Kate didn't think she had ever spent as much time kissing someone as she had this evening; not even as a teenager. Martin hadn't seemed to want to stop, pulling back every few minutes to look at her and run a hand through her hair or gently caress her cheek. As if checking she was still ok. Not that Kate had minded one bit, it felt lovely getting lost in his exquisite blue eyes, and the feel of his soft, very kissable, lips against hers was heavenly.

Later on, tired but blissful, they had curled up on the bed together. Martin hadn't pushed for anything more, but she probably wouldn't have protested if he had. However, she appreciated his chivalrous behaviour; it only served to make him more appealing. He settled on his side facing her, his arm tucked around her waist, smiling at her sleepily before closing his eyes. Kate studied him; his face was slightly flushed, his lips red, his hair dishevelled; all of which was entirely her fault. He looked ever so attractive, a fact he appeared to be blissfully unaware of. She lifted her hand to brush gently down the length of his cheek and he sighed contentedly, leaning into her touch slightly. She settled her hand gently on his chest and felt her eyelids begin to droop. After a few minutes she began to feel herself drift off.

"Kate?"

Martin's soft voice brought her back from the edge of sleep."Hmmm?" She answered groggily without opening her eyes.

"This isn't...I mean...I..." He paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

She opened her eyes and found him gazing at her with a worried look. She looked back at him enquiringly.

"This wasn't..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "...a bet, was it?"

Kate crinkled her nose at him, confused. "Bet?"

Martin nodded slightly, looking wary. "You said before about Douglas being right...and I just wondered if..." He paused again. "Well, I know how Douglas likes to tease me..." He drifted off.

"Oh Martin, no." Kate had a sudden realisation of what he was getting at and reached out her hand to his face, dismayed. "Why on earth would you think that?"

Kate was only too aware of the varied and imaginative bets Martin and Douglas frequently played. Douglas took great pleasure, though not in a malicious way, in beating Martin; because, alas, it nearly always ended with Martin losing. Mostly the stakes were something as marginally unimportant as the cheese tray, but sometimes they played for actual money or worse. Did Martin really believe she was here because of a bet with Douglas?

There was a beat before Martin answered. "Because...well...things like this don't happen to me."

There was no hint of self-pity in his tone or eyes. He was simply making a truthful statement, which is possibly what made Kate feel all the worse.

"Things like what?" She stalled, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"Things like...you." He spoke nervously, his earlier confidence seeming to have dropped away a little. "And I wouldn't put it past Douglas to..."

Kate stroked a thumb over his cheek, interrupting him. "To what? To play some ridiculous bet with me at your expense? Surely you don't think that even Douglas would do that?"

Martin's expression softened. "No...I guess not. I just...couldn't help wondering." He made a face. "I'm not exactly lucky with...well, you know."

Sometimes Martin was far too honest for his own good. She smiled at him warmly "Well, perhaps your luck is changing...and mine too."

She felt very flattered that Martin seemed to think that she was something special, it had been a long time since anyone had made her feel that way. But she couldn't help but feel a little sad that he somehow believed he wasn't. She made a mental note that this was something that needed putting right.

She closed her eyes briefly deciding whether to come clean and tell him all about Douglas plan to get them together. Would it be a good thing? Or was it best left unsaid? As plans go, it had gone rather well.

"Actually, we do actually kind of have Douglas to thank for this." She watched Martin's face carefully as she spoke. "That's why he was right."

"Oh?" His face was unreadable for the moment.

She continued carefully. "Let's just say, he may have plotted to give us a push in the right direction."

"He did? Why would he do that?" Martin looked perplexed.

"Well, it seems that occasionally, as shocking as it may be, Douglas sometimes does things without an ulterior motive."

Martin considered her for a moment. "Douglas never does things without an ulterior motive."

Kate chuckled at him. "That's what I assumed, but I..." She didn't get chance to finish as Martin interrupted her suddenly, sitting bolt upright.

"He stole my phone didn't he?" It appeared that Martin wasn't nearly as daft as Douglas believed. "I didn't drop it. He took it."

She opened her mouth to answer but didn't get the chance.

"So he...what...? Made you come round and bring it back?"

It appeared that Martin was pretty darn quick to catch on.

"He didn't make me." Kate protested, as she sat up to join him.

"But Douglas planned all this?" He sounded a little dismayed.

Kate couldn't help but chuckle a little, trying to relieve the sudden tension. "Well, I don't think he could take credit for everything." She smiled, pausing. "Although knowing Douglas, I'm sure he'd probably try..."

"B-b-but you wouldn't have come round tonight, if he hadn't stolen my phone?" Martin managed to look both a little outraged and also hurt.

"He didn't steal it, Martin. He...borrowed it." She said, stalling for time and also well aware that she was suddenly defending Douglas against the same thing she'd accused him of earlier. She was well aware that the conversation was getting away from her, with Martin sat in front of her looking terribly hurt. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"OK. I probably wouldn't have come around tonight if it wasn't for Douglas' little trick with your phone." She started carefully, taking Martin's hand and studying his reaction carefully. "But that doesn't mean I didn't want to, or that I don't want to be here now. I could have just dropped the phone off and left. I didn't have to ask for coffee, I didn't have to spend time with you, I didn't have to share a pizza and curl up into front of the TV with you. I certainly didn't have to kiss you." She was on a roll now. "In fact, if the thought had been that awful, I could have stuck the phone through the damn letterbox and never even knocked the door."

She paused again, before leaning forward to kiss him, slowly and quite deliberately. "Now perhaps you'll shut up. I was in the middle of falling asleep."

Kate flopped back down on the bed quite deliberately. She'd suddenly felt a strong arm tactic was needed to stop this conversation getting out of control. Martin had a predisposition to be like a dog with a bone at times and she needed to cut him short, before he started obsessing. God, I hope that was the right decision. Martin stayed where he was for a few moments, his face turned away, and she began to wonder if she'd played it horribly wrong.

Finally he flopped back down next to her, turned to look at her and she could see the smile on his face.

Crisis averted.