Chapter Twenty Eight – Edward

"What time is it?"

Claire had already set her watch to London Time, and she glanced at it now before she looked back up at me. "A bit before four."

"Damn it," I muttered. This visit couldn't have had a worse start. It began with a ridiculous delay in New York, continued with an incredibly bumpy flight that left me a little queasy and nauseated, and ended here, almost three hours after our initial arrival time, in an airport that had never felt so packed before, not even on Christmas. And to top it all off, Bella wasn't answering her phone. I tried it as soon as I could get a line, and up until now, when we were about to go underground, but to no avail. I knew she got my text last night because she replied to it, but it had been hours. There had not been a sign from her since.

"Calm down. She knows we're late. We have the address, it's going to be fine."

"Fine. Yeah, sure," I managed, suddenly breathless. I eyed the entrance to the Tube a little uncertainly. Normally I wouldn't be bothered about getting in there. But I wasn't at my best today and it felt as if the small space would close in on me if we walked in there.

There was a tug at my arm. Claire's eyes were intent on mine. "I find it a little ironic that I have to egg you on, don't you say?" Her voice was soft, soothing. "Come on, think about it this way. The faster we move, the sooner you can see her."

I stalled, then nodded and let her tow me after her. I didn't even have to guide her. She knew exactly where she was going, even though it had been years since she had last been here. She got us on the right train, and endured my tensed silence during the forty minutes' ride to central London. It was strange to think that forty minutes was all that separated Bella and I now. Strange and wonderful and absolutely terrifying, somehow all at the same time.

xoxox

Since today was Bella's first day at rehearsals, we meant to meet her there. She'd given me the address to Markova House, the company's venue, and Claire and I followed her instructions carefully when we got off at Knightsbridge. Neither of us felt like getting lost so soon after our arrival. It would be a miserable ending to this extremely long day.

"This way," said Claire, heading over for a wide road that had to be Knightsbridge Street. She had Bella's directions memorized, and she looked up from time to time, to check the numbers on the top of each house as we passed it. It felt as if we were walking for hours, although it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. The street seemed endless. Claire, strangely as eager as I was, walked forward in long, determined strides; I was having hard time following her. I was too giddy to actually notice where I was going. I almost bumped into two streetlamps; she had to pull me back twice.

"Anything on the phone?" she threw a glance at me from over her shoulder.

I picked my cell phone again, tried Bella's number again, and hung up as soon as I got the answering service. "No. Nothing."

"Well, maybe her battery died. Maybe she didn't hear it ring. Maybe she forgot it at home."

"You're not helping," I pointed out, but my scowl had zero impact. Instead, she laughed at me.

"Breathe, Edward, you're going to give yourself a heart attack! Here we are, I think."

I looked up, and then around me, and suddenly realized the long street was gone. There were smaller buildings on each side of the street, the one we needed. Like the rest of them, the building was old-looking and made of red bricks. A few stairs led to the main entrance. I guessed we were in the right place, because the few people who sat outside looked like dancers. Claire took the note from my hand and compared it with the address on a nearby sign.

"Yup, definitely here."

I took my cell phone out again, but just looked at it. If she hadn't answered any of my other calls, was there a point to try again at all?

Claire's eyes followed mine, and she shook her head. "Let's just go in. Someone will know her," she said. Before I knew it, she was halfway towards the entrance. I hurried after her, not even stopping to appreciate the beauty of the building we'd just walked into. I was getting dizzy with childish excitement. I couldn't believe we were actually here, that I'd finally see her in a few minutes.

"She's upstairs," Claire informed me, glancing at a staircase over her shoulder. "This guy says he just saw her in one of the studios."

I just gaped at her helplessly, unable to even move.

"Edward, snap out of it," she laughed. She clearly found the whole situation exceptionally funny. I nodded feebly and followed her lead upstairs. She repeated the instructions the guy had just given her. Second floor to the right and down the hall. Some people were on their way downstairs, and we had to stop and sidle to let them through. I listened to their fast chatter absentmindedly. Their thick accent sounded like foreign language in my hazy state of mind. It still echoed in my ears as they walked passed us, as we reached the hallway of the second floor. I bet we looked strange to all of them, disheveled from our journey and still carrying our luggage. I didn't care. I just wanted to get there.

"This should be it," Claire said suddenly, nodding to a door in front of us. The hallway was quiet, and faint music came from inside the room. I knew the sounds – they were mine. She was still using those CDs I'd made for her years ago. My heart was thumping irregularly now. It felt as if it was going to burst. I locked my gaze with Claire's for a second. She nodded, grinning. I sucked in a huge breath, and stepped forward.

And sure enough, there she was, dancing to music I could hear only faintly, but knew by heart anyway. She looked, as cliché as it sounded, radiant. She had on a dance outfit I'd never seen before that literally took my breath away. It was black and short, and a skirt was sort of sewn onto it. Its spaghetti straps crossed on her back, which was completely bare other than that. I couldn't do much but gawk at her. She looked as if she'd been there for a while. The sheen of sweat on her forehead was visible even from a distance, and there were a few stray hairs at the back of her neck.

There was a poke on my side, which startled me. I threw Claire an irritated look. "I want to see," she said, half-bouncing. I rolled my eyes and sidled a bit to let her peek through the window on the door. Bella, her arms stretched to her sides, had just begun to spin one her toes from one end of the room to the other, time after time after time, in this one fluid motion that had always made me wonder how she wasn't getting sick. Claire let out a whistle. "Pretty!"

"Shh, don't disturb her," I scolded her, jokingly grabbing her waist to get her away from the door. I allowed myself to stare a little longer, enjoying the opportunity to observe her unwatched, like I'd done at school in more than one occasion. I loved watching her dance; I loved the look on her face, like everything else around her ceased to exist. Despite the exertion, there was this serenity about her when she danced; it was like nothing else mattered.

"I think she'll like it much more if you'll make your presence known," said Claire, and her eyes were gleaming mischievously as she nodded at the door.

There was this sudden swell of emotion within me – bliss, or relief, or maybe both. I was so excited my knees nearly buckled. I took another deep breath, and rapped on the small window. She spun to face the door as if the noise startled her. Her eyes widened for a split second, and then her face lit up as soon as our eyes met. I heard the door creaking shut behind me as I stepped in, still a little hesitantly. The next thing I knew she flung herself at me, giggling breathlessly as she nearly knocked both of us over. I wrapped my arms around her to steady her a second before we crashed against the door.

"Erm, do I know you from someplace?" I teased her, rubbing my nose with hers.

"Shut up and kiss me," she ordered, her lips inches from mine.

And I didn't care Claire was right outside and probably watching us. I didn't care someone might walk in or if Bella was hot or sweaty or uncomfortable. I didn't care of anything. I held her even tighter, practically crushing her against me, as our lips met halfway in the sweetest kiss we'd shared in months.

"Hi," she whispered, slowly pulling away. Her smile was blinding. It made me smile too.

"Hi, yourself," I replied, pressing my forehead to hers. She still had her arms around my neck, and she shifted a little so she could give me a hug. I lay my head against her shoulder, letting her heat engulf me. I could feel the remainders of the anger dissipate into dust in that long moment we stood there, just holding each other. Apparently, this was all it took.

Then, with what felt like reluctance, she pulled away. Her gaze averted to the window on the door, through which she could clearly see Claire, pacing in front of the shut door. Bella's eyes were wide with astonishment. She'd never seen Claire before, not even in a picture. Now, she seemed to be noticing what I had, a few weeks back. When our eyes met again, I knew we had the same thought in mind. The resemblance was just too obvious to be missed. I nodded, and gently took her hand as I led her out of the room.

Claire stopped her pacing as soon as I opened the door and let Bella through. Her smile was a bit uncertain when her eyes met mine, then Bella's. "It's about time you two meet," I said, guiding Bella forward. "Claire, this is Bella."

"Finally in the flesh," Claire smiled as she shook Bella's hand. "I heard so much about you, almost too much, I'm afraid. Sometimes I just wish he'd shut up about it," she added, flashing an impish grin at me.

"Gee, thanks, Claire," I rolled my eyes.

"I heard a lot about you, too." Bella's voice was merely a whisper. Her smile was careful, guarded, but she couldn't take her eyes off Claire. She still looked in awe. "You look exactly like her." Then she snapped out of it, and a nervous laugh escaped her. "I'm sorry, I just… did you guys just get here? We finished early and my phone is useless – my battery died ages ago – I forgot to charge it the other night and – "

Claire chuckled and gave me this know-all look. I shook my head.

"I didn't realize it was so late. Give me ten minutes to change."

"When are we meeting him?" I saw my question made Claire giddy, so I kept my eyes on Bella.

"Half passed six at my place. It'll give you time to freshen up a bit," she replied, and her eyes were all for Claire. At the beginning, in our first conversations after we had made up, she resented Claire for leaving the way she had, and I couldn't blame her. She had witnessed the damage Claire's absence inflicted, for both Nathan and Emily. It was obvious she would sympathize with them, being on their side, just like I had sympathized with Claire. But now I saw understanding in her eyes, compassion even, and I embraced it. I wanted the two of them to get along, despite the circumstances that had brought us together.

"Sure, that sounds great," Claire replied, looking uncharacteristically sheepish.

Bella nodded, half to us, half to herself. Then she looked up at me, and flashed a heart melting smile at me. "Ten minutes," she said again.

"Don't be long," I whispered in her ear as I dropped another kiss on her forehead. She grinned, ruffled my hair, and walked back into the studio to get her stuff. Then she stepped out carrying her bag and her music, and disappeared down the hall where the showers probably were. I began pacing back and forth, much to Claire's amusement. I had this horrible feeling that I wasn't really awake yet, that we were still on the plane, that I didn't actually hold her.

Bella returned a little over ten minutes later, buttoning her coat as she walked towards us. Her hair was down, her eyes still gleaming, her lips parted in a tiny smile. She took Claire's suitcase despite her protest, and led the way to her apartment. I fought my reluctance to go back there. The place carried too many bad memories for me, but I was intent on leaving all of them behind. This was a new beginning. I wouldn't leave this time, no matter what happened.

We didn't speak much on the way there, all of us being too weary. I wanted badly to pull Bella closer, to hold her hand, at least, but I didn't think it would be fair on Claire. If tables had been turned, I would have felt awful by any display of affection. So instead, I relied on her voice, like I'd done so many times during her absence. She and Claire were speaking; Claire asked her about things she remembered from her last stay here. I noticed how she was avoiding questions about both Nathan and Emily. She focused on discussing the forecasted storm instead. I didn't want to begin to imagine what thoughts were running in her head just now.

I stole another glance at Bella, snug and warm in her purple coat, leading the way. She didn't seem bothered by the weather, which amused me. I knew how strongly she felt against the weather in Forks, and it was funny to see her react differently to practically the same weather here. She really did like it here, I mused, as I listened to her telling Claire how she got the apartment she was staying at. My mind wandered to the conversation we had a few weeks ago. It was almost as if she belonged here. I couldn't take it from her. Maybe there was a way to compromise.

"The spare bedroom is second door down the hall, and the bathroom is right across from it," Bella told Claire once we were in her apartment. She looked a little hesitant, but she took her suitcase and disappeared down the hallway. Bella sort of stared after her even after she was gone.

I came over to her and took her hand. I didn't feel comfortable to do more than that, with Claire in the other room. Bella looked up at me and smiled, but the motion was tense. "Are you nervous?" I asked her.

"Aren't you?" The question was incredulous.

"A little," I admitted.

"How is she?"

"She's scared. I really hope it goes well because I don't want to think what happens if he – "

"Don't," she cut me off. "It's going to be fine."

But even she didn't seem certain of it.

"I'll, umm, put your suitcase in our room," she told me then, meeting my eyes shyly. Our room. It had nice ring to it. I nodded and slowly released her hand.

With both of them gone, I slowly took off my coat and placed it on the back of the sofa. I walked over to the window and looked outside at the darkening sky. A lightning flickered across the sky, followed by another a few seconds later. I listened carefully. There was no sound of thunder, but the lightning kept coming, so I assumed it meant the storm was near. I looked over my shoulder at the dark living room and sighed. Under any other circumstances, I could live here with her. This could be our place. Maybe I was being ridiculous about insisting on wanting to continue my studies in Juilliard. Maybe a change would be good for me.

A shuffle of feet made me turn away from the window. Claire walked back into the living room, still hesitant, as if she didn't feel at home here. She was wearing the same clothes, but she seemed less unkempt. I thought she even put some makeup on, which was rare. "Are you okay?" I asked her as she crossed the room to join me.

"I guess so." She said that, but she didn't seem to mean it. She looked genuinely scared now.

"It's going to be fine," I promised her, unintentionally repeating Bella's word. I took her hand gently in mine and gave it a little squeeze.

I happened to look away from Claire, and suddenly Bella was there, watching us with emotion I couldn't recognize. She looked away the second our eyes met, as if she didn't want to be caught in the act, but I knew what she saw. I let go of Claire's hand in an instant.

But before I could even go to her, to say anything to break the suddenly awkward silence, a knock came at the door.

Claire gasped at the sound, and staggered a little. I stood in the middle of the room, torn between going to stand beside my girlfriend and the need to comfort the woman who had become my best friend. Bella also froze in place at the sound. I couldn't really tell in the dimming light, but it looked as if she went pale. Then she exhaled slowly, and looked up at Claire. I braced myself for the hostility I'd expected to find in her eyes after what she'd just walked in on, but there was none.

"So are we doing this?" she asked quietly, her eyes still on Claire.

"Give me a second," Claire breathed, closed her eyes, then opened them. "Yes. Let's do it."

It took Bella exactly two seconds to absorb this. Taking another breath, she walked over to the door. While she was turning the main lights on, Claire moved to stand behind me. I didn't have time to question her clearly defensive position, because Bella was already by the door, messing with the latch. I let my gaze focus on the door, hoping it would distract me from Claire's labored breathing over my shoulder. I didn't dare to turn and face her. I feared of what I might find.

My own reaction caught me off-guard. It felt as if my breath was literally knocked out of me when I saw him on the doorway. It made everything more… real, in a way, to see him in the flesh and not through a photo. Last time was so brief it didn't count. Behind me, I could sense Claire tense as well. Bella threw another quick glance at us before she opened the door slightly wider, yet not all the way.

Even from across the room, and with most of the door still separating us from his full view, I could see his eyes were full of concern as they met hers – I didn't know the story she had told him to get him here, but it seemed to be working. He kissed her cheek, still unaware of our presence, and I made an effort to contain my envy this time. I thought I knew exactly how she felt a moment ago, when she saw me holding Claire's hand. I shrugged it all off though. This was not about us, and it was nothing like that.

"Thanks for coming. Crazy lightning storm, huh?"

His forehead cringed, as if he caught the edge of panic in her voice. "I'm just glad I beat the rain." I was surprised he didn't notice us standing there, just a short distance away. He gave her his full attention. "How are you holding up?"

Bella seemed as if she wanted to answer, but changed her mind and heaved a long sigh. "I'm perfect. Nothing's wrong, I'm just… I needed to have you here alone."

"I don't understand." His voice was tender. Like I saw him do the other time, he leaned towards her as he spoke. "You said you and Edward – "

"Edward is here," she said, sidling ever so slightly. She threw me a glance. I flashed a tiny smile at her in return.

Nathan, still focused on the reason he'd come here, missed all that. "Here? In London?"

This time when she looked over her shoulder, his eyes followed hers. Our eyes met briefly. I nodded in wordless acknowledgement, hoping I didn't seem hostile to him. He hadn't noticed Claire yet; she was still half-hiding behind me with her head bowed. His eyes were already back on Bella's. His brow furrowed with what seemed like puzzlement.

"He, umm… brought someone we think you might want to see."

Claire's head whipped up at that; she looked terrified again. Unfortunately it meant he didn't have time to absorb Bella's statement. He saw her. His gasp was quite audible, even with half the room between us. He looked as if he was about to collapse. He held on to the doorway as if to support himself. He didn't say anything, not even her name. He just stared at her wide-eyed, looking as if he was trying hard not to fall apart.

There was a shift to my right as Claire stepped forward. "Nathan."

"You." He didn't seem able to say more. Then he looked at Bella. I held my breath, hoping he wouldn't be upset with her. But there was no hint of fury in his expression, just astonishment. "How…"

"I'll explain everything," Claire said, drawing his attention again. Suddenly courageous, she stepped a little closer and offered him a faint smile. "If you let me." It was part statement, part question. Her eyes were pleading on his. He just stood there, still on the doorway, rooted to place. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him. I hoped I would never have to face such an inner battle, wanting so badly to get away from there, but at the same time, being unable to. He didn't seem able to leave, even if he wanted to.

"Come in." Bella's soft voice seemed to break some sort of a trance he'd been taken under. He blinked and nodded, still somewhat dazed, and then walked in. His eyes wandered from Claire to me and back to her. He didn't make any move towards Claire, but I hadn't really expected him to, yet. It was strange to admit it to myself, but he seemed as reserved as I had been. If I were him I would have been terrified to step in here.

Bella, who stalled by the door to get it locked, caught my eye and motioned to the sofa. Wordlessly, I guided Claire there. Nathan, after a moment of hesitation, followed us. Claire placed herself next to me on the sofa. Bella took the armchair across from us. Nathan slowly sat on the second armchair, a safe distance away.

"So," he started slowly, moving his eyes from Bella to me, "it isn't over?"

Bella smiled sheepishly. "I had to find something really good to get you here."

Before I could prepare myself for it, his eyes were on me again. "How did you…"

"I moved into their building this summer," Claire replied before I decided from which point of our acquaintance to begin. She glanced at me and smiled. I returned her smile, hoping to encourage her. "We sort of became friends."

It was hardly an explanation, but she didn't say anything further, and neither did he. He just kept watching her, as if he was expecting her to vanish. Then a dark chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. "I can't believe you're here."

"I think we're going to let you two talk," Bella said after a moment, and pinned me with a significant look as she got up. Nathan looked terrified by this statement. His eyes flew to meet Bella's, like a frightened child. Claire threw me a similar glance of distress when I left my seat, but this time Bella won. They needed their moment. I let her lead the way to the kitchen, struggling not to look back at the couple we were leaving behind.

I waited for her to turn on the lights and walk passed me. Outside, another lightning struck, followed by a faint noise of a thunder. I was grateful to be indoors. We just stood there for a moment, eyeing each other sort of shyly. Since we got here, I yearned for some alone time with her, and now when I got it, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I was too distracted by the couple in the other room to figure out how to handle our first real reunion.

"So," she started, smiling timidly.

"So," I echoed, suddenly feeling a little awkward. She laughed a little, as if she knew exactly how I felt. I moved forward at the same second she did. I let my fingers trail along her chin. She closed her eyes; I watched, transfixed, at the way her eyelashes fluttered against her skin. I brushed my thumb against her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes and let them meet mine again. I smiled at her, feeling new confidence, and leaned over. She grinned as if she knew what I was up to.

But before my lips so much as grazed hers, there was another flash of lightning, followed by the loudest roar of thunder I'd ever heard.

Bella shrieked and gripped at my shirt, instinctively burying her head in my chest. I laughed and slowly wrapped my arms around her as she began to giggle too. My heart was beating irregularly, but so was hers. Some way to break the ice. I held her to my chest, resting my chin on the top of her head. "I missed you," I said, and I could feel her clinging closer.

"I missed you, too."

Before I got here, I had this elaborated plan to get the past off my chest, to make another apology face to face. Now, however, while standing there with her in my arms, it seemed marginal, unnecessary. Words and promises wouldn't make things better. We had to work harder than that. But this time I thought we were capable of it.

Making tea was the perfect distraction from what was happening in the living room. Bella seemed as anxious as I was about how things were going, but neither of us was courageous (or rude) enough to eavesdrop. They didn't raise their voices once, and I didn't know if it was a good sign or an extremely bad one.

"I hope we're not going to get stuck here all evening," I joked after a glance at my watch. We had been in the kitchen for about twenty minutes now, and there was no life sign from either Claire or Nathan. Outside, the storm was building fast. It was cold in the kitchen, and my tee shirt didn't provide enough of a protection against the chill. I knew exactly where my coat was – on the back of the sofa where I'd left it earlier – but I couldn't go back to the living room to get it so long as they were there.

"We didn't hear the door so I guess he didn't leave. This has to be good, isn't it?" I shrugged, unsure. "Let's give them five more minutes."

"Fine," I said, and took a seat by the window. "Come here."

Her lips curled in that timid smile again as she came to sit on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her so she wouldn't fall. She was so warm; in the freezing room, it was comforting. She rested her head against my shoulder and we watched the raindrops slipping down the window. I ran my hand up and down her back in slow, gentle strokes. Every once in a while one of us would ask something, on which the other would answer in a word or two. The silence in between was comfortable. The storm seemed to be growing stronger. I didn't know how long we'd been sitting there; I might have fallen asleep without realizing it. After a while, Bella shifted, and slowly got up.

"I think it's safe to go back now."

"Okay," I nodded, and reached for her hand. Only halfway back to the living room, I realized we forgot the tea we'd prepared on the counter.

I didn't know what I'd expected to find. A hysterical Claire, maybe, smashed glass on the floor, carpets and curtains torn into shreds. Instead, they were sitting side by side on the sofa, speaking quietly, their heads nearly touching. They didn't seem aware of our reemergence; it was as if nothing else existed, the way I'd often felt with Bella around. They weren't sitting close enough for him to hold her, but then again, he didn't storm out either, so I guessed it wasn't entirely bad.

Both their heads whipped up when Bella cleared her throat. They both looked sheepish, and thankfully not mad at one another.

"I was just about to go and find you," Nathan told Bella, before he ran a hand through his hair. Hmm. We had much more things in common than I cared to admit. "We, umm… are going to move this conversation to my place."

At that, I let myself breathe again.

"But it's raining like crazy," Bella protested.

"The storm isn't so bad now," said Claire. The smile she exchanged with Nathan told me everything I needed to know. Everything was going to be alright. Bella seemed to realize it too, because she didn't protest anymore.

Claire walked passed me to retrieve her suitcase from the spare bedroom. She smiled at me on the way there; it was tight and nearly invisible, but a smile nonetheless. I knew she'd find a way to tell me everything in the morning. Bella and Nathan were by the door already. She asked him when Emily was due home. He never missed a beat while answering her, but he was clearly distracted; he kept throwing glances at the hallway, as if he feared Claire would make a run for it through the window or something if he didn't notice.

But he had nothing to worry about. A moment or so later, Claire reemerged. She wheeled her suitcase a little awkwardly forward, as she was trying to pull her coat on at the same time. Chuckling, Nathan came over to help her.

They left a little while later without saying as much as a goodbye. I was still across the room, watching Bella as she said one final goodbye to the two of them. Then, slowly, she shut the door. As soon as she had, she stood on tiptoes and peeked through the peephole. Seeing she was well-distracted, I quietly moved towards her.

"Aww, he's putting his arm around her," she half squealed, half sighed, but her happy announcement was soon replaced with a sharp gasp when I wrapped my arms around her waist. I could feel her heart hammering in her ribcage. Slowly, she lowered herself to her feet and turned to face me, her cheeks a little flushed.

"Alone, at last," she smiled, the color in her cheeks darkening ever so slightly.

"Finally," I agreed, letting my fingers flutter against her cheek, imitating the motion of her own fingers at the back of my neck. My eyes were locked on hers.

"Long day?"

"The longest." My other hand still rested on her waist; my fingers wandered along the hem of her cardigan.

"Are you hungry?"

I only grinned. You could say that.

But she misinterpreted my silence. "I could probably work something out if you – "

Her voice muted at once when I touched my thumb to her lips. I reached out to turn off the main lights with my other hand. "We'll have enough time for talking later, love, don't you think?"

I didn't give her a chance to reply. I pinned her against the door, and she met my lips halfway, moaning as soon as our lips touched. The sound sent a shiver through me. I felt her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling at it as our kiss deepened. I held on to her so tightly I feared I'd leave bruises on her skin, but at the same time I was reluctant to let her go. The heat I could feel radiating from her body overpowered me. This was how I had wanted to kiss her since we got here.

A flash of lightning illuminated the apartment in a momentary silver glow. The roar of thunder that followed made us pull away from one another at the exact same moment. We just stood there for a moment, staring at one another breathlessly. I was nearly dizzy from lack of oxygen, and her unfocused stare suggested that she was feeling the same. I grinned at her and cupped her cheek in my palm before I leaned over to kiss her again. This kiss was softer, but not less urgent. I felt her impatience in the way she was tugging at my shirt. Her fingers, cold and greedy, found their way beneath it. I broke the kiss and hissed into her ear as her nails grazed down my chest.

"What's wrong?" she murmured as I pulled away from her with difficulty.

"You have to stop doing that," I rasped in reply.

A slow, evil grin curled on her lips as her fingers stilled. "Why?"

"First of all, because we're still on your doorway." I couldn't believe I was able to utter full, coherent sentences. My mind was like mush. It felt as if any moment I would spontaneously combust. "And second… I kind of want to take things slow tonight."

She didn't say anything for the longest time, but there was this glimmer in her eyes, visible even in the darkness, that suggested she was up to something. Her arms slipped from beneath my shirt as she snaked them around my neck and pressed herself closer, grinning. "Alright, then. Let's go take a shower."

Her statement made me freeze. She answered my inquiring look with the tiniest smirk curling in the corner of her lips. Her smile was challenging, daring me to turn down her offer. Not that I was going to. I'd go dancing in the rain if she asked me to. I loosened my grip around her just a little, and soon her lips found mine again as she blindly led the way down the hallway.


A/N: there's a bunch of outtakes from this story, smaller scenes I didn't feel should be expanded into full chapters. Instead, I compiled them into a story which I'll post separately. Keep an eye on those alerts – it's called Forever and a Day, and it should be up in a few days. In the meantime, since I brought fluff back into the story, drop me a nice review? Pretty please?