A Photograph of You & I

Ville's reaction was immediate. His hands went to cup the back of my neck gingerly and he pressed his lips against mine in a desperate kiss that was almost uncharacteristic of him. For a moment, I was stunned beyond reaction but I soon found myself surrendering to his touch and his kisses like a flower bows to the wind.

He pressed me up against the wall and tried to let his body melt into mine, each of us cherishing the closeness. Reluctant arms wound their way tightly around his neck, bringing him closer if possible.

His questing tongue was soon tracing my bottom lip, begging for permission to enter and without any resistance, his request was met. Our tongues dueled passionately for dominance and neither was willing to back down just yet. My heart beat within my chest faster than it ever had before this moment. My head swam and I lost all feeling in my legs. I could swear the only thing holding me upright was Ville. My breaths came in ragged gasps.

A stifled moan escaped me and I felt Ville smile into our kiss. He broke it only slightly, for when he spoke, his lips breezily touched mine.

"Kulta, you have goosebumps." He teased. I looked down at my arms, which did indeed, betray the sensations that still swelled within me.

His hand stroked my cheek and I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand. I knew what had just taken place had been so very, very wrong -- morally anyway. And I couldn't help but revel in how completely right it had felt. I had no guilt whatsoever. And that wasn't right.

"Ville..." I nearly whimpered as reality came crashing down on me. We shouldn't and couldn't be in this position. Not now or ever again...no matter how perfect it was.

"Aina, please..." He whispered huskily in my ear. "I need you." A shiver ran down my spine; he ventured so far as to take my earlobe between his teeth and my knees nearly buckled.

I looked pleadingly into his emerald eyes. Slowly, he moved his hands to rest on my lower back. I rested my hands on his arms and leaned my head against his chest. I listened carefully, looking for his heartbeat. I closed my eyes as soon as I found it, letting the gentle rhythm lull me into a daze.

"I miss you, Aina. More than you know," He whispered, placing a soft kiss on my head. "I wish I could reverse all of this. I wish I could take you away from here and let it be just us two for always..."

His voice broke and I pulled away from him. Tears flooded his eyes but he tried to smile through them. "I swear to you that I meant for none of this to happen..."

"I know." I answered quietly. A fat tear rolled down his cheek and fell from his chin. I felt it land on my arm. I titled my head up to kiss away its twin, which hung precariously from his jaw.

A strangled sigh escaped his partially open lips. I wished so hard to kiss them again...

Carefully, as to not cause myself unbearable pain all at once, I separated myself from his arms. I bit down hard on my lip to keep the scream that wanted to burst from my lungs inside.

"Have a good show," I murmured quietly, pushing on the door gently. I looked back at him just once. His arms hung limp by his sides and his large eyes watched me with agony written plainly in them.

"Thank you," He mouthed, apparently having lost his voice. I gave him a curt nod and left the bathroom entirely. I dared not look back again for I feared seeing my heart lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

Ville's P.O.V

I knew it had been wrong to lose control like that. It was even hypocritical of me after the things that I'd said to Bam. But even while I spoke of giving up, I knew it would be impossibility. I would always surrender to her; it was just a fact of my existence. She would always have an invisible yet unbreakable string tied to my heart and I would be led to her no matter how hard I tried to resist.

As soon as she left the bathroom, a new plan resolved in my heart. I would remain true to my word -- Bam would not help me with this one. But I would find a way to prove to Aina that she was the only one in my heart even if I could do nothing about it.

I wiped drying tears out of my eyes with my sleeve, probably smudging my eyeliner but I really couldn't have given two fucks. It would work on stage anyway.

I looked around for Aina but she was no where to be found. From the noise that was now filling the club, I knew that it was almost time to go onstage.

"Vil, are you almost ready?" I turned and saw Linde looking at me, waiting to gauge my reaction. I nodded slowly and gave him a small smile.

"As ready as I'm going to be," I replied, running a hand through my hair and pulling my beanie out of my pocket. He gave an encouraging smile and turned to walk away. I stuffed my beanie over my dark curls and walked toward the stage door.

The moment I stepped out on stage, the screams of the fans grew even louder than before and I felt the adrenaline begin to rush through my veins. Lights blinded me and I had to look at the stage for the reflective markers that lead the way to the other side. I knew the microphone would be somewhere in the middle and that was all I needed.

I walked, seemingly with no real purpose, and looked in the wings of the stage for two faces that I needed to know were there. Jonna stood exactly where I thought she'd be, directly to my right next to where we kept water and my cigarettes. She gave me a weak smile but anger was still hidden behind her eyes. I nodded once to her and then turned to smile at the crowd, having almost forgotten they were there.

As if trying to snap me out of my search, Linde ripped through a chord that meant to start the opening song. I resisted the glare that threatened to shoot out of my eyes but went to the microphone anyway and opened my mouth to sing.

"Again the burden of losing rests upon my shoulders, and its weight seems unbearable..."

I searched the wings for her again, needing to know she was there. My eyes scanned the half a dozen faces hidden in shadow and were disappointed to find her not there.

"Your tomb is where your heart is, I should have told her..."

I turned to my left to hunt in those wings. She needed to be there. She had to be. Bam wouldn't allow her to miss this. He'd dragged her halfway across London just to be here to see me.

"But within me hid a secret so terrible..."

I nearly choked on the irony of the words I sang as they related to the situation I found myself in. She wasn't in the left wings either. She wasn't watching. She'd gone.

"To cry is to know that you're alive, but my river of tears has run dry. I never wanted to fool you, no. But a cold heart is a dead heart..."

Then it happened. She appeared behind Raab and Dunn from where they stood in the shadows. She wasn't looking at me and it was quite obvious that she was trying very hard not to do so.

"And it feels like I've been buried alive by love." With those final lines I dropped the microphone to my side and stared at her.

To my satisfaction, my plan went off without a hitch. She stared back, obviously wondering what the reason for my silence was. Her eyes locked with mine and I melted beneath her gaze. This was it. If I didn't do this now, I'd lose my chance forever.

I raised the microphone to my lips and whispered, "Aina."

Her eyes locked onto mine almost immediately. I barely noticed Linde walking toward me. The music had cut off and there was absolute silence all around us. The fans seemed just as curious as everyone else.

"Ville?" Linde called to me cautiously.

I didn't answer him. I merely raised the microphone to my lips again while I continued to look at Aina. This was for her, it was all just for her.

"No I won't surrender, at any cost. You're something so sweet and tender, from my heart..." I sang delicately. I watched her hand immediately fly to cover her mouth.

Linde seemed to catch on to what I was doing. He picked up the music from where I'd left off, giving the hint to the rest of the band that they needed to do the same.

"Yes I've done my evil, I've done my good. Just believe me honey, I won't let go of you..."

Bam appeared behind her with a ferocious grin spread across his face. I allowed one to spread on my own as I walked closer toward the wing where Aina hid from me.

"You are the one, and there's no regrets at all. You are the one, and there's no regrets at all..."

I raised a finger and beckoned her to me. At first she shook her head and backed away but Bam was soon behind her, pushing her toward me. This was the moment I'd been waiting for.

"We've had our share of misfortune. We've had our blues..." I sang, as she was pushed into the blinding lights. Gasps and cheers errupted from the audience who now screamed with enthusiasm. She stopped cold with no one pushing her now, and so in a few long strides I was directly in front of her.

"And God is not on our side. Yes it's true..." I cupped her cheek with my hand as I sang the final words meant only for her.

"We keep forgetting baby, the beauty of us two. There is no one who can take that away from me and you. You are the one..."

With that, I stopped singing and dropped the microphone to the stage. I didn't care anymore about who would see us. I didn't care in that moment that Jonna carried my child. I didn't care that thousands of fans were bearing witness to this private moment. All I cared about was her. And showing her that I loved her no matter what.

I cupped her face in my hands and within a half a second, my lips came crashing down on hers.