The moment she walked into the house, she was surrounded by hugs and kisses from her whole family, including the dogs. Arya hadn't even been able to see the inside of the house, something her parents have been telling her about for months since they had decided to remodel it. Letting go of her bag and allowing it to fall to the floor, she hugged her family back and kissed them all on the cheek. Untangling herself from the mess of people, she ran a hand through her hair and looked around at the people in front of her in the foyer.

Her father and mother, Ned and Catelyn, were standing together, with their arms around each other and smiling brightly at their youngest daughter. Robb stood tall and handsome, grinning broadly next to Jon, who Arya felt a surge of affection for as she realized how much she had missed him. Sansa was smiling gently, looking as beautiful as ever with her gorgeous red hair tied up in a perfect bun, not a hair out of place. And Bran and Rickon were sharing wide smiles for their older sister. Arya's beloved dog, Nymeria, was nestled into Arya's side, rubbing her nose lightly up her leg. Arya had forgotten how big she was, and seeing her for the first time in almost a year was refreshing. She had missed being home very much.

"Welcome home, Arya," Cat said as she walked her daughter through the house with one arm around her shoulders. "Are you hungry? Did you eat on the plane? Come, plane food is absolutely horrible anyway, we'll fix you something immediately. Robb, get your sister's suitcases from the car now. Jon, go help him." Cat perched herself on one of the stools by their kitchen island and Arya followed suit. She saw out of the corner of her eye a horde of people coming out of the kitchen doors to begin cooking.

"We're preparing a dinner for tonight," Ned explained when he caught Arya's questioning gaze at the cooks. "A welcome home party, if you will. Not a very big one," he said quickly as he saw Arya begin to protest. "It's just a few close friends. Robb's wife, Jeyne. Jon's girlfriend, Ygritte. Yours and Sansa's friend Margaery. Oh, and you remember Gendry, don't you?"

Arya could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat before dropping to the bottom of her stomach. It had been almost two years since she had seen Gendry Waters, the best friend of Robb and Jon. She had been good friends with him, as well, before she went off to college and he got a job somewhere in Europe two years ago. Apparently he had returned. Maybe for a visit, maybe for good. Arya didn't know, but she knew that there was going to be at least one thing that wouldn't be letting her down at dinner tonight.

. . .

"You dress differently now."

Arya jumped and turned around, putting a hand to her chest and feeling her heart racing in her chest. She took her feet out of the pool and dried them on a towel, keeping her eyes off of Gendry. She deliberately took her time, letting him wait before she answered him, hoping her voice took on a careless tone. She wanted to seem cool and collected. "How do you see that?" she asked.

Gendry went to sit beside her on the ground next to the pool and crossed his ankles in front of him. "When we were growing up, you wore nothing but huge t-shirts and shorts you'd stolen from Jon's closet. And when I left two years ago, you looked pretty much the same. You look different."

Arya looked down at herself and the clothes she was currently wearing. A sheer loose dark blue crop top over a black tank top with a pair of black denim shorts. She'd taken off her white sandals before she'd dipped her feet in the pool, but they were thrown aside next to her. Shrugging casually, Arya leaned back on her hands and looked up at the dark sky. "You weren't expecting me to dress like that forever, were you?"

He shrugged, too, and moved closer to her. Arya pretended not to notice, but if he had moved just a little bit closer, he would have heard her breath hitch quietly in her throat. "I don't know. It's really the only way I've ever seen you. Unless you count those few times your mother and Sansa convinced you to wear a dress for some party or another." Gendry looked over at her and Arya turned her head to face him. His bright blue eyes seemed to be burning, but it could have been the blackness of the night sky contrasting with the vibrant color. "This suits you. I like it."

She smiled to herself and got up, brushing off her bare legs, looking down to see him watching her movements. "We should go back inside. Robb and Jon will think you've kidnapped me."

"Why'd you come out here? It's your welcome home party."

"I didn't want a party. Besides, it's only a few people. I just missed home. I wanted a little time to myself to remember what it was like back here." Arya watched as Gendry stood up and together they made their way to the door leading back inside to the living room where Arya's siblings and friends were still spending time together. Her parents had long gone upstairs, and the little gathering planned had lasted longer than they had thought it would.

"It's already almost midnight. I think everyone might start leaving soon anyway," Gendry said, pausing by the door with one hand on the handle.

Arya leaned against the glass, crossing her arms over her chest and one ankle over the other. "Are you going to be leaving?" she asked him nervously.

"Maybe." He copied her body language, and Arya had a feeling he was pulling it off much better than she was. "I'll be back soon, though."

Deep in the back of her mind, Arya allowed herself to wonder why he was telling her this. He was Robb and Jon's friend, after all. they had gotten along, yes, but Arya had always been so timid around him, too shy of her own feelings that seemed to steadily build each time he came near her. It was only when she got older that she became more comfortable around him, and that was only due to the fact that she had accepted he was five years older than her and by the time a relationship with him would be considered appropriate, she would have been over her silly childlike crush on her brothers' best friend. It seemed, however, that no matter how much time passed between them, and no matter how many miles were put between them, Arya still remained utterly fascinated by him and she doubted it would ever change.

"It's good to see you home again, Arya," Gendry said, breaking Arya out of the shell of her thoughts.

She looked up distractedly and smiled, relieved that she wasn't blushing. Together, they walked back into the house where Ygritte and Jon had disappeared, off to the apartment they shared according to Sansa. Jeyne and Robb were still there, though, along with Margaery, but Arya could tell they were getting tired, so she told them to go off and get some sleep. After another hug from Robb and Jeyne, and one last kiss on the cheek from Margaery, Gendry was the last guest in the house. Sansa disappeared up the stairs and into her room, and suddenly Arya was alone with him once again.

Gendry stepped forward and gave her a tight hug, nearly lifting her off the floor from the height difference. Arya hugged him back just as fiercely, just the tips of her toes brushing the floor. "I've missed you," he said quietly into her hair, and Arya laughed once as she was placed back on her feet, smiling widely at him.

"I've missed you, too. It's good to be home." Arya turned around to head for the stairs and finally go to bed, but Gendry spoke one last time.

"Arya," he called out, and she turned her head. "Would you like to meet up for coffee tomorrow?"

The words coming out of his mouth caused flowers to bloom in her chest and take hold of her, making her unable to breathe and feel light as air at the same time. She smiled once more at him and nodded silently, scared to open her mouth and speak. Gendry grinned back at her in response and then he was out the door and Arya was in her room though she had no memory of how she got there. She looked over at her clock on her nightstand as she buried herself under her blankets and closed her eyes to sleep.

It was just past midnight.