Payson swallowed hard, completely halting in her pacing. She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration at how her friend always knew the right cards to play. Reminding herself to sound only mildly-interested, she replied. "Oh, you invited your cousin?"

"Ok, you almost said that at normal pace!" Payson silently congratulated herself. "And your voice was only two or three pitches higher than usual."

Austin's answer broke into her musings. "Of course! The guy went on vacation to Disney World every summer with his mom owning a timeshare there. He's going to know every trick we need to make the most of our time."

"I thought the point of this trip was so the girls could bond?" Payson asked drily.

"Well, yeah, but why waste time if you don't have to?"

"So you're bringing your cousin along as a tour guide?"

"And to start balancing out the guy-to-girl ratio like I said," Austin replied. "Nick is also coming, and I'm pretty sure Jake can make it."

"Lauren's ok with Jake coming?" While the blonde gymnast and the energetic wrestler had stayed a strong for couple for two years, the hundreds of miles between their homes had finally taken their toll, resulting in a series of fights, break-ups, and short-lived reunions. Last Payson had heard—thanks to a run-in of her mom with Chloe at the grocery store—the two had called it quits again.

Austin sighed, "For now. They're not together again, but as she put it to Kaylie, they're talking and if they lived in the same city, they'd be dating."

Payson shook her head. She didn't feel like dealing with the drama that came with her friends some days, and this evening was definitely one of those times. "Austin, I can't make a decision tonight if I'm going to join you all in Florida."

"What's to think about? It's a free vacation."

"Austin."

His voice was understanding. "I get it, Payson. I figured you wouldn't say yes right away, but a guy can dream. Can you let me know by the end of the week?"

"Sure," she replied. They exchanged good-byes, and Payson clicked the call off. She slumped down on the coach and dropped her head back against the blue cushions. The position wasn't only due to the mental exhaustion of the phone call. From this angle, she couldn't see into her kitchen. No view of the refrigerator with its eclectic mix of photos. Especially one of a group of grinning kayakers. Including one tall, strong, blonde with an amazing smile.

A closer look at the photo would reveal Luke's resemblance to his darker-haired cousin. They had the same build, same facial features. Beyond looks they shared the same commitment to friends and goals. A year older than Austin, Luke had actually been a gymnast as well. On scholarship to a Big Ten University, he had dreamed of making the Olympic team until on-going injuries finally took their toll. He had taken a less-public path after that, going into a career in physical therapy and settling in a position at an office in Boulder. That was how Payson had met Luke. After Lauren's scheming had wrecked her original summer plans last year, Sasha had called on his connections and secured Payson a two-month internship at the office where his gymnasts received treatment—Luke's office. To avoid any conflict of interest or idol-worship, Payson was assigned to work with non-athletes. Luke worked primarily with the gymnasts, so for the first two weeks, she only saw him in passing. However that second Friday evening, the younger employees at the office went out for after work drinks, and over their Cokes the two former gymnasts bonded.

As the weeks passed, their friendship continued to grow. Luke loved hearing stories from Payson's competitive years while she was fascinated by his world travels, often times only accompanied by his Osprey backpack. They spent several evenings a week at Luke's bachelor apartment where they cooked dinner usually successfully although a few attempts ended in ordering a meal from the Pizza Shack. After cleaning the galley kitchen, they watched some TV, played a card or video game, or even just curled up on the couch to read.

At times the relationship confused Payson. She felt more than just friendship for Luke and had seen a similar spark in his gaze multiple times. However, knowing that her life was in Minnesota and Luke was based in Colorado kept both of them from expressing their feelings.

Until Payson's last night in Boulder. Her big going away gathering had been the night before so now it was just the two of them. They enjoyed a quiet dinner at a small restaurant and then just walked, Luke's hand taking hers, the movement completely natural. Just like the kiss at the end of the evening. Payson was too practical after the end of her relationship with Rigo to try to date long distance, and Luke accepted her choice. That did not stop him from remaining in her life though: likes on her Instagram posts, have-a-good-day texts, cartoons clipped from the daily paper and mailed to her. She had to admit that a butterfly or two fluttered in her stomach every time she heard from the physical therapist. A bigger flutter than she felt on any dates she went on that fall semester. Christmas break gave them an afternoon reunion when her family flew out to Boulder for a visit with old friends. During those few hours, Payson basked in how well they connected, but seeing the question about a deeper commitment in Luke's eyes, she was careful to keep the conversation deflected from them. Luke kissed her good-bye then too, but his communication over the spring semester was noticeably less frequent than during the fall."

"And now we're going to spend a week together," Payson murmured to herself. The butterflies were definitely back. There was no denying that she would be happy to see Luke. The real question was would he be happy to see her?