A/N: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the bit of a wait! I've been on vacation out of wifi range and getting ready to go back to school, so my life has been a little busy recently. But no worries, here's the next chapter! I can tell you as of right now, there are still over ten chapters left, so don't get to worried about the slow build between Tim and Julie, I promise it's coming! Now, as always, read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Tim woke up early, instantly noticing the lack of heat from the other side of the bed. Julie had finished the bedrooms the night before, so they had agreed to each take their own beds. Tim had wanted to fight that so badly, wanted to spend his final night with her together. He wanted to hold her in his arms one last time before they parted ways. But she had been adamant about it. He couldn't tell if she was trying to put distance in between them because she didn't want to be as close anymore, or if she just wanted both of them to be comfortable.

"Jules?" He asked loudly, waiting for her to respond. There were a few moments of silence. He started to worry. He knew it was irrational. There was no way someone had snuck in in the middle of the night and taken Julie from him. But that didn't mean she hadn't left. That was a very real possibility. Julie left him behind, and he couldn't do anything about it. She clearly wasn't excited about spending the day with him, and she'd escaped before he woke up.

"Yeah?" She asked, a little breathes as she walked in. His inner panic attack quieted, and he smiled. And then he asked himself what the hell was wrong with him. He was in love with her, but he had just freaked out that she wasn't in the room. When had he progressed to not being able to live without her?

"Are you ready to go into town?" He asked, instead of what he really wanted to ask, which was 'Why did you leave me?'

"Yep," she said, nodding as she stepped into the room. "I just need to put on my makeup and grab some breakfast and then I'm good to go."

"You don't need makeup, Jules."

She laughed at him. "You're sweet, Tim, but the rest of the world with thank me when they don't have to see my real face."

He was telling the truth. She didn't need makeup. Or clothes, he thought, watching her rear end sway as she turned out of the room and down the hall. "I'm not sweet!" Was all he said as she went to eat and put on her makeup. Her laughter floated back down to him. When he'd fallen so hard for her, he had no idea, but he couldn't deny it any longer. He had fallen and he'd fallen hard. And today was his last ditch effort. If she didn't return his feelings after tonight, he'd have to give up. And he wasn't sure how easy it would be to move on.

For a long time, he'd believed that everyone got one person they loved ever. And if they missed their chance, they'd never fall in love again. That was his explanation for Tyra and Lyla. He'd believed Lyla was his one love, but when the relationship had started to go south, he'd reevaluated. His time with Tyra, though very brief, had meant a lot to him. He'd then thought she was his one true love, and was forced to accept that she didn't love him and had found her love with Landry. But now that Julie was back, he had to reevaluate his entire theory.

Because whether it was be all and end all, he had loved Tyra. He and Tyra connected on a level that he'd never connected with anyone else on. They understood each other in ways no one had ever understood him. But they hadn't fit well together. He and Julie fit perfectly together. He didn't know if Julie understood him as well as Tyra did, but he did know she'd support him whether she understood what he wanted or not. That was why they worked.

He pulled himself out of bed and his thoughts and dragged himself to the bathroom to briefly dunk himself under the shower head and dry off. Then he sped through brushing his teeth and pulling on clothes and met Julie in the kitchen to eat breakfast. "How often have you been in town since you've been back?"

"Twice," she said, stirring eggs in a pan. "It was so strange, I saw everyone yesterday when I went shopping. I saw Lyla, Landry, Smash, Matt…"

Tim's blood ran cold at the sound of the former QB1's name. She'd seen him. He knew it would only be a matter of time. Matt had been in town for almost two weeks now. But Tim had hoped he would have Julie as his before she ran into her ex. And the most prolific ex, no less. "Oh. Yeah, they've been here for a while."

"I figured. I just didn't remember how small Dillon is, I guess. I mean, I know I haven't been in town much, but I forgot that being there for even an hour would force me to see everyone."

"Yeah, um… Did you have fun? Seeing them, I mean?" And when had he turned into a stuttering idiot?

"Seeing everyone? I mean, I definitely liked seeing Landry. I missed the kid. I liked seeing Smash, mostly because he's exactly the same as he was in high school. Lyla was weird. She wanted to know all about you, even though she was with Chris. I think she might… she might still have a thing for you. And Matt was…"

Tim waited with bated breath to hear her next words. He could care less about what Lyla felt for him. She'd cheated on him, made it clear to him that he didn't measure up to her standards. And now that he knew how it felt to be truly appreciated by someone, he wasn't going to subject himself to that again. Not to mention she was married. To the guy she'd cheated on him with. And he also didn't want her when he could have Julie. Well, when he was preoccupied with Julie. He'd yet to have her, but he was trying his damnedest.

"It was just frustrating. You know he's married now? And he had the audacity to say hi and flaunt her in my face. What the hell? I get that you've moved on, I have too. And you're still a stud. Get the fuck over yourself." She breathed out in frustration just as he sighed in relief. He was so happy the situation was non-threatening that he didn't even have time to laugh at her swearing. Julie never swore, and the sound of the f-bomb falling out of her mouth was chuckle-worthy.

"So, are you hungry for eggs or bagels and cream cheese?" Apparently that part of the conversation was over.

An hour later, Tim opened the passenger door of the truck and helped her down out of the truck. He was being oddly gentlemanly, Julie thought. Are we on a date? But even as her hormones cheered and her heart fluttered, she tamped down that thought. They weren't on a date. He was being a gentleman because he'd grown up since high school, and he wasn't the same asshole he'd been back then. She should appreciate that he was doing something nice for her, rather than mentally molesting his ripped body. And yet her hormones refused to listen to her. "Thanks," was all she said, smiling at him as well as she could while internally berating herself for over thinking everything.

"You're welcome." His deep voice nearly caused goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. He caused such visceral reactions in her, whether it was with his touch, his voice, or just his presence nearby.

"So, what's the plan for today?" She asked, shoving her hands in her back pockets to keep her occupied. If she didn't have something to do with them, she was seriously worried that she'd tackle him to the ground.

"I thought we'd go take a tour of all the old high school hot spots. And then maybe just walk in the park. If you were looking to run into old friends, I know lots of people that walk their dogs there in the afternoon."

"I had plenty of old friends yesterday." She raised her eyebrows and held her hands up in surrender. "There are several people I never want to see again, let alone today."

His laugh rumbled up from deep in his chest. It was a laugh that suggested true entertainment, rather than the forced chuckle he sometimes gave in the presence of others. There were many things about him that had changed since high school, but that laugh wasn't one of them. "No park it is then. Maybe we could go down to the lake again. I have a boat, we could take a ride."

"Sounds like a plan to me. That's one thing I always missed about Texas. Not many people in New York have boats. You can't go for a joy ride whenever you want."

"Maybe you should come back." She glanced over at that, but he wasn't meeting her gaze. He stared at the ground, watching as one foot landed in front of the other. She had never seen him like this before. He looked almost… vulnerable. He'd hate her use of that word, but it was true.

"I wish I could." And that was more true than she wanted to believe. Her month in Texas brought back so many feelings she hadn't been prepared for. At eighteen, she'd been desperate to get away. Now, ten years later, she'd thought she'd feel the same. But whether it was her strengthening friendship with Tim, not living with her parents, or being out of the constant pressure of being Dillon's first daughter, but she'd been surprised by how much she enjoyed being back in Texas.

Even before she'd come back to Dillon, she hadn't been sure if New York was a good fit anymore. She'd been excited by the big city when she'd first arrived after college. She'd never been to a place as busy and bustling as New York. The biggest city she'd ever been in had been Dallas, and that was still a slow Southern leap and a jump from New York City. She'd been able to easily get a job at an accounting firm with her master's in business, and she'd kept at it. But somewhere along the years, she'd lost her interest in it. She made money, she helped other people manage their money, but she'd lost the spark she'd had at first. Accounting had never been her end goal. She'd just gotten tangled up in the thrill of being able to finally afford everything she wanted that she hadn't realized she didn't really love what she was doing.

And maybe it was the email she'd received about the ten year reunion, but she'd been thinking about shaking her life up for a while. Her trip to Dillon had just been a convenient way to do that.

She turned her thoughts back to Tim. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to stay. But if her actions hadn't already given him way too much of a hold over her, saying that would. He'd know exactly how she felt, and that could not happen. "I think a boat ride sounds really nice. What do you want to do for dinner?"

"I was going to get to that." She didn't miss the look of disappointment that crossed his face. Maybe he did value their friendship more than she thought he did. "Billy asked if I wanted to bring you over to dinner tonight. Mindy said she missed you and you haven't seen the kids in forever. They miss you."

Tim had been about to let her know that he missed her, that he'd miss her so incredibly much when she went back to New York in a matter of weeks, but he'd noticed the change in her stance when he mentioned Billy and Mindy and the kids. She was never extremely close with Mindy, but as her friendship with Tyra had grown during high school, she'd gotten to know the family. And she knew Billy from his time spent with the Taylor family at various football games and team functions over the years. She wanted to see the people she'd gotten close to. It didn't matter how he felt.

And he had to respect that. He couldn't force himself on her. He couldn't make her like him if she didn't. He was at her mercy, and with the smallest of words she could shatter his heart to the point where it could never be back together again. He was completely torn on that front. On the one hand, he needed to respect her feelings, and he couldn't push her for something she didn't want. But on the other, he knew deep down that if what he was feeling was real, he had to fight for it. For his sake and for hers.

He truly did not know what to do with himself.

"Yeah, that sounds nice." She smiled over at him, but something about her smiled seemed off to him. He almost felt like she was placating him. He didn't want her to go to dinner with his family if she didn't want to. Maybe she though that was a step too far. Maybe she wasn't as invested in their friendship and possible relationship as he was. Maybe he was making her uncomfortable and he didn't know it because he was so much deeper in their rela- whatever it was than she was.

"Are you sure? We can always do something else-"

"No! No, I want to see them. I just… do they really want to see me?"

That's what she was worried about? "Yes, they really want to see you. I promise."

"Okay, then. Take me on a tour, Mr. Riggins." This grin was true and happy. This grin said she wanted to be there. With him. Or at least in his company.

"Well, I figured we'd start at the Alamo Freeze. Maybe take a spin down to the Applebee's. And then head over to the high school. See the field, walk the halls… A real trip down memory lane." She nodded along with his words.

"Sounds good to me." As they began walking down the street, Tim shoved his hands in his pockets for something to do. All he really wanted to do was wrap an arm around her waist and drag her into his side. To feel her soft curves against him and to show every other male in town that she was spoken for and she was his.

"So." Her voice broke into his thoughts. "You still hang out at all the old spots? Go to all the Panthers' games? Have a Friday night out at the landing strip?"

"Not anymore." Maybe he let a bit of that bitterness seep into his tone. He felt a little bitter. He'd always felt a little restrained in Dillon. He was no longer the star fullback. He was still revered by the town, still widely known as one of the wild Riggins boys, though he wasn't very wild anymore, and not having that rush every Friday night, not being known as the star, he always bothered him. He'd gone from one of the most important parts of the Dillon Panthers football team to a relative nobody. He craved the attention again. He knew it was selfish, but he just wanted someone who acknowledged him as the best. Someone to support him no matter what.

Which was why the situation with Julie confused him so much. He felt so comfortable around her, like he could take on anything, do anything, be anything, and she would support him. He felt that feeling, that rush he'd felt every Friday night in high school. And he felt it with her. She was that piece he'd been missing since he'd stopped playing football. Since he'd left Dillon for the big wide world and returned home. He'd almost gone pro. But Billy and Mindy had needed his help when they'd had their second kid. So he'd had to come back to Dillon to help run the business and keep Billy and Mindy from losing their house.

And he'd given up on his dream to help out his brother. He'd owed him that much. He'd raised Tim, he'd put up with plenty of shit when Tim had gone through high school and truly earned his title of "wild". Tim couldn't abandon his brother when he needed him most. He wouldn't have been drafted in the first round. Probably wouldn't have seen significant field time on any respectable team his rookie year. He wasn't giving up much to come home. Except the one thing he'd craved his whole life. Maybe it made him an adrenaline junkie, but he craved attention. Or maybe it was what made him act out in the first place.

But now Julie was back and he felt whole. He felt like that sensation he'd been craving for the past decade was finally there again. He didn't know what that meant for him, but he knew that it meant he wanted to be around her as often as he could. He had to reign in those urges, knowing he was pushing her too hard if he asked to spend every second of every day with her. He knew the shop wasn't doing so well, and he still stayed home extra days just to spend more time with her. He craved her company, and he thought of little else when they were apart. He just wanted to be with her, and he knew something needed to happen between them soon before one of them- most likely him- exploded. Or lost his job. Despite being half-owner of the company.

"I must admit, Timmy Riggins, I'm surprised. I never suspected you'd be the one person in Dillon to change."

"I changed because the town did. Not the other way around."

"Far as I can tell, the town's the same."

"Then you're not looking hard enough."

"I'm looking pretty hard." That one quiet phrase made him return his gaze to her. This time, she wasn't looking around, she wasn't looking down at the ground. She was looking at him. Was she implying she'd been looking at him pretty hard? Was she implying she found something she liked in him? Wa that even possible, given their tangled pasts and sticky stations in the town. Thinking that, he could feel himself becoming and 18th century woman, but it was the only word he could think of to describe the reason the town would frown upon a possible relationship between the two of them.

"And what do you see?"

"I see a town that, like I said, is just as stifling as it was ten years ago when I left. And I see a man that's gone through some serious shit in his life and came out a strong, proud, capable man who has more sense of privacy in him than everyone in this town put together. And despite being all of those boring adjectives, he still manages to make women drop their panties at his feet in hopes of getting to become one of the many who've experienced his exceptional talents up close and personal. And he still has a better understanding of the game of football than anyone I've ever met. And I've met many."

Sometime during her speech they'd stopped talking, and were standing on the sidewalk facing each other. The breeze ruffled Julie's long blond hair and allowed it to dance over his chest. He wanted that sensation again, when he was naked. When she was naked. When they were both naked. Any nakedness would be welcome to him.

But he wanted to feel it again with her sitting on the porch swing at his house, looking out over the lake as they ate a dinner he'd cooked for them. He wanted to feel it as they watched their kids graduate high school. He wanted to feel it as he stood beside her at that same kid's wedding. He thought of forever with Julie, and her beautiful, dancing hair always managed to feature into it somehow. Julie was the only girl to ever make him think of having kids.

"You really see all that?" He'd meant to say, 'you can't see all that'. But the question had just slipped out.

"I really do."

"Thank you." He'd really never been one to take praise well. Probably because in his youth, he'd screwed up so often, he'd never really been praised. He tended to get flustered and direct the attention away from him, but with Julie, all he felt was the warmth of care and pride. He felt her pride in him.

"It's true. You should believe it." He looked over and saw her grinning at him cheekily.

"Yeah, okay." He gestured at the building in front of him. "Here we are. Welcome back to the Alamo Freeze."

They'd spent the next few hours touring their old hangouts, having an ice cream at the Alamo Freeze, a sandwich and a burger at the Applebee's and laughing and playing some one-on-one football on the field at the high school. Julie's resolve had been seriously tested when Tim tackled her to the ground, pillowing her fall with his body and then rolling so he rested his weight on top of her. Feeling his powerful muscles all against her again was nearly enough to drive her crazy.

Then they'd decided to skip lunch after eating at the Applebee's, so they'd gone straight to the lake to take their boat ride. And that's where Julie sat now, sunning herself on the edge of the boat as she and Tim rode out into the bay. It had surprised her a bit that he had a boat like the one he did, given his financial situation, but it was clear he loved being on the water. He lived on the lake and obviously took most of his enjoyment out of being out on it.

It was nice to see him this way. He was content, he was free, he was… almost happy. She didn't know what happiness looked like on him, but she would be willing to bet the look on his face now was as close as she'd ever see.

She'd heard her friends talk about that legendary expression, the one on his face when they walked down the aisle, the one that everyone tried to snap a shot of as it happened. She wanted to see that expression on Tim's face. She imagined that would be his look of pure happiness. More than all of that, she wanted to see that look when she took that long walk towards him. She was in so deep.

She heard the engine cut and glanced around them, noticing they were floating by themselves in the middle of the lake. It was a good day out, there were plenty of others out boating around the lake. But they were the only two who'd cut their engine. "Why are we stopping?"

"Because it's peaceful here. There's no one else here to disturb us."

"Tim, are you kidding? There are probably ten other boats out on the lake right now."

"I've staked a claim." Something in his tone made her think he didn't mean he'd just staked a claim on the area of the lake.

"I can see that. Why here?"

"Cause I like just floating around. It's peaceful."

"That it is. Do you do this often?"

"Way more than I used to."

"It's very romantic out here. Do you take lots of women on dates out here?" She knew she was fishing, she just couldn't help it. She just hoped he couldn't tell.

"Not usually. Mostly, it's just me and the dog."

"You bring the dog out?" She grinned, picturing him standing on the deck of the speedboat, a dog panting at his side. It was a cute picture.

"He likes the sea breeze," he said, grinning back at her. Apparently he liked the sea breeze, too. "He sticks his head out off the edge and lets his lips fly back. It's like dogs in a car, only with more water."

She wanted to see it happen. It almost scared her how much she wanted to have a future with Tim. The littlest things made her want to live life with him. But that was what she wanted out of life with him. The little things. That was what life was. "You should take me out with you guys sometime."

"I would if you stuck around." He grinned at her hopefully and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I would stick around if there was something for me to stick around for." Immediately after she said it, she regretted it. "Tim, I didn't mean that-"

"I know what you meant." Surprisingly, he didn't sound upset. She lifted her head from her hands. "You don't have a job here. You don't want to be around seven. I get it, Jules, I do."

"If I had more, I would come back for you. I promise." It was a tender moment, but she couldn't help but reveal that little tidbit of information. And it was true. She would come home for him. If he wanted to be with her.

"It's almost time for dinner. Ready to go back?" His tone was cold. She glanced up at him one more time, almost in surprise, before she nodded.

"Yes. I'm ready to go back."