the struggle

12. that night

Katie eventually finished washing the dishes after Madison ditched her and left her to wash the dishes by herself, and she could still feel Ross staring at her from behind. She wanted to turn to face him and kiss him with every fiber of her being, but the voice in her head kept telling her not to because doing so would be foolish, especially at a house where her mother lived.

"Need some help?" Ross cleared her throat, shattering the tense hush that permeated the kitchen.

Katie gasped inwardly when she heard his voice, "I'm already done." She drew a deep breath before she turned around and walked past Ross to head to the living room.

As he followed her, Ross gaped in bewilderment. "Hey," he delicately managed to grab her forearm to turn her toward him. "Did I do something wrong?" He chuckled stiffly, wishing that he hadn't done anything wrong or said anything wrong.

Katie kept her lips parted as she glanced down at his hold on her forearm, "No," she answered coldly, looking up at him before she easily withdrew her forearm from his delicate grasp. "By the way, I was kinda wondering, how'd you end up on that island?" Her eyes narrowed, changing the subject to something better since she was really curious too.

Ross's eyes widened, still wondering if he had done anything wrong, "My ferry sank, and I ended up on that island." He lied.

Katie didn't believe it, though. She wasn't that stupid. She was aware that something was wrong and that Ross had lied to her, but she suppressed her suspicions and convinced herself that perhaps Ross was merely not ready to talk about it since it must have been too traumatic for him.

Katie was at a loss for words and didn't really care how cold or foolish she sounded when she said, "Cool." She then made a U-turn and started to move away.

"Wha-" Ross's head trembled in bewilderment as he observed her stumbling up the stairs. His eyes lunged to Niall to see if he had overheard them or seen something as his lips tightened and he let out a heavy breath.

Of course, Niall saw and overheard them. He had been observing the way they looked at each other for a while now.

"Screw it," Ross silently said as he raced up the stairs to follow the girl he wanted to hold in his arms. After pulling her arm to make her face him as soon as he caught up to her, he slammed his lips into hers while his hands were now around her small waist.

A surge of apprehension and surprise jolted Katie when she felt Ross's lips touch hers. But despite her best efforts, she was unable to push him away and take a step back. She couldn't, she just couldn't. Her right hand clutched the back of his neck as she pulled him closer, their kiss deepening.

Ross licked her lower lip while glancing down at hers, asking her permission with his gaze to insert his tongue into her lips. And she gave him access to her mouth by dividing her lips. As the kiss evolved from passionate to sensual, his tongue began to entwine hers.

She didn't stop. They didn't stop. They continued brushing their lips against each other until Ross pulled her carefully and open the door to her room so they could enter and have privacy. As soon as the door was shut, his hungry eyes locked onto hers, leaving her gasping for air. Her body begged for more as they made their way to her bed and she grinded a bit on his lap, causing him to groan out.

Her lips never left his as he laid her down on the bed, her hands exploring his body, feeling everything his biceps and his abs. Heat was racing in-between her legs, and she had butterflies in her stomach. She needed more, she wanted more. "Ross," His name escaped her lips.

He sat up and slowly began stripping off his own clothing, first his shirt, then his slacks, and finally his boxers. She began to moan beneath him at the sight alone, pondering how he could be this attractive and still want someone as awkward and boring as her.