Chapter 2

His eyes slowly opened and he took in the morning sun streaming in through the bedroom windows. He stretched his legs, bending his toes towards the foot of the bed, flexing stiff muscles. He clenched his fists and then let go, extending his fingers wide. The motion was repeated three or four times.

Something felt wrong.

They had been in Dharmaville for seven months now and he had proven helpful enough with security, Richard, and his familiarity with the island that he was rewarded with his own house. He hadn't minded bunking with Miles and Jin, but it was nice to get a break from the chuckle twins at night. It was also a lot easier to make dates with Juliet now that he had a home since she was still rooming with other Dharma women.

Juliet. The thought of her name made him smile brightly towards the ceiling. They had been dating for four months. She made living on the island a lot easier. Enjoyable even. For the first time ever, he knew someone had his back—and his back only.

And then he knew what was wrong.

It was the first morning in over seven months that Kate Austen wasn't the first image in front of his eyes. He had become so accustomed to waking up from dreams of her, of missing her so badly that his chest hurt, of wondering where she was.

But not this morning. This morning, his first thought had been of a beautiful blonde with bright blue eyes.

His smile softened and his stomach fluttered. He knew deep down that Kate was with Jack somewhere in the present. He knew they were happy. They were where they should be. And so was he. He was going to keep looking for them in case they came back in order to protect them, but he was living in today. His today was 1974 but that was okay. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he wasn't angry or ready to run. His deepest desires of that day, of that moment, were that he wanted to do his job well and at the end of the day be holding his girl's hand.

He knew he was ready to move on. They hadn't slept together yet. Neither had pushed it and he didn't want to make love to her when he still wanted Kate. He didn't think it would have been fair to her. But damn if he didn't want to. The way she moved, her slow smile and sharp stare, the way her shirt brushed over the curves of her waist—he definitely thought about it.

And as much as it made him sound like a chick, he was ready to share that experience with her. He knew that he was. He could feel it. And the realization made him happy. Grabbing his jumpsuit, he took a quick shower, got dressed, and grabbed a bite of breakfast before rushing out of the house towards the security department.

He eagerly walked past the female barracks knowing that Juliet would be waiting for him to walk her to the mechanic's station. "Well, good morning, blondie!" he said with a chipper Southern draw.

She smiled at him, a puzzled surprise on her face. She noticed the extra spring in his step. It was as though he glowed. Warmth slid through her body as she watched him. She loved just staring at him. And seeing him this happy made her addiction to him even worse. "Good morning, James!"

His eyes drifted from her head down to her toes. "You look..."

She smiled insecurely and looked towards the ground. "I look awful. These jump suits aren't exactly made by Ralph Lauren."

He slightly squinted, focusing only on her own eyes and his lips pursed into the soft smile reserved only for her. "Beautiful."

She let out a soft, derisive laugh. "This is how I always look."

He nodded. "I know."

She blinked slowly as she often did and gave him a sarcastic look. "You are dangerous."

He stepped back as if affronted. "I'll have you know I'm an attractive man."

She moved closer to him and said in an almost raspy whisper, "That's what makes you dangerous."

His breath caught in his chest and while she was this close, he could smell her feminine, flowery scent. Unable to resist, he blurted in a rough voice, "Do you want to come over tonight?"

"I thought I already was. I have been promised a cooked meal," she said, her brows furrowed.

Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight nervously and said, "Do you want to stay after dinner?"

Her eyes got wide and she dropped her jaw. "James LaFleur, are you asking for sex?"

He looked at her as if she'd lost her mind and said, "Say it a little louder, blondie. I don't think the Others on the other side of the island heard ya."

She smirked, clearly enjoying that such a confident man was so flustered. "I can repeat it in Latin for them if you like."

He cocked his head. "I think I've lost the mood. But thanks for the chat." He started to walk away, waiting to see if she would follow him and she did.

"You are a tease," she said, taking his hand as they walked towards her work station.

Squeezing her hand, he looked down and said again naturally instead of preplanned, "You still love me."

She stopped, her body swaying slightly as his momentum carried her towards him. He turned around and looked down at her with concern. "I what?" she asked.

He closed his eyes apologetically. "I was joking."

"No, you weren't," she said quietly.

He let out a heavy breath. He couldn't lie to her. "No, I wasn't."

Her voice was quiet like still water as she said, "And yes, I do."

"Do what?"

She took his hand again and smiled. "I love you."

He glowed again and matched her smile with a bright one of his own. "I love you back."

They began walking again hand in hand. As they neared her work station, she said glibly, "But if you think you're getting sex tonight—"

"I know," he said with a sigh. "I'll just make us dinner."

"—You're absolutely right," she said at the same time. When he looked puzzled again, she said, "I'll pack an overnight bag and meet you at the house tonight after work."

"I don't know what to say," he said with a silly grin.

She beamed. "Just kiss me."

Standing in front of the mechanic's station, he said flirtatiously, "You got it, blondie."

They both spent the rest of the day thinking about what would happen that night.

TBC