June 1st was addictively hot. It wasn't so hot that you had to hover over a dust-blowing fan; you just couldn't help but go outside to enjoy the sun.

But it was still too hot for unnecessary clothing.

Feeling lazy, Abby laid under a tree by the river, dressed in cut off denim shorts and a white bathing suit top. Letting her arm fall over her face to shield her eyes from the glaring sun, she decided she was perfectly content on just getting a tan.

Gordie peered over at her, wondering if she was asleep. Then he decided he didn't care because he was getting stick pokey things in his bare back and it had been her idea to come out to the embankment, so she did not get to sleep. He poked her in the stomach.

She frowned and brushed his hand away. "Don't touch my tummy flub," she mumbled.

Not giving up, he rolled over on to his stomach and draped an arm over so he had one hand on either side of her. The feeling of warm, slightly sweaty bare skin against bare skin was too much for him and he had to pull back slightly. "Abby."

She peered up at him from under arm. "Oh, hello," she smiled, reaching up to him and brushing his soft brown hair off his forehead.

"I need to talk to you," he said, not smiling back.

Dexter broke away, still tasting Delia on his lips. He smiled, but wished so badly to see her face. She felt beautiful. He would give almost anything to be able to look in her eyes or see her smiling back at him.

He opened his mouth to tell her something, but then she said it first, an innocent giggle in her voice. "I love you, Dexter."

He grinned wryly, kissing the tip of her nose. "I don't blame you." When he heard her laugh, he joined in. Then he slowly let his hand drift up the front of her shirt, surprised when she didn't pull away, but instead kissed him harder.

"Delia…?" he began.

"What?" she demanded, and he couldn't help but smile. He loved that he had been able to bring out the sweetness in her for everyone else to see, but he had to admit that the bitchy side of her was very appealing. "You expecting me to slap you on the wrist or something?"

"I wasn't wanting you to."

"I'm not a prude or anything, Dexter," she said, somewhat crossly. "You're my boyfriend. We're supposed to be touchy-feely."

"Delia, I know, but you've talked to me about your dad and I don't want to make you feel threatened in any--"

Suddenly he didn't feel her up against him anymore, but he did feel his bed rise slightly as she got off of it.

"Do not talk to me about my father, Dexter," she said in a low, grating voice.

"Stop, Delia, come here," he pleaded, mad at himself for upsetting her. It would have been so much easier to not let his conscience interfere with sliding into second base.

"You are not my father. You are not like my father. I wouldn't be with you if you were anything like him."

"I know."

"Why can't anyone just let me forget him?" she shouted.

Dexter wasn't used to hearing her raise her voice. "Delia," he snapped. "Come here. We need to talk."

Gage took Libby to the ice cream parlour, a kind and rare gesture on his part.

"I'm just doing this because one of the servers is hot," he explained, discreetly pointing to a blond pigtailed girl. "Go sit down and I'll order for you so I can flirt in private."

"Hey, isn't that Ace Merrill's sister though?"

"Yeah. Hot, huh?"

"He is gonna KICK your ass."

"Nah, we're friends."

"Not if you boink his little sister." Libby raised an eyebrow at him and then told him, "I want nuts."

"Uh, good for you."

"On my ice cream."

"I know."

Libby's eyes widened when she spotted Teddy sitting in a corner booth alone. He glanced up at her, fluorescent lights reflecting off his glasses.

Their "relationship," for lack of a better term, was not a friendly or comfortable one.

So when Libby walked over to his table, he looked surprised and panicked.

"What are you doing here alone on a Saturday?" she asked, not bothering or even thinking to say hi.

"To be frank," Teddy said, "I have my eye on Ally Merrill."

Andie's tears sprang to Libby's mind, and she grumbled inwardly to herself, wondering what the hell it was about Andie that made everyone care about her.

She sat down heavily, defeatedly, across from Teddy. "I need a word with you, buddy."

"What is it?" Abby asked, absentmindedly tracing a finger along his collarbone.

"I'm scared that I'm not treating you like you deserve to be treated," he blurted.

Abby searched his face, her eyebrows knit in confusion. "Gordie, why do you think that?"

Sighing, Gordie flopped back on his side. It felt nice to be honest with her. "I need you so much, and it's like you always have to be there for me and I'm not there for you…you're perfect to be, Abby, you're perfect for me, but I'm not fair to you. I don't know if I'll ever leave behind what Denny took from me when he died--if that makes any sense at all--and I just take too much from you."

This time, Abby rolled over on top of Gordie. "Okay. Hmm. Okay. I love you. And you…love me. I know that. You're the best thing to ever happen to my life, and just being with you is enough for me. I'm in love with you. And I know you're in love with me. You could never take too much from me because you keep on giving back."

"You mean that."

"Very muchly."

Gordie grinned, stretched up and kissed her softly. Then he rested back on the ground and she gave him a playfully seductive look. He laughed and said, "I need to find my shirt."

"There is nothing I want more than to…be with you," Dexter murmured into Delia's coconut-scented hair. "And I know you want to forget about your dad. But being with me and forgetting your dad should not be the same thing."

"It's not," she insisted. "Dexter, I am trying to forget that asshole, and you've helped me, along with Chris and therapy. I could not be with you if it weren't for all the help I've gotten. I never could have let you touch me and not feel used. I never could have learned what loving someone with every part of me could be like, and I never would have known what honest, selfless love felt like to receive. " Dexter heard a shiver in her voice. "My father is dead. My memories are not dead. But Dexter, you keep me so alive. I never knew how to feel until there was you."

Dexter was so oddly, strangely moved that he didn't know if he would be able to speak his emotions. "Delia, you are so beautiful, I just wish I could see you."

His breath caught in his chest as her hands lowered. "Then just feel me," she murmured.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Teddy stared at Libby in disbelief. "A pardon?"

"You see, you're sitting here, trying to see if you can get some new girl to fall for you so you can feel all ballsy, and then you can get her wrapped up in all your fucking pain and just cut her off completely--"

"What are you talking about, Libby?" he demanded.

"I'm talking about Andie! God knows I can't stand the conniving little bitch, but you know what, she loves you. And you love her back, asshole, don't deny it because you know she does something to you. You made her cry last night, did you know that?"

"I was kinda drunk."

"Of course you were!" she cried. "Alcohol is the only thing you're true to, isn't it Teddy? Andie thinks she can save you, and dammit, you either tell her that you are beyond her help, or you let her save you. Stop fucking with her!"

He laughed bitterly; mockingly. "Gee Libby, aren't you just the snippy one today. Andie must have gotten to you, huh?"

"Whatever."

"I never claimed to have good judgement, but giving you up was stupid even for me." He grinned. "You're kinda sexy when you're mad."

"Shut up. I'm just trying to do what I think is right."

"Oh, that's very noble of you, very self-righteous. Have you been taking hypocrite lessons from Chris?"

"Fuck you!" she yelled, as Gage grabbed her by the wrist and pulled me violently to my feet. She noticed he didn't have any ice cream.

"Jesus, I can't take you anywhere!" Gage exclaimed.

"I didn't come here to talk about me, Teddy, I just wanted you to stop hurting Andie! How can you deliberately hurt someone who's in love with you?" she demanded, trying to shake Gage off of her as he dragged her towards the door.

"Andie?" Gage looked over at Teddy and gave him thumbs up. "Man, way to be! That chick's HOT!"

Teddy muttered, taking off his glasses and wiping at his eyes. "She's more than that."

[Author's Note: There's one more chapter left!!]