I woke up early next day still on the couch. But the best thing was that there were no nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night with a frozen scream in my throat. It made me hope that my bad luck in that department was close to over.

The phone on the table, set on silent, was full of notifications on the screen: three missed calls from the Dance Studio, a text from Gabriela proposing a lunch if I was free and if her and Leslie wouldn't have an emergency call, and some spams as well.

I texted Gabriela back asking where and when, and put a phone to my ear, calling the Studio.

"Dance Studio Evita, Nora, how can I help you?" A pleasant voice of the receptionist sang.

"Hey, Nora, 's Harper. Did you call me, there're some missed calls here." I worked with one hand, digging in the fridge in search for breakfast: finding a pack of Oj, I contently took it out, poured a glass and started looking for a french press to make coffee.

"Oh, hey, Harper, how are you feeling?" She answered too enthusiastically for 8.30 in the morning.

"Better, thanks. So was there something you guys wanted or did you just wanted to know about the healing process?"

"Actually, both. I'm glad you're feeling better though. Anyway, Jonathan wanted to talk to you about your schedule and the Blackpool Chicago Annual Dance."

"Ok, I'll call him."

"I can put you through right now."

"He's there? At half past eight?" I put the kettle on.

"Hello?" A smooth voice with thick English accent came through.

"Jonathan, hey, it's Harper. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Harper, I've been worried."

I stopped the coffee routine. My eyebrows went slightly up. Whatever you say to that?

"Well, thank you. You shouldn't have. I'm feeling better."

"Wonderful to know. I need you tonight at the Studio. Eric had to leave and he can't replace you since today. Will you be able to do it or shell I give a notice that today there'll be no class?"

"No, I shall be fine. At five?"

"Yes, the usual spot." He paused for a moment. "Have you thought about the Blackpool?"

"I…" I started biting at my index finger. "I still don't think this is a good idea."

"I don't agree. Your knee will not have to be as pressured as it was during your ballet days. By a long shot. And I'm not asking you to take some medieval partner but someone you know and know the technique and skills of. Think again, it's your way to come back. In a different form maybe but to come back nonetheless." I had to give it him, he knew how to be persuasive. "I'll step by to check on you tonight a 5, Harper."

"I'll see you tonight then, Jonathan." I hung up.

Sipping my juice, my thoughts went flying to yesterday, Kelly, our kiss…the kiss…that small action seemed to hold so much in it. The biggest specter of emotions we could create. So intense and at the same time so pure. Pure in a way that there was no lies in it. And the element of it being something new, undiscovered, fresh was another check in a Pros column. Yesterday seemed like a safe haven, some kind of sanctuary from tomorrow. But tomorrow came regardless and before I would see my firefighter again I had some important things to do.

If that just didn't make me sound like silly schoolgirl with a crush!

-\-

"Sooo…" Andy took a sit on one side of Kelly who was changing on one of the benches. "I kinda didn't get a call from you all day yesterday."

"Don't worry!" A grinning smug-looking Matt parked himself on the other side of their friend. "I didn't either. Although I do remember our friend here leaving with lovely Harper the night before."

"That reminds me," Kelly pulled a grey shirt on. "How is it that you DO remember this stuff? I mean, you were soo wasted I'd bet you wouldn't remember your own name!"

"Laugh all you want but I do remember you taking Harper out of the bar and then none of us saw you or her all night!" Casey stated matter-of-factly.

"I took her home." Kelly explained and when Andy's expression became even brighter, added. "And left."

"Took her home…" Andy was confused.

"And left?" Matt added confused as well.

"And came back for breakfast." Kelly decided to give his striving friends a bone. "Well, with breakfast, I guess."

"You're lucky dog!" Matt clapped him on the shoulder. "So…?"

"So what? I'm telling nothing more, stop being a nosy bitch!" Kelly clapped him back and stood to put his things away.

"Oh my God!..." Andy made shocked noise. "You like her!"

"Of course I do, haven't you seen her? What is there not to like?" Kelly countered with his back to the guys.

"No…like you really like her!" Still shocked Andy looked at Matt as if he came across a new addition to the latest space discovery.

"Yeah! That's why he didn't want her to know that he saved her life!" Casey jumped on the opportunity.

"He didn't want her to know?…"

"Hello! He is standing right here and you two still have a job as far as I know so why don't you stop bugging me and go do something." Kelly looked annoyed as he turned to his two best friends' smirking faces.

"Sure, lover boy!" Matt stood to leave but not before he left another clap on Kelly's shoulder, making the older man shook his head.

"She's a nice girl." Andy stood as well. "Don't fuck it up."

After a pause when Kelly thought whether there was a point in saying anything he succumbed at last:

"I'll try not to."

Andy smiled. "Good boy."

-\-

"Sooo….."

"Oh-oh. Never liked that start!" I half-grinned and I think I could sniff the aroma of our approaching coffee as were sitting outside in a small café in the Lincoln Park far overlooking the busy Lake Shore Drive.

"Come on!" Gabriela was trying to interrogate me about the night at the bar, her eyes sparkled and a playful smile didn't leave her face.

"Ok, your smiling like an idiot is quiet infectious!" I was fully grinning by then.

We laughed. My coffee and Gaby's water and tuna salad arrived, and the conversation resumed.

"Sooo.." She repeated, slyly. "He stayed the night?"

"Nope." I said, stressing the "pe" part. "But he spent yesterday with me."

The dark-skinned paramedic dropped her fork as her big eyes went even wider.

"Really?! Are we talking about the same Kelly Severide? Around thirty, 5'11", muscular, loves his own persona…"

I started laughing:

"You're making him sound absolutely awful! Though he does seem quiet taken with himself now that you said about it."

"Don't get me wrong, overall he's a nice guy…somewhere deep inside…it's just I guess what I'm trying to say is that not a lot of people get to see this other side of him." Still a bit shocked she smiled anyway.

"Overall a nice guy?" I quoted and grimaced.

"Well he does save people for living." She grinned and stabbed an olive in her salad. "Can't be that bad!"

I was quiet for a minute while she was digesting both, her salad and the information.

"He spent the whole day with you?" She clarified with the look of a focused lawyer.

"And he brought me chicken soup in the morning of hangover." I curled hands around my cup, smiling.

I could swear if she wasn't seated, she'd just fall.

"Am I really describing such a different person to you right now?" I asked when she was still frozen in astonishment.

"Well…" She cleared her throat. "He's best friends with Matt and Andy. I guess, it would be stupid to expect him to wear his heart of apparently a fluffy puppy on his sleeve. We're not such good friends for that."

"Ohh!" I threw a balled napkin at her.

She dodged and laughed at my reaction:

"Well I'm glad for you. If he is with you the way you portray it then…it's just amazing."

I beamed and took another sip of my coffee:

"So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"So it's Matt?" And she spilled her water. "I swear it's like you've never used the tableware before. Ever!"

When the surprise finally wore off she asked:

"Am I that obvious?"

"Apparently not to Matt but it was strange for me that Hallie doesn't see anything as well." I looked at her over my cup. "How long has this been going on?"

"Too long…" She huffed.

"Are you gonna do anything about it?"

"No…maybe…jeez I don't know!" I pulled a now-empty plate and her glass closer to me, just not to risk it.

Gabriela watched me for a moment and then smiled at the action.

"You should."

"But he's with Hallie and he seems happy. Isn't that the point?" She shook her head and looked at me.

"I can tell you one thing for sure: we don't know what's really going on behind the close doors of ones' relationships. You don't know if he's really happy. He might be. But maybe you tell him how you feel and then both of you are gonna be happy."

"And what if he doesn't feel the same which he probably doesn't.." She looked out at all the flora around us.

"Then I guess you should take some acting classes." And I finished my coffee as we plunged into a comfortable silence.