Title: For a Second
Author: tpk757
Summary: Two people think about each other. I guess I should warn you unconventional coupling here.
Rating: PG.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Disney's. (not Joss's either) *looks in surprise at what she has just written*
There are things that don't belong to Joss?
Author's Note: Umm this is my first In a Heartbeat fic so be nice.


I can't take this anymore. Nearly every day all day. So close to her and still not close enough. Being a friend, helping her, talking to her
I try anyway. Sometimes though I get distracted, by the way her eyes look, the long lashes, the way her eyelid folds when she smiles.
All of it is perfect to me. But I can't tell her how I feel, if I told her she would never look at me the same again.
Our friendship would become awkward and I can't ever let that happen, it's too important to me.
Another thing I can never do is let anyone else find out how I feel, if the people at school found out. . .I can't let that happen.
It wouldn't mean anything to me, just one more name for them to call me, behind my back, to my face.
But it would damage her reputation and I can't do that to her. As much as I don't care about reputations, she does and it hurts
hers enough just being my friend, more would wreck it. Oh god! There she is, I can't do this right now.
So I'll run, just turn around and go the other way, maybe hide in the bleachers for awhile. That is sooo brave. Just great, Catie.


A frown starts on my face as I watch Catie turn away from me. I hate it when she's mad at me.
This time I don't know what I did though. While I open my locker and get out my things in preparation for going home
I think about her. We've been friends forever, sometimes I almost think that I want more but I quickly squelch that idea,
we're friends nothing more. But then I find myself watching her. Her eyes are beautiful.
And her lips, sometimes when I'm listing to her talk all I can do is watch her lips and wonder what it would feel like to kiss them.
I slam my locker door pulling myself out of this train of thought. There's Tyler to think of, he's so nice and he's handsome
and perfect, why wouldn't I think of him? But I should probably go and try to find Catie. To find out why she's mad at me.
You keep telling yourself that, Val.


Oh, god. Why did she come after me? I don't want to deal with this right now. I let a wave of hair fall between her and me.
Hiding my face, always hiding.


There she is sitting all alone on the bleachers. Her hair hanging over her face so that I can't even see her expression.
I want so badly to push it out of her eyes tucking it neatly behind her ear. I tell myself that it's because I'm a neat freak,
but I know that's not true. It's because I want to feel her hair under my fingers.


She's coming this way. Of course she is, it would just be to easy for her to go and leave me alone, the fates wouldn't allow it.
Arggh! She's sitting right next to me! Jeez, Catie you have got to get it together she's gonna know something is up, it's not like
you don't deal with this all the time. I silently draw a deep breath and turn to her. I mean to say something but I can't,
I just stare at her.


Our eyes have met, I think I should look away but I can't, I want to look at her. I want to see her better.
My hand reaches towards her hair of it's own accord. I brush it tenderly away from her face. It's just as soft and silky as
I thought. I tuck it behind her ear and withdraw my hand with some hesitation. My gaze never wavers from her eyes.


Our eyes have met and she's brushing my hair out of my face. This can't be happening, stuff like this doesn't happen.
I hold my breath waiting to see if this will last. Her fingers lightly tuck the hair behind my ear and then starts to pull away.
I don't want her hand leave. My own hand reaches up and pushes hers gently against my face.


She's pulled my hand back. Now my hand is lightly sandwiched between her face and her hand and I like it. I -
I can't be doing this, liking this. Our eye contact is finally broken as I pull myself away from her eyes (God, they are beautiful)
to look at where our hand are touching. I can't do this. I shouldn't do this. I pull my hand away and quickly gather my stuff.
I walk quickly in the other direction trying to force my thoughts to Tyler and only Tyler.


I watch her retreating back. I shouldn't have done that. Everything will be a mess now. It's just I couldn't help it, for a second
I could swear that her eyes said that she felt the same way about me. For a second anyway.