A/N: Hi! I'm so glad you guys thought I should continue. Thanks so much for the feedback, I'm really grateful. I decided to update this chapter sooner to express my gratitude to all of you that took the time to read this story and especially the ones that left me a review. Hope you like this one too. If you do, please let me know.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they all belong to Charlaine Harris.

Chapter 2 – Back To The Start

Three years ago

"I dreamed your kiss tasted like pudding. I wonder if that's true…" he told me once. I have to say, we met in the most peculiar way. Let me go back to the start. I was having trouble finding information for an essay at the library, so I searched on the Internet for more details. That's when I became acquainted with Bill's best friend on a computer science forum, Amelia. She offered to help me with my research even though she didn't have to; she is such a sweetheart and knew so much more than me about the subject that I gratefully accepted her assistance. We worked on it all that night. I got an A+ on that paper thanks to her.

Amelia is a computer programmer analyst or something like that; Bill was too. We started chatting via e-mail and through instant messages frequently, soon becoming good friends. We met each other face to face about a year later.

One night Amelia sent me a wicked email with some questions answered by her and several friends; I soon discovered that it was a highly amusing game. I had to answer and send it back to her and my entire email list, things like: "What time is it? What are you wearing right now? What is your teddy bear's name? Have you ever cried because of love? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What was the most creative thing you have ever done in bed?" Of course,the funniest part was reading what other people had to say.

A couple of days later she sent me a private message, saying that one of her friends was interested in one of my friends. My adorable friend Claudine had managed to attract Bill's attention with some of her cheerful responses and her pretty cheerful self. So he started to send me little courteous e-mails in order to introduce himself and discover more about Claudine.

Claudine is one of my best friends; she's beautiful, with long straight dark hair, light caramel skin and greenish eyes, she's a little taller than me and has an enthralling cheery personality. I got to know her through Jason. He and her brother Claude went to high school together and hung out regularly. A long time ago they threw a party and the two of us finally met. She was such a likeable, funny girl and we got along so well that I felt like I knew her all my life. Claudine, Claude, Jason and I lived in Bon Temps at the time and we hung out together pretty often.

Soon I introduced her to my new friends, Amelia and Bill. They became good friends of hers as well. We talked almost every day, Amelia, Bill, Claudine and I by e-mail and through instant messages. Later even our snoop brothers became friends with Amelia and Bill, because they were so much fun and Claudine and I always talked about them. They lived in New Orleans and studied together all their lives; they had even taken the same courses in college. They were more like brother and sister than friends to tell the truth.

Months passed and our friendship was getting stronger. I really liked to chat with Bill and Amelia, but more often than not was talking to Bill, because we seemed to spend more time on the computer than the others. We became so close that I felt like I could tell him anything.

He had a way about him that made you feel comfortable; he was so nice to talk to, always there to listen and give some precious advice if you had a problem, needed an opinion regarding something important or simply another point of view. He often asked about my life, my dreams, and my aspirations. We could talk for hours about nothing special, just joking and having fun with each other. And we occasionally got into some serious conversations, discussions that lasted for hours… sometimes even days.

However Bill could be beyond reserved at times; he would make you tell him about your whole life, but never offered too much in return. I learned that it was just his way. From time to time this bothered me and then I would be distracted by his charming gentleman-like nature and I'd forget all about it.

(5:16 p.m.) SSunshine: "Bill, why are you so dry today? Did I offend you with something? Please tell me!"

We were chatting using an instant messenger for almost twenty minutes. He was so strange that night, giving me dry answers and acting like something was deeply wrong; he wouldn't open up to me and spill out what was going on.

(5:21 p.m.) WTCompton: "It's nothing, Sookie. I just have a headache. I'm sorry, but I have to work…"

(5:22 p.m.) SSunshine: "This is bullshit... But ok, Bill. Let's do it your way. Good luck then. Bye."

I didn't buy that. He was hiding something from me, like he used to do when anything serious concerned him. I hated that. Maybe it was a thing he couldn't tell me specifically. 'But what could that be?'

A couple of weeks later he decided it was time to open his heart and blurt out his undying love for Claudine, confirming some old suspicions of mine. He informed me that Amelia already knew about it; of course she knew, she was his best friend. But the most startling part was that at some point when the penny has finally dropped, I freaked out and almost sent him "go to hell" as reply.

(1:09 a.m.) WTCompton: "Sookie, I know this can't work… Trust me, I know… But you can't help who you fall in love with."

(1:11 a.m.) SSunshine: "Oh God. Take a hike, Bill. How could you be such an idiot? You know she doesn't like you that way. She likes some guy from college. You already knew this. Dammit, Bill."

I think I was a little too harsh, but man, he got to my nerves right then. Also it's hard to talk to someone about something like that when you are unable to show your real emotions face to face. It's really not the same when said through messages. But I had a feeling that if he had told me that in person, I'd have probably punched him. In that case, it was most likely this was the best way after all.

(1:15 a.m.) WTCompton: "I've been silly for too long now. But I don't have hope anymore, Sookie. That's why I'm telling you this now… You are right; I'm really an idiot. How could I expect that she loved me? She is so great, so beautiful, so lovable…"

(1:17 a.m.) SSunshine: "Oh Bill… I'm sorry things are the way they are. You are a great guy, you deserved to be loved. She just doesn't see you that way…"

(1:18 a.m.) WTCompton: "I know. She only sees me as a friend… A fucking friend. Sook, please don't tell her anything of this. I didn't say anything to you before because you are her best friend. I was afraid you would tell her and I couldn't handle that…"

(1:20 a.m.) SSunshine: "Oh come on, Bill. You know me better than this. I'd never say anything you told me in secrecy… Just get yourself together and move on, buddy."

I felt sorry for him, but he was still an idiot. I snorted; I was incredibly annoyed by the whole thing. Maybe I didn't want him to open up to me after all.

(1:22 a.m.) WTCompton: "I will, Sookie. I will. Thanks for listening. Let's just forget about the whole thing… Is everything okay with you?"

He finally talked to me and I didn't like it. For some reason this upset me at a deeper level. But why, I thought, why was it bothering me? It wasn't like I was jealous, was it? 'This can't be happening…I can't… Is it any wonder, really Sookie? Oh God! Kill me, kill me now.'

I got up from my chair, rubbing my forehead so hard that it started to hurt. I paced back and forth in my comfy pajamas feeling completely flustered in front of the laptop, glancing at the screen like it was gonna set on fire. 'This couldn't be good, I couldn't like him that way; he was my friend, just my friend.' I had never even looked at him in the eye, how could I possibly like him? 'You just do…'

I didn't have the courage to say what I was really thinking of, so I replied suddenly:

(1:31 a.m.) SSunshine: "Oh, I'm fine Bill. I have to go now. But stay frosty. Bye!"

(1:31 a.m.) SSunshine is Offline.

And then what did I do? I vanished.

A/N: We needed to take a look into Sookie's past, don't you think? Eric will be back in a little awhile, just hold on with me.

I updated the characters list at my profile. You can take a look at Claudine and Claude pictures. They sure look good. ;)