Chapter 1: A PERFECTLY CRAPPY SATURDAY MORNING

Kate looked out at the scenic urban landscape encompassing her balcony and took a sip of her morning coffee. It was a gorgeous Saturday: clear blue sky, the sun shining brightly overhead, birds chirping happily all around, and the outdoor temperature indicating that it was going to be a perfectly balmy day in the city of San Francisco. There was only one thing missing. She couldn't help glancing to her left every few seconds hoping to catch a glimpse of her neighbor enter the balcony and join her from right next door. When she'd first moved into her new place nearly three months ago, they'd spent regular morning coffee sessions out there together on weekends. However, lately she'd noticed that his efforts to join her outside had begun dwindling. Not only were they interacting far less as next door neighbors, but that distance had started to carry over to the office as well. Of course he still helped her willingly when she approached him about a case, but he seemed to purposely confine their conversations to business and nothing more, and once his role in the case had played out, he stepped away without offering any additional assistance. He didn't resort to humor quite so much or try to make her smile like he used to. What bothered her more is that his relationships with Lauren and Leo had remained intact. He still joked and laughed with them, and carried on about topics totally unrelated to work, which only made the difference in her dynamic with him that much more blatant. She couldn't help but be envious of her coworkers.

Still, Kate knew that she had brought this on herself. She knew that she couldn't really blame him for keeping his distance. The first cracks had started to show after she'd pulled out of their two person carpool. Initially he had driven her to work in the morning and they'd come home together at night – one of them having to wait until the other was done in order to leave the office together. While that had started out okay, things had gotten more and more awkward during their car rides to the point where Kate had decided that it was best for her to just take a cab to and from work rather than continue their arrangement. When he'd tried to object, stating how redundant her plan was considering that their destinations were the same, she had simply cited that she liked to sleep in longer, and coming to work at her own time would give her the freedom to do so. Upon hearing this, he had offered to leave a little later to appeal to her morning lethargy, but then she had countered that by saying that it didn't feel right being so dependent on him. That part had mostly been true. It sucked not being able to drive and having to rely on someone else to chauffer you from place to place. It was obvious he didn't mind, but there was more than one circumstance that had resulted in her finally deciding to withdraw from their carpool situation.

As she continued to gaze at the beauty surrounding her and secretly hoping that he'd show up, she felt a surge of regret at the part she'd played in their drifting apart. She had barely begun her ruminations when the loud rumbling of a van downstairs abruptly brought her out of her thoughts. The large white van had the words, "Charlie's Movers" painted in big, blue letters along the side. She watched the driver park in the loading zone and hop out of the vehicle. He spoke very briefly on his cell phone before hanging up and gesturing into the vehicle as another man got out from the passenger's side, rolled up the shutter door at the back of the van, and retrieved a dolly from inside. They both stood in waiting with their eyes trained on the building's back entrance. Within about a minute, someone stepped out from the door leading into the rear stairwell and walked out to meet the men standing by the van. The tall, slender man was clad in a pair of blue flannel pajamas, a grey t-shirt, and his tousled dark brown hair indicated that it hadn't been long since he had woken up. Kate's heart skipped a beat as she took in his appearance.

Ben acknowledged the two men and they conversed for about a minute or two before he gestured that he would lead them upward. The men followed him readily and disappeared into the building. A few moments later Kate could hear them enter the apartment next door and faint traces of their conversation carried through the wall. She didn't like the uneasy feeling starting to well up in the pit of her stomach at what she knew was happening. She continued to lean against the railing, shifting her weight nervously, anxiously awaiting any signs of life that might emerge downstairs. She didn't have to wait long before her suspicions were confirmed. Both men walked out carrying things from Ben's apartment – one of them carrying a lamp, and the other carrying an end table. Ben soon joined them heaving what looked like a rather heavy brown box and they placed all the items into the back of the van. All three men once again disappeared at the base of the building and without thinking twice, Kate turned on her heels, raced into her apartment, thumped her empty coffee mug on the kitchen counter, flung her front door open, and went into the hallway. She hurried toward Ben's apartment to find the front door slightly ajar. She nudged it open and her eyes widened as she stepped in and caught sight of all the large brown boxes strewn over the floor; most of them labeled with the articles inside each of them in Ben's horrible handwriting. She stood motionless, taking it all in…the unpleasant feeling still swirling around inside her.

"Kate?"

She turned around to see Ben standing there just outside the doorway accompanied by the two movers behind him.

"You're moving?" she asked, not really bothering to conceal her surprise or disappointment.

There was a brief, awkward silence as they stared at each other before he stepped inside.

"Uh, yeah," he said, nodding sheepishly.

"Why?" she asked, a little too quickly.

Another awkward silence.

Ben fumbled slightly before answering her.

"Uh…Well, you know, my lease is up this month and I thought it was time for a change of residence," he explained with a shrug. "Plus, Dave hooked me up with a really nice place in the downtown area…same crazy city traffic, but still a faster commute."

He smiled weakly at his poor attempt to lighten the situation.

She couldn't do much more than nod.

"Oh-h, I see. So, when did you come to this decision?" she asked.

"About a month ago. Alexis had called me around two months ago to see if I wanted to renew my lease. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but then the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to find someplace else, you know?" He hesitated briefly before he continued. "So I called Dave up and asked him to find me another place…you know, since he's so good at matching people up with the house of their dreams."

Kate nodded again.

"Mm-hmm," she said, trying to sound casual, but knowing just how true it had been in her case.

They stared at each other in silence, and despite the mixture of sadness and anger she was feeling at what was happening, it didn't stop her from pausing and noticing the obvious. The man was downright handsome as always. While he commanded every suit he owned with an air of sexiness and sophistication at work, she had grown to love his scruffy, yet charming, early morning boy-next-door look. Whatever would she do now that she would no longer be able to see that way?

"Did you need something?" he asked, breaking her trance.

It took her a few moments to snap out of it.

"Uh, no. I just saw you outside and was wondering what was going on…" she offered weakly.

He nodded awkwardly in response, not quite being able to offer anything verbally.

She had never been more thankful when one of the movers standing behind Ben cleared his throat. It was obvious that the awkwardness within the room had now spread into the hallway outside.

"Mister Grogan? Do you want us to keep loading?" he asked.

Ben's eyes were still fixed on Kate, but he turned his head slightly sideways to answer the man.

"Yes. Please do," he said, taking a few steps forward to allow the two men access indoors.

The men walked into the room and picked up a couple of heavy objects – Kate didn't even bother to look at what they were – before they headed back outside.

All she could focus on were those gorgeous, chocolate brown eyes staring back at her; and she knew that if she waited any longer, she just might get lost in them.

'Say something!' she thought. 'Anything.'

She wasn't sure of how much more awkwardness the room couldn't handle before it might explode.

"Well, I'd better let you get back to this," she said, gesturing to the boxes around the room.

"Okay," he responded faintly.

With that, she walked past him and started to make her way to the exit, only to stop at the doorway and glance backward. She was grateful that he hadn't turned around, because if he had, he would've easily been able to read the disappointment on her face. She stepped into her apartment, softly shut the door, and leaned against it.

Ben was moving. He was actually moving…and she couldn't help but wonder how much of it had to do with her.

This day had started out so perfectly, and yet here she was, ten minutes after she had been enjoying a cup of joe outside, feeling like it was one of the crappiest ones yet.

'Was Ben giving up?' She wondered.

Hurt, disappointment, guilt, and anger; all began setting in at once.