AN: Shout out goes to my betas, all the glitters and SallyJetson. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Big thank you also goes out to all the lovely reviewers. Thank you for taking the time to drop a word or two ;)

Oh, and I totally forgot that I had crossed the 100 reviews line since Chapter 13, so thank you guys sooo very much for that :muax muax:

AN2: All mistakes are mine and no one else's

Silence hung between them.

He stepped back in disbelief.

"Chris…"

"Why?" he asked gruffly.

She tore her gaze away from his and that was all the answer he needed.

"What's his name?"

If it had been any other guy, she would have told him off to mind his own business. But this was Chris and she owed him every explanation in the world.

"Derek McKay. He's a senior at my college." She told him about the frat party, the dinner invitation and how it all started from that one innocent date.

"Have you and him…"

"No!" she vehemently said, knowing exactly what he wanted to ask but was hesitant to do so. "No, Chris. He and I…no, we haven't, I swear. I couldn't," she said in earnest.

"Well, thank you for that, I guess," he said dryly.

She walked over to him and took hold of his hand. Chris looked down at their entwined fingers. Lindsay gave their joined hand a slight tug, forcing him to look at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't want this to happen but it just did. I didn't mean to hurt you," she said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Hey, hey, hey come on, now. Come here." He cupped her face gently with both hands and wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"You know I can't stand to see you cry." He put his arms around her and gently rubbed her back to calm her down but that only made her cry harder.

"I..am so…sorry," she said between sobs, face buried in his chest.

"Baby, that's okay. You can't choose the person you fall in love with. You do love him, don't you?" he asked as he rocked her gently in his arms.

She nodded against his chest. "Please don't hate me. Be angry at me, scream and yell at me all you want, but please, please don't hate me," she pleaded, her voice muffled by his now tear-soaked shirt.

He chuckled. "I don't hate you, I promise. How could I? You're the first girl I ever kissed, braces and all."

She let out a small laugh and he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before he pulled away slightly. He placed both hands on her shoulders as he bent down to look into her watery eyes.

"I'd be lying if I say I'm not hurting. It saddens me, knowing that your voice will no longer be the first thing I hear in the morning and the last I hear at night. I don't have that privilege anymore. What matters most to me is that you're happy. I don't want you to worry about me. I'll be okay, Linds. But I do want you to know that you'll always have a special place in my heart, no matter how corny that may sound."

She let out a shaky laugh as she leaned her forehead against his. In a whisper against his lips she said, "And you're in mine, no matter how corny that may sound."

They stayed that way for a few minutes, knowing that it was the last time they would be in this close proximity with each other.

Then he pulled back and ran his hand across his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and gave her a shaky smile.

Hers was just as wobbly. "I better go. It's getting late and you need to get back to your paper."

"Right, right."

He walked her to the door, opened it and stepped aside for her to walk through. "Take good care of yourself, baby," he said as she stood at the doorway.

"I will. You too," she said with a smile.

She turned around and had not taken five steps before she heard him calling her name.

She turned to looked at him.

He walked over to her with his hand tucked into the back pocket of his faded blue jeans.

He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. His eyes showed another set of emotions. It was longing and sadness.

"Can I get one last hug?"

His request tugged her heart as she quickly raised herself on her toes and wrapped her arms tightly around her neck.

He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and buried his face in her flowery scented hair. He inhaled her scent deeply.

"I love you, Lindsay Ann Monroe. Always have. Always will."

He gave her one last squeeze as he pulled back to kiss her softly at the corner of her lips.

Then he turned around and walked back to his apartment, shutting the door behind him.