Author's Note: All right, kiddos! Here it is…the final chapter. It's a LONG one, I promise. Thank you all so very, very much for your lovely reviews. They make me feel happy in my heart. Anyways, I wanted to inform you that I will be switching the point of view more frequently in this chapter for my own reasons. So don't get confused! Pay attention to the bold italicized words, okay? And I'll also be overlapping a bit, which I haven't done since the first chapter but seems to fit this chappie.

CHAPTER FIVE: Palm Readers and Surprises

Nathan's POV

I stared at her like she'd gone crazy. Frankly, it wasn't hard to believe. Finally, I managed to collect my wits enough for a suitable answer.

"…What?"

She laughed, and I privately thought that she sounded nervous, no matter what she said otherwise. As was probably wise, I declined to mention that. She pulled off her hat, running a hand through her short hair and tousling it lightly.

"Um, well, see, it's, uh," Tawni started before shaking her head, taking a deep breath and very quickly saying, "Okay. My friend just taught me how to palm-read. That's why I'm even in this building; see my friend needed me to help her study. We did that for a while, but, as I tend to do, I got bored, and she took pity on me and showed me how to read palms. It's sort of cool, and I'm not trying to freak you out, and it isn't like I'm some gypsy or hippie like my mom, but I was just thinking that since we are pretty stuck in here, maybe I could try out my newfound skills on you?"

It took me a full five seconds to realize that there had been a question at the end of her explanation. I rubbed my head again, cocking my head slightly. This could be a good opportunity, I thought, sounding only a little creepy to myself.

Smirking at her, which made her look a little nervous, I answered her question. "Fine, Tawni, you can read my palm." She looked relieved, but I wasn't done. "However, seeing as you'll be…predicting my future or whatever—and that's pretty personal, don't you think?—I think I should be able to ask you a few questions myself. And you have to answer honestly. Deal?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, and I resisted the urge to laugh. Finally, she had apparently decided I was a minor threat, since she answered, "Deal. But I reserve the right to ask you a follow-up question. So…shoot, Nathan."

"Okay, first question: Why are you even in Boston?" I asked.

"Is that it?" she replied, laughing a little. I nodded, secretly adding 'For now…', and she shrugged. "All right. I'm here because I have a few days off. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are my Sociology days—it's my only class this semester on those days. Dr. Burkeman, the professor, sent out an e-mail saying he's going to his daughter's wedding and class is cancelled for the rest of the week. So I decided, hey, why not come visit Kaitlyn at Harvard? So there you have it. How about you, Nathan? I mean, for a Yale student, isn't Boston, I don't know, forbidden?"

I smirked at her again and said, "I suppose my fellow Yale attendees will begrudge me one afternoon in Boston for a…" I shuddered "…baby shower."

She laughed, shaking her head at me. I liked her laugh—it was bright and genuine, like that damned smile. I cleared my throat, moving on. "All right, that was the easy one. Next: Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

I had expected her to get defensive about this, but she just smiled very slightly. "Yes. Sophomore and junior years of college, I went out with a guy named Mark. But we…grew apart," she said slowly.

Unable to stop myself, I asked, "Cheated on you, huh?"

She hesitated a second before nodding very slightly.

I frowned, but refrained from saying anything. There isn't anything to say to stupid things like that, is there? I felt very strongly that I was pushing my luck, but the next question was coming out no matter what: "Are you a virgin?"

Again, she shocked me by not taking the slightest offense. "Yes," she replied without the slightest hesitation. I must have looked surprised, because she laughed. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I've never had sex. It doesn't embarrass me. Why should it?"

"So…are you like really religious or something? You know, wait until marriage?" I said.

She shook her head. "Nah, I just see that as a really huge step. I've yet to feel like I'm on that level with someone. If the time and person are both right, then we'll see."

This girl was getting me at every turn. I was having a hard time stumping her, or at least flustering her. I knew that I had a grand finale to get her, though. That could wait, though. Instead, I asked a slightly more challenging, but not impossible, question.

"Why didn't you like me in high school?"

I could tell that she was not expecting that. Her already big eyes widened and grew very round. She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, scoffing. "What?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, come on, Tawni. You never talked to me. Anytime I talked to you, you answered as briefly as possible then practically ignored me!" I said.

She shook her head, as if she had water in her ears. "Wh-don't-ugh! No, okay? Just…no. I didn't hate you, all right? Trust me on that," she said, adding in a gentler tone, "Believe me. You—Well, we can leave it at that. Besides, I hardly talked to anyone."

It was my turn to look skeptical. "Well than how come I'd see you and Spo—Kyle out in front of the school, jumping around and yelling? I mean, he'd be singing some random song, and you'd be laughing. Why weren't you ever like that around…everyone else?" I had managed to catch myself before saying "me" instead of "everyone else."

"Kyle…Kyle was different, okay? He didn't care about my—my—intelligence. He just wanted to be my friend, and he let me act like an idiot. No one else had done that, and it's still like that. I don't—didn't feel like I ever had to be something. Or anyone. Anyone besides Tawni. On top of that, we were neighbors ever since we were little kids, and he just got me. Still does," Tawni said, quirking her lips off to the left, bright eyes sparkling.

"And you're sure he's gay?" I asked, surprising myself. Where did that come from?

She looked at me sidelong, angling her head towards me. "Yes. In fact, I don't think he was ever not gay. Didn't you ever notice that he never hung out with other boys?"

I gave her a sort of noncommittal gesture/grunt, because honestly, I had never paid him much attention. She didn't need to know that, though.

Well, more like, she didn't need me to say it.

"Or did you just never notice him period," she murmured. It wasn't really a question, but it wasn't an accusation either. She didn't sound peeved or disapproving. Just…resigned. Like she'd expected as much.

"Well, um, how about one more question, McCoherty?" I said, trying to sound light-hearted.

She glared at me. "McCoherty? Oh please. That's my brother. I'm just Tawni. And yes, Jameson, I'm game if you are," she said, grinning at me defiantly.

That's what you think.

"Fine then. If you say so. Well then Tawni, who did you write 'Nebula' about?" I asked her, watching her grin falter very slightly. I had been working my way up to this one, and she looked like she knew that. Figures.

I didn't think she was going to answer, and when she did give me a reply, it wasn't much of one. "I can't…It's hard to explain. Especially to you," she said, and I raised an eyebrow at her. Hurriedly, she realized her mistake. "I mean, someone like you, of-of course. S-since you never went through this, yeah? Let's just leave it at the fact that I wrote it for the guy I could never have. The one who didn't think of me as anything but…but…Well, he just didn't ever really see me. The real me. Actually, he might have caught a few glimpses. Every now and then," Tawni finished, not quietly like before. Her chin was up resolutely, and there was a hint of a smile on her voice.

I was about to answer, but she interrupted me. "I also wrote 'Just Wondering' for him," she said, smiling a little. I gaped at her.

"Are you serious? But…you read that at the…at the very beginning of freshman year! Are you honestly saying that you liked the same guy through junior year?!"

Tawni laughed again, and I felt a little thrill, which I was careful to immediately smother. Still grinning, she replied, "Yeah, Nathan, I did. Actually, I liked him through senior year."

I blinked at her. That was crazy. I didn't know people actually had long crushes like that in high school. I sure didn't. Then, I was struck with a very strange desire.

"Hey…do you have a copy of either of those…works? You know, 'Nebula' or 'Just Wondering'?" I asked her, and she froze.

"N-no! Well, I do still remember all of 'Just Wondering.' But…not the other one. Besides, am I ever going to read your palm?" It sounded like she was attempting to laugh it off, but her voice had sounded seriously freaked. I smirked mentally.

"Yeah, yeah. If you can recite 'Just Wondering' for me, then I'll let you…read my palm," I said. I knew I was being obnoxious, but I really did want to hear that poem.

She glared at me, and I gave her my very best hopeful face.

Tawni's POV

I was very torn between the urge to kiss him and smack him. Firstly, I did not appreciate being manipulated like that. Secondly, he looked annoyingly endearing with his grin all lopsided and his stupid eyes all big and round.

"Just…just stop! Look, I'll say it for you, but…you can't laugh, okay? Because I was a freshman. And I'm doing this under pain of…puppy eyes, capiche?" I said, doing my best not to laugh. I could see him being able to get anything with that face, and I've no doubt that he knew it. With that in mind, I nearly rolled my eyes when he laughed.

"I promise. Scout's Honor. Okay, go ahead, princess," he said, but I glared at him. "Damn, that usually works," he muttered.

"Yeah, well, I'm not most girls. I already told you. Tawni. T-A-W-N-I," I said, knowing how sarcastic I sounded. Besides, I really did only want to be called "Tawni" by just about everyone. Even…him. Pet names bug me.

"Well, I'm sorry. Anyways, just…do it! Please?" he added when I shot him a look.

I sighed heavily, wondering how I had gotten myself into the current situation. "Here goes nothing," I muttered. Taking a deep breath, I began.

"I wonder if you know.
You act like you know
Everything else about
Everything else, but still—
I wonder if you know this:

How...

It wasn't exactly a question of
If I would fall for you.
Merely a question of
Quite how long it'd take and
Just how hard I'd fall, but

Honestly...

It didn't take long.
Would it sound weird if I told you
I first noticed your forearms?
That cord of...something, sinewy muscle
I don't know what it was, but

You had it.

And...

I was sort of mesmerized by that
Cord, its appearance when you held
A pen and were concentrating on
Who knows what,
But I'll bet it was interesting.

Now...

I want to know what your
Writing looks like
Etched, blue-black on plain white.
I wonder about this
Almost as much as I want to

Know...

Your favorite color
Animal
Book
Movie
Band.

Mostly...

I find that I am
Wondering the exact
Shade of your eyes and
Can they compete with the
Unnerving clarity of my confusion?

Well...

I bet they can,
Or at least they'll try.
Because don't you compete for
Anything,
Everything?

But...

Not anyone.
Am I correct?
Sorry to say I'm sure I am and
Now I find myself wondering...
Do you always win?"

I finished, not realizing that I had closed my eyes. Opening one fearfully, I managed to catch Nathan smiling a little, a real smile. Not a smirk or cocky grin. A real, albeit small, smile.

"What? Was it that bad?" I asked, and I knew that I sounded like a little kid. Oh well.

Nathan's POV

The way she asked that question sounded so innocent, but I overlooked that. Her poem had reminded me of the day she originally read it, and I remember feeling the same burning curiosity I was feeling as soon as she read it aloud to me and the elevator.

Who was it about?

It's still hard to admit, but I honestly liked watching her. Just looking at her as she sat there, still with her legs tucked up close and her hands in her lap. While she'd been reciting the poem from memory, her fingers tangled together unconsciously, and at some point she'd closed her eyes.

Eventually, I realized that the time to say something was fast approaching. "I like it. I mean, I still like it. I'll get it out of you eventually, Tawni. Sure you don't want to tell me the identity of your…inspiration?" I teased, and she just shook her head.

"You can keep on trying. If it makes you so happy," she said, and I was again reminded that she was sarcastic. Odd that she'd be that sarcastic, since I'd never even gotten a hint of that before.

"Fine. Just you wait, Tawni. When you're least expecting it…"

Tawni's POV

Ha, right. I scoffed at him, both mentally and verbally. "And how do you propose to catch me unawares? Are you planning on getting stuck in another elevator with me, Nathan?"

He shrugged, looking one part furtive and two parts mischievous. "It's a possibility. In case that plan doesn't work though, how about your phone number? Or e-mail, perhaps?" he said, grinning with that stupid lop-sided smirk.

"What now?" I said a bit too loudly. I've always had a habit of talking loud when I'm nervous.

He laughed. At me. "Aw, come on. I don't actually want to harass you. Well, mostly. I just like keeping in touch with people. You know, keeping us all connected. It's so dumb how high school kids just let each other be erased from their minds. I mean, how come people are so down on high school reunions? It's fun to see how much people have changed over five or ten years. Hey, look at you in just four years! You're all…grown up or…whatever." I had to laugh at that. There he was, giving a speech about staying in touch, and he ended with "or…whatever."

He chuckled lightly, shrugging. "Seriously though, can I have some way of sneak-attacking—I mean, getting in touch with you?"

I attempted to just clear my throat casually, but I ended up choking on, um, air, and I coughed violently for an eternal ten seconds. When I finally stopped coughing, eyes watering, I started laughing. I glanced at Nathan in the midst of my—there's no other word for it—giggling, and he was just staring at me with a bemused grin. I waved off his "are you okay" and took a deep breath.

"S-sorry, I can never manage to stop. Laughing or coughing, really. Anyways, I suppose I'll give you contact info, but only under the condition that I will hang up on any calls that begin with 'Who was it?!', okay?" I said, still having a hard time wiping the smile off my face. I wrote both my e-mail and the number of my room down on the piece of paper he pulled from his pocket.

"Why did you have paper and pen in your back pocket?" I asked after handing him the piece of paper. He muttered something, and I grinned brightly. "Aw, is it your inner nerd emerging? That's so…uh…" I trailed off. He was looking at me very oddly, so I decided it might be best to just stop talking. Or try.

Nathan's POV

I couldn't believe how much she laughed. I mean, yeah, it was sort of funny how she just went into this coughing fit, but she must have been laughing for a full two minutes. She looked up at me, and I was quick to get rid of what I knew to be a ridiculously goofy grin. I wanted to be able to laugh like that, like a kid does.

I felt so stupid, asking her for her number. It isn't like I was actually doing it under the usual circumstances, and besides, I'm not exactly a novice in the art of getting girls' numbers. Plus the fact that Tawni just confused me. I thought I had mastered a pretty veritable understanding of the female mind, for a guy at least. For instance, girls I was acquainted with seemed to like being called "cute pet names" like princess or baby. I guess Tawni didn't want to be a princess.

She suddenly let off teasing me about my left-over habit of always having writing stuff. I glanced up at her, and she gave me that half-grin, her lips slowly drawn up to the left. "So, uh, can I read your palms now? I can feel myself forgetting what all the lines mean…" Tawni said, breaking out into a full, brilliant grin. I wondered if she somehow knew that her smile was so potent a weapon against me.

So, keeping up the pretense of hesitation, I waited a second before shrugging. "I guess so. I mean, why not? You answered almost all of my answers. Hey, I'll let you do a tarot card reading if you answer the last one!" I said, giving it one last shot.

She laughed shortly. "Ha, no. I don't do tarot."

Then Tawni stood, walking a couple steps to more or less in the center of the elevator. She was about to plop down, I could tell, but I had one last question. "How tall are you?" I said. She didn't exactly look short from my position—who would?—but I could tell that wasn't totally because I was on the ground. Tawni wasn't really tall, although she was above average height for sure.

She sighed. "I thought we were finished with questions," she said. Then she sat down, crossing her legs underneath herself again. I scooted forward to meet her in the middle, and when I was sitting in front of her, she shrugged a little. "I'm 5'10", by the way. Why? How tall are you?"

"No reason. And I'm 6'4", by the way. Anyways, are we going to do…whatever this is?" I said, clearing my throat.

She looked unsure for a second before nodding. "Why not, right? Just, uh, give me your hand. Whichever one you write with."

I instantly stuck out my left hand, palm up. She grinned at me. "A fellow lefty, huh? Right on," she said, nodding approvingly. Hesitating a moment, she reached out and placed her hand beneath mine, bending her head over slightly to get a closer look at my palm. I was instantly drawn to the fact that her hands were soft and cool to the touch. The skin was so pale, and her hands so willowy. I felt like I suddenly had two bear paws for hands. Glancing at her hand below mine, I was amazed—her fingers were as long as mine, maybe even slightly longer, and very slender, but her palms were at least an inch narrower.

"Wow, your fingers are so long!" I said without thinking. She grinned, nodding.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I always liked the piano and guitar. Long fingers help."

"What, you didn't like clarinet?"

She laughed. "Ha ha, very funny. Anyway, you have to stop distracting me. This is harder than it looks, okay?" she said quietly, squinting at the lines tracing my palm.

Tawni skimmed a fingertip along one of the longer lines, and she started explaining what its shape and location meant, but I couldn't hear her. The gentle contact was so light, it was barely there, but I still felt each and every tap on my hands. I barely suppressed a shudder as she traced a line along my thumb, smiling quietly at something. She was still murmuring about who-know-what. I tried to look like I was listening; honestly, the only thing I could think of was how she smelled like something familiar. A spice of some sort. Not cinnamon…something else…

"Cloves!" I exclaimed, momentarily proud of my epiphany, but that dissolved when she looked up at me, eyebrow arched.

"What? Cloves?" she said, laughing slightly.

"Yeah—uh, no—it's just that you—you smell like cloves, Tawni," I said, still distracted by the fingers of her right hand, which were lightly curled around my wrist.

She angled her head, looking at me oddly, but she thankfully didn't say anything. I tried and failed to ignore the fact that every skim of her fingertips was electrifying. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that our heads were only inches apart. If she would just look up…

Tawni's POV

There was truly no denying it. I was as much infatuated with Nathan Jameson as ever. I tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about, since he had an intent expression on his face. Swallowing hard, I basically made up what the deep lines in his palm meant, because I honestly couldn't remember a single thing Kaitlyn had told me.

The only thing I could concentrate on was the fact that his hands were so warm, and I could feel that they actually had muscle. It sounds ridiculous, but his hands really felt like they were strong. Then my gaze wandered over to his right hand, which was balled into a loose fist on his knee. Every now and then, he'd clench his hand briefly, but when he did, it caused that cord to flash on his lean-muscled forearm. That damn cord. The same one I wrote about. It was still fascinating me.

Then I made my biggest mistake yet. I had remembered something about the slight fluctuations in a love line signifying compatibility, so I was in the middle of a real observation. I lifted my eyes just barely and was bombarded with about seventy different thoughts, the most prominent of which was, Nathan Jameson is three inches away from me…

I faltered before my throat totally blocked any more words from coming out. I think I may have actually squeaked a little. Was it just me, or was Nathan's face getting closer, slowly moving towards mine? My mind was going into total overdrive, and I could hardly hear myself breathe over those screaming thoughts. Well, I could hear my heart, that was for sure. It was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

Our lips were so close together—I could feel his breath, smell the peppermint from a mint or something. Just before they could collide, though, there was a…distraction. He pulled away from me, and I wanted to scream. We heard a very loud clanking, followed by a sliding sound, a grunt, and a Southern accent saying, "Well, hi there, folks! You can call me Jimbo! I work fer elevator maint'nance, and I'm yer knight in shinin' armor!"

I sighed, closing my eyes briefly. He had slid back a panel in the ceiling, like they always do in the movies. I didn't know that actually works. I took a deep breath before looking up at our "knight in shinin' armor." Well, he was shining all right. A very sweaty, somewhat pudgy but kind-faced man beamed down at me.

I laughed weakly. "Hi, Jimbo," I said bitterly, viciously thinking "I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you" in his general direction. He didn't seem to receive the thought, because he continued talking.

"Sorry 'bout this mess, kids. We got a call a while ago, but we're just now gettin' here. Busy day, huh? So, uh, let's getcha outta this box, 'kay?" he said earnestly, but I didn't cease beaming thoughts of painful death at him.

A couple minutes later, Nathan and I were both out, "safe 'n' sound." The minute I stepped onto the ground of the seventh floor, I was enclosed in a huge pair of arms. For a moment, I was thrilled, thinking it was Nathan. Then I recognized the smell. "Allan? What the hell are you doing here?!" I exclaimed, muffled in his barrel-chest.

He laughed, and rumbled in his deep voice, "Language, Ton! Kyle called me, and I had to be here to support you."

I scoffed. "Psht, not­ here in the building, moron! Here in Boston!"

"Oh, I was in Worcester. I might transfer. I was gonna surprise you, kid!" he said happily, but I decided not to reply to that. I had just registered that he had mentioned Kyle. The traitor had to be close…

Placing my palms flat on The Leviathin's chest, I pushed against him, ducking out from his arms. Glaring at Allan, I spun on my heel. There he was, the rat. Looking guilty like the mutineer he was. I flared my nostrils and stomped over to Kyle. He was gaping none-too-subtly at Nathan, who had his hands shoved in his pockets and was wandering over to Allan.

"Is that…is that…?" Kyle said, eyes wide.

I fumed. "Yes," I practically snarled.

He looked down at me, smiling apologetically. "Should I have let them keep you in there for another hour or two?" he said sympathetically, scooping me up in a hug that lifted me off the ground completely and spinning me around. For a skinny guy, Kyle's pretty strong.

I pouted slightly. "I think…I think we almost kissed, Kyle!"

He smiled a little at me, tousling my hair. I looked around him, watching Nathan talking to Allan and sighing. Damn you, Jimbo.

Nathan's POV

I very nearly swung at that idiot. Tawni had been so close to me. We had been so close. I could see each individual eyelash and freckle; I was dizzy with her warm scent and big eyes. Then he had to come and rescue us. Damn him.

When we got out, I was surprised and a little worried to see Brick there, looking bigger than he used to if that was possible. Tawni suddenly shoved out of her brother's hug, going over to Kyle, who looked more or less the same. Well, his hair (bright green, blue, and purple) wasn't spiked anymore but was draped over one eye instead. They were talking about something I couldn't hear, and I am pretty sure he looked over at me strangely.

Then Brick acknowledged me. "Jameson? That you?" he said a little suspiciously.

I gulped—er, swallowed. "Hey there, Brick. How's CU?" I said.

He shrugged. "It's fun enough. Yale?"

"Same," I said, clearing my throat nervously. I could tell it was coming…

"So…what did you two do for three hours?" Brick said, sounding a bit too casual.

"Oh, not much. Just, you know, talked. She looks really…different," I said, glancing over at her before realizing the possibly fatal error.

Brick was looking at me closely, eyes narrowed. "Yeah, she does, doesn't she? College was good for her," he said slowly. Then he cracked a grin, clapping me on the shoulder (I managed to stay upright) and saying, "No worries, Nathan! I always liked you!"

Tawni seemed to finish talking to Kyle, because she launched herself at him, hugging his waist. He patted her on the head, grinning and placing the black hat on top of her hair. She beamed at him before turning to go. Her gaze lingered on me for a second, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she looked at Brick behind me. Clearing her throat, she called, "I'm, uh, I'm going to head off, Allan! And I think I'll take the stairs this time…"

He looked peeved. "Are you sure you don't need to go to a doctor?" he said.

She scoffed at him—I was impressed at her bravery. "Three hours isn't enough to sustain serious injury or malnutrition, Allan! I'm not some damsel in distress, you lug! Anyways, call me later, all right? I'm staying with Uncle Kris and Aunt Sue in Peabody!"

Tawni looked at me, sighed, and set her shoulders. "I'll…I'll see you, N-Nathan, okay?" she said quietly, swallowing as she looked up at me. I paused before nodding.

She turned and started walking quickly towards the door to the stairwell. I glanced over at Kyle. He cocked his head at an angle, gave me a questioning glance, and ran right up to me. "I'll distract Brick," he said after studying me for a second, grinning knowingly.

I stared after him for a second before muttering a quick "thanks." Then I turned and ran out the same door she had gone through. I leaned over the railing in time to see her walking out the door on the main floor. Fast walker, apparently. I took the stairs three at a time, apologizing to the people I pretty much shoved out of the way. I ran into the main lobby just as she was going out the front doors.

Thanking whatever higher powers there are for my years of sports, I sprinted after her. She was only fifteen feet down the sidewalk, so I called her name. "Tawni!" I said, and she froze, turning to look at me.

Tawni's POV

There he was again. Standing there, looking like he'd walked out of a magazine even with his chest heaving slightly and his cheeks lightly flushed. And there it was again. That mental overdrive, a million thoughts bouncing in my head.

"Did you run down all the stairs?" I asked.

He nodded wordlessly, looking up at the sky for a second, blowing out a huge breath.

"So, um, did you want something?" I suggested, feeling short of breath myself.

He cleared his throat, nodding again. He walked up to me, grinning down at me lopsidedly and cocking his head at an angle.

"Wha…" I had time to say before he ducked his head to meat mine, bringing his now-familiar hands up to cup my face. Our lips met, and I resisted the urge to completely melt into his strong arms for the moment. I pulled back, and he looked worried.

"W-What?" he asked, bewildered.

I sighed. "Both of them were about you, Nathan," I whispered, looking down at the spiraled tips of my Converse. They were so friendly…

He tucked a finger under my chin, gently forcing my head up. I almost gasped as my eyes met his, and I could already feel myself being drawn into those amazing irises of brown and green and gold. He smiled at me. "Yeah?" he asked simply.

"Yeah," I confirmed, nodding. He laughed.

"Good." And then…he kissed me again, and I really couldn't do anything for about five seconds. Then my brain finally SHUT UP, and I leaned into his soft lips. His hands went down to rest on my hips, and I brought mine up to the back of his neck, lightly stroking his short, red hair. We broke apart slightly, and I smiled up at him, knowing that I was blushing.

"Hi," I murmured, biting my lower lip.

"Hi," he whispered back, kissing the tip of my nose.

Nathan's POV

Three hours, four minutes, and thirty three seconds ago, I never would have thought that I'd be standing on the street with Tawni McCoherty. Much less, I wouldn't have believed that my hands would be on her slim hips and her hands would be locked around my neck as she looked up at me, smiling shyly, and I looked straight into her bluer-than-blue eyes, wondering how I'd let her get by five years ago.

THE END

Author's Note: There you have it! My very first Fiction Press story, finished! Review please, it will make me happy! Or e-mail me, if you wish. So should I do a sequel? I sort of want to…I like Nathan a whole lot…Haha, anyways, I hope you enjoyed my story. Thank you for reading!

Sarah, AKA Imaginary Parachute