Author's Note: It's been a while, I know... So I'll just thank my betas, kgs-wy and the plot hole detector that is Neo the Saiyan angel, who helped make this chapter better than I ever could have hoped. Also, FFnet doesn't allow email addresses in the text so that's why they're written the way they are.
Chapter 11: Brian's Song
≈O≈
As she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, Bonnie could not stop thinking about that night. Only a couple hours ago she had been wrapped up around her lover, basking in the afterglow of their shared, intense orgasm. She could still feel Kim's hot and heavy breath on her neck, smell their combined juices dripping down her leg.
The scene still vivid in her mind, her hands wandered on her body, stimulating her senses, seeking to make it real again. The wanderlust ended inside her, enthusiastic fingers determinedly working her into another explosive climax.
She fell asleep, sweaty and sated.
≈O≈
"So did you guys have fun last night?" Kim asked.
"Yeah," Ron replied dreamily.
Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket, making kissy noises, then made a retching noise and disappeared in the pocket.
"I think the little guy's jealous," Kim smiled.
Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out the mole rat. "Don't worry, Rufus. I won't forget about you."
Rufus crossed his arms and turned away.
"You're my boy," Ron said, offering his index finger. Rufus eyed it from the corner of his eye. Finally he stretched out his little paw and touched the tip of the finger.
"Yeah, bros before-," Ron started before noticing the glare Kim was giving him. "Uhh.. not-bros."
"Nice save," Kim said.
There was a blond flash as Tara zoomed past Kim, going straight to Ron. She stood on her tippy toes to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Anything more would risk them getting detention for violating Barkin's strict ban on public displays of affection.
Bonnie walked up behind Kim and whispered in her ear: "Hello, lover." Her husky voice sent pleasant shivers down Kim's spine. Her lips parted slightly to let out the exhale.
Suddenly the redhead realized they were in public and jumped. She put some distance between her and her paramour, looking around with a scared look on her face.
"Don't scare me like that," Kim covered.
"I'm gonna scare the pants off you later," Bonnie grinned.
"So, how about last night. Fun, right?" Kim tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Oh, my God, it was so much fun," Tara enthused.
"Especially with my badical moves," Ron said, striking his best Travolta pose.
"Okay, I'm gonna leave before I catch the fever," Bonnie said. She turned to Kim. "I'm gonna check my email before I go to class, but I'm up for some fast and furious necking after. You in?"
Again Kim glanced around nervously. "I'm in."
Bonnie smiled and walked off. Kim frowned slightly as she watched the fellow cheerleader walk away. She was uncomfortable with Bonnie's advances which were getting less furtive each time. While she was increasingly certain about her feelings for the girl, Kim was not ready to come out, not by a long shot.
≈O≈
There was no class currently in the computer room, yet there were a few students manning the workstations. Bonnie didn't pay much mind to them, as most of them belonged to the undesirable class designated 'nerds'. She found a seat at computer in the most remote corner she could find and fired up the web browser. Soon she had her email inbox open before her and eyed the unread mails filling the screen. Most of them were ads or school related stuff, but one title caught her eye. "I know what you did last night," it said.
Bonnie clicked on it, and the message itself repeated the line in the title. She was about to delete the message, but noticed it had an attachment. She clicked on it, launching the image viewer. A second later the image filled the screen.
Bonnie stared at the image. It was grainy and dark, even slightly blurred, but to her it showed crystal clear.
It was her and Kim wrapped up in each other leaning against a column in a dance club.
Quickly, Bonnie closed the image viewer and looked around to see if anyone had been watching. Seeing no one looking at her direction she looked at the mail again. There was nothing to indicate who it was from or what they wanted, just the ominous message. She tried to recall the night in question and remember if she saw anyone from their school or that they knew. She didn't remember anyone she recognized other than Ron and Tara. Then again, her attention had been focused elsewhere - the picture itself was evidence of that.
Other than being the popular queen of high school, Bonnie didn't really care what people thought of her. If the picture got out, she could handle it. She had enough clout to make it work for her. But Kim on the other hand – she'd be devastated. Which made Bonnie all the more determined to make this go away.
For that she needed help - the nerdy kind. But she wasn't friendly with any nerds, nor did she trust anyone she coerced into helping her to keep the secret. There was Ron, but he was more of a geek than a nerd. But who?
Then it hit her: that kid Kim was always talking to with her communicator. Bonnie immediately set out to find Kim. The group was still hanging out at Kim and Ron's lockers.
"So, did you get anything interesting?" Ron asked.
"You could say that," Bonnie replied and turned to Kim. "Can I borrow that oversized phone thingy of yours?"
"Why? You're not gonna bully Wade, are you?"
"What? No. I just have a computer related question."
Kim handed Bonnie the Kimmunicator. She pushed a button and Wade's image appeared on the screen.
"Hey, Ki- wait, you're not Kim."
"Yeah, no duh. I'm Bonnie, and I have a question."
"Ah, Bonnie Rockwaller, student id #009034."
"How'd you- never mind. Can you trace an email?"
"Child's play. Just forward me the mail and I'll take a look. If it's tricky I might have to look at the original mail."
"So what's your email address?"
"It's 'wade at kimpossible dot com'."
"Okay, I'll mail you in a bit."
"I'll call you when I trace it."
"Are you asking for my number?"
"Already have it."
"That's just creepy."
"Sorry, I'm doing data gathering on the background as I speak. It's a habit."
"Whatever."
Bonnie offered the Kimmunicator back to Kim. Before the device exchanged hands Wade's cheerful voice announced: "Done."
Bonnie brought it back in front of her face. "I didn't even send you the mail yet."
"I sorta hacked your account," Wade said sheepishly.
"You what?!"
"I just thought it'd be faster."
"Do you enjoy having your underwear pulled over your head?"
"I-"
"Just tell me what you found?"
"Okay, so the mail came from 'clrw at tepidmail dot com' . I hacked-"
Bonnie exhaled in exasperation. "I don't need the tech talk. Just give me the skinny."
"Uhh.." Wade hesitated.
"Spit it out, nerdlinger."
"The mail was sent from your house."
Bonnie groaned. "I should have known those two were behind this!"
"Who are behind what?" Kim asked with a frown.
Bonnie handed the Kimmunicator back to Kim. "Connie and Lonnie. They have a photo of us at the club."
Kim's face turned white.
"So? All we did was dance," Ron said.
"Some of us who aren't total dorks did a little more than that," Bonnie said.
"You mean, like kissing?" Tara asked wide-eyed.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, kissing. We kissed a whole bunch."
"We have to fix this," Kim said, finally being able to speak. "What if they tell someone?" she panicked.
Bonnie grabbed her shoulders. "I'll make this go away. I promise."
"Okay," Kim said quietly. "Ron, let's get to class," she said and walked away without giving Bonnie so much as another glance.
That was the last time they talked that day. No matter how hard she tried, Bonnie couldn't get Kim to acknowledge her. It was unsettling. When she finally got home Bonnie was so frustrated she stormed into her sisters' room.
"Okay, give it!" the fuming brunette demanded.
"Give what?" Connie asked innocently.
"The photo. I know it was you two who sent me that mail."
The twins looked at each other. "How'd you... Oh, well; it doesn't matter, what matters is that from now on you'll do as we say, or that photo ends up on the front cover of your school paper."
"Like I care. Besides, no one reads that crap," Bonnie said defiantly.
"You may not care, but what about your little squeeze toy? I bet she'd be pretty upset if this went public."
Bonnie bristled, and almost spat at her sisters: "You sick little c-"
"I'd be a very careful about your next words if I was you."
The urge to smash her sisters' faces repeatedly against the wall was almost too powerful for Bonnie to overcome. Only the thought of how that picture getting out would hurt Kim restrained her. "What do you want?" she forced through gritted teeth.
≈O≈
Later that night as she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, Bonnie kept asking herself why in the world had she given in to her sisters. Why had she sacrificed her pride to keep someone else from getting hurt? And why did the idea of Kim getting hurt bother her so much?
Part of her did not know how to deal with all these feelings she was not used to. It was as if she had skipped her lessons of emotional growth and she was being given the final as a pop quiz. Yet, a part knew exactly what to do, or at least, what she wanted to do. That increasingly loud part of her wanted to drop all the pretense, eighty-six the secrecy, and just show the world what this exceptional redhead meant to her.
The only problem with that was, she was not quite sure herself. And she knew for a fact that Kim would be mortified.
After a lot of tossing and turning the brunette fell into a troubled sleep.
≈O≈
The next morning was hell.
With her sisters taunting her at every turn, making suggestive remarks with that annoying smirk on their faces, it was all Bonnie could do to not throw her cereal bowl at one of their heads.
When she finally managed to finish breakfast she went to brush her teeth. Her gums and tooth brush felt the brunt of her anger as she brushed furiously quite literally frothing at the mouth, thinking how she could get out of her sisters' hold.
The answer came like a bolt of annoying lightning from the sky in the form of Bonnie's sisters bursting in the bathroom.
"What the hell is this?!" Connie demanded.
Bonnie pulled out the toothbrush and spit in the sink. "What is what?"
"This," Connie reiterated, pointing to the item in the calendar she was holding.
Bonnie recognized it immediately. It was her personal appointment book. "You went through my things?"
"That's not the point here," Connie said unfazed. "Meet with dad," she read the entry in the calendar. "You know where dad is and didn't tell us?"
"And for how long have you been keeping it from us?" Lonnie asked.
Bonnie snatched the calendar from Connie's fingers. "I only found out a couple days ago," she lied. Seeing how they had reacted, there was no reason to let them know she had contacted their dad almost two weeks ago.
"And you didn't think we had the right to know?"
"You were just going keep him to yourself, like you always do!" Lonnie said with a glare.
"I wasn't-," Bonnie tried to defend herself.
"Yes you were. You were going to just go off and say who knows what crap to dad, without letting us have our say."
"That's not true. All I wanted was to see him."
"Prove it. Take us with you."
Bonnie took a long pause. She had wanted to talk to her dad privately and in peace so she could get out what she needed to. Now it looked like she had lost the chance. Then she realized she had the upper hand here.
"Fine. I'll take you along - on two conditions."
"What?"
"One," Bonnie raised a finger, "you delete every single copy of that photo, you never tell anyone what you saw in that club, and forget it ever happened."
Connie and Lonnie glanced at each other, unsure if they should give up their biggest bargaining chip yet. In the end, they both figured seeing their dad after three years was more important and they gave in. "Deal," they said.
"Two," Bonnie extended a second finger, "you'll let me and Dad have some time alone."
"Again with the hogging. He's not just your dad, you know!"
"The terms are not up for discussion. And not that it's any of your business, but I have something I want to talk to Dad about in private."
"Okay, fine."
"We're meeting at the Triton Arms at six," Bonnie told them. "That's in Upperton," she added, talking as if they were the world's biggest ignoramuses - which in her mind wasn't that far from the truth.
"We know where it is," Lonnie said and walked out of the bathroom with her fraternal twin sister, Connie, in tow.
Bonnie turned to the mirror and sighed. Interacting with her sisters always taxed her. But this time she'd actually gotten something important and worthwhile out of it.
≈O≈
"Are you sure? They're not gonna tell anyone?" Kim asked.
"Trust me," Bonnie assured her. "I have enough leverage to make sure they keep their word."
Kim let out a sigh of relief. "Good."
The redhead couldn't hold eye contact, and turned away. "I... I gotta go," she said quietly.
"K, why are you avoiding me?" Bonnie asked, confused. She had thought the news would make Kim happy. "I told you no one will find out."
"I'm sorry, I just have something on my mind," Kim said, still not looking back.
"I'm going to see my dad today," Bonnie said, partly in an effort to elicit a response from the despondent redhead, and partly because she just wanted to tell someone.
Kim turned around. "Really? That's great," she said smiling, before catching herself. "I hope it goes well," she said in a more somber tone. "I really need to go," she said and walked off.
The last thing Bonnie saw of Kim was her back before lowering her eyes and walking away.
≈O≈
Kim dropped on her bed facing the ceiling. Only her feet touched the floor, aching from pacing around the room for who knows how long. The events of the day had sent her brain into a vicious cycle of doubt.
It was the photo.
The photo had scared her. Sure, she knew that if she wanted to pursue a serious relationship with Bonnie - and she did – she would have to come out eventually. But it had to be on her terms, when she was ready. Which was not now, and most definitely not like this.
She knew her parents would support her, but the public she was not so sure about. And because of her chosen line of extracurricular activities, that was something she had to take seriously. She was a hero. A role model. She had no choice but to accept the very real possibility that if people found out about her relationship with another girl, it could subject her to an avalanche of criticism, or maybe even cause some people to refuse her help. What if she failed to help someone, even save their life, just because they did not find her and her help agreeable?
What scared her most was that it could all be for nothing. For all her efforts, she had failed to get Bonnie to acknowledge what they had was not just physical, that it was more than a fling. For her to risk everything, all she really needed was some indication from Bonnie that it was not just her in this relationship.
She really needed to talk to someone about this. There was Ron, but he was too much of an optimist. Besides, he'd tell her anything to make her feel better. That wasn't what she needed, she needed the harsh truth.
There was Bonnie, but her truth was harsher than that of others. And she was part of the problem, anyway.
She could always talk to her mom, but Kim was not quite ready to tell her yet. Soon, but not yet. Mrs. Williams, maybe? She already knew about them, and she seemed like someone who would tell it straight. Perhaps she could- BEEP-BEEP-BE-BEEP.
≈O≈
Had she been a smoker, Bonnie would have burned through a whole pack already. She had lost track of time time pacing in front of the Upperton Arms. She had planned to arrive early and sit down to get familiar with the surroundings before confronting her dad, but the moment she gazed upon the hotel sign, Bonnie lost her nerve.
"So, are we doing this or not?" Bonnie heard. As she looked around, she saw her sisters standing almost next to her.
"Took you long enough," Bonnie shot back. Forcing back her trepidation, she motioned her sisters to follow her inside.
Inside they took in their surroundings, looking for a way to the hotel bar.
The receptionist noticed them and asked: "Can I help you?"
"Uh, we're looking for the bar," Bonnie said.
The receptionist looked them over. "I don't think you're old enough to drink."
"We're not drinking, we're meeting someone."
The receptionist gave them a judging look. Connie snapped at him: "Just point the way, pencil neck."
He motioned towards one of the hallways leaving the reception area. The group walked off and entered the hallway.
The group arrived at the bar. The counter was on the left and curved away. On the right there were booths along the wall. Beyond the counter they saw a dance floor, and a small stage for live bands. There were a few people at the counter, and some at the tables near the stage.
As they were gazing around, a man appeared from one of the booths.
Brian Rockwaller was a kindly looking man of average height and build. He wore a well-fitting suit, the tie around his neck having been loosened.
"Hey, girls," he said with a nervous smile.
As if of one mind, the three sisters jumped on the man and hugged him tight. "Daddy!" they yelled.
Their dad gladly accepted the hug. A few moments in he glanced around and noticed the looks they were getting. "Come on girls. I have a booth ready."
Reluctantly, and a little embarrassed, the girls let go of their father and let him lead them into the booth he had reserved for them.
"I can't believe how much you've grown," Brian said.
"Well, three years will do that," Connie said acidly.
"How time flies avoiding your family," Lonnie echoed her sister.
Seeing her father's face drop at the attack Bonnie couldn't join in. She softened her tone.
"Why did you leave us?" she asked, when what she really wanted to ask was: "Why did you leave me?"
"I never wanted to leave. I love you girls more than anything in the world. I just thought it'd be easier on everyone."
"Easier than what? Raising your children?" Another jab from Connie.
"I don't know if you noticed anything, but your mom and I were having some problems. We were growing apart and we were beginning to realize we might not be able to work things out. So instead of putting you all through a messy divorce and your mom and me arguing, I decided to leave."
"So instead of working through your problems you just ran away?" Connie asked.
"It just seemed like the best option at the time."
"Wow, that was your best option? I'd hate to see what the others were."
Brian sighed deeply. "I know I screwed up. You're right, I ran. I was in over my head and I ran."
"Didn't you think we'd miss you?" Bonnie asked.
"Every waking moment. Not a day has gone by when I don't think about you guys, and if what I did was the right thing to do."
"You could have at least called us," Connie said.
"But I did! For the first few months I called several times. But you didn't have cell phones or the numbers were unlisted, and when I called the house phone your mom answered, and she wouldn't let me talk to you. It just became harder and harder to pick up the phone, and then... I was actually afraid. You don't know how many times I picked up the phone, too scared to make the call. What if you didn't want to talk to me, or told me you hated me.. I didn't think I could handle that."
Bonnie knew the feeling. She still remembered the many times she held her phone too afraid to call, afraid of not liking what she found.
"Can you really blame Mom?" Lonnie said.
"I guess I can't. And I couldn't blame you if you all hated me."
"Dad, we never hated you," Connie said.
"We hated not knowing the reason you weren't there," Lonnie continued.
Brian smiled. He turned to Bonnie, a nervous tick tugging at his lips. "BonBon?"
Bonnie stared down at her hands, wringing them in her lap. After what to Brian felt like an eternity Bonnie stood up. She walked around the table and sat next to her father. "I love you, Daddy," she said as she hugged him.
"That's our cue," Lonnie said. She and her twin sister slid out of the booth.
"Are you leaving?" Brian asked.
"We're just going to get some fresh air, we'll be back," Connie said.
"You've got ten minutes," Lonnie said, looking at Bonnie.
Brian looked puzzled as he watched the girls walk off. He turned to Bonnie. "What was that about?"
"I asked them to give us some one-on-one time."
"Not that I mind, but why?"
"There's something that- that I just don't know how to deal with."
"Are you in trouble?"
"No. Well, not exactly."
Brian waited for Bonnie to continue.
"Dad, how would you feel if I was... different?"
"Different, how?"
"Just... different."
"Honey, I love you no matter what. Nothing will ever change that."
Bonnie fell silent again. A moment later she continued. "I'm kinda seeing someone."
"That's good. It's perfectly normal for a girl your age. So what's he like? What's his name?"
Bonnie struggled with herself, trying to find the courage tell the truth. As she looked up, her attention was drawn to the television set mounted on the wall. She smiled and nodded towards the screen. "That's her."
Brian looked at the television. The news was on, and they were showing a reporter interviewing Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. In the background they were putting Dr. Drakken and Shego in an armored police van.
"That clumsy guy with the rat thing?"
"No."
It took a moment for it to register. "Wait.. 'her'?" Brian finally said. He looked at the tv screen and then back at Bonnie. "You're dating Kim Possible?"
"Yeah," Bonnie said tentatively.
"Wow."
"I know," Bonnie replied. "So, does this change what you said earlier?"
"Hell, no. BonBon, I don't care who you date as long as you're happy. You are happy, right?"
Bonnie sighed. "I'm getting there."
"Tell me."
"It's complicated."
"When is it not?"
"It's just that I've never been any good at, well, feelings. And I think this is the first time I've... I can't even say it out loud. How pathetic is that?"
"Honey, you are not pathetic. You're still young, and you're still learning."
"Maybe."
"Is she the first? Girl you've dated, I mean."
"Yes."
"Does your mother know?"
"No."
"So, I take it you haven't, um, come out?"
"I don't even know if there's anything to come out about. I've never felt this way about a girl before. I might never again."
"I wish I could offer you some deep fatherly wisdom, but I'm a bit out of my depth here."
"It's okay. All I really wanted to know was that you weren't disappointed in me."
"Never."
"Time's up," Connie announced as she and her sister returned to the booth.
"That wasn't ten minutes," Bonnie said as the twins sat down.
"Tough. It's all you're going to get."
"Come on, be nicer to your sister," Brian said. The twins gave him a look that said 'Now you're being a father?' "I don't know what's going on between you three, for as long as I can remember you've always been at each others throats."
"They're just bitches who live to torment me," Bonnie said.
"Bonnie!" Brian chided her.
"Here we go again, all you did as a kid was hog all his attention and bad mouth us."
"I did not!"
"Oh, please. You pretty much handcuffed yourself to him."
"Girls! Please, calm down," Brian pleaded.
The sisters all crossed their arms and stared daggers at each other.
"Connie, Lonnie, I'm so sorry if you felt left out. I know I was never as close to you as I was to Bonnie. I wasn't playing favorites, your mom always kept you two to herself," Brian said. He sighed and continued. "Look, I know I haven't been there for any of you, but I want to try if you'll let me."
"Do, or do not. There is no try," Bonnie said.
"What Yoda here is trying to say," Connie said nodding at Bonnie, "is that we need more than a half-assed effort. We need you to be a dad."
"I promise, if you give me a chance, I'll do whatever it takes to be a father. A better father."
"Sure. You can start by talking to mom," Lonnie said.
Brian inhaled sharply through his teeth. "Couldn't I just send her a letter?"
"We need you to be able to come visit us. And that can't happen if she empties the cutlery drawer in your direction when you come by," Connie said.
Brian sank in his seat.
"It won't be that bad. We'll be your human shield," Bonnie said, taking his hand between hers.
"Fine. Whatever it takes."
The girls smiled victoriously.
Brian straightened up. "Now that that's settled, can you fill me in on what I've missed over the past three years?"
≈O≈
The bus ride back gave Bonnie a chance to process the evening's events. Finally finding the answers she had been looking for, having the love and support of her father, she felt she could move on. The uncertainty that had haunted her for so long was gone, and she now knew what she had to do.
And she was going to do it that very night.
≈O≈
Mrs. Possible answered the door, finding a troubled looking Bonnie Rockwaller standing outside.
"Bonnie, what are you doing here this late?"
"I know it's late, but can I talk to Kim? It's kinda important."
"Sure, she's in her room finishing up her homework."
"Thanks, Mrs. Possible," Bonnie said as she stepped inside. She headed upstairs and found Kim's room empty. She was about to call out, but heard a hiss behind the dressing partition set up near the bed.
"Kim?" Bonnie called out.
"Bonnie? What are you doing here?" Bonnie heard Kim say from behind the partition.
"I just came back from Upperton, and I had to talk to you about something."
"Okay, just wait a minute."
Kim's voice sounded pained.
"Are you okay in there?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah, I'm just changing out of my mission clothes," Kim said and threw the black top of her mission wear on her bed. As she did, Bonnie got a glimpse of her bruised arm.
Bonnie rushed over and saw Kim without her shirt. "Oh, my God," she breathed. Kim's whole upper body was covered with bruises. "What happened to you?"
"It's no big, Shego just got a little overzealous. The bruises will fade in a couple days."
Kim unbuttoned her cargos and stretched out her legs. "A little help?"
Bonnie grabbed the pant legs and started pulling, revealing more bruises. "Is it like this everytime?" she asked, not being able mask her concern.
"Not always," Kim cringed, "I can usually avoid injuries, but with Shego and Monkey Fist it tends to get pretty physical."
"Saw you on tv. You didn't look hurt."
"I have to suck it up for the cameras. And for my parents. Otherwise, it could bring up some problems - for them and me."
Bonnie sat back on the bed, watching Kim put on her sleepwear - loose sweat pants and a t-shirt with a heart on it. Bonnie couldn't hide how in awe she was of Kim right now. "You know, for a basic average girl, you really are quite extraordinary," she said.
"I'm nothing special," Kim brushed it off.
"You know how hard it is for me to say something like that," Bonnie said, annoyed. "Don't cheapen this with your false modesty."
"I am not being false," Kim said, getting a bit annoyed herself. "It's just who I am." She stood up with a pained grunt. "Love it or leave it."
She walked over to the bed and sat down next to Bonnie. "Why are you here?"
"I needed to talk to you."
"It couldn't wait until tomorrow?"
"No, I have to do this now."
"It's just as well, I kinda wanted to talk to you, too," Kim said.
Bonnie stood up. "I have to get this out first," she said and took a few steps away from the bed before turning around. She opened her mouth, but closed it right back up. She started pacing back and forth.
"What is it?"
Bonnie put up her hand. "Just gimme a sec," she said, still pacing.
It was more than a 'sec', but Kim waited patiently until Bonnie was ready to say whatever it was she was so desperate to say. It did make her a bit uneasy, though.
Finally Bonnie stopped and started talking, staring at the floor. "The thing is I've never been any good at you know, feelings and stuff."
"That's okay-"
"Please, just... let me get through this."
Kim quieted down.
"A lot of that's been about my sisters. We've always been so competitive, showing emotion would be showing weakness."
Bonnie took a few slow steps, still staring at the floor.
"Today I realized some of that's been because I've had, um... abandonment issues. With my dad leaving me, I've been afraid to get close to anyone, afraid of being rejected, abandoned, again."
"But after today, after finally talking to my dad, I think I can maybe start getting over it. But I-" Bonnie closed her eyes. "I need your help. Because..."
She fought losing her nerve, mustering every ounce of strength she could to utter the three most intimidating words in the English language. She opened her eyes.
"I love you."
To be continued.
