A/N: Here at long last!  And it starts out a bit different than your typical drama, but just wait and see.  Plus, it’ll be hard for me to work with clichés. Sometimes I most want to resist them.

Prologue

Obscured by twilight’s shadows, he smiled and walked into the narrow alley where he knew she stood waiting.   Intoxicated by the sheer anticipation of holding her to him, his gait quickened.  Almost as if by prearrangement, she stepped out from the darkness of her doorway just as he approached.  A chuckle of pleasure escaped his throat, and he reached out for her, reeling her in for his usual kiss of greeting.

He liked their clandestine rendezvous, and he knew she did too. Neither could deny the exhilaration of stolen kisses and stolen moments.  The secrecy of it all was intoxicating and empowering.  No one really knew.  And no one ever would—unless they confirmed it.  Even when they dared risk meeting up in public, they always parted ways undiscovered.  And outsmarting the media was no small feat.

A burst of heat erupted between them when lips met and limbs tangled.  No longer could the two lovers distinguish where one ended and the other began.

This was the closest to bliss they’d ever been.

A whirlwind swept through the alley, lifting with it the scattering of dried leaves hidden beneath the parked cars and motorbikes.  The leaves danced in a chaotic whirl around the lovers, veiling them from the view of any potential passersby.

Only when the lovers had lost their breath did they pull apart, and with the greatest reluctance for that matter.  “You look beautiful,” he complimented with a debonair smile, pressing his hand to her lips in secret gesture of affection.

She blushed, her cheeks turning a rosy pink and contrasting against her fair skin.  Refusing to stroke his cocky ego, she said nothing in return and asked instead where he planned on taking them.

“Oh,” he dismissed pompously, “you’ll see.”

“I take that to mean you want to risk it.”

“Maybe,” he answered with a wink, his eyes twinkling mischievously.  And without further ado, he pulled his sunglasses down and reached into his pocket for his hat.  Wordlessly mirroring his actions, she reached into her purse and grabbed her large-framed designer shades.

Hand reached for hand, and together they walked to his car.