A/N: A slightly quicker update! This is the longest chapter yet, so please let me know if it's a little long-winded, but something exciting does happen! Enjoy!


I'd finally managed to pry the rose cube away from Selphie and make my way to my tutorial, to which I was already about half an hour late for (but not before I made the girl swear not to tell Kairi). The cube still clutched in my hands, I raced up the stairs and knocked hesitantly on the door, and the tutor gave me a harsh look before letting me in. I rushed over to the nearest free seat, luckily next to someone I knew.

"Late again, tsk, tsk!" The pink-haired girl teased beside me, her long wavy hair swishing over her shoulder.

"Don't remind me, Serah," I sighed, tucking my bag under the table and placing the rose cube gently on top. I saw Serah's eyes glance over but before she could say anything the tutor had begun talking, which I was slightly thankful for. I knew she was no Selphie, but I think I'd had enough girlish shrieks for one day.

Once we'd begun work and went to the computers to begin designing, Serah glided closer to me in her wheelie chair and said, "I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Nam!"

It suddenly wasn't so cold in here anymore. "Ah, actually, I-I don't, but…"

Her face was growing with excitement by the second. "But there's a boy, right? Oh Nam, I'm so happy for you!"

"Aha, thanks, Serah," I smiled, at least thankful her reaction was calm and… you know, normal.

"That rose is so adorable. Snow's not the type for origami," She said thoughtfully, referring to her own boyfriend. If I remembered correctly, she'd been dating him since high school. "But he's just as sweet. Not that my sister thinks so."

I'd heard the horror stories of her sister beating up Snow, alright. "Lucky I don't have a sister then! Say Serah, how long had you known Snow before he asked you out?"

"Hm?" She turned back momentarily from her newly opened design on the screen. "It wasn't long at all, actually. He said he fell head over heels for me from the moment he saw me. He asked me out after a few days."

"That's so cute," I smiled. I wondered if this meant Roxas would ask me out soon? We'd known each other barely for a few weeks, but it had felt like so much longer. And after this rose cube… a strange, bubbly feeling filled me up from my toes to my head and I could barely concentrate on my own design.

By the time I got back to the usual campus I'd stowed away the rose cube in my bag, though very carefully to make sure it didn't get squished. I had missed the first shuttle bus back after having an animated chat with Serah after class, so I decided not to go to the lecture I had already missed twenty minutes of and went straight to the café, in the hope some of the others would be there. I found Kairi, Terra, Olette and – to my great surprise – Ventus.

"Ven, you're alive!" I exclaimed as I rounded the corner into the warmth and the sweet smells. He looked up with that same old smile of his. Ven had always had this naïve air about him, or maybe it was the way Terra was always acting like his big brother. I knew he'd make a great teacher one day though.

"Hey Nam!" He called out and ushered me over, and I sat between him and Kairi. "This is so great, I decide to skip a lecture and so many of you are here!"

"Too bad the two rascals couldn't be here," Terra said, clearly enjoying the absence of food strewn across the table by Sora and Riku.

"Wait, Sora's on placement, right? Why aren't you, Ven?" I asked, knowing they were doing the exact same course.

"They're doing a round robin sort of thing depending on our other classes," Ven sighed, "It's really weird and complicated. I really wanted to do placement this week too…"

"It'll be worth the wait," Olette chimed in, a set of readings in front of her, none of which she was paying attention to. "Actually Nam, I was just telling Kairi how Roxas looks a little like Ven."

"Yes, let's talk about that," Kairi leaned forward with her chin resting on her hand, and she raised her eyebrows at me. I thanked the gods my bag was still concealing the rose cube.

Before I could smack Kairi Terra had joined in. "Oh yeah, he does look a bit like Ven," He said thoughtfully, eyeing Ven's spiky hair. "Same hairdo. But Roxas's features are a bit sharper. Ven's more… how do you say it…"

"Child-like?" Olette offered, and Terra snapped his fingers. Ven pulled a face of utter despondency.

"I do not look like a kid!"

"You and Sora will both look like students when you do placement."

"Hey!"

I giggled, but took a glance at Ven and realised they did look a lot similar because of their hair. Like Terra said though, Roxas had more rugged features while Ven was more rounded and softer. It was one of those things you didn't notice until it was pointed out.

"And I thought now that Aqua was in the city I would get less flack… this is just as bad as being the third wheel." Ven sighed and resigned himself to the education essay he'd probably long since abandoned. I giggled, remembering how much Ven would complain when Terra and Aqua got all gushy, but those three really were inseparable. I knew he secretly missed their trio.

"Don't worry Ven, you'll always be the one we take the piss out of," Terra smirked, still not looking away from his laptop. Ven huffed.

"Oop, I got a message from Sora," Kairi pulled out her phone and read it out. "'Having a great day! One kid sneezed on me but they all call me 'Mr. Sora'!' Aww. I'm not going anywhere near him for a week."

We all laughed and procrastinated for another hour or so before we all had to leave for class. I figured Roxas wasn't going to try and make me miss my lecture again after what happened last week, but I had an odd inkling about when I'd see him next. What exactly did this rose cube mean?

With Wednesday night came the usual phone call, but nothing of said of the rose cube except I thanked him again and told him I'd sat it on the top of my desk. It proved a great distraction while I was trying to work on my final art piece. The feeling that had bubbled away since he gave it to me and, perhaps, since he'd given me his number, became more and more pronounced as our conversation went on. The lulls in his voice as spoke, the way he made me giggle and the repeated 'mhms!' sent me in a state where I couldn't even think, all I knew was that I wanted to talk to Roxas for as long as I could. Unfortunately we both had early starts, so our goodnight was earlier than usual.

Thursdays I usually didn't see him at all, and I didn't see anyone at the café today. It happened sometimes when the others were busier than usual or off with other people, and I got a bit more of my work done in the studio. It was time for an early day off and I was on the train home by midday.

When I was almost back at Destiny Retreat I felt a buzzing in my pocket and excitedly pulled it out, knowing who it would be.

"Hey Nam, how's your day been? My bus got cancelled and I'm stuck at the station for a while."

I looked up at the electronic ticker bar at where the next stop was. I was about five minutes away. Maybe I would delay that call to mum for a little while…

The train arrived and I quickly prank called my mum, knowing she'd be about ten minutes. That would give me ten minutes waiting with Roxas. I almost skipped out of the station and found him sitting at the bus stop outside the station.

"You poor thing," I said, and he jumped slightly before realising it was me.

"Hey Nam! Didn't know you were finished already?"

I sat down next to him, shrugging into my coat – the winter air had picked up and there was a light spattering of rain. "Yep, on a cold day like this half-days are the best."

"Not as good as days off," He teased.

"You take too many of those."

"Aw, come on! You gotta relax every now and then." He smiled, and I just shook my head at him. He was just lucky he was so clever he could skip lectures and still get top marks. "I heard Sora's on placement this week, how's that going?"

I smiled this time. I loved how Roxas was getting on with my friends so far, especially Sora. "A student sneezed on him, but he's having fun so far."

"Oh, nice…"

We laughed and talked about our days for a few minutes, and a cold wind picked up so I violently stuffed my hands into my pockets. Perhaps I unconsciously willed it to happen, but when it did it still sent shivers down my spine, and not from the chilly air…

"Cold?" Roxas asked, and I nodded into my scarf.

"I've been cold for weeks now."

Chuckling, he held out his hands. I stared at them stupidly for a moment, my heart hammering, and finally pulled my hands out of my pockets as he reached out for them. Warm skin hit cold and the heat seemed to bypass my hands and go straight to my face.

"Wow, they really are cold!" He sounded genuinely surprised, and at the same time I was surprised by how warm his own were. Of course that was secondary to the fact that we were holding hands for the first time. I felt that bubbling feeling re-emerge as he rubbed his thumbs over the top of my fingers in an attempt to warm them up. If this wasn't a clear-cut sign, I didn't know what was. I felt a burst of nervous excitement.

I could hardy think of anything to say so I was thankful when he spoke up. "You need a permanent hand-warmer or something."

"Maybe I could just take your hands then?" I said it before I thought it and blushed furiously. He smirked.

"So you'd like it if I went everywhere with you holding your hands?"

The connotation beneath this statement was too much to bear and I just hid my face in my scarf, earning another small chuckle from him. The sun came through the clouds and I finally looked up, more to bask in the extra warmth, but my eyes moved straight to his eyes. The sunlight hit them and they were a dazzling shade.

He pulled a funny face and said "What?"

"Oh, nothing. The sun's making your eyes look nice." I gave one of Sora's signature goofy smiles back.

"Really?"

"Yeah, they've got all these different shades in the sun." I looked away now, more to see if my mother was pulling into the car park yet. He was still holding my hands, his thumbs gently brushing over my skin.

"Would you like to stare into my eyes?" He teased, and I looked back and rolled my own. "A bit warmer now?"

"Yeah, thanks…" I nodded, squeezing his hands a little. We were looking at each other again, staring like we did back in the café, where just for a moment all there was in the world was his face, his eyes...

I saw the flash of a white car and retracted my hands, a little too quickly (what if she saw!?) and stood up. "Ah, my mum's here. When does your next bus get here?"

"It shouldn't be too much longer," He said, with an all-too-knowing smile at my sudden withdrawal. "Hey, did you want to come over again after uni tomorrow? Maybe we could grab lunch together too?"

I smiled, that feeling again rising in me, and nodded. "I'd like that! I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you," He waved, and I raced towards the car for it had just started to rain harder. Once inside the warmth of the car, I waved to Roxas as we drove off, my fingers still tingling from his touch.

Inside the safe refuge of a heated house my hands were still cold as I worked on my art piece later that night. Finally I gave up, feeling my creative juices running dry, and went instead to that ever distracting thing called social media. I wished Sora a good last day of placement for tomorrow, messaged Aqua to see how she was going without us and (begrudgingly) told Kairi about what was to unfold tomorrow.

Kai: Omigosh, he so likes you. I bet tomorrow's the day he like asks you out

I hadn't told Kairi any of the more exciting things that had happened yet, but finally decided to reveal to her that maybe she had been right all along.

Nam: I dunno about that, but I do have a feeling there may be something there after all… you may have been right

I could practically hear her smashing her keyboard from here, which probably could have been very possible since we lived pretty close.

Kai: Are you sesious!? Omfihg fIf I knew it! Wait I'm gonna call you

Not a second after I read her message did my phone vibrate. I fervently hoped Roxas would hold off calling me tonight as I hit 'answer'.

"Naminé what do you mean!? Has he said he likes you!? Has he kissed you!? Are you in love!?"

"Kairi, just- calm down you goof! You're getting worse than your boyfriend!" I'd meant to sound menacing but I could barely hold back my excitement.

"Seriously though, what's happened to make you think that I'm right? Of course I knew all along I was."

"Of course. Anyway, I didn't tell you but two days ago he gave me an origami rose cube, and yesterday we ended up holding hands…"

As expected, a squeal from the other end. "That is so adorable, Nam! How'd you end up holding hands?"

"Well, we were outside and he saw I was cold."

"Oh gosh, that is so something Sora would do. Maybe he gave him tips or something."

"But Kai, I'm a little nervous about tomorrow… what's gonna happen?"

"Nam, I wouldn't worry." It was easier said than done, but something about her voice put me at ease. "Just let it unfold naturally! Oh, I'm so happy for you two!"

"Geez…" She was right though, and I wasn't going to worry about it too much. Whatever happened, happened… All I knew was that I really liked Roxas. He'd been so kind to me and wanted to get to know me… right; I would just go with the flow.

"Just FYI though, if he kisses you, you have to call me like straight away! I don't care if he's still there, you call me as soon as you're done!"

"Yes, because that's what you did after your first kiss with Sora," I sighed. As confident and sure of herself as Kairi was, I could always use that day as blackmail against her. After he kissed her she basically abandoned him, ran into the next room and called me up.

"Hey, that was a long time coming, you know. This is different. You haven't had over a year of tension."

"Sure, Kai." I heard a beep and knew it was Roxas calling. "Speak of the devil, he's calling me now."

"Ah! I won't hold you two lovebirds up! I'll be expecting a call tomorrow!"

I just laughed, knowing she wasn't kidding. "See you, Kai." I hung up and beeped Roxas in. "Hey, Roxas!"

"Hey, you sound a little excited!"

I realised my voice was still elevated. "Sorry, I was just talking to Kairi. You know how girls can get," I chuckled nervously, hoping he wouldn't guess I was talking about him just seconds ago.

We settled into the usual conversation of our days and what we were doing, and I'd settled on my bed, fiddling with my socks as we spoke.

"So, have you got any more questions for me?"

We'd been asking each other questions to get to know each other, but mine had run dry. Of course, there were still things I was curious about, but I wouldn't even dare to ask them. "Not really. Do you have any?"

"Hmm… maybe. But I don't know if I should ask them or not."

Was he thinking the same thing? "Well, we've barely known each other a month, but I feel like we've known each other for so much longer."

"That's so true," He said, and I smiled at the inflections in his voice. He should really do an audio book of every book I owned. "But I still feel like there's a lot to discover about you. I like everything about you so far though."

"Everything?" I said, disbelieving. "Even how quiet I am?"

"Especially that," He said, and I waited for an explanation. "I think we balance each other out nicely. Plus you talk to me a lot more than you think, so I guess I should feel pretty special, huh?"

I realised how true that was. "Yes, you should!"

"So what do you like about me?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I said some things I liked about you," he drawled, hinting, "is there nothing good about me?"

"Of course there is!" I exclaimed, caving in to his mischievousness. "I mean, with before, how I talk to you more, that's one of the first things I liked about you. How easy you are to talk to."

"Ha, ha, that's just because I talk too much."

"Well, I enjoy listening. Even your useless little facts!"

"Oh really? Why's that?"

"Well… because…" This threw me off-guard. "I mean, it's just nice to listen to you in general! You're really interesting and know a lot, and… you have a nice voice…" My own voice trailed off, but unfortunately he heard me.

"Oh? You have a nice voice too." As he said it, his own voice softened and my heart fluttered in my chest. "It's nice and gentle, so it's soothing."

"N-No…" I was glad he couldn't see me – I thought my face might explode from the smile I currently couldn't get rid of. "A-Anyway, this isn't about me! Um… I also like how unique you are. I… I've never met anyone like you before."

"I've never met anyone like you either."

I highly doubted that. I always thought I was pretty plain. "Um, and I like your honesty too. I know you'd always tell the truth about anything that pops up. And I like how you don't care what anyone else thinks of you."

"Well, I don't see why it should. If they don't like me for who I am, then I'm better off without them."

I thought briefly to my earlier resolve to be myself around him and smiled. Before I could think of another thing I liked about him, he went on.

"You don't normally seem the type to be this open, so this is pretty special, and I think you're quite amazing. It's nice to meet someone who holds true to what they like without selling themselves short."

"I…" Ooh he was smooth. "Stop going back to me, this is about you!"

"Heh."

"A-Anyway, I'm really grateful for how much effort you've put in to get to know me, so thank you… Oh, and I love listening to you play the ocarina."

"You'd be the only one!"

I could hardly believe that. "Well, everyone else is missing out! You can play it as much as you'd like around me." Preferably a lot. "So, um… I think you're an amazing person too, and I'm really enjoying getting to know you, so thank you for wanting to get to know me too."

"It's my absolute pleasure. I just have one question though."

"What's that?"

"How well do you want to get to know me?"

I paused. How was I supposed to answer that? I got the feeling he was after a specific answer, that he was prompting one out of me, but I didn't know what that answer was. "Well… everything! As much as I can. Oh, I thought of another thing! Um, I like your cheeky smile." I blurted it out before I could hold it in and threw my face into my pillow. A chuckle sounded from the other end.

"Thanks! You're cute when you smile as well."

Okay, change of subject! "So how well would you like to get to know me?"

His answer was quick, as if rehearsed: "How much will you let me?"

"Well… if we keep going the way we are, then a lot!" I replied, hoping it would be sufficient.

"I'd like that. Now it's your turn."

"Hm?"

"What I like about you!" I could hardly handle the off-hand compliments he usually gave. "Although I've mentioned a few things, I didn't add that I like your wit. Or that you're very pretty."

Ahh how Kairi would have loved to have heard that. I almost burst at the seams. "W-Well, thank you!"

"It's also not common to find someone with so many similar morals and interests, so… if you let me, I'd love to continue to get to know you, though I don't see there being anything I wouldn't like in you."

"O-Of course I'll let you."

I heard a small huff from the other end as he breathed out in reply. I wondered what he was thinking. The conversation fell back into casual talk, but I was still clutching my pillow and swaying from side to side. I was barely thinking, and just letting his words sink in and feeling on top of the world.

I awoke in the morning to the sound of rain. While this would probably be an incentive to sleep in and avoid a gloomy day, my thoughts went straight to yesterday's events and I was suddenly, for the first time, thankful for the cold weather. Waiting for the train, the icy air bit at the bare skin of my face but I barely noticed, hoping my morning would go quickly again so I could spend the afternoon with Roxas.

I again went to the piano room during my break before the last class, after which we would meet up at the bus loop. I played our songs, and I played the song I'd been practising since the start of the year. I was getting better at it, and I hoped I could play it to Roxas once I'd mastered it. I didn't pay much attention in my last lecture and thought fleetingly of how it was probably a good thing I didn't have a boyfriend in my final year of high school. I certainly wouldn't have been accepted to Radiant Academy.

The rain was still pounding down as I near-ran to the bus loop, my boots slipping on the wet ground and my umbrella threatening to turn inside-out. Roxas was waiting for me and we clambered into the bus.

"Lovely day we're having," He sighed, shaking the water out of his blonde spikes. They still managed to stick up despite being wet. I imagined throwing a bucket of water over him and his hair would still be standing up in its messy perfection.

When we got to the station we ended up having to run to catch the train on time, the entire day having seemed to be affected by the onslaught of rain. Our feet just hit the floor of the carriage as the doors shut automatically, and we fell into the first seats we could find, near-soaked.

"So where do you wanna go for lunch?" Roxas asked, tousling his hair and sending water droplets this way and that.

"Anything's fine, I'm easy."

"Don't say that…"

I whacked him on the side of his head. "Don't be gross!"

"You're the one with the dirty mind!" There he goes, making me look bad again. He was too clever for me to get around his witty conversations. "Alright, how about we grab some toasted wraps or something from the food court? Something to warm us up…"

I nodded happily. "Sounds good!"

The commute home went by quickly and it was still pouring when we headed for the bus stop.

"The shops isn't far, couldn't we just walk?"

"In this weather? What kind of guy would let that happen?" Roxas ushered me over to the bus and hopped on without even looking at the sign. He must've seen my expression. "Don't worry, this bus goes straight there."

We were the only two people on the bus and Roxas chose a seat closer to the back. We waited only a moment and the driver took off.

Roxas held out his hand. "Are your hands cold?"

Heart hammering, I held out my hand and he took it, again rubbing his thumb over the top of it. I hardly noticed the bus turning right when the shops were left.

"Don't worry, the bus goes this way around," He assured me, but I didn't really care where we went anymore. The bus could take us all the way to the city for all I cared, as long as he was sitting here holding my hand. However after a little while I could see Roxas looking a little worried.

"Wait here a sec," He let go and the warmth in my hand lingered as he went up to ask the bus driver what route we were on. I rolled my eyes. For all his cleverness at least I had the sense to know you should read the sign before stepping on a bus. He came back with a smile.

"Sorry, I got the wrong bus…" He ruffled his hair sheepishly. "But the driver said he'd drop us off since we're the only two here."

"That's so nice of him!" I smiled back, and soon we'd pulled up again on the main road. We thanked him and headed for the shops.

It was much warmer in here, but I could feel water in my boots and my damp socks sticking to my feet. I wondered if I'd see anyone I knew up here, but we didn't run into anyone as we headed for the food court.

"Wait here, I'll get the food, then we can eat back at my place," He said, noting how packed the area seemed to be. "It'll be much more comfortable."

I waited as he lined up and looked around for anyone I might know, and as I looked back and saw him ordering, a strange thing happened. Roxas was being served by someone who used to go to Destiny High with us, and someone I used to have a crush on. What a strange paradox it was for my former crush to be serving my current… male… potential boyfriend?

He came back with the food and put it in his backpack. "Hopefully it'll stay warm. Let's go!"

Back outside to another bus (where we checked the sign this time) and we were off. He lived a little ways out of Destiny Retreat, certainly further than the rest of us, but I didn't mind the longer bus ride when I felt his hand reach for mine again and rested it on his thigh. His hand was warm and I squeezed it slightly, and after a moment he let go only to gently intertwine our fingers. Softly tightening his hold and caressing my hand, I felt my stomach flutter delightfully. Things were suddenly getting real and I'd never felt anything like this before.

We got to the stop and he let go, and we hopped off into the rain. I pulled out my umbrella but it flipped inside out immediately and we had no choice but to use our hoods.

The trek to his house wasn't particularly long, but in the pounding rain it felt like forever. My jeans were soaked through to my bones and I looked wistfully at Roxas, who'd had the brains to pack an actual raincoat. My cotton one was just soaking up the water.

"Ahh, finally!" Roxas exasperated as we got to the gate, and we ran the length of the driveway to get to his house. He quickly unlocked the door and got me inside before locking it up again.

"I'm sorry there wasn't an easier way to get here…" He sighed, shaking his hair once again.

"No, it's fine! It's not even that bad!" I said this as I took off my boots, which were filled with water. I took off my coat so my torso was pretty dry, but my jeans were absolutely soaked.

He took one look at me and gave me one of his you-know-I'm-right looks. "You can't stay in those! Hang on."

He took off his raincoat (looking relatively dry, I thought enviously) and retreated to his room. I took off my drenched socks and hopped from one foot to the other on the cold tiles, and he returned with a pair of tracksuit pants.

"They might be a bit big, but you'll be dry at least."

I took them with a small, suspicious look on my face. Surely he couldn't have planned this, but there was something very cheeky about him giving me his clothes to wear the second time I come to his house. Still, I was shivering uncontrollably and resigned to wearing them.

Once I'd emerged from the bathroom changed and dry, Roxas came towards me with a sheepish expression.

"Our lunch is kind of soaked…"

It was true. The water had seeped through his bag and the wraps were now soggy masses. I couldn't help but laugh.

"This day isn't going at all how you planned, is it?"

He sighed. "Not really. It was much nicer in my head."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm not really hungry anyway."

"Well, I'll get the fire started, so make yourself comfy."

I sank into the squishy couch in the living room where we'd played the retro games the week before and watched as he prodded at the fire he'd made come to life. I got back up to stand in front of it and warm myself up.

"That better?" He smiled at me, but there was something different in the way he was smiling at me, the way he was looking at me. It was tender, gentle… that bubbly feeling from before rose up again and I didn't have to think too hard to know what it meant.

"I'm still a bit cold…" I said honestly, or maybe because I wanted a different kind of warmth.

"Would you like some blankets? Though it'd be easier just to put you in bed," He joked, but there was seriousness to his tone.

"D-Don't be silly…" I said, but I was still shaking and he didn't like it one bit.

"Come on," He said, basically dragging me down the hall, and I pretended to resist as we headed for his room.

It seemed he'd tidied it up again like last week, which I still found adorable. The doona did look rather soft and warm (especially for a boy's bed… I didn't think they felt the cold), and before I knew it I was sitting cross legged on his bed.

"That's not how you're supposed to get warm!" He sighed, and zipped straight under the covers.

"It's fine, I'm not so cold anymore."

"Liar."

I turned to my right and he was lying under the covers with his arms behind his head, looking utterly at home. I rolled my eyes and turned back to look around him room. Moreover it was to avoid eye contact with a certain someone.

He sat up again, though I was sitting closer to the middle of the bed and couldn't see him. Suddenly, a hand had made its way to my thigh and was caressing me softly. I tilted my head down slightly, and he had a soft expression. Every fibre of my being tingled and I couldn't comprehend what I was feeling. I was giddy, excited, I felt anticipation…

He leaned onto his back again and his hand disappeared, only to move its ministrations onto my back. I felt his hand rub up and down, up and down… I was in a kind of euphoria that disallowed me to think any thoughts, and all I knew was the strange sensation in my stomach, my head, my chest. The anticipation grew.

And yet the cold weather could not be helped and I shivered, partly from the cold and partly from the touches, and he said "Still cold?"

I didn't say anything but nodded, and finally looked at him. He smiled back and it was like he was silently taunting me with how warm he looked. Finally resigning to the fact the fire wasn't going to make this room any warmer, I crawled under the covers with him.

"H-Happy?"

He chuckled a little before he said "Yeah… I am." I knew he wasn't referring to me getting under the covers.

I settled into the pillow and the warmth from his body emanated, drawing me closer. We were facing each other, staring at each other, with that longing look we had shared so many times, back at uni, or on the train, or anywhere. He inched closer and wrapped his arms around me, strong and warm. I did the same without hesitation, my mind clouded, my thoughts no longer coherent. It was as Kairi had said: things were unfolding naturally.

He leaned his face forward and nudged it against mine, his eyes shut, a breath of content escaping him. Slowly, slowly, he leaned up and kissed me on the forehead. I realised I had held my breath as he leaned forward and finally let it out, shaky and nervous. I could barely comprehend what was happening. He leaned back down and looked into my eyes, and I looked right back. He started to lean even closer, even lower, so that I knew what was coming but for some silly reason I retracted back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, almost in a whisper.

"N-Nothing," I shook my head slightly, looking embarrassed. "I'm just a little nervous…"

He chuckled softly, his breath tickling my nose. "Don't be…" His voice was rugged and smooth and distant. Leaning even closer, so our cold noses were touching, his eyes fluttered shut again and he was kissing me.

It was nothing like how I'd imagined it. His lips were soft against mine, his scent filling me up and the slow movements sending me into a trance. I wasn't worried or nervous anymore – I moved on instinct, my lips brushing against his, our bodies moving closer and his arms wrapping tighter around my back, trailing up and down and up again, up to my shoulder where it traced the base of my neck before moving up into my damp hair. His lips moved faster now, but still so gentle against mine, in a kind of hurried passion he had been waiting for what felt like years but was only merely weeks, and all that mattered to me in that moment was Roxas and the fact that he felt this way, that for the first time someone cared so much for me, to want to hold me and keep me warm and kiss me like this. He was all I could see, all I could smell, all I could feel. His thumb trailed up my cheek and he moved his lips against mine one last time before pulling back, though only slightly, so he could rest his forehead against mine and breathe a satisfied breath. He hummed a small note and his chest vibrated against me, and I realised my eyes were still shut and my lips had formed a smile as soon as they were parted.

We stayed laying there, his hand trailing around my back, his lips planting fleeting kisses on my forehead, my nose, my lips. I felt heady, high, not knowing what to think or do, but just enjoying the moment for what it was. Everything over the last three and a half weeks had led to this point. My doubt was all for nothing – Roxas had felt this way almost as soon as he'd seen me. The thought filled me with euphoria.

"Nice and warm now?" He said after a moment, back in his playful mood. I smirked and gave him an obvious expression. "I'm glad."

I had no idea what to say. I felt that the action of reacting to the kiss was enough for him to know that I felt the same way he did. My mind was still trying to get around the fact that he liked me so much. I'd never felt so… so… there was no word.

We spent much of the afternoon this way, until hunger finally struck us and we went to the kitchen to find what was there. By the time we ate, there was a buzz in my pocket that meant mum was here to pick me up.

"Time goes too fast, huh?" I added nervously, and he nodded, ruffling the top of my hair and messing it up.

"Sure does. I hope you had a good day."

"I did." I said as soon as he'd asked it. "Um… Roxas…"

"Yeah?"

I looked up at him and saw how happy he looked that I was here with him, how his day had gone despite the fact our lunch was ruined and we were soaked. Had he planned on this being the day he first kissed me? I wanted to say something, anything, to tell him how I felt…

"My pants!" I shouted as I realised, making him jump. I ran to get my still-wet jeans and came hurrying back. "A-Anyway, thanks for today."

"I'll see you soon," He said, and kissed my cheek before giving me a tight hug. I hugged back (as well as I could while holding wet jeans away from his body) and wanted nothing more than to stay here, to soak in his scent and learn even more about him even though I was pretty sure I knew everything, before listening to my better judgement and pulling back. I pulled on my coat, which was thankfully dry thanks for the fire, and he opened the door for me.

"Bye!" I waved, and he waved back as I headed for the car. My head was swimming and I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else ever again. Or you know just for tonight. There was one thing I did know, though – that the smile currently plastered on my face wasn't going anywhere in a hurry.

Preview

"I've never quite had that around anyone else."

"Um… have you ever had one, though?"

"So is it official, or…?"

"Wise decision, they only distract you."

"Alright, it's a date."

A/N:

Hope you enjoyed the super looong chapter! I try to give it a good mix of Roxas/Naminé as well as some of the other side plots to even it out, but for the next few chapters it'll be pretty couple-centric. Fluff galore! AND there's a very special announcement next chapter that I'm sure some of you will like! (While others may not :P) I know what you're probably thinking but don't worry, this story IS leading somewhere more interesting than just Naminé getting a boyfriend.

An important question for you guys: As you know this fic is rated T and as I'm exploring relationship in uni-aged students there'll be some mature themes (but honestly you've seen the way I write, it's not going to get that serious haha), but I'm playing around with the idea of going into more suggestive themes. Because this is Naminé's first relationship and at the age they are, there are obviously going to be connotations of 'the first time' and things like that. My question to you guys is: Do you want this story to stay light and fluffy while still exploring the main themes, or do you want sexuality to be explored? I will not be writing super explicit scenes but I may bump the rating up to M. It just depends on the majority of opinions but it's something to think about! Please let me know in your review!

And lastly, don't forget to check out Fiction café not only for the chapter review but for a special extra – a Map of the world of Insatiable! Not only will it give you a clearer idea of the world, but it will come in handy for what I have planned for Chapter 23. Thanks a bunch for reading!