Author's Note:

First of all, thank you to everyone that reviewed! I greatly appreciate every one I get and will never be able to thank all of you enough. Your words really do inspire me so thank you.

And I hope the delay didn't come as a big surprise to any of you since I gave you fair warning last chapter. I've been stretched a little thin lately. I've been working on 3 fics over the past month, something I do not advise, and I feel a bit drained. I'll be going on vacation the last week of March so I'm going to try really hard to get the next chapter up before I leave. If I don't then it'll be up after I get back. I'd like to thank all of you for being so patient with me. I feel privileged to have such awesome readers and I hope all of you know how grateful I am for you.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! There's Painalai goodness within!

Chapter XVI:

Whispers In the Dark

(Paine)

I was a nervous wreck as I sat down behind the immense control board and turned on the monitors that would be measuring his voice while he sang. I was praying to whatever deity that would listen, hoping Baralai actually had a half decent voice. I was serious when I said that I was going to be angry if his voice was anything but amazing. I should have had him sing for me from the very start. That way I wouldn't be sitting here now chewing my fingernails down to the quick, praying that all the effort I had put into writing that sheet music wasn't all for nothing.

I took a deep breath and slowly counted to ten in my head, calming myself down enough to keep the traitorous waver out of my voice. "Alright, Baralai," I started, depressing a button on the control panel that made it possible for him to hear me through the headphones. "Let me know whenever you're ready and I'll get you started."

"I'm ready. Go ahead," he replied, stepping closer to the microphone and adjusting the headphones.

"Okay, here we go," I mumbled to myself. My finger hovered over the play button as I held my other hand in the air, counting down from three. Just before I pressed the play button I noticed the little red record button right next to it, deciding at the last possible nanosecond to record it as I started the song.

I plastered myself to the back of the chair and fisted a hand in front of my mouth, holding my breath as Baralai began to sing. It only took me about ten seconds to realize that he had an absolutely amazing voice. I was even willing to go as far as saying that his voice was better than Cainen's. I was glad that he was paying more attention to the song lyrics than to me because I could only imagine what my face looked like. I knew that my jaw had dropped open but nothing but what was going on in the other room mattered much anymore.

I thanked Shiva that I had followed through with the split second decision to record it.

Halfway through the song he locked eyes with me and I found myself frozen to the spot, unable to move even if I wanted to. It was like he had paralyzed me using only his captivating gaze. A please smile pulled the corners of my mouth up as I reclined back in my chair, an odd feeling of serenity passing over me. I hadn't felt like that since before my parents had died. The fact that I was falling so fast for this guy that had the voice of an angel should have been setting off a million different warning bells in my head, but they were silent and I had to admit that it was refreshing.

Towards the end of the song he really started getting into it and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I felt ridiculous for doubting him. I had a feeling that he had the makings of a performer somewhere inside him. I stealthily reached inside one of the drawers as he sang the last few measures and grabbed an empty disk, quickly loading it into the computer. Yuna and Rikku had to hear this. Maybe his parents should too, I thought as I absentmindedly chewed on my thumb nail. If Baralai was actually serious about singing then his parents needed to know how talented he was.

"So, uh, what do you think?" He asked as he sat down next to me.

A sly grin started to pull my mouth up but I fought it off as a rather evil thought popped into my head. "Well, about that…This isn't good, Baralai." I paused and met his eyes to gage his reaction but only his brow was furrowed slightly so I couldn't glean what he was thinking just from that. If he was trying to hide his emotions from me he was doing a damn good job. "I don't even know if we can harmonize and I'm already hearing music in my head."

His forehead crinkled even more and I could tell that he had no idea what I had just said. "So is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

I laughed. The phrase 'ignorance is bliss' came to mind. "It depends. If you had asked me that a month ago I would have said it was a bad thing."

"What about now?"

I smirked sardonically. "I still think it's bad but I'm pretty sure I can live with it now."

"What kind of music are you hearing?" He asked as he reclined into his chair and rested his hands behind his head.

I bit down on my tongue as I studied the computer screen. "That's not good either. I'll leave it at that for now." A low beep sounded from the computer as it signaled that it was done burning the song onto the disk. I grinned in triumph as it spat the CD out of the disk drive.

"What's that?" He asked. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he knew exactly what it was.

"This," I began, waving it in front of his face. "is something your parents have to hear."

His eyes widened and the color washed out of his dark cheeks until they were no more than a sickly tan. "Do we have to?" He asked, his shoulder slumping and sounding very much like a small child that's been given a chore he doesn't want to do.

"Baralai, do your parents even know that you can sing?" I asked as I rooted around for a case to put the CD in.

"No, you're the only one that's ever heard me sing, besides my mirror that is. Gippal hasn't even gotten that privilege and he's known me the longest. My parents have no idea that I'm interested in anything other than taking over my father's business."

"Wow, don't I feel special," I remarked as I carefully rose out of my chair and began shutting everything off. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"To your house. Your parents need to hear this," I replied, indicating the CD I was holding.

He was silent so I paused in my equipment shut off ritual and turned to look at him. He was staring down at the floor like he was trying to burn a hole into it. Even though he wasn't looking at me I could see fear in his eyes. "I don't know if we should do that."

"You told me yourself that you weren't even sure if you want to follow in your father's footsteps. Your voice is amazing, Baralai, and I'll even go as far as saying that you're better than Cainen. That's a big leap for me because I think his voice is pretty good too. Anyways, I'm only saying that you should let them know." I was hoping he would decide to take my advice. What did he have to lose really?

He covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily. I didn't really understand why he was being so reluctant. I would think that his parents would be happy to discover that their son had a talent they never even knew about. That's where him and I are so different, I guess, I thought as I watched him. My parents always wanted to know about what I was interesting in. Whether or not I told them about it was a different story.

"Alright, let's go," he blurted suddenly, making a beeline for the door. "Before I change my mind."

I quickly finished shutting everything off then followed him out as fast as I dared. I was hoping that the few extra seconds it took me to turn the equipment off hadn't caused Baralai to chicken out. I shut the lights off and locked the door behind me then carefully slid into the passenger seat beside him. He already had the car in gear and had started driving away before I even had a chance to buckle my seatbelt.

The tension in the air on the way to his house was so palpable it felt like I was being suffocated. Whenever he wasn't using his right hand to shift he was chewing on his nails nervously. I tried not looking at him but even then I could practically feel the waves of anxiety pouring off of him. When he started bouncing his left leg I couldn't stay silent anymore.

"Baralai, if you don't calm down I'm going to hit you."

His leg stopped immediately, thank Shiva. "Sorry," he said, gripping the gearshift to prevent himself from biting his nails anymore. "I was nervous enough singing in front of you."

"Why?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "It just makes me feel self-conscious. I've never sang in front of anyone before. Like I said before, I've sang in front of my mirror but that's while I was home alone." He paused and took a deep breath, his fingers twitching from their place on the gearshift. "I just can't help but think that this is going to end very badly."

"What you need to do then is stop thinking," I said simply, beginning to grow irritated with him. I was beginning to think that all of this had been a huge mistake. "If you're so reluctant about this then we might as well go back to my house."

I had opened the door of opportunity so wide for him that I was sure he would waste no time in dashing through it. I was surprised when he made no move to turn back the way we had come. "No, you're right. I have to do this," he said, keeping his eyes glued to the road.

"Okay," I muttered, fixing my gaze on a spot of dried water on his windshield.

The rest of the drive to his house passed in silence and it seemed like it took him hours to get out of his car once we got there. He was walking so slow to his front door that I, the injured one, even beat him there. Once again, the thought that recording that song and persuading him to show it to his parents was a mistake. He was acting like this was killing him. I leveled him with a displeased glare when he finally me joined me by the door. He didn't say anything and avoided looked at me as he walked inside. I followed him in, glaring daggers at the back of his head as he led me into the living room.

"I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder as he ascended the stairs.

I sat down on the couch, my expression still stiff, and took a moment to look at the décor. It was slightly different than what I remembered from the last time I was here and I figured that Baralai's mother enjoyed changing things around every now and then. She definitely had a unique sense of style. I took note of the fact that she decorated her bed and breakfast and her home similarly, recognizing a pair of sconces and a few picture frames. I spotted a shelf with a small group of pictures that I hadn't seen before in the entertainment hutch that was against the far wall.

Unable to contain my curiosity I strode across the living room, ignoring the fact that I discovered myself holding my breath. Of course I was hoping to see a few pictures of Baralai; I was willing to admit that much to myself. Believe it or not I still didn't know very much about him even though he had been living with me for over two weeks. He didn't really offer very much personal information – he was like me in that aspect – and I never asked. I knew what it felt like to have certain things I didn't want to talk about so I gave him his privacy. Spending time with him was much more peaceful that spending time with Yuna and Rikku. They may have been my best friends but they sure did love to push the limits of my patience.

The first picture I happened to look at was of a younger Baralai sitting on a beach covered in sand up to his waist. He was smiling up at the camera wearing the same expression that I was quickly starting to fall in love with. I cocked my head to the side to get a better look at his younger self and felt the corners of my mouth curling upwards. I slowly moved my eyes over all the other pictures, noticing that Baralai was the main focal point of each of them. I could tell that he was the center of his parent's universes. I frowned as my eyes found a family picture that looked fairly recent, trying to make sense of his attitude towards them. He had it all but I remembered when I first met his parents him talking them like they were a hindrance. I hadn't heard him speak ill of them since he had come to live with me and if I had I would have spoken to him about it earlier. In fact, he seemed a lot less stressed and that was something I could relate with. My relationship with my parents hadn't been perfect but I would do anything to get them back.

I shook those morbid thoughts from my mind and continued to examine the shelf, spying a large leather bound book pushed all the way into the corner. My fingers twitched as I started to reach for it but stopped when I heard soft foot falls approaching me from behind. I snapped my head around, thinking it was Baralai, but sighed in relief when I saw it was only his mother, Carmen.

"He takes good pictures, doesn't he?" She said, coming to stand by me.

I smiled and looked back toward the picture of him in the Blitzball uniform he wore when he played for his high school in Bevelle. His hair was wet and small beads of water were collected all over his arms and shoulders, that timeless smile ever present. "Yeah, he does," I replied, chewing on my bottom lip. "I feel really lucky, you know. Sometimes I think I'm dreaming. He chose me out of all the other girls. It feels kind of surreal."

Carmen looped her arm through mine, looking at the pictures with an adoring mother's gaze. "No, he's the lucky one, Aria," she said, turning her beautiful eyes to me.

Even before Baralai and I had become official she started treating me like I was already a part of the family. She even insisted on calling me by my real name, which was something that I actually didn't mind. To be honest, I probably wouldn't care if Baralai called me Aria as well. The thought that I was moving too fast with him crossed my mind but I knew that wasn't true. The fact that I actually wanted him to call me by my real name was proof that I really did trust him. For me, that was a huge leap on the progress ladder.

"Baralai told me about what happened with Kiele earlier," she murmured just loud enough for me to hear. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," I replied, wrapping my hand around her reassuringly. "I the only one to blame is her."

Carmen hummed and looked over her shoulder, towards the second story. "That girl was the reason behind all the mistakes that Baralai made while we were in Bevelle. I think he realizes that now." She paused and met my eyes again. "Since the both of you have been spending time together he's more open with us now. And I have you to thank you for that."

I averted my eyes away from her and stared down at the floor, the heat rising steadily up my neck. Carmen thought very highly of me and she always managed to embarrass me at least once every time I saw her. "You know I don't like it when you put me on the spot like that," I replied, wishing for once that my hair was longer so I could hide my face behind it.

She chuckled and my heart clenched painfully when the sound vaguely reminded me of my own mother. "Yes, I'm sorry, I do know. I just can't help myself though." I locked eyes with her and sent her a half-hearted glare. Her smile only widened. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything." She leaned forward and grabbed the thick leather volume off the shelf. "Come over and sit with me. Baralai is talking with his father so we have a little time."

I gladly followed her back to the couch, a sense of excitement enveloping me at learning more about the boy I now called my boyfriend. Even thinking that word felt strange and I knew it would feel like that for a long time. Saying it out loud is going to be even worse, I thought with a small sinking feeling. I don't even want to think about having to tell Yuna and Rikku tomorrow. Knowing my luck, they won't even believe me. And if they do the whole school will know before the day is over. I suddenly didn't want to go to school in the morning.

Carmen's voice caught my attention then and I quickly met her gaze, hoping she hadn't noticed my lack of focus. "He's probably going to be so angry with me for showing you this," she told me as she wrapped her fingers lightly around the corner of the cover.

One corner of my mouth pulled up into a sly grin. "If he is then I'll make it up to him later."

Without wasting another second she pulled back the cover of the album and I found myself scooting closer to her to get a better look. His full name, Baralai Andrew DeSilva, and his birth date were at the top of the page. My eyebrows jumped up a small amount when I noticed that his birthday was only a couple months away and made a mental note of that date. Below that was a half a dozen sonogram pictures and I couldn't stop my jaw from falling open. Now I understood why he might get angry with his mom for letting me look at this. To a teenage guy pictures like this could be considered heavily embarrassing and the fact that she had put them in an album anyone visiting them could look at was a brave move.

"Wow, that's amazing," I said, leaning forward to get a closer look at the dark, grainy pictures. "Has he seen these?"

She nodded. "He has. He used to help me put it together. It's been a few years since he's looked at it."

She turned the page and I saw his name and birth date on the top of the page once again along with pictures of him after he had been born while they were still in the hospital. His crib card was in the middle of the page and I was mildly surprised when I saw that he had only been a little over six pounds when he was born. "He was really little," I remarked, looking at Carmen out of the corner of my eye.

"He came a couple weeks early actually. He probably would have been over seven pounds if he came when he was supposed to," she said, smiling down at his day old picture.

We spent the next ten minutes going through the picture album uninterrupted. Just when I was beginning to wonder what was taking Baralai and his father so long I heard their voices wafting down from upstairs. I looked up and spotted Baralai coming down the stairs in front of his father, a peaceful expression on his face. I knew then that their conversation had gone well. He met my eyes and, after looking at his baby pictures for the last fifteen minutes, seeing his matured face was a welcome relief.

He sat down next to me and casually laid his arm across my shoulders, which was something he had never done before. I jumped involuntarily when he put his mouth next to my ear, causing goose bumps to pop up all over the back of my neck and arms. "I talk with my dad about a lot. I'll tell you about it on our way home."

I nodded, attempting to hide the shivers shooting down my spine as his warm breath hit my ear but not doing a very good job of it. "Do you have a CD player?" I asked Carmen as I turned my head to look at her.

"We do," she answered, rising from the couch and going over to the entertainment hutch. She opened up a set of wooden doors on the left side, revealing a CD player that just about made me start drooling. "Did you bring some of your music for us to listen to?"

I chewed on my tongue as I went to join her, wondering if I should tell her or left her figure it out. I looked over at Baralai and he nodded his head, giving me permission. "No, not mine. Baralai's," I replied, starting up the player and popping the CD into the tray.

The silence that followed made me cringe. I was almost scared to look in Carmen and Darren's direction, unsure of how they would take it. Suddenly I was having doubts about showing them this song. Now that we were here getting ready to present it to them I was worried that they would feel like they didn't even know him anymore. I cautiously looked in his father's direction, thinking that he would be the hardest one to win over, but was shocked when I saw him smiling at his son like he was almost proud. Carmen was the only one that looked confused.

"What does she mean, sweetie?" She asked, not noticing her husband's expression as she looked at her son. Her tone didn't sound angry, only curious, which was a good sign.

"Just come sit down, Mom," he said, placing his hand on the couch beside him. "You'll find out in a second." He briefly looked at his father, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face for only a moment before it was gone.

I knew then that he had told his father about what they were about to hear and I was immensely proud of him. That's what took them so long, I thought as I fought off a smile. "A friend of mind wrote this song," I explained as I turned around to play with the volume controls. "I had a feeling his voice would make a good match for this particular song." I gently laid my finger on the play button and took a deep, calming breath before pressing it. I stepped back to observe Carmen and Darren's reactions as Baralai's voice filled the room.

To be honest, I had never been so nervous in my life.

By the end of the song both of Baralai's parents were smiling broadly, looking at their son with adoration. Their positive expressions were an immense relief. I was so nervous that I had crossed my arms over my chest half way through the song to hide the fact that my hands were shaking uncontrollably. I took a few seconds to compose myself while I procured the CD from the player and turned it off. As I was closing the small set of doors I was almost dreading turning back around, thinking his parents had changed their attitudes in the few short seconds that I had my back turned.

I knew right then and there that if they ridiculed him about this it would hurt me just as much as it would hurt him. He had taken a huge risk letting his parents listen to that song and I hoped they would notice how talented he was. Voices like his certainly didn't come around every day and I wanted them to know how special he was. I definitely knew it.

Luckily, Carmen chose that moment to ease my frazzled nerves. "That was really you?" She asked Baralai, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," he responded, his mouth pulling up into a tight smile. It was refreshing to know I hadn't been the only one that was nervous. "What did you think?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I thought it was beautiful!" His mother exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. "Why didn't you tell us you could sing?"

He looked towards his father again for a split second. "I didn't think you would approve. I thought since dad wants me to take over the business when he retires if I wanted to do something else it would automatically be out of the question."

Carmen was about to answer him when Darren cut in, rising from his chair and going to sit on Baralai's other side. He laid his hand on his son's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. "You already know what I think. If you don't mind I'd like to talk to your mother about this. We'll be in my office."

Carmen kissed Baralai on the head then came over to me and embraced me tightly. "I've got something else to thank you for now," she whispered. I hugged her back but chose to stay silent. She gracefully followed her husband up the stairs and disappeared.

After Baralai and I were left alone in the living room a deafening silence settled over us. I knew that Carmen approved but Darren's cryptic answer was harder to decipher. It could be taken both ways and I found myself becoming nervous all over again. His facial expressions had been far from disapproving but I still had no idea what to think. I went to go sit next to Baralai but he quickly pulled me into his lap, pressing my body as close to his as he could without hurting me. I winced as my back muscles twitched in discomfort at my awkward position but I ignored it and blocked it out. He wouldn't have pulled me into his lap if he hadn't wanted me near him so I wasn't about to ruin it. I sighed into his hair as he tucked his head into the hollow of my throat and wrapped his arms securely around my waist. In turn, I placed my arms around his neck and we sat there many moments, taking comfort in each other's presence.

It was nearly five minutes later when I broke out peaceful silence. "That went well I take it?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

He nodded. "Yes, very well. Thank you for making me show that to them."

I smiled as I laid my cheek down on the top of his head. "You're welcome."

"There's a few things I need to get from my room before we leave," he said, helping me stand. For a second I thought he was going to ask me to wait in the living room for him but when he laced his fingers through mine and leading me towards the stairs my smile widened. "Do you need me to carry you up the stairs?" He asked me over his shoulder as he paused at the base of the staircase.

I stared up at it with trepidation, wondering how my back would handle it. This would be the first time climbing up a flight of stairs since my accident and I wasn't sure what would happen if I tried. I won't know unless I try, I thought, taking a deep breath. "No, I should be okay," I replied, tentatively placing my foot on the bottom step.

I held onto the railing as well as clutching tightly to Baralai's hand as I carefully began traveling upwards. He watched me like a hawk, ready to help me if any sign of trouble arose. Aside from the familiar painful twitching of the muscles that I had become used to, traversing the stairs wasn't all that difficult. Even then I was glad once I finally got to the top.

"I'm glad you survived," he remarked as he led me down the hallway. "It would have been terrible if you fell." I could tell he was being sarcastic so I decided to play along.

"Then it probably would have been just as horrible if I took you with me."

He laughed and paused with his hand resting on the door handle of his room. A sultry smile adorned his face and his eyes seemed to smolder like a pair of dying embers as he slowly snaked his arm around my waist, pressing his body flush against mine. He leaned his head towards mine until our lips were almost touching. "But then if you would have landed on top of me I wouldn't have objected."

His proximity was aggravatingly intoxicating and I was powerless to resist the overpowering impulse to kiss him. An electric shock seared through my body when our lips touched, making me breathe in sharply. The fact that I was kissing him in his parent's house in the middle of the hall wasn't lost on me and I knew that we should probably go into his room. I was just about to reluctantly break off our lip lock when he started to slip his warm hands underneath my shirt. Of course he didn't get very far once he reached the bottom of my back brace.

He pulled away from me with an embarrassed smile on his face and I couldn't help but laugh when he tried fixing my shirt. "Man, don't I feel dumb," he mumbled through his teeth as we went into his room.

"Just think of it as a sign," I replied, going over to his huge bed and sitting down on it. "I don't think your parents would appreciate it if you started undressing me in the hall."

He smirked as he walked over to his closet, pulling his shirt off as he went. My heart started pounding as I stared at the chiseled muscles of his back and shoulders. A chill ran through me when the memory of the previous night, including me running my hands over every inch of his body, replayed in my mind. I managed to regain my composure when he turned around with another shirt in his hands but I must not have done a very good job because he shot me a peculiar look.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, coming to sit next to me with his shirt still off.

I chewed on my bottom lip as my eyes traveled from his face to his chest and my mind instantly went blank. It took me a few seconds to unscramble my muddled thoughts but when I met his eyes again I blurted out the only thing that was on my mind. "You're sort of beautiful." The best thing about those words is that I didn't regret saying them at all. I truly meant them.

A soft smile turned up the corners of his mouth and he leaned towards me. "Well I think you're more than beautiful," he replied, drawing small circles on my cheek with his thumb. "You're absolutely breathtaking. I've thought that ever since I met you."

I smiled at him and felt my face grow hot from his compliments. I knew he truly meant those words as well. I could see the truth in his eyes and I could feel it deep down in my soul. I knew that I didn't have to be afraid of him anymore. I didn't have to worry about being betrayed. I truly trusted him and, to me, that meant more than love ever could. "If you're trying to score points it's definitely working," I whispered, unable to stop my voice from quivering.

"That's a possibility," he answered, scooting closer to me and pushing me down on the soft mattress. He hovered over me, gazing down at me with a half smile on his face. "But something tells me that I won't have to work very hard to accomplish that."

I cocked an eyebrow, staring up at him with the best cynical expression that I could muster. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"

His face crept towards mine tantalizingly slow and I felt my eyelids slide shut in anticipation of feeling his lips on mine. I sucked in a quick gasp of air when I felt his breath waft across my cheek. The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow and I didn't even know that I had been had until I opened my eyes. The victorious grin on his face made my blush come back full force.

"That's why," he said, leaning back down and finally pressing his mouth against mine. I sighed into his mouth as he ran his tongue across my teeth, glad that he was done teasing me for now.

When we separated for air I grinned up at him and ruffled his hair. "Don't push your luck."

He chuckled as he lifted his hand and twirled the platinum strands of my hair around his fingers. He didn't say anything in response to my remark, choosing instead to star at me with a faraway look in his chocolate colored eyes. I frowned at him, wondering why he would be looking at me like that. He looked conflicted but I had no idea why he would feel that way.

"What's wrong?" I asked, a feeling of foreboding settling over me. I had no idea why but something told me I wasn't going to like what he had to say.

He shook his head and pursed his lips, uncertainty suddenly springing up in his gaze as well. "I just don't want to mess this up," he mumbled, his voice barely audible.

My frown deepened, that bad feeling festering. "What do you mean?"

He looked away from me and chewed on the inside of his cheek for a few moments, more than likely trying to put his jumbled thoughts into words. When he met my eyes again I swore he looked like he was in pain. "There's something I want to tell you but I don't want to push you away. This…" He said, waving his hand in between us, more than likely meaning our current status as a couple. "Our relationship is way too important to me. You are way too important."

His confession left me speechless. I was shocked that he had said something like that, but just as glad that he had. I cupped my left hand around his cheek to offer him some reassurance. I had an idea about what he wanted to tell me and merely thinking about hearing those words come out of his mouth wasn't so bad as I thought it would be. I knew that he needed to get it off his chest.

"I want to hear it," I whispered back, trying to mask my own uncertainty and hoping that he wouldn't pick up on it.

He nodded and his throat convulsed as he swallowed. His hand was still in my hair but I could feel his fingers shaking. He took a deep breath, his chest shuddering as he exhaled, before speaking. "I know you're probably going to think that I'm rushing into things but I want you to hear me out. Please?"

I nodded, but remained silent.

"Alright, um… I'm going out on a limb here. I know we haven't known each other for very long but I think…I might love you. You don't have to tell me how irrational I'm being, I know that already. I just wanted to let you know."

The apprehension in his eyes was understandable and the fact that he was so honest with me earned him a ton of brownie points. I had no idea what to say so I coaxed him towards me and just kissed him. He didn't need words right now. All he needed was action and a little reassurance that his words weren't going to send me running for the hills.

He pulled away from me a few seconds later, his eyes wide with surprise. "What did that mean?"

"That I understand what you're trying to say. But I can't give you the answer you want to hear. Not yet anyways. Let's just take this one day at a time."

He exhaled like he had been holding his breath and his shoulder relaxed. He laid his head down on the bed next to me and wrapped his arms around me like I was the tether that was keeping me connected to the ground. "That's good enough for me."