"Get up slug!" Paul said, as he shoved Benji onto the floor.

"Ah! FUCK!!" Benji swore, his face touching carpet.

"Shit, I guess I underestimated my own strength" Paul mused and grabbed onto his bicep.

"What's the time?" Benji blurted out, remembering Amity, and rubbing frantically at his eyes. He looked wide-eyed at Paul.

'No wonder she loves him' Paul thought, staring at Benji whose hair was all stuck to one side of his head, and who's makeup had smudged, giving him the appearance of a panda bear.

'The guy's so damn cute sometimes, even I could fall in love with him'

"Don't worry, it's still early. You didn't think I'd let you sleep in, when you've got a job to do, did you?" He tapped playfully on the back of the couch.

By now, Benji was utterly dazed. His head was killing him, his eyes were blurry and his jaw hurt from the fall.

"Dude, don't riddle me" He said, rubbing his sore jaw and yawning so hard that his eyes watered.

"Bro, you look like shit" Paul laughed and glanced at his watch.

"Amity's cousin called me about 5 minutes ago, it seems Amity forgot her dog, oh, by the way, does that thing have a name yet?" He asked, almost comically.

"Oh, this is bad…"Benji got up from the couch and placed his hand over his mouth. Then he stopped and looked at Paul. A confused expression passed across his face.

"Wait a minute, you woke me up to tell me Amity had just left didn't you?" he asked.

Paul's grin spread like peanut butter.

"Yep. Dude, she told me everything last night. I mean, at first I was pissed at her for dumping my ass, but after she told me that it was because she was in love with you…"

'Does everyone know?' Benji thought.

"So, are you leaving to stop her or what? Cause boy, the way I see it, you now got…" Paul glanced back to his watch.

"About 12 minutes to be out that door"

Benji, dashed upstairs.

Soon after he had left, there was a faint knocking at the door, followed by a quick buzz on the bell.

Paul, who had been eating toast, brushed off his shirt and went to answer it.

"Hi, I'm Lauren," Said the visitor. Paul, was momentarily struck dumb, she was so beautiful.

"We, ah, talked on the phone. I'm Amity's cousin" She filled in, and extended her hand to Paul's.

It took a full ten minutes for Amity to tag all of her luggage. Two of the pens that the lady behind the counter had given her hadn't worked, and in the end she had resorted to fishing her own one out of her handbag. Now, she was standing in line, and after already waiting for 15 minutes, was beginning to get the distinct impression that she'd be here for at least! Another 15.

'Things are so slow that it's almost like life's trying to tell me something'

That one thought, acted like the snowball in the avalanche. Suddenly her head was swarming with thoughts. Why am I doing this? Should I be doing this? Paul didn't want me to go, Morgan didn't want me to go and neither did Lauren. Maybe they're all right, maybe I am just making one BIG mistake. I shouldn't be so weak, that's what I am, weak. Instead of facing my problems I'm running away like a scared little child…I…

'Bus 457 to DC airport, boarding now' the announcer called out, interrupting Amity's thoughts. The line in front of her began to move.

With a screech of brakes and a cloud of exhaust, Benji jumped out of his jeep, which he had carelessly double parked, and made his way hurriedly over to the terminals.  He searched the faces of every person he passed, but none of them were Amity. Buses were arriving and departing all over the place.

'Which one is hers?' He thought, before deciding that he'd try them all if he had to. Luckily for him, it didn't come to that.

457...DC Airport…He read off the front of a bus up ahead. His heart beat faster, as he increased his pace to a run.

He grabbed the side of the bus and took the stairs 2 at a time.

'This is it!' He thought, as he ambled past a passenger who was loading his luggage into one of the top compartments. His heart pumped harder, and faster, beautiful adrenaline, cursed through his veins. He looked left, and then right, row after row after row, until…he reached the back of the bus. Amity wasn't there.

'How can she not be here? This cannot be happening' He thought despairingly. But it was. He had searched the entire bus and Amity was still now where in sight.

As he slumped back down the aisle, thoroughly deflated, and now receiving strange looks from a couple of the older travellers, he suddenly realised that the bus was only half full. There were still people getting on, and the driver was nowhere in sight. The bus wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. There was still time to find Amity. He'd ask at the cashier, get them to check that he had the right bus ,and then, if he didn't, he'd get them to check for Amity's booking.

He walked through the sliding doors, past the laughing kids and the kiosk, past the restrooms and the pay phones, and was about to make his way over to the counter when he heard an engine start up. He spun around just in time to see Bus 457 depart. Now Benji was in a state of panic once more. Had Amity been on that bus? Was he already too late? Since he could stand the thought of not knowing, no more than he could stand the thought of her already being gone, he pushed past the two teenage guys in front of him, and made a beeline to the nearest ticketing counter.

"Benji?" A small voice, laden with insecurity, called out from behind.

As Benji turned to face her, Amity saw every muscle in his body relax into utter relief. She couldn't believe it. He had come! But why? As her mind worked itself over, trying to find the answer, Benji began making his way over to her.

'Of course! He's come to apologise for those things he said to me. He must have heard I was leaving and come to apologise! That's why he's here. He'll come over and say sorry, then wish me a happy trip…not so bad. But how am I going to explain to him that I've changed my mind? That I'm staying!!!" Amity's palms began to get clammy. She quickly bit down on her lip.

They were now close enough to embrace, surely close enough to begin conversation, and yet, Benji said nothing. He just stared at her.

He stared at her as though she were the most beautiful creature in the world, and it made Amity feel extremely uncomfortable. But why, she did not know. After all, to be looked at like this by Benji had been her dream!

As she released her bottom lip from her teeth, and was on the brink of attempting speech, Benji moved a step closer and did something totally unexpected. He took his right hand and gently placed it on the side of her face. And as he did this, Amity's world slowed down. He touched her so softly, so lovingly, and so gently, as though she were as fragile as a bubble. He touched her because in that moment, he needed to touch her, just to be sure that she was real.

His fingers worked together, as they sort out a path through her hair.

Each inch he passed, sent tiny ripples of painful pleasure, travelling at the speed of light down her spine. If speech had been at Amity's disposal, she would have begged him to stop, for although his touching was beautiful, it was tantalisingly soft, and tormentingly slow.

He pulled her closer, so close, that she could feel his breath on her face.

His awed expression was gone; he looked so relieved to see her that Amity was sure he was going to cry. He took her in his arms, into his chest, and buried his face in her shoulder.

He squeezed her tighter, and tighter. And Amity felt as though she was dying. Her life had been turned upside down in an instant, and Benji had done this with no more than a hug. Being in his arms, gave Amity an overwhelming sense of purpose. As though her whole life, her entire reason for being, was somehow linked to this moment. That loving Benji was what she existed for! But would it last? Could it last? Or was she simply being set up for the most devastating fall in her life's history?

Time to find out, Benji was pulling apart now, ready to resume his assault on her senses, with more touches, and a search for euphoria, which he seemed to find only in her eyes.

His own eyes were full of tears as he spoke.

"I thought I'd lost you"

The way he spoke those words, gave Amity shivers of guilt. He sounded so distraught.

"I…I'm sor…" She stumbled

"Don't you ever scare me like that again".

He embraced her once more.

Tears streamed down Amity's face as she wrapped her arms tight around his neck.

"Benji, I'm s..sorry" She bumbled hopelessly over the words.

"Sorry for what?" He pulled back to look at her once again.

"That fight…It was all my fault, I shouldn't have come to you about Paul…I should have."

Benji was confused.

Why was she apologising for that stupid fight? And then realisation hit home.

'She thinks I'm here to apologise. She doesn't know that I know that she loves me. She doesn't know that I feel the same!!'

"Amity! That…was…" How could he tell her she was wrong without making her feel stupid?

"That was just me acting like a total jerk because I was jealous and hurt. I thought you were in love with Paul"!

'W..what' Amity mouthed in silence.

What Benji had just said, no matter how much she tried to absorb it, it just wouldn't go, there was something about it that just sounded so familiar…

"Ok, bare with me here for a sec ok? Say you're Benji and you like Amity. Now, how is seeing her hanging around with Paul everyday gonna make you feel? And now imagine that Amity comes up to you one day wanting to talk to you about her relationship with Paul. How do you react, being Benji?"

That was it!! Morgan!

'But if Morgan was right all along, then that means that Benji is in love with me?'

The thought was too good to be true. She had to know!

"You're saying that…?" She nervously began her question.

"I'm saying that I love you! I've always loved you."

Amity was flabbergasted.

"Amity, I'm so madly and crazily in love with you and everything you do. I love the way your hair falls in your eyes, and how you blow it back only to have it fall down again…" He gently touched her hair…

"I love your smile, and the way you bite your lip when you're nervous"

'Had he been watching me all that time'? She wondered.

"And how you bake the worlds most delicious cookies…" He continued and Amity smiled.

"I love the way you take in homeless strays…" Benji paused

"And now…" He searched her eyes, seeking an answer to the question he had yet to ask.

"I'm just hoping that you can find it in your heart to take in one more"

Benji stopped speaking and Amity just stared at him. For days now, she had suffered. Going to bed each night, alone to confront her feelings for Benji and daring to hope that he felt the same way for her. And, although wrestling and living with the pain, which had come after he had cruelly yelled at her, had been great. Seeing Benji now, pouring out his heart like he was, and begging her to love him back, was ten times worse. If there was ever a time for them, it was now. With that thought it mind, and about a million dreams of the future, Amity took up the chance that destiny was kindly offering her, and kissed Benji.

As their lips met for the first time, an elated Benji, smiled softly.

"I'm really glad you did that," He said, once they parted. Already his lips were longing for hers once more.

"Yeah" Amity sighed, suddenly overcome with giddiness.

"I was running out of things to say" He teased.

Amity laughed, and to the music of claps and whistles, which had erupted from a select group of enthusiastic bystanders, she claimed his lips again.