The night of the Concert: What happened between April & James.

"So why does your pride make you run and hide?"

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April's phone vibrates against her hip as she's busy chatting with Tia and Yuna in the hallways of the Auditorium. The concert has ended an hour ago, Harmony went to speak with her Mom, Blaze vanished into thin air, and the night is still young so she has no plans of heading back to the dorms this soon. With her beam still dancing across her face, she retrieves her phone from her silver clutch, unlocking the screen to see a message from James.

She swallows audibly as her eyes follow the words on her screen.

She lifts her head and positions her gaze across the room, finding him leaning against the wall of the auditorium. She can't deny how handsome he appears in his dark tuxedo, green undershirt, and his hair, though messy, fits his get-up too well.

At the same moment, a smiling Collum touches James' arm, pulling his gaze away from April as he tells him that he's leaving. James spent the whole evening entertaining Harmony's friend, as a way to not think about April, the woman he knows will never be his.

He likes her more than words can say, way before they even thought to spend that drunken night together that many nights ago. But he knows April doesn't see him that way, and may never even see him that way.

He has come to accept it for the past few weeks. But tonight...tonight he wants to be honest with her, though the words she uttered in the hallway that day has slightly dimmed the little hope he had.

"James, please, do not take what happened last year at that party seriously; we were drunk."

His hope wasn't shattered by much, albeit, as he still wants to try.

He wants to speak to her to set things straight, to let her know how he really feels. He's always been playing around, and she must have taken his feelings for a joke. But tonight, he wants her to see that he's serious. Totally and utterly serious. About her.

April's stomach floats with a warm sensation as she rereads the words on her screen. Talk outside. She knew what that meant.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asks April as she bounces her on the shoulder to get her attention, noticing how absentminded her friend appears.

April nods redly. "Mm. Give me a moment, okay?" In her peripheral view, she sees James already making his way outside after saying goodbye to Collum.

She follows after him, way behind, clasping her phone tightly into her hands. April has always been a woman of confidence, hence, she can't understand why now she feels this weak in the knees. The look he gave her from across the room just now, told her all she needed to know. He looked so serious, so unsmiling.

As she gets outside, she realizes that James has stopped in his tracks, his back turned as he weaves his fingers through his chocolate hair.

The night breeze cruises through her hair as she shifts on her feet. "I'm here now."

She watches as his shoulders rise in a breath, and then he finally turns around to face her, his throat moving as he swallows. My God, he's cute. Why hadn't she seen that way before these...these feelings erupted?

And when did these feelings start? Probably the night after they'd seen each other naked.

She regrets what she sad that day in the hallway. About them not having a chance. She hates how dejected James appeared at her rejection. It hurt her a lot more than she thought it would.

"Hey..." James says unsurely, reaching around to stroke the back of his neck. So handsome.

"Hey." She answers back, trying to hide how anxious this whole moment makes her. "Y-You wanted to see me..."

Stuttering? April? She scolds herself inwardly.

"Yeah." James drops his hands by his side, his eyes soft and intense under the white outside lights of the school's parking lot. "I..."

April watches him expectantly, feeling a deep blush rising all over her neck and bursting across her blushing cheeks. Blush from the make-up and blush from the sentiments James is insinuating inside of her.

"April, listen...I like you a lot, okay?" He tells her, with a new found seriousness falling over his smooth face. "And I'm really, really serious about you. I know I goof around a lot...and I'm not exactly the epitome of trustworthy...because well, I'm friends with Blaze. Though, Blaze isn't the same person anymore; he's changed, but I...I just...I'm really sorry, I don't what to say or how to..."

April steps toward him, a small smile pulling at the corner of her glossy lips. "Talk slowly." She tells him softly. She can't contain it, how her insides are melting at his words, how her insides are melting at seeing him in this light—spilling his heart out to her this way.

James' shoulders relax and he releases a sigh before saying: "I really, really like you...a whole lot...and I know you don't feel the same, but...but I just thought I'd let you know how you make me feel things that no girl-woman has ever made me—"

Without a word, April steps forward and presses her lips against James' lips, catching off-guard. Now there is little space between them, and the remnant space is filled with their body warmth.

His lips are soft, just as she remembers them the night they spent together. The night before she woke up and regrettably kicked him off the bed. The only difference tonight is, his lips feel much softer. Much surer. Much right.

As she breaks away from him, she lifts her flushed gaze up to meet his. James is frozen, his pink lips cracked agape. His eyes dip to her mouth before travelling back to her twinkling eyes. He's in disbelief and partial denial.

"I..." April moistens her lips, looking almost vulnerable. A quality he has never seen on her. "You were right..." She searches his eyes, still possessing her confidence. "I was just sacred. And I keep pretending around the group. But I like you too, James." It takes a lot out of her to admit to her feelings. "I have feelings for you, too."

A lopsided smile stretches across James' face and he cups her face into his hand, leaning down to press his lips against hers again. His tongue find hers, joining them, and April smiles into the kiss as he tugs her close to his heated body, pressing her firmly against him.

Her head is on cloud nine, and when he breaks away and stares down at her figure, she can't help grinning openly.

"What?"

"How will we tell them?" James asks, his eyes revealing his contentment.

April shrugs. "They'll find out some day. And it doesn't matter if they find out or not. What matters...is how we feel."

"You're right."

"Mm." Her sparkling eyes fall to his waiting mouth again, before she leans in and spoons their lips again.

James surprises her by lifting her off the ground and spinning with her. April chuckles as she throws her head back, clinging to him, knowing she has never felt like she belonged to anyone the way she feels with James.

She loves his goofiness, she loves his straight-forward nature, and though they still have a lot to learn about each other, she's willing to walk the road. As long as he's in. And from the looks of it, he's allll...the way in.

❤️❤️

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