Oliver's point of view

After Katie had her fill of wedding cake, the crowd began to thin as guests began heading home. I looked around and realized my parents must have called it a night and returned home while we were busy jeopardizing our relationship in the garden. Turning to Katie, who was drunkenly swaying back and forth, I placed a gentle hand on her hip.

"Are you ready to head out?" I asked. "It's past midnight."

Katie nodded. "They won't give me any extra cake," she said loudly, frowning at the wait staff. "What a crock of sh-"

I took her arm and apparated back to my parents' house.

My parents were already asleep when we landed in the living room. Katie was loudly humming some song and I placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shh! Mum and Dad are sleeping."

"What are we, 16?" Katie giggled. "Oh, do you remember the time I snuck over here at 3:00 in the morning and we flew on your broom all the way to Aberdeen?"

"And we almost died?"

"Yes! That was so fun!"

Katie fell into a fit of giggles and I sighed. "Come on," I said quietly. "Let's get you to bed."

I helped her up the stairs to the guest bedroom, where she sat on the bed and stared blankly at me. I'd been drunk with Katie plenty of times to know the routine. I fetched her a glass of water, then helped her take her shoes off and lie down, pulling the covers over her.

"You good?" I asked.

"Never better," Katie declared.

"OK," I laughed. "Goodnight, Kate."

She didn't respond, so I assumed she'd already passed out and returned to my own room. I kicked off my own shoes and wrestled my tie loose, trying to focus on my current tasks at hand opposed to what had happened earlier that night. Once I'd unbuttoned and removed my shirt, I kicked my pants off, shut off the light and crawled into my own bed.

I closed my eyes and, though I was still drunk, I was wide awake. The kiss replayed in my mind and I couldn't stop fixating on the way it happened, the way it felt, the way Katie felt. The moment had felt like a dream, yet very real at the same time.

The adrenaline had me feeling as if I'd never sleep again. The moment had finally happened and, though I'd wanted it for so long, I had no idea what to make of it.

"Hey, Ol?"

I hadn't even heard the door creak open.

"Yeah, Kate?"

"Can I sleep in here? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course."

Through the darkness, I could hear her movement across the floor before I felt her slip into bed next to me. She cuddled up next to me, so I turned on my side to face her. She snuck one arm under my neck and the other rested against my ribs. Her hands were freezing cold and I winced for a moment. Once she'd made herself comfortable, I wrapped my arms around her. She was still wearing her dress, the satin fabric pulling tight against her skin as it had bunched beneath her.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked quietly.

"What?" I lifted my head up slightly from the pillow to peer at her, though I couldn't see much of anything. "Of course not. Why would I be mad?"

"Because I snogged you in the gardens." She snorted and started laughing wildly, so I placed a pillow over her face. Once she'd stopped laughing, she tossed the pillow to the floor. Through the darkness, I could sense her smile. "It sounds so ridiculous when I say it out loud like that."

"I'm not mad," I said. "I promise."

"I'm sorry for being such a mess," she continued. "I didn't mean for all of this to happen."

"You don't need to apologize," I said. "It's OK."

"It's not, though. Who does this? Who acts like this?"

"Crazy women, I assume."

She pinched me and I yelped. "Shh! You're going to wake up your mum and dad!" she giggled.

"You're absolutely ridiculous," I whispered. "And your hands are freezing." She pressed her palms firmly against my bare chest.

"How are they now?"

"You're really the worst."

"You said I looked hot earlier."

"The worst kind of hot."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that your hands are ice cold and I'm going to hex you if you don't move them."

Her arms returned to their former spots around my neck and torso. We fell quiet and the silence nearly sent me into a panic attack.

"Are you sure you're OK?" I finally asked. I was desperate to talk about what happened, though I knew it was useless until we were both sober.

"I don't know," Katie replied quietly. She rested her head against my chest. "I feel more OK than I think I should, to be honest."

"That's good."

"I don't know if I'd say it's good. I really don't know what to say."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"Maybe you should try focusing on what you feel, not what you should say or do."

She didn't say anything for a moment. "I feel… as conflicted as ever."

"Maybe you should sleep on it."

"Maybe. I meant what I said earlier, though."

"Which part?"

She sat up slightly, leaning on an elbow as she faced me. "All of it, really. But mostly the part about you being my person. I really meant that."

"I know you did."

"Ol, I'm really beginning to feel like it'd be a mistake to marry Chris." About bloody time. "I love him, but not as much as I love my current life. I like living in our flat in the city. I like living with you. I like the sense of comfort I get in coming home to you every night."

I couldn't decide if the twisting feeling in my stomach was due to nerves or alcohol consumption. But despite the fact that Katie was saying all the things I'd been wanting to hear, my heart ached because I knew she was hurting.

"Katie, you don't have to make any decisions right now," I told her. "You can wait and think things through a little longer."

"But I'm running out of time, Ol. I'm supposed to get married in a few weeks. But instead of counting down the days with excitement, I feel like I'm waiting on my execution."

Her words should have made me feel better, but somehow, I think I felt worse.

"That's a pretty bold statement, Kate. If that's how you feel, I think you know what you need to do."

"But how do I know all these feelings aren't just temporary? What if I'm just getting cold feet and I'm acting and thinking irrationally?"

"I think that's why you need to slow down and take some time to sort out your thoughts," I said. "You need to look ahead, down the road, and decide if Chris is your ultimate vision."

"I don't like what I see when I envision my future with him," she replied. "When I think about the future I want, it's the same picture as my present. It's you and me in our flat, eating takeout and fighting over who left the dishes in the sink. I like that future. I don't want to let go of that."

"I don't want to let it go either, Kate."

It happened again, but this time, there was little hesitation. Katie was kissing me and I had no defense. The kiss was more aggressive this time and our passion quickly turned to a frenzy of clingy hands and ragged breathing. Katie rolled on top of me and soon her legs were straddling my sides, my hands resting on the small of her back. Suddenly, I didn't feel cold anymore.

I had everything I wanted, but still struggled to fully enjoy the moment. I knew she'd be upset with herself in the morning. I knew she'd be upset with me. I knew that too much champagne wasn't a proper excuse for any of this, and I knew I couldn't continue any of it in good conscience.

"Katie."

We stopped. Katie didn't say anything, but simply crawled off of me and returned to her spot next to me. She cuddled up next to me again and I waited for her to react.

Instead, we remained in silence and eventually I could hear her breathing shift. She snored lightly and I realized I'd been holding my breath. I exhaled and stared at her outline through the dark.

Even when you get what you want, you still want more.