Chapter Three:

A/N: Okay. So I haven't updated this in forever. I can't think of tattoos or places so I'm going to pick some typical stuff. Nothing intense or exciting. But you can read it if you want

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They quickly walked, almost ran, their way to Calleigh's place. She grabbed the keys, but had a difficult time opening the door. Eric laughed.

"Having trouble?" He teased.

"Shut up!" She rolled her eyes, "My hands are numb!"

"Let me try." He suggested, taking the key out of her hand, and fitting into the lock quickly. "I kept mine in my pockets."

"Well I don't have pockets." She pouted. They stepped inside the lobby quickly as Eric unlocked the door.

"Here," He took her hands in his and began rubbing them gently until they were warm.

"Thanks." She smiled, almost shyly. Things were definitely changing.

"Hello Calleigh!" A tiny, elderly woman smiled as she entered the lobby, heading outside to where a Taxi was waiting for her.

"Hello Mrs. Robinson, how're you doing today?" Calleigh asked with a bright smile. Eric noticed how her southern accent became more pronounced as she became overly polite.

"I'm doing just fine. I see you are too. Who is this handsome young man?" Mrs. Robinson asked with an exaggerated wink.

"This is my…" Calleigh wasn't sure what to say anymore. Friend? Best friend? Colleague? Boyfriend? "Eric." She decided upon.

"Right." Mrs. Robinson winked again, then leaned over and whispered loudly, "Don't worry dear, he'd be crazy not to like you." Straightening back up, she smiled at Eric. "I have to be off. Grocery shopping today." She waved goodbye as she got in her Taxi and drove away.

"What kind of building do you live in?" Eric joked with a mock intimidated look on his face.

"Awh, Mrs. Robinson's a sweetheart." Calleigh swatted him on the arm lightly.

"I know. I have an old lady in my building, a few actually, that like to talk to me." Eric smiled. "And, by the way, she's right."

"What?" Calleigh asked, confused.

"I would be crazy not to like you." He smiled, leaning forwards just a little until his lips were only centimetres from hers. She stood on her tiptoes slightly so she could reach his lips, and pressed hers to them. He thought it was adorable, the way she had to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him. He thought everything about her was adorable. Then he realized what exactly he was doing, as she depended the kiss and he felt her tongue begin a dance with his own. Rhythmic and in time, as any dance should be. Then suddenly, she pulled away. He felt lost.

"We can't do this here Eric." She giggled. "We're making out in the middle of my lobby."

"So?" He asked jokingly.

"Eric, I live in a building filled with old people. It's just not appropriate. We're not sixteen." She rolled her eyes. "Come on." She took his hand and pulled him in the direction of her condo.

"I'm coming." He smiled. He kissed Calleigh. Calleigh had made it clear that she was going to kiss him again. He was going to smiling a lot more from now on. They moved quickly throughout the hallways of the building until they reached her door. This time her hands weren't numb, thanks to Eric, so she got the door open quickly and they went inside.

"We're still soaked through." She realized suddenly.

"Well you can change. And I forgot a pair of boxers here last time I stayed over, didn't I?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. I've got them by the washer." She told him, and he headed off to go find them. It was funny, that after something had finally happened between the two of them, she could see how everyone would have thought they were dating before, or something close to. He knew his way perfectly around her condo, and she around his. They stayed overnight at each other's places and spoke of it completely casually. Yeah. She could definitely see how someone would have gotten the wrong impression there. Heading into her bedroom, she stripped herself of her soaking wet clothing and pulled on a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. Stepping into the bathroom, she grabbed a towel for her, and one for Eric to dry off just a little bit more. Walking back out to the living room, she bit her lip to keep from laughing at the somehow familiar sight of Eric sitting leisurely, wearing only boxers, on her couch. She threw the towel at him, which he didn't notice until it hit him on the head. She giggled.

"Thanks." Eric gestured to the towel as he began to dry off his upper half.

"No problem." Calleigh walked through the room to sit beside him on the couch. "You know… now that well, something has happened between us, I can see how everyone got the wrong impression before."

"Yeah. But they have the right one now." He smiled at her, planting another kiss on her lips.

"They are." Calleigh nodded. She would be content to lie there on the couch all day, trading kisses and resting comfortably, but they had come here for a reason. "Show me." She demanded suddenly.

"What?" Eric asked.

"Your tattoo." She smiled. "You said you'd show me."

"Show me yours first." Calleigh told him.

"I've been waiting longer." He protested.

"I asked first." She rebutted. "How about I tell you what mine is, and then you show me yours, then I show you mine." He considered it for a minute before nodding.

"Okay. What is your tattoo of?" He asked.

"A gun." Calleigh answered smugly.

"Somewhere someone just won a lot of money." Eric smirked. "I should have figured."

"Yeah." Calleigh nodded. "Now show me." Eric smiled at her.

"It's no where exciting really." He dragged on.

"I don't care. Neither is mine." She shrugged, waiting impatiently to see. Finally, he turned around so that she could see his back, which before was covered by the material of the couch. On the top of his right shoulder blade sat a tiny tattoo. "Oo!" She reached out and ran a finger over the tattoo, making him shiver involuntarily. "Eric that's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"Do you know what it is?" He asked.

"Of course I do! It's the cancer symbol." She told him.

"I got it after Marisol got diagnosed the second time. I told her if I went through all of that pain to get this, and she gave up…" Eric trailed off.

"And she beat it, didn't she?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah. Until she got diagnosed a third time. But we keep fighting it. I'll never give up on her." Eric told her.

"It's amazing, the way you two can get along like that." Calleigh smiled. Everything she found out about Eric only made her love him more.

"Now you have to show me yours." He told her, leaning back against the couch again, covering the tattoo.

"Fine." Calleigh answered with a sigh…

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A/N: Naturally I had to end it there. Hah. Review please!