Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm just playing. You can guess who is who. The song is "Arms Around Your Love" by Chris Cornell

Arms Around Your Love

He stood looking out through the glass windows and doors or his office as she walked past, a brilliant smile on her face. He had rarely seen that smile directed at anyone but himself, but lately it had been appearing more and more. He knew why and cursed himself for being a coward.

With his arms around your love

Oh no, here comes the pain that you can't ignore

With his arms around your girl

He'll do all of the things you didn't do before

You had every chance, but you closed the door

He knew she had wanted more. He had always known. He even wanted more, himself, but there were things in the way. Their jobs for one, and the fact that he was her superior, her boss. If it had been just that, he might have taken the risk, but it wasn't just that. There were other things to consider. Claire. Her name whispered through his thoughts like a ghost. That's exactly what she was, a ghost from the past, a memory that wouldn't let go and one he couldn't shake, didn't want to shake.

Now you're just gonna have to take it

(Cause if you didn't know)

She's gonna make you pay for it

(At a price you can't afford)

You're just gonna have to take it

She knew what she was doing to him too. She had asked if he wanted to move their friendship beyond just friendship and into something more. 'Something More' was a category that he wanted to enter, but just couldn't press himself into altering the current state of affairs. In simple terms, he was a chicken-shit and he knew it. And now it was too late.

With his arms around your love

With his arms around your love

With his arms around your love

Oh, yeah

They would go on with their daily lives like before, working and talking like co-workers do, pretending that nothing had changed, but there would never be that easy camaraderie again. He had turned her down flat and in doing so, had pulled the rug out from under his own feet. She knew what it was doing to him; it was her way of paying him back. Peyton. Oh yes, he had taken his one chance then, and not with her. Now he was left to watch her with him and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

Pretend that you don't mind

But you know everything that you left behind

And it would have been alright

If you'd gave half of the praise that you held inside

You thought she'd hang around for the ride

Now you're just gonna have to take it

(Cause if you didn't know)

She's gonna make you pay for it

(At a price you can't afford)

You're just gonna have to take it

With his arms around your love

With his arms around your love

With his arms around your love

He had wanted to tell her how he felt but when the opportunity arose, he backed down. He knew that it he had taken a moment to tell her that he loved her instead of retreating behind his mask of non-emotion, she would be smiling like that at him, she would be with him. They would be perfect together. He cursed himself again for his failure to act.

Coming clean feels so dangerous

Just a little bit would have been enough

But you never said all the words caught in your head

As if your heart was dead

Well now its surely bled and broken up

And it would have been alright

If you'd gave half of the praise that you held inside

You thought she'd hang around for the ride

She's happy now and he will live with that for the time being. He'll just have to learn to survive without her like he did with Claire, like with Peyton. It wont be easy, but he'll survive. He always survives.

Now you're just gonna have to take it

(Cause if you didn't know)

She's gonna make you pay for it

(At a price you can't afford)

You're just gonna have to take it

With his arms around your love