Hello lovely people! :) So luckily I'm almost over this cold of mine so I'm going to be able to update much quicker for you guys. A huge huge huge thank you to all you reviewers and readers out there. You guys are so awesome! So here is chapter three. I hope you guys enjoy! :)

I have come to the conclusion that I seriously have the best friends a girl could ever ask for.

"You guys…" I trail off.

Alli rolls her eyes jokingly as she smiles. "We get it Clare. We're the two best people in the whole world and you love us. Tell us something we don't know."

Jenna's bubbly giggle sounds from next to Alli as she hands me a caramel macchiato – my favorite – along with a framed photo of the three of us when we were working on the school newspaper together. "For your desk. A cute personal touch so you remember us when you get all famous and win one of those newspaper award things."

I laugh. "It's only an internship. I'm not exactly anywhere near writing an article for the newspaper itself, let alone an award. But seriously, you guys are amazing. Thank you." I embrace them both.

Alli is the first to pull away. "Okay okay. Stop stalling Clare. Now go! We expect full details tomorrow. Good luck! You'll do great."

I flash them both a grateful smile before turning away from our lockers and towards the front of the school. I put both of their gifts in my purse. In just about an hour, I'll start my internship at The Toronto Daily. This has been what I've worked hard towards these past few years. An actual position at a newspaper. Just one more step forward in my quest to become a journalist. But what if I don't fit in? Or what if I find that journalism is not something I can succeed at? Then what? I haven't been planning for anything else. Working at a newspaper is all I've ever wanted. I'm beyond excited, don't get me wrong, but I'm getting this feeling that that slice of pizza from lunch is potentially making its way back up –

"Breathe." I look over to where the sound came from. He lays his hand on the small of my back. "Take a breath, Clare." I do as he says, not having realized I was holding it in to begin with. He leads me over to lean against some lockers as he stands in front of me. "Better?"

I nod. "Yes, thank you. I'm just so nervous."

He smirks in reply and I realize he takes it as a reference to his unusually close proximity. Such an Eli thing to do. Smirk in response to just about everything. "Hi Eli, how are you?" Smirk. "Eli, you're an idiot." Smirk. "Eli, your taste in music makes my ears bleed." Smirk. "Eli, I'm thinking of shaving my head." Smirk. Ok maybe that last one was pushing it just a tad. But you get my point.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, Goldsworthy."

"Make me, Edwards."

"I'd rather not be suspended thank you very much." I laugh as he raises one of his eyebrows in question. "You and I both know exactly what you wanted me to do to wipe it off and I'm obviously not going to do that so clearly you're going to keep that smirk on your face and we'll just keep going - "

"Clare?"

"Yes."

"Calm down. You're talking a mile a minute."

I take a breath. "I'm sorry. What I meant was that I'm starting to feel a little uneasy about this internship." I bite my lip and look up at him.

"What do you mean?" he inquires.

"What if I don't like it? What if I end up realizing journalism isn't for me? I have no other passions, no other goals. I'd be stuck, Eli."

He takes a second to weigh the words. "Your fears are justifiable, but we both know you're going to fall in love with journalism even more after this. If it's your only strong passion, then it's what you'll want to do. You've never gave up on anything, Clare. If anything, you put more effort into things you feel invested in. You won't let yourself not like it. Trust me."

How is it that he knows exactly what I need to hear? I close my eyes and exhale. "Thank you," I whisper up at him.

I feel his fingers brush mine before giving them a quick squeeze and letting go. "Come on, wouldn't want you to be late on your first day now would we?"

I laugh up at him. "Don't know how to make an even worse impression considering I forgot my boss' name while I was on the phone with him."

Eli laughs as he opens the door for me out of the school. "What is his name?"

"Asher."

I notice the strange silence that follows. "Eli, is something wrong?"

He snaps out of his daze and looks over at me as if he forgot I was there. "What? No, I just found it strange that he offered you his first name is all."

"How is that strange?"

"I'm not sure. I just felt a little surprised at it."

I sigh a little as I realize that this part of Eli will never change. This overprotective side of him. Don't get me wrong, it makes me feel giddy and protected knowing he will go to great lengths to ensure my safety. But sometimes, he pushes too much.

"Eli Goldsworthy, I'll be fine. Don't try to find something wrong when there is nothing wrong."

He nods quickly. "I know and I'm sorry." He reaches for my hand as we're walking. "Can't help it. Wasn't it you who once said that worrying about someone comes from caring about them?"

"Maybe?" I mumble knowing he got me there.

He just lets out a laugh. "I really like you ergo I care about you. This gives me full leave to worry about you as well."

Let me just take a moment to mention that the fact that he used like as opposed to love did not go unnoticed. Guess our time apart from each other really did change things for him. I've always had this feeling of adoration for him and no matter how hard I tried, it never went away. But I'm not going to expect too much from him. We are just starting to rebuild our relationship again. So I opt for changing the subject as I realize we are walking past a very familiar bench. "Hey Eli?" He looks over at me. "Up for some public embarrassment?" I nod towards the bench.

He laughs out loud. "I don't think I'll ever be able to forget your scream. You just about gave everyone there a heart attack."

"Oh you liked it and you know it," I smile as I retort.

"That I did, Edwards. That I did."

Suddenly, I get an idea. "You never did have your turn…" I trail off as Eli walks away from me.

"Yeah, not my style." He repeats his words from that day as I walk towards his retreating face backing him straight into the same tree trunk.

Realizing the position he is in, he immediately grabs my hands. "Care to do what you were too scared to do last time?" He smirks at me.

I gape at him in astonishment. "I was not scared."

"Oh really? Prove it, Edwards."

I raise myself up on my toes and mold my lips to his. As cliché and cheesy as it may sound, I feel a tingle run through my body form where our lips our connecting, moving together, to where our fingers are intertwined, and all the way down to my toes.

I'm the first to pull away as I sneak a glance at my watch. "Eli, I really am going to be late."

He sighs. "You're right. But just one more kiss?"

"No, Eli." He pouts. "That's what you get for calling me a coward."

"You play unfair."

I just laugh as I grab his hand and drag him along to the offices of The Toronto Daily located down the street. When we finally get there, I take a deep breath and look over at Eli. "Wish me luck?"

He pulls me closer to him and rests his forehead on mine. "I know you won't need it, but good luck beautiful."

I smile at him before turning and quickly entering the through the glass doors. I am immediately greeted with a constant stream of voices, phones ringing, fingers typing out what I know to be journalistic genius, footsteps moving here and there. I take a deep breath and soak it all in. All my anxiety from before has left as all I feel is eagerness to begin.

"May I help you?"

I look to my left and notice a woman sitting behind a greeting desk. "Y-yes, sorry. I'm Clare Edwards. I'm here for the internship."

She smiles knowingly. "Welcome, Ms. Edwards. Mr. Rickman is in his office. Follow me if you please."

I walk with her wondering if this Mr. Rickman is the Asher I spoke with on the phone. We stop in front of an open office where a very evident plaque on the door answers my question. Asher Rickman. I take a breath before I enter and am face to face with a man looking to be in his mid to late twenties. He has thick dark brown eyebrows that match his dark brown hair. He is dressed in a black suit with a light blue dress shirt underneath.

"This is Ms. Edwards." The lady gestures over to me before walking out. I smile at him as he looks up at me with his large, but welcoming eyes.

"Hello, Ms. Edwards. Welcome to The Toronto Daily."

"Thanks. I've only had a glimpse of all of this," I look outside his office. "But it all seems so exciting."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that. Please have a seat."

I quickly sit in the chair across from his and put my purse in my lap. Deciding it might be a good idea to impress him considering he is my future boss, I go into a tiny monologue. "I just want to thank you so much for the opportunity. I've been working hard on Degrassi's newspaper, but that is nothing compared to all this. I love the variety of staff you have on your team. It always seems as if each article offers me a different perspective."

He smiles at me. "It's always a good thing when someone coming into the newspaper likes what we can offer so that's great. Now, I have this sheet of tasks and responsibilities you will most likely encounter on the job. You'll be working with me for the majority your internship basically as my right hand man, well woman." We both laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of jerk who will demand you to pick up his laundry or make a million copies, but my coffee is very important to me so expect that to be a task you'll be familiar with." My mind is immediately drawn to the caramel macchiato waiting untouched in my purse.

"Actually, I may already have that covered." I reach into my bag and pull it out for him. "Here." I slide the cup over to his side of the table.

He looks over at me as he takes a sip. "I'm impressed. You're off to a great start, Ms. Edwards. Now if you'll come with me, I'll give you the grand tour."

He stands up and walks over to me as I stand out of the chair. "Sounds good, Mr. Rickman."

"I thought we've been over this. Call me Asher."

I just nod at him, but let me just take a moment to mention that the fact that the receptionist referred to him as Mr. Rickman and the fact that he wants me to call him Asher did not go unnoticed.

And there you have it. I am so excited for what I have planned and where I see this story going so stick with me and you will not be disappointed. :) Thanks for reading! And if you leave me a review, I will be over the moon! :)