Hilary turned around…it was Tyson, standing in the doorway looking at her. She didn't know whether to be glad or angry, glad because she missed him so much when he was gone or angry because he had burst in on her without knocking – honestly, she could have been doing anything, it was lucky she hadn't got changed yet. In the end though gladness won, there was really no way anger could win, after all it was more than just relief at Tyson finally being back that was making Hilary glad, there was so much else too, things that she always felt unable to share, but she felt them nonetheless.

"Oh, hi Tyson" she said. Her voice was unusually quiet and she wondered why that was, there was just something about being alone with Tyson these days that seemed to have this effect on her.

Tyson for his part simply looked at her. She seemed even more beautiful than normal now, framed in the moonlight shining through the open curtains behind her, her hair down for once and long too, longer than he remembered it, framing her cheeks.

"Why don't you come in? Where've you been anyways?" Hilary asked, giving him that familiar suspicious look that he had grown more and more fond of over time. "It's almost ten pm."

"Erm…just bouncing on the streets for something… " Tyson replied hesitantly.

It was no good, Tyson couldn't deny it anymore, the feelings had grown too strong for him to continue trying to ignore them

"Well, I…I had to find an all-night store cos…cos I wanted to get you this" he admitted guiltily, holding out a hand in which sat a dark purple velvet box. Hilary gasped, she was taken aback, Tyson had actually gone out of his way to get her a present, for no readily apparent reason, and it looked expensive too.

"See I heard you say you liked it when we passed the shop on the way here so…" he didn't have time to finish as Hilary had opened the box.

She couldn't believe it; she just couldn't believe it. Earlier that day when they had been walking past a shop in the last town, Hilary had spotted the ring glinting in the sunlight through the window, and she had commented at the time as to how pretty it looked, sitting in the purple velvet box like a little glinting droplet of the purist water.

"You…you remembered…" she whispered.

Tyson felt uncomfortable, this whole thing was new to him and he wasn't sure if he should open his mouth to say something more. In the end he decided he should, sitting down on the bed beside her and trying to figure out how best to put it into words, all the feelings he had had recently…no more than recently really, since the day they had met.

"See…Hilary…I've always really liked you…you know that right? You're a really good friend, the best I could hope to meet and…"

"Tyson there's something I want to tell you too," Hilary stuttered as she paused to try and work out how she should say the next bit. "See recently…well for a long time really I've…"

"But I've been feeling something more too!" Tyson cut off, and by the look on Hilary's face he knew he was speaking for both of them. Their eyes had become fixed on the others, and neither of them aware of just how close they had got now, sitting on the bed not inches away and slowly leaning closer out of instinct.

"Tyson… I've always…" Hilary began

"Since they day we met…"

"truly…deeply…"

"Loved you"

They whispered in unison the final words, and then they were kissing, finally, after almost six years of feeling in secret, they finally kissed. And it was wonderful, the six years of passion and feeling culminating in that one moment, but it was a moment that they would remember for the rest of their lives. They took in everything from the gentle aroma that seemed to emanate from them both, to the warmth of the others hands as they gently caressed, to the taste of the others lips. There was no time to spare for getting undressed, or anything else for that matter, for the enticement of the others lips was too much to resist. They fell sideways onto the bed at the together but never once breaking eye contact, never once letting their lips part company for fear that if they did they would not meet again.

Tyson's chest was warm and Hilary could feel his heart beating quickly as she gently caressed his skin, and felt his hands just as gently on her.

Hilary's skin was smooth and warm, her body giving off a heat and sweet aroma that Tyson felt dear to him, he couldn't believe that it had taken him this long to realise that what he really wanted in life, the one person he could really love had been beside him all this time, and as he slowly stroked her waist, her chest, her cheek he felt a thrill and a happiness inside of him that he had never felt before, but that he liked and enjoyed more than anything else, anything except the love in his heart that had been kept at bay for so long but could now be free, and Hilary felt exactly the same way.

Eventually the momentum slowed, the kissing more calm and controlled before their lips finally parted company. It was late and they were tired, but that one moment had called on the last of their energy to provide a rush of feeling, but now left them exhausted.

Though their lips had parted their eyes did not and they still held each other close, feeling the warmth of the other and the smoothness of their skin, the sweet scent, the feeling of deep love.

"Oh…I think I forgot to mention but I was too late back to book myself a room" Tyson chuckled quietly with an apologetic grin.

In Hilary's opinion he had nothing to be sorry for, indeed she felt more like thanking him herself, not for the ring but for everything, particularly what had just come to pass

"Stay here" she said with a warm smile

"Beds a bit small though…should I…?"

"Tyson Granger stop trying to be subtle, it doesn't suit you" Hilary scolded jokingly before becoming more serious again, "but…I would really like it if…if you would stay here…with me…in this bed…"

And so they did, and they slept peacefully together with Tyson holding Hilary's slender form close. Everything would change now, they didn't have to hide it, and both of them would remember that night for the rest of their lives