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Adult themes at the end of this chapter.

Not like this' he says...but what's that supposed to mean? Men really are confusing sometimes! Was he or was he not all over me just a few seconds ago? Or was it something I'd done that made him have second thoughts?

"Not like what?" Ok, I was a little worried, but I didn't want him to know that. I tried to make the question sound casual so he wouldn't figure me out, but you know what Valentine's like. He's practically a walking lie-detector, so I don't know whether or not I'd be able to hide my doubt.

"It's not that I...erm...Elena...remember that I...I want you...I just..."

He'd suddenly stopped to look away. Maybe it was the look on my face that had made him do it. What had happened was that my eyes had widened a little in surprise, and my mouth had opened a little. (Well, wouldn't you be surprised if some mysterious guy like Valentine suddenly told you they wanted you?) I'd wanted to demand: 'What?!' but I just couldn't. After seeing the look on my face, he'd stopped speaking right away, and looked elsewhere. He was acting strangely, even for him!

Silence came, and I wanted to say something. Anything. And then I remembered: before he'd been about to go further, he'd told me he wanted the answer to a question. Here's where my curiosity kicked in. I should've thought about it sooner, actually! What kind of question would he be able to get answer from me for? What could I possibly know that he didn't? Was it just me he wanted that answer from, or would he have wanted this mysterious 'answer' from any woman he'd happened to have met at the time? Well, as we know, asking myself questions solves nothing! Even Valentine agrees with me on that! So...if I couldn't ask myself questions, I'd have to ask him instead. It was my turn to look for an answer!

"Valen-..."

He looked genuinely hurt when I started calling him by his last name. I couldn't figure out why. Hadn't I always called him that? Always? What was so different about now? Well, when he interrupted me, I had a feeling I was about to find out the answer any second now.

"Don't-...didn't that...just now...did that mean nothing to you?"

What the hell?! Where had this come from all of a sudden? Ok, so I'm assuming he'd accidentally kissed me, almost gone further than that so he could find some answer but stopped himself just before he did it, and now all of this was supposed to mean something?

Wait...was that kiss...was it actually intentional? Well, he hadn't pulled away when he'd done it, so maybe he'd wanted to make it look like an accident so I didn't get scared...Gah! More questions! More confusion! Oh, man...anyway, I struggled to find something to say as he gazed at me expectantly, that little look of hurt still in his eyes. I was feeling guilty, and I don't even know why! What had I done wrong?! I can't help but feel that my life was so much simpler before I met this guy...

"Well, it...it was..."

Come on! Say something, Elena! Why was I stuttering? I hated this. It was so humiliating!

"It was...um...I thought...it..."

It seems like even the ever-patient Valentine got fed up of waiting for an answer!

"Is it that difficult to decide...?"

Oh, man...not good. I really felt like I'd done something wrong! He was staring at me, one eyebrow slightly raised, his voice lowering in volume each time he spoke. That question had been almost a whisper, and those crimson eyes were full of some feeling I didn't recognise. It had gone beyond hurt. It was almost like I'd mentally murdered him.

"No! It's not! I just-...!"

I was interrupted by his lips as they pressed firmly against mine. Yes...this definitely meant something. My eyes slid shut, and I felt my lips automatically begin to return the kiss gently. As he deepened it a bit, I felt my heart pounding faster in my chest. I'd found my answers now...just there in that few moments. Even though this was actually our second kiss, I felt kind of excited...you know...that feeling you get on a first date when the guy kisses you for the first time. That's what I was feeling. I think that was when...that was when I knew that I...kinda...already 'knew'. Knew what? Haha...you'll see. Finally, he broke the kiss, and I'll admit that I felt pretty disappointed when he did. Those crimson eyes full of sadness gazed down at me once more, and he questioned: "Well?"

I had to be truthful. Even if it was a little embarrassing. "I...it does...it means something, ok...?"

"Then don't be so formal with me. Talk to me as Elena...as the person...not as the Turk. I'm not your enemy anymore...keep that in mind. Anyway, what was it that you wished to say?"

I paused, waiting until I was sure he'd finished speaking. To be honest, I guess I was a little nervous about how he was gonna react to my question. If he could've found out this 'answer' from any woman he'd happened to meet at the time, I suppose I'd feel kind of...less special. Rejected, in a way. But there's only one way to find out, so regardless of what I was feeling, I went ahead and asked my question: "I was gonna ask you: what question were you trying to find the answer to?"

He looked surprised and nervous all at once. I guess I wasn't the only one feeling a little edgy, so that made me feel better. Sort of. My heart still thumping in my chest as I looked up at him, I wished he'd hurry up and answer rather than leaving me to suffer the suspense. Then again, what happened next probably wouldn't have been so memorable without any suspense leading up to it.

"I was...well...I...I wanted to be sure about it...erm..." I never thought I'd ever see the day that Vincent Valentine got nervous around someone like me. Actually, him being nervous at all is probably a really rare sight. It's totally bizarre. The sound of him clearing his throat caught my attention, as I realised that he was preparing to answer me. I couldn't help but notice that his eyes were shut. Why were his eyes shut? Was the answer to my question really all that nerve-wracking and embarrassing for him...?!

"Elena...I...I think I've...fallen in love with you..."

He was kidding, right? He had to be kidding. I heard myself clear my throat, and I opened my mind to speak only to hear myself laugh nervously instead. "T...that's a good one, Valentine..um...you really had me for a second there! For a second, I was like: Oh my God! You looked so serious, too! You scared me for a minute!"

"I looked serious because I was serious. This is no joke...but I understand what you're trying to tell me. Very well..."

That look of hurt had returned to his eyes, and was actually on his whole face, too. He'd been serious? He...loved me? Really?!

While I was thinking, I looked up just in time to see that he'd gotten up and headed over to the door. He was gonna leave just because I'd laughed?

"Hey! Vale-...um...Vince, wait a second!" He didn't wait, and just reached for the door handle. "I said wait!!"

Grabbing his arm, I somehow managed to force him to turn around so that I could hug him tightly, my head resting against his chest. My eyes slid shut as I felt his arms wrap tightly around me, pulling me into a firmer hug. His heart was beating beneath his chest a little faster than normal, but then again, he wasn't exactly what I'd call normal. Maybe in a way, that's what I liked about him, you know?

"Listen...I..I'm sorry, ok? I wasn't expecting it. That's all. It's not that I don't believe you, and it's not that it means nothing to me, it was just a bit unexpected. I just...didn't know how to react."

"...I understand. I suppose it was a little sudden..."

"So you won't leave?" I hoped he'd confim that he wouldn't, and I glanced up at him in order to see if I could tell anything about his answer from his expression. A soft, almost invisible smile played on his lips, and those mysterious crimson eyes gazed straight back at me almost...fondly, I guess is the word I'm looking for. He paused, before leaning down to place a soft, brief kiss on my forehead, another on my lips. Pulling me closer to him, he kissed tenderly along my cheek, and I felt my knees weaken a little. Was I...swooning?! Seriously? Wow..that was a new feeling. When his lips arrived at my ear, he nipped it softly before whispering:
"I couldn't...Elena...I suppose I over-reacted...ah...erm...also: I apologize if my confession made you uncomfortable or...if it shocked you. That wasn't my intention..." He stopped to softly kiss my ear, before continuing, his warm breath tickling my ear. I bit down gently on my bottom lip to prevent a giggle from escaping. Now wasn't the time for laughing. We'd already established that! Anyway, he continued on: "I...won't force you to return my feelings. So...I won't force you to love me, but...at least now you know..."

In a way, he was too late. My mind knew it, my heart knew it, and finally, after spending so long debating, I knew it.

Although the way I felt was pretty hard to describe, I think it was love. Tseng was too late, now. I'd decided that he'd had his chance...I wasn't gonna let Val-...um...Vincent suffer because of me the same way I had because of Tseng.

"Vincent...?"

"Yes?"

"Um...I...well...I...um..." I couldn't say it. I'd never said it before...not to any guy. In my mind, I'd said in loads of times to Tseng, but..never out loud! Even so, I gave it a shot. There's a first time for everything, right? Ok, here goes. Originally, I'd meant to say 'I love you'. Instead, it came out as this question: "Were you really intending on walking out of here shirtless?"

Nice, Elena. Real smooth. Awesome. How pathetic. What the hell had just happened?!

"Erm..."

"No! I'm sorry! That wasn't what I meant to say!" Great. Now I was blushing! Wasn't this just going fantastically?! Why does this embarrassing stuff happen to me? Do I have no control whatsoever over my own mouth?!

"Maybe not, but...has anyone ever told you that you look absolutely adorable when you blush...?"

Well, he was just full of surprises today. First he kissed me, then he told me he loves me, and now I'm apparently adorable? Wow. What a day.

"Well, I uh...I uh..."

But then of course, this was me. No day could ever go perfectly, because I always had to stutter or say something stupid like I just had. Luckily he found it amusing, so that was alright. After a while, he let me go and walked back over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. Without realising, I followed, sitting down next to him. Silence came. He gazed up to the ceiling, I stared straight ahead. With a quiet sigh, I leant back and lay down on the bed, shutting my eyes. I hadn't realised how tired I was until I'd relaxed a little.

Minutes passed, and my sleepiness immediately disappeared when I felt something warm and wet at my neck, (as though someone was sucking it), and something soft tickling my cheek. I opened my eyes hastily, only to find yet another surprise. Vincent was on top of me, leaning down against me and kissing/sucking my neck. Some of his long hair fell gracefully across my face tickling my cheek by brushing against it. One of his hands rested on my side, his other hand supporting him and holding him up to stop him falling on me. Unexpected? Damn right!
Apparently getting bored of my neck, he tightened his grip on my side and placed a kiss below my shoulder, moving lower with his kisses each time. Feeling him kiss just above my breast, I froze. Just as expected (amazingly!), he paused to lean lower to remove my bra for easier access. This time, I didn't stop him. I guess I was curious about what was gonna happen next. Without hesitation he continued down further, and I felt myself tremble a little as his soft lips slid down my breast. My heart pounded faster and harder as his gentle lips caressed my nipple, his tongue teasing it. I felt a warmth between my thighs, and my hands immediately went to his head, feeling his hair between my fingers. Letting out a quiet grunt, he sucked harder, biting my nipple a bit.

"Oh...Oh god!! N-...no! Oh...!" I heard myself gasp, my breath catching in my throat, a gentle panting escaping me between my gasping, a small breathless giggle soon following. Why was he doing this so suddenly? "V...V...ince..." I groaned, squirming a little beneath him, but he held on, grasping me tighter and sinking his teeth harder into my now hardened nipple.

"Beautiful...so...beautiful..." he muttered almost inaudibly. His breath was warm, and it made me shiver a little. It felt really weird to have such a warm feeling against my now damp breast and also between my thighs. "Just like I imagined..." he murmured even quieter. Wait, he'd imagined this?!

As I lay there beneath him, feeling pretty much complete pleasure and slight confusion as his tongue attacked my chest, all I could think to ask was:

"Why?"

"Why what?" That famailiar, low voice questioned me. My eyes flickered open, and I saw him there, sitting a small distance away from me, his head tilted to one side and a look of concern and confusion on his face. "Is everything alright?"

"What? Oh! Um...yes. It...It's fine!"

So that bit about him touching me...that had been a dream?

I guess that makes sense...he never seemed the type to randomly jump on girls...

I couldn't help but feel disappointed when I realised that it was all my imagination. He'd told me he loved me, but...

I was stupid to think he'd ever touch me that way. He's just not like that...

(Yes. That...was when I knew...

I knew for sure. )