Two yawns and a lot of whining made it obvious that Ella needed her nap. Ryan sensed it and started heading for the mall exit.

"We've got to get going, or else someone's going to throw a tantrum," Ryan whispered to Summer, who smiled politely. Inside she knew that she didn't want them to go. Chino and his kid had been more fun than she expected. It had been more fun in Newport than she could remember. It had been fun. Period.

Ryan looked over at Summer, who fiddled with the buttons of her cardigan as she walked. When they first met, when they first started getting along, he was convinced that she was the type of girl that he needed to stay away from. The one that would make him feel inferior all the time – she still called him Chino after all. But now, that was a term of endearment rather than an insult. And this past few hours had been fun. Ella had fun, Summer had fun, Ryan was confused by all the fun, but he knew he enjoyed it as well.

Suddenly, the little girl in his arms felt a lot heavier than before. The Daddy senses in him urged him to tuck her into the little bed in his apartment and watch infomercials til she woke up again.

But that wasn't what Ryan wanted.

He wanted to hang out with Summer some more.

Why? He didn't understand it. Maybe he was just lonesome. Lonesome for company that was his age. Company that was his age that wasn't the mother of his child. Company that was female. Company with a smile that shone almost as bright as Ella's.

"So, you're going?" Summer's voice even sounded bright.

"She needs to nap." Why did he sound so lame?

"Okay..." she bit her lip, wondering whether or not she should just let him go. She decided against it. "Do you want to hang out some more later?"

"Sure!" he replied almost too quickly. In his head he scolded himself for sounding so eager. It wasn't like he liked Summer. Of course, he liked Summer. But not like that. His thoughts rambled together.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had fun this afternoon."

"Me too... Ella's really great."

"You just like her because she's a potential shopaholic." He smirked and she burst into a fit full of giggles. He couldn't help but smile, not because he thought he was funny but because she found him funny. What was this? Ryan couldn't possibly be feeling this ridiculous over Summer. It was Summer.

"I loved clothes from the moment I left the womb. Some kids are just like that." Summer added when she had finished laughing. Her smile soon disappeared when she realized that they had finally reached the mall exit.

"So, uh, I'll see you later?" Ryan asked, insecurely. "You still have my cell number, right? I'll text you directions to my place. I doubt she'll be conscious for the next three hours or so." He patted his daughter's dark curls gently as the little one snuggled against his broad shoulder.

"Okay, sure." Summer replied, patting Ella's shoulder.

Looking past Ella, she stared into Ryan's eyes. Deep blue, but bright at the same time. He returned her stare and awkwardly, they stayed immobile. Two adults with a child standing between them.

XXX

The fifteen minute car ride to his apartment seemed to last mere moments to Ryan. He was still caught up in wonderment. He hadn't felt this young since before Ella, since before Newport was ever a part of his life. With his sleeping daughter next to him, he began to feel pangs of guilt.

She was his source of happiness. But deep in his heart, he knew that she was also the reason for why he felt so old. He wasn't blaming her, he never could. Facts were facts. Theresa's pregnancy forced Ryan to take that final leap into adulthood and never look back.

Cradling his daughter's head, he trudged up three flights of stairs as smoothly as he could. When Ella woke up, it was always a mission to get her to fall back asleep. Luckily, she stayed in Dreamland while he opened up the door to his one bedroom apartment and laid her on top of his blue comforter.

He sat next to her for a few moments, listening to her breathe, not because he was scared she might stop – though that had haunted him in her first year of life, but because he loved her. "At least I know you love me," Theresa used to say when she woke up to find him staring at her. She always told him that it was a sign of love if you could be content watching someone sleep. And for the past few years, Ryan's life seemed perfectly whole watching his daughter sleep.

He didn't watch her for long though, after a matter of minutes there was a slight vibration in his pocket. Ryan sat up immediately and groped his chest pocket for his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ryan, its me." The voice was familiar and female, but he couldn't place it. "Summer."

"What's up, Sum?"

"Uh, you said you'd give me directions to your place?" He did? Oh yeah, because she was coming over. Oh God, she was coming over. Did he have time to clean? Where was she now?

"Sure! Where are you now?" Why was he sounding so eager? He looked around the apartment quickly, noted the corners that needed to be straightened and figured he could fix things before she came over.

"I'm at my dad's place actually." That was about twenty minutes away. He gladly gave her directions while walking around and kicking random stacks of books and folders into his closet. Ryan had always been neat- he never really had a choice growing up, if he left something lying around it was as good as gone. Dad or Mom would throw it out in one of their drunken fits, Trey would steal it, Theresa would "borrow" it – she needed to learn to return things even now, or one of Trey's friends would just take it. Now that he lived alone, he couldn't break his old habits of perfectly ordered piles and organized everything.

"Got that?" He asked after he listed the several turns and streets that were needed to get to his apartment.

"Sure, see ya in a bit!" Ryan could practically hear her smile.

"See ya," he replied- not being able to help it, he smiled as well.

This would be a fun visit.