Tanya followed Adam up the walkway to this parents' house, stopping to pull out her phone as he fumbled with the key. "I'm just going to text Kat to let her know where I am," she explained.
He opened the door, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to lead her inside. "My folks are probably asleep by now, but we can hang out in my room so we don't disturb them."
"You said you've been here about a month. Are you staying in your old room?" she asked.
He nodded as he started to climb up the stairs. "They accepted my application for my top choice in apartments, so I'll be moving in like two weeks."
"Where's that?"
"Up town from here. On River Road, near the park." He flicked on the lights and shut the door behind them.
Tanya sucked in a breath, covering her face with her hands.
"What is it?" He asked, his brow furrowed. "Is something wrong?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing. Just….. it's exactly how I remember it," she said quietly, taking in the karate trophies, band posters, pile of books sitting on top of the bookcase and the green and black plaid comforter on his bed. "All those hours we spent studying in your room, and it's exactly the same," she mused.
She turned to him with a soft smile. "Now it's just like old times."
He grinned that charming, boyish smile that she knew so well. "Well, if you're really feeling that nostalgic, I could use some help planning my curriculum for that class I'm teaching for Tommy at the university."
She wrinkled her nose. "Nah, I'm good."
He laughed. "What do you wanna do, watch a movie or something?"
"That depends on if you're still obsessed with horror and karate movies," she said with an eyebrow raised.
He shrugged. "We could do whatever you want," he said. "Or….."
She looked up at him.
"We could finish that dance," he suggested, a little shyly.
"But there's no music," she said, already moving closer to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist and clasped her hand in his.
He started to hum softly to the tune of the song they'd swayed to and she smiled, snuggling into him. "I think I was right here," she murmured, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"I think you were too," he said softly, holding her hand against his chest.
She sighed softly, breathing in his familiar scent and feeling his warmth.
"This whole time here… it's all been like magic," she said, her voice quiet.
"I know what you mean," Adam murmured, resting his cheek on her forehead.
She leaned her head up to look at him, meeting his warm gaze and suddenly they weren't dancing anymore.
Her heart was pounding in her ears and she felt butterflies fluttering around in her stomach and for a moment it was no surprise to her at all that he still gave her butterflies.
He looked at her intently, as if waiting for her to say something and she swallowed nervously.
"Um, should we talk about this?" He asked, his voice almost a whisper.
She shook her head. "I can't…. I-I don't know…"
"Come on Tanya, it's me," he said, reaching out a hand to touch her face. "You can tell me anything."
"Like… how being back here has made me realize a few things about myself? And how I don't want to leave on Tuesday and I still have feelings for you?" She said softly.
His eyes searched her face for a moment, taking in her confession and then he was leaning forward, gently tilting her head back with both hands on her face and kissing her, much harder than he'd intended to do.
She was frozen in place for a moment, her hands grasping his arms and then she was kissing him back, with all the emotion and longing she'd been feeling since she'd taken her first step back in Angel Grove and embraced him back at the Youth Center.
"Adam…. It's always been you," she said when they finally pulled apart.
"I've always loved you," he whispered before kissing her again.
She moved her hands up his arms, letting her fingers get tangled in his slightly overgrown locks and reveling in the way her own hair felt in his hands and then he pulled her closer, crushing her against his body and she couldn't recall a time when he'd ever kissed her this desperately and she opened her mouth against him, letting him devour her as she pressed her hands to the back of his head.
He lowered his mouth, kissing hungrily down her neck and making her feel things she'd never felt before as his mouth started to wander lower.
"Adam," she breathed.
"Sorry," he mumbled, raising his head to look at her and breaking the contact between his lips and her skin. "I'm sorry. I'm stopping."
She looked at him, her eyes wide and her arms still entangled with his. "What if I don't want you to?" She whispered shakily.
"Then I won't," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear as he lowered his head to kiss the other side of her neck.
She pressed herself further into him and she could feel his interest as they continued to kiss heatedly, chest to chest and she let him lower her into his bed as their wandering hands slipped under loose clothing.
"Tanya," he murmured breathlessly as he lowered his hand, touching her where he'd never touched her before and sucking in a breath as he felt her hand at the front of his pants.
She pulled her face slightly away from his long enough to whisper "Do you have anything-?"
He nodded, his face flushed and lips swollen from their kissing. "In the nightstand," he said, his voice almost cracking as he reached into the drawer.
She heard the tear of the package as he continued to kiss her, his hands on her body and she let him lean over her, clutching onto him tightly as she gave in to his push and pull.