half hour. It didn't feel that long, though – I guess it helps when you listen to good music at high volume levels. That tends to get you going. The weather wasn't as nice as it was on previous days. They say it really only rains twenty days out of an entire year in sunny southern California. It would suck if it rained during our last few days together on vacation.

It was hard to believe, but our vacation was nearing the end. It was the sixth day, and tomorrow, we'd all be heading back to our real lives and responsibilities. I shuddered at the mere thought. There was so much more I wanted to do. I wanted to go shopping for a cool art piece to put in my living room. I wanted to watch the sunrise from the highest point in the house. I wanted to get a pair of roller skates and skate up and down a boardwalk. There were so many things that we did do, though, like build a bonfire, visit a desolate beach, and drink our asses off. I guess we did get a good amount done, if you think about it that way…

Beads of sweat were dripping from my forehead, and my clothes were clinging to my body. The air was unusually sticky and humid, and it felt as if the clouds were going to open and rain would pour down on us. My breathing grew heavy as I jogged, and every time my feet hit the pavement, I took in a little bit more air. I actually made it pretty far before stopping for the first time – I grabbed for my water bottle and took a long gulp of cool water to relive my body. I knew I couldn't stop for long though, otherwise I'd become too relaxed. I fought through the thick air and fatigue and continued to run. I knew I had to turn back soon, though, since I had about a half hour to run on my way back.

As I ran back, my head was filled with thoughts of Cory, who was probably still fast asleep in our bed. Last night was wild, and something I never thought I'd experience with him so quickly. It had all happened so fast and it was all so romantic, but looking back, I wasn't sure if it was the best decision to do all of that so quickly. Granted, it wasn't like I had sex with him or anything. We've only been in a relationship for the past two or three days – at this point, all of the days were starting to blend together. But still, we had gotten pretty physical. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. This is Cory Monteith we're talking about here. I've only wanted to do kinky and weird things to this man's body for the past two years. But, I don't want him to get the wrong impression of me, like I'm easy or something. I want to be a challenge, something he has to work towards. And these past few nights, I've been giving it up pretty easily. Can you blame me, though? Try fighting him off of you. He's so sexy that it's physically and mentally impossible. But through all of this, I kept thinking of the little things that he's done to capture my heart in his big bear grip. The way he laughs at my jokes or little quirky things I do, the way he smiles at me from across the room, the way he can tell a corny joke and get away with it, the way he can drum on random objects in the house and actually make it sound good, the way he can tell how I'm feeling and adapt to it… just the way he understands me. I don't think I've ever had a boyfriend that was so receptive, or even expressive. Maybe it was because we've been such good friends for a while. It could also be because we've worked so closely too, with our roles on the show and press and tours and appearances and group gatherings. There's rarely a day that Cory and I go without speaking to each other.

Maybe that's the sign of a good relationship. When you can't imagine a day passing by and not having any sort of contact with the person you love.

Thinking about Cory really made the time fly by. I was spent by the time I reached the driveway of the house, enough so that I bent at the waist and rested my hands on my thighs as I struggled to catch my breath.

"You okay?" I heard Mark call out, and I straightened up to look at him.

I rested my hands on my hips as my eyes found him. He was standing on the porch without a shirt, holding a mug in his hand. "Yeah," I called back before walking slowly towards the stairs. "You're forgetting something," I remarked with a smirk as I started my way up towards him.

"Nah, you should know this by now. Shirts aren't my thing."

I smiled as I reached the top step, and I was still breathing heavily. "What's everyone else up to?" I asked him, nodding towards the house.

"I don't know, really," Mark replied. "Cory is hanging out by the pool, if that's what you were wondering."

I shook my head. "No, I was asking about everyone." I was lying.

He chuckled before taking a sip of coffee. It was black, and I'm sure there wasn't a grain of sugar in it. "Come on, Lea. Really?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked him before pressing my lips tightly together. Something was up.

"You don't have to hide it or anything. We all know."

"Know what?"

"That you two are an item."

I chuckled softly under my breath. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We all saw you two in the pool last night."

My heart sank to my stomach, like a fatal blow to the gut at the height of an intense boxing match with millions of dollars and a title belt on the line. I looked into Mark's deep brown eyes and furrowed my eyebrows deeply. "You were watching us?" I hissed, my voice low and angry. "All of you were watching us?"

"Not the whole time," he admitted, but I wasn't sure if I could believe it. "Just long enough to put all of the pieces together. It's not like we're mad or anything."

"That's not the point," I combatted, shaking my head. "That was going to be something that Cory and I would have told everyone on our own terms. We didn't want the mood in the house to be strange or uncomfortable."

"It wasn't like you two were being discreet," he replied. I had nothing to reply with, so he continued speaking. "Listen, it's not strange or weird or anything, and we don't think of you two any differently. If you want me to be completely honest with you, we were all surprised it took you guys two years to do something about your feelings."

I let out a heavy sigh before turning away from Mark. I looked out onto the main road in front of the house, searching for a way to reply and handle the situation. Really, I wasn't sure why I was mad or upset, besides the fact that it was such a severe invasion of privacy. They were all going to know eventually, and maybe it was all right that they found out this way. We wouldn't have to explain anything, and there wouldn't be this weird shift after we broke the news… But still, they watched us as if we were some animals that were mating in a zoo.

"Was it at least sexy?" I said before looking back towards him with a small smirk.

Mark chuckled before turning back towards the house. "You got a rise out of a few of us," he admitted before entering the house, leaving me on the porch to laugh.

Even though I was laughing, my insides were in turmoil. Something had to be done, and quick. I had to get to Cory.