One Breath 3

To disclaimer and such see part one.

She let out a big puff of air and leaned in to rest her elbows on her knees, supporting her head with one of her hands. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say or how to react. Thinking of it, it all seemed so clear, so easy, but actually doing it was the difficult thing. And specially being around him made it all the more difficult. She couldn't think straight with his cologne filling her nose and seeming to go direct to her heart, sending it some kind of signal, making it beat twice as it should.

She was drawn to him. His beauty was as great as his personality. He had such a wonderful personality; she knew that because that was exactly what attracted her in the first place. Like he had said before, he could be pushy and a slob, but living with him was exciting, he was always challenging and never boring. She had never met anyone like him, anyone with his vivacity. He was different and she liked it.

The way he made her feel... God, no one had ever made her feel like that, not even any of the boyfriends she had been with - not that they were many. He managed to find a spot inside of her and make her feel like no one. She'd never felt this before. Before she met him. She was closer to him, an older anthropology professor than to any other class mate, than to any other person in the university - or out of it.

She just couldn't make out what exactly it was. She knew she felt something for him because, God, she was crushing over him, she was completely, uncontrollably crushing over him. Sometimes, when she was looking at him all she wanted to do was to take him and kiss him right where they were. To lock his lips with her, feel the soft pressure of wet flesh against wet flesh and hear him telling her he felt it too. That it wasn't just a trick of her brain, that it was there, it was real - whatever the 'it' was.

Sometimes she was so silly that she wanted him only to say she was beautiful. That he thought she was beautiful in her own weird way, but beautiful nonetheless. Maybe one day...

But her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the soft melody of his voice, "What are you doing here alone?"

She looked up, meeting his sparkling soft eyes and sweet smile as it crept upon his face. She shrugged and looked down again. "Just thinking."

"Really?" He said with the mocking tone of someone that didn't know an obvious fact and let a half chuckle out as he set beside her on the edge of the bench so he could face her. "You've been thinking a lot lately."

"I have a lot in my mind." She replied with a small unnecessary whisper. It wasn't all a lie. She had been thinking really and nearly all of thoughts were about Declan. And her. And to be honest with herself she knew she couldn't be with him, she knew all the complications of having any kind of relationship with a professor of the same university she went to, the weirdness it would be, the gossip that would spread like fire through the university, but her heart seemed to not agree with her head...

Figures...

If only she could get they both to the same place...

"What do you say of coming to lunch with me and Peggy? I mean, since you're not busy." He said with a wink. She couldn't help but smile at this. He had such a way to make her feel at easy that it was funny sometimes. "Whoa, what is that, huh? Is that a smile? Is that a smile?" He joked but with clear amusement in his voice as he pointed a male finger at her face.

"Stop it." She spat his finger away faking she was angry, but failing obviously by his amused expression.

He chuckled quietly trying to keep it all in him, not to make her shy. "So, what do you say? You up for a good lunch? I'll buy."

She rolled her eyes and smiled again, but before he could mock her about that again, she quickly put that turn of lips back on its place. "Ok, fine. I'll go."

"Good. C'mon." He got up and stretched a hand to her, which she took and very gracefully let him help her up, then they went to meet Peggy and go have that good lunch.

"I'm not going!"

"Come on, Miranda, please." Declan begged with those pleading puppy eyes of his as he stared at Miranda's pale porcelain face. "It's just for a couple of days, you won't even miss a class."

"Declan..." Miranda sighed, rubbing two fingers over each tample, pleading with her own eyes for him to just leave it alone. Then she brought her hands back to the keyboard and re-started typing. "I can't." She said matter of factly as one hand stopped the typing to wave pointelessly at the computer.

"It'll be just a couple of days."

"I have a paper to finish."

"Miranda, your paper can wait for two days." He stated as if it was obvious but to Miranda doing somehting else when she could be doing her papers was like impossible to happen. Miranda was one of never having fun, of doing her things -now- and -if- she had a free time, then -maybe- she'd cut loose. And it wasn't even as if they would be having fun, they'd be working.

"No, Declan, it can't. The last time I missed my deadline, I don't want anything like that happening again!" Her voice was just an octave louder than her normal calm, bland voice. Declan had read in the newspaper that morning about miracles happening in a church in Los Angeles and of couse he wanted to go there and check that out and, of course, he wanted to drag Miranda and Peggy with him.... hold on.... "Go you and Peggy, ok?"

"She can't go, she has some things to do this weekend."

Miranda stilled her fingers and looked up at him, to where he was stading over the monitor. "Oh, so she has things to do and you leave it at it, but me? Oh, no, Miranda can't be busy, she has to go with you to wherever you go, it doesn't matter she can or cannot."

"Oh, Miranda, don't be so dramatic... It's not like that..." He said rolling his eyes.

"Oh, really?" She said back seriously, staring at him.

He stared back at her, wondering what she meant by that. Did he push her too much? Did he actually drag her with him? Because, the way she put it... "Well.... I... I didn't know it was some kind of..." He was quite for a while then straghtened up and tried to smiled a bit. "Well, I can go by myself. It's not like I really need you..." He muttered the last sentence as if trying to convince himself that he really didn't need her to go with him, that he could investigate this by himself without the help of such a intelligent woman, without the sight of her every day. "Yeah." He breathed out and walked out of the lab.

"Declan..." Miranda called after him but with no effect for he was already gone. Damn it, she had hurt him, she could see it in his eyes as he looked back down at her, she could hear it in his voice. She had hurt him pretty bad by saying she was tired of him, because really, that was what her words had meant. And that was for sure what he understood.

She had hurt him and now she needed to get things right....

She stopped typing and sighed loudly realizing what she'd have to do. Damn it... now she had to leave her paper for a couple of days and go home pack...

TBC...