I hadn't been lying there long when someone touched my shoulder… again. I wonder how long it's going to take until people realize that I just want to be left alone.

"What?" I say harshly hoping they'll get the message before turning around and staring at the one person I didn't expect to see.

"Jeff? What are you doing?" I asked trying to stop crying. Last thing I wanted him to believe was that this was about him. Even though part of it was, I didn't want him to think that.

"I never asked."

"Asked about what?"

"I knew that you had a hard family life. Hell, you told me it was complicated. But, I never asked" He said. "I'm such an asshole."

I didn't really know what to say or what this meant.

"Yeah, well. You were using me. So, I guess you really didn't care." I said.

"But I do care." And all of a sudden he put his hands on my shoulder and pulled me a little closer to him, but not into a hug because he knew I still needed to see his lips. "You told me you loved me, and then you left. And that hurt, and for a while I didn't know why. Until you were sitting there yelling at the guy who had hit me and I realized-"

A moment passed and he didn't say anything.

"Realized what" He looked away as if he was going to say something but then looked back at me.

"I felt hurt when you left, and when you were standing there – yelling at someone else – I was wishing you had of done it to me. If you had I don't think I would have let you walk out without me because I love you too." He said putting his hand on my cheek and pulling me forward.

He loves me, he really loves me. My heart was soaring as our lips touched, but something still felt wrong. However that was another issue for another day, I had been through enough drama today.

Jeff's other hand began reaching around my back the hand located on my cheek moved back, entangling itself in my hair as he squeezed me against him. Our tongues battled for power and our lips only separated when we both needed air and when we separated I must have had the most childish grin on my face. But, he just looked at me stoking my cheek like I was the most precious thing in the world.

We sat there gazing at the stars for a while. I asked him if he was needed in the kitchen and he said that everyone was just cleaning up and his workers were at least competent enough to do that. But then he turned to me and said something completely unexpected;

"I want to learn sign language."

"Oh you don't have to do that." I responded.

"No." He said, "I should, I care about you and this is a big part of your life. I should know how to do it, or at the very least attempt to do it."

Okay, I signed, once again beaming.

"So, who's fist was I on the receiving end of today?" he asked so nonchalant it was like it had happened to someone else.

I mentally cringed as I realized that I was going to have to become the girl who was switched again; that it was unavoidable. But as I began sharing with Jeff who Angelo was, that weird feeling that I had slowly disappeared and I realized the reason I had it was because Jeff had been just like Angelo. He had said he cared but never went out of his way to love me. Until Now!

Now Jeff was offering to be a part of my life, after explicitly saying he didn't want to be in it. He was offering to try to make effort to help me out whereas before he only ever challenged me. I liked it, but I didn't want that to affect how he treated me.

After I finished the story of how Angelo had been my father; leaving and then coming back after he heard about Bay, Jeff drew me in to a long and deep hug. He didn't say anything; he must not have known what to say. Hell, most people didn't now-a-days.

Eventually, he had to excuse himself though, close up the restaurant

"What's the sign for I'll text you?" he said after he had finished kissing me goodbye.

After showing him, he clumsily tried to imitate me, getting most of it wrong. But it was cute all the same.

I walked slowly to my car, realizing I didn't really have anywhere to go. However, as I sat in the car debating as to where I should drive and who would let me spend the night I got a text:

So when's my first signing lesson?

J.