Final Project

XV.

What Tori saw when she stepped outside the bathroom was not what she was expecting at all. She thought she'd see Beck still drying his hair…maybe just taking off his wet boots…maybe even still standing over by the window. But oh…oh, he was still standing by the window. And he had already gotten past the point of taking his boots off. And his hair was going to have to dry the rest of the way on its own. Because the towel she threw at him was now around his waist.

And only the towel…

Her breath caught in her throat when she got a full view of him. He was turned away from her, but even then, he was a sight to behold. His back was just as toned and tanned as his face, and with his arms crossed over his chest, his shoulder blades protruded in such a way that somehow made him sexier.

"Are you in bed yet?" He suddenly asked, though not turning around.

His question made her jump and she pressed herself against the wall by the bathroom door. She death-gripped her towel, figuring it would be the worst thing ever if she dropped it, even if he wasn't looking at her. But the fact was, he wasn't planning on turning around until she got into her safe, comfortable zone. But she couldn't bring her feet to move…

"Um…" she stuttered out, wondering what in the hell got into her. You're practically giving him the chance to turn around and see you! WHY! Why are trying to present an opportunity? She bit her bottom lip, and tensed up even more when he got tired of waiting for an answer, so turned around anyway.

However, he didn't seem as surprised as she thought he would when his eyes landed on her. But just because he was staring at her practically naked, she felt a need to bring out her comedian side to try to ignore the situation at hand. With a shaky hand, she pushed some hair behind her ear, "Don't you know that people can probably see you?" She laughed shortly.

Beck grinned and shrugged, "Eh, they can stare if they really want to. Doesn't bother me any."

Tori rolled her eyes, but kept her smile, "You're such a playboy."

Beck looked confused, "A playboy? But I'm not wealthy…or irresponsible…or promiscuous…"

For a second, Tori thought about correcting him (because technically, he was being irresponsibly promiscuous with her), but simply shook her head and looked down, her hair covering her blushing face, "Right, I don't know why I said that."

Beck laughed and she heard him begin to walk toward her, "Hey, I was just teasing 'cause you were. But uhh…." He stopped when he was a few feet away from her, "Do we have the world's quietest hairdryer in here or something?"

Oh…crap! Totally forgot about drying my clothes. She had been so worried about her reentrance that she forgot what the main purpose of her stripping down was. And here she could have spent about twenty minutes drying them and they might have even been okay to wear to bed…her shirt at least.

Beck laughed at her array of facial expressions, "So you just want me to dry our clothes as you get some sleep?"

Tori began to smile at his small gesture, but then looked terrified all over again. Before he could even move to get his clothes that he hung on the small rack, she grabbed his forearm, "No! No you don't have to do that…" God, how embarrassing would that be if he dried my panties and bra…

"Hey, I'm just kidding," He grabbed her hand that she first grabbed him with, rubbing her palm with his thumb, "Why you so jumpy?"

"I'm not!" She instantly went on the defense, her eyes widening when she realized she really was acting like a spaz.

"Tori, Tori…" Beck stepped closer to her, still holding onto her hand as he brought both their hands up to his chest, "Relax, you're tenser than an actor who's about to perform for the first time."

About to perform for the first time… Those words took on a whole different meaning to Tori than what Beck intended, and she blushed even harder when she recognized that she, Tori Vega, was thinking dirty.

"I can help if you want…" Beck continued when he didn't see a change in her. He took another step closer so he was directly in front of her. The hand of hers that he was holding he left on his chest, while his now free hand brushed her hair over her shoulder, his fingers grazing against her neck.

So, of course, she tensed up even more. She swallowed hard and tried her hardest not to make her laugh sound stupid, "I think you're making it worse…"

Beck tilted his head slightly to the side and put his forehead to hers. He cocked his head up a bit, causing her to do the same. Her eyes were already only half open, and he could see her lips part slightly in anticipation for his.

He kissed her softer than she was expecting…and it somehow made her desire for him grow. His hand that was on her shoulder, and his other hand that was caressing her cheek…they were both just as soft as his kiss. Her poor mind was whirling about why this was.

We're both standing here with only a couple towels between us…and he's kissing me like we're in front of my parents or something! I know when Andre wanted to start something, everything would get hot and passionate pretty quick…

When Beck began to pull away from the kiss, her flustered nervousness and curiosity made her, without thinking, pull him back in for another, more zealous kiss. She felt Beck smile and heard him chuckle shortly at this, and it made her wonder what he was thinking…was he making fun of her?

But then she felt him press his body firmer against hers and it caused her to moan quietly from the contact. He took this as an opportunity for their tongues to meet, and it caused her stomach to tighten with anticipation…

They both tasted like the jasmine tea they drank at the restaurant, and they both smelled like rain. They were both certain they would never again think about one of those things without the other.

She tangled her hands in his hair, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be holding her towel in place. Because they were still so close, however, the towel didn't budge. Tori gasped for air when he suddenly tore his lips from hers, immediately kissing down to her chin, then over to her neck, biting down gently on her soft skin.

She arched her head to the side to give him better access, also slamming herself against the wall behind her from the extreme intensity her body was feeling. His hand traveled down to her hip before he moved it slightly down and behind her (at least as far behind as he could go with her body pressed against the wall), and she felt his fingers on the back of her thighs…

She was beginning to undergo a plethora of sensations she never before felt, and her mind jumped on a tilt-a-whirl that she never wanted to get off of. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes squeezed shut as these feelings took over, and she couldn't even stop his name that flowed out of her mouth in a voice that she never knew she had…

And then he stopped. His lips stopped attacking her neck, and his hands stopped roaming. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. Her chest was rising and falling like she was out of breath and the whole thing was just too much for her. Her hair was starting to air dry, which caused it to become a sexy mess all over the place.

Beck smiled and kissed her gently on the lips again, "You're beautiful." And that was the only thing he said before he grabbed his clothes and then walked into the bathroom. And Tori was left standing there against the wall…still flustered, but now equally as confused and embarrassed. She had just totally let herself go and then…then he just stops like it never even happened?

She heard the hairdryer start and she peaked around the corner to see, since he didn't close the door, Beck, with his back to her, drying his clothes.

After all that…and he just dries his clothes? Honestly, she felt like yelling. What's wrong with me? What happened? But she was way too self-conscious now to even start the questions. So she walked briskly over to the bed and tucked herself tightly under the covers so he wouldn't be able to see any of her when he came out. She turned on her side and stuck her face in a pillow, forcing herself not to scream or cry.

In the bathroom…Beck was so turned on he could hardly stand it. And him standing there with a hair dryer in his hands was not really helping the situation anyway, but what else was he supposed to do? He couldn't go any further with Tori…

But damn how he wanted to…

If it was under any other circumstance, he would have taken her right then and there. She made it pretty obvious that she wanted him too, but…

But would she want him tomorrow? Would she have regretted wanting him so badly?

These were the questions running through his mind. He could tell that Tori was still having somewhat of a hard time accepting that she was cheating on her boyfriend (and what decent girl wouldn't?), and he had to remember what they talked about the night before. If he made her feel guilty about just kissing him…how would he make her feel if he went any further with her? Even if she was feeling it tonight…morning time always shines a whole new light on every situation. And then what? She'll hate him for seducing her? Their two week plan will end in an instant because she doesn't even want to look at him anymore?

And so even though he was more turned on now than he had been in a very, very long time…he really had to think about the after with Tori. She holds everything that happens to her so close to her heart, that she has a hard time trying to grasp everything as a whole right away, and only focuses on one instant that may or may not change everything. That's not to say she takes things personally (that would be a more Jade-like trait)…Tori just cares too much, is all.

Which then made him think…Oh shit, what is she thinking right now…? I just stopped everything and left her… He turned off the hair dryer and looked into the room, seeing her facing away from him under the covers. He sighed. Shit!! So as not to make her feel bad tomorrow, he made her feel bad tonight. Smooth, Oliver…real smooth.

Leaving his clothes for now, he walked over and sat on the side of the bed. She was still facing away from him, for he knew that she would look at him if she wanted to, "Tori, I'm really sorry…"

Tori sighed heavily, for by this point, she was beginning to tell herself it was for the best anyway, "It's fine. One of us had to stop it."

And she cringed at her words. She remembered there being plenty of times when Andre used those exact words on her. And now that she was on the opposite side…she knew those words were only half the truth. If you want someone so bad and yet they stop you…it's not fine.

"Yeah, but…" Beck ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't have to stop it like that. I was just worried about how you might feel afterward. I don't want to put you in a tougher position than—."

"I know. Thanks, Beck," she said, shortly yet sincerely. She didn't know why she lost her mind and willpower around him, or why she enjoyed that high feeling that he gave her…but she did know that all of those things were pretty powerful and dangerous.

She felt him get up from the bed and go back into the bathroom. She hugged her pillow closer to her. I still want him more than anything…

Let's take a hop, skip, and a leap over to Argentina, shall we…?

Andre was sitting in his hotel room with his guitar on his lap and a pen and paper beside him. His partner had gotten sick the night before (they assumed it was food poisoning since he wanted to eat at that restaurant that Andre told him not to) and was still pretty sick today. So even though it was one in the afternoon on a bright, sunny day, Andre just didn't feel like going out by himself. So he figured he would try to write a new song while randomly trying to video chat Tori, hoping at one point that she'd finally answer.

But when his computer started blooping to indicate he had an incoming video chat request, he did not try to kill himself as he fell over a chair trying to reach his computer only to see:

Call from: Jade

"What in the world…?" Andre questioned out loud, Jade being the last person he expected a call from.

But when he clicked on the accept button and Jade's sour face came on his screen, he forced a smile, "Hey, Jade! How you liking good ol' England?"

"Yeah, it's whatever, hey have you talked to Tori lately?" She got right to the point.

Andre looked taken aback, "Um…it's been almost two days now since—."

"It has been two days since I talked to Beck! First, he hangs up on me, and then he never answers my calls," Jade counted off on her fingers, looking like she would actually break them if they weren't her own. It made Andre glad that they weren't in the same room.

Andre situated the chair he tripped over in front of the computer so he could sit down, "I'm uhh…sorry to hear that? But I don't know why you're call—."

"I think Beck and Vega are messing around," Jade said, straight-to-the-point again. She was always good at that, at least.

Andre looked completely taken aback by her accusation, but then relaxed fairly quickly. This was Jade he was talking to…she's been saying that for how long now? Putting on a calm, carefree smile, Andre shook his head, "Jade, you don't have anything to—."

She cut him off again, "Oh, come on! Stop being so blind and thinking that your girlfriend is little Miss Perfect! She's over there in Japan seducing my boyfriend and we need to stop them!"

His eyebrows narrowed, her words not only tainting Tori's image, but angering him as well for talking about his girlfriend that way, "Hey! Just because Beck doesn't want to talk to you doesn't mean he's doing anything with Tori, okay!"

Jade laughed bitterly, "You're being pathetic! No one has heard from either one of them in two days!"

He shook his head again, "Two days is nothing..."

Jade got closer to the screen, "Yeah, you won't be saying that when it turns into two weeks! You need to get your precious girlfriend under control!"

Andre sighed. He hated having to deal with Jade's insecurities because, first and foremost, it wasn't his job to deal with them! "Jade, I don't need you trying to put shit into my head. It's hard enough that we're all in different countries and—."

"Beck and…that aren't in different countries," Jade spat, obvious anger raging through her veins.

Andre felt his face heat up, "Okay, look Jade, I'm already tired of hearing you talk about Tori like that. It's not like you can do anything about it right now even if it was happening! So you might as well just relax and trust them."

Jade glared daggers at him, "You won't be saying that when you go back to Hollywood only to realize they've been screwing each other behind our backs!" She leaned closer to the screen again, fire burning in her eyes, "But you better not run to me for advice when that happens."

And then she closed the chat and Andre was stuck staring at a "Call Ended" sign. He instantly got up from the chair, knocked it over with great force, and paced around his room. How dare Jade accuse all that without even knowing a single fact! Just because neither Beck nor Tori had called anyone in the last few days doesn't mean they are doing anything. Maybe they just traveled somewhere and didn't bring their laptops…or maybe their hotel lost internet connection…or maybe—

Angrily, he slammed his fist against the wall. Damn Jade for making him think and get worried over her damn insecurities! He couldn't have been more glad that Tori helped him get over Jade than at that moment. He couldn't even imagine trying to put up with a girl like her!

He was feeling so many negative emotions that he had to write it down or it was going to drive him insane. He flopped down on the bed and grabbed his guitar and pen, already scribbling words onto the paper.

Prove her wrong, Tori…

By the next morning, Beck and Tori couldn't have been happier that there were no hard feelings between them. They both just knew when it was time to let it go and move forward, and quite honestly, now that it was morning, Tori was pretty glad they didn't do anything. It still left that excitement…that chase…between them.

And they both laughed when they still couldn't get ahold of Shiori. Which meant they were still on their own. But they got into the taxicab anyway, but told the driver to stop once they traveled for about a half an hour, only to realize that they went into a totally different direction (they think). The driver recognized it when they told him "Tokyo" but Tokyo is a big place…the exact location was impossible to translate.

So they decided to enjoy their lost-ness a little bit longer. They somehow ended up at a temple, a museum, and a huge market. They thought about getting a different pair of clothing, but didn't find anything they would be comfortable wearing around the city.

They continued to call Shiori, but continued to get no answer. Somehow, however, through pure luck, they eventually traveled back into an area that they both recognized and were then able to find their hotel. It was a little after seven at night when they succeeded in their search, and they were laughing at this in front of Tori's room.

"I was beginning to think we'd never find our way back," Tori said, easily slipping her arms around his shoulders when he wrapped his around her waist.

"I wouldn't have minded," he grinned, swaying their bodies slowly as they prepared themselves for a brief separation.

Tori wrinkled her nose, "Yeah, but we would have started smelling really bad…" She tilted her head to sniff herself, pinching her face up, "Actually, I think we already do."

"It is definitely shower time," he gave her a short kiss before walking toward his room, "I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

She nodded before entering her room as well. Though it was fun being lost with Beck, coming back to something familiar was somewhat of a relief. Walking around her bed to get to her suitcase, she spotted her closed computer on the floor. She had put it there two nights ago when Beck stayed over, and she had completely forgot about it before they left.

And she wanted to continue forgetting about it…but she knew ignoring it would not help matters any. Nervously, she picked up her computer and opened it. Once she started it again, her eyes widened with the amount of alerts on her screen:

16 Missed Calls

23 New Messages

2 New Video Messages

"Oh man…" she groaned. When she clicked on the first link, she found that 12 missed calls were from Andre, 3 were from Cat, and 1 was from Jade. All the new messages were from Andre and Cat, just asking where she was and why she wasn't answering. The one video message was from Andre, telling her he was worried about her, and the one video message was from Cat, telling her that Jade was hounding her with questions about Tori.

"But I didn't tell her anything," Cat whispered mischievously before giggling and ending her message with a loud, "Byyyeeee!"

Tori groaned again and dropped to her knees by her bed. She stretched her arms out on the bed, her hands clasping together. She hid her face in between her arms as she stared down at the carpet. Now Jade's dragging Cat into this…?

She almost jumped out of her skin when her computer started blooping. She looked at the screen to see:

Call from: Cat

Tori answered immediately, "Cat!"

Cat gasped with exaggeration, "Tori! I never thought I'd see your face again!"

Tori contorted her face to look completely apologetic, "Cat, I am so sorry that Jade's been bugging you about me. Beck and I got lost yesterday and—."

"Oh no!" Cat looked worried, "Did you guys get unlost?"

Tori nodded, "Yeah, that's how I'm talking to you now."

"Oh my God, Tori, you'll never believe it!" Cat's eyes widened and she got closer to the screen, "I'm not the smallest person in China!" She giggled, then held up a small white cat ornament that waved its paw back and forth, "And isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

Tori smiled, having missed Cat's carefree vibe, "It is pretty cute."

"I know," Cat kissed her ornament. Then her eyes suddenly took on that huge innocence they get when she was about to ask a question she was truly curious about, "Why have you and Beck been avoiding everyone?"

Tori shook her head, "We haven't! Like I told you, we got lost and couldn't find our way back here…"

Almost seeming like she didn't even hear Tori say that, Cat continued, "'Cause Jade's been pretty mad. She said she even called Andre to see what he knew."

The color in Tori's face drained, "She talked to Andre? What did she tell him?"

Cat shrugged, "I dunno, I wasn't there."

Tori folded her lips in, knowing that she had to ask the right questions with Cat, "Well, did Jade tell you what she told him?"

"Yes."

Tori waited a few seconds for her to continue, but when she didn't, she gripped her laptop, "Cat! What did she tell him!"

Cat sighed, suddenly looking very nervous. She fidgeted in her seat and hit her ornament's paw a few times to really get it waving, "Just that she thinks you and Beck are…you know…" she leaned closer and shielded her mouth like someone else was going to hear, "doing stuff."

Tori felt her body heat up this time, her mind going momentarily blank, "She said that…?"

Cat nodded solemnly, but then cheered up just as quick, "Hey, I posted some pics on TheSlap! Did you see them yet?"

Tori blinked as she stared at her, wondering how she can be so cheerful. Oh yeah, 'cause she doesn't have anything to worry about it… Slowly, Tori shook her head and said in a dull voice, "No, not yet…"

Cat looked concerned, "You okay, Tori?" But before Tori could answer, Cat practically yelled, "Oh, Robbie's calling me! Call Andre and I'll talk to you later, kk?" She then blew Tori a kiss and ended the call.

Tori turned herself around and sank from her knees to her butt as she stared blankly into space. Jade's already gotten to Andre? And now she probably put the thought into his head and…She had to stop. She couldn't even blame Jade on this one. And really, Jade was only telling Andre the truth, even if she didn't one-hundred percent know it yet. She, Tori, was the one that was lying to everyone.

Pushing herself from the floor, she went into the bathroom, ready to take a shower before she called Andre.

I need to end this…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

End what? No one knows…yet….

So first off, I want to apologize for the delay. Over the next few weeks, updating still may be a bit slow, because I have tons of assignments and exams coming up. That's why I was trying hard to update fast before, cause I knew this was gonna happen. So I also apologize for the slightly…crappy chapter. I'm facing a little bit of writer's block, too, but I'm sure it's just cause I have so much school work to think about. Once all that's outta the way, I should go back to normal.

But anyway, you guys gave me TONS of good ideas for the upcoming chapters. A few of you asked them to bang (sorry, not yet), some of you asked for them not to bang yet (here you go!), some asked for a Cat scene (sorry it was kinda short, but there'll be more), and some asked for Andre's POV and even some Jandre. I can't promise anything on that last one. Some of you expressed concerns that if Beck and Tori did bang, that she'd get pregnant. Do no worry about that. I do not like when characters get pregnant just like that. It adds in all different problems, and I'm just not looking to go there. Besides…they're only 18. I don't wanna do that to them.

So as always, thanks for all the awesome reviews! You guys rock!

Enula