Chapter 25

About an hour had passed when Mel felt Punk's lips brush across her bare shoulder. She smiled and shifted closer to him, her eyes still closed. She felt completely at peace with the world, and her happiness in that moment was overwhelming. She felt like this was something that was supposed to happen for a long time now.

Punk pressed his lips against her neck this time, and she opened her eyes and looked up at him adoringly. He gazed back at her, his eyes soft. His thumb traced her lower lip, and she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. "I have to get you home," he murmured. "Your brother will be pissed if you're not back before midnight, and the last thing we need is him mad at me too."

"But I don't want to go home," Mel whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and holding him close. "I want to stay here." The thought of having to leave him after what they had just shared made her feel extremely sad.

"I know, and believe me, I'd much rather stay here with you too," Punk murmured, stroking her hair gently. "But we can't. Come on, get dressed. Let's get you home."

Mel sighed heavily and let go of him. She was not looking forward to going home and having to talk to Zack. The relationship between her and her brother was strained at the moment, even though they had attempted to make amends. She supposed that her lying to him probably wasn't going to help, but this was the only way that she could see Mike.

Mike. The thought of him made her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't even stopped to think about what he might do if he found out about her and Punk. A prickle of unease ran through her as she fumbled around in the dark car for her clothes. What if Punk told him about what they had done? It was no secret that the two didn't like each other. If Mike made him mad enough, Punk might spill.

The thought of that was too much for her, and she decided that she had to know. "Hey Punk...?" she asked hesitantly as she tugged her shirt over her head. She couldn't seem to find one of her shoes, but that was the least of her worries at the moment.

"Yes?" Punk responded from where he was tugging his jeans on. He sounded so happy and satisfied that she paused, chewing her lower lip. If she asked him this, she could ruin what little relationship that they had been starting to build. But on the other hand, she could lose her amazing boyfriend. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place, and she couldn't see any way to wriggle free.

"About what happened..." she began slowly, wishing that it wasn't so dark. She wanted to be able to see his face, to gauge his reaction. "You know Mike can't be told about this, right...? If he were to find out..." She trailed off, knowing that Punk knew what she was getting at.

Even in the dark, she could see him stiffen. When he spoke again, his voice was hard and cool. "I know. We wouldn't want Mr. Perfect to be upset, now would we?" He yanked his jeans up over his narrow hips, his jerky movements betraying his anger.

Mel's heart sank. He was upset, just as she had predicted he would be. She never should have said anything. The sweetness of what had occurred an hour ago ebbed away, to be replaced with sadness. That familiar tension was present between them once again, and just like the first time, she had been the one who brought it back.

They didn't speak as they finished getting dressed. Punk found her missing shoe below the dashboard, and he refused to meet her eyes as he handed it to her. And yet when their fingers brushed, she felt the same spark jump between them that she had felt earlier. Whether he felt it too he did not say, but the way he looked away from her so quickly made her think that he had.

Punk started the car once she was settled in the passenger seat, and they pulled back out onto the road and continued on their way. Occasionally she glanced over at him, but he seemed totally focused on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, letting her know that he was still angry. She turned her head away and looked out the window at the glittering night sky, struggling to hold back her tears.

When they finally arrived at Mel's house, she opened the passenger door and looked at him, waiting for him to say something, anything. He looked at her with those beautiful emerald eyes, and he looked as though he were about to speak. But then he turned away, and she dropped her gaze to the ground. She got out of the car and closed the door, and he pulled out of the driveway and took off down the road, leaving her in his dust.

She took a moment to compose herself before heading up the walkway to the front door. She used her key to unlock it and slipped inside, thinking that maybe she could sneak upstairs to her room. Unfortunately, the hallway light flicked on as soon as she stepped foot in it.

Zack stood there, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. "Do you realize what time it is?" he asked lightly.

"I know, I'm sorry," she apologized, dropping her backpack by the door. "Punk and I got caught up in our studying."

Zack raised his eyebrows, suddenly looking amused. "It would seem that you two definitely got caught up in something," he said, pointing at her neck.

Confused, Mel put a hand up to her neck and blushed deeply when she felt a hickey there. "Um..."

Zack waved a hand. "Punk's a good guy, go for it. But get to bed, you have school tomorrow."

Mel nodded, relieved. As she climbed the stairs to her room, she pondered the fact that even Zack seemed to want her with Punk.