Boomhauer wondered nervously if his gift had gone over well.

He was afraid it was too forward or creepy, to buy her something and then leave it in her house. But he wanted to do something to cheer her up, and let her know she was thought about and missed.

He didn't put his name on it, of course. He didn't want any credit or recognition. What he wanted was for Leah to feel better, and to find her passion for art again.

He was certain she would appreciate it… or would she think he was overstepping?

Again his thoughts frustrated him, going around in endless circles. He tried to push it all from his mind to give himself a moment of peace.

He was going to see her again at Hank's tomorrow which was a thought that did give him peace, but also another round of frustration… why did it matter if he was going to see her or not? He didn't want her as more than a friend…

Maybe he should invite somebody over tonight. Couldn't hurt.

He decided to call Breanne, a teller at his bank downtown. He hadn't called her in a while, and she was always good about leaving in the morning. Nothing worse than somebody who wouldn't leave or take a hint. One such time he even had to get Dale to call with a pretend emergency so Boomhauer would have an excuse.

Breanne came over later that evening, her long strawberry blonde hair set in curls. She was cute, and good at what she did, whether it was cashing checks or backwards cowgirl. Boomhauer had an appreciation for both services.

Late in the night, when everything was still and quiet under the clear, starry sky, Boomhauer laid awake, looking out the window. Breanne was next to him, though with a gap in between them, her sleeping form rising and falling gently with each breath.

He used to like this. No, he used to love this. This used to be everything he ever wanted. Calling a woman up and having her in his bed later that night...doing it again with someone else the next day… But he couldn't shake the buzzing thought that he didn't want this anymore. It wasn't doing much for him now...maybe instant gratification, but after it was over he just felt lonelier than ever before.

He wished he could stop thinking about Leah. But would it be so bad if he could spend some time with her, just the two of them?

Eventually he drifted off, his thoughts blending into his dreams, of life, of light, of flowers...

It was early, the sun still not above the horizon, but the birds had begun their morning chirping. Breanne had grabbed her clothes and was ready to leave while Boomhauer pulled on his silk robe and tied it around his waist.

"Walk me out?" she asked. She batted the lashes over her bright blue eyes.

"Sure."

She led him out to her car and tossed in her overnight back in the backseat. They said goodbye to each other, and she reached up for a kiss goodbye.

As soon as their lips met, a blur of color passed them.

Boomhauer already knew what it was, but he slowly turned behind him anyway, to see Leah two houses down now, in front of her fence. Her back was to him and she was checking her fitness watch. Then, without a backward glance, she disappeared into her backyard, presumably to go inside.

"Who was that?" Breanne asked. She was looking at Boomhauer's expression, which was betraying his worry.

"Just a neighbor."

Breanne shrugged indifferently and said a final goodbye before leaving, leaving Boomhauer to stand there looking conflicted.

He went inside and slowly went about his day, waiting nervously for Leah's welcome home party at Hank's this afternoon. He went through his typical weekend chores, including laundry and deep cleaning different rooms. His home was rather modern, with sleek, dark woods and leather, the occasional animal print, and a few potted plants of leafy green. There wasn't much that needed his full attention, as he was stringent with his cleanliness, with rarely a speck of dust to be found. Cleaning helped to calm his mind, just like detailing his car also did. He wondered if it was like meditating.

Hank, Dale, and Bill had collected out in the alley, as Boomhauer had seen while he washed his sliding glass windows. He was just about done cleaning by then, anyway, and went out to join them for a much needed beer.

"Yep," Hank said, once Boomhauer cracked the can open.

"Yep," nodded Bill.

Dale sighed after a refreshing sip. "Yep."

The day was sure to be a nice one. It was hot, but comfortable, the sun was bright, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen.

"Mmm-hmm."

"Gotta love a good barbecue day," Hank announced into the calm silence.

"Still don't see why we can't do it by the pool," grumbled Dale. "What's the difference?"

Hank sighed in annoyance. "As I've already told you, Dale, Leah just got home from a stressful week away. She doesn't need to worry about having guests right now."

"Haven't you done enough swimming in her pool while she was gone, anyway?" asked Bill.

"That wasn't in the context of a party, though."

After more idle talk, and with an enthralling conversation about Hank's new miter saw over a second beer, they all went to get things ready for the barbecue. Boomhauer and Bill brought out the picnic tables, Hank started the grill, and Dale unfolded the card tables to put the food on.

Soon everybody began filtering in. Nancy came with vegan pasta salad, Kahn and Minh brought a vegetable tray, and Luanne held Gracie while Lucky carried in bags of chips.

Trailing behind everyone was Leah, in a sky blue sundress and her hair twisted into a side braid.

"Oh, Leah, this is your party!" Peggy exasperated, "You didn't have to bring anything!"

Leah slid a tin of vegan lemon meringue pie by the other desserts. Smiling brightly, she responded, "I know, but I like to bake. And I like having people to bake for."

She continued to talk with Peggy, Nancy, Minh, and Luanne while Boomhauer looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked better today, not that she didn't look good yesterday, of course, but a good night's sleep seemed to have brought her glow back. And she was running, as he unfortunately saw this morning, but at least it was good to know she was feeling well enough to do that.

Lucky, Bill and Dale were in deep discussion about Pig Wars, where two teams have to try to capture a greased up pig.

"The team who catches the pig wins, of course," Lucky noted.

"What happens to the pig when it's over?" Bill wondered.

"Usually a nice spit roast."

Dale rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… Now that is a game I can get behind…"

Hank manned the grill while he and Kahn ribbed each other over the accuracy of their weather vanes.

"I think yours is rusty," mocked Kahn, "Mine is pointing farther north than your galvanized hunk of trash."

"For your information, Kahn, that is premium American made stainless steel."

The talk of greasy pigs and weather vane precision didn't particularly interest Boomhauer. These were definitely conversations to participate in after about three or four beers. He left to fetch another, suspended in the ice filled cooler sitting beside the buffet tables.

He felt her approach as his back was turned, as if her energy or presence altered his immediate atmosphere. He turned to face her, and she was smiling shyly at him, once again looking as though she wasn't sure if she should be bothering him.

"Hi, Boomhauer," she said.

He nodded hello.

"Um… Was it you who left the package on my table?"

He nodded yes.

She seemed to relax slightly, as though in relief. "I thought so. Thank you, very much. It was very kind of you."

"It's-"

"'It's nothing,' right?" She grinned teasingly.

He couldn't help but smile back, and shrugged in surrender.

"Well, maybe it's nothing to you, but it's something to me. So thank you for such a thoughtful gift. You're a good friend."

Yeah...friend...

"You're welcome."

She smiled again and turned away, making to return back to the lady group she was just with. Boomhauer wasn't sure what compelled him to speak, what made him think it was necessary to clarify himself, but he did…

"Leah," he called behind her.

She turned around, her expression questioning.

"About this morning…"

He wasn't sure what he wanted to tell her, exactly, or why he needed to justify anything...or why it mattered to him at all…

She waited for him to continue.

"That was...she's just a friend."

Great, now he looked like an idiot.

"Just...letting you know."

Leah continued to give him a searching look, probably trying to figure out why the hell he was saying this to her.

"Okay."

She smiled again. She was always smiling.

Suddenly she swept close to him, making to touch his arm, but seemed to change her mind partway through. Instead, just the very edge of her fingertips brushed his skin, landing briefly like the flutter of a butterfly.

"What happened?" she asked. There was a mottled bruise on his arm, close to his elbow. He had forgotten all about it until now.

"Ah...work."

"Looks rough."

"Yep."

"Peggy says you're a Texas Ranger?"

He didn't like talking about work, really. He almost never told anyone what he did. He didn't even use it to pick up women.

"Yep."

"Sounds exhausting."

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

Then he remembered his thing about wanting to put in more of an effort with her, so he asked, "How is being a paralegal?"

She lit up at the question, eyes shining with passion. "Oh, it's great. I get to do lots of research. It's like a treasure hunt in a way."

He had to smile a little at her clear enthusiasm. "Sounds exhausting."

She laughed. "If we're working on a big case, yeah, sometimes it can be. It's probably going to be exhausting once I get back into work on Monday. Without me there it's a bigger workload for the other two legal assistants."

"I wouldn't have figured you to go for a career like that. High stress and all."

"I like the organizing and learning," she shrugged, "And if I feel stressed I just meditate."

Boomhauer nodded. "When I'm stressed, I drink."

He cracked his beer can open.

He then wondered if that was inconsiderate, what with her father nearly drinking himself to death barely a week ago.

Leah didn't seem to mind, though, as she smiled playfully and asked, "Are you stressed right now, then?"

He looked at her, at her glowing skin, her golden hair, her sparkling green eyes, standing right beside him, so closely he could feel her energy, clean and graceful.

"Actually, I'm feeling alright."

Her smile changed, softening from playful to something demure, but her eyes never left his.

Was the energy different now, or was it just his imagination?

It didn't matter anyway, because Hank's call to eat rang out across the yard, cutting through any unspoken connection that might have been happening.

Everyone filled their plates and took a seat at the picnic tables. Boomhauer accidentally-on-purpose sat beside Leah, trying to make it look natural and unplanned.

Hank said grace, reserving a spot for Leah and her father in his speech.

"Thank you, Hank," Leah said after the 'Amen.'

"Of course, Leah. I think I speak for everyone when I say we're very happy to have you home, and that your dad is doing better."

"I want to thank you all again for taking care of things around my house while I was away," Leah addressed, "It really means a lot to me that everyone came together to help me."

"It was our pleasure," Hank insisted. "I believe you'll find your pool's pH balance at the optimum level."

"You've really got quite the garden, Shug," Nancy complimented from farther down the table, "Minh and I were in awe while we watered and weeded."

Minh nodded. "You should come take a look at mine; give me some pointers."

Leah talked with them about various compost ingredients and organic treatments, which was a much more interesting conversation to Boomhauer than Dale and Lucky talking about the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

After everyone had finished eating, Leah slid from the table and cleared Boomhauer's plate away for him. He didn't think too much into it, until she returned with a new plate with a piece of the pie she baked.

"How come you got Boomhauer a plate?" Dale asked.

Bill threw an annoyed look across the table, but said nothing.

"He hurt his arm," Leah replied simply, and grazed his skin near the bruise again. He felt goosebumps flare across his body.

Dale scoffed. "He's not crippled. I watched him use a torque wrench this morning with that same arm."

"I'm really hurt, Dale," Boomhauer insisted in mock seriousness.

Nancy returned to the table with a plate she set in front of Dale. "Happy now?"

He dug in immediately, and responded "Yep!"

Boomhauer took a bite as well, though more well mannered than Dale's.

"This is good."

Leah smiled. "Thank you."

"You made this?" Peggy asked.

"Of course!"

Everyone finished their dessert and the party lazily continued, as everyone was full and relaxed and warming under the late afternoon sun. More drinks were brought out, and small groups broke off around the yard. Boomhauer hung near Hank and Kahn, while out in the yard Dale, Lucky, and Bill further discussed the viability of organizing a Pig War of their own. Leah stood with the wives, sipping from one of Nancy's brightly colored wine coolers, laughing and talking with them as Boomhauer looked out of the corner of his eye.

Leah readied to leave and said goodbye to those who still remained. When she passed by Boomhauer to leave, he asked her quietly, "Can I walk you home?"

Smiling, she nodded.

He knew everyone was going to see the two of them leaving together, and he would catch hell for it later. Hank and Dale might tease him, but Bill would probably be pretty pissed.

He pushed it all to the back of his mind, leaving it to contend with later. Right now, his only focus was Leah, and the realization that walking across the darkening alley was the first time they had ever been alone together.

She must have noticed, too, as when they approached her back yard, she beckoned him to join her behind the fence so no one else could see them.

They stood beside one of her rose bushes and a cluster of unfurling tiger lilies. The air was fresh and sweet back there; it was quiet, peaceful, and it was just the two of them.

"Thank you for walking me home," she said quietly.

"Any time."

They both lingered, stirring slightly, stalling for time.

"I had fun talking to you at the party today."

She looked up into his eyes as she said it, looking for his reaction.

"Me too."

He wanted to tell her...something. Anything. He had to get this nagging, pestering feeling out of his stomach and out of his lungs, crushing and twisting his insides every time he looked at her.

He waited too long deciding what to say while his heart and mind squabbled with each other. Leah spoke again, in an attempt to smooth over what she mistook for an awkward silence.

"Maybe we could do something together. Um, next weekend?"

Her words tumbled out, rushed and uncertain.

He was surprised she suggested something like that-but it was exactly the sort of thing he wanted.

"Yeah. Yeah, sounds good."

Real smooth.

Leah smiled, brightening up in relief at his response.

"Well, I should probably head in. I have a lot to prepare for, getting back to work tomorrow after a week away."

He didn't want her to leave, of course. He could have stayed there forever, standing with her amongst the flowers.

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep."

She smiled a little, playfully, at his typical brief responses. She was about to say goodnight to him and turn away towards her house, but she abruptly found herself sliding into a hug. A real one this time, against his lean, taut frame, breathing in the smell of his cologne, fresh like citrus and spicy like cedar wood.

When they slowly pulled apart, her face was pink, though grinning. Boomhauer was certain he looked the same way.

He was surprised when he found himself back at Hank's. He didn't even notice his walk back across the alley after saying goodnight to Leah. His mind was still on the way her body felt against his; the way she looked up at him; and how she wanted to spend time with him again.

It was just Hank, Dale, and Bill left now, sitting on the patio couch and loveseat, the yard lit with the warm yellow glow of fairy lights strung above them.

"Back so soon?" Bill asked. His voice was even, but pointed with bitterness.

"We were sure you were going to bed with her," Dale teased, "You usually last longer than that."

"Shut up."

Bill's eyes narrowed. "What were you doing?"

"I just walked her home."

"And?"

"And that's all."

Dale barked out a laugh. "Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm not."

"Did you kiss?"

"No!" he bellowed,"What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?"

"You know what," Bill grumbled, standing up to face Boomhauer, "This isn't the first time you've done this to me, and I'm getting really sick of it."

"Done what?"

"Steal a woman away from me, one you know I like. Some fucking friend you are."

"You tried to break Marlene's ankle," Boomhauer pointed out. He felt the heat rising in him, but kept his voice steady.

"And what about Leah? I've been trying so hard to get her to like me, and give her space, then you swoop the fuck in right in front of me-"

"If you ever had a chance with her, why did she ask me out, huh?"

Everything went silent, save for the crickets chirping in the garden mulch. Hank, Dale, and Bill all stared in wide-eyed surprise at Boomhauer, who was standing his ground defensively, muscles tense.

Hank broke the quiet of the night. "She...asked you out?"

"Yep."

"Just now?"

"Yep."

Bill scowled and turned away, slumping back onto the patio couch in defeat.

"Just can't help yourself, can you?" Bill grumbled, eyes darkly shaded while he glared at Boomhauer. Boomhauer didn't respond, instead standing there awkwardly, considering walking out.

Bill spoke again, his resentment coated on every word. "So...what? You're going to date her? Fall in love with her? Marry her? Or are you just going to sleep with her once or twice and then ignore her like you do to every other woman in the world?"

Boomhauer closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "We were just going to hang out."

Bill rocked up to the edge of his seat and clasped his hands together. "Well if that's all it is, then let's all go!"

Boomhauer gave him an annoyed look, though he was too defeated to respond.

"Bill…" Hank began, but Bill stopped him.

"If Boomhauer says no, that means he wants her all to himself. Like a date."

"It's not a date."

…Right? She only asked if he wanted to hang out with her this weekend. That could mean anything, really.

"If it's not a date, then it doesn't need to be just the two of you," Bill smugly noted.

"Why do you want to be alone with her, anyway?" Dale wondered.

Bill scoffed. "He wants to sleep with her, that's why. She's nothing but a lay to him."

"Don't talk about her like that."

"Is it true though, Boomhauer?" Hank asked him.

"No, it's not true," he spat, "Can't a guy have a fucking friend around here?"

"Now don't talk like that to me," warned Hank, his tone stern, "I just wondered if you had your, uh...usual intentions with her."

Boomhauer was feeling pretty pissed off at this point. Sure, his "usual intentions" with women were most often just one night stands, save for the few women he had on the back burner to call on if he needed something quick. The only two times in his life he actually felt something real, something more than just a fuck, ended in crushing heartbreak. Why would he want to do that to himself again?

Leah was beautiful, and very physically attractive to him. He certainly had more than a few bedroom thoughts about her. However, she meant more to him than just that. He truly did like her, her personality, her soul.

But he had felt that way about Katherine and Marlene, too, and look how that ended up.

"She's just a friend."

Hank looked Boomhauer over, to see if he meant it. He pursed his lips and said nothing, not entirely convinced.

"If she's 'just a friend,' then please, let me have a chance," Bill implored.

Bill's face was pleading, eyes shining with longing. He was one of Boomhauer's best friends, he was like a brother to him, and was always there for him. Bill had helped Boomhauer see the light at the end of of the long tunnel of heartbreak after Marlene dumped him, even though Boomhauer had taken Marlene away right in front of him. Much like what he was doing now with Leah.

No woman was worth sacrificing Bill's friendship.

"Whatever. If you guys want to come, then come," Boomhauer sighed harshly, exhausted of the whole conversation.

"Where were you two going?"

"Haven't discussed it yet."

"Let's go bowling!" Dale suggested gleefully.

Bill and Hank whooped in agreement while Boomhauer groaned.

"No."

"Too bad!"

"I suppose I'll invite Peggy. She loves to bowl."

"Good idea, Hank," Dale agreed, "Let's make another night of it. Nancy would love to go out again."

Invite the whole damn neighborhood for all I care.

Boomhauer was feeling exhausted and had no desire to talk to the three of them anymore. He grumbled a goodbye and left before they could give him any more of the third degree.

It was strange, going from the elation of being with Leah to the sobering realization that he couldn't possibly have anything more with her.

He wondered, though, what she thought about him. She had said she wanted to do something together this weekend, just the two of them.

Hopefully she wouldn't be insulted that everyone else would be coming, too.