Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I wanted to make sure it flowed nicely. Hope those of you who are reading it are enjoying it so far. If you have any questions, you know where to find me...enjoy

Ch. 3 – Walking in the Sun or in the Snow

The second they stepped outside of the restaurant and back onto the bustling streets of New York City, they were instantly reacquainted with the cold air that had taken hold of the atmosphere. Strangely enough, neither of them needed long to adjust to the climate.

After witnessing several citizens of the alleged 'Greatest City in the World' almost come to blows over hailed taxi cabs, Schmidt had made the suggestion that they walk the six blocks to the park, and Cece was overly eager to concur.

They were around the corner from the park's entrance, giving Schmidt an amusing idea about how to introduce the woman walking alongside him to the enchanting scene that awaited her eyes for the very first time.

He slowed his pace down until he came to a stop. Cece, noticing the sudden lack of presence in the space next to her, grew concerned and turned around to face him. "What's wrong?"

Schmidt's face adapted a lemon-sucking grin as he shook his head. "You know…Cecilia. I just…I don't think you're ready for this." She looked at him, confused. "I mean this is going to be…the most EPIC tour of all time. Can you handle that?" His face was now completely beaming and it dawned on her what he was playing at.

Cece picked up on his demeanor and matched it with total enthusiasm. "Oh…I can handle it." She retorted with that natural confidence she was known for.

Schmidt accepted her answer with a deep nod, preparing himself for what he was about to do next. "I'm glad you said so." He straightened his posture, pretended to adjust an invisible tie on his collar and cleared his throat. "Hello. I'm Schmidt and I will be your incredibly handsome tour guide throughout the great city of New York, also known as 'The Big Apple'." Cece was loving every second of this and the smile on her face told him so. "I would like to inform you that neither I nor the city will be held liable for when your mind is inevitably blown. Now with that being said," Schmidt once again joined Cece's side, this time holding out his arm for her to grab hold of and allow him to lead the way, "let us begin. First stop, Central Park."

In that second, they rounded the corner and were suddenly gazing upon the entrance to the renowned park. The iron archway that announced its namesake was shining bright done up with Christmas lights in tradition with the festive holiday that was upon them. Cece's eyes grew wide while Schmidt's were locked solely on her. By the expression on her face, it was as if she had discovered magic. Then again, spending Christmas in New York, anything was possible.

"Wow." She said in amazement for lack of a better word. She didn't even notice that the traffic light had changed and that it was safe for them to cross the street until Schmidt, still with her arm in his had started walking and got her attention back.

Walking down the pathway, Cece was in awe. Even with the very thin layer of snow that had silently touched down during the night, blanketed the fields and rested on the trees, it was still one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. Her mind abruptly thought back to every film she could remember watching that featured even a second of the location she was now occupying. 'Serendipity', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', even 'The Muppets Take Manhattan'.

"Oh my god." She was finally able to say. "All the movies I've seen, do not do it justice. This place is beautiful."

"Yeah it is." Schmidt then realized he was staring at her. He couldn't help it. Seeing her smile that way had him in a trance. Maybe there was magic here. He snapped himself out of his daze and returned to his tour guide duties. "First things first. It is an unofficial rule that the first time you visit Central Park, you need to kick things off with a ride on the carousel."

Cece smiled at him. "Lead the way."

There seemed to be something very serene about the park. While everywhere else they had been in the city they would see people acting crazed and psychotic towards one another, that wasn't the case here. The two exes walked along the pathway following the directional signs to the carousel and witnessed nothing but peace and calmness. It was as if the madness that the holidays brought were powerless upon crossing the threshold.

Normally the line for the carousel was long enough to wrap around the attraction two times over, but with the air as cold as it was, they were lucky it was open at all. Thankfully, the line wasn't that long so their wait didn't even last a full five minutes.

As they stepped up onto the platform, Schmidt turned to Cece. "Alright…Pick your steed."

"Okay." Cece said walking through the various animals before she finally found one she liked. It was a black horse with a red and blue saddle and a grey mane. Schmidt helped her up onto the seat, and then got on the tiger that was next to her. She smiled watching him as he checked out how awesome the tiger looked and she was hit with a wave of nostalgia. "Hey." She said to him, prompting him to look over to her. "You remember the last time we were on one of these?"

Schmidt rolled his eyes thinking about his stupidity. "Oh god. Don't remind me. Halloween…Over two years ago. I was crashing on your date with Robbie and annoying the hell out of you."

She chuckled. "Hehe…yup."

"I still think back to that day and cringe." He admitted.

Cece wanted to relieve his embarrassment. "You weren't that bad."

"I was. But I appreciate you saying otherwise."

"Here." Cece was struck with a thought. "I have an idea." She said shuffling through her winter coat looking for her phone.

"What?" Schmidt asked just as she found it and pulled it out.

"How about we make a new Merry-Go-Round memory? A happy one." Schmidt thought it over internally and liked where she was going with the idea. Cece hit the camera app on her phone and held it out ready to take a selfie, finding Schmidt in the background with her screen. "Say cheese." Together they smiled and posed for the camera. When the picture had snapped, the ride began to move and the music started to play. Cece switched the camera to video mode and recorded most of the ride. She got footage of them both smiling and waving at the camera and Schmidt acting foolish by pretending he was a jockey riding a real tiger. It made her laugh so hard the camera had begun to shake. She ended the video by blowing a kiss into the lens and getting one last shot of them waving goodbye yelling 'Merry Christmas!'

After the carousel ride ended, the next stop was the famous Central Park Zoo. Cece couldn't remember the last time that she had been to a zoo. She felt just like a kid again. They must have stopped at every animal exhibit. Schmidt was in awe of the way she completely lit up at each stop. When they reached the penguins, she watched how they waddled and flopped all over the place and immediately became hysterical. She was helpless against herself.

That amazing sound was music to Schmidt's ears. He hadn't heard her genuine laugh in the longest time and he missed it dearly. His eyes were glued to her and every move she made. The dimples that formed on her cheeks when she flashed her full smile, the way her nose crinkled and her head fell back, causing her shoulders to shake.

Next they came upon the polar bear habitat and saw one of the bears sprawled out on a large rock sleeping. Schmidt turned to Cece. "Look at that. The bear is lazier than Nick Miller. That's incredible." She started to chuckle at the joke. After her laughing fit at the penguins, her stomach muscles were aching so that was all she could muster. Cece was so amused that without thinking about it or realizing it, she started to lean her head into his shoulder.

Schmidt turned his head towards her and his nose was less than a centimeter away from her hair. As he inhaled, he smelled that familiar heavenly scent and wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and pull her close, but he had to remind himself that he couldn't do that anymore. All those privileges had been revoked. Schmidt closed his eyes and took a deep breathe to allow his impulse to subside. He opened them just in time to notice that Cece had begun to move on to the seals and follow close behind her.

They spent the next few hours touring the rest of the park. Cece found a photo opportunity at every stop. Schmidt was more than happy to be her subject. He was the master at wacky poses and had even gotten her to join in on a few. People passing by would see them and either smile at their carefree nature or give them puzzled looks. Neither of them had noticed, however. They were enjoying themselves as they gave in to their inner child.

After walking every square inch of the area, they used what was left of the sun as it was setting to guide their way out. There was a short lull in conversation and that's when Schmidt heard Cece's stomach let out a thundering growl. "Ugh!" she exclaimed loudly. "I'm starving!"

"Me too. And I think I know just the place."

Angelo's Pizzeria – Twenty Minutes Later

Schmidt sat on his side of the table with his eyes focused intently on Cece, patiently awaiting her reaction. He had been to Angelo's Pizzeria a million times when he was growing up and insisted that it was a contributing factor to his childhood obesity. As she raised her first slice closer to her mouth, Schmidt was on the edge of his seat. She took a bite, chewed it for a second, then closed her eyes and moaned in satisfaction.

Cece was in heaven. One of the best parts about her decision to give up modeling was the fact that she was now able to eat whatever she wanted. What she missed eating the most was pizza. It was by far her favorite and nothing she ever had could hold a candle to the slice she was currently enjoying.

With a full mouth, she looked up at Schmidt and said, "Oh my god!"

"I told you." He responded picking up a slice for himself and taking a bite.

"You were right. This has got to be…the best pizza I ever had. And I've been to Italy."

"Well I think Angelo is an Italian immigrant…If that counts for anything."

"Mmhhm." She responded though she wasn't really listening. Her mouth was still full.

The two sat in silence for a long while, but it wasn't that uncomfortable silence that felt awkward. They were simply enjoying a meal together. It was actually kind of nice.

Cece swallowed the last bite of her third slice and grabbed a napkin. "Okay." She said, wiping her hands and mouth. "So…What's on the agenda for tomorrow? What do we got?"

Schmidt washed down his food with a swig of soda before pulling out the bucket list napkin from earlier and set it on the table for the both of them to see. "Alright…I figure we can get kind of an early start so we can cross a bunch of places off the list. Umm…We can start with Times Square then check out Carnegie Hall, Statue of Liberty – "

"Empire State Building." Cece interjected. She was excited to continue this amazing adventure she had embarked on with him. "We have to go there."

"Absolutely."

Both of their thoughts were interrupted when Cece's phone had started to ring. "I'm sorry." She said to Schmidt. She felt like she was being rude, but he couldn't care less.

"Oh it's all good." After a quick struggle of locating her phone and pulling it out of her jacket, she checked the caller ID. "It's a friend I met back when I was modeling." Schmidt made a motion with his hand telling her he didn't mind if she answered. She didn't need to apologize, it's not like they were on a date. "Hey Mia…Yeah, I'm in New York for the Holiday's…Having pizza with a friend of mine," As soon as that word left her lips, she looked up at Schmidt and gave him the sweetest of smiles. "Why, what's up?…Oh you know, I'm not really in the clubbin' mood" Once again she glanced at Schmidt. "…Nah, I just don't feel like it, I'm sorry…Thanks for the invite though…Yeah, I'll see you later…Okay, bye."

Cece hung up the phone and set it on the table face down. "Sorry about that. She was inviting me to some club for this launch party. For what, I have no idea."

"You didn't say no because of me, right? Cause if you wanna go, you should…Don't worry about me."

"Oh…No. That's not it. I'm just… I'm over the whole partying every night, getting drunk, out 'til 2 AM thing. It's just not fun anymore. And besides, I'm having a really great time with you. This is the most fun I've had in so long."

Schmidt smiled to himself briefly then looked back up at her. "Well I'm having a great time with you too."

Together, they held the connection their eyes shared as well as the smiles. To them, nobody else existed. Cece felt her defenses weaken as she was overcome with the desire to reach over the table and kiss him. All her better judgement told her not to. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the friendship they both worked so hard for.

Thankfully, Cece's phone started to ring again. With equal parts relief and annoyance, Cece rolled her eyes and hastily grabbed her phone to answer, assuming its Mia again. "Mia I'm serious, I'm not interested…Oh, hi mom" She gave Schmidt a regretful look at her mistake. "…No I'm okay…I'm having dinner with a friend of mine…I had a really great day" Once again, she glanced in her ex's direction and sent a loving smile along with it. "… Alright, I'll be back soon…Okay, bye."

As she hung up and set her phone back down, let out a quick sigh. "Let's get you back to your hotel." He said.

Cece nodded in agreement. "Alright."

Just as he did earlier that day at their lunch date, Schmidt had helped Cece with her coat and scarf and held the door open for her. Outside, Schmidt left Cece on the sidewalk as he stepped out off of the curb to hail a taxi, but there were none in sight.

"It shouldn't be too hard getting a cab." Schmidt said looking up and down the boulevard, searching for a yellow vehicle beneath the glow of the street lamps.

"Well, you know, it's not that cold out, and my hotel isn't that far from here. You okay with walking?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Schmidt stepped back up onto the curb and joined Cece on the sidewalk and they started making their way back to her hotel on foot. Out of a habit that they had developed over the past few hours, Cece looped her arm through his while they strolled down the block. It never really registered in their minds, it was just something they did instinctively that was familiar.

"Good because I also need to work off that pizza. I can't believe I ate three slices."

"Me either. I didn't know you could eat like that."

"Well…it was just so good."

During their walk, the two were immersed in conversation that was nothing more than trivial chit chat. There were moments of laughter and that of nostalgia. The more they talked, the more they learned things about one another that they had never noticed before or had somehow forgotten along the way.

Rounding the corner on 6th Avenue onto 50th Street, Cece had noticed bright lights up ahead and became intrigued. The closer they got, the brighter the lights seemed to shine, and then finally they passed the last building and were met with a sight that caused Cece's jaw to drop.

Cece saw the seventy-five foot tall Christmas tree in the middle of Rockefeller Center all done up and decorated with lights and ornaments and grew speechless. Schmidt looked over at her with astonishment all over her face. He had seen that look on her all day, but every time, was like the first.

"Oh my god! It's gorgeous!"

They walked through the plaza a ways, turned the corner on 48th street and saw the ice rink, prompting the lightbulb in Schmidt's head to flash on. "Hey…Why don't we go skating?" He said turning to face Cece.

She looked over at him and replaced the excitement on her face with nervousness. "Umm…no that's okay." Her voice got a little higher and he knew something was off.

"Come on, why not? It'll be fun."

"Well…Umm…I-I just…"She was stammering, unable to complete a full sentence. It was so out of character for her. That coupled with her obvious uneasiness, caused Schmidt to become concerned.

"Cece, what's wrong?" He asked her with the most sincere voice.

She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, afraid that when she did, she wouldn't be able to pretend everything was fine. "Nothing."

Schmidt looked her dead in the eyes. "Cece…I know you. What is it? You can tell me." Cece bit the corner of her bottom lip. His gorgeous hazel eyes were Kryptonite against her emotional walls.

It took her a second to grab the courage to tell him, before she just decided to throw caution to the wind. "I…I don't know how to ice skate."

He was somewhat shocked, but understood her reluctance. "Really?" he asked, trying not to make it sound like a big deal.

"Yeah…I've never been." Her embarrassment was evident. Schmidt found it kind of charming.

"So then I'll teach you." He offered.

"Really?"

"Of course I will." He said removing his hand from his pocket and held it out for her to take. "Do you trust me?"

There's that word again, Cece thought, trust. Hearing him say it the day before had her mind into a freefall contemplating how much she could trust him, if at all. But here and now, she didn't even need to think it over. Something had changed.

"Yes." She said without hesitating and put her hand in his.

"Then there's nothing to be scared of." He tightened his hold on her for reassurance and led her to the stand to rent a pair of skates.

Normally, Cece was great at not letting her fear show, but at this moment, she wore it on her sleeve for all to see. Schmidt was right by her side every step of the way. He rented the both of them a pair of skates in their respective sizes and helped Cece put them on showing her how to tie them. Slowly and carefully, they made their way to the wall surrounding the rink. Schmidt felt guilty that he was getting a kick out of watching her attempt to walk in her skates. He had seen this woman practically run in six inch stilettos and look completely graceful while doing so, yet this was a challenging feat for her.

Schmidt stepped out onto the ice, clearly having done this many times before, and turned to face her at an arm length away. Standing at the rink opening, Cece, overcome with nervousness, had stopped dead in her tracks, completely frozen. Schmidt had never seen her like this. He didn't think she was scared of anything. If there were ever a time to be patient and understanding, now was it.

"Hey, look. We don't have to do this if you don't want to." He offered. The last thing he wanted was to ruin the great day they were having by pushing her too far.

"No…no. I'm okay. I want to. I just….Give me a minute."

"Alright. Just take your time. I'm right here." It was like they were back on the plane. She closed her eyes trying to go to her happy place, and took quick deep breaths. Slowly, she was calming herself down. So much so that she decided to place one foot in the rink. Cece lifted her right foot moving it forward until it was hovering over the ice. Little by little, she lowered it, getting closer to the slippery surface. Schmidt just watched in fascination not saying a word. The blade on her skate was a few inches away from touching back down when suddenly…she pulled it back and set it right back down on the solid surface she was comfortable with.

"What if I fall?" she asked innocently.

"I'm not going to let you." For him, they weren't just words, it was his pledge. He would never let anything happen to her.

"Are you sure?"

He slid himself closer to her. "Cece look at me…" she looked up and met his gaze. "I'm not going to let you fall."

Cece could tell he was telling the truth. She always could read him, and what she was seeing written on his face and in his eyes, was that he would never let anything bad happen to her. Not again. She believed him. "Okay." She said nodding. He put both of his hands out in front of her. When she grabbed on to them, all her fears and doubt had subsided. Without giving it a second thought, she placed her feet one by one onto the ice.

Schmidt skated backwards, pulling her along giving her a feel for the rink. "Okay, so lift your feet one by one and just let them glide."

"Okay." Her voice was quavering, but she forced herself to give it a shot. Her entire life, she tried to make a habit out of doing the things that scared her. It's how she became the woman that she was. People always thought that her tough exterior was something she was born with, but it was something she had acquired. She would face her fear until she mastered it and she was no longer scared. This occasion was just like all the other ones, the only difference was that this time she wasn't alone.

One after the other she picked up her feet but wasn't gliding just yet. It was more of an awkward shuffle. "Use your back foot to push off and let your front foot guide you." Doing just as she was instructed, she gradually started to slide her feet across the ice as elegantly as her body could allow herself. "Just like that…there you go. You're getting it. Cece, you're doing great."

Feeling his grip on her hands loosen up, she clutched tighter out of panic. "Wait! Don't let go just yet!" she yelled.

Schmidt tried to hide his snicker, but it was refreshingly cute seeing her get unnerved. "I wouldn't dream of it."

They continue to skate face to face for a little while longer to allow Cece to get more acclimated and help her relax. Every few seconds, he would throw compliments and words of encouragement her way to loosen her up.

"You think you're ready for me to let go?" he asked trying to gauge where she was at.

"Kind of, I guess. But not entirely." She was feeling good about her progress, but not nearly ready to venture out on her own just yet.

"How about this…" Schmidt began offering up possible solution. "We let go of one arm and I skate alongside of you?"

Cece contemplated the idea and didn't totally hate it. "I can do that. But you'll still be holding my hand though, right?"

"I will."

Schmidt waited for Cece to be ready to let go of one of his arms. He was surprised that she didn't take as long as he had expected. She felt her anxiety diminish as he took his place by her side, holding onto each other's hand with their fingers interlaced, getting whatever contact they could through their winter gloves.

"So are you having fun?"

"I am."

"Good, I'm glad."

"So how did you learn to ice skate?" She asked trying to take her mind off of her fear of falling. She figured the less she thought about it, the less likely it would be to occur.

"I'm not telling you."

"What? Why not?"

"Because…it's an embarrassing story." That only made her more intrigued. It was unlike Schmidt not to confide in her, and it wasn't as if he hadn't ever told her embarrassing stories of himself. Cece still thought of him and laughed every time she saw a cat of any kind.

"Oh come on Schmidt. Tell me…Please?" She decided to utilize her greatest weapon against the egotistical aspiring millionaire. No matter what the circumstances, she knew he could never defend himself against a look he named the 'Naughty Baby Indian'.

"Oh please don't do the naughty baby Indian look. You know I'm powerless against that." He tried to look away, but it had been almost a long while since she had looked at him that way and after all this time, here it was. He couldn't resist.

Cece knew it was a matter of time before he felt compelled to look back over at her. She figured she may as well lay it on thick and bat her eyelashes just to drive him nuts.

It worked. "Fine." He said after ignoring his better judgement and turning his head to face back towards her. "When I was a kid my mom put me in figure skating lessons."

"No way!" Somehow Cece found herself surprised.

"Yes way." He said with a sullen tone, annoyed with himself for having given in to her manipulation.

"Aww…poor little Schmidt." Cece was enjoying this little taunting game she was playing with him, but more than that, she found this new piece of information she learned about him interesting. "So…How long did that last?"

"Until I was thirteen."

"Why thirteen?"

"That's when she sobered up and realized I was a boy." Schmidt had uttered that statement so nonchalantly, that Cece couldn't do anything to prevent the fit of hysterics that forced its way out of her. He had known her long enough to anticipate her laughter and was certain that it would last for a few minutes longer, so all he could do was nod along.

Something had come over Cece. Her laugh had taken on the same form it had earlier that day at the zoo when she was watching the penguins. She momentarily forgot where she was and what she was doing, and allowed herself to let her body give in to the merriment she was undergoing. As it usually did during moments such as these, her head fell back, her shoulders along with it as they heaved up and down. But she let it fall too far, causing the rest of her body to follow suit. The skates felt like they were sliding out from underneath her. It all seemed to happen so fast yet so slow at the same time. Cece felt like a character from Scooby-doo slipping in oil.

Schmidt saw her falling and just reacted. When she was in trouble, it was his second nature to come to her rescue. Swiftly, he tightened the grip he had on their already joined hands and pulled her towards him, bringing her close. Her body slung into his as he used his free arm to catch her. Once their bodies were joined, Schmidt stiffened his legs to brace their weight from the momentum and prevent them both from falling.

After confirming their safety they stood there for a moment, hugging each other. Cece opened her eyes and looked up at Schmidt who did the same. Sharing a look of relief, they both start to laugh at the near miss. Cece, having learned her lesson, laughed into him, putting her head into the crook of his neck. Instinctively, Schmidt just held her tighter.

Her nose became tickled with his scent forcing her reminiscence. They look up at one another noticing their faces are incredibly close. In that moment, neither of them were thinking with their minds, only their emotions. Slowly, they lean in, giving in to the craving their lips had for each other's. Both of their hearts where racing, beating a mile a minute, but in complete unison with the other's. Just as they are about to kiss, they were startled and interrupted by a voice sounding over the intercom.

"Hey folks. Hope you guys have been having a great night, but unfortunately we have to call last skate. This is going to be the final song of the night, so spend it well." The man in the booth had a fondness for being literal. For the last song of the night, he decided to play 'Closing Time' by the band Semisonic.

Schmidt looked down at Cece once again. "I think that's enough excitement for one night. You ready to get out of here?" Cece nodded thinking the same.

"Yeah."

Still hand-in-hand, Schmidt leads them back to the rink wall opening where they first came out of. He helped her take off her skates and returned them to the counter as she readied herself to go. They make their way to leave, when Cece is reminded of something.

"Hang on." She says to him, stopping them both in their tracks. She fishes around through her coat to find her phone. Once he sees it, he too is reminded that they never got a picture of the two of them at this location. He walked back towards her and posed by her side as he had all day. Cece held the phone out ready to take a selfie.

"Try to get the rink in the background." He suggested to her, but she was way ahead of him. Problem was she was having trouble getting the right shot.

"I'm trying, but I can't get the right angle." She said struggling. Not too far away, an older woman who had noticed what they were attempting to do, and offered her services.

"Would you like me to take it?" Cece was grateful at her timing, mentally thanking whatever higher power there was for sending her to them.

"Oh. Thank you so much." She said to the woman as she handed her the phone, before turning back to Schmidt getting ready to pose alongside him. As she situated herself next to him, Schmidt threw his arm around her shoulders. Cece decided to wrap her arms around him and hug him.

The woman captured a few photos of the smiling couple. "You two make such a gorgeous couple." She said with a smile when she handed the phone back. Both of them were taken aback at the sound of that word, couple.

"Thank you." Cece hesitantly responded. They three of them all exchanged a round of 'Merry Christmases' as they all parted ways.

They had finally made it to her hotel and said their goodbyes after having made plans to meet the next morning to continue their escapade. Once he saw that Cece made it inside safely, Schmidt flagged down a cab to take him back to his cousin's house in Queens.

Heading up to her room, Cece was stuck in a trance. Her body was on auto-pilot as she stepped onto the elevator and pushed the button for the floor she was on. The only thing on her mind was how great her day had been spent with the only guy she ever truly cared about and how much she had already started to miss him. Over and over again, her mind replayed the moment leading up to the kiss they almost shared. Leaning back on the elevator wall, she smiled to herself. It was days such as these that answered any questions about why she fell for him. He was the most sweet, caring and considerate guy. Cece felt herself blushing just thinking about him and excitedly anticipating their plans for tomorrow. It was then that she realized that all the residual feelings she had for him that she kept buried were breaking themselves out and making their way to the surface. Part of her wanted to ignore them for obvious reasons, but there was a voice in her head that caused her to question her impulse to do so.

She'd been looking for something to tell her that she could trust him, something that would allow her to get back to where she wanted to be with him. Seeing him embrace their friendship the way he did today spoke volumes. He was committed to making up for the way he hurt her and was more than willing to be patient in the meantime. For that, Cece decided to let her feelings venture within her, for now. It seemed like a good way to gauge her affections towards him. Perhaps it would be easier to assess the prospect of 'them' while it was just the two of them away from the group.

The entire cab ride, Schmidt sat quietly in the back seat mentally kicking himself as he thought about what almost happened earlier. All in all, he enjoyed the day they spent together and loved that she seemed to have fun as well, but he came dangerously close to ruining all the progress they had made.

He made a vow to be nothing but a great friend to her; however, every opportunity that presented itself to do just that had been fueled by his unwavering feelings for her. He started to think about what it would be like if he lost her for good, using that as an incentive to stay the course. The rest of their time together on this trip, he would be nothing short of the perfect friend.

Chapter 4 will be out as soon as possible so please be patient and let me know what you think about it so far. Thanks you guys!