Past, Present, and Future.

Chapter 22 Chad's POV

*** Chad's POV***

The silence from her was killing him. Seriously, how hard was it to answer a simple question? Chad knew that he had treated Victoria wrong, and had wanted to correct it for a long time, but just hadn't gotten the chance. He knew it was time to take responsibility for what he did to her and how he had pushed her away. But until this moment he didn't know how to even bring it up to her.

When Dallas had come, then left in a angry rush, Chad knew he had to act. Victoria would be sad and most likely to listen to what he had to say. But now that she had been quiet so long he was starting to have second thoughts to even have brought it up.

"If we were to be...friends, there would be a lot of things that you would have to work on." Victoria said in a slow thoughtful way. He knew at that moment that she was questioning what she had just spoken. He could tell by the way she was making her concentration face. She didn't know that she made it every time she was having a debate with herself in her head, or when she didn't know what to decide. She also didn't know that every time she made thins face, he watched, and fell for her a little bit harder.

Yes, he admitted it. Chad Richards has feelings for Victoria Edwards. He knew that she didn't feel the same. How could she after the way he treated her in the end? But ever since they broke up he had been analyzing his feeling for the girl. He didn't know when it happened, certainly not during the relationship, but he developed feelings for her.

He realized that every little thing that she did was cute, in its own weird way. Like the way she flipped her hair over her shoulder in annoyance when it fell into her face too often. Or how when she was nervous about something she would bite her lip in a specific area. Again he knew these feelings were wrong, but what could he do to stop them?

"Why... did this come up?" Victoria's voice rang out and seemed to echo in the silence. He had forgotten where he was for a moment, becoming lost in his thoughts.

"Its been on my mind for awhile." He spoke the truth, knowing it was the best option at the moment, any moment really. "I just didn't know how to bring it up to you. And, with current circumstances, I thought now would be the right time." He stopped there deciding now to blabber on too much. He knew better than to press his luck with something so delicate.

She nodded and her concentration face returned once again. Knowing not to interrupt her, the two were silenced again. After what seemed like forever, Victoria  nodded.

"We can be friends... but  you have to change some things. You already knew that but I'm going to tell you again. If you... " She looked him dead in the eyes. "...so ever put your hands on me in an abusive way again, I will unleash Ricky upon you."

Chad felt his eyes widen. He had forgotten that moment where his temper got the best of him and he had struck her across the face. He had always regretted it, and had said sorry the moment it had happened. The two decided to never speak of it again, and try to forget about it.

He nodded. "You know that I would never do it again. It shouldn't have happened the one time it did. And again I am so sorry."

Victoria nodded and thought for a moment.

But then Chad did something he wished he hadn't.

He leaned down, bending his head, and pressed his lips to hers. Somewhere in his brain it was screaming at him that this was wrong, so very wrong, but his body wouldn't listen. He moved his lips to her unresponding ones more and more. Then something happened that surprised him more than the whole situation.

Victoria started to kiss him back.