Bloodbound (w/WillowVX)

Belle still couldn't feel anything in the dream besides James. She couldn't even tell if she were still on the bed or if they were somewhere else. Some other plane of existence where things like gravity and surface didn't matter. She felt pressure as she was being forced against something solid where she wouldn't go any further. James held her down hard, his movements getting rougher and more animalistic. The strength, power, and speed that James exhibited was nothing like Belle had ever experienced. Fear started to swell up inside of her amid the pleasure. She couldn't move any part of her body if she tried, James had complete control over her. Pain started to spread through her body as the fear became more prevalent. It felt like she was being crushed. Suddenly, the dream seemed to take a much darker turn. The light feelings that had been floating through her body turned heavy, dark. James' voice sounded different, she realized. She hadn't heard him sound so... so authoritative. So dominant. The way his eyes tore into hers made the fear escalate. Still - she couldn't resist him.

The screams were a mix of agony and ecstasy. As rough as his hold was on her, his lips trailing the flesh of her throat were tender and soft. He continued to pump mercilessly into her. She couldn't match his strokes anymore as her body was pinned in place. Her arms were trapped beneath his and she could do nothing but lay there and enjoy the way he ravaged her dream body. She felt a phantom sensation tingle in her lower abdomen and reach down into her sex. The pain started to fade completely as she was overtaken by her building orgasm.

The screams of pain and pleasure goaded James on, and he was on the verge of coming first. As Belle's body started to shake from her orgasm, he bit down into her tender throat. Her blood tasted wrong--foul and salty, probably because of how she perceived it. He wasn't feeding on a real body, after all, but her own perception of her body, and Belle was no doubt repulsed by the idea of drinking blood. He didn't care. The important thing was the bite, and that she should feel the pain of being bitten and her blood being devoured even as she was in the throes of ecstasy. Besides, the foul taste cleared his head a bit. It was hard to be consumed with lust when gulping down such vile blood.

Hard, but not impossible. As Belle's orgasm grew, James got caught up in her lust and the convulsions of her body. With a final thrust, the hardest one thus far, he came inside her. He lay still, shuddering, as he emptied himself into her womb. He still had her pinned down firmly as he released her neck and pulled away from her. "Mine," he whispered again as he gazed into her face.

The orgasm shook Belle's body so hard that she almost didn't notice when James sunk his fangs into her throat. Almost. Her eyes went wide and she tried to scream. Belle felt herself start to panic. No! No! She tried desperately to scream at James to stop but somehow she was unable. She wrenched her body around, trying to get away from the hold James seemed to have as he drank her life. The fear was back and it rippled through Belle like nothing she'd ever experienced. James. No. Not him. Anyone but him. As he continued to drink and thrust into her, the pain of the bite started to feel... euphoric. This can't be right.. she thought to herself. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. She wasn't supposed to be the victim. She was cumming hard and James bit harder onto her throat. A whirlwind of emotions flooded through her. It was a mix of love, and fear, and pain, and pleasure. She wanted to wake up. She didn't want to see this. She didn't want to feel like this. She tried her hardest to wake up but no matter how hard she screamed inside the dream was still all around her.

When James came inside of her, he let his hold on her throat go and pulled back to stare at her. She was still pinned firmly in place. She didn't struggle anymore. She stared back into him with a look of confusion, horror, and... wonder. The way he said the word, "mine." It sent a chill through her and she couldn't find her voice. It didn't sound dangerous this time as it did before. It was soft. There was emotion behind it that she couldn't place - but it frightened her. She stared at his bloodstained face, his yellow eyes were blazing and she saw what she feared most. Fangs. James was a vampire. No. No she couldn't handle this. She wanted this nightmare to be over. She shut her eyes tightly and willed herself to wake.

James was thrilled to see her expression. She was afraid, yes, and very confused, but there was still a hint of adoration there. That had not gone completely. Although he doubted her conscious mind would ever be so pliable, it still boded well for his plans. She didn't even seem to recoil at his final declaration of ownership. But, still, he could feel the dream dissolving. He removed his hand from her pants and got off her bed, in a flash, so that she awoke to his concerned face hovering over her. "Are you alright? You were making such noises... I though you must be having a nightmare."

The room was spinning when Belle started to wake up. Her eyes snapped open in a panic and she shot up in bed. She put her hand to her forehead and she was breathing heavily. James' voice startled her. Her head snapped to him and her eyes got wide. She flinched back and tried to clear her head. No. She wasn't dreaming anymore. She was awake. This was real life. It was over. It was just a dream. She was shaking and her face was pale, sweat rolling down her temples, plastering the blonde hair to the side of her face.

"You..." Belle started. She was still trying to catch her breath and shake the nightmare away. "It was nothing." She swallowed hard and shook her head. "It was just a bad dream." She drew her knees to her chest and remained sitting on her bed. "How long was I asleep?" Even though Belle knew it was only a nightmare, looking at James shook her up. She blushed when she looked at him. She tried to hide her face with her hair. She remembered all of the things that happened in the dream. She moved around uncomfortably and could feel the wetness between her legs. She felt embarrassed of herself, even though James had no way of knowing what she was dreaming. Then she thought about the end of the dream. When it turned into a nightmare. James' strength. The way he said that she belonged to him. The way he bit down onto her throat. Her blood stained on his face, golden eyes blazing. Even though she knew it wasn't real, she felt afraid of James as he leaned over her with a worried expression.

James shook his head and gave her a shaky smile. "Not very long. Maybe half an hour? You must have fallen asleep really quickly, I mean... I was barely out of the room before you started moaning, and tossing and turning. I'm sorry." He reached for her face, to brush away the hair that was clinging to her face. "I wish there was more I could do. All I've got is... to say I'll be here for you. If you need me." He pulled his hand back. "Should I stay? Or go? What should I do?"

Belle heard James speaking but her mind was still racing too quickly to latch onto his words. It startled her when James leaned in to brush the hair from her face. She jumped slightly and looked at him in the face. The feeling of his touch lingered on her skin. She let out a shaky sigh and ran her hands through her hair, then rubbed her face. She shook her head.

"No. No you don't have to go." Belle said. She motioned for him to sit next to her on the bed. "I'm sorry. I just... I had such a terrible dream." She lied. It wasn't terrible. Not for the most part. That's what made her feel so guilty. It frightened her, sure, but it made her feel other things as well. "You were..." She struggled. Should she tell him? She didn't want to scare him away. "Nevermind. You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She laughed nervously.

James pulled back when she jumped, putting on his most wounded expression. "Why wouldn't I believe you? It was just a dream. Anything could happen. I mean, if you don't want to tell me it's fine... especially if I was in it." He turned and looked away. "I don't really want to know what I did in your terrible dream..." Especially since he knew exactly what he did. "It doesn't really mean anything, I know, but I still don't like the idea that I was on your mind when you were going through... whatever it was."

Belle flinched a bit at James' words. What did he mean by that? She felt self conscious and a bit foolish. Maybe he didn't have feelings for her like she thought. Maybe he was just being nice. A good friend. She felt like she freaked him out by telling him that he was in her dream.

"I'm.. I'm sorry. It's not that.. You weren't on my mind." Belle started. "Not that you weren't on my mind." She was struggling awkwardly. She got up and fixed her hair. "I didn't mean to make it weird." She laughed bitterly. "I appreciate everything you've done for me. But.. but you don't really have to stay. I'm sure you're busy and have better things to do. I don't even remember the dream anyways. It probably wasn't really you, I was pretty delirious when I fell asleep." She tried to cover her tracks and seem indifferent.

"No, I mean, look it's just... whatever you were screaming about. Whatever awful thing was happening. I just don't like the idea that I had any part in it. Even in a dream, even if it doesn't mean anything. Well, it's not that it doesn't mean anything. Whatever I did, or didn't do in the dream, it means there's... some part of your mind that thinks of me that way right? Even if it's really small, tucked away somewhere or... aaaaagh." James ran his hands through his dark hair. "I came here to help and I'm probably just making you feel worse. Sorry. I should go." He stood up. "You should try and get some more rest. And Belle... I know you're not feeling great but, it would be nice to see you at school tomorrow. Okay?" He headed out of her room, doing his best not to smile until he was out of her sight.

It seems that Belle had misunderstood. She stood silent as James was explaining. It made her think. No. It wasn't that she thought badly of him. It was the fact that her life was a complete nightmare and there was darkness everywhere she turned. She was surrounded by vampires and death and it seemed that she couldn't escape. James was beginning to be the one normal thing in her life. Which explains why she would have the nightmare. Somehow the universe can't stand to see her happy. Belle stood still as James exited the room. After a few minutes, she went after him. He was at the bottom of the stairs.

"Wait!" Belle shouted from the top. "Hold on, wait." She put her hand on the railing and ran down the stairs. James turned around to face her and she stood close to him. She put his hands in hers. "It's not you. Please believe me. There are things that I..." She hesitated. "There are things that I wish I could tell you. Things about me. I can't explain but I want you to trust me. I don't know if I would have gotten through today without you. Whatever terrible things happened in my dream, those were a result of my demons." She tried to explain. "I actually like you. I really like you. Lately, you've been the only one here for me. The only one I can count on." A tear slid down her face. She didn't even notice. "The only one I trust." Belle stood up onto her toes and gave James a kiss on his cheek. She let her lips linger for a few seconds before whispering, "Thank you."

She pulled away from him and stepped back, letting go of his hands. "But I don't think I'm going to be in school tomorrow." She looked at him sadly. "I can't explain but I have to leave here. It's.. it's not safe. After what happened to Fred..." Her words caught in her throat. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I wish I could explain. But it would be safer for you too if I wasn't around." Telling James this broke her heart. Today might be the last day she'd ever see him. It was better that way, she told herself. The leader had already killed Fred. If he found out about James... She couldn't think of it. He was never going to stop until he got her. She had to run.

James reached up to his cheek where she had kissed him. "I... I'm not going to ask you to stay, not really, but I am going to ask you to think about what it is you need. Like, emotionally. Maybe you'll leave and that will be the end of it for you... maybe not. Sometimes people need closure before they can even begin to feel alright again. Maybe that's not you, maybe that's not what you need. But just think about it. If you decide you need to leave, then leave. If you decide you want to see this thing put to rest, then stay." He turned to leave, then stopped at the doorway. "One more thing. I don't really get why you think it would be safer for me but... I'm staying here. Even if I've been away a lot, I was born here. This is my town, and I can't run away from the problems here. Nothing's going to change unless somebody changes it right? But that's me. I'm not you so... my choices don't really have any bearing on yours. I just thought you would wanna know."

Belle watched James walk out of the door. She didn't try to stop him. His words were running through her head. Nothing's going to change unless somebody changes it. Belle was supposed to be the one to change it. She was supposed to be the one that made it safe. How could she do that though? She couldn't even keep the people she cared about safe. She had two options. She could run. And keep running. What kind of life would that be? He would find her eventually. Even if he stopped pursuing her, how many more girls were going to die? Girls like Fred. Or she could stay and fight. James was right. She wasn't going to get closure from running away. Belle was just afraid that she wouldn't have the courage to stay. What happened to Fred had broken something inside of her. It made her feel weak. Helpless. He had shoved her own wooden stake through her heart. Belle knew that he had made it personal, just for her. It was a warning. A message. If she left now, that means he won. And Fred would have died for nothing.

Belle's numb legs carried her slowly up the stairs. She wasn't going to patrol tonight. She didn't have the strength. So much has happened and she just needed to rest. Everything inside of her body, her instincts, were telling her to run. To get as far away from this town as possible. But she couldn't do it. She laid into bed again and closed her eyes. She saw James' expression from her dream. Blood on his face, bright yellow eyes. They way he whispered, "mine." Her eyes snapped open and she pulled the covers up to her chin. She was tired of nightmares. She was tired of all the death. She was tired of being afraid.

She forced images into her head. Happy, positive moments. James pulling her into his arms. How safe she felt when she was with him. The way he encouraged her not to give up. She pictured Fred, innocent and bright. Always smiling at everyone. She had things worth fighting for. Maybe that was the difference. Vampires had nothing. They didn't care about anyone besides themselves. He had gotten to Fred but Belle wouldn't let him get to James. Maybe having people to care about made her stronger instead of weaker. She was going to stay in tonight. Sleep. She would go to school tomorrow and have fun with James. Then she would do research into the founders of the town. Go out again to gather as much information as she could.

The leader wanted a war? She would give him one.

James smiled as he walked away. His connection with Belle was not so strong that he could read her thoughts--not yet, anyway--but he could sense her feelings. He felt her determination growing, burning like a fire. It faltered for a moment, as fear crept in, but she managed to resolve herself. It was a wonderful show. Strong, but still vulnerable... she was going to be so much fun.

It seemed she didn't plan to patrol just yet, and James was in no hurry to change that. It would give him time to set things up. For now, he would keep bringing her food, and by all indications the foolish girl would keep eating it. And when she was ready to go on the hunt again, he would guide her into a trap. He could hardly wait. James spent the rest of the night coordinating his minions, making arrangements for Belle. Occasionally, when he could spare a moment, he pushed thoughts of himself into Belle's mind; sometimes innocent flashes of his smile, sometimes steamy scenes from her dream.

The next morning, he was waiting for her outside the front door of the school. He was fairly certain she was coming, anyway.

Falling asleep that night turned out to be easier than Belle imagined. She had been mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. She didn't think she had any more tears left inside of her. The fear and self hatred turned itself into rage and determination. When she found the leader, she wouldn't just kill him, she was going to torture him. She planned on making him feel the pain of everybody he's ever hurt. She wanted to thank James. He made her see that nothing would change unless she changed it. She would have been running forever - from herself. This wasn't something she could just run away from. She was the slayer. Whether she liked it or not. She had lost Fred but Belle would not let her die in vain.

She felt strangely refreshed the next morning. She'd gotten more sleep in the last 24 hours than she'd had in a month. She, again, had James to thank for that. Images of his face, his comforting touch, had help her drift off to sleep. In the midst of all the pain caused by Fred's death, she felt like James was the only solid thing that she could hold on to. When she arrived at school, she was early. The parking lot had barely begun to fill with students. She almost turned her attention away until something black caught her eye. She stopped dead in her tracks. She inspected the tiny black car with the black tinted windows. Could it be? Belle wondered. No... No it was impossible. If it had been the same car she saw at the factory, what was it doing here? During the day? It had to just be a coincidence. She shoved her instincts into the back of her mind and her hands into her pockets as she continued walking towards the front doors. Her head was still turned, staring at the car, so she hadn't noticed when she walked into Aaron Stirling for the second time that week.

"Sorry." Belle mumbled sarcastically as she tried to weave around him. He stepped to the side and blocked her path. Two of his friends that he was walking with started laughing.

"Not as sorry as you will be, freak." Aaron taunted. He turned and started laughing with his friends, enjoying the show he was putting on for them. "I can't help but notice that we keep running into each other." Aaron said. His tone of voice changed and he turned to wink at his friends. "If you wanted me, baby, all you had to do was ask." He stepped closer and grabbed Belle by the waist.

"Oh, please." Belle groaned. "I'd rather be eaten alive by lions." She rolled her eyes and kicked his shin roughly. Aaron had been lucky she didn't use her full slayer strength or she would have broken his leg. She couldn't draw that kind of attention to herself.

"You fucked up, bitch." Aaron growled dangerously. He grabbed her by the arms roughly. Belle was pushing at his chest to push him away. His grip was surprisingly strong. That didn't come as a surprise. Aaron as well built and extremely athletic. He stole a glance around the parking lot. Of the few students that lingered, it seemed like none of them were paying much attention to what was going on. He pulled her over to the side of the building. His friends followed and watched out for anyone who would be approaching.

"It looks like I have to teach you some respect." Aaron said as he pushed Belle against the wall.

There was a loud crack and one of Aaron's friends fell over. And there was James, holding a large stick he had picked up off the ground and doing his best to balance a look of determination and a tremble of fear. He thought it was one of his better performances, really. "H-how do you expect to teach her something you clearly don't know? Respect that is." He held the stick up as menacingly as someone with shaking hands could hold a crude weapon. "Now, you can all go away... or this can get really, really ugly. T-take your pick."

Belle was frozen in Aaron's grip against the wall. James came out of nowhere and hit Aaron's friend in the back of the head with a large stick, he went down instantly. Aaron didn't loosen his grip on Belle's upper arms. He looked at James and laughed.

"What is this?" Aaron asked Belle as he turned his attention away from James, seemingly unphased by his weapon. "The freak has a boyfriend now?" There was a hint of jealousy and resentment in his voice. This was the second time this guy had interrupted his 'conversation' with Belle. Aaron shoved Belle against the wall hard, her head bouncing off of the brick. Her face grimaced in pain and she felt the back of her head, she was bleeding slightly.

"And you. You're going to pay for that." Aaron said, indicating his friend on the ground, as he stood up close to James. He grabbed the stick from his nervous hand. He threw it onto the ground and poked him hard in the chest. "You think you're some kind of tough guy or somethin?" Aaron's friend, whom James hit, was getting up. The other guy grabbed Belle and kept her in place while Aaron and the one that was assaulted stood menacingly close James.

"Leave him alone, Aaron." Belle said to him. His friend held her arms back by her elbows at a painful angle. "This is between you and me."

"Yes. I think it is." Aaron said. He motioned for his other friend to hold James in the same fashion, elbows behind his back. "Now you get to watch me feel up your girl friend. A lesson for her on respect." He said as he walked towards Belle and grabbed her breast roughly. "And a lesson to you for not minding your own business." Aaron turned to James and smirked.

James was beginning to grow annoyed. It would have been so easy to slaughter the fools right here, but that would tip his hand too soon. He couldn't sit by helplessly, though; he was hardly going to abide these cretins laying their hands on his possessions. He would have defended even the most boring of his toys, simply on principle, and Belle was so much more valuable.

"Let her go!" he shrieked. "Let her go let her go let her go!" His cries served two purposes: first, to portray a desperate, helpless mortal, and second, to cover the sound of bones breaking as he slammed his heel down on the foot of one of his 'captors.' Still screaming as that one staggered back in agony, James thrashed around--he thought he did a very good job of making his movements seem frantic and haphazard--and drove his elbow into the side of the other fool holding him, shattering a number of his ribs. With those two in no condition to restrain him, he ran at Aaron.

He was going to have to be very cautious here--appearing as though he was straining with all his might while at the same time being very gentle, all while restraining the urge to tear the presumptuous little man limb from limb. He settled for grabbing Aaron's arm and digging his fingernails in, drawing blood. He pulled, making a great show of planting his feet in the ground and throwing his whole weight behind the movement, and slowly dragged Aaron's hand away from Belle's body.

The events that happened next almost happened too quickly for Belle to register. She heard James shouting at Aaron to let her go. His voice sounded frantic and worried - but Belle noticed something else. It was in his eyes. The same possession she had witnessed in her dream. James' shouts were drowned out quickly by the screams of Aaron's friends. James lashed out, stomping on one of the guys' feet and tossing an elbow into the others side. Belle barely blinked as both boys were on the ground. One of them was sitting with his legs out in front of him, clutching his foot in pain. The other was doubled over in a fetal position on the ground writhing in agony. What the hell even happened? James must pack a pretty big punch. As she thought this, he grabbed Aaron's arm and pulled him away with ease. Belle noticed the blood on Aaron's arm as James dug his nails painfully into the skin.

When Belle was free she planted her feet and struck one solid punch to Aaron's jaw, knocking him down with his friends. A little voice whispered in Belle's mind, that was exciting.

"You are dead, freak." Aaron spat at James, there was blood in his teeth. "I'm going to find you tonight. Just you and me." He said coldly as he rubbed his jaw.

"Come on." Belle said to James, ignoring Aaron's threats. The way James glared down at Aaron made her feel uneasy. It wasn't obvious but she was good at paying attention to detail. James' jaw was set and he had a blank, concentrated look on his face. One she never noticed on him before. To anyone else, he probably would have looked extremely composed, even slightly worried - but she could sense something dangerous just below the surface. "It's not worth it. Let's just go." Belle urged. She took his hand in hers and led him around the building to the front doors. They were going to be late to class.

James was barely able to hold his tongue. There were so many things he had wanted to say to Aaron's threat, none of which were wise. 'I'm busy tonight,' he might have said, 'so I'll have to kill you quickly.'
'Tonight? Why wait? I can kill you just as easily right now.'
'She's mine, and you dared to touch her. Your life is already over.'

Instead he allowed himself to be led away. Once they got inside the building, he began to tremble a little more and tried to look queasy. It was a bit hard to blanch his face since he was already quite pale, but overall he could quite easily pass for someone coming down from an adrenaline rush. "A-are you okay?" he asked Belle unsteadily.

Belle could feel James' hand shaking as she held onto it and led him inside. The hallways were empty as the students were already inside their classrooms. Once they were safely inside and alone, she rested her back against one of the lockers and sighed. She looked at James. He was pale and still shaking. Belle wasn't sure if this was because he was nervous from what happened or if it was from anger. She guessed it was a mix of both.

James gave her a concerned look and asked if she was okay. Belle stayed there, head resting against the locker and just looked at him. She wasn't sure what exactly came over her. She moved forward quickly and threw her arms around his neck. She brought her face close to his and without warning, she kissed him. She didn't kiss him like she'd done the night before. This time her lips pressed against his and she kissed him urgently - like everything she was holding in came out at once. Her tongue slipped through his teeth and met with his own. She hugged him tightly as she continued to kiss him, pressed up against the locker. She pulled away from the kiss and rested her head against his chest.

"Thank you so much." Belle whispered to James with a voice full of gratitude. "Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before. I am so sorry that I got you involved." Belle stood there still embracing him. She inhaled his scent. He smelled like pine. He smelled summer air before a rain storm. She picked her head up to look at him. "You are amazing." She admitted.

James was genuinely startled by the kiss. He hadn't expected that, not that he minded. He quite enjoyed it, the taste of her lips against his. But when she pulled away, the surprise he displayed was real. "Belle..." He put his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm really happy that you think so highly of me. But at the same time I'm kind of sad. What I did was nothing special. Hell, it's mostly just luck that I was able to do anything at all. I really like you, Belle, and I... I really like kissing you. Wow. But um, if we're gonna do it again... it should be because you like me. Not because I helped you out or whatever, that wasn't even a big deal. Do you like me?"

Even though Belle knew it probably wasn't very appropriate, she laughed. It was a light, musical sound. She looked him deep in the golden eyes and shook her head.

"I didn't kiss you because you helped me." She still chuckled slightly. Her green eyes were bright and the smile reached into them. "I only thanked you for it. I kissed you because..." Belle suddenly felt something stir in her gut. How much should she say? If she admitted that she liked him too, there would be no going back. "I kissed you because it was something I've wanted to do since I first met you. It's so much more than you coming to my rescue... countless times. You're dependable." She took a step forward and took his hand in hers. "You're honest. You're kind. You're the first real person I've met in a long time. I feel like I can trust you. There was something in your eyes, the first day when you sat next to me in History. I can't explain it... I couldn't even begin to try." Belle took a deep breath and her eye brows furrowed. "I know that there's something you're not telling me. I recognize the look. Secrets. Hiding yourself. Concealing some type of darkness. I see it in my own eyes every time I look in the mirror. And... And I think that's why I kissed you. I know very little about you but I get a strange feeling that I can relate to you."

Belle stood up on her toes and kissed him again. Her lips pressed against his so lightly, they were barely touching.

"I like you." She whispered.

James smiled at her, allowing a little more confidence in his expression. "Well, I like you too. I guess I already said that." Then he let his smile falter. "And you're right, I do have secrets. Things I've kept from you, from everyone but that's not important. What's important is that I've kept them from you, and I shouldn't. Because I think you're the only person I can open up to. The only person who will get it. Even saying that, I don't think I'm quite ready. So, as much as I like kissing you--and I really, really like kissing you--until I'm ready to tell you everything, I think we should leave it at this. Is... is that okay?"

Belle couldn't help the sinking feeling of her heart when James said he wanted to leave it at that, until he decided to open up to her. She was disappointed. She liked kissing James. Did he not like kissing her? He said he had. He'd said that he liked her, more than once. Belle understood though, she could never tell anyone that she was the slayer. That's something that she has to keep from James and from everyone else. This made her wonder. Could she ever really have a relationship with James? She wondered about telling him. How would he react? Belle pulled away and gave him space as she leaned her back against the locker again.

"Of course." Belle said. "After all, we've only really known each other for... what? A week now? Something like that. I wouldn't expect for you to tell me your secrets right away. I've kept things from you, too, James. And not because I want to. I'm just afraid of what would happen if I told you. I only just met you, I don't want to lose you. We don't have to rush anything. You will tell me what you need to tell me in your own time." Belle bit her lip and blushed, moving her hair in front of her face. "And.. I'm sorry. You know. For... er... kissing you. It was stupid. And I don't know what came over me. I'm usually never that forward. I guess, I've been trying my hardest to stay away from you and not to develop feelings for you - and it's been getting harder and harder. But, again, I'm sorry."