A/N: And now for the other side of the story…

Simon was slowly stirring chili on the stove in his small house when the doorbell rang. Wiping his hands on a dishtowel, he crossed the tiny den to reach the front door as he wondered how Alvin and Brittany got to his house on time. Besides the fact that both were notorious for being behind, the two of them together were bound for trouble. However, he was pleasantly surprised to see his best friend standing on his front stoop, her cheeks rosy from the whipping winds outside.

"Jeanette! I didn't expect you to come so early! And you don't have to ring the doorbell, you know. You can just come in."

"You know how I am, Simon," she replied, snow drifts collecting around her like angel dust. "And yeah, we were fairly slow, so Ben told me to go on home," she replied, referring to her job at the University's library. Simon led her inside, brushing the snow off of her petite shoulders. "It's really starting to come down out there. I hope Alvin and Britney are careful driving up."

Jeanette unwrapped her thick scarf from around her neck and removed her gloves and coat before leaning her head back to shake the snowflakes from her long chestnut curls. She had begun wearing her hair long and down as they'd gotten older, out of the traditional bun and ribbon of her childhood. Simon couldn't help but lean against the door, staring at her as he clutched her winter clothes in his arms. He hated to admit that Alvin was right, and he was good at avoiding the subject, but when it came to lying to himself, he just didn't cut it.

Thankfully, she was oblivious to his gawking stares as Simon pulled himself together, hanging her belongings on the coat stand by his door.

"Mmmmm…Oh Simon, are you-?"

"Theodore's famous chili recipe? Of course," he replied with a smile as she lifted the lid of his worn pot, thinking warmly of his brother and her sister, attending college together back in California.

"It smells absolutely delicious. It'll definitely hit the spot after a walk through the snow."

Which was exactly what had been on Simon's mind as he decided what to fix for the evening. Jeanette's thin figure, bundled up in wool and down, shuffling her way through the snow in the dark. He could almost feel the cold wind whipping through the trees, muffling the sounds of danger in the night.

It killed him to imagine her walking alone in the cold, though he knew she wouldn't have it any other way. She didn't have to work late often, but when she did, she usually got off after the buses had finished their routes, leaving her to walk home alone in the late hours of the night.

"So how is work going anyway?" Simon asked, pulling chili powder out of the pantry as he tried weaseling his way into a subject he knew Jeanette was not keen on talking about.

"Oh, it's fine. You know I love it there."

"I do, but what kind of hours is Ben giving you this semester?" Simon pushed, knowing Ben loved to use Jeanette's passion for the library to give her the worst hours that no one else would take. The library stayed open twenty-four hours a day.

"They're not too terrible…" Jeanette added the chili powder in, stirring the thick concoction to keep her eyes off of Simon's.

"Jean, I'm serious. You cannot keep walking home in this mess. We're supposed to get more snow next week, and it kills me to know you're out walking alone."

"Well, I know Simon but-"

"Let me pick you up. It's right up the street."

"We've talked about this a million times, Simon. I get off next week at 2am. You'll be sound asleep. I cannot let you—"

"Two in the morning?" Simon's sudden anger spiked his voice, causing Jeanette to jump as the large spoon in her hand clattered to the stovetop.

"I—I'm sorry, Jean. But I can't let you walk home at two o'clock in the morning. I just saw on the news where another girl got robbed walking home at dusk on our street. Dusk! Think of what kind of-"

"Simon."

His arm was on fire. The bare skin on his forearm was on fire from her touch, he swore, from the elbow where his plaid flannel shirt was rolled up, down to the tips of his fingers. The touch of her hand on his arm sent a flame of heat clear to his heart as he looked at her, a slight smile on her light pink lips.

"You can come pick me up, if it's such a big deal to you."

Great, I'm making a big deal, Simon thought to himself, wondering if he was giving his feelings away.

"It's not, but I…I just don't want anything to happen to you, Jean. You're my best friend and I…I don't…" His tongue seemed to be swelling in his mouth as his brain fought for airspace with his heart. Blurt out the feelings or keep them tucked away, as he had done for the past ten years?

"Yes, Simon?" Jeanette's sparkling green eyes blinked up at him, and Simon felt that surely she could see straight down into his heart.

He wrapped his arms around her thin frame, pressing his cheek against her soft brown hair as he breathed in her scent. "I don't want anything to happen to you," he began again, taking a deep breath as he kissed the top of her head. "I lo—"

"Helloooooo!"

"Heyyy little sister!"

"Brittany!" Jeanette cried out, looking over Simon's shoulder at the door, which had been throw open at the entrance of Alvin and Brittany, the evening's snow swirling in around them.

Simon pulled away from Jeanette instantly, not wanting his brother to see their embrace while simultaneously feeling embarrassed that he almost let three tiny words slip out to ruin his friendship with Jeanette. She turned to embrace her sister, but not before looking him in the eye, a question embedded there.

Did she know?

A/N: R&R!