"Turn right here."

"Like, as in now or actually to the right?"

"Stop it." Branwen said. "You know what I mean!"

"Stop?" Pogue stopped the car in the middle of the intersection. "What now?"

He looked at her and could tell that she was trying really hard not to laugh or smile. She was losing that battle.

People were honking at them but he didn't move. He waited, staring at her, as she tried to glare at him. The corner of her mouth twitching. You see, he had discovered something…

It has confused him at first, how different she was. Even last night she had been a little more relaxed. Sure, she was sad and when he broached a topic that hit on their situation, she had drawn back behind that wall of hers. But for the most part, that wall seemed to be a little shorter.

It was still there. There were moments when he couldn't read what she was feeling and she was still the mother of all mysteries to him, but unlike before, she didn't seem like she was overanalyzing every laugh, smile or joke. She wasn't holding herself stoic and apart, she was actually enjoying the moment. It wasn't until he noticed this that he realized how tense she had always been before.

Of course he had momentarily worried that she was different because she was engaged to be married, but deciding if that was true he couldn't do anything about it, he decided to use it in his favor. Now he was doing anything he could to get a laugh out of her. He loved how hard she tried to fight it.

Finally she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, affecting an air of unconcern. "Well I suppose we won't make it to the special viewing of that private motorcycle museum I arranged."

Pogue only paused a moment before weaving around the cars that had stopped around them and heading down the street to the right. People continued to honk at them as he wove through them, picking up speed.

She finally broke at his sudden exuberance and burst out in laughter. Keeping his eyes on the road as much as necessary, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was so beautiful. Sitting there with her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun like she had just plopped it on top of her head and secured it there. A few wisps had escaped and floated around her face like little mocking tendrils, caressing her the way he wasn't allowed to.

He had to clench his hand on the steering wheel to stop himself from reaching out.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "So… Correct me if I'm wrong, but would this private motorcycle museum happen to be…"

"Allen Vintage Motorcycle Museum… it might be."

She turned in her seat so she was leaning against the passenger door looking at him. He looked directly at her, trying to hide the complete awe and utter submission to her amazingness. Pogue had tried everything short of magic to get into the AVMM. They didn't allow the public to view it and invitations were handed out to a sparse few special and lucky people.

She had been trying to do something special for him, obviously, but she would never know how special it truly was to him.

"Turn left here."

Pogue didn't play around this time. He turned and continued driving, waiting eagerly for them to arrive at their destination. He was searching all around them as they drove looking for it. It was after several moments of silence and the lack of anything that looked like a museum that he glanced at her and realized she was watching him.

He decided to stare at her right back. Not just because they were on a straight back road and he could, and not because he could stare at her forever and never tire of it. He stared at her because somewhere in the last few miles he had lost the new Branwen. The stoic one that was quietly and effortlessly removed and concealed was back. What had happened?

He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He was hesitant to disrupt whatever had changed but he worried they would just keep driving forever if they kept staring at each other. So, pulling over to the side of the road, Pogue stopped her car and turned back to her. He then realized he had no idea what to say.

"You hated me." She said suddenly.

Pogue was surprised because he didn't think he could hate her if he tried. "I don't hate you."

"I know. But you did. I saw it. The day of my rehearsal, when you showed up at the restaurant. First you were shocked and hurt. But before you left, before the kiss, you hated me."

In all honesty, the pain was all Pogue remembered. The sharp, unyielding pain. Of feeling played and used. Of realizing he thought he'd found the one and had been so utterly wrong.

"I guess I just don't understand why you'd want to stick around after that."

Because he loved her. Of course he couldn't say that but she would have to be pretty thick not to already know that. Instead he gave her a little smile. "Well at first it was because I need a passing grade. Then it was for cake. Now it's totally for the museum. Tomorrow it will probably be for the grade again." When he saw the smile start on her face he turned and looked out the window. "Somewhere in there it was probably for your cracking wit and great ass, but only for a moment here and there."

He expected a punch in the arm or a cutting retort and when one didn't come he looked back at her. The little hint of a smile remained on her face but she was turned back, looking out the front window. When he continued to look at her she motioned forward.

"Are we going to sit here forever or are you going to get on the road. We only get an allotted time to view the museum."

In no time he was pulling out onto the road again. But he didn't forget that smile. She liked that he wanted her. In anyone else he would find that annoying as hell. She was getting married; she shouldn't want other guys to like her. If he were her fiancé he would be pissed. But everything he thought about himself seemed to go out the window where she was concerned. Lord help him.

It didn't look at all what he thought it would on the outside. Then again, they didn't want people just showing up. On the inside, however, it was more than he ever imagined.

They got a personal tour and Pogue knew almost as much about each bike as the guide, but he listened avidly anyway. When the tour was over, Branwen told him to wait and she went over to speak to a man he guessed was the owner or manager. They seemed to know each other. Pogue couldn't hear what they were saying but they smiled and seemed very laid back. Pogue was tempted to 'use' to listen in, but decided he was being stupid. Why did he need to know what they were talking about?

When Branwen came back over, he asked about how well she knew the man.

"He's a family friend." Was all she said. He would have asked more but forgot all about it when she said, "He says we can take a picture sitting on a few of them as long as we're careful."

He could die a happy man, he thought, as he sat down on a 1951 Mint Indian Chief. Branwen came up beside him and he smiled at her. He knew he must look like a grinning moron, but he couldn't help it.

"This one your favorite?" She asked.

With no hesitancy, Pogue nodded. She smiled at him and handed her phone to the guide before getting on behind him.

Pogue loved the motorcycle more than life itself, and yet somehow even it became so much better when she wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Smile for the camera." She said.

Not that she needed to. Given his current situation, Pogue wasn't certain his smile could get any bigger. It didn't even disappear when they left. He smiled all the way to the bakery. Not even the reminder that Branwen was there to test wedding cakes could dampen his mood.

"You have icing on your face." She said, laughing.

He tried to wipe it off but that just made it worse because he still had icing from the last piece on his hands. He had ignored Branwen when she pointed out that they supplied forks for the tasting. One of the ladies brought him out a napkin and a glass of milk to help wash down the mouth full of cake.

In the same situation, Kate would have apologized for him, scolding him for making a mess and being impolite. She would have told him he was doing everything wrong.

Branwen waited until he finished wiping off his face a swallowing the last of his mouthful before picking up what was left of her piece and squishing it into the side of his face.

He sat, frozen in place, as she laughed hysterically, almost falling off her chair. Slowly, Pogue ran a hand across her cheek, barely believing there was, indeed, cake stuck to it. He looked from the white cake with strawberry filling and butter cream icing to Branwen's face, red from laughter and lack of breath.

And without even thinking he reached out and wiped it right from her temple to her jaw.

She stopped mid laugh to stare at him and just when he thought she was going to freak out on him for getting it in her hair or something, she burst out laughing again, harder than before.

This time he joined in.

And then the baker lady ruined it all with five little words. "You two are perfect together."

Right… because it was wedding cake they were trying. Of course the lady had assumed he was the groom. Because the groom should be there. Not the chump trying to steal her away.

The mood ruined. Branwen stood. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up."

The lady, realizing she had done something wrong, quickly disappeared. Pogue went to clean off his face in the men's room and when he came back out, Branwen was waiting for him by the door. When she saw him she held the door for him and followed him to the car.

The car was silent on the ride back. Pogue felt like he should say something, even just to tell her she still had a little cake in her hair, but nothing he thought of seemed enough. The silence was too heavy.

The heaviness irked him the longer it lasted. So much that by the time they pulled back into her garage, he was silently fuming. She walked him to the door but as she went to open it, he pushed it closed again.

"Why?" He said.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You've said that's it's complicated and not what I think and that you weren't playing me before. Caleb's said I shouldn't give up. Aria's clearly told him something. But I've never gotten a real explanation. I know I said I was just going to accept being your friend for now but I can't. I need to know why you're doing this. Clearly it's not love because you've been sad and subdued until today. Today you had fun and let loose… with me. You went cake tasting… with me. Where was he? Why wasn't he there?"

"He was busy at work." She said. Her face said even she knew that was a feeble response.

"Explain, Branwen. I deserve an explanation."

That seemed to piss her off. Her eyes, those mysterious orbs, grew dark, her brows dropping. "You may deserve an explanation as a friend, but that's all we were."

"We both know that's bullshit. You may have kept pushing me away, but what we had was a hell of a lot more than friendship."

"We didn't even know each other. You didn't even know I existed five months ago. We've barely spent any time together. One thanksgiving does not a relationship make."

"And all the denial in the world doesn't change the connection we have."

A shadow passed over her face and he could see her shutting down. He grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. "Stop pushing me away. You can say you don't want a relationship, but you can't tell me you want this marriage. So why? Why are you doing it?"

"Family obligation."

Pogue resisted the urge to jump. Looking up the stairs he saw the groom, himself.

"Go away." Branwen said without looking away from the floor.

"This is complicated, yes, but it's not a state secret. He deserves to know the truth."

"Nate." She looked up at her fiancé with the clearest expressing of warning of bodily harm Pogue had ever witnessed.

But Nate just smiled at her and turned to Pogue as he walked towards them. "Branwen is doing this to help me. You see my grandmother is dying and her dying wish is that I be married before she passes. Branwen is practically her favorite person in the whole entire world. I think she'd trade me in, given the chance. Branwen doesn't care much for me, hasn't since we were teenagers. But she loves my grandmother and would do anything for her. The woman hasn't had an easy life. So Branwen has agreed to help me with this rather elaborate ruse to make my grandmother's dying wish come true."

Pogue looked at Branwen but she was busy glaring at Nate. Nate returned a look, clearly having a silent conversation.

Nate gave her a wide smile. "Problem is my darling grandmother keeps trying to get us to go big or go home and since she is steadily defying death, we keep getting in deeper, more complicated water."

After a few moments of silence, during which Pogue tried to work out this new information, Nate turned to Pogue and smiled. Pogue still wanted to punch him in the teeth, but he was more frustrated with Branwen. "Why couldn't you just tell me that?"

She opened her mouth but Nate interrupted her. "Probably because she didn't want you pining for her. I imagine she was trying to get you to move on so when she leaves at the end of the year it'd be easier on both of you."

And the blows kept coming. Pogue stared down at Branwen, who glared daggers at Nate, who seemed surprised Pogue didn't already know. "Whoops." He said.

"You're leaving at the end of the year? Like May?"

She slowly turned to meet his eyes and hers were dark and unreadable. "The end of August."

Seven months. She would be gone in seven months. It didn't matter it she got married, real or not. He'd lose her in seven months anyway.

There were too many thoughts and emotions going through him to process everything. Shooting one last glance at the both of them, Pogue grabbed his helmet and left. The chilly ride home wouldn't even touch him with all the heated emotions burning him up.

As the door slammed behind Pogue, Nate sighed. When Branwen torn her eyes away from the door to look at the bane of her existence, Nate nodded back to the door.

"Lord help him, he's fallen in love with you."

AN: Hey guys. I know it's been a long time, but I really don't know what to say other than life happened. I'm not by any means giving up on my stories, I just don't get the chance to write as much anymore. I'm hoping it won't take so long again. I'm going to have some time off work soon so I might get in some more writing. But I make no promises. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and haven't given up on it.