A/N: To avoid confusion, this chapter begins where the last physical chapter, prior to the outtake, left off. Picking up the morning following their "first time".

Late Night Encounters 11 ~ Cherish the Moments

Standing by the window after my shower, I sipped my coffee as I stared down at the bustling New York sidewalk. I knew I should've been more excited to get out there, to immerse myself in the sights and sounds of the amazing city. Yet, all I could think about was the slow breaths of the man on the bed behind me, the scent of the room surrounding me with the lingering traces of his aftershave, my shampoo, and us.

I was so entranced in thought that I didn't hear the movement on the bed or the footsteps across the carpet. However, a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth when I felt a pair of strong arms slide around my waist and warm lips press to my neck.

"Morning, beautiful," he murmured against my skin and I leaned my head back on his shoulder, feeling his embrace tighten around me. "You're up early."

"Couldn't sleep," I replied softly, turning my face toward him and kissing him gently. "I ordered some decent coffee, I hope that's alright."

"Bella," he chuckled softly, kissing the tip of my nose. "You can have whatever you want here. You don't have to pass coffee by me."

I gave a small laugh, my eyes falling down to my mug, taking a sip and then glancing out the window again.

"So, what do you want to do today?" he asked, his cheek pressing against mine as we rocked gently in place.

"If it involves leaving this room, nothing," I replied honestly, setting my coffee on the table and resting my hand on the terry cloth covering his arm, hugging it against my middle. "There's nothing out there that could interest me more than what I have right here."

"Baby, what's going on?" he asked worriedly, turning me slowly in his arms and linking his hands behind my back. I shrugged slightly, staring at his chest and tracing the light dusting of hair where his robe parted with my fingers. He gently tugged my waist and my eyes rose to meet his, sighing when I saw his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"I just don't want to waste any of the time I have here with you," I said softly, my arms sliding around his neck and bringing his lips to mine, kissing him urgently. His arms tightened around me, his lips parting and responding to the kiss, and I moaned against them. I felt his hardened length against my abdomen and I pressed my body more firmly to his, raising up on my toes to bring myself closer to him.

"Bella," he mumbled against my lips, his hands moving to rest on my sides and I reluctantly broke the kiss. "We're not going home tomorrow. And I have no intention of leaving your side any longer than necessary for the next six days. But if we spend all week thinking about Saturday, we're going to miss out on a lot. So let's not think about it until the time comes, alright?"

I moved to protest, but his thumb rested against my lips and he shook his head.

"As amazing as it has been so far, there is more for us to experience here than this room and that bed. And I want to experience it all with you," he said softly, his fingers brushing lightly across my cheek. "So how about we get dressed and go out for breakfast. You do need to eat, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh as he bent his head down to catch my gaze and I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good."

"We can pick this up later," he replied with a smirk, pressing his lips back to mine and sliding his hands around my hips, pulling me against him.

"You're a tease," I mumbled, my fingers lacing in his hair and biting lightly at his lip.

"Only if I don't follow through, baby," he chuckled with a wink, his eyes lifting to the window. "You might want to dress warm, though."

"What?" My brow furrowed slightly and he nodded behind me. I turned my head slowly in confusion and then gasped sharply. "Oh my god, it's snowing!"

I stepped away from him to look outside, my eyes widening at the splendor before me. Tiny scattered flakes filled the sky, creating a feeling of serenity even amongst the busy streets of New York.

"Wow, that's so beautiful," I whispered, admiring the scene for another moment before turning back to him. "You get in the shower and I'll get dressed."

"Ok, give me five minutes," he laughed, kissing my cheek and grabbing his suitcase on the way to the bathroom.

By the time I heard the shower turn off, I was already dressed and sitting at the end of the bed, anxious with the anticipation filling me. He had successfully distracted me from my melancholy mind frame, and I realized that he was right. The more I thought about our inevitable parting, the less I could just enjoy the time I had with him. I still had six more days with him—to feel his arms around me, to kiss his lips, to lie beside him each night.

I looked up when the bathroom door opened and frowned slightly. "You shaved."

He chuckled at the disappointed tone in my voice, walking over to me and kissing my hair. "Habit. I never go more than a few days without doing so."

I nodded slowly as I brought my hand up to graze lightly over his smooth jaw, and his forehead rested against mine.

"It will grow back, Bella. I promise," he continued and I rolled my eyes with a smile, wiping off a small speck of shaving cream from his chin.

"Missed a spot."

His eyes fell to my finger and shook his head. "Always do. Never go a day without one of the nurses pointing that out."

"Nurses?" I inquired, wiping my fingertip on my jeans distractedly and averting my eyes.

"Oh Bella," he laughed, shaking his head and taking my hand in his, pulling me up off the bed. We walked to the door and he grabbed my jacket, holding it out for me to slide my arms in and closed his around me. "Nothing to be jealous of. Trust me."

"Who's jealous?" I asked him nonchalantly, pulling my hair out of my coat while he put on his, eyeing me disbelievingly. "Alright, fine, maybe a little. But who's there to see you every single day?"

"And who's here with me in New York?" he shot back, raising his eyebrows with a smirk and reclaiming my hand.

I bit my lip and laughed as we walked out of the room, watching him pat his back pocket as the door clicked closed. "You do have the key, right?"

His eyes widened as he looked at me and I felt my jaw drop, until he held the plastic card in front of me, his lips turning up into a breathtaking smile.

"Asshole," I grumbled and slapped his arm, but laughed along with him as we walked down the hall to the elevator. Seeing him so relaxed and playful had such a calming effect on me. As we stepped outside the front doors, I looked up and felt the snowflakes falling on my skin, and I turned to him abruptly. "Can we just walk?"

He lowered his eyes to mine, his hand stalling in his pocket as he was retrieving his keys for the valet. "You want to walk? It's freezing out."

"I have you to keep me warm," I replied, sliding my arms underneath his jacket and around his waist, looking up at him pleadingly. "It's so pretty."

His arm came around my shoulders and I kept one of mine around him as we began walking along the sidewalk. "You act like you've never seen snow, baby."

His laugh was contagious as he teased me and I shrugged in response. "Well, it's certainly not a common occurrence in LA, and having to shovel it at home in Forks is a bit of a killjoy."

"Guess you have a point in that."

EPOV

Watching her as we walked the streets of New York was a remarkable sight. Such a childlike innocence on her face as she caught snowflakes on her tongue, bouncing with excitement in the coffee shop when we got our orders to go, and began our walk to Central Park. Her cheeks and nose were bright pink and she was shivering slightly as we arrived, but her smile was still in place. Calm and carefree, as she should have been on a vacation.

Seeing her like that was a relief after the way the morning had started. The despair in her voice and face was unmistakable, as I could almost see her already counting down our time together. I couldn't bring myself to even think about the temporary nature of it all. And judging from the look on her face as we walked hand-in-hand through the massive expanse of the park, I could see that it was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment as well.

"I've always wanted to see this, you know," she spoke suddenly, breaking me out of my spellbound daze. "Central Park covered in snow."

"It is quite beautiful, isn't it?" I replied and she looked at me, letting go of my hand.

"Well yes, it is. But not for that," she said with a mischievous smirk, bending down to grab a fistful of snow and packing it between her gloved hands.

"You wouldn't," I gasped with wide eyes.

"Want to try me?" she giggled as she began walking backwards away from me, and then tossed a loose snowball at my chest.

I gasped slightly in surprise, glancing down to the splattered snow on my jacket. My eyes rose slowly with a raised brow to catch the playful glint in hers. "Okay, Miss Washington. You've had it," I teased, grabbing snow into my hand and stalking toward her slowly. "You don't mess with a Chicago boy when it comes to snowball fights."

She shrieked a laugh and began running as I hurled it at her, striking the seat of her jeans. "Ah shit!"

We continued throwing and dodging each other's hurdles, receiving numerous stares from the other visitors to the park that day, but I barely noticed. I hadn't felt that relaxed and happy in so long, and it only increased by the sight of Bella's smile and the sound of her laughter. Never, in all the times I'd seen her over the previous couple of months, had she looked so beautiful.

"No, Edward, don't!" she squealed as I caught her around the waist, with more snow in my hand.

"Do you surrender?" I murmured in her ear, brushing my lips lightly against her skin.

"Yes. Yes, I surrender!" she replied with panting breaths, leaning back into me.

"Good answer," I chuckled, capturing her lips in a soft kiss as my hand slid up the front of her sweater and flattening the snow against the warm skin of her stomach.

"Hey!" she exclaimed against me and I released her, walking away. "That is just wrong on so many levels, Dr. Cullen!"

I broke into a run, laughing as she chased after me and jumped on my back, toppling us over into the snow. Rolling onto my back, I looked up at her as she straddled my hips. "Dr. Cullen, huh? Is that what you'll call me when I'm in trouble?"

"Maybe. But only when you deserve it. That was completely unfair!" she replied, still unable to stop laughing.

"Well, then I guess I need to get into trouble more often," I smirked, my hands resting on her hips as I gazed at her. "I kinda like it."

"Really, Dr. Cullen?" she whispered seductively as she leaned forward to press her lips against mine and I hummed in response. Her body shifted slightly over mine and her hands rose to clasp my face, eliciting a low groan from us both, as the kiss deepened and her tongue slid along mine. Feeling myself hardening beneath her, I circled my arms around her waist and pulled her to me more firmly. And with one more roll of her hips against me, I breathlessly broke away from her lips and gazed up into her darkened eyes.

I ran my hands along her sides and gently kissed her again, attempting to calm us both. "We should probably get back to the hotel for some dry clothes and to warm up."

"I think I would have to agree with you. I'm freezing," she laughed against my lips, but her voice still held that trace of arousal. Standing up with me, she began brushing off the snow from her clothes and looked up to me again. "Hypothermia might put a damper on things, huh?"

I wrapped my arm around her, holding her close to my side as she shivered against me. Yet her smile remained in place all the way out of the park and through the whole ride back to the hotel, not once protesting against my insistence on a cab. "See, we should have taken my car."

She shook her head and looked up at me, sliding her arm around my abdomen. "I couldn't do this if you were driving."

Her lips rose to mine and her leg draped over my lap, kissing me gently but passionately. I wove my hand into her dampened hair, tilting my head slightly to deepen the kiss until the cab driver cleared his throat. Looking up, I saw that we had arrived at the hotel and I released Bella, retrieving my wallet to pay him.

She began giggling as we walked away from the car, continuing while we waited for the elevator.

"What's so funny?" I asked with a slight chuckle in my own voice, though mine was slightly confused.

"Think about it, Edward," she started and took my hand. "We just got called on making out in the back of a cab like a couple of teenagers, after having a snowball fight in Central Park. What's not funny about that?"

I rolled my eyes with a laugh as we stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for our floor. "You started it. Both times."

"I didn't hear you complaining either time," she replied at my juvenile response, placing her hand on my cheek and pulling my lips to hers. I groaned softly as her arms slid around my neck and her body pressed firmly to me, grinding against my still present erection. "In fact, I daresay you enjoyed it as much, if not more, than I did."

I growled playfully against her as the elevator dinged and she pushed off my shoulders, running down the hall toward our room. Catching up with her outside the door, I pulled her back to me and captured her lips with mine. I couldn't seem to get enough of the overwhelming need to hold and kiss her, something I'd never desired so much with any other woman. "How far did you really think you were going to get without the key?"

"Who says I wanted to get far? Maybe I just like it when you chase me," she whispered, tugging my bottom lip with her teeth.

Pressing her back against the door, I moaned into her mouth as I quickly retrieved the keycard from my back pocket. I fumbled to find the slot as her hands gripped my face and she arched slightly off the door, my arm sliding around her back when I finally heard the faint beep and turned the knob.

As she backed into the room, she grasped my jacket, pushing it off my shoulders and discarded hers onto the floor on top of it. Lifting my damp shirt up my torso, her icy fingers grazed my skin and I shivered against her touch. "We need to get you out of these wet clothes and warmed up."

"I'm working on that," she mumbled against my lips, and then gasped as my hand met the still chilled skin of her back. "Holy shit, your hands are freezing!"

"So is your skin," I replied, removing her shirt and lifting her up into my arms, her legs wrapping around me as our kiss grew more heated. I carried her into the bathroom and reached into the shower to turn the water on, feeling her hands leave my face and reach behind her to unhook her bra.

Tossing it aside, her feet lowered from around me to the floor and her fingers hurriedly unfastened my pants. The steam from the shower began clouding around us as we both worked each other out of our remaining clothing and stepped under the pulsing streams.

Her nails dragged along the skin of my shoulders as our lips met again in a hungry kiss. My need for her was becoming excruciating with each passing second as her body pressed against my erection. Sliding my hand between us, her moan resonated off the walls as I massaged her clit and her hips bucked against my touch.

"Take me, Edward," she growled, gripping my hair tightly with a feral look in her eyes. Her lips parted as my fingers thrust inside her and I smirked at her frustrated groan. "Fuck me. Now."

Turning us with my back to the stream, I spun her in my arms and grasped her breasts in my hands. Taking her lower lip between my teeth, I pressed my erection against her and she ground her ass back. "Like this, baby?"

"Yes," she panted, reaching her hand back to grip my hip.

"Doesn't sound very convincing," I murmured in her ear, gliding my hand along the dampened skin of her abdomen and between her legs. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. God, yes," she whimpered as I lightly pinched her clit between my fingers, her head falling back against my shoulder.

"Say it like you mean it," I growled, positioning myself and minutely entering her.

"Shit, fuck me, Edward!" she yelled, bracing herself on the wall in front of her, arching her hips toward me.

Covering her hands with mine and pinning them against the surface, I thrust inside her firmly and she shrieked out in pleasure. "I can't get enough of that dirty fucking mouth of yours."

"Harder. I need it harder," she strained between clenched teeth as I began moving relentlessly within her, her hands fisting beneath mine.

Just one more thing about Bella that I knew I would never tire of, even after just the few times we'd been together. She didn't hold back on voicing exactly what she wanted.

Burying myself deeper inside her with each movement, our fingers wove together as my lips pressed against her neck. She arched her back desperately toward me and I groaned loudly, biting into her shoulder gently.

"Yes. Yes yes yes," she cried out tightly with each thrust and I felt her beginning to clench around me, her legs trembling.

"Come, Bella. Fucking come," I growled, gripping her hands securely with mine.

"Oh fuck, shit!" she screamed, leaning her forehead against the tile until her body went rigid and she came around me. Panting heavily with each wave, her fingers splayed on the wall while mine tightened in restraint.

As her orgasm began to subside, her head fell back against me and turned to kiss me firmly. Her tongue grazed my lower lip before biting down on it lightly and I groaned in response. "Fuck, Bella."

"Turn me around," she growled insistently and I opened my eyes to look at her. Her wet hair clung to the skin of her face and neck, and she gazed at me with a fire in her eyes I had never seen before. I released her hands and stepped back from her, turning her to face me again. "Now kiss me."

Sliding my arms around her waist, my mouth descended to hers and I felt her foot running along my calf. Her hands held my face as our tongues met and a soft whimper sounded in her throat as I pulled her against my aching length. Tugging gently on my lips, she broke the kiss and opened her eyes to gaze into mine.

"There's something I want to do," she said in a deep, sultry tone, her fingertip running seductively along my cheek to my neck, her eyes lowering to my lips and licking her own. She looked so raw and sexy as her hand slid between us, down my chest and abdomen until I felt it wrap around me, gliding it slowly along the skin. "I got mine, you get yours."

"Baby, please," I panted heavily, wanting nothing more at that moment than to have her legs around my waist and bury myself deep within her again. She shook her head with a small smirk on her face, brushing my lips teasingly before lowering herself to kneel in front of me. "Oh fuck."

Her lips turned up more as I braced my hands against the wall and her fingers traced lightly over the tip. "No objections, I hope."

I could only shake my head as she began slowly stroking me, her mouth so close that I could feel her warm breath on my skin.

"Good, because I've been wanting to do this since the first," she whispered, barely audible through the continuous beating sound of the shower and paused to press a light kiss against the base of my length, slowly working her way up. "Moment ... I saw you."

With her final words, her lips surrounded me and my breath caught at the intense feeling of it. It wasn't the brief, frenzied motions of the night before, but slow and languid as she took me into her mouth, moaning as her eyes rose back to mine.

Watching her lips moving along me, blinking against the soft mist hitting her face from the shower, I tilted my head forward and fought to keep my eyes open despite the pleasure of it all. There was nothing in the world that could ever come close to simulating this feeling, and as much as I tried to avoid thinking about it, I already had no idea how I was going to manage to let her go come the end of the week. Sexually or otherwise.

"Oh God," I breathed out heavily as she circled her tongue around the tip before taking me fully into her mouth again, instantly distracting me from my train of thought. Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead, mingling with the water dripping from the tips of my hair. Her hands slid up my thighs to rest on my hips while my fingers threaded gently into her wet tangled hair. "Bella, I'm close."

She hummed around me, increasing her movements and gripping my sides firmly, causing me to groan loudly and every muscle in my body to tighten.

I cursed loudly through clenched teeth as her hand replaced her mouth when I pulled her away seconds before my orgasm hit. I pinched my eyes closed at her vigorous movements and finally came, removing my hand from her hair and fisting it against the wall.

When I reopened them a moment later, I caught her gaze for only a second before her lips moved back up along my body as she rose to stand in front of me. Her eyes met mine again, flickering slightly and I slid my arms around her waist. "Why'd you stop me?"

"Because I wanted to do this," I whispered, claiming her lips with mine and kissing her deeply, lifting her feet off the ground and turning us around again. Her body shivered in my embrace as the warm water hit the air-chilled skin of her back and she slid her arms around me, placing her hand on the back of my head to hold me against her.

Right there in that shower, washing each other's bodies and sneaking brief kisses, I was the happiest I could ever remember being. How was I going to let her go?

x-x-x

There was never a dull moment throughout the entire week. Her smile never ceased, whether we were doing the typical touristy things such as staring out at the Statue of Liberty, where I'd learned that her great-grandparents had first set foot in this country from Ireland on Ellis Island at the turn of the century. Or strolling around Times Square with our arms around each other. Or our daily trip to the coffee shop, where we'd sit and simply talk about everything and anything for hours at a time. I was enjoying the little things with her as much as being together every night in that bed, even the more adventurous of nights.

And before we knew it, we'd reached the last full day with each other—New Year's Eve. As far as I could tell, we'd both been successful in burying any thoughts of our eventual separation in the back of our minds. Yet, lying beside her and running my fingers gently through her hair as she slept, completely wrapped around me, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about it. The next day at that time, we would be standing at the airport saying goodbye and it would be time to return to the real world.

And I was far from ready to let her go.

How were we going to simply fall back into our lives, thousands of miles apart and knowing exactly what we were missing? The ache to touch her was excruciating before I'd actually experienced it, and after the past week, it would likely be almost unbearable. Even with her still right there beside me, I began pondering ways to see her again.

While I wouldn't be able to take a vacation again anytime soon, there was always spring break for her and we could possibly follow through on her visit to Chicago. She'd seemed excited by the prospect when I'd mentioned it earlier in the week, and having her there with me—even for that short a time—was something I looked forward to.

"Why so serious?" her sleep-laden voice carried up to me, breaking me from my thoughts. I gazed down at her as her finger began tracing along the line of my jaw, and I conjured a smile. "Thinking about tomorrow?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head and leaning down to kiss her gently. She propped her chin on her hand that was resting on my chest, tilting her head in disbelief. "Yes."

She chuckled sadly, sliding up my body and caressing my cheek with her hand. "We promised, Edward. And it's not over yet."

Kissing me chastely, she smiled as she pulled away and rested her forehead against mine.

"Now, let's get up. I'm starving after last night, not to mention having horrible morning breath," she giggled, pecking my lips quickly and moving away, dodging my attempts to pull her back. Rolling onto my stomach, I groaned into the pillow as she stood from the bed and turned my head back to look at her. As she wrapped the sheet around her naked body, she blew me a kiss over her shoulder as she hurried into the bathroom.

An hour later, we sat at the coffee shop and I watched as she eagerly ate her bagel.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" she asked as she wiped the trace amount of cream cheese from her lips with her napkin.

"Well, since it's my turn to choose the activities," I started, chuckling as she glared playfully across the table at me. "We have a boat to catch at eleven."

"A boat?" she inquired, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"Yes, now come on. We don't want to miss it," I replied, standing up and taking her hand.

"You realize it's freezing out, right?" she argued and I looked down at her quirking an eyebrow. "Don't even start on my sleeping habits."

x-x-x

I stood behind her at the railing, my arms around her waist and my chin resting on her shoulder as we gazed at the incredible view of Manhattan. The cold wind blew against her face, causing her nose and cheeks to redden, and her eyes closed as she rested back against me.

"You want to go inside?" I asked quietly, pressing my lips against her shoulder.

She shook her head slowly and opened her eyes, but didn't look over to me. Instead, her gaze remained locked on the scenery in front of her. She was silent for several minutes, running her gloved hand along my arm and then pressed it more firmly against her.

"I don't want to go back," she spoke suddenly, leaning her head to the side to rest against mine, while still keeping her eyes forward.

"We have to, baby," I whispered as I raised my head, pressing my lips against her hair. "You have school and I have work, all waiting back home for us. We'll see each other again soon, I promise."

She finally turned her head to look at me, her eyes gazing intently into mine. "Getting on that plane doesn't end this."

Her tone as she spoke surprised me. It wasn't a question, nor was it a demand. Soft, yet firm. It was a request for affirmation from me.

"No, getting on that plane doesn't end this," I agreed and her hand reached back to my cheek, guiding my lips to meet hers.

A huff from behind us reminded us that we weren't alone, even though the kiss was exceedingly innocent in comparison to what we were capable of, even in public. Glancing back, we saw an elderly woman quickly look away and move to the railing several feet down.

Bella turned to lean her back against the metal bar, sliding her arms around my waist and gazing up at me. "This view is far more appealing than a bunch of buildings."

"Oh really?" I replied, smirking as she bit her lip and nodded, tightening her arms around me and tilting her head back. "All this beautiful scenery, the sun shining, the birds ... squawking ..."

"Shut up and kiss me, Edward," she interrupted me sharply and I couldn't contain my laugh as I leaned down, capturing her lips passionately with mine, no longer caring about our location. Her soft moan against me as she pulled me closer caused another heavy sigh from the woman, who then stormed back inside.

"You're about as mature as an eight year old sometimes, you know that?" I mumbled against her lips, shaking my head as I gazed at her.

"And what does that say about you for playing along?" she retorted, her brow lifted as I sighed and rolled my eyes. But soon, her smile fell again and her hand came to my cheek, her eyes running over my face. "Let's just go back to the room after this."

"Bella?"

"I'm not getting emo on you or anything. I just want to go back. Order room service, lie in bed, and not move for the rest of the night. Well, mostly," she chuckled softly, looking down for a brief moment before returning her gaze to me. "I just really want one night of only us. No restaurants, no crowds. Just you, me, some food, and a television."

"You got it," I whispered, kissing her gently and then hugging her against my chest.

x-x-x

As the sun began to set outside the window, Bella and I sat on the floor at the foot of the bed in our robes, staring up at the television and eating our dinner. We continued to talk and laugh until 11:30 when we changed the channel, watching the New Year's Eve celebration that was taking place down below us on the street.

Standing up, we walked to opposite sides of the bed, gazing at each other as we slowly discarded our robes and slid under the covers. Silently moving toward the center of the bed, our eyes never wavered as our lips met and I wrapped my arms around her. Despite the fact that we'd been intimate twice already since returning to the hotel, the fire was reigniting for both of us.

But I didn't want to ever rush anything with her, especially sex.

"Baby, it's gonna be midnight soon," I whispered against her lips and she looked up at me, nodding her head and turning over to face the window. Pulling my arm around her middle, she rested her head on my other arm while my hand played lightly with her hair.

As the minutes ticked by, I realized exactly how much I would miss this. Feeling her beside me, the scent of her skin and hair surrounding me as I held her close. The soft sounds of her breathing and the gentle touch of her fingers along my arm as her back pressed against me. She was exactly the kind of woman I'd been waiting for, the only one who could fulfill every one of my desires. While at the same time, possessing the nurturing soul beneath that made her unmistakably feminine and desirable. She was perfect.

I was going to miss her.

I felt a tear fall on my bicep and I lifted my head slightly to look at her, watching her wipe it away with her hand. "It'll be fine, Bella."

She nodded, turning her face to look at me and kissed me gently. "I know. I just can't believe our week is gone."

I pressed my lips to hers, pulling her back against me more securely and her head rested back on my shoulder. I felt her fingers in my hair as her tongue slid between my lips, grazing mine and anxiously returning my kiss. Our breaths became heavy and our bodies heated quickly, and we parted with our foreheads resting together. "Come to Chicago for spring break."

Her fingernails traced lightly down my neck as her eyes searched mine, slowly twirling a piece of my hair. "You're serious."

"Extremely," I whispered, brushing her lips lightly with mine and gazing into her eyes again. "Will you at least think about it?"

"Yes," she replied distractedly with a slow nod, her hand halting on my neck before she blinked and shook her head. "I mean, yes. I'd love to. I'll be there."

I smiled, burying my face in her neck and holding her against me, feeling her lips press against my hair.

"One condition," she said and I brought my eyes back to hers. "I buy my ticket. Since there's more notice next time."

"Deal," I laughed with a nod.

Ten... nine... eight... seven... six...

The countdown began on the television and her fingers laced with mine underneath her head, while her other hand traced my cheek.

"Five... four..." she whispered softly, inching closer to my lips.

"Three... two..." I continued, feeling her gentle breath ghosting over my skin.

"One. Happy New Year," we said in unison and our lips sealed together in a passionate kiss.