Thanks so much for the reviews and well wishes. Moving will be finished by tomorrow. You cannot know how happy this makes me...

Thanks to the amazing Stratan for the beta work, and thanks to stephk0525, claireoth, and twilover76 for being the best prereaders ever.

Chapter 21

Bella

Boneless. Bliss. I stretched and yawned, smiling at the ache in my muscles, the tenderness between my thighs. Edward hadn't been able to keep his hands off of me all night, claiming he needed reassurance that I wasn't going to change my mind and walk out on him, because he deserved it for being such a "fucking piece of shit, pig-headed ass". Which had, after using our hands to discover a little more about each other, resulted in another round of sex before he was finally sated enough to let me sleep.

And sleep I did.

I reached out for Edward, fully expecting him to be doing something creepy like watching me, only to find his side empty, the sheets cold.

I frowned and rolled out of bed, taking a step and wincing with how sore I really was. Not that it was surprising. I had been oblivious to anything outside the feel of Edward's hands, his kisses; the overpowering coiling sensation that I'd only been able to catch glimpses of until now, one that had burst with an intensity I'd never imagined. It amazed me how innately tuned he was to my body, making me squirm and pant with each and every touch.

I shifted on my feet uncomfortably, needing him again. It was funny how it'd only taken me one time to feel this way. I'd always wanted him, but before, it'd been an abstract idea of how sex with Edward would be. Now that I'd experienced it for myself, I craved it. Him.

I inhaled deeply and pushed it away, because there was no way I could take him into me right now without tears. And that would only cause disaster since Edward would take the blame upon himself and would never touch me again. At least, the old Edward would. This new Edward, though...

Yeah, he'd do the same. There were too many years of ingrained hatred of himself to change overnight.

I threw on a shirt and hobbled out into the hallway, making a pit stop in the bathroom before continuing my search for him. I found him at the piano in the corner of the living room, erasing something feverishly, and then replacing it with something else. He dropped the pencil, ran his hand through his hair, and played a few notes. There was a tug in my chest with the sound, one I hadn't felt in such a long time now.

My hand snuck up to rub over my heart as I padded across the room and stopped behind him. I snaked my arms over his shoulders, causing him to flinch a little in surprise, and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Hi."

He grunted, and I laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep. I had to get this out."

I trailed lazy kisses along his jaw, ran my hands down his torso, teasing under the waistband of his shorts. Hearing his groan emboldened me, made me feel brazen even though I didn't have a single clue as to what I was doing.

"Keep that shit up and I might bend you over the piano and fuck you out in the open. Right where Jasper could walk in and see..."

Heat flashed through me, and I stifled a moan. "That sounds so good," I murmured.

"Fuck," he hissed. He reached back and cupped my ass. "You think you'd like that, huh?"

"I don't know. I'd like to try it, though," I answered.

Another grunt, this one accompanied with the feel of him gripping me harder.

"Not to be a tease, but I need to eat. I have to take my meds."

He cursed, spinning around in my arms with wide eyes. "You don't have them here."

I pointed to the bag sitting beside the door, one I recognized as Alice's. "Jasper brought it all up."

"That fucker," he snarled. "I told him to stay out of here for the night."

"Oh, stop it." I rolled my eyes. "It's Alice's. She must've packed it and made him drop it off."

He huffed anyway.

"So food... What can I make you?"

"Bella, I don't want you thinking you have to cook for me," he shot back.

"I don't. You seem a little busy, so I offered."

His eyes shifted to the staff paper sitting on the piano. "I... No, I can stop. It's not going anywhere."

I shook my head. "I'd rather not risk you burning something important because you're preoccupied. Like bacon."

"Fuck you," he retorted, one side of his lips flashing in a smile.

"You already did. Twice."

He laughed, and my stomach fluttered. This Edward was different from the one I'd known before, more laid back, yet intense and familiar at the same time. I grinned with the thought, and gave him a quick kiss before heading into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Or brunch, as it would have it.

After spending longer than necessary trying to find everything I needed in Edward's kitchen, I had a batch of waffles cooking in the press - something I assumed Esme had brought and subsequently left in the hope that they'd make use of it one day - when he came into the kitchen and wrapped his arm around my waist. I leaned into him, humming at how good it felt to be here again, and how he'd managed to take all the pain away with three little words.

"You should have told me how sore you were," he muttered, clearly displeased with himself.

"It's not that bad," I protested.

"You're fucking limping, Bella."

"Good Lord, you're dramatic. I am not."

There was a sharp exhale next to my ear. "Well, you're not walking normally," he countered.

I twisted around so that I could see him. "You expected something different?"

"No, but fuck, I shouldn't have- I just missed you so much and couldn't... I couldn't stop."

"Which is why I didn't make you stop. I missed you too."

"I don't like knowing I've hurt you, though. It's all I've fucking done since we met, why I hadn't..."

"Yes, you have." He recoiled a little with my honesty. "But this is a good kind of hurt. Trust me."

He gave me a wary look for a long moment, and then finally conceded. "I see you're making use of Esme's stupid fucking waffle machine."

"Well, someone needed to."

He snorted. "Will you let me help you now?"

"Depends." I snuggled up against him, feeling a bit clingy with the movement. But I'd just gotten him back. I needed reassurance too, it seemed. "Will you let me know what that was about out there?"

He sighed, relenting.

I might've smiled into his chest.

"There was a time when I could sit at a piano, stare at the keys, and have some kind of melody pop into my head. It was all usually shit, but I wrote it down anyway."

"It's not shit. Everything I've heard you play so far has been beautiful."

"Let me talk. I'm willing for a change; don't jinx it."

I pressed my lips together, fighting off another smile. So different.

"Fuck, where was I? So... okay, I could play pretty well after I'd moved here. Esme arranged for lessons, and I learned everything I'd missed teaching myself in Chicago during them, mostly the technical stuff. After I figured out the theory and could actually write music properly, I did. I guess with all the shit that I was adjusting to I had a lot to get out." He cleared his throat. "And then one day it just stopped."

"Why, do you think?"

"Because... because I stopped fucking feeling, Bella. I shut it all off and went through the motions. Until now."

"You should send Dr. Banner a thank you gift," I teased.

"I should give you one, too. I'd have never started going again if you hadn't come to Forks."

"You already did," I replied. "You gave me you."

He blinked. I'd surprised him. "You consider someone like me a gift?"

"Of course I do."

He rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "Let's eat. I'm fucking starved and want to know what my girlfriend made me."

I beamed idiotically. His girlfriend.

"What?"

I shook my head and snapped out of it. "Nothing. It's nothing."

He pressed his body against me. "You are my girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked roughly.

My breath caught with the way he was looking at me, like he wanted to devour me, rather than the food.

"Or do I need to further convince you?"

No more words. Just his hands, roaming over my body, down to the hem of the shirt and under, sliding up, up, up...

And then they were gone.

"Too bad you're sore."

I whimpered. "No fair."

My hand was suddenly underneath his, feeling how hard he was through his shorts. "It's no picnic for me here, either. Sex with you is better than anything I dreamed up. It's..."

He didn't finish, instead turning around and setting the table for me. I could see his shoulders tighten, the stress in his eyes. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but I wasn't about to let my happy little bubble burst just yet.

So I took action.

I turned off the waffle press and took a deep, calming breath. I crossed the room, standing directly in front of Edward until he stared down at me, his brows knitting as he tried to figure out what I was doing. I kissed him once, and then started downward. I wanted to kiss every scar that littered his body. While I wished he'd have had a different life, I loved them for the simple fact that they molded him into the man he was today. My Edward wouldn't exist without them.

But I didn't. I had a feeling it was too much, too soon.

I dropped to my knees, tugging his shorts down off his hips. A long, low groan came out of Edward, one of agony, desire, and had me shivering as the sound washed over me.

"Fuck, Bella. Get up. I won't have you on your knees for me," he said bitingly.

Ignoring him, I took him in my hand. He was long and thick, twitching as my hand moved over him. "I might suck at this, no pun intended; I've never done it before."

I had a feeling if he wasn't so worked up, he might've laughed. As it was, the hands intended to grab at my shoulders to drag me up off the floor grabbed at the counter instead, keeping him steady as my tongue swept over him.

He was a little salty, and his skin was soft on my lips. I hadn't seen any pornos in my life, but I got the gist of it from some of the reading I'd done in the hospital. Suck, lick, use your hands to stimulate the part you couldn't fit into your mouth. Teeth, if the guy was into it. There was the cupping of balls, a finger trailing back until-

Yeah, no way was I ready to try something like that. Not to mention, I had a feeling the uptight man whose - Dick? Cock? Penis? What the hell did I call it? - my lips were currently wrapped around would kick my ass if I did.

I stopped thinking so clinically about it and just moved, listening to Edward's reactions with each pass. I could tell when he liked something by the grunt that came from his chest, or by the way his head fell back against the cabinet. And pretty soon I was rewarded with his entire body tensing, a tightening that had my eyes snapping up to his as a feeling of power rushed through me. I made him feel this way. My lips, my tongue, my hand.

No one else.

"Baby- Baby, move." Panic flashed in his eyes; his chest heaved. "I'm coming. I'm, fuck- I"

And just like that, the power was sucked right out of me, replaced with self-doubt and anxiety.

I didn't know what I'd done wrong.

I released him from my mouth and stroked him, the hot, sticky liquid coating my hand as he came. I didn't stop until he shuddered and sagged against the counter, and then I carefully took my hand off of him and stood to wash up.

"Why'd you make me stop?" I asked, focusing on my hands. I wasn't sure I could look at him when he answered, face that kind of rejection head on.

"Bella... God," he groaned. I could see him grab a dishtowel to wipe himself off out of my peripheral. "It's not what you're thinking."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"You won't look at me."

I looked at him then, fighting back tears. "Then explain it. Because you talk about sex with me, and then act weird. Then when I'm... you panic. Forgive me for feeling a little stupid right now."

He growled under his breath, his hands running through his hair. "If we're going to do this right, you're going to have to realize that it's always, always me. Not you. You can't keep assuming it's something you did, because I guarantee that won't ever be the case."

"I don't think I understand."

"You're fucking... Shit, Bella, you're fucking amazing. At everything. You're smart, funny, beautiful, you give great head..."

My mouth popped open in shock.

"I freaked out because I didn't want that shit inside you. It was a momentary relapse, or whatever."

It all suddenly came together, his words of tarnishing me, being undeserving, the "shit" he thought he was being a part of his DNA... And what other bodily fluid held so much genetic information about a person?

Oh, boy.

"But last night you didn't freak out."

"Yeah, well, there was a condom keeping it all away from you. So I was able to get past it and just... feel you."

"But you thought about it."

"Yeah." He gave me a level look. "I thought about it as soon as you put my dick inside you."

"Oh..."

"It's going to be like this, I'm sure. I can't fucking be... I mean, I'm trying, but I don't know how long... And I'm sorry-"

I cut him off. "Don't be sorry. I know who you are. If I didn't think we could do this, I wouldn't have wished for you every day this summer."

"Bella," he whispered, his face crumpling.

I jerked a shoulder up, unwilling to go back there again. "I'm going to reheat the food."

I started past him, but he reached out and took my hand, bringing it to his chest. "I want you. All the time. It's another thing that scares me."

"But it's only been a day."

He shook his head. "I felt it before, but now that I know what it's like to fuck you, I..."

"Me too," I said quietly, understanding.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "It's the newness, I think, you know? It's not addiction or anything else you're worrying over."

He thought about that. "Maybe."

"If you don't believe me then you should ask Dr. Banner about it."

"I... Would you go with me?"

"To a therapy session?"

"It was something I'd talked with him about before. The two of us having sessions together on top of my individual ones."

"When did you do this?"

"When I realized how much I wanted you back. We don't have to if you don't want to-"

"Hey," I said softly. "I'll do whatever you need me to. Always."

After a long, hot and much needed shower, I flung my bag up on the bed and checked my cell phone for battery life, frowning when I noticed how many missed calls I had.

I scrolled down the call log and saw that voicemails and texts from Alice and Garrett made up the bulk of what was on the screen. And then there was one from my father at... midnight?

Why would Charlie call me so late?

Edward came into the bedroom, a towel sitting low on his hips, and frowned when he saw me.

"Miss something important?"

"Uh... Not sure. Alice called a lot, but we both know she just wanted details."

He nodded once.

"Garrett a few times," I murmured, not liking the enraged expression on Edward's face when I said his name. "Just tell me."

"Tell you what?" he asked tersely.

"What you're thinking. Why you're so angry."

"I'm not angry, Bella," he lied, walking over to his dresser. "I got the girl."

I stood there for a moment, watching Edward get dressed before practically shouting, "You're jealous of him?"

"No," he said calmly. Too calmly. "I can't be jealous of a guy who didn't stand a fucking chance with you."

"Then..."

"What I don't like is that he lingered at the ball field last night. It makes me wonder how much he lingered before, and how long he'll linger after."

"Edward, come on. You're being... ridiculous. Who cares if he likes me? I don't like him."

"That makes two of us."

"You're not going to do something like make me stop hanging out with him, are you?" I asked hotly.

Water splashed the wall behind him as he dragged his hand through his wet hair. "Fuck. No, of course not. But I'm watching him. I don't trust him not to talk shit about me just to try to win you over."

"You're being unreasonable."

"I'm being cautious," he returned. "I just got you back. I'm not doing anything to fuck it up."

Damn it, that answer really snuffed out my anger. "I still need to call him. He's my friend, and I owe him an explanation."

I could see his jaw work as he stared back at me, deliberating his response. "By all means. Explain. Not that you need my permission."

No, but I wanted his approval. Because like him, I knew how delicate our relationship still was and didn't want to destroy it before it even began.

Not over someone like Garrett Matthews.

"Stop being such an asshole and spoiling my good mood," I joked.

He laughed once, a bitter, hollow sound, making my stomach drop. He was still pissed. "Make your call, Bella. I'll be in the living room."

I didn't move until he was out of the room, and then with a heavy sigh, stupidly called Garrett back.

"Hey," he answered.

"Hi."

"So... I guess that was Mr. Forks, huh?"

"Edward, yeah."

"What kind of fucking name is Edward?" he snorted.

"What kind of nickname is Mr. Forks?"

He laughed.

"I'm sorry," I told him, squeezing my eyes shut. "I really am."

"Nah, don't be. You warned me."

"I did. And you ignored it every time."

"It's that stupidity chip you told me about. The one that you claim made me join a fraternity? It also makes me susceptible to unrequited crushes."

"Those are some big words there, frat boy."

"Hey, I go to class. Most of the time."

I giggled.

"Can we still hang out?"

"Uh..."

He took my hesitation as something else. "It's fine. I get it."

"No, I don't think you do. I'd love to hang out with you. But I don't know how much time I'll have."

"Why?"

"Things are complicated with Edward. We have a lot to work through together, and then he has a few things... It's really a long story."

"I've got time."

"Except the story's not all mine to tell."

He was silent for a few seconds. "Oh."

"Listen, meet me after I get out of psych Monday, okay? Edward will be busy with some kind of lab rotation, and I'll have two hours to kill. We can study, talk, eat... whatever you want."

"A lab?"

"Yeah. He's in med school. I don't really get how it works yet. He said the phrase 'cadaver dissection' and I tuned out the rest. That's just... gross."

"Son of a…" he muttered. "I didn't have a shot in hell, did I?"

Not really, but I didn't see the use of saying it out loud.

He sighed. "I'll be there."

I nearly clapped with glee. Because I was just selfish enough to want to keep one of the few friends I had in my life... and have Edward too. "Okay. Bye."

I threw my phone down on the bed, more interested in finding Edward and making sure he was okay than answering the rest of my calls. He was in the living room, flipping through the TV channels absently; his eyes flickering to me and back at the TV as I neared him.

I laid beside him, putting my head in his lap and stared up at him until he huffed a little, sat down the remote, and dropped his gaze to mine.

"I'm sorry. Don't be mad," I whispered.

He sighed heavily. "I'm not mad."

"Don't lie to me, Edward."

He groaned. "Fuck, Bella, I just... I'm mad at myself for creating this goddamned mess."

I chewed on my lip and watched him fidget above me, waiting for him to get his thoughts straight.

"If I..." Another huff, and then he tried again. "I spent so long focusing on myself this summer and how pissed off I was that there was this girl, a sister who didn't have to go through the shit I did. And when I finally stopped hating everyone and realized how much you meant to me, all I could think of was that I needed to make myself worthy of you. Because who I was before... He wasn't worth this."

"Yes, he was," I protested emphatically. "You are."

He shrugged that off. "If I had just gone and talked to you from the beginning, this guy wouldn't have been vying for my fucking place."

"He might have been anyway. And then where would we be? You might be sitting in jail with that temper of yours."

He scoffed, "I wouldn't have..." He caught my look and shook his head. "Okay, maybe I would."

"You're different now. You're... you're you, but calmer, more rational. You've let me touch you in every way I've wanted to without protest or telling me how shitty you are for me... So maybe it was supposed to be this way. You were supposed to figure it out on your own so we could start fresh. Grow from here. Where we were before wasn't-"

"Healthy, I know," he interrupted. "I told Dr. Banner that too."

"See? You wouldn't have admitted it before. You'd have yelled and screamed at me to get as far away from you as I could, and then gone back to bottling everything up and letting it eat you alive."

"Fuck," he breathed. "Yeah."

Silence.

"Can I tell you something?" I whispered.

"Anything."

"I love who you are now. Maybe more than I loved you before; I don't know. You're everything I fell in love with and everything I hoped you'd be. I know you have so much work ahead of you, but I just..." My eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"Baby," he moaned. "Don't fucking cry. You know I can't stand that shit."

"I can't help it. I'm happy. I kept trying to get over you, because I didn't think you'd ever be able to look at me the same way. But no matter what I did, there was always this part of me that couldn't let you go. I was miserable."

He dragged me up his body, setting me down so that we were eye to eye, a fierce look on his face. "Never, for one fucking minute, think that I was okay without you."

More tears, because I hadn't known how much I needed to hear that until now.

He kissed me then, shocking my system and making my heart feel as though it were exploding in my chest. I gasped against his lips, never expecting it because of the denervation. And yet, here it was, pounding in my chest.

"Feel," I murmured, bringing his hand to cover my heart.

"It's fucking..." He swallowed. "Jesus, Bella, do you feel all right?"

"Fine," I said on a giggle. "I feel totally fine."

"I think we should call Carlisle anyway."

"Yes, and tell him why it's beating like this while we're at it. That his son does wicked things to my body."

"Uh..." His eyes shifted away from me for a split second. "No, I think I'll just keep you to my fucking self, thanks."

"You have to tell them sometime."

"Just not now. Let's... fuck, let's get ourselves sorted out first, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure where I want to go from here," he replied. "With the whole Maggie thing. I want to know why she was... But I don't think I'm ready. I mean, I-"

"Shh," I soothed, seeing his distress. He was trying so hard. "You'll get there."

"You have so much faith in me," he muttered. "I don't think I'll ever understand it."

I didn't really understand it much either, but I just knew that Edward had potential to be something amazing.

Or maybe I was just biased.

I ended up falling asleep beside him while he did a little studying. When I finally woke up, it was dark outside, and I jerked up, instantly feeling guilty for keeping Alice - and Jasper - waiting for so long.

"Shit, I need to go home," I muttered, wiping at my face.

"No."

I rolled my eyes. "I can't stay here forever. I have my own place, you know."

He let his gaze drift over to me. "No," he repeated. "I'm not ready for you to leave."

"But Jasper-"

"Fuck Jasper."

I sighed and got up anyway. "Then I'll just tell Alice where you live and have her pick me up."

He glared at me.

"Or you could just come home with me. We can hide out in my bedroom."

"You still have the same bed?" he asked, an odd look on his face.

"Yeah. Why?"

He didn't answer, getting up to his feet and making quick work of finding his keys.

"Don't you need to pack a couple of things?" I asked, smiling at his sudden enthusiasm.

"Like what?"

"Change of clothes, toothbrush..."

"Oh. Fuck, yeah. You probably don't have that kind of shit."

"No. I have an old Forks High School t-shirt, and it's currently sitting in your laundry hamper. I want it back, by the way."

"What the fuck for? You've got another shirt of mine on now."

"The other has sentimental value."

"Bella, I love you, but I'm not doing this pansy ass, sappy shit. I like my dick a little too much for that."

I laughed. Loudly.

"And judging from the sounds you made last night, you do too."

"I might. I could use a little more... experimentation to know for sure, though."

His brows shot up. Hell, mine probably did too; I didn't usually say things like that.

"Not now," I hurried. "Later. When I'm not um... limping, like you claim I am."

He smirked with that, dark and full of promise before disappearing down the hall to get a few things together.

And then I was left wondering how the hell I was going to keep my hands off him while I... recuperated.

The ride to my apartment was surprisingly slow. For the second time in a span of twenty-four hours, I didn't grab a hold of the handle just above the door, lose my breath when Edward braked too hard and the seatbelt locked up, or close my eyes and try to find a happy place when he took a turn too sharp.

It was weird. Nice, but weird.

"Okay, I have to ask: what is with the driving?"

"Is this your street?" he replied.

"Uh... Yes." He took the turn at grandfather-like speed. "What the hell? Edward, I know you've changed, but I don't think you've changed so much that even your driving is different."

"Which apartment?"

"Stop avoiding the question," I snapped.

His jaw worked as he searched for a parking spot, and then he abruptly whipped right into one, throwing me against the door.

"Better?" he asked flatly.

"Well, it's familiar," I conceded. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Does it matter?" he asked, giving me a wary look out of the corner of his eye.

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable, I guess."

"Good."

He was out the door before I could say any more, waiting on the sidewalk with our bags in his hands.

"Okay," I mumbled slowly and exited the car.

I led him to my apartment and dug for my keys as we walked up the steps. I was suddenly self-conscious about it. It was nicer than my house in Forks, but it still couldn't compare to the complex Edward and Jasper lived in. And I just so desperately wanted everything to stay perfect. I knew, rationally, that my apartment wasn't going to change anything between us. But things hung so... precariously in the balance. I was terrified that one small, insignificant detail would tip the scale and cause us to shatter.

With that, I abruptly realized that I was thinking of Edward as a flight risk, already bracing myself for the pain that followed.

Maybe seeing Dr. Banner would be a good thing. For both of us now.

There was some muffled shouting, probably from the TV being turned up too loud, as I slid the key into the lock. I opened the door, and the shouting grew louder, the voices familiar.

Jasper's gray eyes darted over to us, his expression smoothing out with relief. "Thank fucking Christ," he yelled. "If I had to spend one more second with her bitching-"

"Oh, screw you, Jasper Cullen," Alice sneered from the other side of the room. "And get the hell out of my house."

I blinked.

More arguing. Something about a kiss. Things I couldn't understand since the decibel level had risen dramatically in the last few seconds.

Edward brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling in order to gain their attention. "What the fuck are you two shouting about?" he asked, glowering at both of them.

They started talking at once.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he growled. "If you're not going to talk so I can understand you then don't bother trying. I don't care that much."

"What kiss?" I demanded from Jasper, finally getting my wits about me. "You kissed her?"

"Let's get one thing straight," he growled. "She kissed me. And then proceeded to act like a fucking psychopath because I didn't strip her naked and fuck her right then and there."

Oh, God...

"You act like you're God's gift to women," Alice screeched. "Like I should fall at your feet, grateful for your chivalry, when all you really are is an asshole!"

"Do I look like I'm God's gift to women," he retorted, his hands roaming over his body wildly.

"You look like... You look like..." Alice snapped her mouth shut and stomped her foot.

Jasper seemed... stricken. Hurt.

"That's it. I'm calling a cab." He stomped past us and flung open the door, slamming it shut as he went into the hall.

The door opened again, and Jasper reemerged, bending down to kiss my cheek. "I'm glad to see you're back, B."

Then he left for good.

Edward rocked on his feet awkwardly, biting down on the inside of his cheek as he glanced between me and the door.

"Go," I murmured. "Make sure he's okay."

"I'll be back after he leaves."

I nodded and went to sit next to Alice, feeling horrible when she wiped the tears from her cheeks and refused to look at me.

"Al..."

"Don't say it. I know," she sniffled.

"Then why...?"

She shrugged. "I got rejected. That's never happened to me before and I... I didn't know how to react."

"Oh, Alice, he didn't reject you because he's not interested."

She glanced over at me now. "No?"

"No." I reached up and played with her hair. "He's got a lot of body issues."

"But I don't care about all of that," she said quietly. "And even if I did, he's still really hot."

"He doesn't know that, though," I answered. "And I don't know if he ever will be comfortable with himself. I mean, this is the first time I've seen him in short sleeves."

"Really?"

"Yep. And he's what? Twenty-six?"

She was quiet as she thought about that.

"If you want him, you're going to have to back off and not come on so strong. He's not like everyone else."

"Why should I bother."

"Because I think he likes you. A lot, actually. I've never seen him like that before. He's usually very laid back."

A little sob came out of her as she leaned against me.

And then she sighed, "Good, because I really like him too."

I grinned to myself. "I told you, you would."

"Shut up," she grumbled.

"I did."

I'd known all along they'd be a good match for each other.

Now I just had to get them to realize it.