Calvin woke up and looked at the clock. It was after midnight, they had slept the day away. He figured his parents didn't want to disturb them and figured they must have needed their rest. Mandy was still asleep in his arms and he smiled. He wondered, does she know how happy I am just to have her here? Let alone in my arms? He placed a delicate kiss on her forehead. He rolled her onto her side off of him. He sat up in bed and let his eyes adjust to the dark. He looked around the room and saw his guitar next to his bed on its stand where it always sat when he was home. He moved to the edge of the bed and grabbed it. It hadn't been too long since he'd played, but it felt long ago from that say with Mandy. He grinned at the thought, the memory. Everything was coursing through him when he played with her. He could feel the music like never before. He could feel her beyond the physical sense. She was in his soul. He knew that feeling would forever me etched across his memory. He laughed at himself. He just realized that was a line from one of his favorite songs by the Cult. He figured, that's a start. He began playing the song gently, not wanting to wake Mandy. It wasn't the same though. He couldn't focus, he kept worrying too much about his fingers, or which fret he was on, trying to remember the next part. He hadn't been playing long when he felt her hand across his back and then grip his shoulder. Mandy sat up and leaned against him, laying her head on the back of his neck. She waited a moment to let herself wake up. Then she noticed something was missing. He had stopped playing. She had thought it so wonderful to wake up to his playing. It was a way for her to know he was there, that he hadn't left her this time. "Hey," Mandy sat up a little more and kissed his shoulder, "you stopped." "Yeah," Cal responded with a melancholy tone. "What's wrong?" She was concerned. Not overly, but enough. "Oh nothing, I was just having some trouble. I can't seem to keep my train of thought. It only seems to have one track, and it doesn't want to play right now." He was just looking at his guitar as if trying to discern what he had done to upset it. "It's still raining." She had an idea, but she wanted to ease into it, she still needed to wake up some more. "Yes Ma'am." He playfully began. He didn't want to dwell on his music problems. Mandy was awake now, and every moment she's awake is a moment of heaven he could be experiencing. He set down the guitar back on its stand. He turned around on the bed and took her hands in his. She still had sleepy eyes, but they were beginning to brighten into that startling green that took his breath away every time. "How long did we sleep?" "Awhile, but I guess we were tired, maybe making up for all those hours we miss when we're working." "Hmmm, but I'm awake now." Mandy smiled. "I noticed." Calvin teased. "Do you want to know something else you should notice?" Mandy leaned in like she was going to kiss him. "What's that?" Cal got closer to her, butterflies growing by the moment. "Your it!" Mandy kissed him quick then jumped off the bed and ran out the door. Calvin got to the door quick enough to see a flash of her hair go around the corner. He followed the musical sound of her laughter down the halls. It was like honey potion that filled his ears. They went running through the dark empty halls of his home. Him a few steps behind her the whole way. Calvin ran into the living room. It was empty with no signs of Mandy, and too many exits to search. The sound of the rain was getting stronger. There wasn't any lightening or thunder. Just the rain. He heard it clear now then he had in his room and the halls. The smell was around him. It was rejuvenating and free. The most natural scent he knew next to the scent he could only describe as Mandy. He scanned the room quickly. His eyes stopped dead on the front door. It was wide open and for a split second, he saw a glimpse her face. He ran out the door without a thought of the water ahead. When the drops hit him, he stopped abruptly. The drops were cool to the touch, but warm with life. It was consuming. He was instantly sent back to the last time he had been caught in the rain. Childhood was something he took for granted. Now with a music career, minimal as it was, it was enough to make him miss the simple things in life. Calvin wondered how Mandy could bare such a thing. Her career was far more extraordinary then his, but she took it with a smile on her face, and a song in her heart. Or at least, that's what she told him once. He looked around and saw her just off a ways. He was taken a back. She was far enough out of reach, but close enough for him to watch her hair slowly soak by the rain. She was smiling hugely. Her laughter none stop. Cal smiled and went running after her. She let out a small scream and ran from him. He started thinking about all the love stories he'd seen. Most had a scene where the couple played in the rain. He laughed, just like the movies, he thought it to be one of the biggest jokes ever. In the movies, the guy always catches her. He quickened his pace to match the beat of his heart. Calvin came from behind and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back into him. She laughed hysterically as she struggled to break free, but never letting go of his arms at the same time. She loved the feeling of his arms around her. Every time he held her she thought about it, about how safe and loved she felt there, nestled in his grasp. They settled down and Mandy said, "I think it's been ages since I played in the rain." "Same here, it's fun though, if I would have remembered, I do this more often." "Well then we'll just have to make each other a promise." "Yeah, a promise. We have to promise here and now, to never let each other forget to play in the rain." "I'll go for that." Mandy turned around with a jump. She stuck out her pinky finger, "Promise?" Calvin looped his pinky with hers, "Promise." They didn't let go for awhile, neither being able to shed the perma-smile they had been experiencing for about a month now. Calvin entwined their finger together and pulled her to him. He wrapped his right arm around her waist, he held her right next to him. Her left hand was holding his arm and he took her left hand and laid it on his chest. He moved his left hand to her back, rubbing it slightly with his thumb, and began to sway them from side to side. Calvin kissed her forehead and let his lips linger there. Mandy slightly pushed her forehead towards him when he kissed her. The rain fell on them and all around them, Their surroundings suspended in time. It was like a dream. "Calvin?" Mandy spoke. "Hmmm.." Cal only barely mumbled. "What are we doing?" She wasn't confused, just curious. It wouldn't have mattered what, just so long as she had a reason to be in his arms. She would be in his arms without a reason also, but she wanted to know what he was thinking. "Dancing." He spoke gently and surely. Mandy flipped. "No, no, no. I don't dance. I can't dance." She started to push away just barely. He wouldn't let her go. "What do you mean you can't dance?" He still had a soft tone, now a little teasing though. "I'm embarrassed." "Mandy, your a professional entertainer. You dance in front of millions of people on a regular basis. Are you saying that you will dance in front of all those people, but you won't dance with me?" "That's different. That's all choreographed." Mandy wouldn't look at him. She kept looking down shyly. "Mandy," Cal lifted her face to meet his eyes with his free hand, not wanting to let her go with the other. "This is choreographer. Just listen to your heart. It will tell you what to do. And the last thing you have to be embarrassed with is anything that involves me." Calvin leaned down and kissed her. It was brief but passionate. With that one kiss he sent away all her tension. Everything that she was holding back was released. They both marveled over their relationship. They were constantly having to save one another from their own misconceptions and fears. Neither pushed to hard on the other, but just enough to change everything for the better. They were truly each others better half. Ones inability could be countered by the others persistence and determination. Both relentless in their quest to make the other happy. They went inside and changed clothes again. Mandy dried off while Cal quickly changed into a grey muscle shirt and his shorts were replaced with grey boxers amazingly fast when Mandy turned her head once. He kept his back to her the whole time. No matter what she told him, it still caused a blush to rise from his chest to his face. Cal noticed it becoming a continued habit for her to wear his clothes, and only his clothes. He could hear her pull another button up shirt of his off the hanger. He was facing his dresser. Mandy walked over to the dresser with just the shirt on and slid in between him and the dresser, making every intentions to graze Cal. She opened the drawer and picked out a pair of red boxers. Mandy turned around to face Calvin. He was still standing there, frozen in place. She held up the boxers. "You should have worn these the other day when I dressed you." Cal saw the playfully look in her eyes, "I'll have to remember for the next time you dress me up in red." "You do know why I picked that red shirt don't you?" "Of course..." Calvin had a flirtatious smile on his face as he got a little more courage and stepped closer to her. "Because it's the same shirt I wore on our first date." "That's right!" Mandy was so excited that he had remembered. "But I know something you don't know." "What's that?" Calvin leaned in more and whispered in her ear, "That I was also wearing the matching boxers your holding in your hand that night." Mandy grabbed at his shirt. He was so adorable. She wanted him so bad right then. Calvin knew things were getting to that point. He backed away and sat down on his bed and picked up his guitar. Mandy turned around to hide the flush in her face. She put on the boxers. Feeling them on sent all kinds of thoughts shooting through her mind. Mandy was still in thought when she heard him play. He gently plucked the strings. The music was mellow, calm. Then she heard his voice. Mandy couldn't look at him. She continued facing the dresser the whole way through, never once looking at him. There distance was set physically, but they were closer then ever as he sang.

If I could sing you a song, Of rivers and oceans, Ideas and notions, How would it go?

Would I sing of a star, Of travels afar, The blue of the sea, All the things that could be.

Would you see the beauty, When you hear every note, See the things I have seen, Would you know who I dote?

You know I've seen clear water, The way it looks at sunrise, My gaze has never faltered, From the love seen in your eyes.

So I'll sing what I know, And of the much is true, All I know that matters, Is everything brings me back, To you.

Calvin stopped playing. He set down the guitar and looked up at Mandy. He didn't know how she would react. He didn't know how to react. He had written many songs before. He had even given Shane one or two to play with and see if Jonny Was. wanted to use them. Through all that, Calvin had never sung one of his songs for someone, not even once. All he could think was, she has to know I just wrote that on the spot, and for her. She wouldn't look at him. He stood up and walked the few feet to her. He was standing right behind her. Mandy was in disbelief. She didn't know whether to cry, or turn around and pin him to the bed. Calvin put his hands on her hips. Mandy leaned back into him. He bent his head down and kissed her shoulder. He moved up and kissed her neck. They didn't say a word. Mandy reached up from behind her and grabbed his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. He slid his hands to her front. They barely went up her shirt. He could feel her soft skin underneath his rough hands. Mandy made a slight inaudible noise. She turned around with his hands still touching her sides. She pulled him down to her lips. They kissed beyond anything they had before. He pulled back and kissed her neck again.

Mandy grabbed the bottom of Cal's shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Cal went back to kissing her like he had never stopped. His hands moved a little higher from her waist to her stomach and pulled her to him. Mandy started pushing Calvin backwards until they both landed on the bed, her on top of him. Calvin pulled back, "Mandy." "Don't talk Cal." Mandy stopped him with kisses. "I just...wanna...say..." Calvin tried to say in between breaths and kisses. "Hurry." Calvin pulled her up to look in her eyes. "I love you." Mandy started to kiss him again. Right before her lips closed on his she said, "I love you too." The kissed beyond life, beyond love. It went past the physical meaning of a kiss. It burned deep into their souls. They knew they would go anywhere for each other. Things were changing, they felt it. But they weren't scared of the changes. As long as they were together, it didn't matter. They changed together, grew together. They settled into bed that night with the comfort and belief that everything was right.