Wow, I'm really sorry I stopped updating for a while, a lot's been going on. But this goes out to every single reviewer, whom without this story wouldn't have been continued.

When Doves Cry
Chapter Four

Lash's lips were unlike how you'd imagine a bully's lips to be -- I was pleased to learn. They were soft, and gentle -- they were what I assumed gave the perfect kiss. But as soon as it had happened, it was over, and Lash pulled away slowly.

"You are serious." he said, more to himself than anyone.

I nodded, but now that my anger had cooled over, I could feel a blush creeping slowly up my neck, even reaching my ears. I couldn't believe that I'd actually told Lash that I had a crush on him, not to mention I'd kissed the taller boy. Though it had been Lash to kiss me.

Lash's features suddenly hardened just slightly. "What about your girlfriend?" he asked, emphasizing the word.

"She's not my girlfriend." I said with a snort. "We used to have a thing for each other."

"Used to?" Lash asked. "No more?"

"Nah." I said sheepishly -- my face was friggin' burning. "Turns out I don't have things for girls at all."

He smirked; a relaxed air had settled over him, and he seemed more calm and casual than I'd ever seen him. Even back when I was a freshie, he'd always seemed so tense, and upset -- ready to scream at the drop of a pen. I took a deep breath; deciding I was going to take yet another plunge that day.

"You want to come over for dinner tonight?" I asked.

Lash paused, looking down at the floor, and I almost sighed -- it'd been worth a shot.

"Sure." he said, surprising me, and looking back up at me with a smirk. "That'd be...'fun'."

"You sit out here to think -- psh what a fag."

I grinned as I followed Lash out my bedroom window to sit on the roof. During dinner, he'd been quiet, but as my parents yammered on about crap no one cared about, and me and him made faces at each other across the table, he seemed to relax and lighten up -- a lot. I sat down next to him, and he threw a look around at the neighboring houses -- I hoped Layla wouldn't decide to drop by.

"You're the one who just said 'psh'." I said to him, pulling my knees up to my chest.

He rolled his eyes, but the smirk was clear on his face. With a sigh, he laid down on his back, eyes cast towards the dark sky. I glanced at him, keeping my arms around my knees, feeling suddenly anxious and awkward.

"You aren't like...planning some major way to get back at me for all the shit I've put you through, are you?" he asked. "Like...pretending to care or anything, I mean."

"Nope," I quickly said with a shake of my head. "Believe it or not, though you are a complete asshole -- I like you."

He grinned, and his gaze shifted to meet mine. "Everyone likes me Stronghold." he said. "Some are just more comfortable in sharing it than others."

I snorted, and he rolled his eyes as if what he'd said was actually true. I was unable to keep the grin off my face, and I laid down next to him, putting my hands underneath my head almost like a makeshift pillow.

"Will." he said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

I grinned, and rolled to face him, propping myself up on an elbow and looking down at him. He raised an eyebrow, and I gave a short laugh.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute." I said. "Did Lash just thank me?" I put a hand up to one of my ears. "Am I hearing things right?"

He let out one of his bark-like laughs, and reached up to push me lightly. Of course I didn't move from the nudge because of my strength -- I was like a rock just sitting there. I grinned, and looked away as a silence fell over us again.

After a moment, I raised my gaze to meet his, and was surprised by the look in his eyes. It was unreadable, but it wasn't bad. It was like he was searching my expression for something. He reached up, grabbing the front of my tee shirt, and he pulled me down.

Our lips met, and it was one of those perfect movie moments again. His tongue brushed against my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth hesitantly -- I'd only ever kissed Layla before. The warm intruder explored my mouth like it was some kind of new territory, and I felt my breathing catch in my chest -- it really was the perfect kiss.

He pulled away slightly, and again our eyes met and searched each other's. He smiled at me, and pressed his lips to mine again.

The fingers of one of his hands tangled in my hair, and he broke the kiss, resting his cheek against mine so that his mouth was near my ear.

"This is one of those things that if you ever tell anyone about," he started in a low tone, warm breath causing a shiver to run down my spine. "I'll kill you."

I grinned, and reached up to comb my fingers through his hair which was surprisingly soft. "I know, I know."

Sorry this chapter was so short, but I'm not used to such mild scenes -- if I was posting this on some other site, this chapter would've had a sex scene.
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