We've hit double figures! That took its time. Here be angsting, awkwardness and OH MY GOD WILL YOU TWO JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY.

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters.

Arya rolled out of bed with a deep sigh. Everything seemed to be more difficult this week, and she didn't think it had much to do with being eighteen.

She had only seen Gendry once since her birthday party, and they hadn't even had chance to talk because Jon was there. They had all gone shopping together, but Jon didn't even leave them alone to try anything on. He had briefly left them to go to the toilet whilst they ate lunch, but Gendry didn't say anything about the party and for some reason Arya couldn't gather the courage to say, 'So Gendry, we kissed.' She was really embarrassed about it actually, and had herself convinced that he was avoiding her. She'd been quite drunk at the party, and the confidence that had made her kiss Gendry had deserted her once she reached sobriety. She was sure he had only not complained because he too was drunk, and didn't want to embarrass her at her party. Because why would Gendry want to kiss her? She was a scrawny, aggressive girl, 5 years younger than him.

So she too had avoided him this week. It was usually Arya who texted first to arrange their meet-ups, cut she was too scared so she simply hadn't texted.

But it was getting to her. She really had no other friends, and so this week had been very lonely. She had only had sixth form work to fill her time, and today she was going to the gym after college. She only had lessons in the morning on a Thursday, so at twelve thirty she caught the bus (Jon's work was further away, so he got the car) to the gym. She headed straight to the boxing ring and started to beat the crap out of a punchbag, not caring that small breathy noises were leaping from her throat sporadically.

It took a few tries to get her to hear his voice, but finally she did, and turned around, fists still bared. Gendry backed up a little, palms raised in surrender.

'Gods, Arya, you're quite scary like that,' he said, laughing.

'Thanks,' she said, squeezing out a compliment where there wasn't one.

There was a long pause. Arya looked at her gloves awkwardly and Gendry watched her face intently. She wondered if he simply didn't remember the kiss. Maybe he'd been more drunk than she thought, and the evening was all a blur to him? It was feasible.

But now he was looking bored. Arya wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Drunken or not, their kiss had ignited some new passion in her, and she craved Gendry's company.

'I haven't had any lunch yet,' she spat out, too fast, too squeaky, 'Come eat with me?'

Gendry glanced at his watch. 'Yeah, sure.'

...

Arya had gone to quickly shower and change, and Gendry was waiting in the bar. She had asked him to order her a croque monsieur, and he was waiting for that too arrive too.

He was doing a lot of waiting this week. He had woken up on Sunday morning, after the party, with the memory of Arya's kiss still tingling on his lips. He had also had a familiar stiffness... But he didn't want to think about that. Arya was his best friend. He shouldn't be thinking about her like that.

And he tried not to. He longed to text her, call her- turn up at her house and scale the wall to appear at her window!- and declare that he loved kissing her and would very much like to kiss her again, please.

But he didn't want to push her. He waited for her to make the first move, say the first word, but she didn't. It reached Tuesday and they went shopping, Gendry, Arya and Jon. And she didn't say a word about it. So he kept waiting, even though it killed him.

The food arrived before Arya, so he started to tuck in to his bacon butty. In his opinion, there was nothing worse than cold bacon.

'Starting without me? That's not very gentlemanly,' said Arya, bowling over to him in tiny shorts and a t-shirt that- yes, it was one of his- with her choppy hair still wet and a smirk on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes.

'Sorry, m'lady,' he said.

'Don't call me that,' she hissed, sitting beside him on the sofa rather than on the chair opposite. He wondered if she wanted to be close to him, to touch him and kiss him and hold him- and he wanted it too. Or maybe she just didn't want to sit opposite him and have to make eye contact.

They ate in silence for a minute or two and then Gendry decided to start a conversation. 'Did you enjoy your birthday party then?'

Arya swallowed. 'Yeah, it was good.'

He glanced at her, and noticed that she was wearing his wolf necklace. 'Nice necklace, was it expensive?'

She smiled, and reached a hand up to fiddle with it. 'You know I love it, Gendry?'

'Thanks,' he said, smiling sidelong at her. He was very proud of it, and it made his heart swell that she liked it enough to wear it.

They chewed in silence for another minute.

'Gendry,' she said in a soft voice, as both of them stared forward, an inch between them but both feeling miles apart, 'I didn't dream that, did I? At the party?'

He didn't have to ask, he knew what she meant. 'It was real.'

They were both silent for a moment. Gendry had no idea what Arya was thinking, but he was trying to find the words to say how he felt. He'd never been very good at putting words to his thoughts, and he was still feeling a bit embarrassed for being ridiculously in love- he might as well admit it to himself- with an eighteen-year-old girl. If it was anyone else, he'd think it was weird.

But still he couldn't stop himself from moving slightly to place his hand on hers on the seat between them.

'We should be friends,' she murmured, not sounding convinced, 'Nothing else.'

He stopped suddenly, surprised and disappointed. He looked at her face, and saw the cold stillness in her icy grey eyes. He lifted his hand.

'Yeah, that's a good idea,' he said.

They talked neutrally whilst they finished eating, and then went up to the gym and ran on the treadmills side-by-side. After that, they went for a quick swim in the pool. When she splashed water in his face, he thought for a second that he saw the normal Arya, playing and joking, but when he dropped her home after, she was gone again.

A/N: A bit of a slow one, but I promise the next chapter will be more exciting! I'm desperately trying to get this finished before I go on holiday so there will probably be a maximum of five more chapters.

Also, I'm sorry that I don't put them up on until way after tumblr but I, unlike the rest of the internet, like sleep, and so I never go on my laptop very late. And I have no way of posting them from my ipod or phone. Sorry.