"Sarah…oh Sarah!" I heard Whitley's voice cut through my slumber.

I raised up off my pillow and went to open my bedroom door. As she usually was, Whitley was dressed in a nice blazer and dark jeans. She had her hair curled and her makeup was all done.

"Why are you ready so early?" I asked as I rubbed my sleep heavy eyes.

"I'm going to meet with the caterer. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to put myself together." I replied.

I left her side to go into the bathroom and begin my routine of getting ready. A few weeks had passed since I had come to stay with Whitley. I had become increasingly close with her and my roommates as well as Raphael and his brothers. I spent almost every single night hanging out with Raph until it was time to turn in for the night. He had even started picking me up on his bike after my shifts ended at the restaurant. We would drive around for a while and go back to the den or the apartment to chill and watch movies. It was becoming a bit of a ritual and every day I looked forward to seeing and talking to him. He was one of my very best friends and was quickly becoming one of the people I felt like I could tell anything to.

My phone buzzed on the sink counter beside me. Speak of the devil, Raphael had sent me a text.

It read;

'U free tonight?'

I typed out, 'you know I am, shell head.'

There was a short break before he texted me back.

'Just checkin, didn't want to make any plans that included ya if u weren't free to hang.'

'I'll see you at the usual time then?' I typed out.

'Usual time, usual place.' He responded.

I pocketed my phone and left the solitude of the bathroom to join Whitley in her bedroom. She was putting on her boots.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Yeah, all set. Are Tori and Clara coming?" I asked.

"They are, but they're going to meet us at the place. Both of them stayed the night at the sewer den."

We arrived at the caterers almost an hour later. It was an incredibly fancy restaurant that smelled wonderful. I think I was more excited than Whitley was to try the food that she would choose for her wedding. Both Tori and Clara were already there. They were seated at a small round table in the corner of the restaurant.

"Hey girls." Whitley chimed as we joined them at the table.

"Hey!" They both replied in unison.

"It took you guys long enough." Tori smiled.

"Yeah well, you know how hard it is to wake up Sarah in the morning." Whitley stated with a laugh.

"You only knocked once and I answered almost immediately." Was my retort.

"No, I tried waking you up a gazillion times this morning. I was about to give up when you finally opened the door."

"Oh." I laughed feeling a little embarrassed.

"Maybe if you weren't up all hours of the night with Raphael you wouldn't sleep all day." Clara wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"What is that look for? There is absolutely nothing going on between Raphael and me. We're just really good friends." I replied.

"Maybe you should tell him that." Tori commented. "Because I think he thinks things are moving in a different direction. He literally talks about you ALL the time."

"He does?" My voice quivered a bit.

"Yes he does." Whitley confirmed.

"I know I need to tell him I only see him as a friend. But I'm terrified of hurting him." I hung my head down.

"You won't hurt him, I don't think. Raphael is a hard head." Clara spoke.

"That doesn't mean it won't hurt his feelings." I replied.

Our conversation was interrupted by the owner of the restaurant approaching our table.

"Which one of you lovely ladies is the bride?" He asked.

"That would be me," Whitley stood from her chair to shake his hand.

"So very nice to meet you, Whitley Morgan." He shook her hand and she sat back down. "The dishes will be presented in threes, an appetizer, a salad and finally the main course. You will be trying a sample platter of each entrée. I will have those out for you all shortly."

With that he turned and left to get the plates of food.

We made small talk in between bites of food. So far we had each decided we really liked the maple glazed chicken and pear and feta salad. It seemed Whitley had already made up her mind, but it was all too enjoyable to try all the little samples to stop so soon. While we were eating I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out to see that it was a text from a number I didn't recognize.

It read,

Sarah, long time no talk. You free tonight?

-Xander.

My heart began to race. I hadn't heard from him since the night I gave him my phone number. I was beginning to think he wouldn't contact me.

"Xander just texted me." I told my group of friends.

"Really? What did he say?" Whitley asked as she jerked the phone from my hands.

She read the text, "What're you going to say?"

"I…I don't know. I was going to see Raphael tonight after work." I responded as I took my phone back from her.

"As much as I hate to say it, if you want to see this Xander guy, I think you should. It would be the perfect way to assert to Raphael that you're only interested in being his friend. He'll definitely get the hint when you tell him you have a date with another man." Clara said.

"She's right." Whitley agreed.

"So what should I say to Xander?"

"Tell him you're free tonight." Tori replied.

I looked back at the text. My fingers hovering over the keyboard.

'Hey, stranger. Yes, I'm free. I close up at the bar at eleven tonight.'

He responded back almost immediately, 'Great, I'll pick you up there. I'm looking forward to seeing your lovely face.'

My heart was still racing and I could feel my cheeks burning. He was so dreamy.

We arrived back at the apartment with enough time for me to take a nap before work. I was just getting comfortable when I heard a few soft taps on my bedroom door.

"Sarah, it's me." I heard Raphael's voice from the other side.

I sighed and got up off my bed to open the door for him. He entered my room and I simply shut the door behind him.

"I was trying to sleep, Raph."

"Oh…" He was nervous again. I could tell, because he always rubs the back of his neck while trying to think of the right thing to say. "Tori told me you have a date tonight."

"What? She told you that already? How on Earth…" My mind was boggled. She must have really wanted him to know that he was getting the wrong idea about us. I can only assume she did it to try and spare him some future heartbreak.

"She told Mikey, Mikey told me."

"Oh. Well, I do have a date. So, we'll have to hang out tomorrow instead."

His face fell. A scowl took place of the smirk he typically wore.

"Yeah, well…I…uh. I just wanted to tell you to be careful. City's full of all kinds of weirdos."

"Thanks Raphael. I'll text you tomorrow, ok?" I put my hand on his shoulder and his tense stance loosened.

He sighed with an almost sound of defeat.

"Yeah. I'll be waiting for your text." He finally replied.

I hugged him and then he left. I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt looming in me. He was hurt, but he was still willing to be friends with me, and that was the only thing I could possibly hope for. I hope that he will be back to his old self again tomorrow.

Hours later I was deep in the weeds at work. I couldn't seem to get caught up on any of the drink orders. One of the other bartenders, a tall bitchy girl by the name of Leslie called in sick today so it was just me and another girl I hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to yet. Whitley had only just hired her last week.

"Is it always like this on Thursday?" She yelled over the music.

"Basically. I don't think we've gotten a chance to speak before, I'm Sarah."

"Whitley told me about you, you kinda run the show behind the bar, right?" She smiled. "I'm Nikki by the way."

"I wouldn't say I run the show…" I trailed off when my eyes landed on Xander weaving his way through the crowd.

He looked too good. His hair was perfectly coiffed and the sleeves to his button up were pushed up to his elbows. I could see that his arms were completely covered in tattoos. I had only ever seen his art covered hands before. He smiled when I came into his view.

"Busy night?" His voice carried over the loud music.

"As always." I replied.

"Still think you'll feel up to hanging out tonight?"

"Yes, I definitely will."

"Good, I'll pick you up here." His fingertips caressed the back of my hand before he walked away from the bar.

The night passed in a blur. It seemed like only moments had gone by since Xander left, but it had actually been hours. It was time to close up for the night. I helped Nikki carry a couple of cases from the freezer to the smaller freezer that sat below the bar. Then I set to doing my nightly routine. When I went out to dump the trash I expected to see a familiar green face waiting for me. Since he was always waiting in the alleyway for me. But tonight he wasn't.

"Raphael?" I whispered into the dark and empty alley.

No reply. He must not want to see me right now. I hope he isn't too hurt. Ugh, what am I thinking? He's probably not bothered, he just didn't show up because he knows we aren't hanging out tonight.

I stepped back into the restaurant, the chill from the night air clinging to me. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and grabbed my phone. I had a text from Xander.

'I'm waiting outside.'

'I'll be right out.'

I smiled and went to find Whitley. She was sitting in her office with Leonardo.

"You out of here for the night?" She asked from her place at the desk.

"Yep. I'm out. I'll see you at the apartment later tonight. I'm not sure how late I'll be out."

"Will you be back at the apartment tonight?"

"Uh, yeah. I really don't plan on staying the night with the guy."

"You stay the night with Raphael all the time." Leonardo chimed in.

"Yes, but Raphael is my best friend." I was confused now.

"So, you plan on dating this guy then, you consider him as more than a friend?" Leonardo asked.

"I don't know if we'll date Leo. But I wouldn't mind if we did become more than friends eventually."

He sighed. "You don't think you would ever want that with Raphael?"

"No, I've explained it to Whitley. I only see Raph as a friend."

He glanced at Whitley and she put her hands up defensively, "Hey, don't look at me like that. I thought she would change her mind."

"Have you made it clear to him how you feel?" Whitley asked me

"He knows I'm seeing Xander tonight, I had to cancel our plans. Speaking of which, he's waiting outside for me."

"Okay Sarah. Have a good night." She stood from the desk and gave me a hug.

"You too. I'll be home in a few hours."

I left her office. I was trying my hardest to not let the guilt get to me. It was completely understandable to me that they would want Raphael to have someone like they have each other. I just couldn't be that someone.

I pulled open the front doors to embrace the cool night air once again. There was a sleek black car parked in front of the curb. Xander got out of the driver seat and opened my door for me. Once we were both in the car he pulled out onto the busy street.

"So what do you have planned for tonight?" I asked him, I couldn't help the nervous sound to my voice. I hope he couldn't hear it.

"I had something planned, but I'm not sure if you would really be up for it."

"What is it?" Truth be told, I would probably do just about anything this man asked of me.

"I have a private shooting range. You said you're familiar with guns, correct?"

"Yes! I love shooting. Is that what you had planned?"

"It is. I had a feeling you'd like the sound of that."

We pulled up to a large iron gate and just beyond the gate was a huge brick mansion. It was truly incredible, I had never seen a house this large in person. Only ever on TV.

"This is where you live?" I asked, my mouth agape.

"This is it. My humble abode." He replied.

"I don't think I would call it humble, necessarily." I mocked.

He laughed at me and got out of the car and opened my door before I could pick my chin up off the floor.

The inside of the mansion was even more incredible than the outside. The floors were made completely out of marble. A giant glittering diamond chandelier hung just above my head. Directly ahead of me were two spiral staircases and an elevator sat just to my right.

"Follow me." He said as he casually strode over to the elevator.

"I've never seen a house like this before." I stated as we stepped into the lift.

The elevator went down and came to a stop on the bottom floor. The doors slid open to reveal a large open space with targets lined up at the end of six lanes. The targets where on conveyer belts so that when we finished shooting at one piece of paper we could press a button and a new target would slide into its place. I had been to a shooting range similar to this once back in Louisiana but it wasn't nearly as impressive as this one.

"I think you'll be needing these." He handed me a pair of noise canceling headphones.

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Come over here and I'll let you choose your gun."

We approached a glass case that had several unique looking guns on display inside. Each one was silver and ornately decorated. They truly were beautiful. In the end, I chose a pistol that was marked with what looked like black lace on the ivory handle. It looked delicate. Delicate is definitely not how I ever thought I'd be describing a gun.

"Ready?" He asked as we lined up in the booths at the end of the lanes.

"Let's do this."

Xander handed me a hand full of silver bullets. I looked down at them in bewilderment.

"Silver bullets?"

"Family tradition. Don't ask." He said shaking his head while he laughed.

I laughed too and proceeded to load my gun.

"You're a really good shot." He stated as we paused to take a water break.

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself."

"Who taught you to shoot?" He asked.

"Well, when I lived in Louisiana I worked in an old bar that lots of veterans hung out at. Needless to say, they decided they needed to teach me how to handle a gun because of how dangerous the world can be."

"That was nice of them." Xander replied.

"It was a small town, they all knew my papaw. Everyone knows everyone there."

"I couldn't imagine that." He responded.

We stayed at his private shooting range for an hour before we moved on to the theater room he had in his home. We watched a movie that he chose and as I sat there in the crook of his arm, I realized how much I missed Raphael. Hanging out with Xander was a lot of fun and I really liked him, but Raphael was my bestie. I suddenly felt a wave of remorse rush over me.

"I think I should probably get going." I said as I stood up to stretch.

"You don't want to stay?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Maybe another night…I have to work tomorrow." Was my response.

"I understand. I'll drive you home." He put his hand on the small of my back as we walked out to his car.

Shortly later we were standing in front of my apartment building. He had insisted on walking me to the door.

"I had a great time with you tonight, Sarah." His English accent made me swoon.

"I had a great time as well." I could feel a blush staining my cheeks.

That's when he leaned down to kiss me. His lips were soft and warm. The kiss sent shivers down my spine. It only lasted for a moment, but it was long enough to shake me to my core.

"Goodnight, I'll text you tomorrow." He said as he turned to get back into his car.

"Goodnight."

I watched him drive away. I was almost too stunned to speak.

When I entered the apartment all the lights, except for the kitchen light, were off. There was a note lying on top of the island.

Sarah,

I tried calling you and texting you but you never responded. So just in case you didn't get any of my messages or anything, Clara, Tori and I are staying at the guys' place. If you are feeling up to it you should come down too.

Hope to see you soon!

Whit

P.S Learn to answer your phone, hoe.

I smiled and shook my head. I had to go down there anyway. I needed to see Raphael. Just to be sure he isn't mad at me.

I navigated my way through the sewers. Which surprisingly, I had actually gotten pretty good at it. Usually when I'm making my way to the lair, Raph is already with me. It was a very rare occasion he would let me travel by myself. It must be stupid late, I really wouldn't be surprised if everyone isn't already asleep when I get there.

As I suspected the lair was completely silent, save for the miscellaneous beeping and leaky faucet in the kitchen. I noticed that Raphael was dozing on the couch.

"Raph." I nudged his arm.

He shot up and was immediately on the offensive. He grabbed me in his half asleep state.

"Calm down big guy, it's just me." I laughed and he let go of me.

"You scared me to death." He mumbled as he sat back down on the couch.

"Sorry. Mind if I join you on the couch?"

"Knock yourself out." He replied as he scooted over to make room for me.

Unlike the first night he and I hung out, I sat very close to him. I hadn't really made it a habit to distance myself from him when we chilled together anymore. I guess it's because of how comfortable I am with him.

"I didn't think I'd be seein' you tonight." His voice was so gruff compared to Xanders'.

"Why does everyone think I'm going to sleep with the guy on the first night?" I asked exasperatedly.

"I wasn't sayin' that. I just figured you'd have gone home and gone to bed."

"I wanted to see you. I missed you." I replied.

He turned to look at me.

"You did?" He looked confused.

"Of course, silly. You're my best friend, I always miss you."

"Oh…best friend. Yeah." He put his arm around me. "You're my best friend too, Sarah."

We sat in silence for a while, just enjoying one another's company. At some point we must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew the clock on the wall was showing that it was six thirty in the morning.

"Raph." I nudged him. "Raph, wake up. We fell asleep on the couch."

He woke up and stood from his spot. He stretched out and mumbled, "I'm goin' to bed."

I glanced back at the empty spot on the couch he had just been occupying. I really didn't want to be left alone in the cold lair on what was probably the most uncomfortable piece of furniture in New York.

Before I could even think of what I was saying, I asked, "Can I sleep in your bed?"

He stopped mid-stretch and yawned. "Yeah, I'll take the couch."

"No, I mean. Sleep in your bed, with you."

I think I stunned him silent because when I looked up at him he was just staring at me, completely motionless.

"I mean, if that makes you uncomfortable, I underst-" He cut me off.

"You can sleep with me. It doesn't make me uncomfortable, I was jus makin' sure I heard you right."

I followed him to his messy room. His bed was decently tidy and it was large enough to sleep both of us comfortably. I snuggled into his blankets. The whole bed smelled like him. He slid into the bed next to me and lay on his side. I never wondered before how he could get comfortable laying down with his shell, but I currently was now.

"Can you only sleep on your stomach and sides?" I asked into the darkness.

"Pretty much." He huffed.

"So you won't mind being the big spoon then?"

"Big spoon?" I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Yeah, you know, spooning?"

"I know what spooning is." He laughed. "I just didn't know friends spooned with each another."

"Well, why not?"

"I'm not saying they shouldn't…" He replied as he scooted in closer to me.

He was completely pressed against my back now and I relaxed against him. Slowly and almost apprehensively, I felt his arm snake around my waist. His breath was hot on the back of my neck. It sent chills down my spine.

That as a weird reaction to have to that.

"Goodnight, Raph." I mumbled sleepily.

"Night, Sarah." He responded as he nuzzled his face closer to my neck.