Part II

All of the times you were near I forgot to say
'I'm an unbeliever, but I'll pray to you every day
If it would make your eyes forever stay that way
If it would make you want to stay with me'

All the times you've been far away, wondering
I've been uncovering words I've been waiting to say to you
Oh, only you could really know
I'll never let a little secret go

It felt like Robyn was living in a dream.

Like she was going to wake up any moment, and she would be alone and he would still be thousands of miles away and their reunion had been the wishful thinking of her mind.

But Cye was here. In her apartment. Walking around and laughing with his eyes crinkling at the corners, those sea green irises light and happy, opening cupboard doors, eating food from her kitchen, with his belongings in the entryway. His boots sat next to her flats.

It was one of the happiest days she'd had since, well…since the last time she saw him again for the first time after years apart. He took up so much more space this time. She knew it was him the moment she saw him, but he was so…different. So grown up. No lanky youth with a shy smile – a man stood in her doorway, rugged from a year on the ocean, broader, surer. She had no idea, hearing his voice over the phone, reading his emails, how much he had actually changed yet, at his core, remained the Cye she had always known.

This Cye was just way more attractive.

Robyn blushed at her own thoughts. The movie was finished and Cye excused himself to use the restroom. She sat on the couch, phone in her lap and Dinah resting against her knee. "I can't believe he's here," Robyn whispered to Dinah. The tabby blinked up at her. "You don't know how badly I've wanted to see…all of them. Any of them. But especially him."

The bathroom door opened and Cye asked, "Robyn, do you mind if I shower?"

"I was hoping you would," Robyn quipped. "I don't need you bringing ocean germs into my room. And hey, don't shave yet! I like it."

He rolled his eyes at her good naturedly, but agreed. Not long after, he grabbed one of his duffels and disappeared back into the bathroom, Robyn's phone lit up with a text. It was from Rae. I'm home. How did you like your surprise?

Robyn called her. Before Regan could say anything, Robyn said, "Oh my God, I can't even believe it! Cye's ship ported like an hour from here, and he made a special trip just to come here for a few days! And did you really just walk right past him and not say anything, Regan Sundari? Rude."

"I didn't want to intrude," her friend said. "And he already looked flustered. Do you know what else is rude? You never mentioning he was that attractive. Why didn't you tell me, woman?"

"I…well…" Robyn hesitated. The shower turned on in the bathroom. "I mean, I never really noticed? Before? And then he got hotter. I didn't know. It's been years."

"Stone fox."

Robyn laughed a little giddily. "I know, right?" It was like talking about something taboo or off limits. Cye her childhood friend. Cye the Ronin Warrior and brother-like figure of her teenage years. Cye the suddenly hot adult male friend. "He's so much…bigger and taller! I've never seen him with anything close to a beard."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Nothing, pervert."

"You have a hot man in your apartment, and you're telling me you're prepared to do nothing while he's here?"

"He is my childhood friend," Robyn defended, feeling her cheeks flush. "I love him, but not like that. Just because I notice he's really attractive doesn't mean I'm going to…"

"Make out with him?"

"You sound like Rowen."

"I'm sensing some tension here." Regan's voice turned smug. "Am I trampling over a sensitive subject? That's fine. You have a good visit with your friend. I'm glad he came to see you. I'll just go to bed, alone, after a long day of driving, while you cuddle with your hot friend and waste the opportunity."

"You're awful," Robyn told her.

"Thank you. Keep me updated."

"Like hell I will."

Regan laughed and hung up. Robyn was used to Rae's teasing, but the mental images her words dredged up were stirring feelings she wasn't yet ready to face. She stood up and stalked to the short hall to her bedroom.

The bathroom door abruptly opened. Robyn yelped with surprise. She didn't even hear the water turn off. Cye was in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist, equally stunned. His leanly muscled chest gleamed with dripping water; his bronze hair was slicked back from his face.

He looked…he looked…

"I'm sorry," he said as he closed the door halfway so only his upper torso peeked out. Water dripped from his hair onto the carpet. "I grabbed the wrong duffel," he explained sheepishly.

"I guess," she finally said, trying to recover. "God, Cye. Warn a girl before you start running around half naked."

He cleared his throat and did not seem to know what to say to that. Neither did Robyn. She motioned for him to go get the duffel and retreated to her room, fumbling for the doorknob. She shut the door behind her and sunk to the carpet, bringing her cool hands to her hot cheeks.

"That just happened," she groaned.

She needed to get a grip. So Cye grew up to be crazy attractive, and he was still funny and sweet and lovable. So what if she felt safe and comfortable with him and he said he wanted to cook her dinner and he went out of his way to come see her? It didn't mean anything.

It meant everything.

Robyn got up and paced the room, then decided to change for bed, and then agonized over what to wear. She couldn't recant what she said earlier and make him sleep on the couch. She didn't want him to sleep on an uncomfortable couch. He slept on a cot in a ship for a year, he deserved better than a couch. She almost wore pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt, but she got so hot in the spring when she did that, and God knew she'd forget in the middle of the night and just pull clothes off. Perk of living alone. She settled for shorts and a t-shirt.

Robyn worried her thumbnail for a few more minutes, scanning her room again, putting dirty clothes carelessly tossed by the closet into the hamper, then tidying up work and school papers on the small desk so it was less an explosion of paperwork and more slightly disarrayed piles of paperwork. She had no clue how much time passed when she finally opened the bedroom door, feeling more in control of herself. Cye was in the living room, hair dry, dressed in thin pajama bottoms and an equally thin t-shirt. His biceps were incredibly appealing with the shirt material snug around them. He was cautiously petting Dinah's head as the cat sniffed at his arm.

"Dinah doesn't meet many men," Robyn said lightly.

"Oh?" Cye looked up at her. "Never?"

"Only Rae's brother. I brought Dinah to California once. Other than that, men are a foreign species to her. She's just fascinated."

Robyn didn't know what to make of the look Cye was giving her. She decided to ignore it and plop down on the couch next to Dinah, scratching underneath the tabby's chin. "You must be tired from getting up so early."

"It is catching up to me," he admitted. "I am still perfectly fine with sleeping out here."

"Don't be silly. The bed's really comfortable and spacious. It's not the best couch to sleep on, either. I'll be really mad at you if you fake me out, and I wake up later and you ended up sleeping out here. So don't even try it. I'll set an alarm if I have to."

Cye's mouth quirked. "Aye aye, Captain."

"How come you get to make nautical jokes but you banned mine?" Robyn cried, swatting him on the arm.

"That was the only one, I swear."

Robyn and Cye moved their visiting to her bedroom. They sat cross legged facing each other, talking some more about Japan, the other Ronins, Cye's mother and sister. It was comfortable again; territory she was well used to. Eventually, Cye began yawning, and Robyn turned down the sheets and blankets.

When they settled in, Robyn turned on her side to face him and grinned impishly. "We haven't had a sleepover in ages, Cye."

He smiled back tiredly. "Wouldn't have one with anyone else. I'm glad you were home. I was worried. I took a chance not telling you."

"I would have come back here in a heartbeat if I wasn't." Robyn was suddenly so overcome by his presence, after so long. Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm happy to see you," she whispered. She leaned over to kiss his brow. He smelled clean and how she remembered him smelling like in their youth. Was it the soap he used? Or something indefinable and a part of him? "You're so grown up. I'm so lucky to have known you all my life."

Cye's expression grew serious. His eyes never left hers as he reached over and swept some of her loose hair over her ear. "You'll always have me. No matter how far apart we are."

Robyn's eyes squeezed shut as tears leaked out. She sniffed and wiped them away. He made a noise of distress, but she only laughed. "No, I'm not sad. You came here to see me, and I'm…thankful and overjoyed and I feel like I don't deserve it. Not after how I left."

"We've already talked about that." His voice was soft but stern. "As much as we might not have liked it, you did what was best for you. No one is mad, Robyn. I'm not. Of course I wish we could see each other more, and of course I wanted you to stay. But don't feel undeserving. You came all that way to see me six years ago, didn't you? Why can't I come all this way to do the same?"

She nodded and gave him a watery smile. "I'm glad you did."

Cye fell asleep before Robyn. He slept deeply, on his side, facing her. She used the opportunity to simply look at him. Even though the lamp was off, she could see his silhouette from the faint moonlight streaming in due to the large bedroom window. He had one arm underneath the pillow, hugging it to him. Robyn went back to the last time she saw him before today; one overcast day in the break after high school graduation. Before he knew her intentions to leave. She had told herself then that it was temporary and she would come back – she wouldn't be able to stand being gone that long, even if it was for their own good.

And then she never went back. She built a little life here and it grew harder and harder to find a break to even think of returning to see them in person. But she couldn't resist contact after she settled back in the US. The loneliness, after the company of her five boys, was terrible. She longed for Ryo's laughter, Kento's larger than life presence, Rowen's teasing, Sage's quiet smile, and Cye's caring nature and constant company. So she broke the silence.

Letters at first. Then email exchanges. Then texts and phone calls.

Each point of contact in those first few years was a little heartbreak, but the pain was the sweet kind, like a deep tissue massage her body needed no matter how bad the remedy hurt. All the while, the ocean was always and forever in view of Robyn's apartment complex. Beyond the rough sea grass and rocky alcoves the Pacific swept in, its susurrus murmur a constant companion, and beyond that….Cye. Sage. Ryo. Kento. Rowen. The last year had been hard, because she'd grown so used to hearing from Cye on a fairly regular basis; even if it was just a text or a link to something Cye thought Robyn would find funny. Silly care packages filled with candy, plastic figurines of whales – after months of badgering, Cye finally relented and sent over one of his sweaters. Robyn had squealed when she opened the package, and brought up the soft material to her nose. She thought the smell of him lingered there, from all the way across the ocean. That sweater still hung in her closet.

But then he went on the whale expedition, and calls were short, sweet, and painful. She realized now, as she had over the last year of communication, how much she had taken him for granted back in high school. How much it meant for him to check on her, ask how she was doing, if she was eating enough, how her classes were going, if she was doing all right financially. He never came right out and asked her to come back, but Robyn could always sense the sentiment, either in his voice or in his eyes, like an unspoken prayer. She was always careful to never make any promises. So she watched him grow up from afar, and it broke her heart, but she told herself, all the time, how much better it was for them. How much safer.

Yet here he was and she never wanted to let him go.

Sleeping in Robyn's bed was the worst mistake Cye had made in recent memory.

Whenever her bare feet accidentally touched his legs or her back pressed against his side, it roused him, but he eventually fell back asleep. But then she accidentally hit him on the side of the face with a stretching arm. Then rolled into him. Then tossed a leg over his waist, as if he were one of those giant body pillows. Then he was hot, because sleeping Robyn really didn't respect personal space, and also, she was able to sleep, and Cye? Cye was awake. For every precious fifteen, twenty minutes of interrupted sleep, he was jarred awake and forced to try to fall asleep all over again. Meanwhile, her elbow found its way to his ribcage, or her leg trapped his and she had scooted him to the very edge of the bed.

He seriously contemplated dumping her on the floor. And he wouldn't even be sorry.

To spare them both, and because it was past three in the morning and now he was downright angry with exhaustion, Cye untangled Robyn from his person and left the bed, dragging a pillow with him. He hit the wicker basket of blankets in the living room with his toe – wonderful – and almost threw the blanket over the cat sleeping on the middle couch cushion before stopping himself.

"If you know what's good for you, you will leave this couch," he said darkly.

Dinah did not appear impressed, and although she left as demanded, she merely strolled to the hallway entrance, sat, and stared at him resentfully.

"Climb all over me like your owner, and I will shave your tail," he warned. In a huff, the Ronin Warrior laid down on the couch for some unmolested sleep.

He woke to the smell of sizzling bacon and pancakes. For a second, Cye was completely disoriented and had no idea where he was. It certainly was not a bunk in the bowels of a ship. Late morning sunlight fell against the opposite wall. A ginger tabby with blue eyes played with string on the carpet, tumbling about the floor in a wriggly yarn-induced ecstasy. He stretched and his feet hit the end of a couch.

Music filtered in; a feminine voice sang along to something that made him think of Appalachia. Cye relaxed. Robyn's apartment. No matter how terrible of a bedmate she was and how he ended up on the couch, anyway, he was still absurdly grateful to wake up to her singing in the kitchen.

Cye yawned, stretched again, and turned on his side. Robyn was at the stove, red hair up in a ponytail, wearing drawstring blue pants and a slouchy gray shirt with a wide neck. It slipped down one shoulder, exposing more pale, creamy skin. She didn't bother pulling it up. An iPod sat in a docking station and she occasionally bobbed her head to the music while she flipped over pancakes. It made him smile.

It also made him want to sneak up behind her and kissed her exposed neck. He could imagine pulling the shirt lower and kissing down her shoulder to her delicate shoulder blades. Perhaps her head would fall back and rest against his chest, and he would take her hair down and fill his fingers with it -

Dear God. What was wrong with him?

Cye buried his face into the pillow.

"Morning!" Robyn sang.

He muffled his response into the fabric.

"Sorry I slept like an asshole."

Cye whooshed out air when she sat on the couch, nestled against his side and depressing the couch cushions. She rubbed his back apologetically. He lifted his head. "You do sleep like an asshole."

"I thought I'd make up for it with breakfast. It's ready."

They ate at the breakfast nook: lemon blueberry pancakes, bacon, and sliced bananas and strawberries in yogurt. Breakfast was lighthearted; Robyn made fun of him for moving to the couch, and he gave her grief over her restless sleeping. He cleaned up the breakfast plates while Robyn showered and dressed for the day.

She took him to the beach. They passed other couples and families out on the mild, early spring day; dogs running in the surf, surfers in wet suits braving the chilly waters. Giant rocks jutted out of the water and the sand like tiny, jagged islands. It was a gorgeous beach and a beautiful view to have every day.

He couldn't help it if his heart sang a little when Robyn idly clasped his hand, swinging their arms to and fro like small children. She eventually intertwined their fingers as they walked and carried their shoes in their free hands, feeling the cool sand between their toes.

Lunch was at a small, local restaurant that Robyn apparently frequented often: she was greeted by name from a few of the waitresses. "I come here to do homework sometimes," she explained. Their waitress expressed curiosity over Cye and opened the floodgates. Robyn was only too happy to explain his presence, and he could feel himself blushing with all the praise she heaped on him.

After placing their orders, Cye's phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the caller. Grinning, Cye answered. "Hey, Kento."

Robyn's eyes widened.

Cye put Hardrock on speaker phone for her. "…how was the trip, man?"

"Wonderful," Cye answered. "I'm off the ship now. We docked in Oregon, and I'm doing a little sightseeing. Guess who's sitting in front of me?"

"Did you say Oregon?"

"He did!" Robyn exclaimed.

There was silence, and then: "Holy shit! Robyn?"

"Hi Kento!" she chirped. "Cye came here to surprise me! He just showed up on my doorstep yesterday. Like the world's best care package with facial hair."

"You sly bastard. You didn't even say anything! Aww, I'm jealous he gets to see your gorgeous face, babe."

"Gorgeous is correct," Cye agreed.

Robyn shot Cye a beautiful, shy smile, before continuing to chat with Kento. They let him go when the food came, and Cye promised to call Kento back when he was on his way home.

Curiously, after that conversation Robyn grew quieter. She picked at the last bits of her meal and let Cye do most of the talking. He was content to let her gather her thoughts instead of prying it out of her and said nothing about it. He paid the bill before she could, earning himself a halfhearted glare, and they left with her threatening him bodily harm if he attempted to pay for the groceries they were picking up for dinner.

They walked some more before heading to the store. Robyn was still quiet. She'd tucked her arm in his, and he enjoyed the simple pleasure of her presence, the smell of her hair, the light perfume she wore. It was those thoughts that gave him insight on her subdued attitude. Perhaps the conversation with Kento reminded her of it.

Two and a half days left. Two days and a half days, and he had to go home. And she would remain here.

Who knew how long it would be before he saw Robyn again?

He reflexively tucked her in closer to him, as if she would vanish right before his eyes. God knew it had happened before – twice. Once when they were children and again right after high school. There one day, gone the next, and then years would go by.

Could his heart take another separation?

Cye took a deep breath. The only solution his desperate mind could find would be to convince her to come home. But she had a life here; who was he to take her from it for his own selfish reasons?

As they waited to safely cross the street with a handful of tourists and locals, he asked, "What shall I make milady for dinner this evening?" She smiled at him gratefully for the distraction.

He didn't want to think on it anymore than she did.

…my rushing blood was a river
My eyes two stars
My blowing hair all a quiver
A whispering field of grass

That murmurs as you pass

They romped around the grocery store. Well, Robyn did: Cye bore it with the patience of a saint and had to quell the urge to remove certain items she dumped in the cart. He couldn't tell her what to stock in her apartment, but did she really need all those stuffed pastries and those processed snacks?

When they left, Cye – affected by the return of Robyn's buoyancy and playfulness – told her to get in the cart. With a whoop, the redhead started to climb in. Cye came up behind her to lift her into the cart and tickled her sides as he did, making her shriek and squirm. He laughed at her as she tried to swat at him.

"Ready?" he asked with a grin.

"Full speed ahead!" Robyn shouted.

He ran, pushing the cart to the car, and Robyn laughed raucously, raising her fists in victory. When he screeched the cart to a halt by her car, he was laughing, too. Their grins were boisterous; Cye was breathing hard, the slightly chilly air glorious in his lungs. No one made him feel as young and as carefree as she did. With all the responsibility bearing down on his shoulders since he'd been too young to fully process it, he was drawn to her, again and again, like a moth to a flame that never went out.

Ready to get out, Robyn used Cye's shoulders to steady herself. "Thanks for the ride, Sailor," she said. She leaned forward and kissed him, just to the right of his mouth. It was automatic; almost innocent.

She was still laughing at the both of them when he kissed her.

Her eyes widened as his lips joined hers, and then fluttered closed. He didn't move beyond that despite the jolt that went through him and neither did she; they hung suspended in the moment, sorting through the emotions the simple act brought forth. Her hands squeezed his shoulders.

Cye's heart thundered. Was this okay? What was he even doing? Did he know what he was doing?

When Robyn didn't pull away, Cye kissed her again, softly and slowly. Her hair tickled his face as the wind blew it around them. He felt her hands flutter to his arms like hesitant butterflies unsure of where to land, gripping him over his sweater. When she kissed him back it was just as hesitant; tasting, curious.

A shiver moved through her. Cye fought the urge to pull her closer and turn the sweet, curious kisses into something deeper, but it occurred to him that she was shivering from the chilly wind. He remembered that they were in a parking lot, outside, with groceries in a cart, and this was not the place.

Reluctantly he pulled away. Robyn's eyes were still closed. There was a concentrated look on her face, as if she, too, was trying to figure out what just happened. What it meant. A blush tinged her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, the green of them cloudier than usual, she looked at him with wonder. As if seeing him for the first time.

Robyn's thoughts were jumbled, lost things, pin wheeling against each other and colliding against the walls of her mind. They were all preoccupied with Cye: his kindness, his laughter, his closeness, his lips, his body. When he kissed her, she felt that shift again. Only this time, it held the magnitude of a tectonic shift at the bottom of the ocean.

She had a feeling the waves from that shift would have long reaching effects.

Cye placed his hands on her waist and lifted her out of the cart. She secretly thrilled at the small show of strength, the hard muscle under what she knew would be smooth skin. The memory of his kiss – careful and sweet and electrifying - kept replaying, and she marveled at it. It was nothing like the kiss they'd shared in high school, after he had recovered from his injuries. When he'd learned she'd never kissed anyone. Her lips remembered his and wanted more.

Robyn maintained an iron grip on his arms even after he set her down on the ground. She wasn't sure what her hands would do if they weren't anchored there.

"Go ahead and get in the car," he told her, his voice husky. "I'll put away the groceries."

Robyn nodded faintly, shying away from the look in his eyes. That was different, too. There was a regard in there she wasn't used to – a depth she couldn't yet fathom. She turned away without a word, fumbling for the car door, and then tripped getting in. She sat while he put the bags in the backseat, feeling a bit shaken loose, uncertain, yet strangely giddy. Discreetly, she touched her lips. She couldn't help but watch Cye go around to the passenger side of the car; the way he walked, the roll of his shoulders, how the wind adored his bronzed hair. A smile threatened to steal across her face.

She drove them back to the apartment with the radio on low, and although they said nothing, a hundred questions and thoughts piled up between them. His hands were on his thighs; Robyn eyed them at every red light and stop. Slowly, hesitantly, she inched her right hand his way, wanting the simple touch but not sure how to ask for it.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. They smiled at one another and Robyn looked back to the road with a short, embarrassed laugh he echoed. Cye slid his hand under hers and intertwined their fingers and Robyn's heart soared.

They didn't talk about it back at the apartment, but Robyn was okay with that. Somehow, they settled into a companionable groove while she put away groceries. Dinner wasn't for a few hours, so they cuddled on the couch. The television was on, but they barely paid attention to it. Robyn was preoccupied by how he felt; the sturdy, lean muscle of his chest where she leaned into him; his arm wrapped around her waist. His calloused hands played with hers like she'd done to his the night before. He didn't move to kiss her again, but something hovered in the air between them, like gray clouds building in the sky for a summer storm.

"Tell me about your trips to see the redwoods," Cye said in her ear.

She bit her lower lip. How different this was! Could a few kisses do that? How did his voice suddenly twist her insides like this? Why did he have to grow up so attractive on top of being her favorite person in the entire world? Robyn took a deep breath. "Well…we go in the fall and rent a cabin…"

He listened attentively while she talked. At first, she was acutely aware of the way he held her, how her legs draped over his – even though she'd been doing that for ages – his breathing, his laugh when she recalled something funny. It got easier, though, laying some of the butterflies to rest, as she got caught up telling him about her visits to California. Pretty soon she was half turned, one arm propping her up on his chest and the other gesturing, while he watched her with a smile playing on his lips.

"I didn't even know possums lived out there!" she exclaimed. "Cye, you should have seen this thing. They're giant alien rats with teeth like fangs. It came crawling out of the garbage can and everybody reacted like a serial killer walked into the house. I have never heard a grown man shriek like Rae's brother did - except for Kento when he's playing video games. We shooed it out with a broom after chasing it around the living room for like twenty minutes because nobody wanted to touch it. I mean, normally I'm all for furry woodland creatures, but these things are straight out of a nightmare. It was scarring."

"You sound scarred," Cye said seriously.

"I had post trauma for days," she said with a grin. Her stomach chose that moment to remind them that another mealtime was coming around.

"We better feed the growling beast," he said.

"This growling beast is better looking than the possum," she replied automatically. Robyn stilled when Cye tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I would agree," he said.

Struck with a bout of shyness, Robyn sat up and left the couch, feeling her face heat again. Cye followed, seemingly ignoring her reaction as he headed for the kitchen to make dinner.

Clearing her throat, Robyn asked, "Can I help?"

"No, ma'am. Sit and make yourself comfortable."

She obliged and sat on one of the stools at the island. He brought out small red potatoes to peel and onions, sweet peppers, zucchini, and asparagus to chop and slice on the counter. Robyn snuck pieces of orange and red pepper as he worked and talked, to which he'd lightly smack the back of her hand with a wooden spoon.

Robyn liked watching him make himself at home in her kitchen. Cye had rolled up his sleeves again and tied back his hair, although shorter strands framed his face. He bustled about in cupboards and in the fridge like he lived there. Their gazes would clash sometimes and he'd give her a slow smile. Robyn felt an answering, goofy smile stretch her lips and she'd look away, her heart fluttering. It was…odd to feel something more for her lifelong friend, but not unwelcome.

The smell of sautéing vegetables filled the small kitchen and brought Dinah out of hiding. Robyn left the stool to cuddle her cat, earning a warning glare from Cye and a reminder to keep the fur ball away from his cooking food. "I'll have to sneak you something when he's not looking," she whispered to the tabby.

The potatoes, sprinkled with garlic and spices, were baking in the oven with chicken. When the vegetables were nearly done, Cye plucked one from the skillet and held it out to Robyn. "Test," he said.

She nipped it from his fingers. "Another; I'm not sure if they're done." Cye raised an eyebrow but fed her a piece of zucchini, anyway. She nodded her approval. "Delicious."

They ate next to one another at the island. The meal was scrumptious and Robyn had seconds. For dessert, she dished out bowls of ice cream, which they brought to the couch. She was more than happy to nestle up to his side again.

Robyn could feel the air change when it was time for her to go to bed. She had to work for a few hours in the morning, and she needed enough time to shower and eat breakfast before leaving. She knew Cye would probably prefer the couch, since she'd proved to be a pretty crappy bedmate, but…What if they lay in bed together for awhile and maybe held each other? He wouldn't say no, a voice told her, making her whole body flush. She thought of him kissing her again. She wanted him to.

"Would you…" Robyn's voice shook. She stopped and started again, looking everywhere but his eyes. "Would you want to keep me company for a bit? Before you sleep out here?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then Cye placed his hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead. "Of course," he said.

Happy and nervous, Robyn told him to wait a moment while she changed. Her stomach quaked as she went to the bathroom and traded pants and a sweater for shorts and a t-shirt. He was wearing his sexy pajamas when she came back out. Even noticing that he looked delicious in them and just plain looked good made her blush again.

"Did you get enough to eat?" he asked teasingly.

"Boy, did I," she said, hopping on the bed. "Thank you for making me dinner."

"For you, anytime."

"I have a six month old food baby, though," Robyn joked. She laid back and patted her belly, distending it out of proportion. "I felt it kick earlier."

"Oh? Let's have a go at it, then."

She laughed when he climbed on the bed, lay on his side, and rested his ear against her stomach. "Nothing," he said, then made her shriek by tickling her. She tried to roll over to get away, but he held her tight. Cye ceased torturing her and laid his head on her stomach, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. His weight was comforting. Robyn ran her fingers through his soft hair.

Cye wanted to stay like this forever. Just the two of them, like they'd been as children. Only now there was an intimacy that came from growing up and realizing something else was growing between them.

She was stroking the back of his neck, too, plundering her fingers in his hair and then dragging them across the breadth of his shoulders. His breath caught in his throat as she moved down his shoulders to the bare skin of his upper arms.

Robyn must have heard it, because she hesitated. "…Is this okay?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"It's more than okay," he replied. "Please continue."

"Only because you said please."

He wanted to touch her back and kiss her again, but he didn't want to push her into something she wasn't yet comfortable doing. Cye made himself stay put and enjoy the peaceful, languid time with her. He was also growing tired. Her breathing, too, settled into a slower rhythm. When Cye lifted his head, he found her eyes closed, her fingers still tangled in his hair. Gently, he kissed her stomach over her shirt, and removed her hand to sit up.

Robyn's eyes, sleepy and so green, opened. "Stay?" she asked drowsily.

He couldn't leave if he tried. He tucked her in under the covers and joined her.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

"Night," she said in kind. Robyn turned on her side to face him. "Can I tell you something?"

"Go for it."

"I think your pajamas are sexy."

His eyebrows rose. He was a little more awake this time. "Just my pajamas?"

"Your shirt, really."

"…Thanks, Robyn."

She smirked, looking more alert, too. "I've been wanting to tell you."

Her phrasing reminded him of something he thought of when he first saw her. "There's something I wanted to mention yesterday, too. I never had a chance to say how proud I am of you. What you've built here, all on your own. An apartment, a job, almost a degree. You look healthy and happy. And beautiful. Not just because you're a lovely girl, but because of all of those things, too. No one did those things but you. You should be proud of yourself, Robyn."

She didn't say anything at first, next to him in the dark. He held his breath, and he wasn't sure why. He'd elaborate if she needed it, because he knew she didn't hear the words enough or even believe them like she should.

Robyn shifted under the covers and he was suddenly aware of her above him. She looked at him gravely.

"Thank you for saying that," she said unsteadily.

"You're welcome," he said quietly.

"Cye?"

"Hmm?"

Robyn bit her lip. "Can we do that again?" she asked shyly.

His pulse quickened. "Please be more specific."

In a move that was brave on her part, Robyn placed her hand on his chest and slid it up to his collarbone, and then his neck. His mouth went dry. She leaned down, her hair falling to brush his neck, but stopped inches from his face. Cye met her the rest of the way, angling his head to softly capture her mouth with his.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand splayed across her upper back as he slowly kissed her. Heat bloomed in his chest and spread outward when she kissed him back, her bare legs tangling with his under the covers. She let out a shuddering sigh that moved through him like a cresting wave. Cye's heightened feelings took front and center and he surged up, rolling her over and under him on the mattress. He pressed into her, aching to have her as close to him as possible while he poured the love and yearning he'd been holding inside into everything he did to her.

Robyn gasped when he trailed kisses from her jaw down to her neck and lightly nipped the sensitive skin above her collarbone. The sound sent a thrill through him. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he ran his hand down her side to her hip, brushing her breast, then slid underneath her t-shirt to feel the warm, smooth skin of her stomach.

Cye lifted his head and watched Robyn gaze at him with eyes as clouded as his, her breathing erratic her heartbeat fluttering under his hands.

They touched noses and Cye rubbed his against hers, making her eyes brighten with laughter. He captured her mouth again, jolting when her small, seeking fingers snuck under his shirt, too, and traced the muscles of his stomach and lower back. Her legs were restless under his and it was driving him crazy, so he took care of it by reaching down and hitching her right leg up by the knee to wrap around his waist. Robyn gasped his name.

He needed to feel more of her against him. The bare skin of her leg and upper thigh under his fingers was not enough. Cye pushed up her shirt, baring her stomach. His wide palm caressed the sensitive skin and then – because her eyes were closed as the sensations pounded her and he wanted her to take as much pleasure from him as he did from her – his hand slipped lower, under her shorts. He traced the line of her panties as he kissed her neck and nipped at her earlobe. Her breathing grew ragged and her body tensed. He would have maneuvered his way down to trace her navel with his tongue if Robyn hadn't cried out breathlessly and asked him to wait.

"I…Cye-"

"Sorry," he said hoarsely. He wanted to devour her, but knew – as she did – if they didn't stop, there might be no going back. He shook his head, and then rested his forehead in the hollow of her shoulder while he fought to control himself and his breathing. She clung to him and did the same, her head touching his, their breath mingling.

It was a long time before Cye had the willpower to fully untangle himself. Robyn gave him a sweet, shy smile when he asked her if she was all right and if she'd like him to leave.

"Stay until I fall asleep," she requested softly.

He tucked her up next to him, one arm wrapped around her waist. As she fell asleep, still trusting him so completely, his heart stumbled and fell in love.

Sleep did not come so easily for Cye.

Songs Referenced: "A Secret," by Basia Bulat and "Kathleen," by David Gray featuring Jolie Holland