An hour later, Rick carefully handed a sleeping Alexis into the arms of her father. They said their goodbyes, and he closed the door.

"She's a sweet girl," Kate told him as she heard him entering the living room.

He smiled. "Yeah, she is." He paused, and then thoughtfully said, "I want a daughter like her someday."

"Me, too," Kate replied before she knew what she was saying. Slightly horrified, she raised her eyes. She was expecting a smirk, but got a genuine smile instead.

Silence fell over them before Kate finally stood up.

"I should probably go," she said reaching for her bag.

He only nodded, grabbing his keys off the kitchen table, before leading her out the door and into the truck.

"You know," he began, as he pulled out of his driveway. "I'm sorry our studying got interrupted."

Kate raised her eyebrow and shot him an amused expression.

"Okay, I'm not sorry," he admitted, chuckling. "But, nonetheless, I had a... a good time today."

"Ditto, Castle." She flashed him a smile before returning her gaze to the moving scenery beyond the window.

They were content to let the comfortable silence engulf them.

It was nice, Kate thought wistfully. Just two friends having a good time. No expectations, no need to impress the other with gifts and words. It was just… perfect. Her conscience was about to knock some common sense into her-that is, until Kate consciously decided to let her heart do the talking for once. Her lips curled into a soft smile.

Fine, she liked Castle. A lot, she admitted to herself. Lanie was right—of course. Rick wasn't the stereotypical jock, nor was he the shallow player she pegged him for—at least, from what she could discern from their time together. Crazy how in less than three months, he became a great friend to her.

"Well," Rick sighed, breaking the silence as he pulled in front of her house. He slung an arm across the wheel as he smiled, half facing her. "Until tomorrow."

"Yeah," she whispered, softly.

Before Rick knew what was happening, Kate leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, lingering longer than necessary. She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but it just felt right.

In that moment, his mind went completely blank. All he could feel was Kate's soft lips on his skin, wisps of her hair tickling his nose with the smell of cherries. What he'd do to kiss her right now. All he had to do was turn his head. But, he wouldn't do that to her. It wasn't the time or place. Someday soon, he promised himself.

She nuzzled his cheek with her nose slightly before pulling back, letting her gaze meet his. His blue eyes were like sapphires, dark and bright at the same moment in time. His expression said it all. She saw the questions running through that head of his as if it was a film playing on a projector.

In lieu of an answer, the corners of her lips curled into a shy smile, her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Until tomorrow, Castle," she whispered.

And with that, she unlocked the door and let herself out, heading for the house. When she opened the front door, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at Rick before closing the door behind her.

She didn't see it, but she knew Rick's smile was just as wide as hers at that very moment.

…

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight

Just a touch of the fire burning so bright

No, I don't wanna mess this thing up

No, I don't wanna push too far

Just a shot in the dark that you just might

Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life

So, baby, I'm alright

With just a kiss good night

~ "Just A Kiss" by Lady Antebellum

…

A week and a half elapsed without fanfare. Neither had spoken about the night where everything seemingly fell into place. Although nothing changed about them to garner the attention of their friends, below the surface—emotionally—they had broken a barrier. Their glances, their smiles, and even their banter meant a whole lot more, now that feelings were somewhat known to the other.

As Kate thought about it for the umpteenth time, she smiled and blushed slightly. It wasn't her to be so forward with a guy.

But, it was over a week ago, she reminded herself. He should have made a move by now. Kate was starting to doubt herself, worry that he hadn't felt the same way, that he was just being nice so she wouldn't feel rejected.

Making it to her locker, she opened it, gathering and stuffing books as needed.

She suddenly felt a presence beside her. Assuming it was Castle attempting to sneak up on her again, she slammed her locker close.

"Cas—" She stopped. She gave an awkward smile. "Oh. Hey, Josh?"

Other than small talk, they hadn't spoken all that much since they knocked into each other a couple weeks ago.

"Hey," he replied smiling. "Uhm, I was just wondering…" He hesitated as he stared at his shoes for a moment. "Would – would you like to, you know, catch a movie sometime. Maybe this weekend?"

"Oh, uhm." Kate was conflicted. Josh was a nice guy, but she didn't like him like that. Then again, Castle hadn't made his move yet and she was getting a bit worried. What if he never did anything about it and she missed out on a guy like Josh? Kate bit her lip. "Josh, I – would you let me think about it?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," he replied, feeling a little deflated. "I'll see you later."

As she watched Josh walk away, a voice behind her said, "Watcha looking at?"

Startled, she turned around with a slight frown. Rick's lips were pulled into a smug smirk. Kate rolled her eyes. "A cute boy's ass," she replied, sarcastically.

Rick pouted. "That's not nice."

"Why?"

"Because you look at another guy's butt and not mine. And because you say he's cute, but imply that I'm not," he nearly whimpered, with fake puppy dog eyes.

Kate just about laughed in his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked in a slightly harsh tone. "You are unbelievable!"

He chuckled. "Can't blame a guy for trying to get his ego stroked," he said, winking at her.

"I think you'll survive there, Bucko," she answered with a smile, as she turned him and pushed him down the hall. "C'mon, let's go before we're late to class."

A/N: You might not hate me right now… But you will in the near future. Then love me again. It's a love-hate relationship we have, haha :)

I have this specific scene I want to write for this fic, but I'm not there yet -_- This idea has been driving me crazy!

Anyway, all grammar mistakes are mine. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)