Questions and Answers

Taylor Townsend ran from the restaurant at lightning speed. She was so stupid to come here, to think that things could be the same between them after being apart for so long. She should have guessed that he'd move on. After all, she had learned from personal experience that guys like Ryan Atwood were pretty damn hard to find.

Figures that some skank would sink her claws the one guy she's ever really loved.

"Taylor! Will you please slow down and tell me what's wrong?"

"Just leave me alone Ryan!" God, what was I thinking? I never should have came here in the first place...

The last time she had actually seen him was on the train to New York, back in August, when she was going back to Paris and he was staying in Berkeley for college. They had agreed to just let their relationship take its course naturally to see what would happen.

As expected, things were pretty tough in the beginning. But they stuck with it, with the promise of spending Christmas Break together. So when Taylor suddenly couldn't come home for break, they were both devastated, to say the least. It was shortly afterwards that things had gotten even more difficult, and they had mutually decided to take a break around the end of January to test the waters with other people. But, they still talked on the phone at least once a week, and when Taylor informed Ryan that she would definitely be coming home for the summer, he was ecstatic.

So here she was. It was near the end of May, 9 months since she had actually seen his face. He had eagerly picked her up from the airport, and then had immediately taken her out for a very late dinner. But almost as soon as they'd arrived at the restaurant, their blonde waitress, who apparently knew Ryan, had proceeded to flirt with him throughout the night.

Which he didn't seem to mind. At all. So as soon as he had paid the check, Taylor had stormed out of there pretty damn quick. She knew she had no right, since technically he wasn't her boyfriend.

But it still hurt.

Ryan had no idea what had happened. He had thought they were having a great time, talking about anything and everything. School, family, you name it...and yet here he was, chasing Taylor down the street. Granted, they were walking back to the house anyway since it was fairly close by, but he still had to know why she was so upset. And he needed to find out soon, since he'd just heard several claps of thunder and had no desire to walk home in a thunderstorm with an angry Taylor Townsend giving him the silent treatment the entire way.

When he saw she wasn't making any plans to slow down, he quickened his pace until he caught up with her, and by that time they had to be a good 2 blocks down the way. When he finally did, he spun her around to face him.

"Taylor, what's going on?" he asked, his hands firmly grasping her upper arms. If looks could kill, he'd guess that he'd be dead on the spot with the way she was glaring at him.

"Why did you have me come here? If you don't want to be with me anymore, then just say so. I can handle rejection Ryan...believe me, I've had a lot of practice!"

Ryan was mystified. Where had she gotten that idea from? He knew that Taylor could overreact, but still...to think that she believed he would have her fly across the world to see him, just so he could officially dump her? He was angered at how little she thought of him. "Excuse me?"

Before she could respond, they both turn at the sound of a group of older businessmen heading towards their cars, quietly mumbling about the two of them. It was then that Ryan realized that he still had a firm grip on both her arms, and with all the shouting, they were obviously making quite a scene. He gently took Taylor by the forearm and led her around the corner and into a pretty confined, yet cramped, alleyway on a deserted street between two buildings.

Ryan slowly turned around and let out a deep breath, trying not to let his feelings get the best of him. He pointed an accusing finger at her. "Alright, now you wanna tell me what that comment was all about? You really think I'd want you to come all the way out here just so I could 'reject you?'"

"You tell me Ryan. We 'took a break' almost 4 months ago, and since then I never can get a straight answer from you about us, you refuse to tell me anything about your personal life...then, I come back here to tell you some important, life changing news, and you're letting that blonde skank flirt with you left and right while I'm sitting right there! I don't know where I stand with you! So why don't you just set me straight?"

At that moment, the rain that had been threatening to fall for a few minutes now suddenly did, coming down in large, heavy drops. And yet, neither of them made a move to take shelter somewhere. Instead, Taylor stood, waiting for an answer, for what seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds, her eyes burning into Ryan's. Her hair became soaked and her clothes began to plaster to her body, and despite how angry he had been at her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful and vulnerable she looked at that very moment.

And all of a sudden, he felt an overwhelming rush of feelings cloud his mind. Anger, confusion, sadness...all topped off by his sudden need for her, for her touch.

A touch he hadn't felt in 9 fucking months.

He slowly walked towards her, his eyes never leaving hers as the sound of the storm echoed behind him. And as he did, he noticed her demeanor begin to soften slightly, but her eyes still were saying the last thing to leave her lips. 'I don't know where I stand...why don't you set me straight?'

And right then, he answered her the only way he could.

He took Taylor by either side of her head, and with both hands drew her towards him, catching her completely off guard. The very moment their lips touched, they both immediately felt that familiar fire between them, and the kiss became heated extremely quickly. Lips viciously tugged at each other as Taylor's hands instantly grabbed onto the bottom of his shirt, pulling him closer and practically fusing his body to hers. It had been far too long since he had kissed her, far too long since he had felt her body pressed up against his, and even in the pouring rain he could feel the heat radiating from her every pore. His hands traveled from the side of her face to the back of her head, getting tangled in her drenched auburn hair and drawing her even closer, delving his tongue into her mouth, tasting her for the first time in months. It elicited a small mewing sound from the back of Taylor's throat, and suddenly he forgot how to breathe.

Because that's what she does to him. It's what she's always done to him.

At least ever since he opened his eyes long enough to see what was right in front of him all along.

Their tongues slowly started to engage in a battle all their own, alternating between soft brushes and flicks to total submission. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he dimly remembered where they were, and that it probably wasn't a good idea to start something if they couldn't finish it. But when she took his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down gently, he suddenly couldn't have cared less. Her hands were all over his body, running down his chest and stomach with his soaking t-shirt clinging to him like a second skin. Then, before he could even register what was happening, she had backed him up into the brick wall behind him, so that they were now hidden by a metal stairwell, pressing herself into him in such a way that he knew exactly what her intentions were without her ever saying a word. Not to say he wasn't thinking the same thing. On the contrary; he didn't think he had ever wanted something so badly in his entire life. Because even after all that time apart, it amazed him that she still had this mind-blowing effect on him, the kind that made him light-headed with total desire and happiness all at the same time. And as Taylor wrapped her small hands around the back of his neck and gently started to nibble on his earlobe, he threw all caution to the wind. Fuck it, he thought. It's not like anyone's even going to be around to catch us...

With a deep urgency, he grabbed Taylor's waist and spun her around, shoving her up against the same wall he had been leaning on just a moment before. He immediately invaded her personal space and started to suck on her bottom lip, making her breathing become noticeably more shallow. As he continued his assault on her mouth, he ran his hands from her waist to her lower back, and when he reached the bottom of her shirt, he started to push his hands up under it, feeling the soft skin of her back as inch by inch of it was revealed to him. He moved his hands around to her stomach, letting his fingers dance across it before moving up further to her breasts. He felt her nipples harden even more under his touch, so he removed his hands from underneath her shirt and instead tugged down the low-cut front of it. He started to gently massage her nipples through her bra with the tips of his fingers, and judging by the noises Taylor made and the way she was murmuring nonsensical things to herself, he could tell she definitely approved.

But it was when she took her own hands and gently ran them along the skin of his stomach where his jeans began that he completely lost the tiny ounce of control he had left in him. Feeling her hands make contact with his own skin sent even more electricity coursing through his veins then he thought was humanly possible, so he started to slowly rock his hips into hers. She responded, eagerly returning the action, softly moaning into his mouth as she did so. She then tore her lips away from his for a moment so that she could take a much-needed breath, and Ryan took the opportunity to began an assault on her neck, expertly sucking on her pulse point, continuing to rock his hips into hers with a growing need. She started to breathe heavily into his ear, wrapping her arm around his neck as she did so. Ryan supported himself against the wall with his left hand, and with his right, reached down to graze the outside of her bare thigh. She took it a step further by bending her leg at the knee, raising it to rest against his side and gently lacing her foot behind his knee so that Ryan could have better access to the job at hand. Ryan gladly accepted the invitation, and continued to run his hand up her slick thigh, slowly coming to the bottom of her skirt. Without hesitation, he pushed it up further, continuing to rock his hips into Taylor as he did so. As his hand slid further up the smooth inside of her leg, he finally came to his destination. He lightly touched her through her silk underwear, feeling how hot and wet she had already become. He felt her breathe into his ear: "Ryan..."

It sent tingles all the way up his spine, and at that moment, it was the most erotic thing he had ever heard. He took his thumb and gently pushed aside her underwear, making his way inside and running it over her clit once, twice, three times. By that time, both of their breathing patterns had become ragged and short, and as Ryan proceeded with finally being able to really touch her, Taylor took her one free hand and ran it down the outline of the very noticeable bulge in his jeans several times as well. As she did so, Ryan let out a small moan, and just hearing him sent Taylor over the edge. "Ryan, please..."

Wanting her as much as she wanted him, he reached up and kissed her with a fiery intensity that he had only ever possessed for her and her alone. At the same time, he frantically removed her underwear from beneath her skirt, causing Taylor to swiftly start undoing the buckle on his belt and then lowering the zipper as her tongue collided with his again. Ryan then put both his hands underneath her ass and lifted her up, slamming her up against the wall as Taylor wrapped her legs around his waist. He proceeded to support them against the wall with one hand, and with the other, he pulled down his boxers. His lips never left hers as he slowly slid inside of her, groaning as he finally became one with her again.

His Taylor.

The lightening crackled in the night sky above them as they started to move, and when she broke their kiss to let her mouth drop open in pleasure, he let his eyes fall upon the girl he had missed so much. The girl he had dreamt about every night since she had left. She caught his gaze, and for once, said nothing.

Because she already knew. She understood, because she had gone through the exact same thing.

She rested her forehead against his, her fingers running through his wet hair as he picked up the pace, grasping onto her thigh for balance. And they stayed that way, their lips just millimeters apart, breathing in each others breath and the rain falling around them as he moved in and out of her, faster. Neither of them spoke, except for the occasional strangled whisper of the others name, or the soft moans that escaped their lips. As he neared climax, he felt her contract around him, knowing she was close too. He reached his hand down in between them and pressed down on her gently, sending her toppling over the edge with him.

When they finally got their strength back, Taylor gently unwrapped her legs from around his waist, and lowered herself back down to the ground. But Ryan kept a hold of her.

Because he never wanted to let her go again. He just wouldn't.

He didn't care if he had to move out to France and give up his life in Berkeley if it meant he got to be with her. Because the truth of the matter was, he'd spent the last 9 months searching for any kind of semblance of a life, unable to find exactly what he was looking for. But now, it all seemed so easy, and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. He loved her, and he wanted her to be wherever he was. It was as simple as that.

It was at that moment that Taylor giggled softly, and then whispered to him, "Well that's good. Because I wouldn't want to have to turn down Berkeley two years in a row."

He realized that he must had said that all out loud. She was looking up at him with a big smile on her face, and he knew what she just said could only mean one thing. And he was pretty sure the smile on his face could match the one on hers. It meant she was moving to Berkeley to be with him.

Because she loved him too...

And then, all of a sudden, the rain stopped.

Author's Note: Please be kind when you review...this is my first shot at writing any kind of fic whatsoever. ;)