Arriving home never felt so good to Tea. Exhausted and drained she fell onto her bed not bothering to change her clothes. Within moments her eyes closed and she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

The light of day brought about many things, one of them being the hazy memories of the night before. Every moment from when she went to Atem's apartment replayed in Tea's mind. The feeling of being made of dirt remained with her and she couldn't help but take another shower as soon as her eyes opened. She scrubbed herself dry but nothing seemed to fill the endless void.

She decided skipping dance class today seemed like the best thing to do. It would give her another day to avoid James and she didn't want to run the risk of somehow running into Atem. He knew where her dance classes were held strangely enough and the small hope she held of him actively seeking her was another reason to stay away. She needed to let go. She needed to stop this ridiculous yearning. But she couldn't. She wasn't sure she would ever truly be able to stop wanting him. He had become a part of her, a part of who she was.

Grabbing her phone, she decided to call Mary who was probably ready to kill her for just leaving her apartment while a drunk mess. She probably wondered how she made it to her dorm room in one piece.

Mary answered on the second ring.

"Oh my god Tea! You better have a good ass explanation for where you went off too because I barely got a wink of sleep last night! I received your pathetic excuse of a text and all I could do from running to your dorm and killing you is thanking God you weren't kidnapped by some weirdos on the train!" She practically yelled in the phone.

Tea smiled wondering how lucky she was to have a friend who cared for her so deeply.

"I'm sorry for scaring you Mary but I felt I had bothered you enough at your apartment and I just wanted to sleep in my own bed." It was a weak excuse and she prayed Mary would somehow buy it. Of course she didn't.

"That's such bullshit. First of all, you have a bed in my house, you just refused to sleep in it and secondly you know you never bother me. I don't know what I said or did to make you feel like a burden but know you're not." Mary's voice had started off strong but ended upset. Great another person I've hurt.

"I'm so sorry Mary I didn't want to have you watch me as a drunken mess, I'm so embarrassed of my behavior, of what happened with Atem and James. I… I just don't know what to do anymore." Tea couldn't stop the tears from forming once more. It seems she's always on the verge of crying. Mary could sense the change in Tea through the other end of the line.

"Tea listen to me honey, I'm coming to your dorm. If you don't want to stay here, fine but I'm not leaving you alone again. I'll bring food and we can just relax. I assume you're not going to your classes today."

"But your show, it's coming so soon you have to prepare. I don't want to be in the way of something so-."

She was cut off by Mary who spoke in a huff. "Would you just shut up already, I'll have my laptop with me and I'm sure you have Wi-Fi."

Tea laughed lightly and finally agreed. "Okay fine."

"I'll see you soon."

In all honestly Tea didn't want company today, but somehow Mary staying with her did make her feel somewhat better. She knew it would be some time before Mary would show up so Tea decided to clean up her apartment a bit. While in the middle of collecting trash that had somehow ended up under her bed her phone began to ring and she froze.

Her first thoughts were of Atem but she quickly dismissed them. There was no way he would be calling her. She made her way to her phone and saw Yugi's name appear on the screen. She wasn't sure if she was happy or nervous to speak to him. She wasn't sure if Atem had mentioned anything to him about what had happened.

"Hello Yugi." She answered as cheerfully as she could. It proved to be very difficult.

"Hey Tea." He responded breezily. He sounded relaxed and not at all angry or judgmental so she figured he knew nothing which calmed her greatly.

"What's up?" she asked rather curiously. She wasn't entirely sure why he called.

"I can't talk to my best friend because I miss her?" he asked with a laugh.

Tea paused and laughed awkwardly herself. Right of course, this made sense. Everything in her life seemed like such a mess so Yugi calling so casually felt almost foreign to her.

"Oh nothing, you know just preparing for the big day." She explained with a smile. Her demeanor started to mimic his and she felt good talking to her old friend. He always held such a bright aura that it affected those around him and she was glad to feel the effects of it today.

"Right! I'm so excited for you. Come to think of it I figured you would be in class right now so I wasn't sure if you would answer."

"I uh didn't go in today, I didn't feel very well." She told tiredly.

"Is everything alright?" His tone suddenly turned serious.

"Yes I'm just feeling a little under the weather and tired, but I should be fine by tomorrow."

"Don't work yourself so hard Tea, you can't be a famous dancer if your legs don't work anymore." He half joked.

"Of course Yugi, the common cold will certainly inhibit my dancing skills."

She could feel Yugi's eye roll which only made the young dancer laugh. It felt good.

She spoke to Yugi for another hour or so and got updates on the rest of her friends and even her parents. They happened to stop at Yugi's game shop to pick up something for a family friend and asked if Tea had been in touch with Yugi. They even asked about Atem. Tea missed her parents from Yugi's story and decided she would call them later this week. It had been some time since she'd last spoken to them and she could really use her mom now.

She soon hung up with Yugi and promised she would call him soon. It seems Rebecca had actually caught his eye on her visit and she wanted to hear about their date coming up.

It was when she finally put her phone down that she felt the urge to call Atem and talk to him about Yugi and Rebecca. To get his input and thoughts about what their relationship would be like. She wanted to laugh with him and learn about his small quirks and what exactly he found funny. She wanted to know what annoyed him and what his favorite color was. A wave of sadness washed over her knowing she might not ever get to know or much less ever have a normal conversation with him. With everything that had happened between them she wasn't sure he even wanted to see her. And yet he had asked her to stay. That is what confused her the most. Why did he say stay? And if he truly wanted her to stay why didn't he run after her. Why didn't he try to stop her more? Hope was a dangerous thing to hold and yet she couldn't stop herself from feeling it. She was miserable and she was alone but she held a small fraction of hope. She knew it would end up blowing up in her face in the long run, to hope for something that was so out of reach. But she couldn't stop herself. He may not be hers in reality, but no one could stop the love she felt in her heart. He couldn't stop how she felt for him. That was hers to keep, hers to love and hers to maintain. Maybe one day she'd be able to let go of this, but chances were slim. All she knew was he wasn't going away. Physically he might, but he would stay within her. That was what she knew. In that moment all Tea could do was bend down once more and continue fishing out old Dasani water bottles from under her bed. The realization oddly felt liberating to her and the dirt that once felt imbedded within her skin started to crumble slightly. Guilt was an emotion she was starting to get used to, but acceptance was also something she was starting to realize.

Mary arrived an hour later with her packs of food and laptop in tow. She gave Tea a big smile upon seeing her face and instantly hugged her when her hands were free. Tea couldn't stifle the laugh that escaped her lips at Mary's cheerful demeanor. The brightness she brought into the room almost made Tea forget about her problems.

"I hope you're hungry." Tea noted her southern accent seemed even more prominent today. This usually happened when Mary was nervous about something and she hoped it wasn't because of her.

"Everything okay Mary?" Tea asked while taking a bite of the delicious pasta meal the blonde had cooked earlier.

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine." She said with a wave of her hand. Tea gave her another look to which Mary ignored and shrugged it off. Perhaps it was nothing.

"So how are you feeling hun?" She asked in a more serious tone.

"I'm alright… nothing has really changed." Tea wasn't sure she should tell Mary about last night. She wasn't sure if she should tell anyone for that matter and just keep it to herself until her last breath. Her time with Atem was hers, although the memory itself was a bit fuzzy she remembered feeling truly connected to him kiss by kiss, touch by touch. It was as though they were melted together in a sea of skin and hot breaths. She closed her eyes for a moment attempting to remember the feelings only he could bring out in her, but stopped herself. Mary was here and she couldn't trust herself to not look like a fool in front of her friend.

She quickly opened her eyes to see Mary looking at her very confused.

"Um what was that?" she asked.

"What?" Tea replied, she could feel the blush make its way to her cheeks.

"You just closed your eyes and looked like you were about to have an orgasm." She stated with a smirk.

"No I wasn't." Tea responded a little too quickly.

Mary laughed and looked at Tea. "Tea honey, please tell me what happened last night." Her tone was tender yet serious. She wasn't buying Tea's made up story.

"I told you, I went home and slept." She could feel her face getting redder by the minute. Why was it that Mary always seemed to see right through her?

"You probably did eventually, but what happened before that." Mary's face looked stoic and Tea knew she couldn't keep the lie going any longer.

"I saw him." She finally stated, her voice a whisper.

"Okay, what happened." Mary's voice held no judgement as Tea thought, which made it a little easier for the dancer to form the words.

"I-I called him and asked him to tell me where he lives. I was so drunk and I didn't know what I was doing. Well I sort of did, I just couldn't control myself Mary. I needed him."

Mary continued looking away from Tea and she took a deep breath and continued on.

"I got to his apartment, which is really close to here by the way, and at first we just talked by his window and he was shocked to see me there. I remember the look on his face when I walked in, he was just so shocked."

"But I was there for one reason, I just needed to feel him on me again and so I kissed him Mary."

Tea stopped talking, too embarrassed to reveal her further transgressions.

Mary looked at Tea, she didn't look angry or disappointed, she looked quite the opposite. Sad was what Tea saw.

"Tea honey, I'm so sorry that you went to him in your drunken state. I hope he didn't try and make you do anything you didn't want to do or if you regret anything."

"No Mary, he was actually trying to stop me. I was all over him." she put her head in her hands in embarrassment.

"But I can say for sure I don't regret anything. I… I love him Mary. I love him so much that it hurts to be away from him. It's not fair that I love someone who is already loved by someone else and I don't know why the universe would do this to me. But I love him."

Mary watched Tea with an expression Tea couldn't recognize. She wasn't sure if her friend felt bad for her or if she was annoyed at her antics. She looked away in embarrassment once more only to be engulfed in another hug by her.

"I know you love him. You love him so much, but I am afraid this love you have for him will end up destroying you." She looked Tea in the eyes and continued. "I don't know if he loves you, maybe he does, he certainly didn't try hard enough to push himself away from you. Then again he is a man and you are beautiful, but I just don't know. In any case, I am scared for you Tea. He's here for who knows how long and you've fallen for him all over again in such a short period of time. I just don't want to see you hurt in the end darling."

Tea couldn't help the smile etching its way on her face. "I'm already hurt Mary, I hurt everyday knowing he isn't mine. I'm sure I sound like a pathetic love sick fool, but it's how I feel. It certainly is a burden."

Mary couldn't stop the water entering her eyes knowing how hurt Tea was. Behind her steely exterior lay a girl with a glass body, ready to break at the slightest touch.

"No Mary please don't cry; I've accepted this is just my fate. I've certainly done something wrong in a past life to end up here." She chuckled and Mary couldn't believe the calmness that had taken over her friend's demeanor. She looked at her beautiful hurt dancer in awe. She was so strong.
"I honestly don't know what I would do if I were in your position Tea." Mary said solemnly. "The situation is just so fucked up."

Tea nodded. "Fucked up is definitely what it is."

The girls both couldn't stop the laughter from escaping their lips. They laughed for a while until their stomachs hurt and they were gasping for air. It felt good, like coming up for fresh air. It was exactly what Tea needed.

It had been a couple of hours since Mary's arrival to Tea's dorm room. The blonde had made herself comfortable on Tea's couch with Tea sitting next to her, her feet propped up on the sofa. Her eyes had wandered from her own laptop screen to her windows. The curtains were set aside and her eyes lay upon the Hudson's once more. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about Atem and his scenic windows. The view of the water was much nicer from his tall displays high up in the sky. It almost felt as though they were in their own bubble, stuck in the clouds watching the water lap at their feet.

She felt another sense of longing for him. She wished to be able to watch the water with him at his side. They didn't have to speak, they didn't even have to touch, but just having him near her was enough for her. His presence alone filled a void deep within her heart. That void felt endless when he was gone.

While staring at the endless mounds of waves formed by the dark water, sleep overcame Tea once more. It seems she sleep was an only true constant in her life. it didn't leave her; it didn't hurt her. It engulfed her and allowed solace to enter her with its strong embrace. She welcomed it lovingly.

A hard pounding awoke Tea from her slumber. She was a tad irritated as her dreams were filled with crimson eyes and dainty kisses.

She lazily walked to the door confused at who would be so loud so late in the night. As she walked by her couch she saw Mary asleep on the other end with her laptop propped on her lap and her mouth barely open. Tea couldn't help but smile at the scene before her.

With a yawn she opened the door only to be met with those same crimson eyes that followed her in her sleep.

"Atem?" she said, the sleep quickly leaving her body. "What are you doing here? How did you even find my room?" It had occurred to her that Atem seemed to know where to find her without her giving him any inclination as to where she lived or practiced. She wasn't sure whether she found it kind of creepy or oddly sexy. Perhaps a bit of both.

He looked at her with red eyes that seemed to dance in the dark when they connected with her blue.

"Tea." He breathed before engulfing her into a hug. She let out a small squeak. This was definitely a surprise.

"Atem what are you doing? Why are you here?" she asked again trying to fight off his affection. She could smell the alcohol from his breath. He was drunk.

"I came to see you." He stated knowingly. "Just as you have come to see me."

Tea's eyes widened. She wasn't sure where this interaction would lead to, but she was sure it would end badly.

"Atem you should leave; this isn't where you should be. You're drunk and you might do something you regret."

Atem looked at her with confusion. "I do nothing with regret." He stated. He would never know the affects those words had on the blue eyed dancer before him.

"You should still go." Her voice was now a whisper. She needed to be strong, she needed to not allow him to take advantage. She was sure those weren't his intentions but she had to convince herself he couldn't stay.

"Tea, I'm sorry I didn't go after you. I'm sorry I didn't stop you after what we did." His eyes were pleading with her and Tea couldn't look away. He was so beautiful, so mesmerizing and he was apologizing for not going after her.

"What we did was a mistake… we shouldn't repeat it. Think about Kiya, think about how she would feel-." Atem cut her off.

"Kiya does not matter, I let her go today."

"What!" Tea couldn't stop the hope from swelling larger in her rapid beating heart.

"I left her. I knew I could no longer be with her after what I have done with you."

Tea watched him speechless. Did his words ring true? Kiya was supposed to be his one love. His only love. How could he just leave her after one night? What does this mean?

"Why did you leave her? Atem listen to me, you love her and what we did was something that will never happen again. It was a one-night thing, in fact I was drunk and I took advantage. I should be apologizing-." Her sentence was cut off by Atem crashing his lips onto hers.

The sudden embrace caught Tea by surprise and she stood with her eyes wide open watching his lips mold onto hers. Before she could stop herself, she allowed herself to be transported into the world that was Atem. She succumbed into softness that were his lips and moved along with the rhythm he had so carefully created. She felt her legs go numb and her head spin as his tongue began to dance with hers. She inhaled as much of him in as she could, afraid that if she opened her eyes he would be gone.

The kiss was broken by Tea who slowly pulled away with her eyes closed. Atem watched her, enjoying how pink and plump her lips looked after he had touched them. At how her skin seemed to glow against the small amounts of moonlight flooding through her windows. He wondered how her beauty had escaped him so many times. He always saw her as beautiful, even more so now that she was older. But tonight was different, the beauty he saw before him was pure light. It was innocent yet held mischievous. It was witty and charming. It curled around him encompassing him in its warm embrace. He never wanted to escape it. He wanted it to consume him.