She could never get away from him.

Any time she dared to believe that maybe, just maybe, he had finally given up and moved on...he would text her, or call her, or send her the pictures of her he had saved.

At first it was pictures of them together, in the beginning of their relationship, when his true colors had not yet come to light. Pictures of them smiling together, with his arm around her, side by side at the same height, his black hair short and straight, his almond-shaped eyes dark like the tunnels of his mind. If only she realized then, behind that snake-like smile, was something sinister…

Remember us? He would text, Remember how happy we were together?

She continued to ignore him, to hang up on him, to block him...it had been months and months since she had finally gotten a grip on herself and left him, and not without a final souvenir of the bruises that he marked on her forearm.

He must be growing more desperate for a reaction, for her to break, for his power and control to once again overcome her...because his newest text message was accompanied with another picture, although this time it was sexual, of the two of them together, her face and naked body clearly depicted…

you liked it when i did this

She felt the blood drain from her face, she felt her stomach twist into a sickened knot. Her hands shook, and her eyes pricked with tears of anxiety and fear.

Why did she ever think he would have deleted pictures like that? Why was she so stupid to let him take those pictures to begin with? And she knew there were more...maybe even videos…

The more she thought about it, the more frantic and distraught she became.

She felt so exposed, she felt so unsafe. Even though she was hundreds of miles away, he was still lording his control over her. Her once bright and sunny new house, full of pure, clean energy and new beginnings, now felt cold and dismal and treacherous.

She had nowhere to run.


Boomhauer noticed he hadn't seen Leah lately. Usually he saw her running past his house at the end of her morning run, or getting into her car as she left for work. She would wave hello to him, even, and he had to admit it brightened up his day. Often she would wave hello again after she got home when he and his friends were in the alley. Sometimes she would even come over to talk for a few minutes, which would brighten his day even further.

But he hadn't seen her run by anymore. When he left for work in the morning, her car was already gone. In the evenings she was coming home later than she used to, and would only half heartedly wave hello before going inside. He could tell something happened, something changed her, but what?

He wanted to ask her if she was alright, but wondered if that would be weird.

"I notice you don't run past my window anymore, not that I'm watching you or anything…" Yeah, how could that go over well?

Saturday came again, warm and slightly humid, and out into the alley Boomhauer and his friends went. He noticed Peggy, Nancy, and Minh weren't over at Leah's like they usually were on Saturday mornings…

"No yoga today?" Bill asked Hank and Dale. Boomhauer mentally thanked him for asking.

"I guess not," Hank shrugged, "Peggy said Leah wasn't feeling well."

"Must be a migraine," Dale said casually.

Hank shifted uncomfortably. "Not as far as I'm aware…"

"Haven't seen much of her all week," Boomhauer pointed out, trying to make it sound offhand.

"Yep," Hank replied.

A few minutes later, to Boomhauer's slight surprise, Leah had walked out to her car. She looked...different, somehow, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly had changed.

"Hey! Leah!" called Dale, jumping up and waving his arm in the air.

Leah looked over at them dubiously, but waved hello before moving to open the driver side door.

"Come over here!"

She hesitated, as if she didn't want to go over there very much at all, but then yielded with a sigh.

"Hi, guys," she said when she had plodded over to them.

She looked a little...dreary, compared to her usual glow and liveliness, like the color had been drained out of her.

"Hi, Leah," Hank greeted, "Peggy said you're not feeling well?"

"Not really."

"What's wrong?" Dale asked.

"Um...just having a rough week."

"Ah...your period." He nodded sagely. "Ow!" He rubbed the spot on his arm where Hank smacked him.

Hank apologized on Dale's behalf. "Sorry, Leah."

She gave a small smile. "It's alright. I'm glad Dale is here to entertain me, at least."

"That's about all he's good for most days."

"We haven't seen you around much," Bill mentioned to her.

"Sorry. I just haven't been feeling myself lately."

"You've stopped running."

Boomhauer said it simply, abruptly. He was surprised he said it out loud.

She turned to face him, and he saw her eyes were lacking their usual joyful sparkle. What had happened to her?

"You noticed?"

He cleared his throat nervously. "You run by my front window at six every morning." Quickly, he added, "I, um, drink my coffee while I look outside…"

She smiled again, still small, but there was more of a blossoming glow behind it.

"I do need to get back into it again... Maybe you'll see me tomorrow."

He could have sworn some of the sparkle came back into those green eyes…

Bill sputtered quickly to break up the moment between Leah and Boomhauer. "Maybe you can see me tonight...I mean, I can see you tonight...I mean, maybe we can go together somewhere?"

She grinned, effortlessly, like she wasn't thrown off by his sudden forwardness. "That sounds great! Let's all go together. I think it would help me to go out and spend time with everybody."

Dismay shaded Bill's face, as he wasn't expecting that.

"Now there's an idea!" Hank approved, "I'm sure Peggy would love to go out tonight."

"Nancy's been trying to get me to take her somewhere," Dale agreed.

"Oh, good!" Leah beamed. Some of her usual self was starting to shine through again. "What place did you have in mind, Bill?"

"I don't know," he sighed.

"Let's go to that retired baseball player's restaurant," Dale suggested, "The guys at the gun club really like it there."

Hank nodded excitedly. "Oh yeah...Mickey Kaline's place...The Dog Pound!"

"They do trivia on Saturdays," Boomhauer said.

He had never seen Leah light up as much as she did just then.

"I rock trivia games!"

Hank smiled at her sudden cheer. "I reckon Peggy does, too. We're sure to win tonight!"

"Great! I'm really looking forward to it." She beamed again. "I'll see you guys later?" She was addressing everyone, yet was looking only at Boomhauer.

"I'll pick you up at six," Boomhauer said.

Leah smiled, then said goodbye to everyone before leaving for her car.

"Thanks a lot, everybody," Bill grumbled after she had gone.

Dale huffed through his freshly lit cigarette. "What now?"

"I was trying to ask her out and you all invited yourselves along."

"If you didn't notice, genius, she invited us."

"You could have said no."

"She invited us all for a reason. She probably doesn't want to be alone with you."

Bill looked forlornly at the ground.

"I think she just wants to be around everybody right now," Hank reasoned, "Something happened to her to make her so withdrawn this past week."

Bill shrugged it off. "I think I'll just stay home tonight."

"Come on, man," Boomhauer huffed, "So if she's not your girlfriend then you don't care about her?"

"What? No...of course not."

"It says something that she wants to spend time with all of us. She sees all of us as friends. Friends are there for each other."

Wisely, Hank nodded. "That's exactly right. She's our friend, our neighbor first."

"Yeah, I know. You're right." Bill sighed. "You didn't have to offer to pick her up, though." He looked sharply at Boomhauer.

"No one wants to ride in your Escort."

"He has a point, Bill," Dale agreed.

Boomhauer tried to smooth it over. "You can ride with us."

"Fine. Whatever."

"Should we invite the Souphanousinphones?" wondered Dale.

Hank rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't see why we should bother. They wouldn't be caught dead at a place that serves hot dogs."


Leah spent her week riddled with nerves and anxiety, a sickness knotting the pit of her stomach, the suffocating feeling of being pressed inside closing walls. Dan took away her newfound happiness and security, and was again cutting her off from her friends. She told Peggy, Minh, and Nancy she couldn't see them because she was too uneasy to focus. She stopped visiting with the alley guys because she felt ashamed. She was going into work earlier and leaving later because she didn't feel safe at home anymore. Any time her phone went off now sent her heart into a panicked palpitation. How could she ever keep living like this? How much more distance did she need from him?

Not even meditation or crystals seemed to help much. Her guilt and dread hung far too heavily on her for any positive feelings to last. However, she was feeling much better after talking with Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer again. It was exciting, looking forward to the time out with them later tonight. She shouldn't keep shutting herself down, when surrounding herself with friends helped so much…

She knew Bill was trying to ask her out again. She just wasn't ready for that… and she wasn't sure if she could see herself with someone like Bill. They were too different, she thought, though she knew he would be such a nice partner for somebody else...

Six o'clock had rolled around, still light outside though beginning to fade to night. Leah was about to begin walking the two houses down to Boomhauer's when he parked his shiny red car outside of her house. It was funny to her that he drove such a short distance. Everything seemed extra funny and amusing now, like she had a week's worth of happy emotions to catch up on.

Boomhauer got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for her. He was wearing his typical t-shirt, jeans, and work boots attire, which Leah found endearing.

"Thank you," she smiled, catching his eye, and ducked in.

From the backseat, Bill spoke up. "Hi, Leah."

"Hi!" She turned around, grinning. "I'm so excited to go out tonight."

"Me, too. I've never gone to a trivia night before."

Boomhauer had closed the door to the driver's side, and buckled his seatbelt before setting off.

"I've done trivia nights at a few places quite often back in Oklahoma," Leah told Bill. "I think my strongest category is pop culture."

"Good, because I think we will need that," Boomhauer said. His eyes were looking straight at the road ahead, though his body was relaxed and effortless as he sat behind the wheel.

"I assume you guys will have sports questions in the bag," she smiled at them, "And I can see Dale crushing the history questions." Dale spoke often about historical events and significant people in history, although his historical interests usually tended to lean towards those with conspiracy theories.

They all talked together as they drove through the upper west side of the city. Mickey's Dog Pound had suddenly come into view, sitting on a corner of two intersecting streets. It looked like it was going to be a busy night, as Boomhauer had trouble finding parking. Thankfully, there was a spot only a short walk away that he was able to parallel park into.

Leah knew Peggy was going to be texting her, yet still felt that sinking feeling when she felt her phone vibrate. It took a few calming breaths to abate the knot that twisted in her stomach. Dan hadn't texted her in a week and he was still somehow ruining her night.

"They're already inside," Leah relayed Peggy's text, trying to sound chipper. "She said they saved us a big table!"

The Dog Pound was a sports bar decorated to look like a baseball dugout. Along the wood panel walls were long wooden bars under roofs which were accessed by walking down a couple stairs, to give it that sunken-down dugout feeling. There was a second floor, which was a loft overlooking the ground floor, reminiscent of audience stands. The walls were packed with baseball memorabilia, equipment, and pictures.

It was indeed very busy inside, with most of the tables and booths filled with rowdy, excited customers.

"Up here!" Peggy called. Leah, Boomhauer, and Bill craned their necks upward to see Peggy leaning over the fence that edged the loft's floor, waving eagerly.

Boomhauer motioned for Leah to go up the stairs ahead of them, and they all squeezed past the servers and other customers as they made their way to the long table where Hank, Dale, Peggy, and Nancy sat.

"Hi guys!" Leah said cheerfully. She sat next to Peggy and Bill sat on her other side. Boomhauer took the empty seat across from her.

"Did you find a good parking spot?" Hank asked Boomhauer.

"Hank drove around the block three times before he committed to one," Dale told him, shaking his head.

Leah looked around at the polished wood of the floors, tables, and walls, and the servers dressed in baseball uniforms, and the maximalism of the pictures and decorations. Several flat screen TVs hung along the walls, each one displaying a different sports channel.

"This place is really something."

Bill nodded in agreement. "I wonder if Mickey Kaline ever comes here."

"He does sometimes," Hank said, "I know he did when this place first opened. The line went out the door for three blocks then."

After a couple of minutes, a cute waitress, wearing a baseball uniform with pinstriped shorts instead of pants, took their drink orders.

Leah wondered if Boomhauer was checking her out.

"Seven of your house beers, please," Hank declared. As the waitress turned and left, the auburn ponytail pulled through the back of her baseball hat swayed behind her.

Nancy turned to Leah. "I didn't know you drank beer."

She shrugged. "I do every now and then. Tonight's a good night for it."

"Dang right, it is," Hank agreed.

Everyone pored over the menus. The restaurant specialized in hot dogs, with many varieties and toppings to choose from.

"Nothing vegan, is there?" Dale smirked at Leah.

"There are a few things. There's a vegan dog at the bottom of the list."

He read the description and said "Looks gross."

"Well, I'm going to get the vegan panini."

"How long have you been vegan, Leah?" Peggy asked.

"Hmm...Almost three years now."

"Do you miss meat?"

"To be honest, not really. Most substitutes for meat or dairy are satisfying enough."

Hank gave her a skeptical look, to which she said "What? I don't care if other people eat it!"

"Not eating steak though? You can't tell me there's a good substitute for that."

"Maybe not."

Nancy asked, "What made you want to become vegan?"

She hesitated, wondering how much she should divulge about herself.

Just keep it simple for now.

"I've always been interested in a clean lifestyle. It wasn't much of a jump to just go full vegan."

"Is dick vegan?"

"Dale!" Nancy hissed. Peggy gasped and Hank smacked the back of Dale's head, knocking his sunglasses askew.

"I'm so sorry, Shug," Nancy apologized, looking worriedly at Leah and switching furiously to Dale.

"I was just joking!" Dale groaned, rubbing where Hank hit him.

"Leah, you can kick his ass after we leave," Hank asserted.

She laughed. "It's fine...I know how Dale is."

The waitress returned with all seven of their beers, which she had balanced expertly on a tray.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked them, as she handed out their drinks. She seemed to linger a second longer when she got to Boomhauer. The two of them smirked at each other.

Everyone went around the table to tell the waitress what they wanted. Leah opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Boomhauer told the waitress "Put hers on my check."

Leah was taken back. "Are you sure?"

He nodded nonchalantly.

Bill looked annoyed.

After the waitress left with her notepad of orders, Leah turned back to Boomhauer.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing." He coolly shrugged one shoulder. "It's your night. Alright?"

Leah smiled demurely, suddenly feeling shy about holding his gaze, and nodded.

The trivia host's assistant came around to the participating tables with their answer sheets. Dale decided on their team name - Stephen Hawking's School of Dance.

"Tasteless," Hank scoffed, but it made everyone else giggle, so he let it go.

Peggy took it upon herself to be the answer-writer, as she always liked to be in control of things.

The speakers suddenly boomed as the trivia host introduced himself and went over what to expect over the course of the trivia game.

The center flat screen changed from a sports channel to the first trivia question, and the four multiple-choice answers underneath it.

Question after question, they all put their heads together to deliberate and reason the correct answer. Some questions were absolutely easy for at least one of them. And Leah was right...Dale knew the answer to any history question the TV screen displayed.

"It's B," he whispered harshly, "The Warren Commission!"

Hank looked dubiously at the other answers. "Are you s-"

"Of course I'm sure! I know this shit front to back!"

"Put B, Peggy," Leah insisted.

The waitress came back with their food. Someone from the kitchen staff came to help carry the rest of the plates.

Leah's vegan panini looked very good, grilled wheat bread stuffed with avocado, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, and sprouts.

The waitress placed Boomhauer's cheeseburger in front of him and said, "Be careful...it's very...hot."

They smirked at each other again before she left.

The trivia host played a clip from a TV show's theme song.

"I know this one!" Peggy exclaimed, "Little House on the Prairie!"

"Ooh, that's it," Nancy agreed. "I used to love that show!"

After the first round was completed, the trivia host's assistant came by to take their papers to be marked.

"I have a good feeling about this round," Peggy said, through bites of a honey mustard chicken wing, "I don't think there were any that we were struggling on."

And sure enough, she was right. Their paper came back with only one question missed.

Peggy frowned. "It was the one about the invention of canned food."

"I knew it was invented before bicycles were!" Dale grumbled.

"Listen!" Leah held up her hand to quiet him.

"...and, in first place at 38 points, Stephen Hawking's School of Dance!" the host boomed through the speakers.

The other tables clapped, and some even laughed upon hearing the team name. Hank hid his face in embarrassment.

"Now for round two!"

The next two rounds were as entertaining and riveting as the first. They were tied for first with two other teams: The Four Musketeers, and Trivial Arlenians. Round four, the final round, was about to start.

"We're going to smoke these bitches!" Dale rubbed his hands together.

The final round was the hardest of all, laden with many tricky questions, or answers with years all one off from each other.

Despite some shaky educated guesses, they were feeling confident they were going to score well.

The final question of round four was a movie clip. The answers were supposed to be the movie's title, and the decade and year it was released.

Barely two seconds of the clip had played before Leah quickly blurted "Bullitt!"

As Peggy happily scrawled the answer down, Boomhauer looked at Leah with an impressed surprise.

"You know Bullitt?" he asked.

"I love Bullitt."

"What's the year?" Peggy asked.

Still looking directly at each other, Leah and Boomhauer simultaneously said "'68."

Bill noticed the moment being shared between them, and lightly interjected, "I've always been more of a Paul Newman fan."

Leah and Boomhauer, again at the same time, replied "Cool Hand Luke," although it was more to each other than to anyone else.

They smiled at each other, which was significant to Leah, as she hardly saw Boomhauer do more than smirk.

The moment was broken, however, when the waitress appeared at the table with their checks.

Leah thought she saw her brush against the side of Boomhauer's arm as she laid his check in front of him.

"They're handing back the papers!" Nancy clapped excitedly.

Peggy snatched the paper as soon as it hit their table, and her eyes furiously scanned down their list of answers.

"We got a few wrong, but you two nailed it on the movie question!" she nodded to Leah and Boomhauer. Boomhauer was too busy watching the waitress walk away.

The speakers boomed again as the trivia host read off the correct answers.

"Darn it!" Peggy griped, "Number three was the one we were really second-guessing on."

"I think it's going to be close," Leah murmured, looking at the answers over Peggy's shoulder.

The host began announcing the final scores. He started with last place, calling out the scores in ascending order. With each team announced that wasn't theirs, they grew more and more nervous and excited.

"Third place, with three hundred and four points...The Artful Dodgers!"

Everybody around them clapped and cheered.

"Second place, with three hundred and twelve points...Trivial Arlenians!"

More clapping and cheering.

Peggy squealed, "You know what that means…!"

"And, in first place, with three hundred and twenty points...Stephen Hawking's School of Dance!"

"Woo hoo!" Dale shouted.

"I knew we'd win," Hank grinned, "We're a well-rounded team!"

Leah held up her hand to Boomhauer which he high-fived.

"They should do a movie trivia night," she smiled at him.

"It wouldn't be fair to anyone else," he joked.

The winning teams each got a different monetary amount in a gift card to The Dog Pound.

"Forty bucks?" Dale squinted at the gift card voucher, "We gave them at least sixty-two dollars worth of knowledge."

"Who gets it?" Peggy asked the table, "We all contributed equally."

"Hang onto it, and we can use it next time we all do this again," suggested Leah. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

The waitress returned with their cards and their processed checks, and bid them a good evening.

"I hope you come...again soon," she said to the table, while looking suggestively at Boomhauer.

Leah was feeling strangely annoyed, and excused herself to the restroom.

"Me, too," Peggy decided, and followed her.

They went down the stairs to the first floor, and despite all the squeezing and dodging they had to do past other patrons, the brightly lit and clean bathroom was completely empty.

After the two of them had washed their hands, Peggy asked, "Did you have a good time?"

"Oh, yes, tonight was so much fun. I'm glad we all got to do this." She smiled. "Thank you for having me."

"Nonsense, you're always invited to anything we do." Peggy smiled back, but gave Leah a searching look. "Have you been doing alright?"

No sense in trying to play it off...Peggy understood more than she let on.

Leah exhaled, suddenly tired. "Not really. But tonight really helped. I need to remember that you guys are there for me."

"Of course we are! You can always come to any of us for help."

Peggy embraced her warmly in a hug. Leah softened at her touch, not realizing how much she was missing such care and affection.

"Thank you."

Peggy held Leah out by the elbows, still searching her face, trying to read her thoughts.

"Is it that ex-boyfriend of yours?"

"How did you-"

"I just had a feeling," she answered kindly. "Are you safe?"

"I...think so. I don't think he knows I moved, or would know I'd move down here."

"Is he calling you?"

"Sometimes. Or texting, or…"

"Can't you get a new number?"

Leah sighed. "I need to. I already changed it, but someone must have given him the new one."

Just then, a small group babbled their way into the bathroom, and noisily clattered the stall doors behind them.

"Let's get going. Are you ready?"

Leah nodded.

When they came back out into the busy restaurant, Nancy stood waiting for them.

"The boys wanted to go look at all the sports stuff hanging on the walls," she told them, "But we can meet them outside."

They looked at some of the baseball pictures and memorabilia on the walls as they were leaving. There were lots of photographs of Mickey Kaline during his baseball career, at big games or standing with fellow players. There were home run balls and baseball bats behind glass cases, and even a framed baseball uniform.

Peggy and Leah were looking at a black and white picture of Mickey Kaline on his college baseball team. As they were in the thick of the hustle and bustle of the Saturday night crowd, Peggy was able to talk freely without being overheard.

"Now...how are you and Boomhauer coming along?" Peggy asked, grinning slyly.

Sigh.

"Like...normal? Like nothing?"

"You've been looking at each other all night!"

"He was sitting straight across from me!"

"Mmm...not with eyes like that."

"His eyes have been on our server."

"Oh," Peggy waved it off, "That's different. He likes you. He just...lusts, for her."

"Whatever you say."

But, as she thought about what Peggy said… "He likes you," she had to hide her small grin.

"It's getting stuffy in here, Shugs," Nancy fanned herself, "Let's go wait outside."

They shuffled through the crowded floor. Out of the corner of Leah's eye, she saw Boomhauer, lean and angular, with an air of mystery around him, a shape she would know anywhere…

Disappointment settled in when she saw he was talking to their server, his elbow above his head and leaning on the doorframe to the kitchen, pressing his muscles into relief. The pretty waitress was blushing and giggling as he coolly flirted with her, and Leah felt stupid.

The evening air felt refreshing after she pushed her way outside with Peggy and Nancy. Hank, Dale, and Bill were already waiting for them.

"Where's Boomhauer?" Hank asked.

"Picking up our server," Leah said flatly.

"Figured as much."

"I hope he remembers he's our ride home," Bill said, sounding annoyed.

"Anyway," Leah shook her head, to rid herself of her discontent, "Tonight was so much fun!"

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Nancy agreed.

The bright neon signs hanging in the windows reflected in Hank's glasses. "This was a great idea. Thank you, Bill, for coming up with it."

"I didn't do anything," demurred Bill.

"Sure you did," Leah assured him, "It was your idea to go out tonight!"

He reddened slightly at her smile. "Well, I hope you're feeling a little better now, at least."

"Yeah, what was the matter with you, anyway?" Dale questioned.

Before Leah could answer, Boomhauer stepped out onto the sidewalk beside them.

"Get her number, Boomhauer?" Hank teased.

"Of course he did," Dale responded, "He probably got something else from her, too."

"Dale," sighed Hank, "Shut up."

The two groups said goodbye to each other before splitting off to their cars.

The storefront windows and lit signs illuminated Leah, Boomhauer, and Bill as they walked down the sidewalk.

When they got to the car, Boomhauer opened the door for her again.

On the ride home, Leah and Bill animatedly discussed the events of the evening, like the excitement of the trivia game, the delicious food, and the quirky decor.

The street lights overhead occasionally illuminated them with a yellow strip of light as they passed underneath.

"I can't believe you knew that one answer was plein-air," Leah said to Boomhauer.

He shrugged with a grin, not bothering to appear modest. "I like art."

She smiled. "Me, too. Do you make any?"

"Not really. Sometimes. You?"

"I mostly draw. Pencil and ink. Sometimes I paint, usually with acrylics."

"I'd like to see your pictures sometime," Bill said from the backseat.

Too bad Dan tore them all up.

"I'll have to get some new sketchbooks."

"You don't have any?" questioned Boomhauer.

"Not anymore. Art is a habit I have fallen out of, I guess."

He nodded understandingly. He had a few hobbies he had lost over time as well. But he couldn't picture Leah becoming like him, complacently standing in the alley with a can of Alamo day after day. She was so active and full of life, so attuned to herself and to the world. He didn't want to see her lose her interest in art, which he knew she must be good at, as she was good at everything she did…

"You should start back up again."

Half teasingly, Leah said, "You're really keeping me in check, you know. Getting me to run again, and now trying to get me to draw again."

He knew she was being playful, but his answer was serious. "I just don't want to see you end up boring like me."

"If I end up anything like you, I'd still be cool and interesting." She felt bold saying it. She wasn't sure why she said it to begin with.

The fleeting street light from above them briefly threw Boomhauer's face into view, the contours of his face still shaded underneath the sharp high points, and Leah saw his smile.

It was amusing to her again that he parked in front of her house, despite being only two houses from his own driveway.

She was about to thank him for the ride, but he had gone around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

"Thank you," she smiled. "And thank you for the ride. And thank you for dinner, too."

"No problem."

Bill had climbed out alongside them and said "Let me walk you to your door."

Boomhauer followed behind them, and Bill scowled.

The gently rippling water of the pool glittered under the moonlight. The shapes of Leah's furniture, masked under the shadows of night, were dimly visible through the sliding glass doors.

For the first time in a week, she didn't feel a pit of dread at the thought of going inside.

"I had a great time tonight," she said to them. "Thank you, both of you, for taking me out."

She reached towards Bill and hugged him.

"I'm happy you wanted to go," Bill smiled. He was flushed pink when they broke apart.

Leah turned to Boomhauer. "And thank you, again, for dinner."

She hugged him as well, pressing against his lean muscles, smelling his clean, spicy cologne. He only hugged her with one arm, a quick and noncommittal squeeze.

"Really, it's nothing." They pulled back and he paused for a moment, seeming to decide if he should say what he was thinking or not. Softly, he said, "I hope you're feeling better, so you can run again."

She smiled, once again feeling shy under his tender gaze. "I think I will start up again tomorrow morning."

"Good… I'm glad."

They looked at each other, something unspoken beginning to form between them, but it was torn away when Bill roughly cleared his throat.

Boomhauer held his irked expression off, and nodded a polite goodbye to Leah.

"See you guys tomorrow," she waved.

She went inside the house, her home, and breathed in deeply. It was wonderful how just one evening with friends made her feel so much better. It was hard to believe that just this morning she was still shackled by panic and fear.

After laying out her jogging clothes for early the next morning, she got around for bed and laid down, peacefully, no longer afraid of restless dreams.

She thought of Peggy, and how kind and knowing she was, and what a good person to have as her support. She thought of Hank, and Nancy, and Bill, and even Dale, who were all so open and friendly, all stepping in to cheer her up.

And, maybe most of all, she thought of Boomhauer, and how mysterious he was, but also how mindful and caring. She knew he had other interests, other women, and she wondered why he never flirted with her like he flirted with their server earlier that night.

Must be she wasn't his type.

Why did it matter? She didn't want to date anyone, anyway.

But before sleep enveloped her completely, she thought about his smile...