Chapter 3.

I crossed my arms tightly against my chest as I shivered. The air had become chilly now, the way I liked it. The stars stood still over the dark blue sky. I needed some fresh air. It was getting somewhat warm inside. The guests had arrived and once the dance floor had filled with moving bodies, I started to feel a little claustrophobic. I did not enjoy the feeling.

Suddenly, I felt soft lips on my shoulder blade. Edmund's. I turned my head slightly and smiled.

"Hey," I muttered. He looked up at me and smiled too.

"How are you?" he asked gently.

"Cold," I muttered as I turned my body towards him a little.

Edmund wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me close. "Let's go inside then."

I turned so that I was resting my head on his chest and I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Nah, I like this better."

He chuckled. "Whatever's cool with you."

I nodded, kissing his chest. "How do you like the party?"

Edmund laughed once. "You know I'm not into these things."

"Yes. But there has to be something you like about them."

"Yeah, there is something..." he said with humor in his voice.

"What?" I questioned.

His hand was on my cheek. I looked up at him; he was biting his lip.

"This—" he said as he leaned in to kiss me once. Then twice. And the third time was more eager. But he managed to pull away and look at me with his shinning eyes.

I chuckled. "This isn't related to the party."

He shrugged but laughed. "Well, then there's nothing I like about these parties."

"You're retarded," I said jokingly.

"As long as you like that, I am," he smiled.

I laughed as I put my head back on his chest. "You're such a dork. I love you."

I felt him kiss the top of my head. "I love you too, Kate."

A shiver went down my spine as he those words. I held on to him tighter.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back inside? You seem cold," he said, concerned.

I smiled. "I'm absolutely fine."

"You sure?" he asked, still with a hint of worry in his voice.

I nodded then pulled back to look at him. "Can we take a walk?"

Edmund bit his lip then smiled. "Sure, why not."

I pulled away from his embrace and took his hand in mine, entwining our fingers together.

We headed out into the castle grounds. We were silent for a while. He either looked down at me or up at the sky.

"Doesn't the moon look beautiful tonight? It's full," I smiled up at it. The moon caught my interest somehow.

Edmund shrugged. "I've seen things more beautiful than that," he said casually, looking forward.

I raise my eyebrow. "Yeah, right. Like what?"

He chuckled and looked down at me. We were near the woods now. He suddenly stopped walking. Confused, I stepped in front of him.

"Well, there's your eyes," he said in the same casual tone, but somehow it had soften. "Then your smile."

I raise my eyebrow again. I chuckled once. "Oh, really?" I said sarcastically.

He nodded. "Yes," he muttered softly. He took a step closer. Instinctively, I took a step back. He bit his bottom lip.

"Want to know something interesting?" he muttered somewhat mischievously that my heart started racing.

Trying to show no sign of appeal, I said coolly, "Sure. What's so interesting?"

He moved closer and this time when I stepped back, my back hit something. I felt it with my hands; it was a tree.

"You..." he muttered, "...tempt me...so much."

Edmund took another step closer, until his lips were an inch above mine. I pressed my back tightly against the tree, although I was longing to press my body against his.

I was having a hard time trying to breathe. All the same, I smiled slightly.

"Is that so?" I asked innocently.

Edmund nodded slightly, biting his lower lip. "Yes...a lot."

I didn't answer, but I stared into his eyes.

"Everything about you makes me insane..." he sighed. He closed his eyes.

I stood still listening to the sound of his breathing. If I raised my hand and placed it on his chest, I was sure to feel the pounding of his heart. Moreover, I was very tempted to do so.

To distract myself, I whispered, "Like...what?"

His eyes fluttered open. He smiled. "Like your skin..." His hand gently touched my cheek. "Like the taste of your lips..." I could feel his breathe on me. It was minty.

My sigh came out shaky. He grinned. Oh God, my knees felt weak. He titled his head slightly, looking down at my neck.

"Edmund?" I managed to mutter.

He sighed a little. "I like the way you say my name..."

I bite my lip. "Um..."

He leaned in and kissed my neck very gently. Oh my fucking God, I felt like my heart would burst out from my chest any moment now. To ease my breathing, I put my hand on his chest, right over his heart. I smiled; I could feel its pounding against my fingers. I could feel his chest rising and falling under my hand as he tried to calm his breathing.

"God damn, Kate," he muttered against my shoulder.

It took me a while to response. "What?"

"Kate..." he breathed. "I want you...so bad..." I could feel him nibbling on my neck now....

Holy shit, what did he just say?

"What?" I asked again, a little shocked.

Edmund didn't stop as he muttered against my skin, "I want you."

That really did not help my damn weak knees. I bit my lip. Edmund wanted me. And I know what he meant by that. Plus, I wanted him too...

"Y-you...want me?" I asked.

At this, he pulled back and looked at me. He bit his lip, and then nodded. "Yes, I do. A lot."

I could feel my cheeks turning red and hoped that he would not be able to tell, especially with the lack of any light. But he grinned and I knew he could tell.

Then he said, "You're blushing."

I sighed and looked away. "Shut up."

He took my chin so that I was looking at him again then he kissed my lips gently. "Maybe we should go inside before I get carried away..."

I laughed. "Aw, can't control yourself?" I said jokingly.

Edmund looked down. And for the first time, he was the one to blush! Whoa.

"No," he muttered seriously.

I bit my lip. Somehow, I thought that was...hot. I shook my head a little.

"Edmund," I said.

He looked up slightly. "Yeah?"

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You were blushing."

He glared playfully at me. "Ha ha, funny."

I opened my mouth to say something, but he pressed his lips against mine immediately.

My eyes closed and I began to feel his gentle touch, moving my lips to the rhythm of his. I felt his rough yet gentle arms wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

His kiss was passionate. It reminded me so much of our very first kiss....

"How are things at home?" Edmund asked gently.

I sighed as I looked down at my feet. We were somewhere in the middle of the woods. I could only hear the sound of a distant river and our feet crunching the leaves on the ground. They were brown and orange. Fall had arrived. It was one of my favorite seasons. Winter followed.

It was about five in the afternoon. I was so glad the sun was hiding behind the clouds today. I had a feeling it might rain, but I wasn't sure.

Edmund and I could walk in this woods for hours and never get tired. I loved it. And his voice calmed me. I had managed to turn my music off just to hear his voice.

"Nothing's changed," I muttered clearly, as I shot a glance at him. "They still argue all the time. And they still don't give a shit about me." I shrugged, carelessly.

Edmund sighed. "Kate, I'm sorry..." He paused for a moment. "You already know what I want to do to him."

I laughed softly. "Yeah, I know. But it's okay. I'm sixteen now. I only have to deal with them for one more year. It's all good."

Edmund shook his head. "No, its not. They treat you horribly..." he muttered.

I stopped and turned to him.

We were referencing to my alcoholic mother and my...abusive stepfather. The two people I could not stand. They never acknowledged my existence and when they did, it was to either yell at or hurt me. Sometimes both. They needed a little servant. And I was there to endure all their harsh conditions.

I bit my lip. I rarely liked bringing this subject up. Especially after my sixteen's birthday. The only present they gave me was a huge scar on my arm. Luckily, Edmund had been nice enough to take me to the hospital and get stitches. That was a few weeks ago, but the memory still clung to me like a crying child holding on to his mother. But Edmund was very...protective of me and he always asked to make sure I was okay. It was a nice gesture, but sometimes I could not bear to bring it up.

However, he cared and I understood, so I answered all his questions. I answered them until I thought I would break down. Thankfully, I had only ever cried once with him. I felt a little embarrassed, so whenever we talked about it, I sucked it up and let the tears fall when I wasn't around him.

When Edmund had met me, I was very...reserved. I never talked to anyone. I never trusted anyone. I never let anyone in. And it took a long time before I could tell him anything about myself. Somehow, I felt more comfortable around him after the first few months of knowing him. I could be myself and he understood me. He told me his secrets and I told him mine. I had finally let him enter my sad little life. And he helped me through very hard times; I did the same for him.

Before I had met him, I turned to music and...cutting for comfort. I didn't tell him that secret until very recently. He never really suspected that I cut myself, and only for the reason that half my scars and bruises came from my parents. I managed to decrease the amount of scars I gave myself. But I had not stopped completely. And he knew that. The first time I had told him, he threw a damn fit, almost destroying half his room. I could not let that happen again, so I also kept that subject on the down low.

Edmund was stubborn though. Therefore, eventually he brought it up. I couldn't run away from him. One, because he cared too damn much. And second, because I didn't want to leave him...

I sighed again. "Edmund, it really doesn't matter," I said casually. "I've dealt with them almost my whole life."

He bit his lip. "I hate seeing you hurt," he whispered. "It…it hurts me too…"

And I could see it. I could see the pain clearly etched upon his gorgeous face. I hated seeing him like this. It was one of the reasons I hated telling people anything: they eventually got hurt too. I sighed in frustration. I didn't know what to say. We had discussed this before. There was nothing I could do, except to run away…

"Edmund, I'm sorry. What do you want me to do?" I asked, somewhat desperately. "You know I don't have money for a place of my own to leave them."

He looked away for a moment. Then back at me. "Come live with me," he said somewhat rapidly and unexpected.

I was speechless for a moment. "W-w-what?" I stammered.

He locked my gaze. "Come live with me," he said more clearly and firm.

"L-live with y-y-you?" I was shocked.

He looked a little confused; he bit his lip and looked away from me. "I-I mean, my door's always open for you," he said and slowly turned back to look at me.

I smiled. Wow. Move in with Edmund. My best friend, the person I trusted with all my life. No more parents. No more alcohol bottles on the floor. No more shattered glass in my skin. No more yelling. I wouldn't cry myself to sleep if I knew Edmund was under the same roof keeping me safe. The idea was too perfect to be true.

And I found myself crying. Edmund's eyes widened and he immediately pulled me into a hug.

"Kate," he whispered soothingly. "Oh, God. Kate, what's wrong?"

I started sobbing quietly in his chest. I felt so fucking pathetic. Why was I crying? Then after a moment, I had answered my own question.

"Kate, please don't cry…" he almost begged. "If you don't want to move in, its fine. I just thought you'd be happy. Oh, it's okay," he whispered into my ear, caressing my back gently.

A shaky laugh escaped my lips. He pulled back a little to look at my face, but I pulled him closer, burying my face in his chest; he hugged me back tightly without hesitating.

"Kate?" he asked confused. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. With the back of my hand, I wiped the tears away, but he pulled back and took my hand from my face.

He smiled tenderly. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked soothingly. Then with the back of his hand, he began to wipe the tears away from my cheeks. I laughed shakily again.

"I'm so s-sorry," I muttered, my voice shook. I looked down. "I'm stupid." I laughed to hide my shaky voice, but that was no help either.

"What?" he asked confused. "You're not stupid. Why would you say that?"

I shook my head. "I'm crying...I'm retarded..." I laugh.

Edmund bit his lip. "Why are you crying?"

I looked up and without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him close. "Because I'm happy," I muttered in his ear.

He sighed, relieved. His arms became a little tighter around my waist, yet they were gentle. "Oh, good. I'm glad."

I nodded into his shoulder. "Me too." I slowly pulled away. "I...I just don't want to be a bother to anyone at your house."

Edmund waved his hand as he shook his head. "No, way. They love you."

"Do they?" I asked.

He nodded. "But you know I love you the most," he smiled down at me.

"No, I love you more," I said, grinning.

It was not until his arms pulled me closer that I realized we were in a somewhat awkward position. Well, it wasn't exactly awkward; it was just awkward for us. It was awkward because this was what...couples would do....

I had my arms around his neck. His hands wrapped tightly around my lower back. Not to mention we were extremely close and his face was inches away from mine.

Coming to this realization, I awkwardly pulled my arms down and looked away. He turned a little red, as he too realized the close contact. I stepped back a little, biting my lip.

I looked down at my shoes, but I could feel his eyes staring right at me. Therefore, I hesitantly looked up to meet them. He bit his lip and titled his head a little to the side. He took in a deep breathe and let it out shakily. He stepped forward.

He bit his lip. "Kate," he sighed. "Kate, there's something I'm...I'm dying to tell you..."

I didn't answer.

Edmund hesitated. "I...I just don't know how to say it..."

He took another step forward. This time I wouldn't let him come closer, so I took a step back. He looked behind my shoulder, probably searching for the right words. I took another step back hoping he wouldn't notice. However, his eyes flashed to mine instantly. He sighed again, also taking another step forward as I took another one back.

"Kate, stop," he said firmly.

"W-what?" I muttered.

Edmund closed his eyes as he shook his head. He opened them again. "Please stop. Stop backing away from me. Please don't."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I stared into his eyes instead. He was having a hard time trying to get out what he wanted to say, and I could tell. He took another step forward; I moved an inch.

His eyes were upset and worried.

I waited for him to continue, but I knew I wasn't going to like this.

"Kate, I...er, um..." he sighed in frustration. "Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it." He closed his eyes for a moment. Then as he opened them again and said, "Kate, I really like you."

My guts twisted in knots; my knees felt weak and I felt like running away right now. But I stood completely still. I stared at him hard, trying to digest the words in, replaying them in the back of my head.

"Kate," he began again, "I really do. I...I can't keep hiding the way I feel about you. Not anymore. Every time I'm away from you, I can not stop thinking about you. I can't stop worrying about you. And...when I am with you, everything else dissolves. And you are all I see. You are all I want to see. When I hear you talk and laugh..." he closed his eyes and bit his lip. He looked pained. "I can't help it. I...I think..." he opened his eyes. "Kate, I'm falling in love with you and there's nothing I can do to stop it.... You're everything I ever wanted. You understand me. And I absolutely love the feeling of having you around me."

He sighed. I was speechless and worst of all, I think I was becoming numb.

"I tried to push those feelings away," he muttered. "I thought it'd ruin our friendship. But every time I tried to push you away, I got so damn caught up in how wonderful you are. And I can't, I really can not have you out of my life. I won't have it that way. I care too much about you."

He shook his head, pained. "Kate, I love you."

And before I had any time at all to process all of his words, he moved in. My eyes widened. He stepped forward, closing the distant between us in one step. He instantly took my face in his hands.

"Ed, no—" I started. But his lips had crushed mine. I placed my hands on his chest about to push him away, but...I couldn't... Before I could bring up any strength to push him away, he had me in a trance. And I closed my eyes, savoring his touch. It was so gentle. But before I could get into it much further, he pulled away, biting his lip.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I couldn't help it..."

I stared at him. "Don't be."

And I instantly took his face in my hands, pulling his lips to mine. He seemed surprised for a second, but he instantly took hold of my waist pulling me closer to him. My hands found his hair, and I entwined my fingers in it, pulling his face closer to mine. He titled his head to deepen the kiss. I felt eager, therefore finding myself kissing him more fiercely. Soon enough he was kissing back with twice as much eagerness.

I was becoming lightheaded. I was in need for oxygen, but I didn't want to stop. I didn't want to pull away. I loved this too much. And...I loved Edmund. It didn't matter to me if it might mess up our friendship. I found myself falling for him, just the way he was falling for me...

His mouth opened against mine and I allowed his tongue to enter my mouth. God, this felt so weird. I never thought Edmund, my best friend, and I would ever, ever be in this position: kissing. Moreover, it was not just kissing. We had come to the point of fiercely making out.

Our tongues colliding for the first time, felt so great. Edmund was all I wanted to feel right now. He was everything. He was my everything.

After I thought I might collapse from no air, Edmund pulled back. He quickly began to explore the skin on my neck. I hadn't realized we had moved until my back hit a rough tree. I pulled him closer as he nibbled on my neck. I bit my lip.

I couldn't take it anymore; I pulled his lips back to mine and I felt him smile against them.

He pulled back slowly. "Kate, I love you."

My stomach felt extremely sick, in the most pleasant way ever. "Edmund, I love you too."

He smiled brightly. And we stared at each other for a few moments.

"So when can I move in?" I asked, kissing his neck.

"As soon as possible," he said, smiling.

"Tonight?" I asked, wondering if I was being too pushy.

"Definitely. I'd love that," he smiled.

I smiled back. "Wait, was that your surprise? Asking me to move in?"

Edmund chuckled. "Yeah, I guess."

He leans in to kiss me again. I kiss back. He pulls back but takes hold of my hand.

"Lets go home," he grins. I looked up at him.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Please review! Any comments are welcome. :]

And I have a question. I was thinking of adding some "lemon", but I need your opinions. Please! Thanks!