CHAPTER 3

A/N: Ahh! Okay, glad that chapter was better! Thanks again for MedicWarrickLver for reviewing and letting me know how I'm doing with that. Chapter three…

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They ate in silence for they were both still a bit shocked by their kiss. "Eric, who knew you were such a great cook?" Calleigh joked as she and Eric were finishing up their picnic dinner. It really was a good dinner. He could cook better than she could!

"Ah, it wasn't that good." He protested modestly with a smile.

"So I see modesty is another one of those date-getting qualities as well." She joked wanting to see how he'd reply.

"Now that is one you don't have, Cal." He told her, trying to keep his face serious. She gave him a light punch in the arm, and he faked getting hurt.

"Eric you are such a girl." She shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"See that's what I mean, you have to save the picnic for the fifth date or until you have already proved your masculinity otherwise or you'll get called a girl." He told her, his face serious, but a smile evident in his eyes.

"Eric how long have I known you?" She asked him with a slight chuckle.

"A long time, why is that funny?" He answered with a curious look.

"If I've known you this long, and you haven't yet proved your masculinity, how much chance is there that you're going to?" She laughed. She loved how they could have conversations like this one, and the one they had on their way to the beach. She loved the way they could say anything they wanted around each other. She couldn't believe that he said he loved her. She had kissed him, but she hadn't told him she loved him. Not yet. Did he really mean it? Or was he just saying it because it sounded right?

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He smiled, once again flaunting his teeth. It made Calleigh's chuckle developed into a loud laugh. He really did love to flash his teeth. She wasn't sure if he was kidding or not before when he'd said that his appearance was what got him all his dates, but now she figured he was telling the truth. "What did I say that's so funny now?" He asked, still showing off the teeth.

"You didn't say anything… it's more like what you did. You just can't stop showing off your teeth. I thought you were kidding when you said that's how you got all your dates, but you weren't, were you?" She told him honestly, her laughter dying back into a smile.

"Wasn't kidding one bit. That's why I hardly ever have any relationships, I guess. The kinds of girls that go for me are the kinds that have a different guy every night. They're flirty, hot and don't like attachments. I guess I'm pegged as being the same way." He shrugged.

"Well, I guess they don't know what they're missing out on." Calleigh told him with another smile. She could tell Eric thought about this a lot, and it bothered him a lot too. She wondered what 'kind' of girl she was, but she wasn't about to ask him right then, she'd save that discussion for later.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, obviously confused. She smiled; he could be pretty naive sometimes.

"I mean that they are missing out on a lot, only wanting a one night stand from you. You're a great guy, and although I admit you do have good looks, you've got a lot more than that to offer, Delko." She laughed, taking in the hint of surprise and an even tinier hint of blushing she got off his face.

"You know, I didn't ask you out to dinner so you could make me feel better." He told her. She shrugged and was glad she made him feel better. They sat there for a few more minutes picking away at the end of the picnic. How had such lively conversation turned into such awkward silence so fast?

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Eric really didn't have any clue what was running through Calleigh's mind. First, they had been joking around like they always were. Then he had made the joking into something more serious and she had kissed him. And then they had eaten, then she had called him a girl and then called him attractive and now they were sitting in awkward silence. He didn't know what to say, and he hated when things got like that between him and Calleigh.

"So," He stated blankly in hopes of sparking a conversation.

"So," Calleigh repeated the word just as blankly as he had. "What kind of girl am I Eric?" Calleigh smiled at him, and he just looked at her for a minute. What kind of girl was she, he thought. He wasn't exactly sure what she meant, until he remembered what he'd said earlier. They're flirty, hot and don't like attachments. What kind of girl was Calleigh? It was a good question. He would have to think about this one very carefully. Calleigh was the most amazing girl he'd ever met, and he was in love with her. She was his kind of girl, but what kind was that exactly? If he told her that, she'd connect it back to what he had said earlier. Calleigh… she was beautiful, absolutely beautiful, smart, funny, honest, although she didn't seem to like attachments, it wasn't for the same reason as all those other girls.

"You Calleigh Duquesne are not like any other kind of girl." Eric finally decided upon an answer. He smiled at her, and watched as she tried to figure out what he meant by that. "I mean, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but you're not like the rest of those beautiful girls. You're smart, and funny and independent, and everything that a guy could ever dream of."

"Eric, you're making me blush!" She exclaimed with a small smile. He didn't understand why she was embarrassed when it was the perfect truth.

"Although all of that is completely true, it is, what I'm really trying to tell you is, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world."

"Eric, I love you too." They just sat there, smiling at each other for what seemed like forever until Eric laid back in the sand, and Calleigh rested her head on his chest. It had gotten darker by this point, and they were still the only ones in sight on the beach. And they didn't mind at all. They lay there together; the only sounds were the waves washing up and down along the sand, and their breathing. If only a moment could last forever…