EDITED VERSION: Chapter Twenty-Four

"HE DID WHAT?" Samara screamed as soon as the words slipped out of my mouth.

I grabbed my pillow and smacked her with it playfully. My friend laughed as she almost fell off my bed. "Shut up, I don't want Darian to know!"

It was a couple of days after my and Nathan's kiss and things have been extremely awkward. While Nathan was at work, I called Samara and begged for her to come over to talk about it. I had no idea what to do and needed some guidance.

She straightened herself out and her facial expression turned serious. "Alright, so what happened? Did you kiss him back?"

"Well, yeah, I kissed him back," I stated. I pursed my lips together and replayed the event of the kiss in my head again. "We were walking home and all of a sudden he turns to me and says he needs to do something and asks me not to hate him for it." I run my hand through my hair, feeling giddy at the memory. "The next thing I know he's calling me beautiful and then his lips were on mine."

Samara squealed and clapped her hands together excitedly. She flipped her locks of black hair over her shoulder and leaned forward. "Well, did you like it?"

"If we're being honest..." I sighed dreamily and it felt like Nathan kissed me all over again as the moment replayed in my head over and over. "It was amazing and I know this sounds bad, but I never felt that way before. It was like... fireworks or like the world was spinning."

I remembered as our lips touched, his taste had consumed me and it felt like we were in our own little world...

Nathan suddenly stopped walking and he looked at me with a completely serious face. "Audrey, I need to do something and please don't hate me for it."

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered out, my heart started to pound as Nathan gently grasped my hands and pulled me closer to him.

He lowered his forehead on mine and stared at me for a moment. Bringing his hands up, he placed them on either side of my face and sighed. "You're so beautiful."

As his lips met mine in a hungry kiss, I let out a little gasp and I felt his soft smile against my lips. Not wasting another moment, I found myself instantly kissing back just as urgently. As a result, he pulled me even closer and tangled his hands in my hair, causing me to sigh in delight.

Nathan pulled back to catch his breath and his forehead rested on mine as he did so. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Shaking my head and grinning like an idiot, I placed my hands on the back of his neck and pulled him closer. "Just kiss me."

We continued our very public make-out in the street, not caring it was unbearably cold. At that moment, it was just Nathan and me.

Snapping back to reality, I shook my head slightly and bit my lip as I looked at Samara. "Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about it."

"Okay," my friend said slowly, she paused for a moment and played with the strings dangling off my pillow. "But why would you act so weird after the kiss?"

I sighed in defeat and thought about how I responded the next day. Long story short, I avoided Nathan with every fibre of my being and we haven't talked since. Darian is completely oblivious because he's been with Justin so much but he'll probably catch on sooner rather than later.

"Ugh, Sam. I don't know," I whined. "It was so great and it felt so right but it scared me for all of those reasons."

She gave me a look of confusion and I flung myself backwards on my bed to stare at my ceiling. "It was too great and too right. I never felt like that when I kissed Kieran. I thought that feeling of fireworks was only in movies and novels, but I was wrong.

"And truth be told, I didn't even know I liked Nate like that until the kiss. I mean, I felt flutters here and there but I never realized it was, well, that," I squeezed my hands in the air to emphasize my point and I let out a huge breath of finality. "Do you think he likes me or did I just set myself up for disaster?"

Suddenly, I felt a pillow smack me hard in the face. "Girl, you are fifty shades of stupid if you can't tell that boy is head over heels for you. He's been chasing you since day one, but your stubborn ass refuses to see it."

I groaned and threw the pillow off of my face so I can think without being suffocated. Sure, Nathan had flirted with me since the moment I met him but that was how he was. I've seen him do it with loads of girls while he was doing it to me. Does that necessarily equate to him wanting to be with me? I didn't think so. Yes, he kissed me and said that I was beautiful but once that ever turns into anything more--if it were to turn into anything more, he'd get bored of me super quick. I've only ever been with Kieran. I'm nothing special and he'll see that soon. I sighed. "I don't know, Sam. I've only ever been with Kieran. Once he sees how boring I am, he'll take back any feelings of romance he's ever had for me."

"I could smack you again for your stupidity," my best friend started. "He wouldn't leave you and you certainly aren't boring. You always find an opportunity to try something new. Remember the time we got a group of people from class to try paintballing because you were always curious about how to play? Or that time you signed up for that hip-hop meets ballet dance workshop? Or hmm, I don't know, the time you moved out of your tiny hometown so you could experience a city life of your own?" Samara grabbed my hand reassuringly. "Audrey, you are the least boring person I know. I think you're just scared to put your heart out there for Nathan to hold. Trust me, I get it. But also think about Nathan. You haven't talked to him in two days and you haven't told him about how you feel. He deserves to know how you feel and you deserve to be with someone who makes you happy, even if it scares you."

I nodded my head nervously. "You're right."

***

"Do I really need to do this?" I whined as I stared through the window of Ed's from the outside.

Nate was inside serving some customers at the bar but he didn't look like his usual laid-back self. Instead, his face was twisted in a permanent scowl, causing him to look anything but friendly.

I studied him as he continued to serve customers. Once he was done, he began to vigorously scrub the already spotless counter.

Samara gave me a pointed stare and jerked her head towards the grumpy Nathan. I sighed and nodded my head, understanding that she was right. She patted my back encouragingly as I opened the door. "Just be honest and tell him how you feel."

Nodding my head, I stepped into the bar and Nathan's head snapped upwards, his hazel eyes staring at me intently.

I gave him a sheepish smile and sat on the stool across from him. "Hey."

"Audrey," he greeted with a curt nod and went back to scrubbing the counter. His eyebrows were knitted in concentration and he refused to look up at me.

I sat there lamely for a few minutes while Nathan continued to clean the perfectly intact counter. Reaching over I placed my hand on his and gave him a hesitant smile. "Nate, can we talk when you're off?"

He stopped cleaning and he looked up at me once again. When he saw me how unsure I was, his features softened. "I suppose we could." Turning his head to look at the clock behind the bar, his eyes widened at the time. "I didn't realize I'm supposed to be off the clock. Gimme a minute to get my stuff from the back, then we can talk. Is that okay?"

I pulled my hand back so Nathan could leave and I nodded my head. "Sounds great."

As I watched him walk out from behind the bar, I prayed that I wouldn't mess anything up between us during our upcoming talk.

We left the bar and Nathan and I walked in pure silence.

It stayed like that for a few minutes, simply walking with no set destination. Until Nathan nudged me lightly and jerked his head towards a small café across the street. "Want some hot chocolate while we talk?"

"S-sure," I responded, feeling flustered and unaware of what to say. Was small talk appropriate right before a talk that was most likely going to be awkward? Probably not.

Nathan put his hand on the small of my back as we began crossing the street. I relaxed at his touch and his warmth, making me think maybe he isn't as mad as I thought he was, seeing as I ignored him for two days.

I didn't even notice we reached the café until I was greeted with the harsh but comforting smell of coffee beans and baked goods. Nathan made his way to the corner, where there was a small table for two and bookshelves along the wall with books overflowing from it. He pulled out a chair for me and gestured for me to sit. I gave him a small smile and he simply responded with a nod and went to the counter to order our hot chocolates.

A few minutes later he came up to the table with two giants mugs of piping hot chocolate and he placed two plates down on the table. With a sheepish grin, he said, "They had a special. Chocolate cheesecake brownies."

"Oh, that sounds yummy," I smiled gratefully at Nathan and then eyed my brownie. "Thank you."

Nathan nodded his head and we settled into an awkward silence. We sipped our hot chocolate and nibbled at the brownies, but never uttered a word for a solid twenty minutes.

I was close to finishing my hot chocolate when I decided I should speak. Placing my cup on the table, I cleared my throat. Nathan's eyes snapped upwards and his hazel eyes pierced through my green ones. I sighed at the sight of them and deflated, my shoulders sinking. "Nate, I'm sorry for not talking to you after t-the-" I stopped and sighed. "-we k-k-"

"Kissed?" He finished for me, cocking an eyebrow and crossing his arms. I nodded my head lamely and he just shook his head, looking frustrated. "Audrey, I get it. You don't feel the same. I'm just sorry I put you into a situation that made you feel uncomfortable."

Taken aback, I literally jerked my head backwards and blinked in surprise. I felt terrible that Nathan thought he made me uncomfortable, but I didn't blame him for believing I didn't share whatever feelings he may have for me. After all, I did ignore him as best as I could for two days. I couldn't believe I was so selfish for not seeing how that may impact Nathan.

I reached over and placed my hand on his and offered him a sincere look. "I'm so sorry for making you think you made me uncomfortable, I just didn't know how to feel or what to say."

Nathan sighed and scratched the back of his head with his free hand. He stared at me with an emotion I couldn't place as he started to speak. "Audrey, I know it's hard for you to open up. Especially to a guy like me, after being with a guy like Kieran."

He licked his lips and leaned forward, staring at me with such intensity. "I like you, as more than a friend. And even though I have never had a girlfriend before or even dated before, I want to try with you."

I opened my mouth to respond and formulate what to say, but I couldn't figure out how. Nathan liked me and he wanted to be with me. I really liked him, but what about Darian? And what about the fact we live together, wouldn't that be too much? I played with the necklace Nathan had gotten me for Christmas as I thought to myself. Eventually, I sighed and I looked at him, feeling extremely flustered. "Nate, I like you too... I have for a while but I didn't really know it for certain until we kissed. But whatever would happen between us would be awkward for Darian. I mean, he's your brother and one of my best friends. Not to mention the fact we all live together."

Now it was Nathan's turn to reach over and grab my other hand. He cradled both of my hands in his and rubbed reassuring circles, helping my nerves settle. His eyes softened and his plump lips were upturned in a shy smile. "I told Darian how I feel about you. A long time ago, actually. He gave me his blessing, as long as you were comfortable and I won't hurt you. Apparently, if I hurt you, I can kiss my gorgeous hair goodbye."

I laughed and then blushed at the thought of Nathan going to Darian for his blessing. I can't believe he would do that.

"I know you have seen me with girl after girl and that I'm probably the last person you'd expect to want a relationship or to even just date. But I do--with you," Nathan spoke with such urgency, it was hard to not believe him. "We would take it slow of course; I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable." He sighed and shook his head downwards, no longer meeting my gaze. After a small pause, he looked back up and stared at me in uncertainty. "I guess what I'm saying is I really like you. And I would really like to take you out on a date and see if maybe this could become something more?"

I thought for a moment, trying to come up with anything to say. I knew what I wanted, I wanted the same thing as him. But what if it did become something more? I wasn't sure if a relationship would be a good idea. Nathan has never been in a committed relationship in his life, nor did he actually date. I don't know if it would work, and if it didn't it would be so awkward for our friendship, as well as our living situation. I kept thinking of a million things that could go wrong but I didn't once think about the things that could go right. So for a moment, I thought about it and said, "I'd really like that. I want to try too."

Nathan grinned like a child who received an Xbox for Christmas and he squeezed my hands slightly. "I promise you, you will not regret this." He looked at me intently as he continued. "Thank you for giving me a shot, princess."