Wow...it's been a while since I have updated. Sorry about that. Here is the next chapter. I'm pretty sure I just have 1 chapter left in this story but I have been super busy.

All mistakes are mine...I'm not an editor. Hope you like it! I own nothing....

Chapter 9

"I wanted to…."

"So I thought…." Casey and Jason had both started talking at the same time. They had finished eating, thrown away the paper plates and were each nursing a beer.

"You go first." Casey said as she swiveled in her chair to so she could look fully at Jason.

"Okay." Jason nodded; his stomach a ball of nerves. "You know, I can't do this here." He grabbed Casey's hand and pulled her to the back of the diner and into his tiny one bedroom apartment.

She was confused but followed behind him without saying a word. Jason turned to her and placed his hands on her upper arms. He then turned her so that she was in between him and his bed and gently pushed down until Casey understood what he meant and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Jason stood up and turned away from her. He immediately began pacing back in fort in front of her. His pacing was making her nervous and she wondered what he was about to say.

"What is this about Jason? You know you can tell me anything." She questioned when she saw the slight sheen of sweat pooling at his temples.

"It's just, I don't want to mess up our partnership ya know? We work so well together and I really can't remember the last time I felt so comfortable with my partner. You know my last partner was crooked but our partnership meant a lot and I would have done anything short of murder for him. But I was comfortable with him. I could trust that he had my back but I didn't really confide in him. I didn't feel as though we were friends or like I could tell him anything. And maybe that's just because you're a girl and I've never had a girl partner before but I feel really comfortable with you." Jason paused, looking up to make sure she was still listening. He really didn't mean to ramble on but he was nervous and didn't quite know how to say what he wanted to say.

Casey nodded as a feeling of dread washed over her. Great. He's comfortable with me and I'm a friend. This is going to be the Casey, I think you're great but I don't like you like you speech. Honestly, it hurt. She knew she probably didn't have a shot with him. I mean yeah she had money but he dated a different kind of girl.

He had never dated a short, plain girl like her. Beaumont had been tall and exotic. She had even met a couple of his blonde bimbos a time or two at random places. The girls that were all legs and boobs were his normal type. She kicked herself for believing that for once he might actually like someone like her. She quietly looked at him, urging him to continue while she came up with a cover story. No Walsh, I'm not in love with you. How could you even think that? She had to play it off cool so she didn't lose him and it didn't make things awkward.

Walsh noticed the look that had appeared on Casey's face as he was finish his speech. She had understood him loud and clear. He had told her in a roundabout way that he was in love with her and she was making a face that told him that she felt anything but the same way.

As Casey offered no change of subject or words of any kind, Jason took a deep breath and decided to lay it all on the line. He already knew her obvious answer but felt like he couldn't leave it just where it was. It was something that he had to say for himself. He had to hear her say the words that she didn't want him or he would continue to pine away for her. Maybe once he told her and she shot him down he would finally be able to get over her and move on. A nagging feeling in his gut told him that there was no way he could move on but he ignored it.

"I know what you are going to say. And I don't know for sure when this happened or why it happened. I just hope you will still want to be partners. We've come this far. I mean, I think I have had some type of feelings for you since the night we became partners. I didn't fall in love with you till much later but we've worked together fine this whole time so I don't see why we can't continue to. You know how I hate new partners. And I realize that I'm not rich or high-class like Davis or the other guys you probably date so I'm not sure why I thought I might have a chance. But if we could just move past this and go back to the way everything was then….."

He was interrupted by Casey, "wait, I don't want to be with you?" She was extremely confused. She thought he was going to tell her that he didn't want to be with her and he had just told her he was in love with her.

"I know. You don't have to tell me that. I'm sorry I even brought it up, I just thought that maybe we could be more ya know and…."

Casey stood up from the bed and walked over to him. She stepped in front of his pacing figure and blocked his way so he had to stop. She placed one finger over his lips to silence his insane rambling.

"Stop," she ordered.

"But I shouldn't have…" Jason started again and she once again shushed him.

"Jason Walsh. You are dumb. You think I don't want you? I thought you were trying to tell me that you knew I was in love with you and that you didn't love me." She laughed, suddenly very excited; glad she had finally said it out loud to him.

"Wait. Did you just say that you are in love with me?" Walsh said around the finger that was still covering his lips.

Casey smiled and nodded. She removed her finger from his lips and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Jason immediately wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her body snug against his.

Jason pulled away for only a moment, "yeah, remember who said I love you first though." Casey giggled for the first time in her life as she shrugged, "well remember who kissed who first." She then returned her lips to Jason's, right where they were supposed to be.

"I love you," she whispered after a moment.

"I love you too." Jason replied as he pushed her back down onto his bed and hopped on top of her, stealing her lips once again.

So there is chapter 9. Did you like it?! They are finally together!!! Please review :)