Chapter Six

It seemed, in that moment, that time had stopped completely. I could feel my senses going hazy,and my breath seemed to freeze in my chest. After what felt like hours, I released a shaky breath and looked at David, my eyes wide.

"W-What did you say?"

"I…I think I'm falling in love with you" David said again, slower this time so I could be sure I heard right. My heartbeat began to quicken once more as I attempted to process this. David, the most perfect thing to ever happen to my life, loved me. Me. I reached over shakily and placed my hand on top of his, smiling sweetly.

"David, I…I don't know what to say" I said quietly.

"Is that a good thing?" he asked, laughing nervously.

"I think it might be" I said with a slight nod. A small smile appeared on David's lips, and slowly began to grow larger.

"How will you be sure if it's definitely a good thing?"

"I'm not sure, you tell me" I said in a voice that was nearly a whisper. Without saying another word, David leaned in closely to me, his warm breath tickling my neck. I shivered at the sensation as I turned my head to look him in the eyes. David reached over and brushed my hair away from my face, and his face was now inches from my own. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, trying so hard to calm my rapidly beating heart. I was afraid if it beat any faster, it would explode.

In the next moment, I was overcome with a rush of emotions. David had kissed me before, but never with this kind of intensity. A hot tear trickled down my cheek as we broke away from the kiss, making David panic for a moment. I smiled, letting him know I was alright, and the worry left his face.

"Are you sure now?" David half whispered.

"Yes, I am" I said with a nod. "You really are something else" I chuckled, placing a hand on my heart.

"Are you going to be okay?" David asked.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for my heart to slow down" I said, grinning.

"I didn't realize the kiss was going to have this kind of effect on you" David sighed.

"They always do" I said softly, making David's cheeks turn as red as the couch we were sitting on.

"Aw, shucks" David replied, grinning cheesily. We both busted out laughing, and after a moment, David's face grew serious and intense once more.

"I want you to know I meant what I said, Kallie. If you aren't ready to say it back now, I understand. I just had to tell you, because I couldn't hold it in any longer." I listened, giving him an understanding nod. I knew that it wouldn't be much longer before I said those words to him too. In fact, I was sure I could tell him I loved him right now, but I decided to wait. There were enough emotions in this room right now to fill an entire season of Dr. Phil, and any more might make it seem nearly claustrophobic. I leaned back into the couch and sighed happily.

"Thank you, David. I've been waiting so long to hear those words from someone, and I'm glad they came from you."

"Really?" David asked in amazement. "Are you sure you wouldn't have rather heard that from Brad Pitt's clone?" I rolled my eyes and grimaced, making David laugh. "What?"

"I've never been into those guys" I explained. "I figured it out after I tried dating a few of them in high school. They were always after one thing, and I would never give it to them. I used to wonder if I did the right thing…" Before I could continue speaking, David slightly raised his hand to stop me.

"You did, Kallie. Any man who only wants you for, you know, that, isn't worth it. You're a beautiful woman, not a worthless toy, and you deserve to be treated with respect." I smiled as David spoke, and I knew I could believe every word he said.

"You're right" I sighed. "I guess I've just always held on to that guilt, you know?"

"You don't need to. I will never ask you to do anything you don't want to do, Kallie. Just remember that, okay?"

"Okay" I said, nodding. I scooted closer to David, nestling my head into his shoulder. I noticed that his cologne had started to wear off, leaving his natural scent behind.

"You smell good" I mumbled.

"Really?" David asked, leaning over to sniff his shirt. "I don't think so" he chuckled.

"Well, I do" I stated. "I've always loved the way you smell. It's very comforting to me. I'm going to miss that when I leave…" I said sadly.

"You may not have to" David said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to look up at him.

"You'll see. It's a surprise." I settled back into my original position, silently wondering what he had planned. It seemed we had forgotten all about our little card game, and reminding myself about it made my heart race a little. I would never forget that moment as long as I lived, and I knew I wouldn't have to. I had no doubt in my mind that David and I would last forever, no matter what obstacles came our way.

We sat engulfed in silence for a while longer, the only noticeable sounds being our breathing, and the clock on the wall ticking. I suddenly felt something else, but it was no emotion. I reluctantly wrestled myself out of David's arms, sighing.

"Aww, you left me" he said, jokingly making a pouty face.

"Sorry," I chuckled. "Where's your bathroom?"

"It's at the end of the hall."

"Okay, thanks" I said as I got up. I walked down the short hall and into the bathroom. I reached over to flip the light on, and seconds later, I let out a panicked squeal.

"Kallie? What is it?" David called as he ran to the bathroom.

"There's a spider" I said, shuddering as I pointed to the floor. Without hesitation, David walked over and stomped the spider into the tile floor. He wiped up the guts with a little bit of toilet paper and tossed it in the trash, then turned to smile at me.

"Is that better?" he teased.

"Much" I said, relieved. "I hate spiders."

"So do I" David agreed. "But, when it comes to keeping you safe and happy, not even a stupid little spider can stop me."

"Aww, you're too sweet" I said, giggling. "I'll be right back." David nodded and turned to go back to the living room, and I did what I needed to do.

When I walked back into the living room, David was sitting on the couch, and there were two glasses of sweet tea on the table.

"I thought you might be thirsty" he explained, smiling softly. I took my place next to him and reached out to pick up my glass from the table, taking a small sip.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I smiled and continued to sip my tea, wondering for the millionth time tonight how I had gotten so lucky. Within a few minutes, my glass was empty. I started to get up to go to the kitchen for a refill, but David stopped me.

"No, you sit. I'll get you some more" he insisted, swiping my glass and disappearing into the kitchen before I could protest. "Do you want ice at all?" he asked.

"No thanks" I called back. He came back into the living room a moment later and handed my glass to me. He sat down and set his glass on the table, then turned to look at me. I paused for a moment, wondering if he was going to speak, but he never did. "What are you thinking about?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am. Any other guy in the world could have you in his apartment, sitting on his couch, drinking his sweet tea, but they don't." He said, a grin spreading across his face. I felt as if all my body heat had deposited itself in my face at that moment. It seemed that David was the only person who knew how to make me feel truly beautiful. I nestled my head back into the crook of his neck, and immersed myself in the sound of his breath. He carefully leaned over to place his glass on the table, then proceeded to slip his arm around me, enveloping me in his warmth.

"I'm so happy" I murmured.

"Me too" David agreed, kissing my head softly. I wanted to stay like this forever. Being there with David, I had lost all sense of time. I carefully repositioned myself to glance at the clock, gasping in disbelief. Three hours had passed since we had arrived there, but it seemed like so much longer.

"It's late" I mumbled, half whining. "I don't want to go…"

"Then don't" David said, snuggling closer to me.

"I have to" I said with a laugh. "As much as my mom loves you, she would kill me if I stayed here."

"I won't let her" David mumbled, pulling me even closer. "I'll explain that it was my idea, and let her kill me instead."

"How valiant of you" I teased. "But I can't let you do that. If she kills you, then I won't have you anymore."

"You're right" David sighed, forcing himself to untangle from me. "I guess I'll take you home" he said sadly.

"At least it's not goodbye forever" I assured him.

"Yeah" he agreed. "It's only temporary" he said with a wink. I took great comfort in knowing that someday, we would never have to face another "temporary goodbye".