I never expected to enjoy prom. Not in a million years, but I had three amazing dates who did nothing but dance with me all night. We weren't nominated for anything, nor did we care, we were there to have fun, dance, and enjoy the food.

Our school held the prom at one of those fancy wedding halls. It sat right off the bay. The night was calm, and so clear you could see out into the darkened water for what felt like miles.

Halfway through when the DJ started to slow things down, I had a slow dance with each of them. They danced with other girls, but always came back. Our relationship had never been better at that point. We were all worried about what the following year would bring. I know I was scared. I'd been with them almost my entire childhood, but a few months later we would be heading to different parts of the country.

Bennett and Everett had found some random girls from our class to dance with. Danny and I were at our seats. He picked at his food, and his leg shook the table. I stood, made my way over to him and placed my arm on his shoulders.

He shivered as I leaned in. My lips grazed his ear.

"Dance with me?" I asked.

Danny glanced up and set down his fork. At first, I expected him to say no, he had that distant dull empty stare, but then I stepped to the side, held out my hand, and pouted my lip. His eyes lifted with his grin, and he took my hand.

We made our way across the dance floor, right in front of the large windows looking out into the bay. The choppy water waving around in the floodlights against the outside of the building.

It was easy to fall into his arms even though he was much taller than me. I placed my head against his chest, while he rested his cheek on my head. Butterflies danced around, but I didn't think anything of it. Funny thing was, I should have realized something was up when he didn't hold the other girls he danced with as tight as he held me. He kept them at a distance, but with me it was like he didn't want to let go.

"What am I going to do without you next year?" I mumbled into his chest.

His fingers slipped under my chin, and I lifted my face to look at him.

"Call me, anytime. I'll answer even if it's three in the morning or I'm in the middle of a test. Seriously, Fal. Don't ever hesitate."

His eyes never left mine. I do remember feeling a pull, because I leaned in and our lips did brush, but we were pulled apart by Bennett as a faster song echoed around us.

For a lingering moment, he and I both stared. We connected, but then it got lost somewhere, and when we turned our backs, it was like the moment was forgotten.

Maybe I should have sat out on the paintball. I've already been belted in the leg several times. It hurt like a bitch. We are out in this large, wooded area playing against people who are intense and acting like this whole thing is real.

"There you are," Bennett says, crouching beside me.

We are stuck behind a blockade of wood and boxes.

"I'm here," I chuckle.

"Having fun?" he asks.

"When I get back to the hotel tonight, I'm bathing for hours," I say, laughing.

We took the plunge and splurged on a small hotel about an hour or so outside the city, just a few minutes away from the place they chose for paintball.

He laughs, but it only lasts a second before he's quiet. I know Bennett enough to read him when something is on his mind. He stares off like he's forgotten where he is. Whether he'll spit out his words or not, I can't be so sure.

We sit in silence and listen as the sounds of paintballs ricochet around us.

"So, you and Danny, huh?"

He lifts his head gear, eyes meeting mine. I'm not sure how to answer that question. I don't know what Danny and I are. All I do know is that he and I are sharing a hotel room, because doubling up was a lot easier than having four separate rooms. Thank God the one we are staying in has two beds instead of one.

"It's nothing. Nothing's going on."

His narrowed gaze is telling me that he's not buying it. Not one bit. To be honest I don't even know what's happening. It's been days since that kiss and we did promise to hang after, and now there's no turning back since we're sharing a room.

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

"Why are you pestering me anyway? You're getting married, so what does it matter what I do with my life?"

His jaw goes slack.

I shouldn't be talking back. This is supposed to be his day to enjoy. This is the reason no groom should invite a woman to his wedding party. Things get complicated and messy, especially when there's feelings involved, it's not good for anyone.

"I'm not pestering, it's just - I - I thought you -"

I put my gun in a missing patch of grass and tear off my own headpiece. I know it's dangerous to do right here on the field, but I can't help it. Suddenly I'm having a hot flash and feeling as if the world is on fire, so I need to be free.

"Thought that I what?" My pulse jumps against my skin as he moves in closer.

"That you - never mind." He lowers his head and picks at a blade of grass with his free hand.

"No, Bennett, please finish your sentence. I'd really like to hear what you have to say."

"That you liked-"

"HEADS UP!" Everett comes sliding in front of us, his body skids to a stop.

"Oh. Fallon, put that shit back on, we're about to get blasted."

I reach for my headpiece as stray paint flies in all different directions. One hits my arm before I get the chance. With my headgear off it's a disaster waiting to happen. Bennett knocks me over and presses his body over me.

"What are you doing? I can take care of myself. I don't need you to protect me."

I brace my hand against him and push, but he isn't budging, not even after the paint stops flying. His chest is moving rapidly up and down with each breath. He stays like that, even when Everett stands and starts running in another direction.

"I'm -" His mouth continues to move, but nothing but short sounds come out, no actual words.

"Hey guys, games over!" Everett yells.

I'm finally able to push Bennett off me. Standing up, I brush the dust off my clothes. I'd help him up, but I'm not in the mood to do so. I search the grounds and find Danny leaning against a tree carefully observing. He doesn't attempt to move in on me or anything.

We head inside to the building we entered through to return our gear. Bennett still won't ease up, he's behind me jogging to keep up.

"Fallon, you can't just ignore me."

"Oh, and why not?"

"You have no right to be mad at me."

I stop walking. We're behind the others, so no one notices when we stop.

"No. I don't. You're right, but that doesn't take away the fact that I am mad. I'm pissed. Mostly at myself for never coming clean, but then I'm also angry because I missed something amazing right in front of my eyes, all because I couldn't see past you. It's not your fault that I thought we could be more than friends, it's my own."

"I waited for you to tell me, but you never did, so I thought it was my imagination."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I squeeze the hard shell of the headgear in my hand. This whole time he knew, and he quite possibly might have liked me too.

"It means that I waited for you to make your move. I wanted it to be your decision. We had already decided as a group that all feelings were platonic. You agreed, said that it was. So, I never thought anything of it. And the guys and I decided that-"

I hold up my hands in surrender.

"Decided that I was just one of the guys. That falling in love with me would ruin everything between us. Was it you that made Danny afraid to speak up about his own feelings? Why Bennett, why was it your idea?"

I move forward closing in on him. He's wearing his poker face, but I've known him for so long that I know what's underneath that taut mouth of his. He's got words that are there, words that he's been holding back for years. Crossing my arms, I wait for him to say it.

"You know what, Fallon. You already know the answer. I'm going to walk away now before I do something stupid."

"Oh, and what's that, huh? Having feelings for me is stupid?"

He starts moving.

"I'm not discussing this now, it's too damn late."

He's now several steps in front of me. Funny thing is, I'm okay with letting him go. I wait a few extra seconds for him to disappear into the building. For a moment I'm still, while I wait for my heart to catch up to this new development. Now that it's off my chest, I feel somewhat relieved. Right now, the only person on my mind is Danny and how he never made me feel bad for having feelings.

"Fallon, are you okay out there?" Everett peeks his head out the back door.

I lift my gaze to find him heading towards me. It doesn't take him long to cross the space.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "No. Not really. Walk with me?" I ask.

"Always." Everett takes my free hand in his and squeezes.

The ride back to the hotel is quiet, minus the music. Danny's mom allowed us to take her van, so we had room for luggage and us. When Danny parks I get out first and start for the room. We are meeting in the lobby a bit later for dinner and a comedy show. It's still a few hours out, and I plan to spend those hours relaxing and trying to clear my head, although that might be impossible sharing a room with Danny.

I'm drawn to Danny, and the fight with Bennett proved to me that I'm not leaning on him because my feelings for Bennett can never be pursued. There's no denying what's happening between Danny, and I is real. I am terrified I'll screw it all up and then lose him as a friend too. It almost feels like I've lost Bennett in that way, all because I kept the secret to myself. There's still that itch to find out what would have happened if I had confessed sooner, but I can't let it consume me, because I want to explore my feelings with Danny. They are more real than anything I've ever felt before.

"Anyone up for a drink?" Bennett asks.

"Me, definitely." Everett says, veering to the left towards the bar.

"I'm heading upstairs for a bit."

I grab at the arm that got hit. I'm wearing long sleeves even though it's hot as hell today, so I haven't had a chance to inspect the bruising yet.

"No problem." He hardly looks at me. "Danny?" He glances up at his friend, but I walk away before hearing his answer.

The elevators are nearby, just behind the welcome desk. It's a small hotel, only three floors. It's not fancy, probably hasn't been updated in years, but we got a good deal on it, so I'm not complaining.

As I reach the silver doors footsteps pound on the hard linoleum floor behind me.

"Hey, wait up, Fal."

I act as if I don't hear Danny and press the button with the up arrow.

"Hey."

He touches right where the paintball hit, and I wince with a hiss. He pulls away as if he's been burned.

"Sorry, I got nailed there at the end."

The doors open and we both step inside. When the doors shut silence whirls around us.

"You're upset," he whispers as we hit floor two.

My eyes are focused on the old scuffed up floor of the elevator. It dings a few seconds later and the doors re-open. We walk together in a heated quiet to our door. He already has out his keycard and slides it into the device. It buzzes, clicks, and he pushes the handle.

The room itself is very outdated, even the walls could use a new coat of paint. The curtains are an ugly orange and red color, to match the awful carpet. I toss my bag on the wooden desk lining the wall across from the two beds on our right. His hands are on my body before I can even turn around. They settle on my hips, warming me up, causing my heart to ramp into a tachycardic state.

"Can I take a look?" he questions, his voice deep and throaty.

I'm finding it hard to speak, so I nod to communicate. It takes him a few seconds of deep breathing for him to finally lift my shirt up. He carefully maneuvers my hurt arm from the tight fabric, removing it completely.

I turn my head to see the damage, a small red welt already forming.

"First things first, we need to wash the area. Come on."

His fingers gently run from my elbow down to my fingers. He tugs me towards the bathroom which is back near the door.

"I'll need to get you some ice, but let's do one step at a time."

The large countertop with the sink has white fluffy towels and washcloths already there. He wets one and opens a hotel soap. I hiss at the contact, and he pulls back slightly. "Sorry."

He glances up and something on my cheek catches his attention. He lifts a hand and brushes his thumb against my skin.

"You've got some dirt and paint."

"I really needed to shower," I whisper.

"Oh. Well, I can step out and let you-"

I don't allow him to finish his sentence before crashing my lips against his. I'm unable to help myself. For days I've imagined what it would be like to kiss him again, and now that I am it's even better than I remembered. The second his mouth opens for me, giving me permission, I lose all sense of myself, and even almost forget about the pain on my arm.

Our touches are almost as frantic as the kiss. I want him in ways I've never wanted anyone before. I'm not a virgin by any means but the fire in his kiss burns deeper than anyone I've had. There's more than just lust under them, there's a love that's always been there. I almost hate myself for not realizing or ignoring it because of my crush on Bennett.

"Help me clean up?" I ask.

"I can't guarantee that you will leave that shower cleaner than when you stepped in."

I snort, grinning into his soft lips. "Is that a promise?"

His eyes open wide with shock as a devilish grin lightens up his face. It's not weird or awkward talking to him like this. Not even when he helps me out of the rest of my clothes, and I do the same for him.

Stepping into the shower he turns on the water and I yelp from the cold stream that hits us at first. As we wait for it to warm, he flicks the frigid water at me. Our laughter echoes around the room. The Temperature warms up and steam begins to pour from the shower head, he tugs me into him, and I gasp at how it feels to be pressed up against him naked like this. Every part of him, even though he's taller, lines up as if it were meant to be that way.

His hand touches my jawline before grabbing a hold to tilt my head up to face him. We stand there in the stream of water for what feels like hours kissing and exploring each other and the way the other reacts to being kissed in certain spots. I love learning about how he's turned on by the way I tug on his bottom lip, or how when he grabs my neck to lift it and plants kisses along my skin that it makes my entire body tingle.

After our first wash he carries me soaking wet to the bed. He nearly takes us both out on the bathroom floor, but we make it to the first bed without injury. For some reason with how much undeniable chemistry there is I expect us to be grabbing at each other and for it to be a chaotic storm of tangled limbs, but it's more than that. It's everything.

He's a gentle lover, holding my head in his hands and focusing on my needs, while studying every moment carefully. There are a lot of moments when things lean in a rougher direction, especially when I yell his name a bit louder, but it never feels like just sex, there's more, I can feel it in his touch and his passion, this is love.

This is what I've been looking for and this whole time it was right under my nose. There's no turning back, not after this, Danny's it, and he shows that to me even when we finish, wash up, and he gets me the ice for my arm. We sit, talk, and it makes it that much harder to leave the room when it's time to meet up with the guys, but I know that with him I have time and it's not the end, it's just our beginning and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.