The girl furrowed her brows a little bit at the boy, and let a gentle smile fall back onto her face. "You've had somebody too," she told him gently. "And Sage, I'm no princess," she hummed softly with the tiniest of chuckles before shaking her head a little. "My someone is gone... and he's not coming back," she whispered before sighing and shaking her head again before running her fingers along the back of his neck, then letting them rest again. "But you're here... and you really are amazing, and I promise you haven't messed anything up," she added quietly, giving him a reassuring look. At his next comment, she nodded and leaned forwards to lightly press her forehead to his. "Of course I want you," she whispered to the boy, another slight smile across her face. "You're all I want."

Sage couldn't help but let out a reliefed sigh when the girl assured him he hadn't messed anything up, that he was something she wanted. He let out a kind of harsh laugh, almost in disbelief, though he leaned into the girl's touch happily. He felt almost giddy with relief...closing his eyes and almost trembling now that he knew it was all alright. "That why I love you," he murmured after a moment. There weren't really any words to describe it...but she was willing to take him, a mess, and not only love him but help his as well. And there weren't many people who would do either of those things. But...now he really did want that kiss. Well, he'd wanted it before a lot too....he was just afraid he was diving into a pond that looked deep but was about to break him. She'd reassured him that wouldn't happen, though...and he could only trust her.

Mari couldn't help her grin when he said that he loved her... she could see it, but hearing it come from him was a whole other game... and admittedly one she liked. "You love me," she repeated with a giddy-sounding chuckle. She noted his slight trembling... and she wasn't sure why it was happening, but she could sit and make sure he was alright. She really did hope he believed everything she was saying... because it was all true, and she really did love him... and he was truly one of the most amazing people she'd met in her lifetime. She closed her eyes for a moment or two, her smile still huge on her face... her heart was skipping now too. She really wanted to kiss him... but she didn't just want to dive at him. She wanted him to go at his speed. If he wanted to kiss her, then, well, he could do it. When she opened her eyes again, she couldn't help but notice the sun had almost set now... and it was very gorgeous. She looked back to Sage, only to find that his eyes matched the gold in the sky almost perfectly, and it was safe to say that she was completely smitten with the sight now.

Sage chuckled slightly at the girl's giddy little giggle, and couldn't help but blush lightly when she pulled back slightly. They were still so close...close enough he could feel the girl's breath swirl around his chest and neck. And...the water reflection from the pond, and different colors of the setting sun swirled around her face and hair, and it really just looked like it was enhancing the girls natural beauty. He could tell she loved him....and they were still staring at eachother....so he could kiss her right? She'd want that? Well, he supposed there was only one way to find out....if he had the guts. His eyes sort of dropped to her lips and he bit his lower lip, stomach rolling before tilting his chin upwards enough to just barely brush his lips against the girls....if she wanted this she'd respond. He definitely wouldn't mind a deep kiss...he just didn't want to take more than what she wanted to give him. He knew what that was like, and he didn't want to be the cause of any bad feelings for the girl.

Mari watched as the boys gaze flickered to her lips... and her heart seemed to start pounding at her chest, almost feeling like it made her whole body shake with every beat. But she knew she didn't need to be nervous... this was Sage, and he loved her, and he wouldn't do anything she wasn't comfortable with. She trusted him. She let out a slightly shaky breath, though her eyes fell to his lips and she carefully leaned forward to make contact... and even though it was a light kiss, and a fleeting one, she couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks... they'd barely made contact, but it was so... electric. She wanted more... she could ask for that, right? He'd let her have it, just a little bit more of... him? When she pulled away, she looked him in the eyes for a moment, as though asking for just a bit more... their lips were so close, almost touching, and she was really just resisting the urge to lean forwards until he did.

Sages breathing hitched when their lips brushed against each other, and his heart seemed to speed up to go a million times faster than what it had been going before. He caught the girls look, and he didn't doubt this time that she wanted more. And he didn't mind...he trusted the girl, and he really did love her. He'd give whatever she wanted to take, and he'd enjoy doing it, too. He couldn't help but pressing himself up against the girl again, this time a bit firmer, like she was asking for. It was still a bit light...but she could take what she wanted. He left himself open, so she could do as she pleased. He just didn't want to do more than what she was comfortable with. He felt a chill run down his spine at the touch, though...he definitely wanted the girl.

Mari couldn't help but smile into his second kiss... it was almost like he meant it a little bit more this time, which was definitely nice. She didn't think she'd given anything back to anyone... she'd never really wanted to. She never wanted to kiss anyone back, but she wanted to kiss Sage. She wanted to give him everything he wanted... but she was still a bit scared of this. She didn't think he'd hurt her in any way at all... but it was still a thought in the back of her head. What if something happened to him? If he got hurt or killed or... she tried not to think about it. She just wanted to enjoy the time they did have together. She pulled away after a moment her breath heavy before she shifted her hands into his hair and went in for a slightly deeper kiss... she wasn't sure how far she wanted to go with this, but for now, this was good... this was safe. It just felt nice having someone she could love, even if it was only for a little bit.

Sage felt a delighted grin form on his face when the girl went in for a third kiss, this on deeper than the first two. He reached for the girl, and sort of just wrapped his arms around her, giving back exactly what she'd given him. He was almost trembling by then, his heart going a million miles an hour. He'd forgotten what it was like to be loved by someone like this...to have her hands in his hair and everything wonderful that came with it. Of course, this meant he was going to cling to her even more desperately....but he didn't think she would mind that. At least, she hadn't before. And...well, it was nice to feel safe. He felt safe under the girl, which was a nice realization. He hadn't been on his back like this, vulnerable points well exposed, in years. It sent another chill down his spine, but it definitely wasn't an unwelcome one. He'd go as far as the girl wanted to....he'd take anything, any little bit of love the girl would give him.

Mari felt a bit of a chill run down her back when the boy wrapped his arms around her... she felt so safe... so loved. She'd been loved by someone else before, yes, but this was different... more electric, maybe. She'd only ever felt safe before, but now her heart was running, and her whole body was shaking... passion, maybe. She was enjoying this, she was... every second of it. So why did she feel a lump in her throat? Like she was going to cry? She didn't know... and as amazing as this was going, that feeling was almost overwhelming. She eventually pressed her kisses a little deeper before sliding off him again, not sure if she wanted to give much more if feeling this way. Her breath was heavy, though, and there was a faint smile on her face as she laid there.

Sage found himself gasping for breath when the girl finally slid off of him. He had a rather heavy blush painting his face, but a delighted smile as well. He sort of just leaned over to rest his head lightly against the girls shoulder and closed his eyes, lips still tingling slightly. He found the girls hand and laced his fingers with hers absentmindedly, rather glad at how this had all gone. He was obviously doing something right, if that was the reaction he was getting from the girl. He couldn't help but wonder what Anya would think if this though....she didn't love him, he knew that, but would she support him in this? Or would she feel like she'd been tossed to the side? He didn't want to hurt her again...he'd hurt her when he left, even if it wasn't really something he could control. But he didn't want to worry about that now...the sun had almost completely set, and they'd have to go back soon, and he wanted to enjoy this as long as he possibly could.