That Boy Next Door

Chapter 23

A/N Thanks to @CookiePlague for yet another wonderful banner! 

Dannie felt all the color slowly drain from her face.  

In any other situation, Seth would have found it funny how fast her face paled but not right now.  Right now, his father was discussing something with a business partner and promising to take them three thousand miles away.  Three thousand miles away from Dannie.

Trying to clear her head, Dannie blinked her eyes rapidly.  She was glad that the tears decided to miss out on this occasion but her brain seemed to have disappeared too.

"I-I can't do this," Dannie got out, standing up to leave from their hiding spot.  

Seth's hand shot out to grab her wrist and pulled her back down, resulting in her falling into his lap.  

"Dannie, you can't blow our cover!" Seth whispered randomly, trying to avoid the current topic at hand.

"I don't care!  I have to leave," Dannie said urgently, refusing to look into his pool of brown eyes.  

"Dannie, look at me, you have to stay," Seth said quietly, his words containing a double meaning.  He gently grasped her chin and turned her face to look at him.  She unwillingly brought her eyes up to see an unknown emotion fly through his pupils. 

"Please stay," he pleaded softly.

Dannie's heart melted but she kept her expression impartial.  If he wasn't staying after the summer, it was best she got over him sooner rather than later.

"You know I can't," Dannie said, her heart breaking in two at the devastated expression on his face.

She got up once more and something seemed to click right there in Seth's mind.  Going from a dejected looking puppy to a passionate love filled fool, Seth got a purchase on her arm once again and pulled Dannie back into his chest.

"You can't leave me," he demanded in a soft tone.  Before she could object, he gave her a passionate kiss on the mouth.  It didn't last for more than two seconds but the intensity of the moment was enough to set their surroundings on fire.

"I'm going to miss this," he whispered fiercely before smashing his lips to hers once again.

"And this," he said tightening his hands around her waist to draw her closer before landing another kiss.  By now, all coherent thoughts had fled Dannie's mind and her hands were wrapped around Seth's neck, kissing him back ardently as if this was their first kiss.

"And I'm not letting you go now that I finally have you," he finished in between another peck.  

Dannie couldn't reply; she was breathing too hard.  The air between them seemed charged and Dannie couldn't find it in herself to reject him any more than she already had.

"I don't care what it takes, I want to stay with you," Seth said.

"I want to stay with you too," Dannie admitted quietly.

"We can manage a long distance relationship," Seth said, sounding bold and sure of himself.

Dannie gave him one more quick peck on the lips before pulling back slightly.  She knew there was a chance they weren't going to make it.  It was a long distance relationship based off of a summer fling after all.  But she was willing to try and make it work.

"We probably look really stupid," Seth mused aloud.

Dannie looked around and noticed some bystanders giving them curious looks.  She felt herself look away, embarrassed.  How insolent must they have looked, kissing behind some fake plants at a wine tasting event.