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Part Nine

I practically stomp to Sara's apartment after I get out of the car. She's going to listen to me whether she likes it or not.

This time when I reach her door there's no trepidation, no nervousness. Determination is a wonderful thing.

She opens the door and I barge past her into the apartment, just in case she got any ideas about slamming the door in my face.

"What part of don't bother didn't you understand?"

I hold my hand up gesturing for her to shut up.

"I left once, that's not going to happen now. You best shut the door because I'm not leaving till you hear me out."

"Catherine..." She's using her best warning voice but I don't give a crap.

"Not gonna work. The only way you're getting me out of here before hearing me out is if you physically throw me out, and if you do, I'll just shout it all through the door. I'm sure the neighbours would love a little show."

She's looking at me shocked and angry; after my pitiful efforts before I don't blame her. Thankfully she seems to resign herself to the fact that I'm not leaving.

"Fine, whatever." She says as she closes the door then makes her way to the sofa, trying to ignore me.

I move and sit on the table in front of her, so she can't avoid me.

"Now I want you to listen to me, then after I've explained, if you still want me to leave, I will."

"Whatever." I can work with that.

"I want you to tell me exactly what Greg said to you."

She looks at me disbelief.

"Quicker we do this, quicker you get me out of here." Please work, please work.

"Fine." Thank god. "He said you'd made a bet with him in the diner a few weeks back that you could get a date with the next person who walked in, it just happened to be me. He said he told you that you should wait for whoever came in after me but you didn't want to. He also said the two weeks we're up, then started going on about his new night off."

"That was what he won when I lost, he gets my night off, and I work for him."

"I don't believe you." Thank god, she's actually talking to me.

"Then don't." I grab my cell phone dialling Greg's number. "Ask Greg, you know he won't lie to you." It's ringing so she has no choice but to talk to him.

A few minutes and a slightly awkward conversation later she turns the phone off.

"You hadn't told him? He said he won, I don't get it."

"Because it had nothing to do with the bet, yes I made the bet, I'm an idiot sometimes. But I was going to see Greg to tell him I forfeit when I saw you in the locker room."

"I only asked you out the day before Greg told me, you could have just not had time to tell him." Valid point.

"True, but you asked me to breakfast weeks before, I could have told him that was a date, or any of the other times we went out after that couldn't I?"

"But they weren't dates."

"Would he have known that? After I told him I could have just asked him not to say anything, because you're such a private person, then you'd never have known."

She looks confused, good, that's what I wanted.

"The fact is that yes, the bet put the idea in my head but that's all. The rest was all you. I had a million chances to tell Greg. But I didn't, I know I should have told him I wanted out but as soon as you asked me to go to breakfast with you. But I knew if I told him, that he'd tell you, and you'd get the wrong impression, and I didn't want that. I wanted to tell you myself. We were actually becoming friends, after so long and I didn't want to ruin that."

"I don't understand why you didn't just tell me."

"No and honestly neither do I. You know why I didn't at first. Then I kept getting distracted, having more important things on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like you, like dealing with a very sudden attraction to a co-worker, a female co-worker at that, like trying to get my hormones under control whenever I was around you. Then I totally forgot about it, after I kissed you everything else didn't seem to matter so much." The memory of her kisses alone makes me flush, and I fight the urge to look at her mouth, not right now.

"And if you remember correctly you asked me out, if it was so important to me wouldn't I have asked you out right away? Not waited?"

"I guess."

"And I'd have been on the phone two minutes after you left to tell Greg I won if it was as important to me as you think, wouldn't I?"

"Yeah." Please let her finally be seeing sense.

"And now I want you to tell me something, and I want you to really think before you answer. When we kissed, did it feel real? Did it feel like I didn't want to be kissing you? Did it feel like it was the last thing I wanted to be doing? Or did it feel like I wanted it?"

Thankfully she thinks about it for a second before answering.

"It felt real." She whispers. YES!

I move to kneel on the floor directly in front of her, making her look at me.

"It was real, god I can't describe how it felt to kiss you. I didn't want to be anywhere else but with you, and please, please believe me when I tell you I did not do it for a bet."

She's confused, and I don't blame her, I would be to, I can tell she wants to believe me, which is all the encouragement I need.

"Would I be here now if I didn't care? If this had all been some big joke to me."

Come on Sara please see that I'm telling the truth.

"Bets over right? I lost."

"What?"

"You spoke to Greg; the bet is over isn't it?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So now, when I do this, there's no reason for me to do it unless I want to."

She looks at me, still confused, seems to be the theme for the day. It doesn't last long though because I lean in, pressing my lips to hers.

I feel her try to pull away, but I follow her, until she's pressed into the sofa with me on top of her, since I'm still kneeling on the floor this is really uncomfortable, but I don't care.

She's not kissing me back, but I'm not about to give up.

I tease her bottom lip with my tongue, pulling back just enough to whisper. "Kiss me." Against her lips, and then kiss her again. Her body starts to relax. "Please." I whisper.

Thank god I think as she finally starts to respond, kissing me back, tangling her hands in my hair as her mouth slowly opens up to me, greeting my tongue hello with her own.

A minute or so later I pull back from our kiss, panting slightly. I don't move though away though, I need this connection with her.

When I have my breathing under control I speak. "That was real; I did that because I wanted nothing more than to have you kiss me. We could have something here, and whatever you think right now, whatever is going through your mind, know this; I want you, no ulterior motives, and no outside influence, just me telling you how I feel."

"Cath I..."

"Shh, don't answer now. Think, then when you know for sure what you want, come find me, I'm not going anywhere."

I stand and turn to leave; I got her to listen to me and gave her something to think about, now it's time to let her think. Decide if she trusts what I'm saying, because it's all irrelevant anyway if she doesn't.

I just about make it to the door when she grabs my hand.

"Please don't go, stay with me."

As if I'd want to be anywhere else. I let her guide me back to the sofa as I silently thank whatever god it was that decided we get another chance.

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Sam