Everyone in the hallway fell silent. You could've heard a pin drop, a mouse's heartbeat, and the Disney World fireworks 20 miles away. Everyone witnessing this bold move had their jaws dragging on the floor. But nobody was in more disbelief than the couple that was in the middle of the act.

Ethan was still shocked that his spur-of-the-moment plan had worked. He'd thought about what it would be like to kiss her all day and here he is - kissing her. And here she is - kissing him back! When he felt Nicole's lips start to get less tense, he instinctively began to relax.

The closest thing he could compare this feeling to were drugs. His thoughts and worries started to slip away. The room felt like it was spinning. He could start to see some colors even with his eyes closed, and … music? Some psychedelic song playing in the background, with lyrics barely understood and a bass that you can feel in your heart.

("Actually….," Harry paused as he reached into his pocket. He took out his phone and typed a phrase into the YouTube search box. The audience looked at each other in confusion. He had just dropped a bombshell of a plot changer and was now checking his phone? What kind of storyteller is this!? "I found it!" Harry exclaimed, clicking on the appropriate video.

"I'll make love to you! Like you want me to!" Harry grinned. Boys II Men was the only appropriate choice. Their songs were the epitome of seduction. He looked out into the crowd. John frowned. Alright, so apparently that wasn't the right song.

Harry stopped the video and typed in another title. Maybe this one would be better. Retro chords reverberated the room only to be melded into a three-beat drum intro. "It feels like I only go backwards, baby. Every part of me says 'go ahead'. I got my hopes up again," the high-pitched singer sang. John looked on approvingly. "There we go," Harry smiled.)

Ethan slowly put his hand on her waist to pull her even closer in, while he felt her fingertips brush the side of his face. Their lips melted into each other, reflecting how well-fit their bodies were with the other. Nicole's hand made its way to the back of Ethan's neck, when

("Eeerk," Harry interrupted, sounding like a record scratch as he paused the video mid-chorus.)

A door clicked, knocking Nicole out of her intentions. As her lips fell away from his, Ethan was forcibly brought back down to reality. He opened his eyes when Nicole gently shoved him away from her. Nicole's eyes were locked onto something over his shoulder. He turned around.

There, in front of them, were the Banks, their girlfriends, and their crew. A high-pitched whistle came out of Jo's mouth. "You go, Ethan!" she cheered. Nicole's attention fell to Ethan Banks whose eyes were wide with shock. She stared at him blankly as she tried to wrap her mind around why he was here.

The Banks' hotel room door swung open. Ella tugged on his shirt, unable to rip her eyes away from the kissing couple either. Ethan Banks ("Who I will now refer to as E.B. or what only his closest friends refer to him as, Banksy McBanks, because this is getting tiring." Harry stated.) looked behind him to the open room. McBanks looked like he was going to say something but was at a lost for words, repeatedly opening and closing his mouth before hastily rushing inside, being dragged by Ella. The others followed close behind. And when the door closed shut behind them, Nicole and Ethan were left alone in the hallway to comprehend what had just happened.

The awkward silence that filled the air made it almost unbearable for the poor guy. Ethan just couldn't help but notice how far apart the two were now. One minute their bodies were so close together, they could feel each other's hearts beating out of their chests; the next minute, it's as if nothing had happened. But Nicole had to be feeling the same thing he was, right?

"So," Ethan began. He wasn't sure where the conversation was going to go, but he needed to say something to break that silence.

But as soon as he spoke, Nicole snapped out of her thoughts and looked at this complete lunatic in front of her. This lunatic just kissed her. And now he wanted to just hang out and talk? No. She needed to think this over. She needed to get away. So Nicole started walking back towards her hotel door.

Ethan knew he had to say something to stop her. This couldn't be going downhill so quickly, not after this monumental moment. But he stopped himself, knowing that any protests to her leaving would be futile. She was too strong-willed. So without breaking eye contact, she stepped into her hotel room and slowly closed the door as Ethan watched this all unfold. The door clicked shut, leaving him alone in the hallway.

Nicole pressed one hand to the door to steady herself. Ethan kissed her. Her first kiss in over a year. Her first meaningful kiss in God knows how long. She slid down the door when she thought about what all of this meant. Emotions and feelings and drama and- oh dear lord, she wasn't ready for any of this.

Nicole took a deep breath and got up, intending to go drink until her liver cries. But when she opened her eyes, she was met with two brown orbs staring straight at her. "AH!" Nicole fell back onto the door. Kate was bending with hands on her knees and glee written all over her face. "Sooo…" she sang. Nicole's heart rate began to fall back to normal. "What the everliving fu-"

"Sooooo...?!" Kate repeated.

"Ugh," Nicole scoffed.

She pushed past her friend and headed towards the bathroom. She really shouldn't have been surprised. Of course Kate saw that. Kate wouldn't be Kate if she didn't.

Kate hurriedly followed behind her. "Aw come on!" she pleaded. But Nicole just wasn't having it. She marched into the bathroom, slamming the door right in Kate's pouting face. "Nicole!" Kate yelled through the wood. Nothing. Kate huffed and crossed her arms. "You can't hide in there forever!" she shouted. "I don't wanna talk about it!" Nicole shouted, before drowning everything out with the running faucet.

After waiting by the door for a couple more seconds and realizing that Nicole wasn't going to come out anytime soon, Kate went over to her bed. Obviously nothing was going to happen tonight, so she might as well sleep.

Nicole pulled out some wipes and began diligently taking off her make-up. First the eyeshadow. Then the foundation. Then the lipstick. When she finished wiping away the red from her lips, Nicole stopped. Her hand hovered over mouth, grazing over it ever so gently. Ethan kissed her. And she kissed him back.

"Why in God's name did I kiss him back!?" Nicole thought in bed. Kate was already in her deep sleep, which included the snoring, drooling, and occasional violent tossing. At least someone was getting a good night's rest. Meanwhile, Nicole laid still in bed while her mind was on overdrive- more so than it's been in a very long time.

She knew Ethan liked her but she figured his awkward nature wouldn't let it progress into anything more than that 'crush' stage. Sure, she slipped up and showed some kind of emotion or weakness to him. And that was a huge mistake in her part, but all of this shouldn't be happening. At least, not so quickly.

Oh, who was she to say this stuff shouldn't be happening so quickly? She met a guy on a train, fell in love with him, and lost her virginity all on the same day. Nicole giggled out loud at the memories. How much fun you can have in the early stages of a relationship, the butterflies of the first kiss, the carelessness of your lips as they spill all of your darkest secrets to someone that could run away with them. But you trust them enough to know that they won't do that, they wouldn't do that to you. They care about you too much. He cares about you.

Was she ready for someone to care again?

Meanwhile...

Ethan laid in his bed, tossing and turning. He was in deep conflict with himself, questioning his actions and praising them all at the same time. One thought kept circling around his head. "I made a move, but why did I make that move?" He didn't actually plan on following Harry's advice, but ever since his friend planted that seed in his mind, it's been growing bigger and stronger. It was like Inception, but instead of getting hacked by Leonardo DiCaprio, he was hacked by and Impulse. That one seed clouded his judgment and all logical thinking. Everything he could think of was just about 'kissing her'. Kissing Nicole. Nicole.

After seeing her in her pjs, he felt weak in the knees. The oversized t-shirt engulfing her frame underneath. Those shorts that he knows would only be noticed if she bent over. Her hair and makeup so perfect, just begging for someone to mess them up. Everything about her- so sexy, it hurt.

Ethan buried his face into his pillow. He felt like trash for thinking these thoughts. Especially after she pushed him away and left him hanging in the hallway. But this was all that he could think of, because nothing else mattered. He was craving her again; her touch, her lips, her resting bitch face, her entire being.

He wanted to care for her.

He also needed a cold shower.