When Amanda Sinclair walked into Crimson Lights and saw Billy Abbott at the counter, her first instinct was to turn around and leave. But before she could make her get away, he looked up and saw her. Now she was forced to come inside and speak to him.

"Well my day just got brighter," Billy said as she warily approached him at the counter with a fake smile plastered on her face. The same smile she used when she was first meeting a client and was not quite sure what to make of them. That's how she approached Billy these days.

"Billy, it's good to see you," she responded. It wasn't a complete lie. Since they parted ways she thought of him often, but tried to avoid him as much as possible. Instead she buried herself in work. She represented Devon and Nate's clinic and some other clients as well. Her practice in Genoa City was really starting to pick up. And her personal life had returned to some semblance of normal. She and Nate went out to dinner occasionally. It wasn't serious and they had not taken things to the next level, but it was nice. No sparks or fireworks, but it was nice.

"Really, you mean that? You're glad to see me?" Billy inquired, gazing down at her over his mug as he took a sip of his coffee, which she knew was black with two sugars. She knew more about this man than she wanted to. She knew his favorite color, his birthday, his college major, his favorite band, his most embarrassing moment. All of the things you learn about someone when you're dating and getting to know them better.

"Of course," she said and skirted around him to the counter so she could order an espresso to go. Her plans were to decompress on the Crimson Light's terrace for a while since it was a beautiful spring day, but if Billy was there, she definitely wanted to be elsewhere. Literally anywhere else.

"Oh, bad night?" Billy asked after he heard her put in the order.

Amanda took out her phone and pretended to check messages, intentionally not responding to him. He remembered she told him that she only drank espresso as a jolt to wake her up in the afternoon if she didn't sleep well the night before. Despite his flaws, Billy was a great listener and when she thought they were friends, she took full advantage telling him things she never told another soul. She thought it was safe. She should have known better.

"Hey do you have a couple of minutes? I need to talk to you." Billy said. She could hear from the tone in his voice he was no longer trying to engage her in idle chit chat.

"Actually, no I don't." She never raised her eyes from her phone. Her afternoon was quite clear. There were no meetings and she planned to just relax for a few hours. Still she continued to lie. "I have some major issues with my new clients to take care of."

"Amanda, I'll meet you on the terrace after you get your coffee," Billy said, his voice low. "If you ever cared about me at all, you'll give me ten minutes of your precious time." With that he left her.

Amanda laid down a big bill and didn't wait for change. With her coffee in hand, she marched to the terrace, her head full of steam. "How dare you try to manipulate me again," she said when she reached Billy who was seated in their old spot where they'd had countless conversations. She placed her coffee on the table so she could use her hands to gesture as she told him off. "If I don't want to talk to you. Take the hint and leave me the hell alone. Also I'd like you to not mention what we had before, as it's no longer relevant."

"Hmmm…" Billy said calmly. "I figured you were angry with me. Do you mind telling me what this is all about? Don't you think you owe me that much?"

"Did you not just hear what I said?" Amanda asked, her voice growing tremulous. "If I don't want to talk to you, then I do not have to. I don't owe you a thing. You enjoy the rest of your day." With that she turned on her heel and left the terrace going out through the rear entrance. Billy was right behind her.

"Amanda I don't know what this is about," he said to her back as she stepped onto the sidewalk. "For weeks, I thought we were good, then all of a sudden, you act as if you can't stand to be in the same room with me. If I did something wrong, it's only fair I should know."

Amanda kept walking as fast as she could in her strappy sandals. There were no cabs along Lincoln Street. She had to walk a long block until she reached Exton where she could hail one down. Billy continued to walk behind her. "I won't bring up our friendship,"he said, "but just as a human being if you wronged someone else, wouldn't you want to know what it was that you did?"

The plan was to get to Exton, get a cab and leave Billy and his questions in the dust, but something made her stop and face him. "Oh poor Billy Abbott, always so misunderstood, yet striving to do the right things because you're so honorable at heart. Please spare me, I won't be fooled again. I will not be used as a pawn so you can feel better about yourself." She went to turn back around and continue her journey to Exton Avenue, when she felt her left wrist clutched in an iron grip as Billy pulled her flush up against his lean body.

"Did you just say I used you?" Billy peered down at her, still holding on to her tightly so she couldn't move.

"That's exactly what I said," Amanda felt herself on the verge of tears. This was not the way her relaxing afternoon was supposed to unfold. She was under a great deal of stress and the last thing she needed was an emotional confrontation with the person on the top of her shitlist, especially not in public. But once she started to talk, all she was feeling came out like a tidal wave. "For weeks. Weeks and weeks. I listened to you go on and on about how free you were now that you were out of your family's company and how stifled you felt by Victoria. But all of it was a lie. You're right back working for your mother's company and reconciling with Victoria. Like nothing ever happened. You used me Billy as an escape, a vacation. You spouted all of this nonsense about how I changed your life. You didn't change one bit. And to be honest, to be really honest, the person I'm really angry with is myself. I thought I was doing something good, making a difference in a friend's life when all you wanted to do really was sleep with me."

"And of course that was all one sided right? You had no interest in me whatsoever." Billy raised his voice at her for the first time ever.

Amanda dropped her eyes, lest he see the god awful truth. Not that he needed to see. Billy was no fool. He already knew. He knew! But never called her on it until now-to defend himself. "Answer me," he said, his voice somewhat calmer. "Amanda, you and I both know the attraction was mutual."

"I never would have acted on it. You were committed to someone else."

"And I never put you in a position where we tested that theory, now did I?"

"Oh so should I be thanking you that you didn't try to seduce me outright?"

Cars continued to drive by on Lincoln and Amanda began to wonder who might be witnessing this heated conversation between her and Billy. "Billy, let's just chalk this up to a big mistake. You and I met at the wrong time. The wrong place. It was a bad idea, etcetera etcetera etcetera…"

"Amanda, there is obviously much that is not resolved between the two of us." He took her hand and began to walk in the opposite direction of Exton.

Amanda struggled to keep up with his long strides, practically having to jog next to him in her strappy sandals. "Where are we going?"

"Chancellor Park. You and I are going to talk and we're not stopping until everything is out in the open and all of our issues are resolved."

"So that's the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Billy said. They were sitting side by side under the vine covered gazebo. They'd started out on a bench in the rose garden until a slanting rain began to fall and they ran for shelter. Since everyone else seemed to be at work, they had that section of the park all to themselves. "When I met you, I became aware of so much in my life that was wrong. Some of it, I haven't figured out how to fix yet, which is why I'm working at Chancellor."

"The opposite of what you said you'd do, which is part of the reason I feel like I got played," Amanda said.

"Yeah, I get it. It would be nice if I could leave Genoa City and start fresh somewhere else. Or spend seven years in Tibet, but I won't do that because of my kids and," he paused. "Because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You. I know you're disappointed in me. You think I talked a bunch of trash to get into your pants, and I can see why you thought that. But in time, I hope you'll see that I do care about you, deeply. I can't thank you enough for the positive impact you had on my life at a time when I needed it the most. But what would kill me is if you hated me and yourself because you were there for me when I really needed someone."

"I'm not disappointed in you, Billy. I guess I just didn't understand what was going on. And I know you care about me. You were there through the whole Ripley situation. I was so angry, I'd forget all about that."

"Well, maybe," Billy said, taking her hand in his, "If you started to talk to me again, you would understand. And I am not reconciling with Victoria. My sister, Ashely tried to talk me into it and I almost caved, which is what I've always done in the past. Lily and everyone else is saying I'm going back to Victoria because I always do. But not this time."

"And if I'm happy you're not going back to Victoria, I feel like a homewrecker. But honestly Billy I don't want you to go back for your own sake. Even if I left Genoa City and never saw you again, I wouldn't want you to. You seemed very burdened in that situation. I feel like an interloper just saying that. It's not my place. But it is what I observed."

"You are not a homewrecker or an interloper. If I never met you, things with Victoria and I would have imploded eventually. I shouldn't have asked her to try again. I was falling in line with what my family and everyone else expected of me." He paused "So you and me, are we good?"

"Yeah," Amanda placed her head on his shoulder and watched the rain as it continued to fall outside of the gazebo. "We're good. I do miss talking to you."

"Then talk to me." Billy placed a hand on her thigh.

"If you and I start back up again, and things progress into a relationship, it will look like we were cheating the whole time."

"Of course it will," Billy chuckled. "But you and I know the truth so what does it matter?"

"Victoria will always be in your life and she'll think we were cheating the whole time."

"She's the mother of my kids. So yes she will always be in my life. What she thinks doesn't matter now."

"Still I'd be navigating a whole boatload of complications."

"No, I'd deal with the complications. And it would be so much more pleasant. My life would be so much better if you were there by my side."

"Yes, together looking like two no good cheaters. Just what I always wanted." Amanda sighed in mock contentment.

"Join the crowd. I'm sitting here trying to think of one person in Genoa City that hasn't cheated. Maybe my sister Traci."

"Genoa City is that scandalous, huh?"

"Baby, you ain't seen nothing yet. But it's my town." Billy stood and offered Amanda his hand. "Welcome to my world."

Amanda looked at his outstretched hand for a long moment before she placed her hand in his. He pulled her to her feet and into his arms. Then they kissed for the first time since they said "goodbye" in her room. The rain continued to fall outside of the gazebo.

A half hour later they stumbled into his room still kissing and removing wet clothing until they fell together naked onto his bed. After he sheathed himself, Billy rolled over onto his back giving Amanda full control. She got astride and rode him vigorously increasing in tempo until her hips were a blur and they reached a shattering climax together. Then she collapsed on top of him. Billy wrapped his arms around her holding her tight.

"Well as far as welcomes go, that was...well let me just say I feel right at home," Amanda said still trying to catch her breath.

"Good," Billy said, laying her on her back, "because I intend to keep these home fires burning."

"No you just didn't say that, " Amanda laughed when Billy nuzzled her neck. "That was ultra corny."

"I'm not exactly Shakespeare or Biggie or Ed Shereen…"

Amanda giggled and dug her fingers into his tousled hair as he trailed kisses down to her breasts. "Billy, I'm happy right now, really really happy. I'm so sorry I treated you so horribly these last few weeks. I kept telling myself that I didn't need you. I felt like there was no way we could have a future."

"And now?" Billy raised his head to fix her with his warm brown eyes.

"I feel somewhat hopeful."

"Really? That's it, 'somewhat hopeful? I think I'm going to have to increase your faith in us."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Is that a challenge?" he lifted a brow and Amanda was taken back to when he got her a junk food dinner when the kitchen in the Grand Phoenix was closed due to the storm.

"Maybe it is." She shrugged a shoulder knowing one way to inspire Billy up was to dare him.

"Then that's a challenge I accept. By the end of tonight you'll agree with me. That we belong together," Billy said before pinning her hands to the bed and kissing her senseless.

Amanda didn't answer exactly, she was too busy moaning and calling out his name.

The End