RAY'S STORY!!! : D : D

I know I said I'd only put up complete stories, but Ora's is an exception, 'cause it's already in progress on here, and the link for this one on the site doesn't work, so none of us can read it otherwise - *tear* Well, I haven't read it yet, since I'm trying to post this quickly for those in Gabbly who anxiously await it, but I'm sure it's stupendorifically squeediddleyumptious:

“Razor, sneakers, sweatshirt, pillow…”, recited Benji under his breath
as he
went through his final packing list for the tour. Stashing his DVD
player in
his backpack, he smiled in anticipation as he thought about the fun
times
ahead. He grabbed some of his favorite DVDs and added them to the
already
heavy bag. Forrest Gump, Austin Powers, and Zoolander were all thrown
in. He
sighed as he realized that all of his favorite movies made him think
about
the same person—his dance partner and best friend Donyelle. Actually,
he
realized, a lot of things made him think about Donyelle. He thought of
her
whenever he wore his T-shirt that she had borrowed for practice one
day.
When she returned it, he loved that it smelled of lavender and he could
swear that it was softer than before. He thought of her while putting
on his
shoes, grateful that he did not have to suffer through what she did
every
time she put on shoes. And he thought about her now, wondering what she
was
thinking and feeling at this very second.
“Got everything, babe?”, Donyelle’s boyfriend, Tahir grunted. Donyelle
just
nodded as she put on a sweatshirt and turned to face him. She was going
to
be leaving him for two months. She knew she should feel sad, but she
just
felt numb inside. She had seen him three times since she started taping
the
show, and they had only been dating for a few months before that. She
felt
like she didn’t know him anymore. What had he been doing while she was
on
the show? When she asked him about it, he changed the subject or
somehow
avoided the question. She didn’t know his goals or his dreams anymore,
and
she knew that he couldn’t understand hers. She actually knew more about
her
dance partner Benji than she did about Tahir. Still, Tahir was her
boyfriend, so she decided that she would figure everything out after
the
tour.
“ I know you’ll miss me, Donyelle, but don’t get crazy with Benji, k?
The
show’s over, so you can cut the act. Remember, you’re my woman.”
“I know, T.”, she whispered. She always cringed when he called her “his
woman”. It sounded so vulgar and disrespectful. She followed Tahir out
the
door, straining a little under the weight of her two oversized duffel
bags.
As she reached out to close the front door, one of the bags slipped
from her
hand and landed with a thud on her injured toe. ‘Shit!” , she cried as
the
pain coursed up and down the throbbing toe. Tears welled up in her eyes
as
she picked up the bag and limped over to the limo that was waiting to
pick
her up.
“What happened, Donyelle? Why’d you go and hurt yourself again?” Tahir
demanded as he walked up to her.
“My bag…heavy…reached for doorknob…fell”, Donyelle stuttered, trying
desperately not to cry in front of Tahir.
“Be more careful, Donyelle! I had to wait and watch you soak this toe
and
lie on the couch for 10 days to make it heal, don’t tell me that was
all for
nothing!”, Tahir continued to lecture her as he pulled her into a hug.
“For
10 days, you couldn’t meet any of my needs because you had to rest.
Don’t
waste all of it now!” As he said this, his right hand strayed farther
and
farther down Donyelle’s back, until Donyelle got uncomfortable and
pulled
out of the hug. She was relieved to hear the limo driver honk his horn
impatiently, and she climbed into the car.
She tried to shrug off the harsh words from her boyfriend, but once she
was
behind the tinted glass, she let the tears of physical and emotional
pain
flow down her cheeks.


CHAPTER 2

The ride to pick up the other three seemed interminable, but it was
just
long enough for Donyelle to compose herself. Travis had flown in from
Virginia to meet Heidi and Benji at Benji’s house. As the limo pulled
up
into the driveway, Donyelle’s heartbeat raced. Was she ready to see
Benji?
Was he going to be the same Benji she had known before he was
famous?After a
few minutes, the limo door opened and Heidi slid in first across from
Donyelle.
“Hi, girl! It’s so good to see you, how’ve you been?”, Heidi squealed,
and
leaned over to hug Donyelle.
Travis entered next and sat next to Heidi, and began playing with the
tassels on her shirt. Donyelle laughed as Heidi playfully slapped
Travis
away. Her laughter escalated though, when she saw Benji poke his head
around
the side of the limo. He made a face and hopped in next to her. Then
she
knew that this was the same, good old Benji.
As the four sat in the limo taking them to meet the tour bus, they
chatted
about what they had done during their time off, how their injuries were
holding up, and what cities they were looking forward to visiting.
Talk soon turned to what they were leaving behind at home. Travis and
Heidi
were talking about who they’d miss while on tour, and Benji was taking
pictures of himself and Donyelle in the limo. Suddenly, Heidi addressed
Donyelle.
“So, you’re probably going to really miss Tahir, huh?”
Donyelle froze, trying to come up with a good response. Heidi and
Travis
didn’t know about Donyelle’s ambivalence about her relationship with
Tahir,
and she had only told Benji a little, since she didn’t know how things
would
work out when she came home. As she frantically searched for an
acceptable
answer, she sensed Benji turning his head to look at her. She felt
herself
blush, and let out a soft sigh that broke the silence.

“Yeah”, she lied, half-heartedly, looking away from the group and out
the
window. Palm trees and street signs whizzed by, but inside the limo
everyone
was still and quiet.

Benji noticed sadness behind Donyelle’s response, and he felt his heart
drop
down to his stomach. So things must have gotten worse with Tahir, he
thought. I wish there were something I could do for her, but it’s
probably
not my place.

Heidi and Travis resumed pleasant conversation, as they had become
accustomed to doing at uncomfortable moments like this. Thinking the
Tahir
question had been forgotten, Donyelle turned back away from the window,
only
to find Benji gazing at her silently and shamelessly, taking in
everything
about her. His green eyes seemed to be searching and questioning, and
she
gazed back into them, trying to tell him everything without speaking.
His
eyes searched hers, trying to understand the depth of her pain. She saw
his
concern and lowered her head a little, never breaking eye contact. When
she
did this, when she acknowledged all that he had been wondering about,
Benji’s heart broke again for her. He gulped audibly, causing Donyelle
to
lift her head again. This time, she stared intensely straight ahead
into his
eyes, almost pleading with him to take care of her and make everything
right. Her gaze was so intense, beautiful, and emotional that Benji had
to
look away—his heart was exploding with grief and love. Donyelle,
disheartened that Benji broke the stare, looked back out the window.
Just
as she felt the tears well up again, she felt Benji’s hand on her knee.
She
looked up at him to find him looking at her again, and he nodded. She
sighed
and placed a trembling hand on his.


CHAPTER 3

They rode the rest of the way in the limo with Donyelle’s hand on
Benji’s,
his thumb occasionally stroking her palm while they talked to Travis
and
Heidi. Half an hour later, they came to a stop in front of the tour
bus.
Travis got out of the limo, followed by Heidi and Benji. After stepping
out,
Benji reached back in the limo to help Donyelle out.

Stepping on her sore toe for the first time in about an hour, Donyelle
winced. She had forgotten that she had dropped a duffel bag on it, but
was
reminded all too well now.
“Here, Donny, let me take one of your bags for you. I’m sure it must
hurt to
carry those on your bad toe”, Benji offered.
Donyelle smiled as she thought Now THAT’s better!
On the bus, the four contestants had to choose beds. Travis insisted on
one
of the lower bunks, since he claimed that he rolls out of bed a lot.
Donyelle claimed the other lower bunk so that she wouldn’t have to
climb up
to the upper one on her bad toe. Heidi took the one above Travis, and
Benji
took the one above Donyelle. Once they had set their belongings down on
their beds, they looked around the bus for something to do. Benji
suggested
playing cards, Heidi was unpacking, and Travis was sitting on his bed
comparing cell phones with Donyelle. Just then, they heard a knocking
and
saw Nigel walking up the stairs onto the bus.
“Hello all, welcome to your new home!” he said.
‘Thanks Nigel”, they groaned in unison.
“I am very excited about the tour, and so is America. You four should
have
fun on the road, but remember that you are representing Fox and the
show, so
your first priority should be putting on a great performance in each
city.
Be sure to get a lot of rest, work hard, and do well! Remember, Fox
owns you
right now, so be careful of how you present yourselves in public.
Travis and
Heidi, I trust you two to be prudent. Donyelle and Benji, remember what
we
talked about earlier. Stand far apart from each other, don’t look at
each
other, or do whatever it takes to play down your rapport. Am I clear?”

“Of course, sir” replied Benji
“Yes, Nigel”, whispered Donyelle.
‘That being said, have fun!” Nigel said as he walked down the bus
stairs.

Travis and Heidi started laughing as soon as Nigel was out of earshot,
saying how that was almost as scary as a huge Celine Dion talking to
Benji
from above, and Benji and Donyelle looked at each other and rolled
their
eyes.

The group decided that they were hungry, so Donyelle started making
quesadillas. She liked cooking for them—even if her toe prevented her
from
joining some of their activities, cooking was something she could do
well
and helped her be a part of the group.
After more joking over a delicious dinner, Travis, Heidi, Benji, and
Donyelle cleaned up and sat back down to play cards as Benji had
suggested.
Benji won game after game long into the night, and the other three
became
frustrated.
“Benji, you know I’ve always hated playing with you, you always win!”
Heidi
said.
“Yeah, Benj, it’s just not fun anymore. I’m going to call my mom and
then go
to bed” Travis announced.
“Fine, I guess you two can’t take the heat!” Benji joked. “Get out of
here!”
Travis and Heidi left the living area and went back to where the beds
were.
Now that they were alone, Benji looked at Donyelle and asked her, “Can
YOU
take the heat?”. He winked.
Donyelle laughed, replied “When it’s coming from you”, and sat down on
the
other side of the table next to Benji.
Benji showed Donyelle a few card tricks, then set the cards down and
looked
at her seriously.
“Donny, what’s going on? I know you can’t tell me what’s going to
happen
between us, but tell me honestly what’s happening with you and Tahir
and
what you’re thinking”

Donyelle was always taken aback when Benji wanted to talk like this.
They
had talked this openly about almost everything on their first day as
partners, but he was the first guy she knew who was so open to
discussing
such things.

“Benji, I don’t know. Tahir is great, I think. I mean, he’s my
boyfriend.
He’s fun to be around when he’s not in one of his moods, and my family
loves
him. But ever since the show…I can’t believe I’m going to admit this…”

“It’s ok, Donny, tell me what you want to tell me, I’ll be here as long
as
it takes”, Benji said as he ran his hand through her hair.

A little nervous, Donyelle ran her finger up and down the edge of the
table.

“Ok well, ever since the show, I keep wondering what I saw in him
before.
Before the show, I thought he was great, even though we hadn’t been
dating
that long. But now, I’m seeing a whole new side of him. I…I can’t
really
describe it. But I don’t like it.”
She looked up at him to see his reaction. He nodded to encourage her to
keep
going, and he took her hand off the table and put it into his own.

“But I can’t give up on him, you know? Because the show has really put
a
strain on our relationship, but it could get better…” she trailed off.
Benji
remained silent, contemplating her every word and feature.

She continued: “Benji, you know I have feelings for you that I can’t
deny.
You’re so good to me, and it feels like I have known you for my whole
life.”
Benji smiled at this and kissed the back of her hand that he was
holding.
“I just don’t think I can know for sure what direction I want to take
until
I get back home to real life”, she said. “Then I can know for sure if
things are going to work out with Tahir. I have to at least give it
another
try. But I really don’t know.” She sighed.

“Well, Donny, I believe enough in what I feel for you that I am willing
to
wait as long as it takes to find out what you want to do. Even if you
decide
to go back to Tahir, I will be happy knowing that that is what you
want.
Take your time, ok? And do what makes you happy, but I will always be
here
for you at least as a friend.”

“I know, Benji” said Donyelle as she leaned her head on his chest.

CHAPTER 4

Benji blinked, yawned, and opened his eyes. Sunlight blinded him as it
poured in through the window of the tour bus. He had to shut his eyes
again
for a second to let them adjust to the light. When he re-opened them,
he
looked down and saw Donyelle’s head on his stomach, her chest rising
and
falling slowly as she slept peacefully. He couldn’t help but smile when
he
remembered their long talk the night before. They had talked about
almost
everything that mattered until Donyelle fell asleep on his chest and,
not
wanting to disturb the precious moment, Benji had let her stay there,
enjoying her presence and tranquility. ‘I guess I must have fallen
asleep,
too’, he thought. He studied her now and admired how the sun made her
cheeks
glow. ‘I must be the luckiest guy in the world right now, to have such
a
gorgeous woman asleep on me’,

Benji continued to smile contentedly as he watched her sleep, until
Travis
came out from the sleeping area looking groggy.

“Hey, man. How’d ya sleep? Did you fall out of bed?” whispered Benji

“Not yet! It’s going to be weird getting used to sleeping on a moving
vehicle”, Travis responded quietly. “It looks like she has no problem
with
it though”, he added, smiling, looking at Donyelle. “Were you two out
here
all night?” he asked. Benji nodded.

Walking to the counter to make breakfast, Travis tripped on a cord for
his
cell phone charger. The thud as he hit the ground caused Donyelle to
stir
from her slumber. Benji laughed at Travis, then got ready to say good
morning to Donyelle, but she just switched positions and went back to
sleep.
She was now lying face down, her face buried in a grinning Benji’s
neck.
“Is Heidi still sleeping?” Benji asked as he lightly caressed
Donyelle’s
back.

“Yeah. Dude—did you know she talks in her sleep?” Travis asked.

“Yep. She always has. What did she say this time?”

“She said something like ‘Don’t let Mia get away!’” Travis laughed.

Benji started laughing, causing Donyelle to open her eyes. She lifted
her
head and looked straight up into Benji’s eyes, a little confused about
where she was but happy all the same.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty” he whispered to her as she sat up.
She smiled, leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. She
then
proceeded to help Travis make breakfast.

------that night-------
The group sat around after dinner watching taped episodes of the show
on the
bus’s TV screen. Heidi sat in a chair to the side, and Donyelle nestled
in
between Travis and Benji. They laughed about things Shane and Nigel
said and
commented on the poor camera work.
Suddenly, a ringing phone interrupted them.
“Whoops, sorry, guys. I should take this, I’ll be right back” said
Donyelle
as she stepped over Travis’s legs to get to her phone. The other three
watched her go to the back of the bus and then turned back to the TV.
“I really like the additions of the toilet paper and kick-me sign”,
laughed
Heidi after a few minutes, referring to the second Tranji dance.
“All Shane’s idea”, replied Travis, “It’s probably what helped Benji
win!”
Heidi and Benji laughed as Benji made his geek face. They went on to
watch
the rest of the finale. Benji got more serious when they showed him
winning
and crying, and Heidi and Travis squeezed him.
“You handled the news so well, cuz” Heidi told him.
“ Did you guys notice before that it looks like I’m ignoring Donyelle?
Look
at that, I didn’t even know she was right behind me, I was looking for
her!”
Benji exclaimed.
“It’s fine, Benj. You were caught up in the moment” Travis replied.
“It’s just kinda annoying. I wanted to spend that moment with her, but
everyone now thinks that I was avoiding her…” he sighed. “Hey, she’s
been
gone a long time, what’s she doing?”
“She got a phone call? I don’t know, go check” answered Heidi. Benji
walked
to the back of the bus and knocked on the door of the sleeping area. No
response. He tried again, waited, then slowly opened the door.

He gasped as he saw Donyelle curled up on her bed, eyes red, breathing
in
short, hurried breaths. He rushed over to her and sat down next to her
on
the bed.
“Donny, Donny, what is it?” he asked frantically. She just looked up at
him
with a forlorn glance and looked back down. ‘I really hate for him to
see me
like this,she thought.Pull yourself together, girl. Just don’t cry
now.’
Benji had given up on getting an answer from her. He cradled her head
in his
hands and pulled it onto his lap. “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay”,
he
murmured, stroking her hair.
After a few minutes, Donyelle had regained just enough composure to
talk.
“Tahir called”, she said quietly. Benji felt his stomach knot upon
hearing
this. What had Tahir done to make Donny this upset? Donyelle picked up
her
phone and placed it in Benji’s hand. “Listen”, she said.
Benji called her voicemail and waited. Then he heard a male voice that
he
assumed to be Tahir’s:
“Donyelle, why haven’t you called me? It’s been more than a day, you’re
being a bad girlfriend. I don’t trust you when I don’t hear from you.
You
better not be macking on Benji…” Benji looked down at her upon hearing
this
and cautiously removed his hand from her hair.
Tahir’s voice continued: “Don’t be such a bitch about this, Donyelle.
You’re
not respecting ME, it’s all about what YOU want! I wish I’d never
encouraged you to audition for the show, it was a big mistake. When you
weren’t dancing, at least you had time to spend with me. Now I’m alone
while
you’re on tour and it’s not fair, especially when you don’t even call
me. I
don’t know how this is going to work, Donyelle. It’s a shame you had to
cause all these problems in our relationship. Call me back when you get
this, babe”
Benji shuddered, closed the phone, and looked at her. His heart ached
for
her, and he wanted to kill Tahir for talking to her that way. Why
hadn’t she
told him about this?
“Donny, I’m sorry, I didn’t know…I can stop…why didn’t you…how long…”
his
voice trailed off, full of confusion.
Donyelle sighed and looked up at him on the verge of tears. “Benji,
it’s
okay. It’s not your problem or your fault. You shouldn’t even have to
be
here right now. I can handle it”
“Donny, I want to be here for you, that’s what partners are for”. He
couldn’t help but notice tears welling in her eyes, and he stroked her
head.
He had never seen her so vulnerable before. It made him feel helpless
yet
very responsible at the same time.

“I don’t know if I can talk about it yet”, she responded, fighting back
tears.
“You don’t have to. Shhh, breathe. All you have to do is cry” he told
her.
A small tear left her right eye and traveled down her cheek. Another
and
another soon followed. Benji leaned in and kissed each tear as it
reached
the bottom of her cheek. He couldn’t stop himself—he knew whatever
physical
relationship they had was probably hurting her relationship with Tahir,
but
she was so hurt and beautiful that he needed to help her.
She continued to cry in his arms until gradually her breathing slowed
and
the tears stopped.
Realizing Donyelle was asleep, Benji carefully picked her up and lay
her
down in a more comfortable position on her bed. He adjusted the pillow
under
her head, then pulled the covers up over her, being careful of her hurt
toe.
After leaning in once more to kiss her forehead, he turned off the
lights
and opened the door.
“We’ll figure all this out soon, Donny. I love you”, he said and walked
out
to re-join Heidi and Travis.

CHAPTER 5
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Seattle or the King County
Journal.
Also, this partially unrealistic, because there aren’t many ferries
that run
at night. But SHHH, don’t tell.


The next day, the dancers arrived in the city of their first show,
Seattle.
After rehearsals in the morning, they had the rest of the day to
sightsee.
Benji, Heidi, Donyelle, and Travis went out by ferry with the
judges/choreographers to Bainbridge Island for a SYTYCD press
conference.
Donyelle and Benji had both woken up worried, thinking about each
other.
Donyelle was worried for Benji’s and her own safety, should Tahir find
out
about their secret feelings. Benji was worried that he had overstepped
the
boundary between friends and more-than-friends, and thought Donyelle
would
be upset about this. He was also trying to keep in mind his commitment
to
“Choose the Right”, which seemed like an unfair and almost impossible
task
while around Donyelle. So, although Benji and Donyelle were both
thinking
about each other all through the press conference, they tended to avoid
eye
contact and kept conversation to a minimum. The only moment of eye
contact
occurred when they were asked by a reporter for the King County Journal
if
they were romantically involved. They nervously glanced at each other,
then
Benji watched as Donyelle quickly looked back down and responded as she
had
been told, “There is no romantic connection between me and Benji. We
are
just great friends and dance partners”.
Benji sighed. ‘It sure is hard to kindle a relationship with an
attached
woman who keeps announcing that there is nothing between us’, he
thought. He
suddenly remembered that this event was being videotaped, so he put his
goofy face back on and joked around with reporters for the rest of the
press
conference. Donyelle remained quiet during his antics, thinking, ‘Why
is he
so happy all of a sudden once I deny any relationship between us? Does
he
not want us to continue exploring what we have together?’
After the press conference the group went out to an early dinner at a
restaurant on the beach. Cool salty water lapped against the warm sand
as
they enjoyed seafood and (for some of them,) wine. Everyone else seemed
to
be having a wonderful time (increasingly so as the wine bottles
emptied),
but all Benji and Donyelle could think about was what had gone wrong in
their friendship. They and Heidi were the only ones who didn’t have
anything
to drink.
Donyelle and Heidi sat across from Travis and Benji on the ferry ride
back
to downtown Seattle. It was starting to grow dark, and the first few
sparkling stars peeked out behind the cloudy navy blue curtain of the
night
sky.
Travis asked Heidi to come look at Nigel sleeping sideways in his seat,
leaving Benji and Donyelle sitting alone facing each other, each
glancing up
at Travis wistfully, wishing they could have been asked to leave.
Donyelle
studied Benji as he picked at something on his jeans. ‘It’s too bad’,
she
thought, ‘I care so much about him, but he seems to think it will never
work’.
Benji felt her gaze, looked up, and was caught breathless for a second
by
her beauty. Her intense green eyes looked at him with both confusion
and
compassion, and during that one second, Benji realized that he couldn’t
be
with anyone but her. He had to do something.
“Donny, this is stupid”, he blurted out. She looked a little hurt. “No,
what
we’re doing to each other. It’s stupid because we know each other so
well.
Heck, Donny, you know everything about me! Why can’t we communicate
now?”
Donyelle sighed and thought for a long time.
“I’m scared, Benji”, she whispered.
Benji jumped over to sit next to her, put his arm around her shoulders,
but
retracted it when she flinched. “I’m sorry, Benji, it’s ok, I don’t
know why
I reacted like that”, she said apologetically. Benji put his arm back.
“So, why are you scared? You have nothing to be afraid of. We have
conquered
so much together!” he asked. A few moments of silence passed as
Donyelle
gathered her courage.

“I’m scared by how much I care about you” Donyelle responded
resolutely, as
if she had been waiting forever to say those words. Benji looked at
her, a
little surprised, and started to respond.
“No, shh. Let me finish”, Donyelle interrupted. “Benji, you mean
everything
to me. What I have with Tahir is nice most of the time, but I’m not in
love
with him. I care about you so much that you will never know. I have to
let
you know this, it’s only fair. I understand that I’m not Mormon, and we
come
from different cultures. You can point these out as “strikes” against
me.
But I feel that we have something in common that transcends the
divisions of
this world. I feel like we have the same soul, Benj. And that’s why it
is
sometimes hard for us to communicate. Because we recognize ourselves in
each
other. You might totally disagree, but I had to put this out there.
I’ve
felt this way for a long time, but we can still be just friends if
that’s
what you prefer.” She breathed and looked down, anxiously waiting for a
response, the right response. She waited and waited, staring at her
hands
clasped in her lap. Still no response.
Finally, Benji said “Come with me”. As he took her hand and let her out
to
the back of the ferry, she looked back and saw that Travis and Heidi
had
been returning to their seats. She was a little nervous after putting
her
heart out on the line with no response.
A gust of cool evening air met them outside. They stood, hands
intertwined,
by the railing of the ship, watching the wake. The stars twinkled above
them, the ocean crashed below them, and they felt as if they were the
only
two in the world. Benji looked at her and smiled, watching the wind
play
with her hair.
“You have a way with words”, he said. “But I can’t even begin to
express how
much I love you. What I feel for you is so different from anything I’ve
ever
felt, but I’m not scared about it. I’m excited. You have no reason to
be
scared, because I love you, Donny, and I will forever. No matter what
happens, I’ll never stop loving you. Every day you teach me about life,
love, and the person I want to be. I’ll always be there for you, even
if
it’s in the background as a friend, but I want to be a bigger part of
your
life if you’ll let me.”
Donyelle felt herself shiver with happiness at these words. Thinking it
was
because of the cold, Benji wrapped his arms around her tightly and
pulled
her into him. Their hearts pounded against each other. She responded,
“I’ll
let you, Benji. I should have a long time ago”. He looked down at her,
leaned over, and brushed his lips to her cheek, making her heart jump.
Since
it just felt so right, she reached her hand to the back of his head,
drawing
it closer to hers, and softly kissed his lips. Sighing, he returned the
kiss, making this one less restrained. Their eyes closed. He parted his
lips
and tasted hers while his hand slid down from her shoulders to the
small of
her back. Taking his cue, she moved her hand from the back of his head
to
behind his ear, where she knew he was sensitive. She parted her lips as
well
and slid her tongue in between his lips. As she did this, a chill shot
down
Benji’s spine. This was the most intense feeling, but it was natural at
the
same time. He felt as though he had been waiting for this moment all
his
life. He caressed her back, while she ran her fingers up past his ear
and
through his hair. Mist from the ocean kissed their faces as they
embraced.

After a few passionate minutes, they separated their lips, chests
rising and
falling heavily. Donyelle brought her hand down and stroked Benji’s
cheek
and smiled at him. He took her hand and they walked back inside, unable
to
control their contented grins.



~ Moose ~