Tucking into his dinner later that evening, Chris cant stop smiling as he admires the woman opposite him. Knowing now for definite that he wants to be with her, it's like he is meeting her for the first time all over again. He finds himself getting lost in her hazel brown eyes, and reminiscing about the coconut smell of those gorgeous naturally curly locks. He never has understood why she insists on straightening them all the time. But there is still one thing that bothers him. Just one thing that needs sorting out.

"Babe?" he questions. "Can we talk about something?"

"Sure," she smiles. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What's going on with you?" he cautiously asks.

"Not a lot," she replies, still oblivious. "Keeping busy at the restaurant and schoolwork. What's going on with you?"

"No, I'm serious, Kate," Chris puts down his cutlery and rests his chin in his hand. "What's with all the fighting and aggression? Everyday you're getting pulled into Fisher's office. We can't carry on like this."

"Stop!" she shuts him off. "The minute you start acting like a teacher with me, then this, us, it isn't allowed. Two different lives, two different relationships. They're your rules, remember?"

Chris knows she is right. And he did come up with that rule. It was the easiest way to make sense of everything. To keep everything running smoothly, to cause as little disruption as possible, they both had to take on two different persona's. It was the only way they would make it through this.

"Can't you at least tell me why?" Chris enquires, before reinforcing his rule. "And right now, I'm not your teacher. I'm simply someone who loves you a hell of a lot, and I can't sit back and let you throw away your chance at some decent grades."

Katherine sighs. She totally gets why he wants to know what's going on. She must have been putting him in such a difficult position lately. Not only is he her teacher, but he is the deputy head. And so many times the school has expected him to discipline her, but she has always lashed out at him. Of course, she has always done it in frustration that she can't be true to herself, but that doesn't make things any easier for either one of them.

"Okay," she exhales, steadying herself. "So… imagine being around the one you love. The one you're pretty sure you want to spend the rest of your life with. Imagine being so close to them every single day, but not being allowed to show them a single shred of affection. Not a smile, not a suggestive look, nothing. Even though you know they feel the same way, still you can't give away even the slightest hint of feelings between you."

"I don't have to imagine," Chris admits, as he takes her hand from across the table.

"Right," she smiles, resting her other hand on top of his. "But for me, the only way I can get through each day is by finding some deep-rooted anger, I mean, full-blown rage, to try to fool everyone else into thinking how much I dislike yo- that person."

Chris is saddened to hear what Kate has been putting herself through. She has been wrestling with her feelings every day, and of course he has too, but she has gone about it in such a horrendous way. She must have been in so much emotional pain all this time. And he never even knew.

"Thats...that's not a healthy way of coping with this," he points out, as he gets up from the table to move closer to her.

But she doesn't like feeling vulnerable. She is wearing her heart on her sleeve right now, and even though it's her Chris she is talking to, she can't bring herself to allow him to see her so weak. Instead she gets up from the table, and takes the plates over to the sink. Anything to not feel the pity he has for her right now.

"But it's what I have to do, Chris," she argues. "Because if i don't shut my real feelings for you off completely and pretend they're not there, then I can't cope. Because if I see you as the Chris I love and not just another irritating teacher, I just want to climb over that desk of yours and give you a massive hug."

Finally she turns to face him. She can feel her eyes begin to well up, as the guilt and self-doubt she has been feeling all this time, comes bubbling to the surface.

"So i keep you at the furthest distance possible in that place," she admits, "because I am not strong enough to hide my true feelings."

"Hey," Chris holds her tight, getting a little emotional himself.

Seeing her so upset, breaks his heart. With all that she has been through the past couple years, he completely understands why she struggles to open up to people. He just wishes she could have trusted him with this sooner, and maybe she wouldn't be hurting so much right now.

Kate enjoys the embrace. She holds Chris tight, and closes her eyes as she relaxes a little. Feeling his arms wrapped around her makes her feel safe. Makes her feel loved. Only now does she realise that she did the right thing, telling him how she has been feeling.

"And for the record," Chris finally mutters. He pulls her away from him a little, so he can look her in the eyes. "You're the strongest person I know."

He kisses her on the forehead, as she closes her eyes and smiles, enjoying his tender touch. He pulls her in close again, as he rests his head on hers.

"I'm so sorry for putting you through this, beautiful," Chris admits, as he kisses the top of her head. He has never felt so guilty, but so connected to her as he does right in that moment.