Author's Note: Okay here's the next chapter. Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. I couldn't resist.
Chapter 11
The Truth
"I kissed James!" I burst out. Don's lips stopped centimeters from my own. It took him a moment to register what I had said. When he did he pulled back to turn his accusing eyes on me.
"You – you what?"
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Oh well, the cats out of the bag now. Might as well own up to it.
"I kissed James." I repeated, quietly this time.
"But…what? How?" He seemed to be struggling, as though he had suddenly forgotten how to speak English.
I launched into the story, wishing I could somehow change the past and not have to hurt him like this.
"Last night we were all in the sitting room and Mrs. Potter was telling a story. Then this spell came through the window and hit me. It cut these words into my back. Look." I turned around and pulled my hair over my shoulder so that the pink scars that remained of the Prince's warning were visible above the back of my dress.
"Mrs. Potter patched me up and they all went to bed. James told her he would watch out for me. Then he offered me some firewhiskey and I couldn't see the harm so I took some. And then we started drinking. We were just talking for a few hours but then he asked me to dance with him. I did and then he apologised to me for being a prat and he kissed me."
Don's face was stoney. I began speaking very quickly after that. "I'm so so sorry, Don. I feel really bad. Awful in fact. I didn't mean it to happen. I'm so sorry."
Don's handsome features twisted into a fury that looked extremely alien on his usually happy face. Then he spun on his heel and took off.
"Don! Where are you going?" I asked, terror gripping me.
"I'm gonna find James and kill him." Donovan called over his shoulder.
"What? No!" I raced after him and grabbed his forearm. I'm five feet and four inches tall and weigh about one hundred twenty pounds, so I'm pretty average for a girl, but Don dragged me along as though I were made of tissue paper.
We emerged into the sitting room, which was packed with people. I kicked off my shoes and dug my heels into the ground, trying to get Don to stop and talk to me, but I only managed to slow him down.
He shook me off roughly when he spotted James in the corner and marched over to him, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and pinning him up against the wall.
"Don what the hell are you – " James blustered, then he caught sight of me. Realization widened his round brown eyes.
He pushed back at Donovan and straightened his white shirt. I took advantage of their moment of seperation to slip into the space between them. I put one hand on Don's chest and one hand on James' chest and pushed the two of them apart.
"I can't believe you kissed my girlfriend!" Don yelled at him.
"Can you believe she kissed me back?" James said, fixing an obnoxious sneer on his face. I wanted to slap him. Don tried to brush me out of the way but I put all of the strength I had developed during chaser training into keeping them apart.
"That was completely out of line! Were you trying to get her drunk so you could take advantage of her?" Don demanded. James' face transformed into a mask of fury equivalent to Donovan's.
"You really think I'd do that? How long have we been friends?"
"Long enough to know you're not above doing that!"
"You bloody – " James started trying to push me out of the way as well. They were both so much taller than me that I felt as though I was trying to force two skyscrapers apart. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I actually care about her?"
"No considering you're the one who's always going on about how evil the Malfoys are!" My arms began to shake from effort. To all the girls who think it would be exciting for two boys fight over you, it's really not. It's terrifying.
I looked around desperately for help. All the guests simply stood there, stunned.
"Well I changed my mind."
"When was that? When you realised that there was a beautiful girl sleeping in the room next to yours?" Donovan had pulled out his wand.
"Don, no!" I said, abandoning my attempt to push them apart and going to stand in front of James with my arms out. "Stop it! Both of you."
James had pulled out his wand as well. "Get out of the way, Vera."
"No." I said forcefully. "Put those away now! Don, it's my fault. Not his."
"Don't be stupid Vera. Get out of the way." He was trying to aim under my arm. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Albus, Rose, and Scorpius dash into the room.
"Um, help please?" I said weakly. Scorpius pulled out his wand and gave it a tricky little wave. Don, James, and I were thrown in three different directions. James was the first on his feet.
"Did you just fire that curse, Malfoy?" He aimed his wand at Scorpius threateningly. I saw the muscle's in brother's neck tighten as he prepared for the attack. Rose pulled her wand out too and pointed it at James.
"James, stop it." She commanded. Don had returned to the scene and with the arrival of two new wands he seemed to be struggling to figure out whom to aim at. Damn. Why was I the only one without a wand?
I scrambled to my feet jut as a jet of orange light narrowly missed James' shoulder. He shot a spell at Scorpius who dodged it. I was positive this Christmas party was about to break into complete mayhem when a deep, booming voice called,
"Enough!" The room went utterly silent. I turned to find the towering, threatening figure of Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic himself, standing in the doorway. He was extremely tall, almost seven feet it looked like. He has a distinguished look about him, with dark wrinkled skin and streaks of gray in his hair. He was one of the most intimidating people I had ever seen, and mind you my grandfather is Lucius Malfoy. "What is the meaning of this?" The Minister demanded of Rose.
"I – uh…" It was a rare sight to see Rose Weasley lost for words.
"It's my fault, sir." Said Scorpius quickly. I raised an eyebrow at him. Since when did he start doing noble things like taking the blame for people? "I'm very sorry."
"Well Mr. Malfoy," The Minister's eyes were dark with hatred as he looked upon my brother. "I think it would be best if you left now."
Scorpius nodded and muttered, "Yes sir." Before heading for the exit.
"No." James interrupted. "It was my fault, sir. Not Malfoy's."
The Minister examined James with such a severe eye I was surprised he didn't cower or run for cover.
"Very well then." He said at last. "I believe it would be rude to ask the hostess' son to leave his own house, so James, you may stay."
The corner of James' mouth flickered as though he was going to smile.
"Thank you, sir."
"You are welcome. Now I would appreciate if you would all stow your wands and conduct yourself in a manner that could be appropriately labeled 'Christmas cheer.'"
We all nodded shame-facedly. When he had left and the guests had returned to their conversations, Don began to head toward the back door. He paused beside a tall ebony-skinned man and short, fair woman evidently with child, whom I assumed were his parents and muttered something in his father's ear. His father nodded, seeming unconcerned, and Don continued toward the back door. I followed him.
"Don, wait." I called when the door slammed shut behind me. The air was frigid and poked at my skin like icy needles.
"Vera," Donovan muttered, not turning around. "Go back inside. You'll catch your death out here."
"I wanted to talk to you." I said, wrapping my arms around myself and taking a few careful steps toward him. The snow crunched beneath my bare feet. I'd left my shoes inside. He turned to face me, keeping his eyes on the ground.
"I'm not sure there's really anything to talk about."
"There is." I stared at his handsome face for a moment before continuing. "I just wanted to tell you I'm really really sorry. If I could turn back time and stop what happened last night, I would. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I really care about you, Don."
"You care about me, but you don't love me." I was a statement, not a question. His eyes were as icy as the snow beneath my feet when he looked at me.
"I don't know what I feel, Don. I'm a Malfoy. I wasn't exactly raised to be in touch with my emotions."
He continued to stare at me. I dropped my eyes to my toes, which were slowly turning blue from the cold.
"But, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. That's all. I won't keep you any longer." I began to turn but Don caught my arm.
"Wait, Vera. I think I'm willing to forgive you. But there's something I need to know."
I looked back up at him. "Ask me anything."
He took a step toward me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body. I was so cold I wanted to dive into his jacket and never come out.
"When you kissed James, did it mean anything?"
"What?" I asked. My heart accelerated.
"James. When you kissed him, was it a drunken accident or was it because of something you feel for him?"
"I –I…" Could he have asked a more difficult question? How was I supposed to know how I felt about James? Everytime I saw him a big, confusing jumble of emotions clouded my mind. I didn't even know how to begin sorting through them.
Don kept his eyes on me, waiting for my response. I knew what answer he wanted to hear. I could see it in his eyes. I tried to focus. How do I feel about James? I struggled to find words to match my emotions. It was difficult. But there was no denying one thing. I did feel something very powerful for James. Whether it was like, dislike, curiosity, excitement, love, or hate. It was something.
I opened my mouth then closed it again. Maybe I could lie to him? Tell him, 'No, it didn't mean anything.' What would be so wrong with that? Perhaps it would give him peace. But somehow lying didn't seem like the best course of action. I compared the two possibilities, my brain churning.
"Vera?" Don asked expectantly.
"No." The word slipped from my lips before my mind had even arrived at a conclusion.
"It didn't mean anything?" A genuine smile lit his face.
"No." I repeated. What was I saying?
Don exhaled in a puff of smoke. "Okay. Okay…I'm going to go home now. I'll need some time to be alone. We can talk when school starts again."
I nodded, trying to quell the wave of shame rising in my chest at the fact that he had swallowed my lie so easily. He bent down and brushed my cheek with his lips. His breath warmed my frozen face.
Then he turned and marched through the gate, disappearing just beyond it. I stared at the place where he'd disapparated. After a moment, I tread back to the door and sat down the steps. My feet were numb and my body was freezing, but I wasn't ready to go back inside and face the accusing stares.
I dropped my face into my hands. I wasn't going to cry. I had a rule that I could only cry twice in a day and I had already used up two. Besides, the chilly air numbed my insides as well as my outsides.
I wasn't sure how long I sat there when the door creaked open. Someone sat beside me and threw a cloak over my shoulders. The scent of pine needles told me it belonged to Albus.
"Hey." He murmured.
I lifted my head to look at him. "Are you still angry at me?"
He blew out a puff of steam and ran a hand through his spiky hair.
"I reckon you have enough people miffed at you right now. I don't need to throw my hat into that ring."
I nodded in relief and scooted toward him to take advantage of his body heat. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his face against the top of my head.
"I messed up." I said into his chest.
"Yeah, you did." He agreed.
"What should I do?" My voice was muffled by his shirt.
"You know, it sounds cheesy, but I say you should follow your heart."
"What if my heart has a bad sense of direction?"
"Then I guess you'll have to take the road less travelled." He said simply. I nodded, not reassured by his cryptic statement. We sat in silence. I was beginning to feel my cheeks again.
"We should go inside." Al said after a while.
"I don't want to." I responded childishly.
"You'll freeze to death if we stay out here. Come on. Let's go." He lifted me onto my feet, which were basically two bricks of ice at this point, and helped me into the house.
The house was much quieter. Many of the guests had departed. I glanced at the clock and saw the little hand pointing to the ten and the big hand pointing to the nine. Geeze, where was it that the time was in such a hurry to get to? It seemed to pass so quickly. Albus half-carried me up the stairs and into the guest room.
I changed into my pyjamas and Albus cast a spell on my feet to warm them and hopefully prevent frostbite. He tucked me in like a small child and then lay down beside me on the bed. We both stared up at the ceiling.
"So are you still cold? I can have James come in and, uh, warm you up." His tone was playful. I would have smacked him if I weren't trapped by blankets. I slid further under the covers so that he wouldn't notice my traitorous pink cheeks that hinted I would actually like very much to be 'warmed up' by James. We lay in silence for a while, continuing to stare up at the black white ceiling. The clock chiming eleven was followed by a quiet snore from Albus' side of the bed. I disentangled myself from the sheets and shook his shoulder.
"Albus," I hissed. "You need to wake up and go to your room." The last thing I needed was for the Potters to find me in bed with one of their sons for the second night in a row. Al rolled off the bed and slouched out of the room muttering,
"Good night, Susan."
I made a mental note to tease him about this 'Susan' character in the morning, and return my attention to trying to make myself comfortable.
As I lay there in bed I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, but I made an attempt anyway. I tossed and turned in bed for several hours until it was well past midnight. My body was too awake from the cold feeling that remained in my chest, and my mind was agitated.
At a quarter to one, I sat up in bed, my mind spinning like a merry-go-round. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't calm my racing thoughts. I was thinking too hard about the current state of my life. I thought about my parents and where they were, and why they would've chosen to abandon both their children at such a crucial juncture. I thought about the new conspiracy I had fallen into and the identity of the man who called himself the Half-Blood Prince. I thought about Donovan and the hurt look he had cast me as I spurted the truth. And try as I might not to, I thought about James. His eyes, his voice, and the way he had kissed me the night before.
At one in the morning I gave up on sleep and wandered downstairs to the kitchen to fix myself a cup of tea. Feeling antsy in the confines of the house, I pulled on my trainers and my jumper and slipped quietly out the back door. I froze, both literally and figuratively upon clearing the stairs. Sitting at the very edge of the yard, just before the place where I knew the protective charms ended, sat a tall figure with messy dark hair. The snow crunched under my feet as I approached him. When I was at his shoulder I said,
"Hey Al, what are you doing up?"
He turned, and I realized that Albus was not Albus at all. Sitting in the cold metal chair before me was James.
"Oh," I said, feeling warmth creep up my face, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just…"
"No it's alright. Why don't you join me?" He waved his wand and a chair similar to his own appeared. I sat down beside him hesitantly, my heart racing. But he said nothing. He simply sat there, sipping his mint tea and staring off into the distance. I drank my own tea, allowing the hot steam to wash over my icy skin. My fingers were numb with cold by the time he finally spoke,
"I think I owe you an explanation." When I looked at him in confusion he continued, "About the way I've treated you the past six years. The reason I despise your family."
This oughta be good, I thought. Then it occurred to me that he had said 'despise.' Present tense. I fixed my eyes on the snow-covered ground, determined not to look into his hateful, beautiful face.
"I've grown up hearing stories about all the hateful things the death eater families have done. I've heard accounts of torture and mind control and…murder. A lot of murder. Death eaters killed Teddy's parents. Death eaters tortured Professor Longbottom's parents into insanity. Voldemort killed my grandparents. The list of victims goes on."
"Why are you telling me this?" I knew it already.
"Because I want to give you my primary reasons for disliking your family. Most people's reasons. The obvious ones. Then I wanted to tell you my own personal one." I waited for him to go on. He took a deep breath and said,
"The first time I met your brother wasn't at Hogwarts. I met him the summer before my first year at the Quidditch World Cup."
My mind sparked with the memory of that year. I'd been nine-years-old. I remembered seeing the entire Weasley and Potter family there, noticing them only because of the overwhelming number of redheads present.
"The night after the game when everyone was asleep," He went on, "I snuck out of the tent to go exploring. I spent most of the night wandering around the forest until I heard a noise that sounded like dueling, so I followed it." I could tell by the tightening in his voice that we were coming to the bad part. "I came upon a clearing where there was a group of teenagers standing over a small, crumpled figure lying on the ground. I recognised them as Adrian Nott, Caroline Vasey, Noel Rookwood, Jonathon and Arnold Carrow, and of course you brother, Scorpius. I also recognised the person on the ground. She was the muggle daughter of the man who owned the campsite we were staying in. All of them had their wands out and they were taking turns…torturing her."
My head snapped up in horror. James' eyes were filled with that same sorrow I had seen on his face weeks ago while we had been patrolling the corridors. Now I finally understood it.
"My brother was – my brother…" I was so shocked I could barely form words.
"No he wasn't. He had his wand out but of course he didn't know any magic. He could've stopped them though. I know he could have. But he didn't. He just smiled and laughed with the others while they tortured that little girl."
I stared at him, unable to comprehend what he was telling me. I knew my brother was an arse, but he wasn't evil. Was he?
"In my book, seeing a crime happen and not doing anything to stop it is as bad as committing the crime yourself." I nodded. This seemed fair enough. I was burning to hear the end of the story,
"What did you do?" I asked, almost dreading the answer.
"There wasn't much I could do. I had a wand, but the most I could do with that was shoot sparks at them. So I picked up a heavy branch. I had surprise on my side. I hit Knott and Vasey before the others even realised what was happening, when they did though…" He shivered, and I knew it wasn't from the cold. "They turned their wands on me. I didn't have time to do anything, and I didn't want to leave the little girl alone. Then they took turns using the Cruciatus Curse on me." His voice grew thick and far from looking away, I found that it was suddenly impossible to tear my eyes away from his stricken face. "I'd never felt anything like it in my life. It was so painful that I thought I was going mad. I blacked out soon…"
I was dead silent as I waited for him to continue. He didn't speak for what felt like an eternity. "When I came to, my god brother, Teddy, was standing over me. He had stupefied my attackers. He'd already graduated from Hogwarts then, so he knew how to wipe the little girl's memory and return her home. He asked me what happened after that, and I told him. You and Teddy are the only people who I've ever told about what happened that night."
"Really? You never told your parents? Anyone?" I was amazed. The Potters struck me as the kind of people who told each other everything.
"No. I couldn't. I tried but I just couldn't."
I paused, and deliberately looked away from him as I said,
"Why confide in me then? If you won't even tell your own family?"
"Because it's part of my explanation."
I fell silent, again waiting for him to continue.
"Vera, I've tried so hard over the past six years to hate you, to believe that you were just another bad guy. But you aren't. And the more I try to hate you, the more I grow to care for you." My heart sped up rapidly. "But that's not why I told you that story. I told you because it shows my reasoning for what I have to say next." He took a deep breath and exhaled in a cloud of steam. "We can't do what we did last night again. I can't let the way I feel about you get any stronger. It would go against everything I've believed in for seven years, and I just can't do that. It would be too difficult for both of us."
"What is it you feel for me exactly?" I asked, afraid once more of the answer. He was silent for a very long time and I felt embarrassment smolder in my chest. Finally, I felt his frost bitten fingers caress my blushing cheek. I turned to look at him and found his face inches from mine.
"That you're beautiful." He murmured, brushing a strand of my blonde hair from my eyes and tucking it behind my ear. "And talented, and intelligent, and fantastic."
His warm breath brushed my face as he stared into my eyes. "And one of the most extraordinary girls I've ever met."
"When did you begin to think all that?"
"From the moment I first laid eyes on you. The way you came to my brother's aid was so…different. So few people go through life going out of their way to help others. And I know that's not the only time you've done that. I've watched you more closely over the years than I may have let on. When you rescued that girl from the Black Lake, I was there. I've seen the way you talk to people, the things you do for them. It seems almost natural to you. Like you don't even think about."
That's because I don't. I remembered saving that girl from the Black Lake. I hadn't helped her to show off. I'd helped her because it was the right thing to do. The experience still haunted me sometimes though.
Albus and I walked down the front steps and on to the expansive lawn. It was an exceptionally cold October. The orange and scarlet leaves littering the ground had a thin layer of frost on them, as did the grass. I was thirteen. Al and I were laughing about a hilarious argument we had just witnessed between James and his current girlfriend. She had been yelling at him for paying too much attention to a mysterious girl one year younger than him and said she was fed up with his 'womanising ways,' to quote her. He had argued his case to her and the row escalated, culminating in her splashing him in the face with pumpkin juice.
Al and I were still chuckling when we heard a scream and a cry for help. I looked around for the source of the noise and found a growing crowd congregated around the lake. We hurried toward the screaming and pushed our way to the front of the crowd. Several meters off the bank was a girl, splashing and screaming in the black waters.
I stared at the people around me. They all stood there, immobilized by terror.
"What happened?" I demanded of sobbing girl beside me. Her uniform was sopping wet.
"We were playing truth or dare. Henry dared us to swim in the lake because it's bloody cold. Liza and I started to race but she went too far out where her feet couldn't touch the ground. I tried to help her but she was too far." The girl began to sob harder. "Please do something. She can't swim!"
"Then why the hell is she in the lake?" I asked. It seemed obvious to me. If you couldn't swim, then don't go swimming. What was so hard about that? I'd have to have a talk with this Henry bloke later. The girl's answer to my question was to begin crying even harder.
"Well is anyone going to help her?" I demanded of the crowd. They all stood there, even Albus, staring at me blankly as if they were ghosts.
"Alright then." I said, kicking off my shoes and dropping my cloak from my shoulders. Liza's screams were getting further apart as she began to sink below the surface of the water.
"Uh, Vera, what are you doing?" Albus asked as I pulled off my socks and yanked my jumper over my head.
I dove into the lake as an answer. My father had taught me to swim when I was five and we were visiting the coast. The water had been cold there, but this water was absolutely freezing. It felt as though white-hot fingernails were scraping along my skin as I propelled myself through the water. I would have cried out in pain if I weren't so busy focusing on my goal. Liza had now stopped thrashing and was slipping down into the icy depths of the lake. I made one final thrust to reach her and dove beneath surface.
I saw her pale, unconscious face sinking down into blackness. I lunged and grabbed her fingertips, yanking her up with all the strength I could muster. We broke the glassy surface of the lake and I began the much more arduous and painful journey back to shore.
I'd lost all feeling in my limbs by the time I reached the back and collapsed onto it after I had dragged Liza up out of the water. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at her face.
"Anapneo." I murmured. A spout of water shot out of her mouth and she rolled onto her side, choking and coughing.
"Vera!" Came Albus' terrified voice. I vaguely registered him lifting me into a sitting position and wrapping a heavy cloak around me. "Are you okay?" He asked. His green-eyes were filled with concern. I didn't have enough functioning nerve endings to nod or speak but I blinked twice at him and he seemed to take it as reassurance.
"What is going on here?" Came Professor McGonagall's sharp voice. I directed my eyes toward her. She was standing beside Hagrid and Madam Clearwater, her glasses flashing dangerously.
Albus quickly spurted out an explanation, making my swim sound like an epic rescue. Professor McGonagall's eyebrows rose further up on her forehead until they had almost vanished beneath her hairline as Al explained.
"I see." She said afterward. "Well Ms. Malfoy, that was very daring of you. But in future I think it would be best to alert a teacher."
"No…time….Professor." I gasped as my mouth resumed working.
"Very well," She said, looking down upon me pityingly. "Fifty points to Gryffindor then for your exhibition of bravery, Ms. Malfoy. Now we must get you and Ms. Patil up to the hospital wing." She conjured two stretchers and Hagrid picked up the still unconscious Liza and placed her carefully on the stretcher.
"Mr. Potter, could you…" I felt a stronger set of arms slide beneath me and lift me off the ground. But it wasn't Albus' face that loomed over me as I was set down on the cot. It was James'.
"That was a really stupid thing to do." He murmured in my ear, under the pretence of adjusting the cloak around me.
Not in the mood to argue with him, I simply nodded.
"So why did you do it? You could have died."
"Because if I didn't, she would have died." I replied. The shrug was in my voice instead of my shoulders. I had a brief glimpse of James' contemplative expression before my stretcher rose into the air and I was escorted back into the castle.
I'd spent the night in the hospital wing after that and had woken the next morning with a scalding fever, swollen throat, hacking cough, and a double ear infection. Recovery from that particular act of heroism lasted about three weeks.
"I remember that." I said. "It was awful."
"It was brave." James disagreed. "Like when you helped Lysander after he climbed onto the roof of North Tower to find his toad."
"Yeah that was stupid of me. I could have just used my broom but no I had to climb up onto a slippery roof and nearly break my neck." I was still exasperated at myself for that.
He shook his head at me, trying not to smile. "The thing is Vera, no one else does things like that. People are always out to help themselves. Except you. You're special."
I tried my hardest not to look proud of myself. I was thrilled by his compliment. Several seconds passed as we gazed at each other. Then despair that was becoming all too familiar filled his amber eyes once more.
"But you understand why we can't be together, don't you? It would be too complicated. Too difficult for everyone involved."
I nodded glumly. Difficult was certainly the right word. He continued to stare into my eyes, and I saw traces of longing there, traces of uncertainty.
"I guess I should go back to bed then."
I nodded again. He leaned forward and kissed my lips gently before standing and heading back toward the house.
Don't cry. My father's words from years past echoed in my ears. Malfoys don't cry. But I didn't want to be a Malfoy anymore. I let the tears flow freely down my face. I didn't want people to stare at me and whisper about me whenever they heard my last name. I didn't want some dangerous terrorist organization out for my life. I didn't want to live in a house where exotic albino peacocks strolled around. But most of all I didn't want James Potter to tell me he could never be with me because of my family. I wanted to have been born a half-blood like my friends. I wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor and not have anyone fuss about it. I wanted two parents who were always home, who made only a decent wage, who were proud I had become a prefect, proud that I had made the Quidditch team. But most of all, I wanted James to look at me the way he had last night. As if I was special simply because I was me. As if he could see us being together, growing old together. I wanted it all, but I knew, even as I sat there feeling sorry for myself, that I could never have it. Not unless I fought. Fought for what I wanted. Fought for what I needed. Fought for what I deserved.
"James." I called out to him, rising from my chair. He stopped in front of the door and turned to face me. I closed the distance between us, determination filling every inch of my body. When I reached him I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.
I knew from his still and unresponsive body that he was making a decision. He standing before two paths, trying to decide which one to take. I could almost feel the cogs churning in his head. Then his decision was made. He was kissing me back. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled my body against his. Warmth flooded through me, banishing the icy feeling I'd held in my chest since earlier that night. After what seemed like only a second but must have been several minutes, or perhaps several moonlit days, our lips broke apart. He rested his forehead against mine. His breathing was heavy and his voice was gruff as he said,
"If we're gonna do this, be together, it's going to be complicated."
"I know." I breathed. "How about we discuss it tomorrow?"
I pulled his lips back down to mine.
Okay pretty intense chapter there. Let me know what you guys think about what happened. I look to your opinions when I am writing a new chapter. Tell me what you think about the relationships between the characters and feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I enjoy hearing them and responding to them. So please review! Thanks for reading.
(PS. Does anyone have any ideas about what a good cover for this story would be? I can't decide.)