Here's a one-shot for you all. First of all, I'd like to dedicate this one-shot to Ra4chel-the-4-is-silent because if it was not for her fic "The Sonny Diaries" I never would've gotten the inspiration for this story.

So I really hope you all like it and please let me know what you think! :]

Willing to Wait

Grady Mitchell, age 20, had yet to kiss a girl. He was well aware of how odd it was, but, as he told the numerous reporters who asked him why, he was waiting for the right girl. What he didn't tell them was that he knew exactly who she was. The only people who knew were three of his four best friends.

Tawni, having also known that Sonny and Chad liked each other way before they even did, was the first to figure it out. Out of the corner of her eye she'd catch him smiling at her. She saw how protective he was of her and how he always listened to what she had to say, even if no one else did. Tawni recalled one time when she had fallen ill Grady had gone out of his way to see her each day she wasn't there; he had even gotten her a 'get-well' bear to cheer her up. Yes, Tawni knew that Grady really cared for her.

She never confronted Grady about it though, because she just knew. And knowing this, she had to tell someone, namely, her boyfriend. When she told Nico, he nearly passed out in disbelief. For a week he kept telling Tawni that she was wrong - that Grady only liked her in a brotherly way. Tawni told him to prove that he was right. After observing his best friend's behavior for a week, he confronted Grady about it. Nico proved something alright. He was shocked when Grady told him that Tawni was indeed correct.

"But dude, you know that she's-"

"I know," Grady said. "That's why I'm waiting."

Nico didn't ask anymore questions. He was happy for his best friend, even if he did have to wait for her.

It wasn't until some time later that Sonny was finally clued in on what Tawni and Nico both knew. Unlike Nico, she wasn't shocked, but unlike Tawni, she hadn't even noticed the signs. As she thought about what her friends told her, she connected the dots, mentally slapping herself for not noticing before. She was indeed happy finding this out. Since Tawni and Nico had begun going out a year earlier, she worried that Grady would feel left out when they went out on double-dates with Chad and herself.

However, Sonny was slightly worried about this one-sided relationship. Not that she thought of Grady as your average guy, he was actually quite the gentleman, nonetheless he was still, a guy. To be sure of herself, she confronted him as they stood to the side during a taping of that week's episode.

"Grady, I just have to know, it's not just physical attraction, is it?"

Grady wasn't shocked that Sonny had asked him. In fact, he was more shocked that neither Tawni or Nico had bothered to ask. Smiling, he shook his head. "No, not in that way. It's her personality that I love; her creativeness, intelligence, positive attitude, everything." He looked out on the stage, at the 17 year old young woman Zora Lancaster had grown into. She had indeed matured, that was no question to anyone who really knew her, but she was still as fun-loving and inventive as she had always been. Grady gave her a small wave as she looked back toward him, smiling.

Though she was still as eccentric as she was five years ago, Zora was also wise beyond her years. She was no Sonny either. She noticed the attention Grady gave to her under any circumstances or that whenever she smiled, Grady smiled. And when she was upset or sick, Grady was the first to comfort her. Yes, Zora was well aware of the way Grady felt toward her, and she found that she too, was fond of him, despite that in the past she had thought of him as a goofy older brother. Like her, he had matured, though at times his childishness flourished. She was still young though, and knew that know matter how fast she matured mentally, she was still held back by her emotional maturity that would only come along with age.

As blue eyes locked with brown ones, Grady knew. He realized that she possessed the same feelings he had toward her. However, compared to his three and a half years of emotional maturity he held over her, her feelings held the qualities similar to a crush. He gave her a smile that she returned. He had waited all this time, and was willing to do so until she was ready. Whether it took six months or three years, he was willing to wait for her.

End

There it is! Again, I hope it wasn't bad, and please review! :]