Cupping both of his cheeks, I press my lips against his, savoring the gasp that leaves his mouth when I do so. I swallow it and my mind turns hazy. I instantly want more. I slant my mouth over his, grabbing at his neck to pull him closer.

Nate's hands immediately find their way to my waist, the one zone I first showed him was okay to touch me, and I smile against his lips. I press myself closer to him and enjoy the way his lean body feels against mine. His large hands mindlessly squeeze my sides pulling me even closer. I smile again. Happiness is the main emotion I feel when I'm with Nate. Lust is a close second.

As I push my tongue against his, I am lit up once again at the response I get, all darkness around us forgotten. His hands press harder against my lower back and I am now flush against him. I wrap both of my arms around his neck and hold him close.

Our breathing has turned frantic. Our hands grab at each others clothing, my hands raking down his chest while his fingers graze the skin that has been exposed on my hips as my shirts hikes up for reaching for him. The only sounds heard around us are our smacking lips and random mangled sounds mixed with the crickets singing their nightly serenade.

When I pull back, Nate's lips are swollen and pink and his breath hits my face like the wings of a hummingbird. He's hunched over so his mouth is leveled with mine, his height engulfing me like a hug, and he straightens to catch his breath.

But I can't not touch him for long, the need to touch his skin too strong for me to hold back. I stand on my tip toes and graze my teeth against his sharp jaw, watching him as I do so, and I'm rewarded a carnal moan in the process.

I breathe in deeply, the smell of the pines around us wafting in the night air but Nate's clean laundried shirt takes the prize of the most intoxicating aroma. Lastly, I press a soft kiss at the base of his neck.

"Your heart's beating really fast," I say against his chest. He shivers at the feel of my warm breath hitting his bare skin. I feel his throat bob underneath my nose as he swallows. He doesn't say anything but instead works on steadying his breathing while I balance my weight against him.

I can feel his eyes on me, eyes that would see me looking back at him with the same adoration that shine in his. It makes an emotion that I'm not used to feeling rise in my throat.

Taking his hand in mine, I spread each individual finger out, playing momentarily with his forefinger and pinky, before placing it over my chest.

"Do you feel that?" I ask breath hitching in my throat at how vulnerable I am feeling at this moment. Nate swallows again and presses his hand firmer just below my shoulder with a shaky nod. "It beats like that whenever you're near me."

My heart beats like crazy whenever I even think of him, let alone when I am near him. It's a feeling I'd like to say I have given into or gotten used to but nothing beats the fluttery feeling in my chest whenever Nate comes to mind. My stomach gets twisted in firm knots and my breathing changes in a way that leaves me light headed. It's a good feeling--an amazing feeling-- and it isn't something that I am going to walk away from without a fight to feel like this every day of my life.

I want to tell Nate this but I'm pleasantly surprised when his hand moves up from my beating heart to travel up my neck and land just below my ear. I currently lose all train of thought. My heart pounds harder. Nate ducks down to my level again and for a second I close my eyes in the thought that he is going to kiss me but he doesn't.

His nose rubs against mine in a slow, tantalizing way, that I momentarily stop breathing. It's like he's testing the water, feeling what he can before he is out of his comfort zone. We are caught in the same daze, both of us relishing in the feeling of each other, neither one of us moving too quickly or over thinking it.

We're both jolted out of our own heads when the sound of the second rocket launching echoes through Lover's Land. Nate's friends celebrating can be heard from where we stand just beside my car.

Nate blinks a few times, his long eyelashing batting away the cloudy dream that has settled over me. I am practically shaking now, my hands and breathing unsteady, overwhelmed with feeling. I wish I could read his mind. I want to know what is happening in that brilliant brain of his. The electricity between us sizzles and cracks while I watch his face. Nate gulps again.

"We should get home," I finally say, sizing up his silence. I don't want to go home. What I really want to do is stay in our own little corner of the universe and forget the world that is around us.

He has yet to move. His stance is like a statue, a beautifully handcrafted statue, and I hold back the urge to move him. So I stand there and wait for my words to register with him.

"Yeah," he finally says. He clears his throat and he is back to the nervous Nate that I have gotten to know. "Yeah, we should go."

"I don't want to," I boldly admit.

"Me either." His mouth lifts in a crooked smile that I have yet to see before this moment. It knocks the wind out of me. I nearly fall forward when oxygen returns to my lungs.

I bite my lip to stop the girlish giggle from escaping. "But we should. It's getting late. I think your parents are smart enough to know that most movies don't go past ten on school nights in this boring town."

Nate chuckles at the little lie he told his parents in order to get out of the house tonight. Lucy was practically jumping for joy in the doorway when I waved at her from the car.

"You know your parents probably think we were on a date tonight. If they're anything like mine, you better come up with a back story before you walk through your front door," I point out once we are in the car and driving down the gravel road. "I guess that's what you get for lying though."

Nate doesn't comment. I take my eyes off the road to look at him but he seems to prefer mindlessly looking out the window than indulging in conversation. I sigh inwardly and turn up the radio as we drive.

When we reach his house, his front porch light is on. I put the car in park and wait for a sign of life to come from Nate who still remains motionless in the passenger seat.

"We're here," I tell him but he still doesn't move.

I turn the radio down and lean back slightly in my seat. I tilt my head dramatically in his direction and wish more than anything those darn ray bans weren't blocking his eyes from me. For someone who can't see, his eyes are sure expressive and that helped a lot for trying to figure someone out like Nathaniel Haynes.

I'm about to open my mouth to ask him what is wrong when he reaches out and lays his hand on the door handle. I frown when he freezes again.

"I want to take you out sometime," Nate says and my frown transforms into a bright, shining smile. "On an actual date. Would you like that?"

"I would like that very much." I have to control my whole body that is now trying to jump for joy. I grip the steering wheel tighter to keep my ground.

"Okay," he says and opens his door. "Goodnight."

That's it? Before he can make it halfway up the driveway, I get out of my car and go after him. He stops walking at the sound of my car door shutting and turns back around in my direction. He barely steadies himself before I fling my arms around his neck and kiss him properly.

Nate's arms wrap around my back in a way to keep him from toppling over and between the two of us we are all limbs in the middle of the Haynes' driveway.

Kissing Nate and having him kiss me back are two completely different things. Both are equally satisfying but the later is mindblowing. For someone who isn't well trained in the art of kissing, Nate sure knew how to make it worth the while. I want to giggle at the thought that he had done his homework like the real student I knew him to be. But my overly active imagination hints that Nate was meant to kiss only me and that is why I am so affected by it.

Time seemed to stop when his mouth is working its way over mine. Maybe we kissed for a few seconds, maybe minutes. All I know is I never wanted to stop kissing Nate.

I plant one more soft kiss on his lips before I finally step away. Nate blows air out his nose in a way to keep himself calm and I love the way me kissing him affects him.

"Good night, Nate." I smile up at him and he gazes back down at me in wonder. "Okay, now you can go inside."

Nate stumbles back and I reach out for him but draw back before I can touch him. He rights himself and walks up the porch steps to his front door.

"See you tomorrow," I say and press my lips together in amusement. "Oh and Nate..."

He stops and lifts his eyes to me.

"Mind if we go to school together tomorrow?"

He nods, words not forming for him and he opens his front door and disappears. I already can't wait for school tomorrow to see him. Just hours ago I was dreading having to show my face in that building because of my public breakup with Danny. But now, now, I am geared up and ready to face the choir.

Tomorrow was a new day and I would start it with Nate by my side.

I drive a few houses over and park in my driveway only to get inside to see both of my parents sitting at the dining room table. They each have a glass of wine in front of them and my father still has on his golfing attire from earlier today.

"Hey, kiddo," My dad says as he eyes me making my way into the room. I walk over and kiss his cheek before doing the same to my mother. "You're out rather late on a school night. How did your calc test go today?"

The comfortable familiarity stretches across the room and I feel my body relax for what feels like the first time today. I sigh in content and ready myself for my annual everyday run down.

"My test went well. I was the first one done." I choose to ignore his comment on me staying out later than normal.

"That could be good or bad you know, Kel. You feel confident?"

"Yes, Dad," I say trying to hold back rolling my eyes. I know he is only concerned with my grades because that's the kind of thing Dartmouth looks for. It was also making him anxious that I haven't gotten my acceptance letter yet.

"Just because applications are sent in doesn't mean grades don't matter anymore. Every last point counts." He sips his Burgundy and my mother nods, her face in her bridal magazine. She is obsessed with weddings. I knew I had to get out of here before she brought up my own like she does every night after she gets some wine in her.

"I know, Dad." I bid them goodnight and make my way upstairs. I already have my phone in hand and send Nate a text that I will pick him up around seven-thirty.

I haven't thought of Dartmouth all day thanks to Nate's presence. It's a nice feeling having the one thing that weighs on your mind be distracted by something else that makes your heart flutter instead of sink.

I think today was the first day that I didn't think about the future and thought of the now.