After the alternate questions game:

"Do I really have to wait two weeks?"

The lips curled upward beneath her fingertips, causing smile lines to form. "Sorry." When Tom's mouth closed at the end of the word, he place a small kiss against her skin.

Ada sucked in a breath as goosebumps covered her skin and the sound of her own heart beating filled her eardrums at a blaring volume. "Just one," Ada pleaded in a half whisper.

Tom's eyes opened and his hand moved hers in order to place a kiss against her wrist. "Something tells me I could never kiss you just once, Ada."

Ada's name never sounded so sensual as it did in that moment. She had to bite her lip just to keep her mouth in check.

"Don't tempt me."

It took Ada a moment to realize he was referring to her chewing on her lip, so she drew out her tongue to wet them. It was a spiteful and unfair move.Tom inhaled sharply as she had before, and the way his gray eyes darkened and smoldered, the action was completely worth it.

A mischievous grin took over Ada's face, causing Tom to glare at her. She couldn't help but tease him some more. "Aren't you worried about what two weeks of built up desire will do?"

Tom's glare softened and he let out a quiet chuckle. "My desire for you has been building up for a while. Somehow I manage just fine."

And that seemed true. She'd seen no sign of his desire until he decided to admit to it, whereas she turned into a babbling, sexually charged moron at the sight of him. "Well, screw you and the morals you rode in on."

Tom's smile grew and he shifted on his futon mattress, turning to the side and resting his head in his hand in order to raise himself closer to her. "Something tells me that kissing you is still in a morally gray area, no matter when it happens, but at least waiting a couple of weeks might spare me eternity in Hell."

Ada couldn't stop herself (realistically, she probably could have) and dropped her hand to link her fingers with his free hand. "Are you worried?"

"About going to Hell?"

Ada shook her head. "About what will happen after the kiss," Ada explained. " It just sort of feels like a lose/lose. If nothing is there, that's fine, I guess. But what if one of us feels something and the other doesn't? Won't that ruin the friendship?"

"It could," Tom admitted.

"And what if we both feel it? What are we going to do about my parents? And what about the school? They're probably going to think something was going on before."

"They might."

Ada's green eyes squinted at him. "Can you please stop answering in two word sentences?"

Tom sat up and moved the hand he was leaning on to Ada's cheek, cupping it gently in his palm and rubbing his thumb against her skin. "Do you want to kiss me, Ada?" She nodded and Tom let out a sigh. "That's the only thing we can control, our own actions. What your mom or the school thinks or what your dad does, I can't control that and neither can you.

"I'm not going to lie to you, your parents are probably going to hate me and there's a good chance that your dad is gonna beat the living shit out of me and will probably be disappointed in you. I might lose my job and you might lose some friends. I could even get banned from the coffee shop."

His hand moved to her hair and he ran his fingers through the blonde strands, his eyes seeming to study the feature. "Like I told your dad the night he threatened me, I know the risks. I know I could lose a lot of shit, just like I could have over our friendship. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't care. But I think of what I could gain and that's what makes the risk worth it."

A bloom of color appeared on Ada's cheek and she gave him an affectionate, shy smile. It was incredible how all she risked was being a social outcast, which she already sort of was, and being the black sheep of the family, which she had to admit was turned her stomach at the thought of it. But Tom was willing to risk his career, his reputation, the well being of his body and even his coffee supply.

She wanted to tell him not to bother, that she wasn't worth all of that. But she loved the way he touched her, looked at her, wanted her and did not want to lose the feeling he gave her. It was selfish, but she wanted Tom, enough that if he was willing to risk it all, so would she.

"So you kind of want me, huh?" Ada asked coyly.

Tom ran his fingers through a new strand. "More than kind of."

"Enough to risk a one way ticket to Hell?"

Tom's eyebrows squished together and he frowned before realization caught up to him and his features rested back into place. "If you asked me to kiss you right now, I would."

"As much as I want to, I won't ask."

"I appreciate that," Tom said after giving her a closed-lipped smile.

Ada rested her head back on her pillow on the couch and looked over at the fireplace mantel. They'd let the fire more or less die down, the room now mostly relying on the three vanilla scented candles on each table. She could still see Tom, but not the family photos that rest atop the mantel. But Ada didn't need the light as she knew them all by heart. They were mostly taken in their early childhood. Her favorite was a photo of her dad trying to explain to her how to change a tire at age four.

It was difficult for Ada to imagine that bright eyed little girl with her frizzy blonde hair and cute princess dress, carrying a wand with a blue star at the end that she brought to help her magically fix the tire was now falling head over Minie Mouse heels for her handsome teacher who fifteen years her senior.

It was even more difficult to imagine sensible teenage Ada who weighed every pro and con and never did anything spontaneous falling for Tom Bennet. He was perfect for her in most every way that really mattered to her, but completely wrong in every way that would matter to the outside world. Yet knowing the cons probably outweighed the pros in this case, and knowing the cons had major consequences, Ada was still wanted this.

As much of a relief as it would be if they kissed and neither of them felt a thing, she was hoping for the fireworks that would most likely blow up her world.

"The rumor..." Ada's voice trailed off, unsure if she should bring any of it up or not. She felt everytime she did, her words only gave it more power.

Tom was still sitting up and his fingers moved to her chin to turn her head toward him. "What about it?"

"Did you have feelings for me before the rumor started?"

Ada felt his hot breath on her shoulder as he took a few moments to think. Maybe not think so much as contemplate his response. His fingers moved back to her hair and Ada had to force her eyes to stay open at the feel of his touch.

"Yeah."

"Before our road trip?" she continued to question.

His eyes moved from her to the couch cushion she was laying on. "Yup."

"Before I went over to your place?"

This time Tom nodded in a sort of rueful acknowledgement.

"How long?"

After a moment or two, Tom's fingers left her hair and moved to his own, rubbing at it until it became disheveled then dropping himself back to his pillow. "When I first started having problems with my wife and started going to the coffee shop more and more. One night I was in this crazy bad mood; it was the night she told me she had feelings for a guy in her class and I just walked out of the house and drove to the shop, needing to get the hell away from her." Tom shook his head and rubbed at his eyes before continuing. "Anyhow, I was doing my best not to drag you down with the mood I was in and when you dropped off my mocha and I took my first drink-"

"The first whipped cream mustache?" Ada guessed, sitting up on her side to look at him again.

Tom nodded, a small hesitant smile tugging at his lips. "Your cheeks got all red and you were trying to hold back this laugh that just made your face go redder and when I asked what was so funny you just turned away from me and burst into this uncontrollable laugher.

"Once I figured out what was going on, I cleaned off my face and every time you looked at me for the rest of the night, you'd blush and smile. I started doing it on purpose and you'd get that same blush and that same smile and your eyes would just sort of light up. I think I came in for that more than I came in for the coffee."

Tom seemed lost in thought. "God, even during my worst fucking days, the days where I started to realize my marriage couldn't be saved, I'd go to the coffee shop and just sit there. Sometimes I'd spend all night there, just grading papers or whatever, just to get away from my crazy shitty reality. And each night, sometimes just once during the whipped cream thing, sometimes a few times, I'd look at you and you'd be looking back at me. First you'd get that look in your eye that immediately made my night just a little bit better. Then your cheeks would get all pink and you'd flash me that smile where your dimples show."

A lost smile took over Tom's face as he thought back to that time. "I didn't start to give it much thought until I moved out and we had that whipped cream war. You made me smile on the worst damn day of my life and that was when I started wondering if I'd been going to the coffee shop to get away from reality, or going to see you. Then you asked to come over and that question brought on more questions and became like this heavy weight I couldn't ignore anymore."

Her green eyes blinked rapidly as she stared in front of her at the old dusty rocks of the fireplace that she couldn't really see with the limited light. She could feel her pulse racing, thumping in her throat at an erratic pace. Her palm pressed against her cheek to feel the heat she already knew was there, the blush he seemed to enjoy so much feeling as if it was taking over every inch of skin on her body.

Ada hadn't realized she'd been giving Tom that look for the better part of a school year as she'd only been conscious of it recently, the look that caused her gaze to fall away from him and her fingers to tuck her strands behind her ear. She'd only begun to notice it once she found herself alone with him, away from the roles they had in each other's lives, the roles that were their identity to one another before the night she went to his apartment.

Ada blinked a few more times before allowing her gaze to return to Tom. By the look of him, she was lost in her own head for longer than she thought. She licked her lips and shook her head. "I don't think I've ever wanted to be kissed so much in my life."

Tom sat up, holding up his body with one hand as the other moved to her parted lips. She kissed his knuckle, unable to resist, and watched as his gray eyes drifted closed at the contact.

"You have no idea how much I want to, Ada." His voice was so soft, it felt like a breeze filling her lungs causing goosebumps on her skin.

The idea that this might all be in their heads was a rudicrous at this point. No matter which way this was analyzed, no matter what angle she studied this at, Tom had her; hook, line and sinker.

"Two weeks and I'll kiss you as many times as you want." And in that statement, Tom proved that he'd come to the same conclusion. Just as he had her, Ada had him. They didn't need the kiss to answer any of his questions.

Tom tugged at her body and grabbed her pillow, placing it next to his own. Ada gave in and laid next to him, his hand going to rest on her stomach and his lips placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.

They lay next to one another in silence for what felt like and eternity until Ada's body fully relaxed and her heart calmed down. She nuzzled deeper into her pillow and allowed sleep to take her over.

Morning after the storm:

As the storm grew more fierce throughout the night, the three of them found themselves taking refuge in the living room. Ada and Peter slept on the couches and Tom grabbed the futon cushion from the other room and slept on the floor, moving the table in order to sleep as close to Ada as he could.

The thunders rumbles and roars came for frequently and felt closer as the windows rattled with each heavy 'boom'. With only the sound of the crackling fireplace, it was easy to hear the howling of wind as it moved through the trees and tore off the branches.

But the harshness and unruling strength of the storm feels tiny compared to the strength of Tom's eyes as he looked up at her from his mattress. The firmness of eye contact would have made her uneasy after only a few short seconds if it had come from anyone else. But uneasiness was not on the list of emotions she felt with Tom, especially when he looked at her like that.

As time ticked away and neither of them were able to sleep, Tom eventually pulled her down next to him and put his arm around her. Neither of them saying anything more than 'goodnight', Ada fell asleep to the sound of her own pounding heart.

Ada wasn't certain what time it was when she opened her eyes, but it was morning and the sounds of the storm, as well as the sound of Tom's heavy breaths, were both now gone.

Now there was silence in the house, confirmation the power had not yet returned and Ada rubbed her tired eyes and sat up. She looked over at her unconscious brother as she grabbed the hair tie off her wrist and collected her tangled, frizzy strands into a tiny ponytail.

She headed downstairs to her bedroom and slid on her fuzzy bathrobe and noticed through her large windows that looked over the river that the aftermath of the storm had wreaked havoc on the freshly cut lawn. Bird feeders laid on the ground, as did fallen branches and her tire swing.

Her steps were lazy as she climbed the staircase back to the main floor, but the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen perked Ada up. It was staying hot in a tea pot on the gas stove turned low. Leave it to Tom to figure out how to get his coffee fix. The creamer remained stuck in the fridge still and Ada was tempted to retrieve it, as everything was bound to be spoiled by then regardless. But instead she filled her cup and blew into the mug at the black coffee as she walked out of the kitchen and through the hallway toward the front door.

There she saw Tom, sitting on the porch steps as it appeared half of porch swing had come off the chain. He was leaned forward, coffee cup grasped between two hands in front of him.

"What time is it?"

Tom turned his wrist to take a look at his watch. "A little after six. Already got the call that school was cancelled today. They think a tornado touched down nearby."

Ada sat next to him on the steps and blew at her coffee once more before taking her first sip. "Looks like one went right through the damn yard. How long do they think powers going to be out for?"

"Hard to say," Tom said with a shrug. "I guess most of the towns lost power."

Ada tapped her fingernail on the cup before taking another sip. "You're quiet," she noted aloud, feeling a heaviness in the air around him.

Tom looked over at her, his gray eyes looking tired, before turning his gaze back in front of him. "Your alarm was going off in your bookbag this morning. Went to go turn it off and..." Tom paused and pulled out a piece of paper from under his leg, holding it between his middle and index finger.

Ada didn't need to read it to know what Tom was holding. "And you found the notes."

Tom nodded before looking over at her. "Had to stop myself from punching a hole through the wall of your kitchen." He exhaled a loud breath. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I didn't want to have to stop you from punching a hole through the people writing it. I don't need your protection, Tom."

"I know you don't," Tom admitted, "but I still want to give it." His back slumped and his head lowered toward his coffee mug. "I'm crazy about you, Ada. I've had to watch customers flirt with you at the shop, I've had to watch guys ask you out and I've been jealous as hell, but I've kept my mouth shut because it isn't my place. And I don't know, maybe this isn't my place either, but I can't keep my mouth shut this time.

"Even if I didn't have feelings for you and even if you hadn't come over that night and we weren't friends now, I'd still have something to say about this because these notes," he said, holding up the piece of paper in the air before flicking it. "These are fucked up and no student should put up with this. As much as I hate it, I'm still your teacher for two more weeks and it's my job to protect you, even if you say you don't need it. And it's my job to protect you outside of that school because I'm your friend. And it's my job to kick anyone's ass that harasses you because I'm crazy about you and that's what crazy people do."

Ada gave him a bemused smile and shook her head. "So I'm just supposed to let your go around beating people up in defense of my honor?"

"Unfortunately I have to use restraint on a student, as tempting as it it. But I can handle it in other ways."

"Like how?" Ada asked curiously.

"I got Jake suspended yesterday afternoon. And if Jason hadn't waited till the end of the day, you can bet your ass he would have been too."

Ada's jaw dropped and eyebrows raised. "Seriously?" She wasn't sure how she hadn't heard about that one, but there were tests all day and it wasn't like many people were talking to her. "I figured at least Jake would be untouchable." Though Jake wasn't directly a part of whatever social circle Ada formally belonged to, he was definitely linked to it through sports and his parents money.

Tom scoffed. "Because of who his dad is? Little prick might have thought he was untouchable, but there was no shortage of people willing to call bullshit on his side of the story. You might have a few enemies at that school, but you got a hell of a lot more allies."

"It's so weird. I don't think I've ever spoken to like half these people."

"Not so weird," Tom countered. "They just understand basic human decency, a concept your so-called friends have trouble grasping."

Ada shook her head before taking another drink of her coffee. "They're not my friends. They've always been Britt's friends and I was just her tag-along friend. Frankly, if this is who they really are than I'm relieved not to have to pretend to like them anymore."

Tom looked at her with a smile and bumped her knee playfully. "I'll be your friend."

Ada suppressed a grin, turned and cupped her palms on his shoulder before resting her chin there. "So, how crazy about me are you?" She asked coyly.

Tom looked over at her, a faint, amused smile tugged at his lips, causing line at the corners of his mouth and eyes. His hand moved up and the tip of his index finger traced the outline of her face. "I would say that on a scale of one to ten, I'm fucking certifiable for you."

"And where does that rank on the scale?"

"About seventy-two," he answered quickly. Tom's smile began to fade and he cupped Ada's cheek. "Which is why you need to tell me these things. Just because you can protect yourself doesn't mean I can't help a little."

Ada nuzzled deeper into his palm. "Just a little?"

"As much as you'll let me." His voice was low, almost a whisper, and a husky tone she barely recognized. Tom rested his forehead against hers and his eyes darkened for a moment before closing.

With parted lips, Ada sucked in a long breath, causing her mouth to go dry. She swallowed hard before dragging her tongue across her lips in an attempt to moisten them. Tom's eyes opened and caught her in the act.

"You're not going to make this two week thing easy on me, are you?"

She hadn't intended for him to open his eyes when he did, but the power of his gaze and the power he gave to her in that gaze was enough to cause every inch of skin and bone to tingle. Ada never had this sort of effect on a man, at least, not that she was aware of. He looked at her in the way no man ever had and spoke to her in ways she'd never been spoken to. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve now and Ada wanted so desperately to steal it and make it hers.

"About that," Ada began, having to moisten her lips again just to get them to fully part. "I've decided I don't want to wait that long."

Tom smiled before lifting his forehead from hers. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. If it helps, as soon as you've graduated I'll kiss you as many times as you want me to."

She raised an eyebrow, trying to play coy while on the outside while the inside of her was squealing at such a high pitch, Ada half expected a dog from a neighboring house to appear out of nowhere. "And here I thought we were just going to be testing the waters to see if there was something really there."

Tom chuckled and lifted the coffee cup to his lips. "Ah, who the fuck are we kidding? You and I both know damn well there's something there. I don't need to kiss you to figure out the obvious," he said before taking a drink.

"The obvious being that you're crazy about me." The truth was that Ada just loved hearing it out loud, even if it came from his own lips. Still, the words still managed to flush her cheeks and squeal in her went up yet another octave.

"And you're crazy about me," he pointed out with a smile. "Don't even bother to deny it."

"I wasn't planning on it." Ada took another drink of her coffee, the bitterness of drinking it black causing her nose to scrunch and green eyes to narrow at the much. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the notes. I didn't want you getting fired trying to protect me."

He looked over at her lap, Where Ada was resting her cup on her knee, holding it between her palms. After a few moments of intense staring, Tom's hand moved beside hers, brushing against the skin. "I get it," were the only words he got out before hearing the footsteps of Peter inside. In an instant, Tom's hand left hers.