"And his parents were so great." Grace beams from across the desk. "I mean, they were just so nice and welcoming. I have never felt so comfortable with another boyfriends parents before."

"Mmmmh." Mackenzie nods from behind her desk.

They both know she's not really listening to her talk about meeting Devon's parents over the weekend. Grace could see it on her face when she walked in that morning. Something happened and it's muddling her thoughts. Mackenzie can't seem to concentrate on anything and has a hard time staying focused on the plans in front of them.

"Did something happen?" She blurts out and Mackenzie looks at her confused. "You're floating around in outer space today. What's up?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head quickly.

The blonde narrows her eyes at her. "I'm not buying it."

Chewing on her lip she's contemplates telling Grace. If there was anyone she could talk to, Grace was the one. But that would mean that not only is she letting her in on something embarrassing and confusing, she'd be admitting that she's feeling more than just ‘friendly' with Justin.

After he dropped her off she sat up for several hours, a mix of tears and anger and humiliation. She didn't even realize how much she cared until he turned her down. The way he said it burns in her memory and the hurt is still as fresh as it was when he said it. She knows she shouldn't even care. She's in a relationship with his father for crying out loud. She cares very much for him but he just doesn't make her feel the way Justin does.

It's that thought that terrifies her.

Heaving a sigh she looks at Grace. "If I tell you something, it cannot leave this room. Ever."

"Did you kill someone?" She jokes but immediately wishes she hadn't when she sees Mackenzie's face. "Yeah, ok. Sorry. My lips are sealed."

Her eyes dart to the open office door as she licks her lips. "I slept with Preston."

"Ok? And......so what? I knew that."

"It was bad and it felt....God, it just felt wrong." She finally admits. "It was just bad and so weird. But I really do care about him and I have no freakin' clue how to make it better."

Trying not to make a joke out of the last statement, Grace shifts in the chair. "The sex or the situation?"

"Both." She shrugs. "I guess. I don't know."

There is so much more going on that Mackenzie isn't telling her and while she might be blonde, she's not an idiot. She saw the way Justin looked at her at the New Years Eve party and how he acted at the bar the other night. Something is happening there; a blind man could see it. But those two are too damn stubborn to acknowledge it.

"Does this have anything to do with Justin?" She asks her, hesitantly.

"What? No!" Her cheeks flame bright red and she knows she's given Grace the answer she couldn't own up to. "I'm going to hell." She mutters.

"What happened?" She asks her softly, seeing how much effect this is having on her. "And you're not going to hell. You'd have to kill someone first."

"He may or may not have kissed me at the party." She says so fast it's almost undecipherable.

Almost.

Grace leans back in the chair. "Alright."

Her eyes never leaving her hands that are clasped in her lap, "And then again the other night. And I asked him to come back to my place."

"Whoa." She breathes unable to contain it. This was not what she was expecting. "Did you guys....I mean, did he?"

She shakes her head and the tears well up again. "What am I doing?"

"You're not doing anything." She comforts her. "You were drunk and lonely. It happens."

"No, I wasn't. I mean, I was. But I knew what I was doing." She swallows hard. "I wanted to."

"Ugh. Ok, look. I like Preston, I do. But you just said it, the sex was not good so maybe you were looking for a way to make that seem better." Grace shrugs. "Sure there's been some attraction between you and Justin. Anyone can see it. But that's all it is."

"Are you serious?" Her voice coming tight from her throat. How could she have missed it?

Giving her a soft smile, she leans forward and pats Mackenzie's hand. "I've seen it since day one."

Groaning she lays her head on the desk. This is not good. As if she's not confused enough.

She's got Preston who she cares for and she can see a future with him. He can take care of her and provide for her. He's the prime example of stability and commitment and dependability. He knows who he is and what he wants. He made a career and a name for himself on his own accord. She knows that he would never hurt her or treat her unkindly.

But Justin makes her feel. He pushes her buttons and gets under her skin. The banter they have is quick and funny. Even if she doesn't let him know that. She enjoys spending time with him, regardless of how she acts. But he's completely unpredictable and unfocused. He has no real job or plan for life. She sees nothing in him that would make her say he's a suitable guy for her.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Grace questions. "Justin I mean."

"No." She sits up. "I wanted to call him yesterday and say I was sorry but I couldn't find the guts to do it."

Nodding, "I know this isn't fun and I'm really sorry for that. But, dude, you're going to have to make up your mind. This is a really messed up thing you've got going on. An insane triangle of attraction but you gotta do it. Before it gets out of control."

"Ok." She sighs. "You're right. I can do that. Obviously I'm going to stay with Preston. He's the right guy for me."

Forcing a smile to her face she nods her head. "You are the only one who can make this decision. I love you and all but this is all you."

"You are useless." She rolls her eyes, a smile threatening.

"That's why you hired me." Grace laughs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The door swings open just as she reaches for the knob. They both stop moving and stand still, neither speaking.

"Hey." Mackenzie finally chokes out. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I'm checking the mail while he's gone." Justin takes a step back as she moves forward. They do the awkward shuffle until he finally moves out of the doorway and lets her in. "What're you going here?"

She holds up a folder. "Dropping off some plans from his office."

He nods and closes the door.

"I'll um...I'll be quick." She moves towards Preston's office. "If you wanna wait a second that way you can lock up behind me."

Again he nods and watches her walk down the hallway. He rubs a hand over his face, the frustration running high.

He didn't expect to see her at his dad's house.  Apart from that, he's not sure he wants to see her. The more he lets what happened between them fester, the more he's bothered by it. Sure, he didn't have to kiss her back but she never should have started it in the first place. The feeling of ‘what the fuck?' gets stronger every time he thinks about what would ever happen if his dad found out.

But somewhere in the back of his mind, he can't help but feel like this is a good thing. Because he's coming to realize that he's starting to have feelings for her. But there's no way in hell he'd ever tell her that.

"Thanks." She smiles at him.

"No problem." They both stand there. He's got his hands in his back pocket and she's jingling her keys in her hand. "Um-"

"Look, I'm really, really sorry about the other night." She starts, tripping over her words. "I had too much to drink and clearly had no clue what I was doing."

He's surprised to hear her taking blame for it. Sure, she kissed him but he half expected her to find a way to blame it on him.

"I didn't mean anything by it and I hope that you can maybe, you know, forget it happened?" She shrugs helplessly. "I just don't want Preston to find out."

He feels his body deflate. So she's going to stay with him.

And it stings. More than he ever could have predicted.

"Yeah. Completely forgotten about." He bounces on the balls of his feet. "No harm, no foul."

"You sure?" She eyes him. "Because it was nothing and-"

He holds a hand up. "Never happened.  I get it."

She can sense a change in his demeanor and can't help but wonder what just happened. "Ok....so we're cool? I mean, we've just been getting along without fighting and I don't want to go back to that."

"We're cool. It was a mistake." He says.

"Alright." She drawls out, not believing him.

"Mack, I gotta get going but it's fine." He reaches for the door and pulling it open.

"Oh, right. Sorry." She hurries past him and out the door. "So, I guess I'll see you around?"

He watches her unlock her door and pull it open. "Yeah. I'll see ya."

She waves clumsily at him and climbs into the car.

He stands there and watches her back out of the driveway and can't help but feel like he just got dumped.