A/N: This chapter is shorter than the others, and I'm not as happy with it as I am with the others, but I thought I'd give y'all another chapter before I go, since I had taken so long to post the last one. My apologies to Marija. Calleigh didn't exactly admit it first. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thanks to Jenne for betaing this chapter!


Calleigh's POV

It was just as perfect as I had dreamed. We even stopped at a little spot on the coast and had barbequed chicken served by Jim. Eric just laughed when I told him that I had dreamed about this chicken. The ocean was perfect. When Eric said we should go diving together again sometime, I readily agreed.

I could get used to more of these days.

"We really do need to talk," Eric said as we walked back up the dock.

"I know," I agreed.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I care about you, Calleigh. A lot, and if I'm not mistaken, you feel the same way about me."

"Yes."

"But we work together."

"Yes."

"So I just think we should talk about it."

"You're right." I took a deep breath. "You've been my best friend for the last 5 years. We've been good friends for longer than that. I don't want to do anything to ruin that." His face fell. "Wait, Eric, I'm not finished. I've been half in love with you for the last 3 years. I just want to make sure we're on the same page before we go crazy and do something that might ruin that friendship. I just can't handle losing you."

"I love you, Calleigh. I think we've got something special here. I'm willing to take a risk if you are. And I promise you, no matter how hard it is, if it doesn't work out, I'll still be here for you. I'll still be your best friend."

While I knew he couldn't really guarantee to remain my best friend, this chance at a future with Eric was just too good to pass up.

"Okay."

We stopped at the Hummer. Eric pulled me close and slowly bent down. I ran one hand up his chest and around his neck and stood on my tiptoes. His lips met mine and I reveled in the feel of his firm lips against mine. He kissed me until our need for air became too great.

"Wow," was all I could manage. Oh, wow! That man can kiss!

"Yeah." He seemed to have enjoyed the kiss just as much as I had. I leaned in for a second one. Then I heard a ringing coming from the car.

"How much ya' wanna bet that's Horatio calling?" I asked, sadly.

We broke apart and climbed in. It was my phone. I was right; it was Horatio. Fortunately, he was just making sure we were both doing okay. I assured him we were.

"If there's anything you need, ma'am, and I mean anything, you let me know," he told me.

"Thanks, Horatio," I said

"He just wanted to know how we're doing," I told Eric after I hung up.

It was almost 3 o'clock when we pulled up in front of my place. Eric and I had agreed we needed a little space, but that didn't stop us from agreeing to dinner together later. Eric told me to dress up and expect him about 6. I was so excited! Our first real date! I could hardly wait to see what Eric had in mind.

Eric's POV

This day turned out so much better than I could have hoped. I loved showing the world of diving to Calleigh, and her admission of love was the icing on the cake. I couldn't believe my good luck, and we still had a date to look forward to.

I went home and showered, grabbed a pair of shorts and wandered into the kitchen. I found another basket of strawberries, rinsed them and brought them and the dip into the living room. I hadn't been bored for a second while Calleigh was here, but now that she was gone, something was missing.

I turned on the TV, hoping to find something to distract me. I flipped through the channels. Judge Joe Brown? No, thanks. Oprah? Not a chance. The Insider? No way. Ellen DeGeneres? Not if you paid me. Reba? I don't think so. Monk? Maybe if I can't find anything else. After running through the rest of the channels and finding nothing but cooking shows and boring talk shows, I settled on Monk. Not my favorite, but it's cute and it'll keep my mind off Calleigh. Right. Not a chance. C'mon, Delko, I told myself, it's only been an hour since you've seen her. You can handle a couple hours apart.

The show ended at 5 and I went back to my room to get ready. I chose a pair of black slacks and an off-white dress shirt. I got a pair of black socks out of my drawer and slid my dress shoes on after them. It only took me 15 minutes, so I grabbed my wallet, keys, a jacket and left.

On my way, I stopped at a little flower shop about a mile away from my home. I almost never buy flowers anywhere else. It's owned by a young Russian couple, they do a wonderful job, and they're such sweet people. Tania greeted me as soon as I walked in.

"Eric! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Very good. Little Ana is sleeping through the night."

"That's wonderful," I said. Tania and Viktor had seemed a little sleep deprived last time I had come in. They were thrilled with their new daughter, but they were definitely missing their sleep.

"What can I get for you today?" she said.

"Tulips," I answered.

She looked at me a little strangely.

"Tulips?"

"I know, I know, I usually go for a rose, but tulips are her favorite. Yellow tulips."

Tania smiled, "She's special."

"Yes. She is."

Tania suggested a few options, and I quickly decided on 20 yellow tulips in a high clear vase. She put them in a box to keep them upright, and told me to be careful with them. I put them on the passenger's seat and kept a hand on them the whole way to Cal's. I hope she likes them.


A/N: That's it for this chapter. Please let me know what you think. I wasn't too sure about this chapter, so I'd love to you know your thoughts on it. I'll post again after we reach 90 reviews (and I get back in town/get it beta-d), that's only 7 little reviews, so R & R! Thanks for reading!