Totally meant to post this last night and I completely forgot... but anyway, here is the fourth to last chapter of the story. Cate plans to write her chapter this week so hopefully we'll have another up for you guys soon. So enjoy!

Thanks to XxXLIFEafterDEATHXxX for reviewing the last chapter.

Chapter 28

Troy’s heart started thudding in his chest when he saw Piper’s car parked in the street. In his parents’ street. She was there. As soon as Chad put the car in park, Troy ripped open the door and ran up to the house. He knew she might not be there to give him any sort of good news, but he missed her and seeing her face would be good enough regardless of what words came out of her mouth.

The doorknob turned freely beneath his palm and he forced himself to calm his outward appearance before walking inside. He could hear voices in the kitchen and immediately discerned that Piper was in the kitchen talking to his father, a realization that made him pick up the pace to save her from his dad’s weird comments. When he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see that his mom was with them as well, all of them sitting around the kitchen table chatting. Piper looked tired but beautiful, as her eyes met his across the room.

“Hi,” he said, meaning the greeting only for her, but his mother responded instead.

“Hi honey. How was the zoo?” she asked.

“Okay,” Troy answered, trying to be polite to his mom, but obviously wanting to talk to Piper in private.

“Look who showed up on our doorstep a few minutes ago,” his dad chimed in lamely, as if Troy hadn’t noticed Piper sitting there.

“Hi Troy,” she said softly.

“She came to give you a ride back to school. Wasn’t that nice of her to volunteer?” his mom asked. Troy nodded dumbly. “You’d better get your things together so you can get on the road.”

“Yeah, don’t let us keep you from taking her up to your room,” Jack winked, causing Troy to close his eyes and take a deep breath. He heard a chair scrape against the floor as someone stood and he knew that it was Piper without even opening his eyes. Troy just turned and started down the hall before opening them again, finding Piper by his side. She followed him up the stairs wordlessly and went to sit on his bed as he bustled around the room throwing things haphazardly back into the duffle bags that had been lying in the corner.

“Sorry… I wasn’t planning on leaving until tomorrow morning,” he said to explain the disarray of his bedroom.

“I know. I just texted Greer and she’s going to leave with Chad in the morning. But we really need to talk and I can’t do it at your parents’ house. Your dad is really creeping me out…” she said, shaking her head.

“I don’t know what his problem is. I’m sorry for whatever he said to you,” Troy told her, thankful that for at least a few minutes they could ignore the big conversation they were destined for. Once he was satisfied that he had packed everything he had brought, including the two big bags of now clean laundry, he went to shove his laptop in its bag, only to find that its entry into the bag was being hindered by something. He pulled the computer back out with a sigh only to find that Piper’s Christmas present was the culprit.

“Are you almost ready?” Piper asked, glancing at her watch. Troy thought about giving her the present right then as a sort of initial peace offering, but decided against it, shoving the box to the side so the computer could slide in easily.

“Ready,” he announced, wishing that she would give him a smile or any response that resembled their old relationship, the one that had existed freely and naturally until that awful night. Piper gave him a weak smile before pushing herself from the mattress and following him out the door.

“Are you two taking off?” Troy’s mom asked.

“Looks like it,” Troy said, “Thanks for everything.”

“Any time,” she smiled, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, “Call us tonight to let us know that you got back okay.” Troy saw the tears forming in his mom’s eyes and hoped that she could keep it under wraps until they got out of the house. Piper was sure to mock him further for being a momma’s boy.

“Call us tomorrow,” Troy’s dad clarified, “Drive safely.” Troy raised his eyebrow slightly as his dad shook his hand after hugging him, only to realize that his dad had just slipped some money into his hand. After a sneaky inspection as they headed towards the door, Troy saw that it was a twenty dollar bill and knew that it was his dad’s intention for him to buy Piper some dinner on their way home. He put his things in Piper’s trunk and then slid in the passenger’s seat.

“I need to get gas,” Piper said simply, “Where should I go?”

“There’s a place right by where you’ll get on the interstate with a Subway attached. You want a sandwich for the road? I can get it while you fill up.”

“Sure,” she said, her eyes not leaving the road as she made her way through the streets expertly, as if she’d driven the roads a thousand times before. Troy wondered briefly how many times she’d practiced the trip, and as he saw the printed directions stuffed between her seat and the console, he suspected that it had been more than a few. They drove to the interstate in silence, watching as Albuquerque passed out of sight. Piper pulled into the gas station he’d described a few minutes later and they were on the road with their dinner in hand within fifteen.

“So…” she said, for once at a loss for words, apparently. Troy wanted to laugh at that, but couldn’t and just waited for her to continue, “How drunk were you when you called me on New Year’s Eve?”

“Very,” he answered honestly, “Why?”

“You were in true ramble mode,” she told him, “And you said that you loved me. Well, you said that someday you thought you could love me.”

“I was drunk,” he offered as a lame excuse. He didn’t remember saying that to her, but he did think that. It didn’t mean he was even remotely ready to say the words for real, but he honestly believed that if he was really with her, that it might become something real some day.

“Don’t make excuses. Drunk people always say what they're afraid to say when they're sober. All alcohol does is remove your filter, it doesn’t make you lie.”

“I meant it. I mean it, but I didn’t mean to say it to you. I mean, if you don’t even want me to hold your hand, I know you definitely don’t want me to say that I think I might love you some day.”

“It’s not that I didn’t want you to hold my hand, Troy. I had just never thought about us like that before and it freaked me out. I’m about to graduate, start my life and you’re just starting your college career. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“But it is.”

“Yes, it is,” she said, then unwrapping her sandwich with one hand and taking a bite, letting him know nonverbally that the conversation was put on hold. He sighed heavily and did the same, forcing himself to enjoy the meatball sub while it was still warm. Once he had finished his sandwich and set out the bag of cookies on the console so Piper could have one if she wanted, he took to watching her out the corner of his eye. She didn’t look mad or even irritated, but her jaw was set determinedly nonetheless. He wanted to go back in time so they could be joking around with each other, not in the middle of a big, deep conversation that would likely end in a final determination as to the future of their “relationship.”

When it became clear that Piper was not going to be resuming her part of the conversation any time soon, nor was she going to talk to him period, he eventually gave up and let himself doze as she drove. He woke up hours later and found that the sun had gone down and Piper was now listening to the horrible CD she and Greer made himself and Chad listen to on their way to Mexico.

“We’ll be there soon,” she told him, obviously noticing that he had finally woken up. He grumbled in recognition and straightened himself and his clothes out.

“Sorry I fell asleep like that,” he apologized.

“It’s fine. I needed the time to think anyway,” she said, but didn’t continue. Troy bit back an annoyed sigh and just let her drive. What she was waiting for, he didn’t know, but he cared enough to hear her words that he knew it would be worth the wait. True to her word, she pulled into the parking spot in front of her apartment about a half hour later. Troy was happy that she had brought him to her place. That meant that they were going to talk, not that she was going to keep chickening out, which was what Troy had determined she was doing. They got their things out of the car and brought them inside silently, Troy setting his in the living room and Piper running hers upstairs before she came down again to meet him.

“Can we finish our talk now?” Troy asked, sitting down on the couch and grabbing a throw pillow so he could hug it to his chest.

“Yeah. I’m sorry that I’m being like this. I just have a lot to say and I want to make sure that I say it all,” she started, sitting down close enough to him for it to be intimate, but not so close that it would be distracting. She was close enough that he could smell a faint trace of her perfume and he breathed it in as she continued, “I like you, Troy. You’re a good guy. At first, I just thought that you were hot and I knew that I wanted you, and that’s why I suggested our arrangement. I’ll admit that for those first few times we were together, I assumed that you were just a stupid immature freshman like my brother. I was wrong. You showed me that you were better than that.

“I have been very much in denial about things… about us, because this isn’t how things were supposed to go, like I said in the car. It wasn’t supposed to last more than a few times. It wasn’t supposed to be amazing. It wasn’t supposed to get to the point where all I could think about all day was when I was going to call you and demand that you come over. It wasn’t just about sex any more, but I really wanted to pretend that it was.

“You know about Preston. I was a freshman and he was a senior and it didn’t work. That’s been the main reason why I’ve been so reluctant to admit that there was the potential for something else between us. I should have known that it would be different between us than it was for myself and Preston, but again, I was being stubborn,” she said.

“Piper, I don’t know when I started having feelings for you. It was just about the sex for me at first, too, because you were so rude to me when we first met. I didn’t know why I wanted you so badly despite that, but I did and that’s why I went along with things. But when we were alone together, I got to see that other side of you, the one you don’t let a lot of people see, and that’s when things started to change without me even realizing it. I know that we don’t make sense, but-“

“It’s not that we don’t make sense, Troy, it’s just that our situation is really hard,” she sighed, “I don’t want to be the girl who doesn’t really leave college for years after she graduates because she’s always back in the dorms visiting her boyfriend. And I don’t want you to be the guy who doesn’t really get to experience college because he’s always away visiting his girlfriend who already graduated.”

“I don’t want those things either,” Troy said honestly, “But I want you, and if that’s what it takes to be with you, then I’ll make it work. We can make it work.”

“But, you’re a baby,” she tried to tease him, but her words came out tense, choked in tears she was trying to fight off.

“And you’re a bitch,” he said, scooting closer and whispering the last words as he cupped her face in his hands, “But I’m crazy about you.” She took a deep shuddering breath before responding.

“I’m crazy about you, too,” she managed before moving forward to kiss him hard on the mouth. He kissed her back aggressively, finding that the taste of her mouth was even more intoxicating now after such a long separation than it usually was. Piper moaned into his mouth and ripped the pillow from his lap so she could climb onto it, immediately closing all of the space between them. Apparently, Troy thought to himself, Piper had been missing him as much as he had been missing her. After several minutes of incredibly hot making out, Piper pulled back with a gasp and yanked her black turtleneck from her body, throwing it over her shoulder before divesting him of his own shirt. He smiled against her lips as he felt her fingers trace over his now naked torso. Without warning, he turned them quickly and dropped Piper to her back on the couch, unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them down before covering her body with his own once more.

“I missed you,” she said in a voice that was surprisingly tender. Troy moved to kiss her but found her hand planted in his chest to keep him away, “But take off your pants. Now.” He stood quickly and did as told, removing his boxer briefs as well for good measure before placing a series of kisses to her stomach as he quickly slid her panties down her legs.

Troy placed an intentionally teasing kiss to her inner thigh, letting his lips linger there for longer than necessary. Then he climbed over her, slowly lowering himself onto her and taking a moment to fully appreciate the feeling of their bodies pressed perfectly together.

“You’re an awful tease. You know that?” she asked breathlessly with a little smile, obviously too turned on to even feign sternness with him. He just nodded and kissed her, savoring the taste of her mouth and realizing how utterly painful it had been to not have her around. Troy knew that he could have taken all night just appreciating the moment, but Piper obviously had other plans. He could feel her wiggling her hips against his, hoping that he would get things started soon. As he was more than up for the job, he kissed her deeply and loved the moan she left in his mouth as he filled her slowly. If she wanted to get started, that was fine, but he was going to take the time to memorize every single inch of her body and she was going to have to deal with it.

“You feel incredible,” he managed, finding that he was holding his breath. Piper just groaned and thrust one hand above her head, grasping for the closest thing in reach and apparently finding the arm of the couch adequate. Troy allowed himself to get lost in the feeling as he moved slowly in and out of her body, feeling like he could lose control at any second. To distract himself from that feeling, the one that would ruin the wonderful moment, he let his mouth trail over her exposed skin that he could reach easily, leaving kisses all over her neck, mouth, and chest.

“Troy!” she gasped and he felt her thighs tighten around him, causing him to instinctually increase his tempo, which was the catalyst Piper needed to explode around him bringing them both to an intense and unbelievable orgasm. Troy thought for a moment as he lay his head lightly on her heaving chest, that if he could experience only one feeling for the rest of his life, it would be that and he would be one deliriously happy bastard for the rest of his days.

“Wow…” he trailed off, hugging her tight under him as they both tried to regain normal body function.

“Wow is right,” she laughed lightly. As they lay there, Troy couldn’t help but smile against her damp skin, thinking how interesting it was that they had the best sex they’d ever had right after admitting that they had feelings for each other. He found that very interesting indeed, but didn’t dare bring it up. If he knew Piper at all, and he surely hoped he did, he knew that it was not the right time to bring something like that up. If there ever was such a time, that was. After they had gotten themselves together and had taken a truly wonderful shower together, they settled in on the couch with beers, ready to find something on TV.

“Oh!” Troy exclaimed suddenly, shooting up and racing over to his computer bag where he retrieved the small red box.

“Everything okay over there?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, coming over to sit back down and setting the box on her leg.

“What’s this?” she asked, trying not to show how curious she was.

“Open it!” he laughed at her, “It’s your Christmas present.” She set her beer down on the coffee table before carefully unwrapping the present, gasping when she had finally opened the box.

“It’s a Claddagh ring!” she said, “This is perfect! Thank you, Troy!” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him closely before taking the ring carefully from the box.

“I did some research, and apparently they had it wrong on Buffy. You’re supposed to wear it on your right hand until you’re married. If you wear it with the heart facing out, it means your heart is open and available; that you’re single. If you wear it with the heart facing in, it means that you’re under love’s spell. But regardless of how you wear it, the hands stand for friendship and the crown stands for loyalty. I just thought it was a good thing to get you.” She nodded and toyed with the small silver object in her fingers for a few seconds and Troy realized that she was debating how to put it on. When she finally slid it on her right hand ring finger, she hardly knew what hit her when Troy started to kiss her again. The heart was facing in.

Troy finally made his way back to the dorms around two in the afternoon the next day and found Chad inside putting his things away.

“So, how’d the big talk go?” Chad asked. Troy smiled and dropped his things to the floor by his bed.

“Well, we’re together now. She admitted that she was being stubborn and we both admitted to having feelings for each other,” Troy said.

“Nice,” Chad smiled, “Greer and I are going out tomorrow night. Our first official date.”

“You want Piper to come over here so you two can have some privacy tomorrow night?” Troy teased, wiggling his eyebrows at Chad.

“It’s our first date!” Chad exclaimed.

“And you’ve been wanting her for a long time,” Troy said with a smile, “Whether you’ll admit to that or not.”

“It’s not going to happen...tomorrow,” Chad finished.

“You two will be doing it by your birthday,” Troy laughed, feeling something hit the back of his head hard and then hearing that object bounce to the floor. He looked down and saw that the object was a basketball and found that the perpetrator was Braeden.

“Dude. Do not encourage him! I heard all about it from Piper and by the way,” Braeden started before scooping up the ball and throwing it at Troy again, “You are not ever giving Piper another ring again. Do you get what I’m saying to you?” Troy just rolled his eyes and caught the ball this time when it was thrown at him.

“Don’t touch Greer. Don’t even think about touching Greer,” Braeden warned Chad before muttering to himself as he left the room, “Piper and Troy are bad enough. I think I’m getting an ulcer…”

“We’re going to be the death of him,” Chad laughed.

“I’d feel bad for him if I wasn’t so crazy about Piper,” Troy responded, wincing as the basketball collided with his back one more time before Braeden and Kevin’s door slammed shut.