Now we get to start having more angst, romance, and hurt/comfort themes. I hope y'all enjoy!

(Kate's POV)

Darry, once again, showed up to my apartment early for our date, but I was almost expecting it the second time around. By the time I heard the three knocks on my door, I already had my keys and wallet in my jeans pockets. When I opened the door, I smiled up at him. "You're early again."

He rubbed the back of his neck, and grinned shyly at me. "I know, I'm sorry. I guess I was just excited to see you."

The way Darry's arm was flexed, his muscles were practically bulging out of his skin. Does he even realize how big his muscles are, or how attractive he is? I had to force my eyes to return looking into his. "You don't need to be sorry, I'm happy to see you too." Then I stepped out of my apartment and turned around to lock it. As I did so, I turned to give Darry a smirk over my shoulder. "I was prepared this time."

He laughed at that, then the two of us walked down the hallway.

I looked sideways at Darry and admired how handsome he was in his jeans, t-shirt, and jacket. It was a simple outfit, but I was always a simple girl, and I liked it a lot. "You look good Darry," I said, remembering what we had said to each other before our first date.

His head quickly turned to face me, and his eyes looked me up and down, apparently noticing my jeans, flannel shirt, and boots. A smile formed on his face, then his hand found its way around mine, giving it a small squeeze. "You do too, Kate."

I couldn't stop the blush from appearing on my face, but I refused to avert my gaze from his beautiful light blue eyes. There was an intensity in them, like they always held electricity or something, and staring into them was almost addicting. With my left hand encased in Darry's strong-yet-gentle grip, I extended my right arm forward to show him my sleeve. "And look; I actually wore something that'll keep me warm. I won't have to steal your clothes this time."

Darry smirked and shook his head. "It really wasn't a big deal. And if you still get cold tonight-"

I cut him off when I wrapped both of my arms around his right arm and leaned into his side a little. "Then I'll just have to get closer to you, because I sure as hell am not letting you be cold again."

He chuckled a little and let me continue holding his right arm hostage. He even seemed to move closer to me. "That sounds just fine."

We got to the rodeo pretty early, so Darry was able to get a fairly close parking spot. I tried not to jump out of the truck or act like a giddy school girl, but as we walked towards the barn, I couldn't help myself from practically buzzing with excitement. I enjoy going to rodeos, and I hadn't been to one in a long time, but even more than the rodeos themselves, I love seeing the horses. Sure, rodeos were exciting and at times nerve-racking, but the equine creatures always held a special place in my heart, and it was always fun to see them before they went out and did whatever event they were going to do. I love any and all horses: the nice ones, the wild ones, big, small, grey, roan, bay… all of them were special to me.

As Darry and I walked into the barn, I felt his hand grasp mine again, which caused me to smile. The gesture was starting to feel so normal and natural that I wondered if my hand would feel empty without holding Darry's.

The sights, sounds, and smells of the barn made me feel nostalgic. Some people can't stand the smell of hay, let alone horse feces, but none of it ever bothered me. It takes a lot to gross me out anyways. Hearing the snorts and whinnies instantly alerted me to how many horses we were in the presence of.

"I'm glad we came early," Darry said, giving me a big smile and we walked towards the stalls.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah? You like horses too?"

He nodded, but his eyes were staring intently into mine rather than looking around the barn, and I knew I was missing something. "I do, but I think I like seeing you this happy even more."

My smile grew, and with my free hand, I tucked some hair behind my ear. "Gee Darry, you sure know how to sweet talk a woman, don't you?"

Darry gave me a humble shrug, but I saw the grin on his face clear as day. "Any specific reason you like horses so much?"

I nodded and smiled as happy memories flooded my mind. "My dad's sister has a farm with her husband less than an hour west of here. I spent a lot of time there, especially in the summers when I was a kid. To a certain extent, I kind of grew up there." I remembered all of those hot, summer days, spending hours outside with not only the horses, but the barn cats, my cousins, and every other creature that lived there. "Since I'm an only child, my cousins were the closest thing I had to siblings, and growing up around three boys on a farm made for an interesting upbringing."

"So that's how you ended up so tough," Darry said, his voice rising a little, like he had just discovered something.

I smirked and shrugged my shoulders. "I certainly held my own against my cousins, but I was the youngest and the only girl, so if they ever would've hurt me, my uncle would've walloped them," I said with a laugh. "Not only that, but if I was there, I was expected to help out, even if I was only visiting for the day. Chores on the farm don't stop just because someone's visiting. Still, I happily did my share of work because it meant I got to hang out with my family on the farm."

Darry nodded understandingly. "My brothers and I always liked visiting the country too. Shoot, Soda would choose visiting a farm over just about anything, and if it has horses, he would never want to leave."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued and excited to learn more about the Curtis family.

"Yeah, even though Ponyboy has the name and can draw them like nobody else can, Sodapop was always the one that loved horses the most," Darry said fondly. We stopped and stood in the middle of the barn, and I watched as Darry's eyes lit up while he talked about the middle Curtis brother. "He worked at a stable a few years back, and there was one horse there that he loved more than just about anything. It was a black colt with white above the hooves named Mickey Mouse. That horse was a real trouble-maker and he didn't listen to anybody but Soda. Even the owner had problems working with that horse. We all said Soda and Mickey Mouse were both young and wild boys, so they understood each other while nobody else could."

"Does Soda get to see him anymore?" I wondered.

"No," Darry said sadly, and I felt my own heart drop at not only the answer, but the sad look on Darry's face. "The owner sold him, and it just about broke Soda. He cried so much, and nothing we did made him feel better. Pony wanted to buy the horse back for Soda, but a young kid can only save so much money, and it's not like we had a place for a horse either."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said honestly. "Sounds like the two of them had a real soul connection."

Darry nodded grimly, but he didn't say anything else about Mickey Mouse, apparently deciding to switch topics slightly. "Soda used to ride in the rodeo too– saddle bronc– but after he got hurt, our parents made him quit. He was so upset, I had to console him for weeks. He's been bugging me lately about letting him get back into it, but I told him the last thing we needed was more hospital bills."

I nodded my head, trying to show my support. With everything the Curtis family had been through in less than a year, I could only imagine how strenuous medical bills would be on them, especially Darry. However, it sounded like Soda wanted to be around horses in some capacity, and I wished there was a way he could. "Maybe next time, we could invite Sodapop to come with and see the horses. Ponyboy too," I offered.

Darry raised his eyebrows. "Really? You'd want to hang out with my brothers?"

"Of course I would. They seem great," I assured him. Then I started second-guessing myself, and I felt my anxiety start to skyrocket. Did I overstep? Is it too soon to spend time with his family? I met them that day at the diner, but it's different now that I'm actually dating Darry, right?

Before I could say anything else, Darry gave me a warm smile. "Alright. Next time, we can invite them too." Then he pulled me towards one of the stalls. "Speaking of horses, that's why we're here, isn't it?"

I giggled as we approached the stall of a beautiful grey mare, whose name according to the sign on the stall door was Storm.

Storm was muscular and she seemed rather calm, despite being in a barn full of rodeo-ready animals. I wondered what event she'd be doing, and I started silently guessing. She's too stocky for barrel racing. Maybe she's a roping horse, or- my thoughts were interrupted when Storm approached us and stuck her head out, looking straight at Darry.

"Looks like she likes you, Darry," I said.

Darry grinned and reached a hand out to pet the mare, who leaned into his touch. Both of them looked so at ease, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Darry was saying how much Soda likes horses, but it's obvious he does too. He could be a real country boy. As the two of them enjoyed a calm and peaceful moment, I heard a frantic squeal nearby, and the noise drew my attention towards whatever horse made that horrible sound.

I rushed towards the continuous squealing, and I ended up in front of a stall where two teenage boys were throwing things at the lean, red horse, and a third one was sticking his arm into the horse's stall.

"You leave that horse alone!" I shouted at the teens, who apparently didn't notice my arrival until then.

The three of them all turned to look at me. At first, they looked like they were nervous about being caught, but then they all gave me wild grins, like they knew I had no authority to get them in trouble.

"You can't do nothin' about it," one of them said. He sounded quite sure of himself, despite the fact his voice was still high enough to let me know how young he was.

"Yeah, why don't you get outta here," another said.

I was getting angry, and the poor horse was still squealing and bucking in the stall, which just made my temper flare even more. I stepped towards the boys so I was just a few feet away, and I started threatening them. "You three better get out of here or I swear-"

"Who the hell is messin' with one of my horses?!" a furious voice shouted from somewhere not too far away.

The angry voice was intimidating enough to send all three boys running out of the barn, but the damage was already done. The red horse was obviously still frightened since it was kicking the walls of its stall and making all sorts of agitated noises. I stepped forward, instinctively wanting to go in to help the animal calm down, but a hand caught mine before I could reach the stall door.

"Kate, what are you doing?" Darry asked, his eyes wide. "That horse is wild. You can't just-"

"Hey! You two better-" the angry voice got closer, and when I turned to face the owner of it, I was surprised to see Dallas Winston. He was livid, his scowl looking even more dangerous and mad than normal, but when he spotted us, he looked more confused than anything. "Darry? What are you two doin' here?" Then the horse let out another squeal, and Dallas got more agitated. "And what the hell are you doin' to that horse to make her so mad?"

Darry moved to stand between me and Dallas, probably because of what happened the last time Dallas and I were in the same place. "It wasn't us, Dally. It was-"

I figured with Darry distracted, it was my best chance to help the horse. I pulled my hand out of Darry's grasp, and I rushed into the stall, making sure to close the door behind me.

"Kate!"

"Are you insane?! That red bitch is gonna kill you!"

I ignored the shouts coming from the guys and focused on the animal in front of me. I noticed it was another mare, but she wasn't anything like Storm had been. The red mare was tossing her head, spinning and kicking wildly, so I knew I had to stay in front of her to avoid her powerful back feet.

"Shhh, it's okay," I said softly, trying to make sure the horse knew I was there. Her ears went straight up and she stopped spinning, so I knew she heard me. Unfortunately for me, once she saw me, she whinnied and reared up, forcing me to take a step back and put my hands in front of me as my only form of protection from her front hooves.

"Kate!" I heard Darry shout again frantically. I was worried he would open the stall door and try to drag me out before I could calm the horse down, so I knew I had to be quick.

I kept shushing so the mare heard my calm voice instead of listening to the worried tone of Darry's voice. "Whoa girl, it's okay. Shhh. I'm not gonna hurt you," I said gently.

The mare dropped down to stand on all fours again. She tossed her head one more time, and when she was still for a moment, I saw a large bleeding cut that went down her face and over her left eye. "I know why you're upset," I said calmly as I took a step forward. Thankfully, she didn't rear or kick at my advancement; instead, she just snorted and stopped her front foot. "Those boys hurt you, but they're gone. It's okay."

I continued to move towards her at a steady pace. When I finally reached her, I lightly touched the top of her nose, making sure to stay away from her injury. "There you go. Good girl," I said as I rubbed her nose. She was still snorting, but she wasn't nearly as agitated as she had been just moments before. I'm not going to hurt you.

I heard the stall door open behind me, and I turned just in time to see Darry grab my arm and pull me away from the horse. The moment the stall door closed behind us, he held both of my upper arms and stared down at me with wide, terrified eyes. "Are you alright?" His voice sounded angry, but his eyes gave him away. He was worried.

"I'm fine," I said evenly, trying to calm him down just like I had done with the mare. "I promise Darry, I'm alright."

Darry studied me closely, like he was trying to see if I was hurt or something, but another voice drew my attention away from him.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Dallas asked angrily.

I turned to face him, and when I saw him glowering at me, I felt the need to match the intensity of his voice. "She's hurt. That's why she's so upset."

"She's a bareback horse," he said in a demeaning tone. "She's wild! She's always like that!"

I shook my head. "She was fine with me just a second ago. Those boys hurt her. She's just injured and scared."

Dallas grumbled under his breath, then he walked up to the red mare's stall. She was still snorting, stomping, and tossing her head around, but at least she wasn't bucking or anything like that, so I knew she was still fairly calm. It must've only taken a second for Dallas to spot the injury, because he cursed and turned to face me again. "Was it three boys? Scrawny, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old?" When I nodded, he swore again. "Those kids are always causin' trouble around here. Buck and I have to kick them out almost every day, but they haven't hurt anyone until now."

It pleasantly surprised me that Dallas said "anyone" instead of "anything" when referring to the injured horse. It gave me another insight into the good side of Dallas Winston. He cares about horses too; he thinks of them as sentient animals, like people. "If you want, I can help her. Just give me some healing cream or something and I can apply it."

"Kate," Darry started, his voice filled with worry. I had forgotten he was holding my arms until he gave them a light squeeze, forcing me to look at him. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Dal just said she's wild-"

"I can handle it," I said confidently, giving him a reassuring smile. "I already have her trust. It would be best for me to do it."

He studied me, and I knew he was weighing our options. After a beat, Darry let go of my arms and rubbed a hand down his face. "Alright, but I'm going with you, just in case."

I was surprised that immediately following an attempt of talking me out of it, Darry decided he was going to join me into the feral horse's stall. I smiled up at him. "Okay, but be careful."

He gave me a disbelieving look, then shook his head. "It should be me saying that to you."

Suddenly, Dallas was handing me a container of salve. He must've had some lying around the barn, and I was thankful for it. As I took it from him, he gave me a pointed look. "I don't know why the hell I'm lettin' you do this…"

"Because I'm tough," I said tersely with a cocky grin. You said I was tough, right? "Plus, I've worked with horses before. I'll be fine."

Before there could be any arguing, I moved towards the stall. When I glanced at the sign with the mare's name, I chuckled to myself. Roja Loca. Of course. I took a steadying breath, then opened the door just enough for myself and Darry to slip inside.

"Hey girl," I said softly as I approached the mare. She was still tossing her head around and stomping, and I knew it was because the cut on her eye was bothering her. "I know sweetie, I know it hurts. But we're gonna help you."

I kept taking small, even steps towards the injured horse, and I could feel Darry's presence right behind me, ready to save me if needed. If I wasn't in a potentially dangerous situation, I would've allowed myself to feel happy and comforted with Darry so close, but I couldn't let my focus stray from the horse because it could prove to be disastrous for both me and Darry.

Once I reached the mare, I started petting her nose again, and she relaxed a little at my touch. "That's a good girl. I'm gonna make you feel better, okay?" Slowly, I opened the salve and put some on my hand. I let her smell it before I slowly started putting it on the cut. Her ears went back, and I knew she didn't like what I was doing, but it was for her own good, so I kept going.

"Kate," I heard Darry whisper, and I knew he spotted the change in the horse's body language too.

"Shhh, it's okay," I said calmly to both Darry and the horse. "I'm almost done."

Luckily, the mare didn't do anything, and when I was done, she let me and Darry leave the stall completely unharmed. As soon as the door was shut behind us, Darry let out a loud sigh of relief before he rubbed his hand down his face– something I was learning he did when he was stressed. "I definitely didn't think we'd be doing anything like that tonight. Glory Kate, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

I handed Dallas the tub of salve, and once he left to go put it away, I turned back to face Darry. He was staring at me like I was crazy, and it almost looked like he was angry with me. Maybe he's right; maybe I am crazy. I'm crazy, and I'm sure he doesn't want to be around a crazy girl. "I'm sorry. It's just… I had to. She's hurt, and I couldn't just let her be scared and in pain."

He let out another breath, then he suddenly pulled me into a hug. His strong arms surrounding me provided me with more comfort than I had felt for a long time. "I know. I get it, Kate. You just worried me is all."

"Thanks for making sure I was safe," I muttered into his chest as I wrapped my arms around him.

I felt the laughter in his chest as he chuckled. "Of course. But apparently you didn't even need my help."

"Told you she was tough," Dallas said, apparently returning.

Darry and I broke apart, but he kept an arm across my shoulders and pulled me to his side. I could feel his hand holding onto the outside of my arm tightly in a protective way, like he thought he'd have to protect me from his friend or something. Dallas must've noticed too, because his scowl was gone, and instead, he was giving me a strange look that seemed unnatural for the hood.

"Thanks for helpin' out, Kate. And uh, about what happened at the drive-in…" Dallas trailed off, apparently not knowing what to say or how to say it.

Rather than wait for Dallas to come up with the words, I decided to make things easy for him. "We're good, Dallas. No harm, no foul." Then I reached my hand out for him to shake. "Okay?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, then he shook my hand. "Alright. And my friends call me Dally."

After all the excitement in the barn, we still had the actual rodeo to attend. We asked Dally if he wanted to sit with us, but he said he couldn't because he was going to be competing in the team roping event with Buck Merrill. I was excited to know somebody that would be competing for once, and even though I was glad Dally and I had an understanding and were hopefully friends, I was still glad I could spend the night alone with Darry.

Before we took our seats, we went to the concession stand. Despite my protests, Darry paid for both of our beers. I normally don't drink much, but it seemed like Darry could use a drink after the stressful events in the barn, so I was happy to get one too in solidarity.

When we sat down, Darry immediately wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his side as he took a sip of his beer. I smiled and also had some of my drink. Not more than a couple hours before, I was thinking about how holding his hand was natural, but having Darry's arm around me felt even better. It just felt right.

As I mentally replayed what happened in the barn, I remembered the look on Darry's face; he certainly thought I was crazy, but he also looked a little angry. I started to worry that Darry was actually upset with me and my recklessness, then I wondered if I had done something so stupid that it would make him want to leave and never speak to me again rather than be forced to sit through a rodeo with me.

I turned my head to look at him, needing some kind of answers. "Darry… are you okay?" I dared to ask, not able to voice my real concerns.

He looked at me with a curious look on his face. "Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"

I shrugged and looked forward at the arena, not wanting to push it or make a big deal out of something that didn't need to be. Just forget about it. He's too much of a gentleman anyways. If he was that mad, he'd at least bring me home before ignoring me for the rest of our lives.

Even though I didn't say anything, it seemed like Darry wasn't going to let it go. "Kate, what's wrong?"

How did he know I was thinking about something? My parents, Rachel, and even Connie had all told me that I get a certain look on my face whenever I think really hard about something, but I thought they were overexaggerating. Apparently not.

"I really am sorry about earlier," I said, trying to figure out how to voice my concerns. I kept my eyes forward, not wanting to look at his face in case he was still upset with me. I didn't think I could stand to see him mad at me. "I know it was kind of reckless, and you probably think I'm insane-"

"Hold on," Darry said, gently interrupting me. "Do you think I'm mad at you or something?"

I shrugged again before taking another sip of beer. "Maybe. I mean, yeah… How many people do you know that would just run into a bucking horse's barn stall?"

I could hear him chuckle a little, and it seemed lighthearted, but I still couldn't get myself to look at him. "Not many, but probably more than you'd think. I know Soda would. Dally too. And me, when I need to."

I grinned a little at that last statement and I risked turning to look at him. He didn't look mad at all. In fact, he was smiling. "Thanks for having my back, Darry. I'm sorry you had to go along with me and my crazy idea."

"I chose to go with you," Darry pointed out. "I was worried, and I didn't want you to get hurt."

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled at him. "Thank you. I know you probably think I'm stupid for what I did, but I'm glad you were there in case things went south."

"I don't think you're capable of being stupid," he retorted. I was surprised to hear him say that, and after studying the confused look on my face, he grinned. "I think it was selfless and brave of you to put yourself in harm's way to help that horse. It scared me something awful, but I understand why you did it."

There's no way he's this understanding. Right? "So you're really not mad?" I asked, needing irrefutable confirmation before my worries could be laid to rest.

"No, I'm not mad Kate," he said. Then he pulled me closer so he could press a kiss to my forehead. "I promise."

"So I didn't scare you off?" I asked in a playful tone. "You're not worried about me pulling you into more crazy things?"

Again, he laughed. "No. I've been in worse scrapes before."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah? Any good stories?"

He took a long swig of beer, then after swallowing it, he gave me a wicked smirk. "Yeah, I have a lot of stories. But those will have to wait for another time."

I grinned, knowing that he was reinforcing the fact that he was still interested in seeing each other, even after the crazy night we already had.

As the rodeo progressed over the next couple hours, we both watched the competitors intently, sitting at the edge of our seats. When Dally and Buck where up for team roping, I grinned when I noticed the horse Dally was riding.

"Hey Darry, it's your girlfriend," I joked, pointing to Dally's horse, Storm.

He chuckled a little, then he gently tightened his arm around me. "As long as Dally leaves you alone, he can have her."

I smirked at him, then I leaned into his side. He reacted by tightening his arm around me a little more.

Darry was being gently protective of me, and I was still surprised how much I enjoyed it. I prided myself in being independent, strong, and tough– not easily intimidated but anyone or anything– but it was nice to feel like I didn't have to be like that all of the time.

Dally and Buck ended up winning the team roping event, and as barrel racing was being set up, Darry spoke up suddenly. "I think you should tell your aunt and uncle how you helped that red mare." I turned to look at him, wondering what was going through his mind. He looked at me and grinned. "I think they'd be glad to hear all those days on the farm came in handy, and they'd be proud of you for helping an injured horse that you'd never met before."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, they'd probably get a kick out of it. I'm not sure they'd necessarily be surprised though," I said with a laugh. I quickly decided that I'd call them the next day. It had been a few weeks since I talked with them, so we were due to catch up anyways. "They'll be more surprised to hear that I've been seeing someone, and that someone followed me into the horse's stall."

He grinned sheepishly, then finished his beer.

The rest of the rodeo flew by, and I was glad that the injured red mare was absent in the bareback event. Good. She just needs to rest and heal. When the rodeo was over, Darry and I joined the crowd of people walking back to the parking lot. As we sat in Darry's truck, I couldn't help but look at the barn, letting my thoughts once again go to the red mare.

"We'll come back another time and see more horses," Darry said softly. Then, after he started the engine, I felt him put a hand on my shoulder, making me turn to look at him. "But if we come here with my brothers, can you promise to stay out of the stalls? I can't keep both you and Sodapop out of trouble."

I smirked at Darry. He was joking, but I could tell there was some sincere concern in his remark. "I'll try my best," I joked. Even though I was kidding, I made a mental note to at least warn him next time I planned on doing something dumb.

He let out a sigh, but I saw the hint of a smile on his face. "Glory, I'm going to be grey by the time I'm twenty-five." I laughed, and I saw that he was grinning when he glanced sideways at me.

We made it to my apartment building in no time, and after parking the truck, Darry walked me to the door like the gentleman he continuously proved himself to be. Our hands were clasped together and fingers intertwined, which made my heart flutter just thinking about the contact.

When we reached the door, I took a step sideways so we were next to the wall instead of directly in front of the door. Then I turned to face him, keeping our hands together so he didn't leave yet. "I had a really good time tonight, Darry. Thank you."

He gave me a warm smile. "You're welcome. I had fun too."

Before he could turn to walk away, I squeezed his hand a little, hoping he understood that I didn't want him to leave yet. "And I really am sorry for being careless," I said.

I didn't even realize that I had averted my eyes and was about to tuck my hair behind my ear with my free hand until Darry's hand grabbed it, preventing the action. I froze and looked up at him, suddenly very aware that both of my hands were in Darry's.

"I told you, Kate. I'm not mad," he said with a warm, soft smile. "I guess I should get used to it since I'm dating a girl as tough and brave as you, huh?"

I blushed. Every time Darry said something sweet like that, it felt like the butterflies in my stomach all decided to take flight at the same time.

After a moment, Darry took a small step towards me, causing the distance between us to shrink and practically become nothing. Then he dropped my left hand so he could place his right hand against my cheek. I immediately leaned into the warm touch as I looked up at him in anticipation.

"Can I- can I kiss you?" Darry asked, his voice low and his eyes soft.

Darry is a gentleman in every way possible.

I nodded, trying not to look too eager. "Yes."

Darry smiled, then leaned down so his lips could meet mine. The moment our lips connected, it felt like I wasn't in my body anymore. I was floating.

At first, we were fairly still and tentative, trying to sense each other's rhythm. After a couple seconds, I moved my free hand to the back of Darry's head to pull him closer to me. My movement caused him to shift, and he reciprocated by deepening the kiss. Our lips moved in sync, and without any thinking on my part, my arms were wrapped around his neck and my fingers tangled in his hair. A moment later, his strong hands were resting on my waist.

The kiss was wonderful, and it ended far too quickly. When we broke apart, he leaned his forehead against mine. "I'll call you tomorrow," he said with a smile, sounding a little breathless. I feel the same way.

I gave Darry another quick peck on the lips, not quite ready to separate yet. Then I nodded and smiled up at him. His eyes stared into mine with a kind of warmth and tenderness that I never wanted to go without. "Okay."

He grinned, then after kissing my cheek, he removed his hands from my waist, and I reluctantly withdrew my arms. He took a step back, and I already missed him being in such close proximity. "Good night, Kate."

"Good night, Darry."