(Claire just turned 16 a few days ago. She chose to have her party on a weekend.)

~Quil POV~

I stared with love and passion at the girl of my dreams as she slept. She fell asleep at 3 a.m. last night, at my urging. I didn't want her to spoil her sleeping patterns completely, and the only reason she wasn't grounded was because it was her birthday.

And because of me.

If she was grounded, she wouldn't even be able to see me. I didn't know how she felt, but it would kill me, spears digging into my heart, if I went one day without simply seeing her, making sure she was happy, keeping her happy.

I loved her. She was the one. And yet she still didn't know my secret. All these years.

She murmured unintelligibly in her sleep, and I saw she was shivering. Afraid, I checked her temperature. She seemed fine. It must have been the weather. But as I was pulling my arm back, she grabbed it and pressed it to her side. Instantly, she seemed to calm down.

Claire. The prettiest sound in my ears. The only reason I was fighting sleep. I'd always wanted to tell her the secret and my own secret, but I'd probably sound like some crazed pedophile. Why couldn't things be easier? She was not even an adult yet—well, not quite—and I already had romantic feelings about her. At times like this, I wish I could fast forward time a bit so that we could be married and have children.

Our children. The thought made me smile.

I was rambling, but only in my thoughts, thankfully. If I was telling her all of this, she'd stop seeing me.

Why couldn't I just tell her and get it out? She hadn't had any real boyfriends. The most she had ever done was go to the movies a few times with some guys she didn't truly care about. It was like she was trying to find him, the right guy. I could be the guy. I knew I was the guy. I am the only one for her.

She shifted, putting my arm around her waist. This time, she murmured something that made my heart flutter, that made me feel even dizzier.

"Quil," she softly whispered, and a smile overtook her face. Could she really love me?

She frowned a bit, rubbing her eyes. Oh, god, was it my fault she woke up? What did I do?

She looked at me, her eyes droopy, and she smiled. I felt my heart melt. "Hey, Quil." She blushed. I wasn't sure if it was out of her feelings or if she was simply embarrassed that it was only 3 hours she had slept. "Claire," I murmured, smiling. She giggled a bit after looking closer at my face. She probably couldn't see much in the current low lighting, but I was curious. "What's so funny, Claire-bear?" "Ugh," she moaned, throwing a pillow at me. I caught it in the blink of an eye. "I wonder why you have such reflexes, Quil…." I opened my mouth, ready to speak and tell her that it wasn't time yet to know, "Claire-bear, I—" "Quil! Come on, now, don't call me that!"

I smirked and said, "Yes, your highness." She looked at me again and giggled. "What's so funny?" I asked. She smiled and said, "You look like a zombie. How long have you been up?" I looked away sheepishly. I was awake this whole time. I only managed a short nap for an hour before the party, after I was running for Jake. She sighed and said, impatiently, "I know that you can't tell me about your reflexes and all that, but how long have you been up?"

I looked away, sheepish, telling her that I was awake ever since 6 a.m. yesterday, the day of her party. I only had an extra hour of sleep.

Stunned, she asked, "You were awake even now? While I was asleep?" I nodded. I was so tempted to add, "Just to watch you sleep."

She looked away and blushed more. The rosy color made her eyes twinkle, even in this dark.

She stuttered, "W-well, you must be sl-sleepy." After a few moments, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to at least drag out some sheets and a pillow for you…." I wanted to tell her not to apologize, that I didn't care about sleep nearly as much as I cared about her, but, anticipating me, she put a soft finger to my lips. "Don't say sorry! The least I can do is… is…" She looked down. I gently raised her chin with the hand that was at first around her waist. She blushed, finally realizing that my hand was around her. "Yes Claire?" I asked, gently. I almost said "yes, love." She finally took in a deep breath and said, letting it all out, "The least I can do is offer you a place to sleep." I understood only a millisecond before the words left her full lips. "Climb in next to me."

I looked away, unsure. She grabbed my face with both her hands. "I know you're a gentleman, Quil. And I'd feel sad if you didn't…" This time, she said the last line deliberately. She bit her lip, trying to hide her smirk of victory. Even then, I still couldn't help it. She wanted me to, and I was so tired.

I pulled off my socks and shoes and climbed in next to her. The bed felt comfortable. Regardless, I wouldn't have cared if it wasn't. I was sleepy, and Claire was here with me. She instantly snuggled in next to me. She laid her head right next to my heart. I couldn't help but put my arms around her too. She kicked off the blanket, letting it roll into a clump on the other side, and put a leg around me. I wasn't sure of what to do. It was the best idea, but I wouldn't do anything, and this was what she wanted….

Just before we fell asleep, she murmured words that I'd always longed to hear in the special context. "I love you." I smiled, kissing her forehead. "As I love you," I answered. "Mm," was the last thing I heard from her before we both were out.

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