A/N: I'm going to try and speed things up a little because I feel like the story's moving along really slowly… as in I'm pretty sure that less than a week has passed. Well, I'll try my best… hope you enjoy this chapter! [and sorry for the extremely long wait again :( ]

[Eddie's POV]

It's been three days. And I haven't seen Loren. I know I probably sound like some lovesick puppy. But I can't help it; she's just such a big part of my life now. I want to go see her, but I want to give her a little space too, a little time to clear her head after that… interesting afternoon. I honestly don't know what to do. That girl is going to be the death of me; I just know it – so why can't I stop my mouth from curving into a grin at the thought of it? I must be a lot stranger than I remember. Maybe I just need a little time with my girl (or at least the girl I wish was mine) to figure everything out.

I grab my keys and half-walk half-jog out the door. I step out of the elevator and give Jeffrey a wave.

He immediately straightens up. "Good afternoon, Mr. Duran. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Nah, it's okay. I just have to do some stuff." He smiles at me like he knows exactly what that "stuff" is. It barely registers in my brain, what with all the random stuff my heart and my conscience are throwing at me.

Don't go visit her. But I want to. Why can't I? She'll think you're too clingy. That's ridiculous. It's been half a week, hasn't it? You're the one who's ridiculous. You just met this girl. Well, that doesn't matter. I like her. Ha, I think it's a little more than that. You have no right to say that. Do you? Yes. Well then so do I.

Oh. That's a good point.

I shake my head, grinning despite myself. She really is driving me crazy. I slow down my jog as I reach my car. I open the door and settle in, deciding to 'casually' swing by the café.

L.A. traffic isn't so kind to me, but I pull into the parking lot soon enough. I zip up my gray hoodie and grab some dark shades before hopping out. I slam the door behind me, locking it over my shoulder. A small bell rings when I push open the door, but no one seems to notice. A figure appears in my peripheral vision so I hold the door open for them. The café's a little busier than usual and I don't really see Loren anywhere, but I just slide into a booth anyway. She should be here at some point.

[Loren's POV]

I rush into the back room to grab some more paper towels, already exhausted from the short shift today. Why does everyone seem to have a craving for coffee and snacks at the same time? A groan escapes my mouth when I hear the faint tinkling of the front door again. I run back towards the front room, hoping that half the crowd will just magically disappear. My eyes suddenly notice a person in front of me, but my feet don't seem to react. So I run straight into them. And fall, landing right on top of a hard chest. I don't even look at who it is before quickly getting up, a deep red blush spreading across my face.

"I'm so sorry! I should've watched where I was going. Ugh, I'm such a klutz," I apologize. I hear a familiar chuckle and look up to see that short mop of blond hair. A wave of relief washes over me. I lightly slap the still-laughing boy on the arm.

"Hey! It's not funny!"

He stifles a last laugh before replying. "It kind of was. You do realize that it's like the third time you've done this right? Am I invisible or something?"

I grimace in remembrance of the last two times when I crashed into him. Once at school, when Melissa basically pushed me into him because she thought we would "make a cute couple" after he asked me to tutor him. The second time was after school when I may or may not have kind of just tripped over my own feet, dropped all my books, and basically fell right into him. But anyway, it's not my fault he's always there.

"No, I'm just a little clumsy at times."

He chuckles again. "Right. Just a little."

I can't help but grin. "Okay, a lot clumsy. But it's your own fault for always being right next to me when that happens."

"Uh-huh."

"Shut up, Cam."

The teasing twinkle in his eyes finally dies out. "Hey, can I actually talk to you for a sec? In private?"

I glance around at the busy café and sigh. He gives me a pleading look that I can't resist.

"Fine. But only a few minutes, please – I really need to get back to work."

He nods and pulls me into the corner. I back up a few steps, making him flinch a little.

"Sorry," he mutters. I brush it off.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?" I tap my foot impatiently.

"Umm… I was kind of wondering if you were okay."

I wave my hand, gesturing for him to continue.

"It's just that you seemed a little down in school today, and I really hope it wasn't my fault."

I'm surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just thought that maybe because of all the Adriana stuff, and then the – uh – date thing, that you were feeling bad."

I sigh. "It's fine, you didn't do anything. There's no reason for you to feel bad."

His shoulders relax for a second before his eyebrows scrunch together again. "Then what's wrong?"

"Cam, it's really nothing. You're sweet to be concerned, but I told you that I'm okay." I try to leave and get back to work, but he grabs my arm again. I raise my eyebrows and he immediately lets go, a blush fading as quickly as it came.

"Sorry again. I was also wondering if, uh, maybe we could hang out sometime?" His nervous fidgeting makes me sigh again.

"I'd like to, but just as friends, okay?"

His eyes grow darker. "Is this about that Duran guy?"

I hesitate, making his jaw clench.

"Loren, I really don't think it would be a good idea to get caught up on him. He's a rock start who can get any girl he wants."

This time I'm the one to get annoyed. "So what you're saying is that there's no chance he could be interested in a girl like me? Thanks for the compliment. And just saying, you obviously have no idea who he is, because he's one of the nicest guys out there."

His face twists, muscles tensing. "I didn't realize. I didn't mean that; I just want you to be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

I blow out a stream of air. "I know."

I glance at the clock. "Uh, can we talk tomorrow at school? I really have to get back to work now."

He checks his watch. "Oh. Sorry. But are we okay? I'm really sorry; I didn't mean for our conversation to end like this."

"Yeah, it's okay. See you tomorrow, alright?"

He nods and pulls me in for a hug. I tense for a second before hearing his voice. "I know, just friends."

I let it pass and welcome his short embrace. He lets go soon, aware that he shouldn't push it.

"Can I give you a goodbye kiss? On the cheek?"

I pause, knowing that my rejection probably hurt him more than it showed. I nod and he leans in to give me a small peck on the cheek, then pulls away. I squeeze his arm lightly and walk away to continue working.

A/N: I was just wondering whether or not I should try to write a beginning for this story instead of starting straight from the show. What do you guys think? I'm not sure when that would happen (soon or after I pretty much finish the story)

And just to let you know, I have ideas for a bunch more chapters, so I hope I can get those out soon. I'll try to update again this weekend – I meant to write more for this chapter, but figured it would be better to just get at least part of it up sooner. I really don't know how this is going to end up, but just be ready for some Tyler soon… and he might not be exactly what you're expecting. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!

- shimmeruponwishes