I didn't mean to hurt you

Chase was almost surprised at the hesitation that came over Calvin. The uncertainty. The not knowing.. it was unusual.. because of the way he responded to the question. He acted as though.. he had never been asked that before. Chase stared at Calvin for a long moment, watching as confusion raged across his face, her eyes staring into his, trying to read, trying to understand this man in front of her.. this boy she loved so much, but was to afraid to admit it. To afraid to let him know just how much she did care for him.. to afraid that it would hurt in the end again. But it wasn't until he finally admitted that he didn't know, that truly threw Chase off.

He didn't know what he wanted.. had no one ever asked him? Had no one ever cared? Cared what this.. wonderful person wanted... cared that he was such a loving, caring person, that deserved to be the happiest person alive, deserved to never get hurt again.. which was why Chase was so afraid.. she knew her reputation... she was the person you went to to get hurt.. to get your heart broken.. she was the one who tore apart your families, destroyed your friendships, and ruined your life... Chase was the girl who had gotten pregnant in her final year of Hogwarts... the girl who had been attacked on multiple occasions by multiple people.. for multiple reasons, you didn't get close to Chase.. because the possibility of you coming out in one piece was slim. The heart breaker, the friend wrecker, the teen mom.. they were all names she had had to deal with... And yet here was Calvin..

Calvin who had never hurt a fly... Calvin who was so sweet, and innocent, and gentle.. who was the complete opposite of Chase. Calvin who only ever wanted what was best for others, never himself. Calvin.. who couldn't tell a lie, sat and told her that he could be happy.. if she was.. and it was the most honest thing she had ever heard. The most sincere emotions, the most sincere person.. and yet.. Chase was so afraid.. he didn't understand.. he couldn't understand how much it hurt her.. she was so afraid of breaking him... so afraid that if she wrapped her hand around that feeling that was growing in her heart.. if she permitted herself to do what she most desperately wanted to do.. she would break them all, all over again. He didn't understand the risk they would have to take... he didn't understand how risky it would be to admit that Chase could possibly hurt him.. but still.. He was Calvin.

“Can't I just love you?”

Chase's jaw dropped, and her heart sped up a million times faster than normal. Her ears felt like something was rushing in them, and it was like someone had thrown cold water through her veins. Her eyes searched into his, as he immediately started to explain himself, but couldn’t.. he couldn’t explain himself.. because he had said exactly what he meant.. and knew that it was so straightforward.. had Calvin ever been loved? Had he ever felt the love that soared through Chase’s body at that exact moment? That moment when she knew there was no way she could leave him.. she had to be with him, or she would crumble into a million pieces.

She didn’t say anything.. she sat there, staring at Calvin for a long moment, and slowly, she leaned forward, and hugged him. “Yes..” She whispered, her arms clenching around his neck, still so weak, and yet there was so much emotion there. “Yes.. you can love me… but only if I can love you.” She said, unable to do anything but smile.. it was odd, she cried so often.. and for the first time ever.. she didn’t.. she was smiling.. smiling so hard it hurt, smiling so that it was like she could never cry again.

The moment Chase agreed with Calvin, he melted. He could not believe how much it had felt as though he'd been balancing on an edge as he’d waited patiently for such a response from Chase, and as she followed in his lead, the relief of having been pulled back to safety was almost too much.

Calvin returned Chase’s hug; embracing her, for the first time, as someone who he cared for even more than a friend. It was a wonderful feeling.

“She loves me,” Calvin whispered gleefully, having mistakenly spoken aloud what was supposed to be nothing more than a thought. “She loves me!” He must have gone deaf; the way in which he so obliviously ignored the fact that his thoughts were becoming words without his permission, was almost unnatural. Calvin giggled innocently, and separated himself from Chase for a moment to hold her at an arm’s distance, and to look into her eyes once more. Surely, he was going to kiss her; that look of determination that had suddenly taken over his facial expressions gave away his intentions - but just when Calvin drew his face close enough to Chase’s for him to do so, he jerked backwards as though he’d been pulled from her by an invisible force.

He went rigid for a moment, looking as though he'd overloaded due to the indecision that he'd been plagued with. So clearly his every emotion was displayed through those saucer-like, brown eyes of his, and at that moment his nerves could not have been more evident. Suddenly, Calvin was not twenty-four years old, but eighteen, and he had been given the perfect opportunity to kiss the girl; It was like experiencing his first kiss all over again, and the moment was rather harsh on Calvin's stomach, what with the way those figurative butterflies were fluttering about...

Having come to an abrupt decision once more, Calvin drew Chase nearer to himself, and ever so gently he brushed his lips against hers... but the moment was all too brief; after only a second, Calvin parted from Chase, and he looked at her with an unspoken question sparkling in his eyes; he was asking for her permission.

Chase's eyes were wide, and she couldn't help but giggle when he spoke aloud what was obviously something he had meant to keep in, judging by the look on his face. But he just looked so happy, and she couldn't help but grin back in response, hugging him, letting him look at her at arms length, and then that look of determination stole over his face. And Chase frowned, unsure of what he was attempting to do. Then, he moved in for a kiss, and Chase swore her heart stopped beating. Or if it was still beating, it was beating so fast, she couldn't feel it. But just as he got close enough to do something she had never thought Calvin was capable of, he pulled away.

Chase's heart seemed to drop into the bottom of her stomach, and she looked at him with big eyes, trying to determine why he felt he couldn't kiss her. Why he felt like that was something he wasn't allowed to do.. then she realized that he was scared. Scared of something so.. different.. had he been kissed at ALL before she had so boldly kissed him into fainting? Chase watched his body go rigid, his face grow confused, and she very carefully reached out and touched his cheek uncertainly. Focusing his attention back on her for a moment, wanting to see what was going on in his mind, for his eyes really were the gateway to his feelings.

Suddenly though, he drew Chase closer to him, and her heart started to beat wildly again. And like a butterfly had landed across her lips, Calvin's lips touched hers. But only for a second.. he pulled away quickly and was looking at her, a question burning in his eyes. A question she was all to willing to answer, but she was uncertain of how to respond to. He was asking permission.. he wanted to kiss her, but he.. he was afraid? How could he be afraid of that electricity that flew through both of them the moment their hands, their arms, any bare skin touched? How could he be afraid of the fireworks that danced behind her eyes whenever their lips touched for even the briefest moment. She looked at him, and very carefully, she nodded. "You don't need to ask permission to do that Calvin.. not anymore." She smiled at him, waiting for HIM to decide what he wanted to do.

Upon receiving such an answer from Chase, Calvin offered her a sweet smile, as though he was attempting to make up for his hesitance with the facial expression. Calvin was simply too shy when it came to such physical contact for him to be even remotely confident... not to mention those nonexistent rules that Calvin continued to fret over.

He paused, as though he was processing the information that Chase had provided him with.

Shortly after his moment of silence, Calvin brought his lips to Chase’s tentatively, and immediately Calvin's worry of having done something wrong became nothing more than an idea that had once occurred to him in the past; a feeling that he could laugh at, and could then forget he'd ever experienced. No longer was he frightened; not while Chase was so near. Nothing could have felt more natural and unchangeable than having her so near.

Static sizzled between their lips, and at even the slightest of touches that were shared between the two of them, almost as though every bit of power that each possessed was colliding; mixing together to create an electrical current - one which was far stronger in Calvin's stomach, and nearly caused him to giggle against Chase's lips.

Before, the rest of the world had become too noisy and distracting for their friendship to progress in the way that it had - but when the two of them were on their own, everything outside of the walls of the apartment hushed, and at once it had become too much for them to keep their emotions to themselves. They were the only two human beings left in London. Everyone else had gone off to some place else, leaving them in a peaceful silence, and with their every feeling left out in plain view.

Calvin broke from Chase for a moment to inhale awkwardly, as though he'd just surfaced after remaining underwater for far too long. He certainly knew how to ruin a moment, but then again, he would not be Calvin if he didn't...

Chase watched him tentatively as he leaned forward, and slowly, she closed her eyes. And felt that now familiar rush through her body, the electricity sparked, and her mind immediately shut down, and she let her own emotions take over her. What was this feeling? This feeling that was so strong.. that she was finally able to shut out all pain, all memories, all feeling of ever being upset, all anger, or fear, everything else disappeared, but Calvin and her, sitting on the floor of his bathroom. Kissing so.. softly, and yet so passionately, it was obvious that there had been something there for such a long time, but neither of them had seemed to notice it until Chase had kissed him, and suddenly.. they both realized their full emotions, and it was like a wall had come crashing down. Every emotions was plain on their faces, and every feeling of pain, or fear, every negative thought disappeared and was replaced by pure and complete happiness.

When he moved away, and took a deep breath, Chase let her head fall forward, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She was smiling into his shoulder, but she also had small tears in her eyes. Not out of sadness, or pain, or fear.. she was just.. so happy... her eyes were watering, and she couldn't help it. "Thank you Calvin.. thank you so much." She embraced him with every bit of strength she possessed, wanting him to feel just how happy he had made her. Wanting to tell him everything she felt, but couldn't express it in words. "Thank you.. thank you..." She was crying softly, but she was smiling too, and she leaned forward, letting her lips brush against his cheek, and she smiled at him, wiping her own eyes.

"Hah.. even when I"m happy, I cry.. what's with that?" She laughed weakly, and looked at Calvin. "I love you... oh Merlin..." She gasped, and looked at him again, grinning from ear to ear, eyes still watering from happiness. "I love you Calvin S. Ransom.. and nothing will ever take that way from me okay? I won't let ANYTHING happen... NOTHING will get between us.. and we will be together.." She smiled at him and kissed his other cheek gently, before glancing at the shower for a moment. "Errm... now.. I really do need a shower.." She giggled and looked back at Calvin, grinning.

[OOC; okay.. I do think that should be the end XD]