CHRISSY POV

I hummed absently, getting louder as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair, the fruity aroma of raspberry overwhelming the bathroom. I had bought new shampoo this afternoon.

"You are the dancing queen. Feel the beat from the tambourine-" I stopped, forgetting the next words temporarily, distracting myself by turning off the water and opening the steamed up glass door of the shower.

"You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life …Cal!" I yelled.

"What?" he answered.

"I can't move with this d- um . . . Freddie . . . in here. He's freaking huge."

Absolutely gorgeous, of course. He had reddish-brown shaggy fur; a lolling pink tongue; sharp, white teeth and he seemed to be knowing, and alive. Although, at the moment, he looked a little too knowing, his liquid eyes running over my dripping body.

"And besides," I grabbed a white fluffy towel, "He's looking at me."

"You're shy because a wild animal is checking you out?"

When he put it like that, it sounded stupid, but when I looked back at it, I felt immediately suspicious of his roving line of sight.

"Cut it out!" I hissed, embarrassed. To my intense surprise, he did just that, whining unhappily and resting his chunky head on the floor.

I dressed quickly, and then joined Caleb in my room where I rubbed at my sodden hair with another towel. The canine followed me, padding along behind like some guard or chaperone.

"Cal, what exactly is this?" I gestured wildly towards the animal sitting on my bedroom carpet.

"I Googled it. Wolf." He answered matter-of-factly. "But this one is harmless, I'm pretty sure. But probably hungry."

"Oh. Well, find him something from the fridge downstairs. A steak or something."

"A steak? You would feed this huge mutt a steak. Chris, your cook buys the best damn steak out there, and you want to waste it-"

I fixed him with a stare, and he ran out of my room. I squeezed my hair one last time with the soggy towel, balled it up and lobbed it in general direction of the bathroom, before perching on the edge of my bed and plugging in my hairdryer. I began to systematically dry off strands of hair.

Caleb dangled a steak in front of my face and whistled to Amadeus the wolf, casually tossing the meat outside and propping the French door open so that it could return inside later.

"So, er. What do you think of the new kid?" Caleb smiled at me, teeth flashing. He took the silver dryer handle from me and drew a comb through the tangled mess.

"He's okay, I guess." I replied cautiously, because Caleb a tendency for big brotherly malevolence towards anyone I liked who wasn't himself.

He glared at me pointedly.

"Yes, okay, I like him!" I admitted "Ow."

"Sorry." He murmured, tugging now more gently at the stubborn knot. "Is it because he's good looking? Or is something else?"

I closed my eyes, thinking. He was very handsome. And had a very impressive body. I imagined Jacob without his close-fitting grey t-shirt...

I shivered.

"I guess it's 'cos he's attractive."

"A crush then?" He ran the wave of hot air along my now dry and knot-free locks.

"Yeah." I flopped backwards, staring at the ceiling. "A crush."

The drone stopped with a small click, and Caleb lay back next to me, fitting easily on my massive bed.

"Chrissy's got a boy-friend!" He sung under his breath. "Chrissy's got a boy-friend!"

"Do not."

"Do too!"

I retorted with a flurry of aggressive whacks with my pillow, half sitting up for a better aim. He attacked back with a gentle prod into my stomach. My weak point. I collapsed again, helpless as Caleb tickled me, lightly running his fingers across my body.

"S-stop!" I wheezed. "Please?" To my surprise, he did, stopping dead still, fingers still curled tenderly behind my neck. Subsequently, his grip changed, and he leaned closer, over me, his breath puffing warmly across my face. He smelled nice, like peppermint and lynx.

Then his lips were on mine; warm and sweet; pressing gently down. I couldn't think. All I could see was his eyes, gazing intently into my soul. He left my mouth, moving his hand to cup my chin.

"Georgina …" I whispered, my stomach muscles clenching convulsively.

"She doesn't matter. I love you."

My mind wouldn't work, wouldn't process the words, wouldn't make sense out of the noises.

He kissed me again, briefly, and I lay still, unsure.

"Chris, I'm sorry." Caleb pushed himself upright. "I … I shouldn't have."

He turned away.

"Cal." I dragged his face around, back to mine, and he hesitantly tilted nearer to me again.

This time, I was certain. I entwined my fingers into his hair and my lips reached up to meet his.