If You're Not The One

�s POV

I hated early mornings- more than anything, and its half four in the morning, but there is something different about this early morning- her plane will arrive any minute now- I can�t wait. I looked around at the people rushing around me- arriving or departing- meeting family, friends�lovers. I looked up at - who brought me here� he�s stifling yet another yawn. He looks down at me and smiles.
I thank him yet again for bringing me� We�ve been in LA for nearly six months and I still haven�t got round to getting a car... I haven�t needed to; I always travel with the others.

�That�s alright- it�s not like I�ve got anything better to be doing�

He�s lying of course- in the last six months he�s been surfing and sky dived- about four times- or was it six? I digress- anyway- I�m sure that he has better things to do- but I told him I�d wash his car if he brought me- trust me it needed it!

�What time is her flight due in again?�

�Well 4.30 so she should be out any minute now� I look up at the new group of people making their way to the exit. �There she is� I smile- pointing at a petite girl struggling with two suitcases and a rather large rucksack. I laugh as I watch her weave through the crowds towards me. As she approaches I start to walk forwards- speeding up as I get nearer.

�- Oh god I missed you so much� she wraps her arms round my neck and kisses my cheek. God she smells fantastic.

�I missed you too� I squeeze her tightly not wanting to let go; I�ve waited six months to see her.

�Who�s that?� she whispers, my gaze follows hers to who is still standing behind me, watching. I signal for him to come over.

I introduce them- well it would be rude not to � this is , this is - my best friend�

�Hi� he smiles, extending his hand �nice to meet you�

�Nice to meet you too �

I watch as they shake hands, and maybe it�s just my imagination but I swear that her smile is getting bigger by the second� and is she� is that blushing?.

�We better get going- I�m sure you�re tired�

�Absolutely� she lets go of his hand and turns to face me. �Lead the way� I reach out to take her suitcases but has beaten me to it, leaving me to take her rucksack.

�I can take that� she protests. She knows its no good arguing, I insist that she should take advantage of the help and she finally gives up.

We get to the car and has already put the suitcases in the boot and takes the bag from me and puts it in the back seat. gets in and I go to follow but there�s something in the way- his arm.

�Sorry - I need you in the front to read the map� he offers a sheepish grin.

I mumble something about going back the way we came but get in the passengers seat anyway. As we pull away I look back at her, she is already dozing off, she�s so beautiful when she sleeps.

We arrive back at my apartment and I get out to wake who is now fast asleep. I�m not surprised it was a long flight- and knowing her she was up half the night before worrying about anything and everything- but that's all over.

�No don�t wake her� puts his hand on my shoulder �go and get the door open, I�ll bring her in�

I try and protest, I could carry her in but he has a height and strength advantage so I reluctantly give in and take her bags up to the front door and drag them to the bedroom.

I hear enter moments after me. �Where do you want me to put her?�

I say something about her not being an object.

�You know what I mean� I can�t stand here holding her all day�

I could.

I tell him to put her on the bed and that I can handle it from here. He seems disappointed but manages to hide it well. I know he fancies her- he told me so in the car, but there�s no way I�m letting her get involved with him- he�s the kind of guy that would say he would call but wouldn�t- sleep with her and never see her again� a womaniser basically.

I hear the front door click, signalling that he has left- but I go to make sure anyway- he has- the car has gone from the driveway. I wander through the front room to the kitchen, realising that I was hungry- It was now coming up to 7 o�clock and I hadn�t had breakfast. I grab a bagel from the fridge and separate the two halves, sticking it in the toaster and walking back to the front room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*The next day.

had slept pretty much all of yesterday.

When she got up this morning she was positively beaming and had insisted that I take her out and show her around. Of course I didn�t take much persuading. An hour later we were walking down Third Street in Santa Monica.

�I�m starving� whines.

I laugh and tell her she�s always hungry- honestly she eats like a horse and never puts on weight. Nevertheless I take her to the perfect place to eat- McCabe�s- since coming to Los Angeles we, and by we I mean the band; would come here for breakfast- lunch- snacks- you get the picture- we come here a lot. We take a seat towards the back- We can be alone there you see.
Anyway we sit and chat about the recording- she�s genuinely interested not like some girls who just pretend to be interested and are really thinking about how rich or famous I am. We are interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a loud laugh- I know that laugh- its and the others. I slide down in my seat to avoid being seen but its too late- has spotted us and is on his way over with and - who seems to have taken it upon himself to lead the way.

�Morning Sleeping Beauty� he beamed.

�Morning to you too� and to what do we owe this pleasure?�

�What! Do you mean you�re not pleased to see me?� He acted offended and pouted.

�Of course I�m pleased to see you!� She moved along the seat and patted the space next to her �I didn�t get to thank you for getting me from the airport with �

�It was nothing� honestly� so did you sleep well?�

�Yes thank you�

I introduce her to the others but its who has her attention- making jokes, telling her stories about the recording and what he�s done since being here. He�s also invited us to join them on the beach- I didn�t want to but gave me �the look� which she knows I�m a sucker for and I agreed. She excuses herself from the table and and I are left on our own as and have gone over to the record store.

�She�s great� he sighed. He was right- She�s perfect- far too perfect to be with the likes of him. �So does she have a boyfriend?� he rubs the back of his neck and turns to face me.

My head is saying to tell him the truth- that she doesn�t and that this morning she told me she thought he was cute. My heart however, is telling me that I should be with her and telling him the truth would hinder my chances; and being a firm believer in not letting my head rule my heart I tell him �yes�

�Oh�

"yeah it�s pretty serious- they�ve known each other for a while, he�s crazy about her" I lie- it�s not like I want to be doing this but the words just fall from my lips with such ease I can�t stop myself. Well I could- but it�s too late now- I can�t say �Sorry mate- I lied she�s single but I don�t want you to go out with her�. No it�s too late for that now.

My thought are interrupted by the sound of a door clicking shut and the feel of �s body as she stands next to me, resting her head on my shoulder and her arm round my waist- it feels like electricity is pulsing through my skin. The moment, however, is short lived as has asked if we�re ready to go.

He turns and walks out and towards the car, and follows leaving me standing at the door, I realise that I�m not moving and jog up the car getting in the back with ignoring �s jokes that he�ll be lonely sitting at the front on his own.

Ten minutes later we are walking from the car to the beach, is slightly in front and and I are bringing up the rear. We find a place to sit and set up the chairs which we rented for the day.

�You surf?� looks surprised at me and laughs. �Sorry - I just never thought of you as a surfer�

I act offended and tell her that if I had my board that I would show her that I am pretty darn good at surfing.

�Well you�ll just have to stay with me and sunbathe then won�t you!� she jokes

It�s my idea of heaven. Even more so now that she is only wearing a bikini and rubbing suntan lotion into her skin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

�s POV

LA is amazing- I mean I know I�ve been here for like a day but still from what I have seen it�s amazing. And it�s so good to see again; I�ve missed the little bugger. I�m going with him to the studio in a couple of days and meet all of the producers and record people- I�ve met some of them already, well the band- umm , , and . God is�. His eyes are� god and his smile is�wow. He�s going to teach me to surf later- when the other guys arrive. Until then I�m going to make the most of the sun

�You need help with that?� He asks, nodding towards the suntan lotion in my hand.

"Sure"

He walks over and takes the bottle from me, pouring a small amount into his hands and starts massaging it into my back and shoulders. I try hard not to let him know how much I am enjoying this, but I don�t think that me going �Mmm� is really helping. Luckily� well not really luckily, he has finished.

"Do you need any?" I manage to ask.

�You gonna rub it in for me?� God that smile is to die for.

"Sure."

I pour some into my hands and signal or him to turn around and I start to rub it into his back. I find myself rubbing and massaging the lotion into the same spot on his back, his skin is so soft and smooth.

�You done yet?� My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of �s voice.

"Erm, yes� all done" I walk over to where is sitting �You want some help with your sun lotion?�
He smiles and nods, before turning round so that I can rub it into his back. I then lie down, close my eyes and try to relax, which is difficult as it feels like someone is staring at me. I open my eyes and I was right, was looking at me.

�You ok?� he smiles

I tell him that I�m fine, and ask if he was ok.

"Yeah I�m fine� he smiles �I�ve missed you�

�I�ve missed you too honey� I smile �I�m just gonna go and see ok?�

I get up and brush the sand off my legs. Oh shit he�s looking over at me� how am I meant to walk over there with out my knee�s giving way? I start making my way over slowly- I mean its not far to go but it seems it. I sit down next to him.

�Hey� he smiles. Oh God my heart is racing.

"Hi"

�You alright?�

"Yeah I�m fine"

�Tell me a bit about yourself�

I tell him about my childhood, how I know and career aspirations. It's so nice to be able to talk to a guy and not have them hit on you, and look at your eyes and not your chest� not that there�s much to look at there!

is watching me � why is he doing that? I guess he�s just protective or maybe it�s just me being weird and jetlagged and everything. I don�t need to worry about that now though as and have arrived.
and get up and greet them with hugs.

�Hello again� walks over to me and pulls me into a hug.

"Hi"

�So says that you�re coming to surf with us�

"I wouldn�t say surf as such�I�ve never done it before"

�Ah don�t worry love; I�m sure you�ll be fine� smiles. �Nice to see you again�

�We ready to go then?� picks up his board and starts walking down to the water.

We all start walking down behind him, all that is except who is just sitting there� staring.

I turn back and ask if he why he�s not coming. He says it�s to look after our stuff not that there is anything, most of it is in �s car. I hear someone approaching from behind and turn to see standing behind me.

�You both coming?�

�No� snaps

�Ok� how about you?�

"I dunno� maybe I should stay here with ."

�Just go�.

I tell that I�ll be along in a minute and I sit in front of .

�Honey, what�s wrong?�

�Nothing�

���

*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

God she knows me so well.

�It�s just I wanted to spend a bit more time with you, but I haven�t been able to�

�Sweetie, you don�t have to worry about that. We still have the rest of the holiday. Tell you what, we�ll go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us ok?�

�OK� I mumble, cheering up a bit.

�Good, you know I hate to see you upset� she cups my chin in my hands and gives me a light kiss on the lips. �Do you want me to stay with you?�

�No, you can go and surf�

�Thank you� she smiles kissing me again, and walks to join the others in the sea.

I can�t believe she left me here to go and surf with him. Can she not see what he�s like? Obviously not, she�s down there now with him, he�s splashing her with water, like that�s going to help her learn to surf.

An hour later she walks back up the beach, dripping wet and laughing.

"Have fun?" I try not to sound angry.

�Yeah� it was great� Um , why was so shocked to hear I don�t have a boyfriend? Have you said something to him?�

"I�I was just trying to protect you� you don�t know what he�s like with women"

�, I appreciate that you�re looking out for me, and you know I love you, but� I�m big enough and ugly enough to make my own mistakes.�

�You�re not ugly� I mumble.

�That�s not the point and you know it� you�re lucky I love you so much �cos if I didn�t you�d be in so much trouble.� She laughs

She said she loves me!

The others join us soon after and sit down. They�re laughing at and her attempts at surfing. keeps touching her, whether it�s putting his arm around her or just brushing his hand over hers, in a not so subtle way.

asks what our plans are for tonight, and if we wanted to go and see a movie or something, he was asking us all, but he was looking directly at .

She smiles sweetly at him and explains that she was having dinner with me tonight. He looked upset, but managed to hide it well.
�Another time then eh?�

***Later that night***

Dinner was fantastic; it was so nice to spend time alone with , just chatting and being silly. We walked home and she linked arms with me, it felt so good to be that close to her, especially when she put her head on my shoulder.

When we got home, went straight to the bathroom �cos she was �dying for a pee� so I got ready for bed. She came out of the bathroom and picked up her pj�s which were on the bed, then asked me to turn around while she got changed. I obliged even though I was really tempted to take a sneaky peak. She told me I was allowed to look and I saw that she as already in bed, grinning at me.

�Guess that means that I�m turning the light off then�
She nods. I walked over to the door and turned the light off. Then walked back to the bed and got in. I felt the bed move as moves towards me and wraps her arm around my waist.

�Night , love you� she sighed

�I love you too�

If only she knew how much I meant it.

*~*~*~*~*~�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

is taking me out for the day today, I�m not exactly sure where we are going but he�s promised me that I�ll have fun. I can�t wait to spend more time with him, I mean I�m staying at his apartment, but we haven�t really had a chance to chat or anything �cos he�s been working and the other guys are always here. Its not that I�m complaining, I mean they�re all great guys, but I really want to spend some time with .

Sitting at the breakfast bar, I ask him again where we are going, and once again he won�t tell me, but says that once the cab is here we will be on our way. He�s being so sweet, and it just reminds me how much I miss having him around.

The cab arrives and speaks to the driver, and signals for me to come over. He opens the door and I get in, looking up at him he grins and tells me to budge up. I slide across the back seat and gets in after me, draping his arm around my shoulders. I watch as we drive through the city, looking for clues as to where we might be headed.

�Universal� His voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I turn to face him.
�I�m taking you to Universal Studios�

�Just like you promised.� I smile. Just before he came out here to try and crack the States, he promised that he would take to the Studios. It may sound silly, but I�ve always wanted to go. And this is the one in Hollywood- home of the stars and all that. That�s so sweet that he remembered.

We arrive at our destination and walk to the ticket booth, where he purchases two fast track tickets.
�Don�t wanna waste time standing in queues now do we� he laughs, waiving the newly purchased tickets.

Walking through to the main park he puts his arm round my shoulders. I turn and smile at him before removing his arm and linking my fingers with his.
He smiles back at me before lifting my hand and kissing it gently, making me giggle.

We walked round the park, having our pictures taken with the staff walking round in costume. They must think we�re crazy. Then we went on the studio tour, which was so much fun. Then we went to the Jurassic Park ride and stood and watched for a while before joining the queue.

�?�

"Hmmm?�

�I�m a little nervous� I said fiddling with my hair.

�Don�t worry- you don�t have to go on if you don�t want to� he soothed, standing behind me, resting his head on my shoulder and wrapping his arms round my waist.

�No I want to, I�ll just need you to hold me hand�

�Of course I will� he smiles, kissing my cheek.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

This is perfect, she wants me to hold her hand. I love looking after her; I want to look after her for the rest of my life.

I move us forward in the queue, my arms still holding her, I can feel her shaking.

We finally get to the front and we take out seats, we�re sat at the back of the boat , and I pull her close to me as we start to move.

�They take a picture don�t they?� asked looking up at me.

�Yeah, at the slope I think�

�I�ll have to try and look like I�m enjoying it then� she giggled.

�Just smile and scream� I smile

�How do you do that?�

I show her, well I don�t scream but I showed her what it�d look like - and she laughs at me.

�Hey! It�s not funny� I smile, trying not to laugh with her. God her laugh is infectious.

�Sorry honey, but you looked funny.�

I turn to reply, but she points ahead and we can see that this is the end of the ride. She squashes up against me and grabs my hand, before we start our descent into the water.

We get off the ride and make our way to the shop to collect the photo. Scanning the screens we laugh at some of the strange expressions that people have pulled.

�There�s ours� I point at one of the screens. She looks at where I am pointing and starts to giggle.

�Awww , you look pertified� she smiles, wrapping her arms around me.

I have to admit I do- but it was a big drop, and the water was everywhere.
She looks great though, she has a big cheesy grin on her face.

�What�s with the grin eh?� I nod towards the screen.

�You told me to smile and scream, so I smiled�but forgot to scream�.

We purchase our pictures, and walk around the park looking for souvenirs.

We walk past a small shop which has photos of movie stars round the outside, but with their faces missing.

�Let�s get a picture done� she smiles and starts pulling me towards the shop to look at the photos. I stand beside her and look at the pictures. �That one� she grins pointing to a picture of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padm� from Star Wars.

We walk into the store and take our positions in front of the screen. Once the picture has been taken we checked it on the screen, while they played the Star Wars theme tune.

�Ohmygod! We look ridiculous� she squealed �We have to get it!�

We get our picture and head to the exit armed with souvenirs for her friends and family. When we finally get home we�re exhausted. We decide on getting a take-away, as neither of us want to cook.

After dinner we just sat and cuddled in front of the TV, it was like we were dating. A knock at the door ruined that.

�I�ll get it� I get up from her warm embrace and head for the door to be greeted by , and .

� here?� asked.

"In here� I hear her yell from the living room as the others make their way in. I walk in behind them and see that has taken my spot next to .

I go to grab a chair from the dining room, but I hear call me back. �Sit here� she stands up and pats the spot she just vacated.

�Where will you sit?� asks. He obviously wants her to himself.

�You�ll see� she smiles, walking over to me, taking my hand and leading me back to the couch and setting me down. She parted my legs slightly and sat down leaning against me and tucking her feet between me and . I wrap my arms round her and play with her hair, momentarily forgetting that we had company.

�You two are cute together� grins �You sure you never dated?�

We both shake our heads and grin.

The topic soon changes to tomorrow night� they want to go to a club but I�m not so sure. So suggests all going round to his and �s apartment. Of course is up for it and I find myself agreeing to go.

I keep catching looking at out of the corner of his eye. She�s oblivious to it though. They eventually leave, as we have an appointment with the record company tomorrow. offers us a lift to and �s but I say that we are getting a cab.

�I�ll see you both there then�

�Wait� why don�t you share a cab with us? There�s no point driving if you can get a lift� fan-bloody-tastic� why�d she have to go and say that?

He says that if it�s ok then he�ll share the cab and that he�ll meet us at mine at 7 o�clock.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day 7:30pm

The cab drive was horrible, insisted we all sat in the back which for me was good cos I got to be close to her, but it also sucked �cos so did he. I had my arm round the back of her shoulders as she laid her head on my shoulder.

When we arrived at the boy�s apartment they were already quite drunk. They pulled us in and got our drinks- doubles so that we could �catch up�.
Pretty soon we had caught up and were playing truth or dare. It was �s turn- she picked a dare.

�Okkkaaaaay� slurred �You have to kiss .�

SCORE!!

She laughs and looks at me. �You ok with this?�

I nod- almost unable to hide my glee.

�Ok, fine�

She leans towards me and soon I feel her lips on mine, teasing. Then I slide my tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss, she does the same. I have to say, this is better than I could have ever imagined. I mean we�ve kissed before but we weren�t as close as we are now.
Unfortunately now though she�s pulling away blushing.

�Ok, it�s your turn�

Shit.

�Ok� he smiles and winks at . �Dare�

�Okay� Okay� I know� you have to kiss�. � The look on his face is priceless.

�Dude, I don�t think I�ve had enough alcohol��

�I�m kidding, I�m kidding, you have to kiss �

Thanks a bunch .

I watch as they both lean in for the kiss� there�s no way I�m going to let them enjoy it, so I get up and accidentally on purpose stand on his hand as I do. Ha! That�ll teach him.

�Ow! Fuck what�s wrong with you?�

�I needed to pee� I try to sound innocent.

�So you stood on my hand?�

�I didn�t do it on purpose�

�, man. Forget about it� slurs. �Anyway it�s my turn�and I pick dare�

I walk away to the bathroom, hardly unable to hide my glee at ruining the kiss. I wash my hands and wipe them on the back of my trousers. Walking back out I see sitting in his underwear and laughing, but no and .
I start to panic.
That is until I see them in the kitchen. She�s running his hand under the cold tap.

�Hey� I smile as I walk over. �You aright?�

�Well, my hand is a bit sore� jokes, holding it up, man, it�s all red and swollen.

I laugh, he thinks it�s with him, but really it�s at him. I laugh that is until I see her lift his hand up to her lips and kiss it.

�Is that better?�

�Much better�

I feel sick.

*~*~*~*~�s POV*~*~*~*

I don�t know what�s up with ; he�s been really off with me since I arrived. I know he doesn�t want me to go out with , why else would he lie about me having a boyfriend, and standing on �s hand� how pathetic. He�s not putting me off though- I like him and I�m pretty sure he likes me so I�m not going to let him spoil it for me.

I watched as walked away, giving me the perfect opportunity to talk to . I motioned for him to follow me to the balcony. He looked amazing; he was wearing dark jeans and a white shirt that really showed of his tan. He turned around to face me and leant against the railings.

�I want to apologise for the way has been acting.� I shouldn�t have to apologise on �s behalf, but I know he won�t. He�s stubborn like that.

�Don�t worry about it�

�He shouldn�t have stood on your hand though�

�It was an accident�

�Maybe. It�s a shame, I was enjoying that kiss�

�Really?� A smile spreads across his face as he rubs the back of his neck.

�Mmm� I step forward and place my hands on his chest. I could feel it rise and fall with each breath.

�Me too� He leant forward and whispered into my ear. His breath against my skin was driving me wild.

I pushed my lips against his, sucking gently on his bottom lip. I felt him smile at my groan as he deepened the kiss, his tongue massaging my own. He slips him arm round my waist, which is a good this �cos I think my knees are about to buckle.

*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It�s been ten minutes since I left those two in the kitchen and they haven�t come in yet, come to think if it I can�t hear the tap running anymore. I get up and make my way over to the kitchen but something on the balcony catches my eye. Them. He�s got his fucking tongue down her fucking throat.

There is no way I�m letting him get away with that. In my drunken stupor I stumble forwards yelling at them to stop. She turns to face me, she looks angry and upset. I tell her we�re going home and that I�m calling a cab.

She turns back to him and whispers something before walking away, knocking into me as she goes. We say goodbye to the others and go to wait outside for the cab. When it arrives she gets in the front. What�s wrong with her?

Can�t she see I did her a favour? Obviously not, when we get back home she goes straight to the bedroom and gets changed for bed, then came back to the front room.

"What are you doing?"

�What does it look like? There�s no way I�m sharing a room with you, not after earlier.�

I�m quite worried, I�ve never seen her this angry before. I try and give her the look, the one everyone says no-one can resist.

�Don�t try that fucking look - It won�t fucking work.�

She gets on the sofa and pulls a blanket over herself, turning over as I make my way over.

�Go away� She sounds like she�s crying� I hate it when she cries� I feel even worse knowing it�s my fault.

I walk to my bedroom and get ready for bed. Getting under the covers I begin to realise how much she really means to me. I have to tell her, before it�s too late.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I get up the next morning to the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen.

I walk out and see and in the kitchen, but no .

�Where�s ?�

�Bathroom� answers.

�Oh thank God she hasn�t left.�

�She seemed pretty pissy though. What did you do?�

�What do you mean?�

�You know what I mean � I hate it

when calls me that �Last night- what happened.�

�We had a bit of an argument�

laughed. �You know if you and were dating you�d be having make-up sex right now.�

What a mental image.

walked back into the room and smiled weakly. �I�m sorry - I shouldn�t have shouted at you the way I did.�

�Don�t worry� I walked over and pulled her into a tight hug.

�You know I love you don�t you ?�

�I know� I reply �I love you too�

�Umm guys� I hate to be a pain, but we need to get to the studio.�

�s voice broke my train of thought.
We walked out to the waiting cars and made our way to the studio. The journey painfully quiet, quiet that is except for and mucking about.

When we arrived at the studios, we sat in the foyer waiting to find out what room we were in, they seemed to be taking ages, and the longer it took, the more annoyed I was getting that I couldn�t be alone with . The lady behind the desk finally informed us of our room and we walked over to the lift. A room on the third floor, how appropriate.
After an hour of recording I was getting increasingly annoyed at the flirty looks that and were sharing.

I�m really starting to hate him.

During our break, I walked over and �borrowed� to introduce to the others, Mike, Sean, John and the Ian�s.
She obviously knew the group. She was her usual friendly self- laughing at their jokes and being flirty, which didn�t bother me at all, cos y�know they�re all a bit old for her. It only bothered me when it was - I know his kind- well to be honest I don�t actually know that he does all that, I just know, I mean none of us have really been able to date since being here, so I might be wrong about him� Although I doubt it.

*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three weeks later

�s taking me out today, I can�t wait, we�ve been �going out� since the day after and �s but hardly get to spend time together, especially seeing as how is trying to stop us getting together, which is why I haven�t told him I�m already dating him.

I walked through the quiet apartment to the bathroom and had a quick bath- I didn�t want the water running for too long incase it woke up. I got changed in the bathroom and did my teeth. I checked that was still asleep and scribbled a quick note telling him I had gone shopping and left it on the breakfast bar.

Leaving the house, I walked next door and knocked. When answered the door he was only half dressed, what is he trying to do to me?

�Sorry, I�m running a bit late, looking for something to wear.�

�You�re worse than me� I smile, stepping closer and kissing him. He pulls me closer to his body and shuts the door behind us.

�Don�t want anyone watching now do we?�

I knew who he meant, and he was right.

�No� we�ll have to tell him sooner or later though� I mean and know- how long can it be before he finds out?�

�I know- we�ll tell him soon� but for now you make yourself comfortable and I�ll go and finished getting dressed� He kissed my head and walked off to his bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Most of the morning was spent on a secluded beach with a picnic and bottle of champagne, well that was for lunch, the actual morning we just talked, which was nice as we hadn�t had a chance to do that properly yet. Most of our time was spent avoiding . Although at the same time it was quite exciting.

had just called, asking how shopping was going. It was hard to concentrate on talking when hands were where they were and his hot kisses were covering my neck, I tried unsuccessfully at suppressing a groan, which I told him was because I saw something I had brought was now in the sale, he believed me. He�d kill me if he knew the truth. With the phone call over I was able to pay full attention to and his wandering hands. I�ve been trying to resist this for three weeks now; and I don�t think I can hold out much longer.

We went home at about 6 and saw �s car in the driveway. Perfect- that will keep Tom occupied for a while. We walked up to �s apartment and stopped at the door. This was normally where the date would end, but not tonight.
I think we both knew that I was not going home straight away.

�You want to come in?� He leant forward and kissed my cheek, then lips, then along my jaw and down my neck and collarbone
I nodded. It was all I could do.

*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

I got up this morning and was out shopping, it would keep her away from I suppose but I would have liked to have gone with her. I haven�t spent as much time as I wanted with her, and the time we have spent together has been with the others. Mind you, saying that I haven�t had much time on my own either and I could do with a bit of R and R. My time alone was short lived as there was a knock at the door, well not so much a knock as a bang followed by two peals of laughter.

� open up it�s us� yelled.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the door.

�You took your time� laughed as he bundled into the apartment.

We went and sat in the garden as it was such a clear and beautiful night. I looked up at �s apartment and saw him move to close the curtains. Hang on- that was someone on the bed. The bastard he�s trying in on with and sleeping with other women. and �s gaze followed mine to the window.
Where the sounds of and his mystery woman�s moans were coming from.

�Things are going well with those two aren�t they� grinned.

�What do you mean?�

� and �

�What about and ?�

�Nothing, nothing� nothing is going on between and , right ?� turned and glared at .

�Yeah� yeah � nothing at all�

"That�s her up there isn�t it" I yelled.
The looks on their faces said it all.

�That�s it, I�m going round�

�, don�t be stupid.� protested

It was too late; I stormed round to his apartment and banged on the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

OH�MY�GOD!! That was AMAZING!! He just�. My god. And he didn�t do the whole turn over and sleep thing� I�m here lying in his arms, with him nuzzling into my head. It�s pure bliss. It would be even better if someone wasn�t banging on the door.

"Leave it" I smile.
�I better get it, it might be important� he gets out of bed and pulls on his boxers and puts on his dressing gown.

I stretch out on the bed and pull the covers up over my body. I can hear shouting coming from the front room. I get out of bed and wrap the sheets round my body and walk to where the noise is coming from. I see pushing and yelling.

"What�s going on?"

turns to face me and I can see that he is drunk. �He�s no good for you � he slurs

� go home� I walk forward and start to lead him to the door.

�I�m being serious�

�So am I� go home�

He walks forward to and starts yelling again.

�Do you love her?�

�What?�

�DO� YOU�LOVE... HER?�

" don�t answer that, he�s being stupid� go home and sober up. We can talk about this tomorrow"

�Not till he tells me if he loves you�

" we�ve been going out for a month"

�But you�ve had sex� I saw you�

"What do you mean you saw us?" I�m shocked, he�s been spying on me?

�I was in the garden and I saw him half naked, closing the curtains� I heard the rest� he�s using you for sex�

�No I�m not� protests

�You are� it�s obvious�

", just go home will you, I�ll talk to you about this tomorrow� I force a smile, and try my hardest to disguise how pissed of I am.

�You mean you�re not coming home tonight?� He looks dejected.

�No� �

*~*~*~*~*~�s POV*~*~*~*~*~*

�I love you� I whimper as she turns back to see to , whose nose is bleeding.

She spins back round, a questioning look on her beautiful face.

�I� I� I love you� God I�m stuttering now. �I have done for years. I love the way you smile, the way you play with your hair when you�re nervous� the way you laugh...� The words are pouring from my lips now, and I couldn�t stop them even if I wanted to.

She rooted to the spot, her eyes wide and mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Now here comes the hair fiddling. I smile, I know her so well, we�re perfect for each other. Images start running through my head, of her running to me and telling me she feels the same, of our wedding, I can hear the vows echoing in my head. �, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband��
�I�m sorry� she says softly, so softly it was as if the words had never passed her lips.

�For what?� I�m confused; she hasn�t told me she loves me back yet.

�I�m sorry� she says again. This time with more volume. �I don�t love you � well I do, as a friend, but� , you�re my best friend, you�re like my brother� but I can�t love you the way you love me�

My lip starts to quiver, and tears start to prick at my eyes. Why is she doing this to me? Can�t she see how perfect we are for each other? I look back at her and see she�s crying too, and has his arms wrapped round her petite frame.

My sadness is short lived, as I feel my blood start to boil and anger rise.

�Get off her� I growl, striding over to the pair.

�, just�just� just go� pleads. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are wet.

I hate seeing her cry, and this is the second time I�ve upset her, and she�s going back in a few days. That thought both pleasures and pains me. Of course I�m upset, �cos I won�t see her again or a while, but at the same time, neither will , I really can�t see him holding down a long distance relationship.

I�ve still not moved, I don�t really want to, but there are two pairs of hands on my shoulders guiding me away.

�Come on mate, let�s get you back eh?� whispers quietly.

I�m numb, I let the boys lead me away, and as I turn to see her one last time, I see gently stroking her cheek and kissing her softly, and it was at that precise moment I realise what has happened. And I cry. I�m shaking uncontrollably and there�s nothing that is going to stop this pain.

and have told me I�m staying with them to �keep them company� but I know they think I might do something �stupid�.

When we arrive at the apartment, shows me to the spare room, he follows me into the room and sits next to me on the bed.

�Mate, I��

�I don�t wanna talk about it� I snap

Sighing heavily he gets up and walks back to the door. Turning back he smiles at me and tells me that if I change my mind, that I can talk to him or . I smile back half-heartedly and tell him that I�ll be fine. I�m lying of course.

As I feel myself drifting off to sleep, my mind replays the moments of that evening, of how I lost the love of my life, without having her in the first place. Who was it that said �You can�t lose what you never had�? Whoever it was is a lying bastard, and obviously had never been in the same situation as me, cos is he, or she had been they never would have come up with that stupid phrase. I know I�m going to dream of her tonight, I dream of her every night; they are the only way I�ll love her and have it reciprocated.

END