A/n: This is it! The final chapter! Thanks for reading, it means a lot.

Delilah: Five

He went over at the usual time, yet today he felt nervous. Today he could finally be with her. Today she could finally accept his love. And that was a bit unsettling, a bit unnerving. Their relationship was characterized by sex, not love. It had been this way for so long. Would change make things better? Could it even occur? After this relationship being casual for so long, could he change it with a few words? Yes. Yes, and he truly believed it would all change tonight. Tonight he was a free man, all free for Delilah. He could finally give all of himself to her. They could finally be together, and she could finally love him the same way he loved her. He knocked on the door, and his heartbeat was rapidly increasing. Tonight was going to be a special night.

He heard the unlocking. He heard the turning of the knob. The door opened, revealing Delilah, just as beautiful as ever. Brendon's heartbeat slowed as he was captivated by her beauty. All his worries, his problems, seemed to disappear. She made everything all right. And he was in love. She smiled and her eyes beckoned him to come in. He walked in, hand in pockets, and she shut the door behind him. He stood there looking at her, admiring her, loving her and he pulled her close, greeting her with a kiss. How he loved the taste of her lips. Oh god, he loved how quickly he was forgetting his problems. He pulled away, reluctantly. If only he could embrace and kiss her for the rest of his life.

"Hello, there," Delilah said, in her usual friendly tone.

"Hey," He said, and kissed her again. He was glad to finally have her touch. He had needed it all day. Finally, things were starting to look up. His feelings were no longer betraying him. His confidence returned. Everything seemed right. Her kiss made everything seem right. A reward for an unrewarding day.

"Well, aren't you friendly?" She giggled. Brendon smiled. God, he loved her so fucking much.

"I've missed you," He said as he smile grew. She smiled back.

"Aw, that's sweet. I've missed you too," She said, and he kissed her once again, each kiss becoming more passionate. She pulled away and grinned. "Come on, to the other room, let's talk for a little while."

Brendon nodded and followed as Delilah led him to her bedroom. Yes, he wanted to talk too. He would tell her about the day's events. He would tell her how much he loved her and she would believe him and embrace him and kiss him and she would love him too. She sat him down on the bed and took a seat next to him, holding his hand. She looked at him for a few moments, as if studying him.

"You look different," She finally remarked.

"Different?" He asked with a laugh. She nodded.

"Yeah, different."

Well, I am different. I'm a free man. I'm all yours.

"And you. You look beautiful, as usual," He said. And it was true. Her dark hair hung in her face, slightly curly today. Her eyes were lit up as usual, and she just seemed so happy. She smiled and gripped his hand tighter.

"So, anyway," Delilah said. "She talked to me today."

"Hmm?" Brendon asked, casually listening. He couldn't stop thinking about her and his feelings for her.

"I was in class. Photography class. She kept looking at me. I was a little concerned. Did she suspect me? What gave it away? It's not like I'm parading you around for everyone to see."

Not yet anyway, Brendon thought.

"So, I just ignored it, not to be suspicious. After class, she called my name and pulled me aside. In a very low, kind of stern voice, she tells me that she knows about me and you and how she left you and all of that. I just kind of stood there and stared. I think she wanted me to deny it or confirm it or something, because she stood there waiting, but I didn't say anything. Then she asked me how I could do this when I knew you had her or whatever. So I just said it was because you kept coming back. She was angry, obviously. I think she wanted to hear those words, 'I'm sorry.' So I apologized. And you know what, it was sincere. She looked so upset and she was in the dark for months. I felt kinda bad. So just as I try to escape, she says, he says he loves you, you know? I paused for a moment and replied, He doesn't love me. He loves my body. You're the one he loves. And then, the strangest thing happened. She smiled and started laughing. After a few moments of being really confused, I just walked away. Anyway, long story short, I just want to say that I know that it's over between you two now and you must feel really hurt, and that I am here for you if you need me."

Brendon could see Allison smiling the same smile Alex had. He would just have to prove them wrong. He would just have to wipe the smiles off their faces. Tonight, he would start something new and they would stop smiling. Brendon wouldn't be the one to lose everything in this situation. No, not when he had Delilah. As long as he had her, he would win.

"Thank you," Brendon said, trying to forget the anger that grew as he though about Allison's smug smile. "You're very kind."

Delilah grinned. "So, shall we..."

Brendon's heart beat grew faster. Faster and louder. It was now. The time he had been waiting for, planning for—here it was.

"Wait, there was something I wanted to talk about—something I wanted to say."

"All right. Go for it," Delilah said, looking at him. She watched and waited. Brendon, say something! He thought to himself. Say it now.

"These past months...well, they've been incredible. For the first time, I felt like I was alive. I felt like I woke up from some stupid reoccurring dream. You made everything so much more exciting. The fear of getting caught, the guilt I felt, none of it compared to the way you made me feel, to how good you made me feel. It's always just been fucking. And I know you're okay with that. I know that's what you've wanted. But that night when we watched a movie and ate pizza, those nights when we would just lie in bed, those moments meant more to me than some lust driven fuck. I meant what I said that night. I felt it then. I still feel it now. And I know you didn't believe me, but how could you? How could you believe that I really loved you if the only time I saw you was at night? How could you believe me when I still went home to some other girl? But I meant what I said. Because you make me happy, happier than I've ever felt before. And now I'm not being held back anyone. I did tell Allison that it was true that I loved you. Now, you can finally believe me. I love you, Delilah. I really do."

Brendon felt liberated. Finally, he was able to express what he'd been feeling, what he had been dying to say, and now he said it. Yet, it wasn't completely over. His heart still pounded fast as he waited for her reaction. He had been confident of her feelings before, but the confidence subsided now that it was actually the moment of truth. Her expression remained the same as it was moments before. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. He would just have to wait until she told him.

After a few awkward moments of silence, she smiled. Brendon began to feel relieved. Yes, this was a good sign.

"Brendon, you are the sweetest guy I have ever met, seriously," She said, calmly. "All guys ever think about is my body. How they would like to 'hit that' so to speak. But you. You were the first to care about my feelings. And for that, I am grateful. You've made me laugh like no one has ever made me laugh before. And you never fail to make me smile. It's easy to see why Allison really loved you."

Already, Brendon started to feel disheartened. Only one thought was in his mind. It doesn't take that long to say 'I love you.'

She put her hand on his face. "It's really sweet of you to say those things. Really. And you know what, I believe you. I believe that you love me. But, Brendon, I don't want love. I am perfectly happy with this. Like you, this is what I live for. But, I don't want anymore. I don't love you. Or anyone. I love this. And I don't want to ruin it by making it something more. This is all I want. Just this."

They were right. They were right and he was wrong. She didn't love him. And she didn't really grasp his feelings for her. He felt stupid for ever thinking that it was something more. He felt stupid as he realized that there was someone who loved him once. And now she was gone. But it was too late to fix things. Too late to go back and prevent this. It was too late to stop loving her, he had already fell. He knew that he would never stop loving Delilah.

"Hey, I'm sorry, darling," She said, sympathetically. "I really am. But cheer up. The night is young. We have plenty to do."

Brendon forced a smile. "Yeah, you're right."

She grinned and he started to take off his clothes. He knew as long as she kept inviting him back, he would still come. There was some solace in the fact that even still, he didn't regret his decision to go with her that night and his decision to keep coming back. He would never regret those decisions. Because love or no love, the way that she made him felt was undeniable. The way that she made him felt was worth all this. If this was all she wanted, then fine. Because he knew that even if she didn't love him back, she would always make him feel this way and he loved that feeling.

But even as they began to fuck, Brendon still couldn't help but feel hurt, like he lost. But he still kissed her like he was did. He still did what he always did. As he looked at her smiling face, he knew.

She would never care what she meant to him.