Scott felt himself sink deeply into the kiss, his hand moving up and upon the slight curve of Ashley's neck. The kiss was chaste at first, a soft pressing of lips upon one another. But after a moment, Scott felt Ashley's lips part, and his tongue moved into her. They kissed like this for a time, Scott's hand moving slowly down her shoulder, then her arm, finally coming to a rest on her hip.

What am I doing? he thought, every bit of his rational mind telling him that this was a terrible idea, that despite the nearly euphoric feeling of the blood rushing through his body at the feeling of her lips against his, that this couldn't go any direction but south.

But as soon as Scott's hand moved up Ashley' body, under her shirt and towards her breast, he felt her tense up, her muscles stiffening. With a quick movement, she took his hand and guided it down and out from under her shirt.

They continued to kiss, but the tension of her body remained.

"Something wrong?" asked Scott, parting his lips from hers.

"I don't know," she said. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"It's a great idea," said Scott, moving his lips back towards hers.

"It's just that…I mean…"

Uh oh, thought Scott, feeling a revelation coming on.

"I'm a virgin."

Scott's eyes went wide.

"A virgin?" he asked, his voice carrying a tone of disbelief.

"Yeah," said Ashley, her eyes now downcast. "So, I don't do this whole…thing."

"What whole thing?"

"This…one-night-stand stuff. It's just not who I am."

Scott sat back, resting his weight on his arms behind him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm…a little surprised, to be honest."

"Oh?" asked Ashley. "And why is that?"

"I mean, a girl who looks like you…I'd think you'd have guys lining up to take you out."

"Well, how many guys have I gone out with since living with you?"

Not a one, thought Scott. She's got me there.

"Back in high school, when I was still friends with Regina, I didn't exactly get the boys to come running. And in college, once I started, you know, finally filling in…"

That's putting it mildly, thought Scott, the brief feeling of her skin on his fingertips still fresh in his mind.

"…I'd already decided that school was where I wanted to focus my attention. It just seemed like every girl I knew who dated a lot was either partying constantly, or miserable, or distracted from school…I didn't want to be like that."

"So, you just decided to never date?" asked Scott, now more curious than anything.

"I didn't decide to be a virgin specifically, it just kind of happened that way when I started making school my priority."

Scott didn't know what to say. He could've been talked into believing that Ashley was less experienced, but a virgin? That was difficult for him to swallow. But she seemed as sincere as it gets.

"I…should get back inside," said Ashley, slipping her legs out of the pool and standing up. "I had fun tonight. Good night."

And just like that, she was gone, leaving Scott alone, thoughts of the events of the last few minutes swirling in his mind.

* * *

The next few days were tense. Scott noticed right away that Ashley was distancing herself from him. She was still as attentive and efficient in her works as ever, but her affable nature had been replaced by a cold professionalism. She simply did her work, turning her attention back to her studies when her time with Scott was finished for the day.

But Scott noticed that she was just as sweet with Olivia, the two girls still growing closer by the day.

The next few weeks went by in this fashion. Scott learned from the school papers that Ashley occasionally left lying here and there that it was nearly finals time. When Scott first saw the word, he couldn't believe it; it felt to him as though fall had yet to start. But checking his calendar, he saw that it was mid-November; he couldn't believe how fast the time was flying by.

This is probably for the best, thought Scott one night as he finished up some work by himself in his office. I was getting too attached to her. I wouldn't mind keeping Ashley around like this for as long as she'd like; romance getting involved would just ruin things.

But deep down, in his heart of hearts, he knew that he couldn't simply wish his feelings away. And as he considered how Ashley was throwing herself into her work with just as much fervor as he was with his, he couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same way.