So thanks again for all the love! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! ~ Katie

Christian

There it was. What he had been waiting for since he had left her in the dressing room. Why he had sat so long on the steps after walking out of the theater. When he had heard her calling his name, begging him to wait, he knew he had made the right decision. Even though he had met her with a less than cheerful reply, he was relieved that she had chased after him. It gave him hope that she still loved him, still wanted to be with him. It comforted him to think that there was still a chance to make things right.

The look on her face and the urgency in her voice as she poured her heart out, filled him with an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time. Before he could stop himself, his lips were on hers. He slowly lowered his hands from her face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He missed this. Holding her, kissing her like he needed her to breathe. Feeling the softness of her skin against his, a growing warmth spreading quickly through his body. He could feel her heart beating against his chest and it made his heart race faster. It was exhilarating! He didn't want it to end. He wished he could freeze time and stay in this moment with her forever! Not to sound cheesy, but it was true. When he was with her, everything seemed to fall into place. He knew where he belonged, he knew where he wanted to be.

What a jerk had had been! He had ruined it all, hurt Tara so much, wasted so much time when he could have been with her! Why had he gotten so angry? Why had he let such a small and insignificant thing get in the way of his happiness? How did he think being away from her would have been better? That Kat could have filled the huge hole she had left behind? Looking back, he knew now that he had never felt that way about Kat. Sure he had loved her, still did, but not like this. Never like this. He had wanted to because he knew how much Kat had loved him. But the truth was he had used her, latched on quickly, thinking that being with her would instantly fix everything. That it would somehow help him forget his feelings for Tara.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, ending their kiss. He watched her as she slowly opened her eyes, and looked up at him, her stare filled with the love that he had hoped she still felt for him. It gave him a sense of acceptance, contentment. Like no matter what, he wasn't alone, which was all he had ever wanted. They stood there in silence. Not the awkward silence that had plagued them for most of the year, but a silence that meant something more. Something special. Like they didn't have to say anything because they knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"What was that for?" She asked shyly after a few moments.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you not want me to kiss you? Could've fooled me." He smirked. She had never been a good liar. She wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her. It was so obvious. The only reason he had waited so long in the first place was because he wanted her to say it. Three words that would change everything. But in the end, she didn't need to. He just knew.

"Christian! Don't be mean!" She scolded, fighting to keep a straight face. She tried to break free from his grasp, but he held her tight, unwilling to let her go.

"Where do you think you're going, Training Bra?" He teased, a wide smile spreading across his face. Her cheeks reddened yet again but she seemed resigned to letting him hold her. As if she had a choice. She was strong, but he was stronger. This was the first time in a long time that they had been this close and he wasn't going to waste it. He wasn't going to let her escape so easily.

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He leaned in again, anticipating the warmth of her kiss sending shivers down his spine. His lips were just brushing against hers when she pulled back.

"Christian, wait. We need to talk about this."

"Haven't we done enough talking? I thought this was what you wanted Tara!" He couldn't help feeling annoyed. Hadn't he waited long enough? She made him believe she still loved him, still wanted to be with him! He had kissed her for crying out loud! And she had kissed him back! What else was there to talk about? This was crazy! How could he be angry with her and want to kiss her at the same time? It didn't make any sense! Only she could make him feel so happy one minute and so irritated the next.

"Of course it is! It's what I've wanted all year! But there's a reason it didn't work out before. We need to talk to each other, to come up with some sort of plan so we don't keep hurting each other!"

He could see the tears in her eyes and he knew she was telling the truth. She wanted this to work just as much as he did. His anger started to fade and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He hated seeing her cry. He always had such a short temper. It was always easier to blame other people for his problems than take responsibility for them. And he had blamed Tara for so much when, in reality, it had been all him. He was the reason they had broken up. He was the reason he had been so miserable. Instead of being grateful for having someone who cared so much about him that she would try so hard to help him, he had thrown it all away. As if none of it mattered.

But it did. It mattered so much. The fact that Tara knew all about his past and the stupid stuff he had done before coming to the academy, and still wanted to be with him, meant more than he could say.

"When we were together, it was like you became part of me. Like some sort of puzzle piece that I didn't know was missing. I know it sounds silly but I guess that's why I tried so hard to find your dad. You mean so much to me. I thought if you and your dad got to know each other and worked things out, you could be happy and would stop blaming yourself for all of the bad things that had happened to you. I'm sorry I pushed so hard, but it didn't make sense to me. Why he left, why he gave up a chance to be in your life."

"Tara, stop!" He knew where this was going and he didn't want to hear yet again how special he was. He knew that she was going to start singing his praises. She thought too well of him. She always had. She put him on a pedestal, making him out to be better than he was. He didn't deserve such attention. He didn't deserve to be told over and over again that he was worth it, that he had so much potential, blah blah blah.

"No Christian I won't stop! You're worth knowing! No matter what happened in the past, how much trouble you got into, whatever problems we've had, you need to know that. I am so happy that you're in my life, that I met you. It might not have all been smooth sailing but I don't regret any of it. You're so special and it breaks my heart that you can't see that. And I wanted your dad to see it too. Let him see all that he had missed out on, all that he could have been a part of. I guess I got a little carried away."

His head was spinning. Why did she have such faith in him? What had he ever done to earn such support? He couldn't wrap his head around it. After everything he had put her through, all the horrible things he had said and done, she was still here, still defending him, still helping him. He didn't deserve this! She was too good for him, but he had always known that.

He had never understood why she had chosen him. Him. Over Sammy, over Ethan. Over everyone else. Even though he knew her and Sammy had only ever been friends, he had always been jealous of their closeness, their automatic connection. Effortless and natural. Like they didn't have to try. It just was.

Ethan was a whole different story. He had been jealous of Ethan too, but in a completely different way. Ethan was everything he wasn't. Popular, confident, charming… rich. Easily attracting attention from all the right people. Including Tara. It was easy to see how taken she was by him. Which was silly because she didn't even know him. Granted neither did he, but he had heard things in the locker rooms. The way he'd play with girls' emotions, string them along, make them believe they were the most important person in the world. Then, out of nowhere, he would end it, leaving the girls heartbroken with some bogus explanation. The "It's not you, it's me" type of thing. He was such a good schmoozer that you didn't see it coming, until it was too late.

He had wanted to tell Tara, but he was never able to find the right way to say it. He felt guilty for not warning her but he had been in no position to judge. And she had seemed so happy. Besides, if Kat couldn't talk her out of it, then no one could.

He couldn't help but laugh. She was so stubborn! She wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do! She was stronger than most people gave her credit for. She went after what she wanted, regardless of what the outcome might be. She had never been able to leave well enough alone. She never gave up on anyone. She kept fighting for the people she cared about, no matter what.

"What's so funny?" She tilted her head to the side. He could see the wheels turning as she tried to figure it out.

"Just you," he shrugged. It was true. It wasn't hard to find something about her to laugh at. She definitely had a talent for embarrassing herself.

"Oh really? Well, I'm glad you find me so entertaining." She replied sarcastically.

"Never a dull moment with you Training Bra! That's one of the things I love about you-"

Before he could continue, she inhaled sharply and her eyes widened.

"What?" He was confused. Surely, she had to know the truth by now!

"Christian… did you just say..." He watched her as she let his words sink in.

Taking a deep breath in, he took her face in his hands again and looked straight into her eyes, willing her to understand. He didn't want to leave her with any doubt. He needed her to know exactly how he felt.

"Yes I did, Tara. And I mean it. I love you."