"Please, Nick," I say, and I sound pitiful, even to myself. But I don't care. I've waited too long for this. I need this.
I need him.
He's still staring at me, and I can see the torture in his face. I wish he would say something. Anything. The silence is becoming unbearable.
Finally, he moves. Keeping his eyes on mine, he strips off his black T-shirt and tosses it away. Then he backs up, slowly, until the wall comes up behind him. He leans his head back, closes his eyes.
And then I realize what he's doing.
Leaving it up to me.
Now it's my turn.
I step forward tentatively, breathless, scared any sound I make will shatter this moment and he'll wake up again, tell me this isn't right. I move nearer until I can smell the rain on his skin. My eyes take in the broad expanse of his chest exposed before me, the long rippling muscles of his abdomen. Raindrops are skittering down the ridges, dripping into the waistband of his black jeans.
I reach out one shaking hand and rest it on his warm skin. A shiver runs through him at the contact, and I smile to myself. Then I lean in, lifting myself up on my toes, and place my lips on his. He makes a soft sound, and opens his mouth invitingly. I can taste the hunger in him, but he keeps his hands firmly against the wall at his back. I deepen the kiss, feeling that familiar black and rainbow fever blot out my sight, my senses. He surprises me by thrusting his tongue into my mouth, and I gasp, allowing my own tongue to be taken into his mouth in return.
The fever rages. I can feel myself falling, falling, and there's no bottom to the plunge. I'm gripping Nick by the shoulders, letting him bruise my lips and bruising his in return. I can barely breathe, but then neither can he. All I know is that there has to be some kind of end to this, some kind of finish, or else we'll burn alive.
I feel Nick's cold hand fly up and close around my wrist. His fingers are like a vise, unrelenting, as he drags my hand down his chest, over his stomach. He doesn't stop until my fingers brush below his belt.