Author's note: YAAAAAAAAY for all your reviews!!! ^_^

I'm afraid this story is slowly coming to an end… Ryan and Calleigh can't keep going in circles forever!!!

Please review the story people!!!!! I want to know what you think!!!

Chapter 7: Confrontations

Ryan felt his whole body tense as he heard the door open. He risked a glance towards the person who had just walked in the locker room and breathed in relief. It wasn't Calleigh.

Sure, he knew that he had to talk to Cal. Just… not at the lab.

Not that he felt better with the person who had walked in. It was Lindsay. This was another thing he would have to take care of. He was the one who had made the first steps with Lindsay, and he did like her. She was a very nice girl, and he had had a lot of fun with her. She just wasn't… the woman he wanted right now.

He smiled at the brunette, realizing he had been staring at her. "Hi. Your day's over?"

Lindsay nodded her head and opened her locker. "Hey Ryan! Yeah. I can't wait to get home and relax a bit. It's been a long day."

He nodded and turned back towards his own locker, taking his personal items from the top shelf. He didn't hear her move, nor did he see her walk closer to him. His eyes did grow wide though, as he felt two feminine hands slide along his waist.

"Ryan… would you like to come home with me? We could have supper, rent a movie, hang out…"

He winced and looked down. 'I guess it's now or never…' He slowly turned around and gently pushed her hands away. "Lindsay… I think this whole thing was a bad idea." He sighed and shook his head. He really hated doing this. "Everything went way too fast between you and me… and… you know… I think… there's…" he sighed, irritated at himself. Why did he always have to sound so retarded???' "What I mean to say is…"

Lindsay rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ryan, could you please just say what you mean to say? I don't think I'm gonna be that shocked anyway."

Ryan frowned, slightly surprised by her comment. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him again. "Oh come on. I know what's going on with you and Calleigh." She raised her hand up, stopping him from denying anything. "And before you say it, she's definitely more than just a friend."

Ryan sighed. "You're really taking this well."

He wasn't totally comfortable with her reaction. It was the first time he had to "break up" with someone who was taking it so well.

Lindsay seemed to see his discomfort. She laid a hand on his forearm and smiled. "Hey, it's fine. We hung out, had fun. I'll survive." She scrunched up her nose and grinned. "You're a great kisser, by the way. Calleigh's a lucky girl."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Lindsay, Cal and I aren't together."

"Yet."

He stared at her for a few seconds and finally nodded his head. "Thanks for being so understanding about this."

She shrugged and grinned at him. "Hey, it's fine! I really liked spending time with you. Give me a call if you want to go out sometime!"

"Sure! You're awesome, Linds."

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah!"He waved and watched her leave the room. If only every woman was as simple as Lindsay was. He sighed and closed his locker.

Time to face the music.

XXXXX

Calleigh breathed a long relieved sigh as she finally unlocked her front door and walked inside her condo. She had succeeded in avoiding all of Natalia's and Eric's questions about why she seemed in such a weird mood and now, she was just glad to finally be home, away from all the drama.

She took her shoes off and padded into her kitchen. She checked inside her refrigerator and grimaced. She'd have to settle for takeout, since she hadn't had the time to go shopping for groceries this week.

She grabbed her phone and dialed her favorite Chinese place. They told her the food wouldn't be there for about forty-five minutes, so she decided to grab a shower before the food came. She went to her bedroom and took off her clothes. She then walked into her bathroom, turned the shower on and stood in front of the mirror to untie her hair. She sighed as she stared at her reflection. She looked exhausted. Well, she felt exhausted. A long shower and a good night sleep would fix everything.

Yeah, right.

She turned her back to the mirror and got into the shower. She took her time, letting the hot water massage her shoulders and wash away the stress of the day. She would have stayed there for a few hours if she didn't have to pay the delivery boy for the food she had ordered. She finally stepped out and dried herself off. She then walked back into her bedroom and pulled on a white tank top and light blue pajama shorts. She was combing her long blond hair when she heard a knock. The food was here early!

She walked quickly towards the front door and opened it, but gasped in surprise. "Ryan!" She folded her arms against her chest, suddenly feeling slightly underdressed. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" His voice was soft. He hadn't changed from his work clothes, but had taken his tie and blazer off. He had unbuttoned the three top buttons of his shirt and had rolled up his sleeves. He looked tired, his eyes slightly darker than they usually were. He clearly wasn't here to fight with her.

Calleigh, on the other hand, couldn't help herself from feeling a little nervous about Ryan's presence on her door step. "Why?"

He sighed, trying to build his courage. "I need to talk to you."

She stayed quiet but took a step back, showing him in. Ryan nodded and walked in. He turned and watched her as she shut the door and walked towards her couch. She didn't sit, just turned around and stared at him, waiting.

Ryan took a deep breath and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked at his feet, trying to find the right way to start this conversation.

Calleigh couldn't keep herself from growing slightly anxious as she watched him open and shut his mouth repeatedly. "Well?"

He scratched his eyebrow nervously and sighed. He'd have to say something eventually. "I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry… for what I said this morning. I had no right to say something like that to you." He watched her face, waiting to see if she was going to say anything, but she stayed quiet. He sighed and took his hands out of his pockets, rubbing them over his face tiredly. "What you do is your business… not mine."

Calleigh rolled her eyes and looked away. "Ryan, you only assumed I spent the night with that guy… I never said I did."

He lifted his eyebrows, a little surprised. "So… you didn't?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. He brought me home and left. I spent the night alone." She groaned and shook her head again, frowning. "Since when do you care so much who I spend my time with anyway?"

He shrugged, staring at his feet again. "I think I've always cared about it… Calleigh, you're way more important to me than you think."

There was a long pause. "What do you mean?" He barely heard her, her voice almost a whisper.

He sighed, slightly uncomfortable. "Calleigh, I don't think I need to draw you a picture, alright. I like you. A lot. And these feelings run deeper than those you normally feel for a friend." There. He had said it. He watched her face, waiting for a reaction. She stayed quiet, her eyes wide as she stared down at his feet. Ryan held his breath, feeling even more anxious, if that were even possible. "Say something." He murmured.

Calleigh shook her head and looked up, frowning. "That's bullshit. You wouldn't be dating Lindsay if you had feelings for me."

Ryan knew this one was coming. "It was never serious between Lindsay and I. We went out that one time, that's it. The second time I saw her was when you and I went out."

He stopped talking, waiting to see if she wanted to add something. But she stayed silent, her eyes never leaving a spot on the wall behind him. "Calleigh… Tell me one thing. The night I spent here… the night we shared a kiss… did it mean something to you?"

She gaped at him, her eyes boring into his. "You remember?"

He took a step closer to her. "I didn't… at the beginning… but when I started remembering what had happened…" He sighed and frowned down at her. "Why did you lie to me when I asked you about that night? 'Cause you might have been drunk, but I know you do remember."

She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "It was a mistake. It should've never happened."

Ryan lifted his hands and laid them on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "Do you really think that? Because if you do, I'll walk out that door and never talk about it again. I'll be content with having you as a friend and a co-worker… nothing more."

She looked down, her heart racing. Of course it had meant something. That kiss had changed everything. It was the reason why she'd been struggling with her feelings for the last few weeks. It was the reason why she had been losing sleep and fighting with her heart. She brought her eyes back to his. His hazel eyes were filled with… hope?

She had to risk it. If she didn't, she'd never know if he felt the same way for her as she did for him. "No."

"No?"

"No, it wasn't a mistake." She let out a long shaky breath. "Well for me it wasn't. The only thing I regret is for both of us to have been drunk when it happened."

Ryan sighed and swallowed with difficulty as a small smile slowly appeared on his lips. "We're not drunk now…" He bent his head, slowly closing the distance between them.

Calleigh held her breath, feeling the heat of his breath on her skin. He was going to kiss her. GOD did she want him to kiss her. She parted her lips, desperately needing to feel his lips on hers.

That's when the delivery boy decided to interrupt them. They both shut their eyes and groaned, the moment gone. Calleigh took a step back and looked down. "That's the food I ordered." She murmured. She walked to her purse and took her wallet out before opening the door. She paid for the food and took the bag from the delivery boy's hand. She shut the door and turned, walking around Ryan as she made her way towards the kitchen. She set the bag down and sighed, resting her hands on the counter.

She never heard Ryan move and walk up to her. She gasped as she felt warm hands rest on her waist. She let him turn her around and closed her eyes as his soft lips pressed against hers. She moaned quietly as he wrapped his strong arms around her body, bringing her tightly against his chest.

He bit her lower lip gently, asking for entrance to her mouth. She parted her lips and let him wrap his tongue around hers, finally fully tasting each other. The kiss they had shared so many nights ago was nothing compared to this one, which was filled with pent up passion and hot desire.

Their hands roamed over each other's body, lighting fires all over their skin. Calleigh groaned as she felt Ryan's lips part from hers, and opened her eyes. Panting, she looked up at his face and grinned. He was looking down at her, his hands gently holding her face up to his.

"I think… I'm in love with you." He whispered.

She breathed in. "You think?" She whispered back.

His smile only grew wider as he nodded his head slowly.

"Well… I think I'm in love with you too."

Ryan grinned. "You think, huh?"

She nodded her blond head. "Yeah."

He paused, his eyes searching hers. "Well, do you want to eat supper or do you want me to show you how much I think I love you?"

Calleigh grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down to her. "The food can wait."

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