Houston, Texas

"…so I came here to find answers, to settle old memories and achieve peace but so far I haven't really been able to do that."

Light on detail, Bobby's revelations felt special nonetheless. He'd told her he didn't want to talk about his problems, but now he was. The story would have been difficult to follow had she not already known some of the details, but that didn't really matter seeing as she didn't get the feeling he was looking for another opinion on the situation, just someone to listen to him.

"Are you going to give up or keep trying?"

Interested in what he had planned, especially since it would bring them together eventually if he did continue to pursue answers, it briefly crossed her mind how complicated she'd let things become, although the level of comfort she felt being with him offset that a bit.

"I haven't decided."

Nodding and smiling, she stayed quiet, allowing him to continue if he wished.

"No one wants me to keep trying, they want me to stop, but I don't know what she would want."

Referring to Pam's wishes, not that that was clear from anything he'd told her before, it occurred to her that he was making himself miserable chasing after something he'd never be able to truly understand. She'd never known her sister, but he had and even he couldn't grasp exactly how she would have felt about things. Pam could have been like Cliff, completely disinterested in engaging with their mother, or she could have been more like her, fascinated by secrets; neither of them knew or would ever know now.

"What do you want?"

Encouraging him to think about what would satisfy his curiosity rather than what he thought he was supposed to do, she knew not to expect too much from him in the way of answers, and that was what she got.

"Dinner."

Changing the subject, his response amused her, and his subsequent remark delighted her.

"Will you join me?"

"I'd love to."

Thrilled that he was inviting her to spend more time with him, she was glad too that they were going to eat. She didn't know how long they'd been sitting at the bar but she was definitely beginning to feel the effects of the drinks she'd consumed.

Signalling to the bartender that they'd like a table, a hostess appeared from somewhere within seconds and before she knew it they were walking through the now busy bar into the adjoining restaurant, his hand resting lightly on her back.

Assisting her to sit down, she appreciated how natural his chivalrous behaviour felt. She'd dated before, but his actions came off as far more subconscious and instinctive than those of any of her previous suitors.

Perusing the menu, she studied him after making her decision, looking away in embarrassment when he glanced in her direction and noticed her watching him.

"What is it?"

Grinning, he didn't look the least bit upset about her staring.

"I was just thinking about what a nice time I'm having."

Opting for a version of the truth, her answer seemed to satisfy him, and his smile charmed her.

Overwhelmed, she excused herself from the table, following the directions the hostess gave her when she asked.

Alone for a moment, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, she pinched herself, definitely feeling the pain; she wasn't dreaming, although it really didn't feel real. She was dining with Bobby Ewing and he was everything she'd imagined him to be; he was charming and caring and his physical demeanour was warm in a way that couldn't be captured in a photograph. She hadn't really had a plan when she'd left home earlier, but letting things develop on their own seemed to be working just fine.

Returning to him, the starter salads that arrived not too long after were a welcome addition to her evening consumption, eating was exactly what she needed to do if she wanted to remain able to have a conversation.

"I want to get everything straight so I can move on with my life."

Finding their way back to his earlier thoughts, this one sounded different to her.

"Move on?"

"Mm, I have a lady waiting for me in Dallas but I'm too stuck in the past to let anything happen with her."

Explaining himself, his words genuinely surprised her. He'd been being vague all night, but she was sure she hadn't missed reference to another woman in what he had said.

"Forgive me, but I don't think that's any reason to rush your intentions here."

She didn't realistically see a future with Bobby herself, no matter how mutual she thought their attraction was, however, she felt possessive over what she had now.

"I don't intend to rush anything, but I do need to make a decision about the future. It's not fair to her; I can't make her wait forever."

Listening to him, she didn't like what she was hearing. He'd spent a long time talking around Pam, now he was talking about someone else, while dining with her, it just wasn't balanced and she doubted he was in any state to make decisions about the future.

"She's waiting now, what's the harm in taking a little longer to figure out what you need?"

If the lady he was talking about knew him at all, she surely understood what his life was like now, and if she cared, she'd do what was best for him, which was not rush him.

"I waited so long for her, now she's waiting for me, eventually we'll end up passing each other again."

"You don't want that?"

"You're curious."

Appearing to notice that she'd taken more of an active role in their conversation, Bobby's tone bothered her, but it was JR that she saw as the real problem. If he hadn't kept what he knew of his brother so close to his chest then she wouldn't have sounded so nosy now.

"I'm trying to help you."

"Why?"

Interrupted by the waiter arriving with their next course, she was grateful to have a second to think about her answer.

"You seem like you need it, I'm sorry if I came on too strong."

Shaking his head and smiling, he didn't quite address what she'd said but appeared to accept her words as an apology.

"You're sweet."

Describing her how he saw her, his assessment differed to how she saw herself, but she wasn't going to argue with him.

"Let me help you."

Brushing his hand against hers, she didn't know whether his movement was deliberate or not, but it felt wonderful, and she took it as a nonverbal sign that he was indeed happy to accept her assistance.

To be continued…