After everyone was moved into their new houses the group decided to have a cook out at the local park that was near by. While Teal'c who had returned a few days before took charge of the barbecue, Jack, C.J., Shayla, Trey, Ryan, and Daniel got a football out and started up a small game: O'Neill's VS Jackson's. Sam, Janet, and Cassie opted not to play but instead choose to watch and get the food that Teal'c wasn't cooking ready.
When the food was ready the game was put on hold and everyone gathered around the picnic table and dived into the food. All through lunch Cassie along with the adults couldn't help but notice the way C.J. and Shayla were flirting with each other. After all the time the kids had been there, they still hadn't quite figured out what C.J. and Shayla's relationship was. Even though the adults were reserving their opions, Cassie was convinced the two were an item.
"How do you think Daniel and Jack would feel about being in-laws?" Cassie asked Sam and Janet as she helped them clean up.
"What are you talking about?" Janet asked.
"Yeah as far as I know C.J. and Shayla aren't even dating." Sam added.
"Look I'm telling you those two have couple written all over them. Even if they're not dating now they will be. Trust me I have a sense for these things, I mean I was right about you and Daniel, right mom?"
"Ok I'll give you that one, but I'm still holding out for solid proof."
"So what's the deal with you and Shayla?" Jack questioned C.J. later that night back at the house while the two sat on the roof top deck. "Are you two like together or something?"
"What...no... we're just really good friends that's it nothing else." C.J. responded hurriedly.
"Yeah right, don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes you like her."
"Ok first of all it doesn't matter how I feel, because I'm not going to risk a life long friendship. And two just because you're technically my dad doesn't mean I'm going to talk to you about this kind of thing."
"Wait a minute you don't just like her, you're in love with her aren't you? How long have you felt this way about her?"
"Did I not just say I wasn't going to talk about this with you? Besides like I said we're just really good friends. Shayla could have any guy she wanted, she probably sees me as nothing more than the guy next door."
"Just answer the question."
"Fine honestly I've felt this way since I was six, I can even tell you the exact moment it hit me. We were celebrating our sixth birthday at the park. Shayla and I were playing by the jungle gym and I didn't want her to think I was a chicken so I started to climb the jungle gym, of course at the time this thing was huge and really high up. Anyway I got to the top and some how got my foot stuck, so I'm sitting up there starting to freak out cause I'm stuck, when Shayla starts to climb up after me, and the one thing you've got to know is at that age Shayla was completely petrified of heights, but she sucked it up anyway and came up after me. Although once she got up there and got me unstuck she pushed me off, not that she'll admit to it, but that's another story.
Anyway as I was laying there flat on my back in blinding pain, because of a broken collar bone and a dislocated shoulder I remember looking up and seeing Shayla sitting up there with the sun shining from behind her making her glow and look like an angel. And I remember thinking I love this girl, I love her, I love her, I love her, with all my heart, this is the girl I want to marry some day. Then I blacked out, woke up in the infirmary and there she was sitting by my bedside and those same thoughts went through my head again."
"So how come you haven't told her any of this yet?"
"Because like I said I'm not going to risk a life long friendship. Besides you're one to be talking."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"How many years have you know Sam and not said a word? Don't be lecturing me about not telling the girl of my dreams how I feel when you can't even do it." With that C.J. got up and went back inside the house."
"Ok Shayla spill it, what's the deal with you and C.J.?" Cassie demanded as she flopped herself down on Shayla's bed.
"If you mean are we going out then the answer is no. There's nothing like that going on, we're just really good friends that's it." Shayla answered as she pushed Cassie off her bed and spread herself out on it.
"Why not? I mean there's some obvious sparkage going on between you two."
"It doesn't matter, we're just friends. Besides C.J. could have any girl he wanted why would he choose me? I'm just the girl next door."
"What ever, look trust me C.J. definitely has more than friendship feelings for you." Cassie got up to leave, but stopped at the door and looked back at Shayla. "Before I go let me give you something to think about. You see yourself as the girl next door which means odds are that C.J. sees himself the same way as the guy next door." Done talking Cassie left the room leaving Shayla alone to think about what she'd said.