-

Aaron returned to my lips, placing one hand on my cheek whilst his other hand slid down the length of my body and squeezed my waist. In response, I tugged his hair hard.

"Avalon." Aaron moaned into my neck and that's the moment when I pulled away.

_________________________

His hand lifted instinctively, stroking against her cheek before moving down to her jaw and then collar bone. He couldn't help it as he looked down, mesmerised by her entire being. Her small and fragile being.

Before he could control it, he ducked his head near her ear, his voice raw and husky as he spoke.

"Let me show you that I care."

It was silent for a moment wherein he could only hear the sounds of his heavy panting: a sign of his unruly desperation. His desperation to have her in his arms and hold her; to envelop her lips in his own. The urge was so strong now that he his fists were clenched by his side as he waited for her response. She stared at him wide-eyed for a moment longer before her mouth opened, her voice breaking the terse silence.

"What?" She breathed; her mouth agape. It wasn't the response he was hoping for but, still, he wouldn't back down now. He couldn't find it in him to so, instead he moved closer; his lips a fraction away from hers. He couldn't help but smile slightly as she arched a bit to meet his lips, but never really quite closed the gap. It was all the encouragement he needed to continue on.

"Let me take care of you, Lexi." He relented the words he had kept hidden so long; the wishes he had whenever he looked into those beautiful almond eyes. In them, he could see a vivacious ferocity like no other and, then, something else: a look of sadness, like a plea for help. He wanted to the one she sought for aid, was her only thought as he stroked down her jawbone with his index finger. He meant every single word.

Again, a terse silence passed and his body stayed tensed as he awaited her verdict. He wished so badly to know what she was thinking; to know if she too had felt any of the feelings he had been feeling, but some secrets would never be satiated. All he could tell from her expression was the unparalleled shock. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

And then, as if luck was finally on his side, she nodded.

It was a soft, subtle action, but it was all he needed for his lips to quirk up in the most genuine happiness he had ever felt. Adoration, gratefulness and awe, he felt it all as he looked down at her. He had unwittingly taken a huge risk in their confusing relationship and she had embraced him wholly.

It was only when she smiled back in response, her lips stretching in the most beautiful manner, that every fibre of control in him snapped.

He got up swiftly, pulling her up alongside him with ease to which she let out a small noise of surprise. It would have made him laugh had he not been more focused on getting them upstairs the need to fulfill his promise to her so potent.

She didn't object as he opened the door, allowing the loud blaring of music to come in. There were crowds of people dancing and Aaron took the lead, holding Lexi tight by his side as they headed for the stairs. Aaron pulled Lexi to his front then as they ascended up the stairs which were now empty due to Danny's 'second floor off-limits rule'.

It was only when the music faded to the background and they reached the hallway that Lexi turned her head to look at him. She had to crank her head up quite a bit from how close he was behind her, his torso pressed against her upper back and hands running up and down her arms. He couldn't get enough of the foreign sensation.

"Aaron, where are you taking me?" She breathed out almost shyly and he felt himself get more roped in by her soft whisper of a tone. She was testing every strand of patience and he loved it. He could only lean closer, inhaling her scent like it was a drug and wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"Upstairs." He breathed, kissing her hair, loving the way it felt like silk against his lips. He made a note to run his fingers through it when he got the chance. She let out a stuttered breath, almost as though she was trying to control herself and it made him feel a slight bit better that he also had an effect on her. Upon reaching the guest room door, he impatiently opened it before bringing them inside and immediately enveloping his lips around hers.

Her back made a soft thud as it hit the door, effectively shutting it and he fulfilled his promise to himself by raising his hand and running it through her oak-coloured strands. His free hand went to lock the door, the sound it shutting resounding around the large room.

At first, her body stiffened as their lips met but then she responded with as much passion as she was receiving. She pushed back onto him, kissing him with as much force as he assumed she could fathom and he enjoyed it. He enjoyed the fight she was putting up. Even when he retreated backwards towards the bed, their lips still engaged in a kiss, she tried to take the lead to where they were going. They landed in a tangle against the soft mattress due to her pulling them down.

He couldn't help but smile at her typical nature through the kiss and even when they parted, their breathing the only sound in the room for a moment.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" She asked Aaron in a breathless whisper, her lips a scarred red that made him want to bruise them even further. Instead, he focused on her question, smiling as he lay his forehead against hers. His finger touched against her cheek, like caressing the first bouts of snowfall on the ground and he couldn't find it in himself to respond with a witty remark as he usually would to her words. He could only find it in him to speak the utmost truth and, that, he did.

"Because you're gorgeous."

She blushed immediately underneath him, turning her face away from his gaze and he found himself laughing at this. It was not everyday that she allowed herself to be vulnerable with her expressions in front of him and it made him happy to know he had the least bit of an effect on her.

"You're cute when you blush." He murmured, enamoured by the tints of pink on her pale cheeks. If someone told him she was a fairy, he'd readily believe it. He only watched her then, his hand making patterns on her waist.

Her eyes widened a fraction of a second before she turned away from even more.

"Shut up." She muttered defensively, fanning her cheeks to calm them down. He found her all the more endearing for it. How was it possible to meet this cute?

It made him laugh yet again although not being able to see her face was not something he liked. He turned her head then, so she was facing him and drew in closer.

"Make me." He dared, knowing all too well how competitive she was. All he wanted was her lips back on his. In response, her eyes narrowed slightly before she reached for him, making him smile as their lips met again.

Only this time, she was touching his torso to lead the kiss, killing of all ounce of control in him. Suddenly, he needed more than just a kiss. He needed all of her. Without another thought, he ducked his head and began kissing the crook of her neck, loving her strong sweet scent that consumed him. It made him wilder, even more so when she let out a soft mewl and he grabbed hold of her hands, placing them onto his back, inside his shirt.

He stiffened at the foreign contact as did she before she gently caressed him, making him shudder. Even with the slightest of touches from her, he was going insane; it was like nothing he had experienced before.

She continued stroking down his skin before her hands grazed down the familiar wound that streaked his body and he couldn't help but hiss at the contact. Why did everything she do make him a mess?

"How'd it happen?" She stuttered out breathlessly as he kissed a sensitive spot of her neck and he could only form a few sentences due to his desire of not wanting to distance his mouth from her skin.

"A fight. Guy had a knife." Was all he said yet he knew it to be more than that. He could recall it being the day where Justin and Danny had jumped in and they had been taken in by the police. He recalled it more so to be the day when he found out about his mother's ailment. It was a scar in more ways than one. He only hoped it would heal with time.

Lexi made a small noise of protest, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"That's dangerous. You shouldn't be doing that." She reprimanded him in her usual manner, pushing at him slightly to look in his eyes as he usually did when she was scolding him, but he couldn't focus on her words of safety right now. Not when her slender fingers still touched his back. He was so dazed at this point that he could only hum in response, the sound vibrating against her neck.

"Okay." He said, biting down on her neck and, with that, she stopped pushing him off, letting him sink more into her form. He smiled at the atypical compliance from her, even as they withdrew and she lay her forehead against his.

He stared at her then as the moonlight streaked in through the window and hit her. This is how he wanted to remember her: her hair messy, lips sore and eyes fixed on him. It was a memory which marked her as his so he'd covet it.

"How are you so beautiful?" Aaron spoke before he could control his mouth and it was at this that her demeanour changed and she turned away, hair falling in front of her face, blocking her expression.

"Lexi?" He felt the concern as he moved in behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. It stayed quiet and he allowed her the reprieve despite the growing worry. His biggest fear was her regretting the intimate moments that had just transpired between them. It was clear that what had happened was no longer a show for anyone, so their relationship would change drastically. He only wished that she'd be as happy as he was for it. Sure, he wasn't entirely sober right now. Being so concerned about his mother's increasing weight loss had made him open up a bottle prior to attending the party as well as drinking a cup or two downstairs but, despite that, he knew he would remember this. It wasn't something so easy to forget.

So, he waited to see if she too felt the same and- much to his relief- she finally turned around, moving closer to his side. He thought she'd disclose then what had upset her, but instead she merely pulled him by his collars to sit on the edge of the bed and settled herself in his lap with one swift action.

It was all he needed to forget the pressing worries and think back to his adoration for her. In one miniscule of a second, his look of concern had changed to lust and the urge to pin her down was potent. Even more so when she withdrew her hands away from her side and entwined them around his neck, stroking his hair from the back in a way that made his jaw clenched.

He looked at her again in all her glory, his lips dangerously close to hers. All this, it was his and he couldn't help but feel lucky for once in his life.

"I know I've said it before, but you're beautiful." Words left his mouth yet again without thought and she blushed in a similar manner to before, her eyes cast downwards. The next moment when her eyes glanced up coyly was a moment he'd never forget as were the next words she spoke.

"You make me feel beautiful." She whispered, eyes roaming his almost as though she was searching for some sort of confirmation. It was clear she felt nervous at offering such a large admission, but he was glad she did and so he showed her. He smiled in the most genuine way he ever had before kissing her feverishly, his hands grabbing each side of her waist, pulling her more into him and she wrapped her arms around his neck yet again.

Her admission had caused a shift in the air and he knew tonight their relationship would be progressing in ways it never had. The mere thought made hin deepen the kiss with hand against her cheek whilst his other hand slid down the length of her body and squeezed her waist. In response, she tugged his hair hard, causing him to let out a groan at the delirium she caused from every single touch.

She tensed then as he pulled back in to kiss her but she quickly withdrew, her wide eyes looking into his. His eyebrows furrowed at the strange look.

"Lexi, what's w-"

"I need to go to the bathroom." She interjected in a soft voice and his frown faded to be replaced with a look of concern. She had told him in the car that her cycle was nearly due and the cramps were killing her. Perhaps, it was what happened.

"Is it your stomach?" He asked, reaching for her and she tensed as his hand touched her cheek, nodding quickly.

"Yes." Was all she said and he thought, perhaps, she was more nervous with what had transpired now that the daze had broken. He, on the other hand, was not dampened in the slightest. He would wait a million years to kiss her if she commanded it and, in that time, he'd wait without thought of another. So, he didn't mind at all as she made way to move off the bed. Well, a little bit.

"Wait." He called, stopping her in her tracks and she did as asked as he stood up off the bed, reaching down and pulling her for a quick kiss.

"Hurry back. I'll sleep beside you." He murmured, wanting her know that he wanted her for more than her touch. He wanted everything that defined her.

She merely nodded yet again and his eyebrows furrowed in concern; she must really in pain. So, he gave her just another quick kiss before letting her go and, that she did, shutting the en-suite bathroom door with a soft click.

Although upset that she wasn't in his arms anymore, he couldn't help the smile that took over his face as he flopped down onto the bed. He felt tired, he felt the dizziness from the alcohol and a slightly headache from the loud music. He felt all those things but they were overshadowed by how happy he felt, especially when he could smell her scent against the sheets below him.

Many a time, he had come to sleep in Danny's house and would find that sleep would not come to him. It was something or the other that obstructed his sleep and, so, he had always felt restless.

Yet how was it now that her mere scent was like a lullaby, lulling him to sleep? He imagined her in his arms right then and felt the growing excitement for when she'd come back so he could actually do so. It was with this thought of her scent and her in his arms that took the restlessness from him, the sleep finally finding him. All the wall, the smile would not leave.

It was only until the next morning that it would when he awoke, confused as he looked around. He recognised it as his room in Danny's house and even remembered the party, but the bits in between were slightly groggy. It was after a moments worth of thinking that the memory of him and Lexi kissing came pouring back like a flood and he looked around in hope to see her form beside him yet she was nowhere to be found.

He didn't know why but it unsettled him.

______________________

I adjusted my body closer and, with our hands still connected, I leaned in. His mouth almost enveloped mine in a fiery kiss.

Keyword being almost.

Before our lips could make contact, Aaron's finger did. He raised his index finger to my lips, stopping me in my movements.

"Please." He strained out, his voice laced with exhaustion.

My eyes snapped open at this and I stared at him, hoping he would offer me a reasonable explanation- But one never came.

I recoiled away from him, nodding numbly.

"Sorry." I mumbled. Tears formed in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. Aaron's eyes didn't meet mine as he spoke, his voice quiet.

"No. I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to start anything. I'm sorry." He said, his eyes looking everywhere but at me.

I turned to Aaron who eyed our connected hands with a mixture of disgust and despair.

I waited. I don't know what for, but I didn't feel like moving right now. Aaron clenched and unclenched his jaw, eyeing our hands. His palm pressed against mine with a little force before he hesitantly parted his hand from mine, moving it back slowly to his side.