I hesitated for a moment, hoping he would at least say something.

Nothing.

I tried to leave, but before I was able to step through the doorway, I felt him grab my wrist. He pulled me so hard that my body spun around and smacked into his. And then his lips were hungrily attacking mine. As I realized what was happening, I let out my pent up sobs between kisses. He slipped both hands under my chin, cradling my face, and his thumbs wiped away my tears while he still kissed me. He pulled back long enough to whisper, "No more tears."

He resumed his kisses, moving his mouth aggressively against mine. He slid his arms back down to my waist and drew me close, holding me so tight I could hardly move. I responded by kissing back just as boldly, running my hands through his hair and lightly tugging on it.

He kicked the door shut and then walked me backwards toward the couch, toppling us both down on the soft cushions. I couldn't believe I ever wanted this with Richard. It was clear to me that I'd been waiting for Louis all along. His lips fit against mine perfectly, his body writhed on top of mine while our kisses became even more intense.

When he pulled back from the kiss to move his mouth to my neck, I was stunned by the intensity of it. I moaned – I actually moaned! – his name.

I'd been running my hands along his back as we kissed, appreciating his hot and smooth skin, but then I remembered he was only wearing his boxers. He pressed himself harder against me, and I could feel that he was very excited. It didn't frighten me, but I wondered how far we would let this go. Or should.

Courage. More courage came to me and I moved my hand farther down to squeeze his bum.

His chest vibrated against me as he laughed. He pushed up and looked at me with those captivating blue eyes. "You're something else, you know that?" He said.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, this is a whole new side to you."

"People keep saying that."

I looked up at him with a shy smile. I couldn't believe we were lying here like this, and I was completely at ease with him. The memory of his face from the dream flashed in my mind. I realized that the dream hadn't been a fantasy, it had been a foretelling.

I lifted my head and kissed him again. He responded tenderly, not as aggressively as before.

I laid my head back on the couch cushion. I hadn't a clue how these things usually worked, so I just said, "I don't know if I want...I mean, we're not going to...um...I mean, are we going to...?"

"You're so cute," he smirked, kissing me on the nose. "But I don't think we should. We still have a lot to figure out, and sex is a pretty huge step. I think we got a little carried away." He closed his eyes and hung his head down a bit and he let out a loud sigh. "Believe me, I really want to, but I don't think we're even close to being there yet. When we give ourselves to each other, I don't want anything standing in our way."

A jolt of excitement passed through me when he said that. He made me feel safe, protected. I nodded in agreement as he opened his eyes. I was only slightly disappointed, but I was also relieved.

I knew it would be Louis some day. I didn't want to rush anything with him, and I wanted our first time to be perfect. I was ecstatic that I'd finally admitted how I really felt about him, and that he hadn't pushed me away again. But there were still so many hurdles for us to cross – I still had to break things off with Richard, I had to tell my parents about that, and eventually that I'd fallen in love with Louis. And who knows? Maybe I'd find the guts to tell my dad I didn't want to go to Harvard. It wasn't going to be easy.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For?" He asked, a quizzical look on his face.

"For believing me. For forgiving me. And for not pressuring me. You do forgive me, right?"

"Yes, I do. But I want you to promise one thing," he said.

I nodded intently.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he said firmly.

"I promise," I whispered. "But, Louis?"  

"Yeah?"

"You're getting really heavy."

He laughed and stood up, lifting me up with him like a rag doll until my feet hit the floor.  I tried not to notice that his excitement hadn't completely subsided. I wrapped my arms around his torso and he wrapped his around my shoulders. We stood there for a long time, completely alone in the moment, savoring each other.

"Can I stay here for the night?" I asked after a long time.

"Do you want your parents to murder me?!" He asked.

"They probably won't even notice that I'm not in my room. But if they do, I'll tell them I was with Danielle. My mother already gave me hell for hanging out with the riff raff," I said, giving him my own little smirk.

"All right," he said, kissing the top of my head. "But if I die, it's your fault."

"If you die, I'm coming with you."

Louis put on shorts and a t-shirt and then climbed into his bed. He beckoned me to climb in next to him. I still had on my skinny jeans and the top I'd worn to the club. I laid on my side and he moved up behind me, enclosing me in his arms, his legs snugged up against mine.

I felt more secure than I'd ever felt, completely surrounded by him.

He whispered, "You want this, don't you? I mean me. Us. Do you really want this to happen?"

"More than anything," I sighed.

He held me even tighter, kissing my ear and saying, "Good night." I was almost asleep when I heard him say, "Hey, Ash, it's July 18."

"Mmhmm," I hummed.

"We had our first kiss two weeks ago today."

I smiled at his sweetness. I couldn't believe it. It seemed like a lifetime ago that we were snuggling on the boat in Lake St. Clair. I'd been through hell and back since then – we both had – and now here we were, ready to move forward together into uncharted territory, and I was thrilled. For the first time ever, my future hadn't been planned by someone else.

Some time in the early morning, I woke up, but I didn't want to open my eyes just yet. I was reliving every moment of the night before, hoping that I hadn't just dreamt all of it. But I knew I had to check the time. 

I slowly opened my eyes and saw him lying there, still snoozing, and I grinned from ear to ear. I checked my phone. It was 5:30 AM. We'd only been sleeping for about four hours, but I felt very much rested. I stared at Louis. He was so perfect with his messy hair laid all over the pillow, his tattooed chest lightly rising and falling as he took shallow breaths.

Soon, though, I heard him take a deep breath and then he mumbled, "Are you watching me?"

I giggled a little and said, "How did you know I was watching you?"

"I could feel it." Then he opened his eyes and kissed me, morning breath and all.

He ran his fingers softly through my hair as we kissed, and it occurred to me that I must look terrible, having slept with all of my makeup on and not brushing the hairspray out before I went to sleep. I groaned and Louis knew that it wasn't a happy groan.

He wrinkled his brow a little and asked, "What's wrong?"

I hid my face and muttered, "I must look awful."

"Don't be silly," he said, lifting my face from the pillow. "You, Ashten Norwood, always look stunning."

"Liar," I smirked. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. He rubbed my back, while he threw his arm over his face.

I enjoyed the feeling of his hands tickling my back for a while, but then I turned and faced him, sitting with my legs crossed. "So, we have to figure some things out."

"Yup," he said, his arm still over his eyes.

"It won't be easy," I said. "But I know I can do it now. I can tell Richard we're through, once and for all."

"That's a start," he said.

"It's all because of you, Lou."

"How's that?" He asked, sitting up to face me.

"You make me feel strong," I said shyly.

"I think you're underestimating yourself," he said. "I think that you're finding courage that you didn't realize you had."

"Maybe," I smiled at his words. "But I think you helped me find it."

He leaned over and kissed me again. He deepened it enough that I felt a little flutter in my chest.

"I don't want to hurt you again, but I want you to trust me," I told him. "Even after I break up with Richard, I can't just reveal everything to my parents. It will take some time for them to accept that change. So, as far as you and I go..."

"You want us to keep it a secret for a while," he finished for me.

I nodded. "Is that okay? It's not that I'm embarrassed to be with you," I said, biting my lip. "It's just that my parents can only handle so much. In case you haven't noticed, they like to be in control of everything!"

"Yeah, I get it," he smiled with reassurance, gently stroking my cheek. "I'm sure it wasn't easy to grow up the way you did."

"Last night, my mom freaked out when I told her that I'd gone out with Danielle. I thought she was going to have a coronary!"

"I'll bet!" He laughed. "I know you've lived like this your whole life and you need to handle it slowly and carefully. I'm happy to be patient, as long as I know I still have your heart."

I looked into his eyes and said, "Lou, you had my heart from day one."