I sat in the car with Evangeline, still mad as fucking hell at her; she had no fucking idea what kind of abuse I have and would suffer because of her. She began speaking, finally uncomfortable with the silence, "I'm sorry. If you had just told me you had a boyfriend I wouldn't have made you come with me."

I let out a high pitch squeak not expecting her words to be what they were. "Are you kidding me? Michael is not my fucking boyfriend! He's just my best-friend."

She laughed at that. "That's absurd. Just admit it, he's your boyfriend. I mean, the way he looks at you, how he treats you, the way he acts around you, it's so obvious he loves you."

Now it was my turn to laugh at her words. "Pardon me, but I think I know Michael a little better than you, and he most defiantly does not love me in that way."

Her head snapped away from the road and her eyes looked at me filled with shock. "Are you really that dumb? How can you not see it? Do you just refuse to see it? There's no way anyone can be this unmindful!"

"I'm not being fucking unmindful; I'm just not reading shit into shit that's not there. If Michael loved me, don't you think he would have told me?" I asked rhetorically.

"NO. No, I don't think he would have told you. Have you ever thought of the possibility that maybe he's waiting for you to notice on your own? Or maybe he's just scared that if he told you, you wouldn't accept him?"

Her words involuntarily made me mad and I snapped at her without thinking, "No, that's not possible! Michael would never be afraid of anything as stupid as that! And someone like him would never like someone as insignificant as me!" I yelled without meaning to.

She sighed, "I see why you've never noticed now. You hold him on a pedestal and can't believe that someone 'as high standing as him' would ever do something you find to be beneath them; you think of him as amazing and yourself as not so much, so you don't believe it would be befitting of him. I just have to say, just ask him; you have nothing to lose. I guarantee he likes you, and you like him, so there's no real problem, is there?"

Her words made me freeze. "I don't fucking like him."

"Don't you dare fucking lie to me, Pete; if you didn't like him, then why do you have that picture of him in your diary?"

Why do I have that picture of him? Do I like him? Could, could he really like me? I sat in silence, thinking to myself as her words struck me, and I realized everything she said was true.

. . .

When we got home she returned my composition book and I got changed, washed my face, and collapsed on my bed. After a while I feel asleep, only to be awaken by Michael calling me. "Hey Pete, what are you doing right now?"

I sighed as his voice rang through my half-conscious mind. "Not even going to let me say hello? Gosh, we're brash today. I'm doing nothing right now, why? What do you want?"

"Gosh, we're feeling aggravated today, aren't we? I just wanted to know if you wanted to go get coffee with me at the village inn."

"With just you? Why, are Henrietta and Firkle preoccupied or something?"

"Oh I see, I can't just want to spend some alone time with my best friend every now and then?"

"Michael, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, and yes they are busy. Firkle is hanging out with that Canadian again and Henrietta found out, so she is steamed and I don't want to get in the line of her fury."

"I'll hang out with you Michael. So are you going to come pick me up or should I meet you there? I don't mind walking."

"Hell, don't sound so reluctant Pete. And I'm sorry, but can you meet me there? I need to do something before I get there."

"Yep, I understand. See you later then."

"Can't wait to see you either, Pete." Michael hung up and the conversation ended, so I put my coat on and began to walk to The Village Inn.

. . .

p.o.v. Michael

I dropped my phone on Henrietta's bed and closed my eyes, but still I could feel her expression grow into a grin. "So you're going to see Pete now. Alone. . . Are you finally going to tell him?"

I grabbed my earing and began flicking it back and forth between my fingers. "Why… why would I do a stupid thing like that?" I opened my eyes and saw the terrible glare she was giving me.

"Well, you see, if you don't tell him soon, I will."

I coughed at her sudden threat. "NO WAY!"

"I'm going to if you don't, it's getting fucking annoying. I mean, is he totally stupid or something? He must be blind and deaf if not. I mean, what's the point in not telling him? He obviously won't reject you. Are you just scared?"

"No way, I'm not fucking scared. I just don't see the point of it."

She laughed at that. "You idiot, you are scared! You're scared to tell him you love him because you fear he'll reject you. You moron! Like he would ever reject you. You better tell him or you'll regret it, you know." She picked her holder off the desk and took a long drag before blowing out smoke in my face.

I glared at her, "Is that a threat or something?"

She looked at me intensely and sighed, "If you want to take it as one, then it is. But, you know, I can see that even you will get fed up with his idiocy sooner or later, and if you're not careful you'll tell him in a way that you will regret."

"I see your point, but I'm not going to tell him." I rose from where I was sitting and began to walk out the door.

"Oh, you'll tell him. I know you, Michael, and I know you can't take him not being yours for much longer… because you're possessive and always have been."

"Well, maybe I will tell him and maybe I am, but it'll be a cold day in hell when you know me."

"You're right; you're too apathetic to let anyone know you." She took one last drag and blew the smoke at me as I walked out of her house.

. . .

p.o.v. pete

When I arrived at the Village Inn, I saw Michael already sitting at a booth, so I slid in and sat across from him. "Hey Michael, sorry I took so long."

He chuckled at my apology. "No problem, you look half frozen though," he said, reaching out his hand to feel my face. I flinched, remembering the conversation with Evangeline earlier. He retracted his hand quickly. "Is something wrong Pete?"

"No, nothing's wrong, it's just something stupid Evangeline said earlier; nothing to worry about," I explained.

Michael sighed, "Is it really nothing to worry about? Sure seems to have quite a grip on you. What did she say?"

I shifted uncomfortably. "It was really nothing, just something dumb. I haven't even thought of it, really," I lied.

"Pete, please don't lie to me."

I looked at Michael, no longer able to keep my thoughts from bothering me. "Michael, do you like anyone?"

Michael coughed. "Of course I do."

"Oh, I see; its Henrietta isn't it?"

Michael looked at me like I was crazy. "Like hell I do. Are you sick in the head?"

"Then you like me?" I asked without thinking.

Michael smirked, but I could tell something bothered him. "So that's what's bothering you? It's obvious, isn't it? I love you."

"I…. you… you can't love me. You can't love me. You're lying."

Michael's expression turned sour. "Fuck you. Yeah, I'm so defiantly fucking lying. Tell me, if I was lying, would I do this?" Michael stood and leaned over the table, putting his hands on my cheek and arm. He crushed his lips against mine, a rough first kiss. I attempted to struggle free and push him away, but he held me with enough force I couldn't pull away. After a second, I gave in and closed my eyes. Then he dragged his tooth along my bottom lip, the new sensation sending chills up my spine. He ran his tongue along the crease of my mouth and then pulled me ever closer while his lips moved against mine. He bit my bottom lip and pull away as it slipped from his teeth and finally released me to sit back down.

I wiped my mouth, breathing heavily. He leaned his face on his hand and looked at me smugly, his eyes half-lidded. If I wasn't pissed at him I probably would have thought of how calm he looked. My face was bright red and I knew it. I put my hands over my eyes and slowly slid down the bench. "What the hell; you fucking dumbass." I took my hands off my face and flipped him off before covering my face again.

He laughed at this. "What's wrong Pete? Still don't believe me? I can do it again, if you want."

I bit my lip to stop myself from yelling and I realized it tasted like Michael's black coffee and cigarettes. "Fucking jerk."

He snickered. "Stop complaining, you totally fucking enjoyed it." I couldn't argue with him. "So do you believe me now? And you know what will happen if you say 'no,' don't you?"

At his words I had a mini heart attack or, at least, I thought it was one. "Oh, don't you dare. I get it; I believe you; so just stay over there."

He laughed. "Gosh, Pete, you're jumpy, and all I ever did was tell you I loved you."

"Damn you, you idiot, that's not all you did and you know it."

"Yeah, I know." He sat down next to me and removed my hands from my eyes so that I saw a fucking wide-as-hell grin on his face. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Will you go out with me?"

My face turned red as the words left his mouth.

If words could convey my thoughts, I'd say them.

If I told you you're my most important person,

You wouldn't believe me?

Voicing my thoughts would not help you

Showing you what I mean cements the truth.

Will you run away?

Are you scared to be loved?

Will you stay?

They whisper of the truth, but I don't know,

I don't know if the truth they whisper is real,

If it is, can I be happy?

Please be true.

Please stay.

Please love me.

Never leave,

Never leave me;

That's all I'll ever ask.

Authors note: I'm giving credit to bunny for improving the kiss-scene because mine was terrible. I thank you for reading thus far, but don't worry this is only the begging.