A/N: Thank you so much all readers and reviewers, please, keep it up! Reviews are so appreciated. Here's a very long chapter composed of only two parts, including the moment we've all been waiting for. I hope it's right, enjoy!

EDITED

The room was stuffy and hot, or at least, it seemed that way to Daine, despite the enormous windows and the towering, wide marble archways and pillars. The university's main room was so massive that Daine felt as small as a mouse. Especially among so many people she didn't know. Numair didn't seem comfortable either, even though he should have known all the faces and the big room. Rubbing the back of his neck, Numair sighed, making Daine look up at him questioningly.

"What?"

"I'm trying to decide whether or not it is my duty to initiate a tiresome and unnecessary conversation with the professors over there, or if I have my leave to put a great deal of effort into avoiding them at all costs."

Daine blinked. "If I were you, I'd go with the second one."

"I wish I had your manner of thinking," Numair said. Resigned, he started to head off, looking back over his shoulder as he went. "I hate to leave you to this torture, as well. Just make small talk and you'll be fine. Will you drag me away if it looks like I'm about to die from the suffering?"

"Of course!"

When he was gone – Daine feeling very, very sorry for him, though it was amusing – she looked around and wondered what on earth she was supposed to do now. Small talk, she thought dryly. A group of students were standing on the far side of the shining room in front of a table covered with all sorts of tiny treats. Daine glanced back at Numair. He was surrounded by a group of teachers all considerably older than he was, but he grinned tiredly when he caught Daine's eye.

Throughout the rest of the hall, the students were laughing and chatting with each other, some with bubbling glasses of champagne held lightly in their grip. One of them, a young man with big ears and a boyish smile, titled his head and looked at Daine with a half-confused, half-curious type of expression. "Do you go here?" he said, his voice a bit reedy, but kind. "I don't think I've ever seen you before. Thought this was a student party."

"I'm Daine. I'm a student of – um – Professor Salmalin's."

Every single one of the students looked confused at that, for some reason. But either they'd had too many glasses of champagne, or they just didn't care, because the boy who's asked her just and shrugged, holding out a hand.

"Nice to meet you then, Daine," he said. "I'm Perin – this is Tana, Remy, Michael, John – "

For what felt like hours, Daine was stuck with them, listening to their stories and tales and wondering if it was worth it to try and remember names. Perin offered her champagne, but looking at the people who didn't have a glass in their hands, Daine figured that there was a bit of an honor system in place concerning who was legal to drink and who was not. Daine shook her head, and Perin shrugged, motioning at the bar of snacks instead. Again, Daine refused, smiling and trying not to seem too horribly rude.

"It's all right," one of the girls said. She was blonde and tall – Tana, Daine remembered. "You can ignore Perin if you want. He's too talkative for his own good."

"Oh, I don't mind," said Daine, smiling. "It'd only be bad if he wasn't smart enough to pull it off."

Everyone roared with laughter. Daine grinned, feeling much more at ease now, though she still wished that Numair hadn't dragged her there in the first place. Music began to play from somewhere behind her. Daine realized that the middle of the floor was clearing for people who wanted to dance. Dancing. Anything but dancing, Daine thought miserably with an involuntary wince. Daine tried to sidle away from the part of the room that was obviously supposed to be the dance floor – but Perin caught her lightly by the arm with a slightly lopsided, shy grin. It was kind of cute, but Daine was too filled with apprehension to really appreciate it.

"Might I have a dance?" he said cordially.

Daine smiled weakly. "Oh – of course. Yeah."

His grin got even wider. He seemed genuinely happy, and Daine felt all the more guilty that she was not looking forward to this. Perin's hands fell onto her waist and she set hers lightly on his shoulders; they swayed slowly in time with the music. Perin smiled.

"Do you come to things like this a lot?"

"Hardly ever," muttered Daine, tense. "I don't like them, really."

"Neither do I."

He spun her around like he thought he was a pro. He wasn't bad, exactly - but as they danced, their feet would bump oddly and they'd flash awkward grins. Daine sighed and took it as it came, letting her mind wander across the room. When Perin spun her again, she caught sight of Numair getting asked to dance by one of the older students. She was tall and pretty – was it Tana again? – and Numair nodded and they began to dance, too. Only a few couples were on the floor. Daine watched Numair out of the corner of her eye. He was courteous and gracious to his partner, but she could tell that it wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do. She couldn't blame him for that. Looking up at Perin, Daine couldn't help but feel relieved as the song ended and they split apart. Perin rubbed the back of his neck as the next song started up, a slower, sweeter melody.

"Um – do you - ?"

"Sorry," came a deep voice from behind Daine. "Mind if I have the next dance?"

It was Numair. Daine smiled in relief and reached up to her teacher's shoulders at once, feeling only the slightest twinge of guilt at completely blowing Perin off. But even that was erased as Numair's hands settled around her waist. She grinned up at him. Numair spun her around, away from Perin, and Daine took the opportunity to genuinely laugh for the first time that night. "Thanks, Numair. You saved me there. I owe you."

"This can be your repayment," muttered Numair, throwing a glance over his shoulder. "I would've had to dance with what's-her-face again if I hadn't told her I'd promised a dance to you."

"Her name's Tana, but I can understand where you're coming from. A bit."

"Thanks ever so much for the words of encouragement."

"No problem."

Both of them smiled, perfectly at ease. Numair's hands guided her gently along with the song; their feet never bumped once. Even through her sparkling dress she could feel the warmth of his palms, and under her arms she could feel the strong muscles of his back and shoulders. A sudden flush crept into her cheeks.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just think if I'd known there was dancing, I would've tried harder not to come."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't tell you, then," said Numair, his eyes alight. "If you weren't here, this would be even more of a hell than it already is."

"Keep your voice down," whispered Daine, leaning closer to him. She couldn't help a sly smile. "You don't want to offend our gracious hosts."

"Of course not," agreed Numair, titling his head closer to hers as well. Their faces were inches apart, their words traded in conspiratorial tones. For a second, Daine thought she saw something different – something unusual – flash though his dark eyes. But she blinked, and it was gone. The song ended at the same moment, too, and Daine came to realize that at some point in their dancing, they had gotten very close. She sighed and drew away slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair off of her face. Her heart was beating unusually fast.

"I say we've made a long enough appearance," said Numair, glancing distastefully at both the clock and the eager young males in the crowd who were eyeing Daine hopefully. "Shall we make an escape?"

"If you're sure. Whose idea was it, this party? Formal and dancing, nothing productive, for no occasion?"

"I don't know. I don't really want to, either. I might say something rude to the person, who is, in all likelihood, my boss."

Daine laughed, toyed with the necklace at her neck, and glanced around them. Other couples – all pairs of students – were filling the dance floor, and the other professors were in a casual group somewhere in the back. If they were going to leave, now would be as good a time as any. It wasn't that the night had gone by fast, by any means, but they had been there for plenty long a time. "Let's go then," Daine said. She pulled on Numair's arm and they headed to the giant, gilded wooden doors.

Whether or not Numair noticed the suspicious glances some of the dancers threw at them, Daine couldn't tell. Leaving together was rather conspicuous. Daine ignored them. She guessed Numair was doing the same, but still, the man didn't relax until they were inside his old truck, where he exhaled loudly and smiled at her.

"I am so glad that's over," he said, squinting out at the dark road. Daine laughed.

"God, me too."

But part of her almost wished she were back there, with Numair's arms around her and hers draped over his shoulders. It had been too perfect, too comfortable, too right. Daine shifted in her seat, wrapping her arms around her sides to keep herself warm; the night had gotten cool and her dress was thin. Something had changed, and Daine wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

Gentle waves tapped at the shoreline. Farther in the distance, the ocean crashed with remote echoes, beautiful and powerful. Sun glittered like tiny diamonds strewn over the water. It was just beginning to fade, afternoon smoothly melding into evening. As the day drew to a close, Numair watched his student dance through the shallow waves, bending to lift a shell that had caught her eye, or laughing when cold water splashed above her ankles. She was wearing cut-off jeans that she'd rolled up to her knees and a loose white shirt that billowed in the wind; it might have been one of Numair's old t-shirts. Numair himself was standing a little ways away from the water. He himself was wearing long jeans and what used to be a dress shirt, a navy blue button-down that Daine hadn't given him time to change out of before dragging him to the beach. He'd undone the buttons around the collar and arms, so it was fairly comfortable. Numair stood on the drier part of the beach, loose sand hot under his feet.

Daine gave a little exclamation, lifting something up to the fading sunlight. Whatever she was holding sparkled like glass, and she turned to him, waving it through the air.

"Numair! Come here, look at this!"

Just as she was speaking, a wave crashed down behind her, and she stumbled forward a little before catching herself. Grinning, she straightened up again and splashed out of the water. When she reached him, she held up her find for Numair to see. It was a very small, very shiny shell. It had colored striped spiraling around a white backdrop until it reached a point, sharp and unbroken. The colors were brown, red, and pink, and odd mixtures of all three until all that was distinguishable was the occasional spot of pure white within a beautiful blend of many shades.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Daine asked, smiling up at him. "I haven't seen one like this before. I'm keeping it."

"Indeed it is," replied Numair. He looked at her, then back at the shell in her hand.

Daine slipped her treasure into her pocket and titled her head, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips. Her narrowed, mischievous eyes sparkled in the sun. A few stray drops of water clung to her thick hair and eyelashes. "Come on, get your feet wet, Numair. You're missing out, standing up here all dry."

She grabbed him by the elbow, and despite Numair's protests, she pulled him to the line of dark, damp sand where a wave had just slid up and then fallen away. She nudged him with her elbow. "Roll your jeans up if you don't want them to get wet. If you don't want them to get too wet, I mean."

"You are insufferable, you know that?" sighed Numair, but he flashed a smile at her as he bent to do as he was told. Her grin broadened.

"It's fun, trust me," she said earnestly.

"I believe you."

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?"

"I'm not!"

She put her hands on her hips, her expression stern. "Yes, you are."

"Really," said Numair seriously, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm delighted to be buffeted over and over again by salt water. "

"Oh, be quiet," Daine said, but she couldn't hide her smirk, which made Numair grin, too. "Come on, trust me." She held out her hand, raised her eyebrows - and Numair was powerless to resist. He let his student pull him into the waves, laughing as the salt water broke over her knees. The wave rushed over Numair's skin too, cold and biting, but Daine's hand was warm against his. She rose onto her toes and spun, tossing tiny droplets of water through the air, faster and faster until she stumbled and fell with a splash.

"What the hell are you doing, Daine?" laughed Numair, watching her tumble and holding his arms out in the universal sign of bewilderment.

"Enjoying myself," Daine retorted, sticking her tongue out from her seat on the ground. "Come on, Numair!"

"You're soaked, my dear."

Daine paused, blinking a few times and frowning. Then she cupped both hands and tossed a handful of water at Numair, laughing loudly as he spluttered and cursed. "Now you're wet too," she said cheerfully.

"Evil woman," Numair muttered, trying to shake the worst of the water away. He supposed it was a futile effort, though – he was standing in the ocean, after all. Daine rose to her feet, still grinning.

"I am not evil," she insisted, poking him in the chest. She was only inches away from him.

"Maybe not evil, then," Numair teased. "Just crazy."

Another wave rippled over their feet, pushing Daine forward a little bit so that her nose bumped against Numair's chest. Drops of water slid from her hair onto his clothes and skin, or blew away with the ever-present beach breezes. Feeling his heart begin to race – and aware that Daine had to be able to hear it – Numair grabbed Daine's elbows and tried to steady her. A small smile twitched at the corner of her lips. Numair heard her whisper, barely audible over the roaring of the water and the wind. Her eyes flickered up to meet his.

"Maybe I am crazy," she said.

And then she slid her arms around his shoulders, placed one hand firmly on the nape of his neck, and pulled his lips down to hers without even a second's hesitation. Fire raced across Numair's skin from where they touched. From Daine's hands behind his head, to his own hands holding her elbows then sliding down to her wrists and fingers; from their bodies pressed so close that not even air could pass through, to their lips tangling as if they only had one moment to experience this. Without consciously deciding to, Numair found himself kissing her back. His mind was blank except for thoughts of her. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly, as if they would never be apart. The pounding in his ears drowned out any return of thought or reason as their lips melded together, soft and gentle at first, then fast and hard. Numair's lungs began to protest; he pulled away and tried to regain control of himself. Cold air stung his face and eyes. Daine was breathing hard, her eyes alight, cheeks flushed. One of her hands slid down to rest above his heart. Her palm was warm against his damp shirt, and a look of amazement spread across her face.

"You kissed me back," she whispered, sounding breathless. She blinked and stared at him, while Numair stared back, captivated by the storm in her eyes.

Numair's attempt to control himself failed miserably. Only his heart was working now. He lifted Daine's chin with one hand and traced up and down her back with the other, feeling her shiver under his touch. Her eyes flicked hesitantly away from him, but then flew back to his face, and then away again. Daine stared down at her hand over Numair's heart, pale fingers spread wide over the dark fabric. Numair touched her face gently until she looked back up at him and didn't look away. Her eyes were full of something unreadable, like hope and fear and passion all mixed into one. Leaning down, Numair kissed her carefully, his hand resting lightly on her cheek. Daine tugged on his shirt, demanding more, grazing his lips with her teeth. But Numair forced himself to stop again, still holding her face and breathing like he'd run a marathon. Because it felt like he had, in a way.

"I had to make sure I wasn't just dreaming," he murmured, brushing his thumb back and forth over her heated skin.

"You dream of me?" Daine smiled coyly as she stood on her tiptoes. It almost brought their faces level, or at least, it brought them close enough that Daine's nose bumped against his chin.

A smile stretched across Numair's face, too; sudden warmth filled his entire body, despite the chilly air – and his mind was still blissfully blank. "Um - occasionally," he said. Daine laughed.

It wasn't until Numair's hands found their way to her wild hair that he remembered they were standing, soaked, in the middle of the ocean. And it was this realization that kicked his mind back into reality – he had kissed her. Daine, his student, his friend, fourteen years younger than him. Fourteen goddamn years. The girl he had met when he'd found her alone in his truck. The girl who had been forced to grow up early, and who he'd started to love without even noticing. Numair almost dropped his hands from her damp hair, but he could see a change in her glittering gaze as she, too, seemed to wake to the world.

Before Numair could say a word, her fingers flew to his lips. "Talk later," she ordered in a quiet tone – a tone that was nonetheless commanding.

Numair raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Her fingertips were salty with ocean water, just like her lips had been, and he'd do anything to feel them again. He knew he would. Numair offered Daine his hand, which she took with a smile, and he led her out of the water to dry ground. Shells crunched under their feet, and the sand was hot from a day in the sun, even with cool breezes. Daine swung their hands as they walked. When they were back in Numair's old truck – wet, sandy, stunned – Daine ignored her seatbelt and scooted as close as she could to Numair's side until he was forced to raise his arm and lay it around her shoulders. Ocean water dripped from her hair onto his rolled-up sleeves. Tilting his head, Numair studied her closed eyes and traced her flushed cheeks, watching as a smile twitched on her face.

It was one of those things that seemed too good to be true, Numair thought vaguely. He still believed – still knew – that he shouldn't be doing this. It was wrong, to be in love with her. So horribly wrong. But she'd kissed him first, hadn't she? That had to mean something. Daine was too smart to do something she hadn't thought through at some point. Too smart to make bad decisions about something so important. But it was all so difficult. Confusing.

Numair started the car and headed back, Daine comfortable under his arm. It was like she fit there; everything was matched perfectly. His gaze flicked from the road to her as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

Talking could come later.