Chad knocked, drenched like a sad tomcat looking for scraps—clawing at the door that refused to open—knowing the thing he wanted the most was likely inside.

He knocked on the hard metal surface for the third time; peered past the screen door and the stained-glass section on the wooden door to see if he could spot any movement inside. When he'd first arrived, he was sure he'd heard voices.

"Echo. Open the door. I know you're in. I heard you talking!" He knocked harder, as hard as his knuckles would take. "It's freaking raining out here. I'm soaked to the bones, and I'm freezing my nuts off. Stop being cruel and let me in. I'm not leaving here until I see her and I mean it!"

♥

Yumi, who preferred to go by her middle name, June, since she found herself as a teen, bit her nails nervously.

Echo, pacing a tight line in front of the bedroom door, turned. "That's it. I'm opening the door and ending this."

June rushed to grab Echo's arm but missed by that much. "Not yet, please. What should I say to him?"

"Sorry would be a start!" Echo fired back. "You've sent this poor guy on a merry-go-round for the last few days, hoping he'd find some faults in you and leave if he wants to..."

Echo scoffed, eyeing the corridor and the door at the end. "News flash, that dude isn't leaving. And you might not deserve him, but heck, you actually have him. If I were you, I'd run out there and wrap myself around him. Not sit here, hiding like a kid."

"I'm not hiding..." June tried. She didn't know how to explain it to Echo. Every part of her told her she didn't deserve a happy ending after what she did: to her parents, with Mr Bolton, with Chad—when he'd all but been kind. That her self-loathing did nothing to help stop her self-sabotage—which a part of her knew this was too—sabotage. Why? All because she didn't think she deserved to be happy, to get to move on with her life when her poor decisions took the one good thing she had—her parents. That candle, the one that had started the fire, had been lit by her hands. Her negligence—forgetting to blow it out before sneaking out her window to go have a session with 'Will'—had been the worst mistake of her life. And for what? A sleazy, hidden affair with a married man who had a wife and kids. One who lied to her about being single until she was so in love with him she was ready to wait—for him to divorce? To be at his beck-and-call?—June could scarcely remember what had driven her to keep seeing him. Even that night, his message to meet was one she hadn't been able to say no to. Even while he thrust his hips behind her in the dark park not too far from home, in the wide-open—which at the time she had thought thrilling—she had known. Somewhere, in the corner of her smitten heart, she had known—he was using her. That she was nothing more than a willing booty call—a silly girl too blind to see the truth. How does one move on from that? Had she not gotten carried away with her fantasies, her parents might still be alive.

Echo crossed her arms. "You're not hiding? Really? The girl who ran into my room when he was here yesterday? The one who literally hides in my house at this very moment, whispering so her boy-fiancé won't hear you? Yeah, that's not hiding at all."

Chad's knock sounded again on the door, this time with less energy. June eyed the door, troubling her bottom lip.

Echo groaned and rolled her eyes. "I will never understand your relationship. So much angst and drama. Just kiss and make babies already!"

June grabbed Echo as she was reaching for the handle. "Wait!"

"What? Why? If you want this guy, tell him already. If you don't want him—"

June shook her head. "I never said that!"

June blushed as Chad knocked again, a softer, more lumbering knock. He was getting tired from what she could hear, that and the fact that he had probably melted down to the floor since the knock registered lower to the floor.

"If I were you, I'd be dragging that boy in, stripping his clothes off—so he doesn't freeze those baby-making balls off—and tell him just how much I love him." Echo squeezed her shoulder. "You love him. Why else would you run away panicking when he asked you to marry him? Because you think he is too good for you, that you're not enough for him."

June slowly nodded. "How do I measure up to that? He is a great son, brother, uncle, friend... a great catch. And I..."

"Stop!" Echo raised her voice. "You're not that stupid girl anymore. Stop trying to destroy what you have now."

"Echo?" Chad's voice squeaked outside, sounding like it was clattering a little. "I hear you! Just open the door. Please."

"Let him in—completely." Echo peered into June's eyes, and she understood what her friend was trying to say. Let him into her life, whole. The good, the bad, and the horribly ugly she didn't want to acknowledge but needed to.

"Do it before your boy-o freezes to death." Echo stepped aside, flourishing a hand towards the handle. "The floor is all yours! Or rather, the door is all yours. I'll be in my room if you two need me. And if you must have coitus in my house, take it into the room. I don't want to walk out on that."

Echo's hand slipped off her shoulder and disappeared as she rushed off into her room, pulling her headset back over her ears. Her blasting music was somewhat audible.

June turned to the door, hand on the handle, her lip wedged between her teeth nervously. Her heart hammering away like a hyperactive hamster on a well-lubricated wheel. Here goes... please don't reject me.

She turned the handle and Chad tumbled back at her feet like a small avalanche, utterly surprised. He obviously hadn't expected her to be the one to open the door or that it would open while he leaned against it.

"Hi." He managed, gawking up at her with his head between her slippered feet.

"Hi." June smiled meekly, staring at him between her legs.

"We should talk," they both said in unison.

"You first," Chad offered.

"I should go first," June echoed over him.

She slid down to the floor as he pushed up to sit. Eye to eye. His teeth were clattering quietly. His body was shivering ever so slightly. The rain still clung to the clothes. His hair, dripping, flicked over his dark brown eyes. She gently pushed it out of the way.

"You're so cold."

Chad nodded, shivering against her warm touch. "It's raining out."

Her eyes lingered over his lips, then flitted up to meet his gaze. "You want to come in?"

Chad nodded again, his bluing lips lifting in a small smile.

June ran her thumb over his bottom lip gently, fighting the urge to taste them already. She had missed kissing him, but could she kiss him just like that after all these days?

Chad slid his icy hand to the back of her head, gripped her hair gently, and tugged her down to meet him.

"Chad, I—"

"Shhh..."

As their lips touched, his cold ones against her warm, and her heart melted. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, only to be held back by his palm at her sternum.

Of course, he didn't want to move too fast. What was she thinking? He was probably still angry. Not that she blamed him. She had been a coward—unable to tell her own story—sending him on a wild goose chase across multiple suburbs to hear it from others and make up his own mind. If she were him, she'd probably take a while to forgive her as well.

"I'm sorry. Of course, you're probably still mad at me and this is too fast..."

"No." He whispered so quietly she had to look at him to make sure she'd heard him. "It's just, I'm soaking wet and you're dry."

What? June blinked at him, some colour seeping back into his face. Instead of telling him what was on her mind—Do I look like I care if I get wet with you?—she tugged him close and kissed him like she had wanted to yesterday when she'd heard his voice out in the corridors and known he was close. But a kiss wasn't enough now. She needed more of him, more of this man who, for some unknown reason, still loved her. She straddled him, his wet clothes leeching water through her own. His body heat eventually permeated to her body and the wet clothes didn't matter. She could feel him swell beneath his black jeans.

The rain continued pitter-pattering about the patio. Droplets spattered her back and soaked through, but she didn't care. All she cared for at that moment was Chad—in her arms.

"Chad," she called his name breathlessly as she parted from his lips. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know how to tell you what I'd done. I couldn't."

"And what did you do?" His warm hand cupped her face and pulled her eyes up to meet his.

She saw nothing but love there. How? "Are you not turned off? I killed my parents. I was a girl who almost ruined a marriage. I—" June croaked on her words, her body wracked with sobs suddenly. "I ran out on you when I should have given you a chance to tell your side of the story, and I hurt you when I had revenge sex with—"

"Ben?"

She met his eyes again, knowing they may still carry some hurt in them. Instead, they glowed with warmth and hinted at a smirk. "Who are you? Why aren't you mad at me? I've hurt you. I've hurt other people. I don't... I don't deserve you or love."

Chad wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. His warm hand caressed her face and wiped her tears.

"And I hurt you when I wasn't honest. When I couldn't tell you how I felt about you. When I let you go so easily and instead of talking to you, I wrote a stupid story hoping you'd read it and come back one day.—"

"It wasn't a stupid story," she mumbled.

He smiled, knowingly. "The point is, we've both hurt one another. That doesn't mean I'm ready to let you go..."

June could feel her chin quiver in his hand. "Even if I've done terrible things in the past?"

"Even if you've done terrible things in the past." Chad kissed her gently. "The past being key. It is gone. As Mum likes to say, baheko pani—water that flows—can hardly return. What's done is done. You made mistakes. I made mistakes. But I'm here now. You're here now. Can't we just begin again?"

June launched herself at him, wrapping him in her arms. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. She had no words to describe the swell of emotions erupting in her chest. Yes, wasn't even the word she would use.

"Is that a yes?" Chad asked, nuzzling against her cheek.

She nodded. Tears choked her throat so that words were scarce. She squeezed her arms around him more desperately, afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear.

"June—I can't breathe!"

She let go, wiping her face with the back of her hands. A gust of wind brought a sheet of rain splashing across her back. She shivered in the cold, glad to have Chad respond by wrapping his warm arms around her again.

"We should get inside," she suggested through a shiver.

Chad didn't need another prompt. Especially not when the rain started sleeting down with the billowing wind.

"Wrap your legs around me!" He whispered against her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

She did as she was told and soon, Chad had her hoisted up around his waist as he pulled himself up with the help of the door frame.

The next moment, his lips were on hers, and the sound of the front door closed behind.

"Which way to your room?" Chad's lips barely left hers. She could feel a smile curve beneath hers. "I'd love to strip these clothes off—to save my baby-making nuts, of course."

June laughed. "You heard that, huh?"

"Oh yeah, I heard that, and more, and I really, really wouldn't mind you showing me how much you love me, till the rooster crows, was it?"

He pulled away and winked at her. "After all the running around you made me do, I think I deserve that much."

June couldn't contain her grin. She pulled his face to hers and planted a big kiss, already feeling warmth build between her legs. "Left door down the corridor."

Chad, it seemed, needed no more prompting. He held her tight, his hands cupping her bottoms as he set off towards the room.

June could barely wait for that door to close behind them, too. She wanted to rip those wet clothes off her man and feel his warm body against her own. To feel his skin burn against hers; to feel him inside her.

"I love y—" she whispered when she felt his head shake against her own.

"No. You don't get to say it..." he said sternly. His hot mouth explored hers, tongue delving in to taste her. His hand held the back of her head supportively.

A moment later, June felt the soft mattress on her back, and when she opened her eyes, Chad loomed over her, stood between her legs, wet shirt clinging to his toned torso; his eyes hooded and an intense look came over his face.

With his voice husky from wanting, he demanded, "Show me."

And June just about burst into flames.

She gripped his pants' waist and pulled him down to the bed with her.