xii.

Lewis was worried.

He knew he wasn't the sharpest bloke when it came to female emotions. In fact, he was in a continual state of confusion when it came to Cleo and her true feelings, but it was so obvious that Rikki wasn't herself that even he lost concentration on the experiments he was running for the project and began thinking instead of ways to help her.

He was pretty confident she wouldn't appreciate any drop-ins from him, however well intentioned. She was still sore over the whole cave fiasco, and he really couldn't blame her. Although he had nothing to do with the initial complications, in hindsight he hadn't been particularly sensitive to the situation. He wished he had a better grasp on people and how not to do exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. But that was never his strong suit. Cleo was the one who gave insight to how people were feeling and what he could possibly do to make them un-mad at him.

He wondered if she had the ability to make Rikki un-mad at him. They were both girls with... girl sort of problems. Why weren't they friends already, he wondered. He might as well ask. This gave him another excuse to see Cleo again, and it had been all of five hours since they'd last spoke. He nodded determinedly to himself and set down his pen. It couldn't hurt to try.

Cleo gave a little start when she answered the door to see Lewis outside. She didn't brighten up with a huge grin and cry, "Lewis!" like she used to, but he figured it was the awkward newness of their shifting relationship. It was weird for him, too. Weird because he had to keep his tail and erratic power under wraps all while wanting to spend every moment with the person who was most likely to set them off. So for that reason he was a little glad for Cleo's sudden shyness. He couldn't imagine what would happen if she tried to kiss him again.

Today, she smiled and took a deep breath. "Lewis, it's... nice to see you! Do you want to come in?"

He blinked in bemusement before stepping inside. She never needed to ask before. It was always assumed that he wanted to come in. The only obstacle he'd ever faced was Mr. Sertori and his moods.

"Uh, yes. Thanks, Cleo. Could we talk somewhere private?"

"Sure. Mum and Dad aren't here. They took Kim to some concert, so we can talk wherever you want. Do you want a drink or something?" she skipped off to the kitchen, evidently prepared to make herself busy regardless of his needs.

"No thanks," he replied as he set his shoulder bag down and chose a seat on the couch. "I wanted to talk to you about Rikki."

It was quiet for a bit too long, and Lewis wondered if she'd heard him. He craned his neck over his shoulder to see her standing at the sink, staring into an empty glass.

"Cleo?"

"Why about Rikki?" she looked up with a half smile on her face.

"Well, I'm worried about her," he began. "Something happened recently, aaaand... she's not very happy with me. And I was hoping you could... I dunno, be her friend? Do some girl talk. Cheer her up. Something like that."

Cleo's forehead creased the way it did whenever she tried to work out a problem in her head. "Aren't you friends? Couldn't you sort it out?"

"I don't think she wants to talk to me right now."

"Why not?"

"I just have a feeling. Could you talk to her? You're really good at understanding people, and she seems not very... understood right now."

Cleo smiled a little. "Just because you don't understand her doesn't mean she can't be understood."

"Right! Exactly. See, you know what people mean! Would you try at least?"

"I guess I could... try..." she offered. "If it's important to you."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"If," she added, "You promise to do one thing."

Immediately, he froze. He couldn't make any promises without knowing what they entailed. It could be something dangerous like a date at the water park or an afternoon of helping her clean her fish tank, or worst of all, something that forced them to sit very close and possibly want to kiss...

"If I can." He tried to sound as willing as possible, though secretly he was terrified.

"Help me with my science project," she begged. "Please? You don't have to do as much as before when we were partners and everything, but I can't understand any of it when you don't explain it to me, and Nate and Gilbert say I was assigned as their third too late and they've already got their own thing going so I might as well sit back and let them handle things. But I want to learn! I just... need help starting."

"Of course!" he brightened, "That's not a problem!"

"Really?"

"Sure! Want to work on it now?"

Cleo nodded eagerly. "Let me grab my notes!"

They worked well into the afternoon, and Lewis was surprised at how close they were able to sit and study without any disasters occurring from the water lines or the glass of water Cleo sipped on as she listened. Maybe he was finally learning to control his powers. He certainly seemed to be in control when Cleo's rebellious curl brushed against his cheek as she leaned closer to the periodic table and nothing in the sink or thereabouts exploded. She was so intent on decoding the mysteries of science that came so easily to him, and he thought it adorable how determined her expression was.

She turned her head to him, still leaning very close, and Lewis suddenly forgot to be afraid of his powers.

"We don't have to kiss, you know," she said quite softly near his lips.

"Wh... what?"

"On our picnic, when you first said we should date I was hoping we'd kiss, but something weird happened with the water and you ran off. You always run off or get jumpy when we're too close, now. There have been lots of times after our picnic I sort of hoped we might kiss and it's like we could... but we never do." She frowned so pitifully that Lewis had an extremely hard time of not kissing her then and there. Instead, he merely stared at her, slack jawed as she rambled.

"I understand," she went on, gazing at the scattered notes and textbooks laid out on the table, "We might be bad at it, and that would be embarrassing and I'd be afraid to talk to you for a while. But I think we could learn to be better," she shrugged a little. "But no pressure! Our first kiss is a big deal, and I don't want you rushing anything you're not ready to do."

The trouble was, Lewis felt more than ready to try kissing Cleo. He'd imagined it upwards of a dozen times a day. It was between those fantasies and his worrying over Rikki that halted most of his progress with his own studies. Every bit of him wanted to kiss her, but he could not risk it. Not with being so unsure of his powers and keeping them under control. His heart sank as he realised he might never have them under control, and he might never know what he could handle until he'd tried it.

He had almost convinced himself that it couldn't hurt to try a little kiss. Just a quick peck or two to test the waters. But then he recalled Rikki's plight, and unless he could be absolutely positive that it was the affects of the full moon and not something in their own makeup that reduced them to mindless creatures of passion at the slightest provocation, he wouldn't try anything with Cleo.

Someday he would kiss her, and he was as certain as he could be that it would be enjoyable. But it wouldn't be today.

With a prolonged sigh, Lewis lowered his head to the books and murmured, "Thanks for understanding."

Cleo nodded in sympathy and added with a sideways glance, "Just don't wait too long."

A/N: Oh, Cleo. You're trying so hard to be helpful and supportive, but you have nooo idea what's going on.

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