Clementine followed Joel back down to his apartment. She plopped down on his couch and rubbed her face. "This is crazy… right? Like… how does this happen?" She asked half out of curiosity, half looking for answers.

"It is…" Joel began, muffled, "…Crazy, I mean."

Clem looked up at him and smiled. "You know, I'm still kind of tired." Joel smiled back and walked over to the couch motioning for her to stand. They pulled apart the loveseat to make a full bed. Dropping the mattress down, Joel walked away to get a blanket from the closet. He unfolded the blanket and threw it over the already sheeted mattress like a parachute and watched it fall gently down. Clem laid herself down and as Joel began to cross the room to sit in the chair, he heard her clear her throat. He turned to see her patting the empty space beside her. Suddenly blushing, Joel ran his hand on the back of his neck, smiling. He crossed back over and lay next to her. Immediately Clem filled the gap and cuddled up to Joel, nuzzling her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. Both feeling so at home, they fell asleep.

Early evening came quickly, it seemed. Joel stretched back and snapped awake when he realized the space next to him was empty. "Clementine?" he called out. Almost as if to respond, the toilet flushed. Without realizing he was tense, his muscles began to relax. The bathroom door opened and he heard the soft shuffle of Clem's feet coming back to him. "You're out of toilet paper," she said as she returned, rubbing her sleepiness from her freshly washed face.

"Are you hungry?" Joel asked, "I know this great Chinese place around the corner. We could go out…" he hesitated, reading her expression, "…or order in?" Her face lit up.

"In is good," she responded as she plopped back down hugging Joel's arm, placing her head on his shoulder. He let out a pleasant sigh at her touch. Even though they were fairly strangers, everything felt so familiar between them. Right.

"I have an idea," Clem blurted as she let go of Joel and bounced cross-legged to face him, "Since we both have tapes saying how much we hate each other, maybe we should listen to them together. Get everything out in the open now?"

Joel must have looked a little nervous to her because she quickly retracted her statement. "Or we can burn them and start over?" she asked cautiously. He seemed to like that idea better. "How about," she continued, "we talk about what bugs us when it happens? No anger. Just address it and move on! So we don't end up back here again. Because I really like you, Joel."

"I like you, too," he said shyly. "I just don't think I could talk about things right away. I much rather just think on it because sometimes it's not worth talking about."
"But that's how things fester! And grow! And before you know it you're back deleting 'Clem Files' from your mind wishing I never existed!"

"No. I don't think so. No. No. You're right. Okay. I'll make an effort to talk things out if you make an effort to do something that you're not comfortable with either."

"Like?" she asked skeptically.

"Like maybe not get mad so easily if I do bring something up? It would make it easier for me to say something if the time comes."

"When have I ever…" she stopped herself. Now, she thought. Now is when she ever… "Okay," she continued. "I mean I can't promise as much as you can, but I promise that I'm willing to work on it!"

They both stared at each other, Clem cracking a smile first. And before she knew it, she leaned in and kissed Joel. This wasn't perfect whatever this was, but it was something; something worth fighting for. Maybe now was the right time for them. Maybe now they had a shot.