Arielle had decided not to take time to run a blow dryer through her hair. Instead, she just put her wet hair up in a bun and she changed into some sweats that she found on the top of the clothes in her suitcase. Now she was sitting at the table, indulging in the blueberry pancakes that Stiles had made for her. They ate in silence because her mouth was too full of food constantly for her to say anything.

"Enjoying your food?" Stiles chuckled.

She looked up at him and grinned, followed by a cute little nod before she returned back to her breakfast and chugged down half the glass of milk next to her plate.

"Can I ask you something?" Stiles asked, anxiously tapping his fingers against the table.

"What's up?" she asked, taking another sip of her milk.

"Are you...uh..." he sighed and scratched his nose a few times, "Are you happy here? Right now?"

"I don't see how I can't be," she said sweetly, "I mean, I'm in the middle of a beautiful forest in sunny California for 2 more weeks with blueberry pancakes and a hot guy who loves me... I'm perfect."

He shook his head, "You were perfect before you had all those things."

Arielle blushed and hid her face by looking back down at her plate while trying to hold in the flirtatious giggle.

"Come here..." Stiles whispered, patting his lap and opening his arms to her.

She put her fork down almost immediately and walked over to him and placed herself on his lap so his arm stretched across her and held her outer leg securely in his hand while she wrapped her arms around his neck. He seemed happy enough just to have her there so close to him and feel the warmth of her skin against him. That was all he needed.

"So tell me about this hot guy who's in love with you," he teased, "I'd like to know who I'm up against."

Arielle giggled and threw her head into his shoulder, "Oh no one... just my boyfriend..."

"Your boyfriend, huh?" he grinned, "Is he taller than me?"

"No," she laughed, "He's about your height, he has brown eyes, dark hair, he's a little pale, but he's got killer good looks and a gorgeous smile to go along with it."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really... he's also super funny and sweet..."

"Does he kiss better than me?"

She shook her head. Stiles grinned and began to push his lips forward towards Arielle's, but she put her index finger in front of him to stop him while she bit on her bottom lip with a devious look on her face.

"I'm just going to go get dressed," she said, getting up off his lap and laughing as she took the curtain and pulled it to the side to block her area of the room from his.

"I don't see why you need that," Stiles called, "I'm just going to watch your shadow anyway."

Arielle rolled her eyes and just continued to get dressed anyway, disregarding his snarky and confident comment. It wasn't like she was going to do anything special while she was changing, like exaggerate a certain movement of hers. He didn't really care if she took off her shirt like some supermodel. The one thing he didn't want her to do was be something she wasn't, because he loved her for being exactly who she was. It was when she had taken both her shirt and sweatshirt off to look through her suitcase when Stiles pushed the curtain past him and walked ever so slowly towards her. Arielle knew exactly what was happening, but she was too in love to stop it, so she pushed all of her hair over to rest on one shoulder, exposing the skin under her bra strap.

As Stiles came closer to her, he rested his fingers on her arms and started to feel up and down the soft skin, then he pushed the strap out of his way and began to breathe gently on her skin between her shoulder and neck and place small kisses up and down her neck to her ear then back down again.

"Why don't we do something today that doesn't involve this kinda stuff..." she said, throwing her head slightly back.

"But isn't this the more fun stuff?" he whispered against her neck as he planted bigger kisses on her favorite spot.

"We also have all the time in the world to do this," she argued, even though she was already beginning to melt at his touch. Each time she protested, his kisses became more intense, which felt better and better to her.

"Yeah... we do..."

Arielle turned around and looked into Stiles's brown eyes as they fixated on hers. She watched how he looked at her with a kind of passion that was irreplaceable and unforgettable. It wasn't just lust that was in his eyes, but he was so terribly in love. It was like he was drowning from being so in love, but he didn't want anyone to lift him back up to the surface.

"What the hell," Arielle shrugged and threw his shirt over his head before he kissed her again, this time with much more intent, and they fell onto the bed again.

Some time past and they were back in that same state on the bed, tired, but in the best way possible, wearing nothing but a thin sheet of sweat and out of breath. It took them a few minutes for them to catch their breath until they were breathing normally and not quite as loudly. That's when Stiles turned over on his side, facing Arielle.

"I have to admit," he said, "all this happening right now feels sort of bizarre."

"Bizarre?" Arielle asked, raising her eyebrows, "and what do you mean by that?"

"I mean... it's like a dream," he shrugged, "A crazy, wonderful dream."

Arielle rolled onto her side as well, "Well then I am in the greatest whack job on the entire face of the planet if falling in love with you is crazy."

Stiles looked up and down her body underneath the sheets and smiled at her.

"What?" she asked, slightly worried at the devious look in his eyes.

"Get changed," he said, throwing the sheets off of him.

"Why?" Arielle inquired, sitting up and holding the sheets to her chest.

"Because you and I are gonna do something today," he said, pulling on some shorts and a t-shirt.

"Like what?"

"You'll see."

He winked at her and she fell back on the bed. Now that she thought about it, her tired bones made her feel like staying in bed with him all day was a great idea. She saw Stiles put on his swim trunks and she suddenly felt so afraid in her own skin as she sank back onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting on her side of the bed.

"You're seriously making me go back out there?" she trembled.

"Last time won't be like this time," he assured her, taking her hand in his, "I'll be right by your side the whole time."

"Stiles, if I can't go back into the water, it's for a reason... there is SOMETHING in there that wants me dead."

"Fortunately, you can't drown in water," he said, playfully poking her nose, "So whatever was after you, CLEARLY wasn't trying to kill you."

Arielle sat up, bunching the sheets closer to her shoulders as she looked at the bed and how much safer it would be if she stayed right where she was.

"You don't have to go all the way in," he said, touching her chin gently, "At least sit on the dock with me and get some sun? That way I can still be close to you."

She sat up and ran her hands through her hair several times, then groaned, "Ugh. Fine."

Stiles cheered to himself, and then scurried over to the bed, kissing Arielle on the cheek, then running to her suitcase and throwing her one-piece swimsuit at her, landing directly in her face. Arielle wasn't comfortable with the idea at all, but she did trust Stiles, and that was really enough to rely on for now.

The two of them reached the dock, Arielle holding onto Stiles's arm as she watched the gently moving water with cautious eyes, taking smaller steps as she grew closer to the edge.

"I've changed my mind," she said, letting go of his arm and marching back towards the house, "I can't do this..."

Stiles quickly did a double take and followed her, reaching down to grab her hand, which made her stop walking, but her back was still facing him.

"Arielle McCall," he whispered gently, moving his hand towards himself, hoping that she would follow him, and she did, slowly turning herself to face him, but she was staring at his neck and collar bone. Stiles placed the tips of his fingers along her jawline, "Look at me..." he whispered, "I promise you... that from this moment on... I'm not gonna let anyone take you away from me."

Arielle looked down at his other hand and picked it up, clutching both his hands tightly and looking up into his brown eyes, nodding her head slowly.

Stiles walked carefully backwards, learning his lesson from the first time, and looked over his shoulder a few times. He stepped down onto the latter carefully, then let her sit down on the edge of the dock. He then fell into the water and held himself onto the edge, moving his hands to her waist as he assisted her into the water beside him. Once the cool liquid enveloped her body, she clutched tightly to Stiles as if letting go, for even a second, would kill her.

"Relax..." he whispered, feeling her shaking and shivering body against his and pressing his forehead to hers, "Shhh," he said comfortingly, "I'm right here, you don't have to worry."

He stroked the top of her dry head as he felt her shaking begin to calm, but her breathing picked up.

"You're doing it," he encouraged her, "Look, you're back in the water and you're safe."

She looked around her, then back up at him, "I am?"

He nodded and smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "You are."

A smile started to grow across her face once she got more comfortable. Stiles could even feel her grip getting looser on him. She floated away from him briefly and moved in a small circle once, trying to get used to the feeling of the current working against her body as she floated against it. Arielle then threw herself back at Stiles, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, and her legs wrapping around his waist like a koala bear on a tree. She had a smile on her face, which was like watching heaven's gates reopen.

It wasn't long at all before their lips met again in a slow and tender embrace. With Stiles standing on the sand in the more shallow area of the lake and Arielle clinging herself to him, it seemed like the perfect setting for Arielle's ideal romance. There was her home, in the water, and there was the man she yearned for the most, all at the same time.

As their lips left each other, Arielle's eyes still remained closed, still lingering in the moment, but Stiles opened his eyes and bit his bottom lip as he grinned. He then took Arielle's body and dunked her under the water, causing her to break free of her grasp on him and shake her body uncontrollably until her head reached the surface again, gasping for air as she clung to Stiles again, breathing with fright.

"Are you okay?" he asked, apologetically, "Did I scare you?"

Arielle seemed to be looking at him with frightened eyes, but that quickly changed when she jumped up and dunked his head under the water. He rose up again with a laugh and shook his head like a wet dog, making Arielle flinch a little bit with the small bits of water flying on her face.

The scene faded into a cold evening inside the cabin with a roaring fire. The slight breeze of the night came in through the screen door of the cabin while Arielle was wrapped in a blanket that reached across Stiles's lap. Her head was resting against his chest as they both looked at the fire, both of them smelling like lake water while her hair was nearly dry.

"Stiles..." she whispered, not turning her attention away from the fire.

"Hm?" he responded, rubbing his thumb slowly and gently against her body.

"Scott's visiting tomorrow," she said quietly, "What are we gonna do?"

Stiles sighed. Arielle knew this was a hard question when she felt his thumb cease its movements. She looked up at him with concern.

"I can tell you one thing," he said, "He's not gonna like knowing that his best friend is sleeping with his sister."

"Well... yeah," she shrugged, "but he should understand..."

"You think he will?"

"Yeah..." she said, moving her hand to touch his cheek, "because this is more than just sex... right?"

"Of course," he insisted, sitting her up so he could look at her directly in her eyes. He placed both of his hands on either side of her face, "Arielle Marisa... I've only been in love with one girl my entire life, but I had no idea what love really was... and I love you... I'm so in love with you that it's painfully cheesy."

Arielle laughed and threw her head into his shoulder, "That was so cheesy."

"See?" he chuckled, "I told you!"

He planted a kiss on her forehead, creating a moment of silence between them.

"Stiles?" she asked again, but neither of them moving a muscle, "Can you just hold me tonight...?"

Stiles looked back in her eyes, then readjusted himself so she could fit perfectly in his arms, accompanied by the sound of the roaring fire.

He whispered back at her, "Always..."