Mia swayed in his arms as she tried to ignore his burning touch on the small of her back. Her grip tightened on his broad shoulders as he pulled her an inch closer.

"Easy there, tiger." He whispered into her ear. "Pull those claws back in."

"You said you'd behave." She said into his chest.

"I am behaving. If I weren't, my hands would be lower." He slipped his hand to her lower back. "Much lower, Mia. I pulled you in because it's much comfortable."

Mia noticed then that her head was tucked into his neck. It was comfortable. She let go of everything and just enjoyed the moment, the song had drowned out in the background as she listened to his heartbeat beneath her head; it was soothing.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"What was that for?" The husky sound of his voice sent a tingling sensation throughout her body.

"No talking."

Fred smiled as he kissed her temple. Mia didn't know for how long she stayed that way and she didn't care at that moment.

"Hey," Josie said as she approached them. Mia looked up at her to find her smiling at them both. "I'm going to head out." Josie said.

Mia frowned.
"We're supposed to wait for the couple to leave first before we do."

"Izzy and Andre left a while ago." Fred said.

"What?!" She looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me, I didn't say goodbye to them."

"No one did, sweetheart."

"They were sort of in a hurry." Josie's cheeks went pink.

"Which is understandable. I'd be the same way on my wedding night." He looked down at Mia who looked up at him.

A silent look that was filled with a series of questions and hope and fear and promises of so much more than just heated passion.

"And that's my cue." Josie said. "See you guys at tomorrow's brunch."

Fred and Mia were too wrapped up in their own bubble to reply.

"What is going on, Fred?" Mia asked, out of breath.

"Don't question it. Let things happen the way it's meant to."

"At what cost?"

Fred let out a breath, inaudibly, at the look he saw in her eyes.

Fear.

"You're scared."

"I'm terrified." She said breathlessly.

"I would never hurt you intentionally, Mia. You must know that."

She smiled.
"I know that, if anything, I'm the one doing the hurting."

"Then what are you afraid of?" He asked, cupping her face in his hands, hers locked between them on his chest.

A moment of silence passed between them and he was slowly giving up on her answering.

"That I would lose myself in you completely."

"What?" He asked slowly, surprised that hadn't been what he had expected. She smiled, a sad one as her hand slid up to the side of his face.

"It is so easy for me to forget everything when I'm with you and get pulled into this...bubble where nothing, but you fill my entire being. If I let myself, I would drown in you." She shook her head "I wouldn't be able to focus on the things I want in life."

"Mia you won't drown..."

"You can't promise that." She was hurting, he could see it clearly on her face. "That's what happened two years ago. We barely knew each other and yet you were everywhere, I couldn't concentrate. And now? I know you more than I knew you back then, what would happen to me?"

"We can try and figure this out together," Fred said, his hands on her waist now as he held her, keeping her from leaving him. "You can be with me and focus on everything you want at the same time."

"You don't know that." Mia squeezed her eyes shut not wanting to give in to the temptation.

"You don't know that either." He said shaking her a little. "Give me a chance. Give us a chance."

She stared into his eyes, his piercing gaze pleading with her heart.
"I'm going to have to walk away."

"You wouldn't be walking away, Mia." He said, "You'd be choosing your career over something great that we could have."

"I don't want to." She blinked away the tears in her eyes. "I hate hurting you."

Fred looked deep into her eyes; his gaze then roamed her face as he tried to memorize her. It dawned on her then as she saw a look that mirrored hers in his eyes.

"I love you." Fred's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "I think I fell in love with you that night at the Library and I have never stopped loving you." Her vision got blurry as she smiled through the tears. "You are in every single thought, everything I do, everywhere I look; you just consume me."

"Fuck Mia!" He cursed as he held her face between his hand, his forehead meeting hers as he shut his eyes feeling his heart grow in size and break at the same time. "Why did you have to say that?"

"It's the truth."

"Haven't you heard that the truth fucking hurts?!" He clenched his jaw.

"You're hurting because I love you?"

He pulled away and looked into her confused face.
"I'm hurting because you want us to be apart even though you love me."

"I'm sorry." She looked down but he put his forefinger and his thumb under her chin and lifted her face to his as he leaned in.

"Don't be sorry sweetheart. Hearing you say you love me in enough...for now."

She wasn't thinking clearly as he closed the distance between them, his face closing in on hers. Her lips parted without her meaning to as her eyes fell to his lips. He was barely an inch away when she closed her eyes and waited for the kiss she was sure was going to cause fireworks. But she waited and waited.

Fred stared down at her face, taking in the moment and every single detail. Her eyes opened and stared into his and it was like being pushed off the cliff and he fell deeper into her eyes.

"God. I love you." He said between clenched teeth as his lips claimed hers.

All the emotions he had held in for the last two years he put into the kiss and they both knew because she was doing the same.

Every single memory that caused the ache in their heart, every moment they went back in time and relived a memory, all their pain, all their rage, their desires and all that love they felt was put into the kiss. His fingers curled into her hair as he held her in place and deepened the kiss. They drank each other in. Their lungs screamed for air but oxygen didn't seem so important anymore as much as the taste of them.

They were so in sync with each other that Fred wondered how she could ever think he'd let her drown in him. But more importantly, what was wrong with drowning? He was doing the same.