The Picnic at High Park the following afternoon…

I stood at the edge of the grass uncertainly—watching with unease as the rest of the crew from G Majors mingled with the crowd as if this were nothing more than your average day—a mere moment in studio history. For me, it was a nightmare. I watched Chris peruse me silently from the sidelines, and I couldn't help but wince. I really did love him, but sometimes I felt like he was too good—as if he couldn't argue with me. I needed him to be angry sometimes just so I'd know he wasn't perfect—just so I'd know that he had emotions stronger than sympathy. Or maybe it was just because I was afraid that I had used that calm façade of his to get over Tom, and that made me uneasy. He smiled at me and I smiled back just as Darius approached me from the side. Why was I arguing myself out of a perfectly healthy relationship? Did I really want arrogant, 'I always get what I want' Tom?

"A perfect day for a fundraiser." Darius stated cheerfully as I just raised a brow up at him. Yep, he was making money out of this somehow. I could guarantee it. Nothing put him in a better mood than a stack of Greenbacks. I just rolled my eyes as Darius motioned for us to join him.

"Okay." He announced as I leaned causally against the back of a tree—watching as the rest of the gang strolled up lazily. I saw Tommy roll his eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh at our similar attitudes. He was so classic.

"Here's the list of events and who I have participating in them." Darius stated quickly as he laid it out on a nearby picnic table. I was too afraid to look at it so I just hung back against the tree—silently considering wrapping myself around the thing just so I could stay in one place all day. Tommy looked over at me with a grin, and I groaned. I knew what that look meant.

"Ready to kick some ass, Partner?" He asked me casually as he came to lean against the tree next to me. I just threw him a 'if we have to' look. He chuckled.

"Go ahead. Throw it at me. What do we have to do other than canoeing?" I asked him uneasily as his smile widened even more.

"Other than making out and hiding in a forest somewhere…." He asked as I just threw a leaf at his head. He grinned. It was nice to have him bantering with me instead of fighting so hard against Chris for my affections, but from the expression in Tommy's eyes, it was almost as if he had admitted defeat. Wait! I didn't know if I wanted him to quit vying for my attention. I almost enjoyed it, and I knew I shouldn't. He shrugged.

"We have to do a three-legged race along with the canoeing. Believe it or not, that's all he's got us down for right now. Count your blessings Harrison." Tommy said on a laugh as I just leaned over suddenly to pull a leaf that had fallen onto his head out of his hair. His face sobered quickly as I brushed at it gently, and I felt myself entranced by his piercing gaze as he seemed to fight some internal, demonic battle. I couldn't stand it anymore. I lowered my hand to my side—clenching it there to relieve the burn that suddenly infused it. Now would be a good time to just start the events. Yep, definitely a good time.