“You look nice.”

Sheridan’s eyes widened a little, and she lifted her gaze from her cocktail to look at Juan. They’d met up a little over two hours ago, but she found that she couldn’t keep a steady conversation with him. Every time she started one, the little voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had a boyfriend and that even though she couldn’t admit it to herself…she still had feelings for Juan and she shouldn’t have been out with him. She knew it was wrong for her to continue to sit across from him and pretend to enjoy herself. Really, she should have left awhile ago…but Juan was a friend. A good friend. She wasn’t about to leave him by himself on his birthday…even if it was the right thing to do. “Thanks,” she squeaked out before taking a sip of her drink.

“Sheri-dan,” Juan sang. “Stop hiding from me.”

She sighed, and put her menu down. “I’m not hiding.”

“Really?” he asked with a smile. “The last time we came here I couldn’t get you to shut up. Now…it’s like you’re afraid of me or something.” He took a sip of his beer. “What the matter with you?”

Sheridan shrugged. She didn’t know what to tell him. She didn’t want to tell him she was uncomfortable hanging out with him now that she had a boyfriend. It was the poor guys birthday, and it was apparent that he was all alone. She didn’t want to ruin the night for him. “I guess…I’m just a little tired,” she lied. “The hospital was short staffed today, and I had twice the work load.”

“Oh girl,” Juan whined. “You can’t be tired at this club. I mean damn, look around. This place is crazy!”

She chuckled a little. “I’m sorry…I know it’s your birthday. I hope I’m not ruining the night for you.”

He hunched forward, and shot her a sympathetic smile. “Something is going on with you,” he nodded. “And just because it’s my birthday doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me about it.”

She met his gaze. She couldn’t’ believe that Juan seemed to care so much. Anybody else would have told her to snap out of her sour mood and enjoy the party, but not him. He wanted her to be as happy as he was, and he seemed more than willing to talk about her problems. Maybe, she thought, Maybe he can understand. “Juan,” she sighed. “Things have been really complicated lately.” She leaned her head against her hand. “And I just don’t know how I’m going to handle it all.”

Juan gave her an understanding nod. “This about you and Justin?”

She was glad he’d been able to figure it out, before she had to tell him. “Yeah. That’s exactly what it is.”

“Well talk girl. I’m listenening,” he smiled.

“God, where do I start? First, Elisha calls him up…” she began, but paused for a moment. “You know who Elisha is right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Trace used to bring her around sometimes. She’s a real sweetheart.”

Sheridan cringed inside. After her online conversation with Elisha, the last thing she could think about the girl was that she was a sweetheart. But she wasn’t’ going to tell Juan about that whole thing. It would only make her look bad, talking bad about somebody else. “Yeah well,” she sighed. “She’s pregnant.”

Juan lifted an eyebrow. “Well shit, really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “It’s Trace’s baby too. And now…Justin is moving back home to help her out.”

“Damn,” Juan shook his head, and took a sip of his drink. “That’s deep Sheridan. I mean, really deep. You must be really proud of Justin for sacrificing so much to help her out right now. I mean, after everything the guy has been through, he’s still putting other people first.”

Sheridan opened her mouth to respond, but she found that she couldn’t’ find the words. She’d never looked at the situation like Juan had just put it. She only saw the negative things. That Justin was leaving, that she would be alone, and that he would be somewhat distracted from his therapy. She didn’t see the posittive things…that Justin was giving himself so selflessly for somebody else. That he wasn’t even thinking twice about it. She quickly realized, that hse was starting to see a side of Justin that she’d never seen before. The real one. The one that got down to business when it was time to. And she felt horrible for only thinking about herself, and what this was going to do to her relationship after he moved out.

“You okay Sher?”

She finally met Juan’s gaze. “Yeah,” she nodded. “I just…I never looked at it that way before. I’ve just been so worried about what this is going to do to us, that I haven’t really been able to think about anything else.”

“That’s understandable,” he said. “You obviously love him, and you’re afraid you’re going to lose him when he leaves.”

She needed to admit it to herself now. She’d been holding it back entirely too long. Actually, she’d been holding back since the day she let it slip out, for fear that Justin wouldn’t be able to take it so well the next time. The truth was what needed to be brought out. And the truth was, that she was in love with him. She felt the tears begin to well up behind her eyes, and looked away from Juan so he wouldn’t’ be able to tell that she was about to cry. “I do love him,” she whispered. “But I’m afraid.”

“Hey.” He curled his finger under her chin, and forced her to look at him. “You cant’ be afraid of the truth Sheridan…you can’t hide from it Because if you do, you might never get the chance to say what you really feel. Then, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what if. And believe me,” he paused and let out a sad laugh. “You don’t want that on your conscience.”

“I should tell him I love him,” she stated. “That’s what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying that you should do what your heart is telling you.” He gave her hand a firm squeeze and sat back in his seat. “You’re too good of a person to wind up broken hearted.”

She let out a small sigh of relief. “Why do you always know what to say, Juan?”

He smirked slightly, but Sheridan was sure it was forced. “I guess I’m just one of those guardian angel types,” he chuckled. “But I have a fee.”

“A fee?” she laughed.

“You gotta dance with me, at least once tonight.” He smiled and rose from the table. “Come on.” He held his hand out to her. “Give me my birthday present, Sheridan.”

And of course, she couldn’t say no.

************

He’d woken up a little while ago, scared at first because he didn’t remember where he was or how he‘d gotten there in the first place. After his eyes had adjusted to the darkness a little, he realized that he couldn’t have been at Karen’s. None of the machines that littered his room were there, and he wasn’t in his special bed with the rails and bars and crap. No, this was just a regular room, and he was laying on a couch. For a moment he thought he was dreaming, but then he heard her mumble something in her sleep, and when he looked down to find Elisha cuddled up against his chest he remembered everything. He was at Elisha’s apartment, because it had been Trace’s birthday. They’d watched HBO all night, and ate all sorts of food that Karen wouldn’t have approved of. He remembered closing his eyes for a moment during the Sopranos, but that was all he remembered. Now he was awake again, and realized that he’d been out for some time. He thought about getting back to Karen’s. Why hadn’t anybody called? Why hadn’t his mother come to get him? He was so confused, and a little angry. He wanted to see Sheridan for a bit before she went to bed tonight, but one glance at the clock made him realize that it wasn’t going to happen. It was nearly three in the morning, and he wanted to kick himself. The last thing he wanted to do was sleep here. It almost…scared him to be so far away from everything he’d grown so accustomed to.

“Don’t go.” Elisha murmured, and clenched a piece of his shirt tightly in her fist. “Cab…take a cab.”

He sucked in a breath. “Elisha,” he whispered, and shook her a little. “It’s okay. Wake up.”

“Please baby,” she continued. “Don’t go.”

She was dreaming about that night, he was sure, and he wanted nothing more than to snap her out of it before she started to freak out. He knew what it was like to have dreams like that. He had them much more often than he liked to admit…even to Sheridan. He hated them. How they would plague his mind for hours after he’d awoken. How he tried to forget but he just…he couldn’t. He shook her with more force. “Elisha. Come on…come on and wake up.”

Her eyes slowly opened, and Justin let out a relieved sigh. “Justin?” Elisha sat up quickly, and ran a hand through her mess of blonde hair. “Geez, what happened? Did I fall asleep?” She looked over at the television, which he’d turned off soon after he’d woken up. “Oh no,” she gasped. “How long were…”

“It’s almost three,” he interrupted her. “I guess we both dozed off for awhile there.”

“Well, shit.” She let out a tired laugh. “This is my fault. I’m really sorry, Justin. I know you probably wanted to get back to Karen’s and everything.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine,” he reassured her. “I mean, if I’m going to be living with you I guess I should start getting used to being around you a lot more right?”

She flashed him a tired smile. “Right. Um, I guess we should get to sleep the right way though. Damn, you’re gonna need a bed though right?”

He nodded. “Karen says it’s good for my legs to be straightened out when I sleep.”

“Straight…right.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I’ll remember that.” She rose from the sofa and stood in front of him. “Well, I guess you can sleep…you can sleep in the bedroom. I mean, it’s the only bed I have. And I’ll just take the couch.” She bit her bottom lip, and sucked in a breath. “It’s just a little messy in there, so don’t be alarmed okay?”

He chuckled and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Elisha, you know I’m the messiest person in the world. I don‘t care what your room looks like.”

She just shrugged, and pulled his wheelchair over to the sofa. “I know. I’m not usually messy though. It’s just that well…a lot of Trace’s things are in there. Like, the last time he was here he was packing to go to New York, and he was just…throwring things around.” She looked away from him, and smiled, seeming to remember the day well. “You know how Trace was.”

It was obvious that she hadn’t cleaned the room since Trace died. Things that he’d touched and moved around were probably just as he’d left them…and Justin felt horrible knowing that Elisha was so desperate to keep Trace’s memory alive. It was like she was afraid she would suddenly forget him, or forget something about him that she loved.

It was apparent to Justin now, that Elisha might have been far worse off than even he was. Sure, he’d lost his best friend and that was devastating in itself, without adding the fact that he himself had been driving the car that night. But Trace had been Elisha’s life…her whole life. Nobody in the world had been more dedicated and more in love with him than she had. She would have done anything and everything to make him happy. And that night…that horrible night, Trace had been drunk…so drunk. Elisha hated to see him that way, and they’d fought. They’d said terrible things to each other, and in order to get even with her, Trace had gotten into the car, even though he knew they were both drunk and in no condition to drive. But that was Trace. When he was angry, he didn’t’ care…he just did whatever he could to make the pain stop. It only took a split second for him to make that decision…to get in the car, and to ruin his life and Elisha’s life forever.

And Justin had never felt more responsible for Trace’s death than he did right now.

“You ready?” she asked him.

He nodded, but wouldn’t look at her.

“What do I do?” she whispered. “Just pull you up or?”

“Oh…” It dawned on him that this was the first time she was doing a transfer with him, and even though it was really late he figured there was no better time for her to learn the proper way to do it. “Well, I can usually to most of the work for things like this on my own. I just need you to snake your arm underneath my pits so I don’t fall.”

“Like this?” She snaked her arm underneath Justin’s arms and supported him as he pushed himself up from the sofa.

“Y…Yeah…” he grunted, trying his best not to let himself slip while she helped him down into the chair. Once in position, he smiled up at her gratefully. “Yeah, that was it. Damn, you learn quick.”

She smiled. It was a proud smile. Like she had done something meaningful, and Justin was glad she was adapting to his condition so well, even though they hadn’t been around each other all that long. “I did it okay?”

“Yeah. You were perfect.”

“I don’t want to sound like a dork or anything,“ she stated, as she started to wheel him toward her bedroom. “But like, does it hurt you when you have to stand like that?“

“Hurt? Oh…no.” It was a question he was sure he would hear more and more once he moved back home. Most of his acquaintances and seldom heard from friends had yet to see him this way, and Justin was sure they wouldn’t really understand what his condition was all about. “Does it hurt?” was definitely something he would be hearing a lot of. Well that and “Did they say when you’ll walk again?” “It doesn’t feel like anything, actually,” he explained. “Like, you know when your hand or foot falls asleep. Like…right before the pins and needles thing kicks in?”

“Yeah, like you cant feel anything,” she said.

“Right,” he nodded. “That’s exactly what it feels like. Only it’s on a much bigger level.”

“I’m just afraid I won’t be able to do everything I’m supposed to do to take care of you,“ she admitted. “I mean, I’ve never done anything like this before. What if I mess up, and make you worse or…“ She paused, and stopped his chair a few feet from the door. Then she came around the other side of him, and continued on. “Or what if I can’t handle seeing you like this all the time and I just freak out or something?”

Justin shook his head. “Elisha, you’re not gonna mess anything up okay? You’re a smart, strong girl, and I have a lot of faith in you. Hell, it’s me who should be worried. Raising kids is tougher than this whole wheelchair thing you know. I’ve never really been around a baby that much before. When my brothers were that age, I only saw them a few times a year.”

She pushed open the door. “Well then I guess we both have some things we need to learn,” she nodded. “And…I’ll help you if you help me okay? I have two little sisters, so I know what it’s like to be around babies.”

Justin wheeled himself through the doorway. His eyes widened at the sight of the place. The room…it wasn’t just a mess. Instead, it looked like a tornado had blown in and tossed everything around the room a few times. There were clothes and papers and other random objects scattered everywhere. Most of which, Justin knew belonged to Trace. He looked on the bed, and spotted a few notebooks. One was labeled PREP, another was labeled JUSTIN. It was work. Justin hated it. He hated looking at it. He hated that so much of Trace’s life was taken up by himself and his career.

“Again, I’m really sorry about the mess in here.” Elisha said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She slowly made her way over to the bed, and with a sigh, began to remove the few notebooks and articles of clothing from the top of the bed. It was seeming to take every ounce of strength she had to do it too. And Justin didn’t think it was fair that she had to put herself through this right now, at this hour of the night.

“I can just sleep on the couch,” he blurted out. “One night isn’t going to be a big deal, Elisha. Just leave the stuff where you had it.”

“No…” she shook her head roughly, and tossed the items she’d gathered up into a box that rested a few feet from the bed. “I have to do this sometime. I’ve been putting it off for entirely too long.” She moved the comforter out of the way, to reveal a pair of Trace’s jeans, and a few more of his white undershirts. “God, he’s so damn messy. Justin, the next time Trace comes by remind me to…” But she cut herself off before she could finish the sentence.

All Justin could do was stare at her. He didn’t know what to say, because really…there wasn’t anything he could say. Elisha had simply let herself slip up, and he couldn’t blame her.

“I mean…” She sat down on the bed, and held the clothes close to her chest. “Sorry,“ she whispered, and shook her head roughly. “God,” she laughed sadly. “Look at me…keeping you up when you should be sleeping.” She sniffled a little bit, and rose up from the bed, not hesitating to toss the clothes in her arms into the box. She pulled the comforter down the rest of the way, and fluffed the pillows a bit. “Okay, it’s ready now,” she nodded.

Justin was thankful that Elisha’s bed wasn’t very high off the ground. It was just a bit lower than the seat of his wheelchair, and he knew he wouldn’t’ have an issue making the transfer. He knew he’d need more help actually getting out of the bed in the morning, but that didn’t matter. This was now, and right now…he just wanted to lay down and sort out the jumbled thoughts floating around in his head. “I really appreciate this Elisha,” he nodded, hoping his comment would make her feel good about the situation. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

“Yes I did,” she smiled softly. “You’re a big part of my life now, Justin. An even bigger part than you were before, and I’m happy to make you more comfortable if I can. Now here, let me help you.”

He let her snake her arm around him like before, and they made the transfer from chair to bed easily. It felt good to feel his head hit the pillow. Elisha’s bed was a lot more comfortable than the one he slept in at Karen’s. This mattress wasn’t so firm like that one was, but he knew it couldn’t be very good for his back if the mattress was too soft. But, he figured it was just one night, and one night wasn’t going to make much of a difference. Besides, he owed it to himself to be a little more comfortable. It was like a reward. A reward for coming so far and sacrificing so much. He flashed her a tired smile when she covered him with the blanket. “Thanks, ‘lish.”

“Sure. Are you okay? Are you comfortable? I have more pillows and things in the closet if you need them.”

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m good,” he told her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

She nodded a little. “Okay.”

But she didn’t go anywhere. Justin was confused. “What’s wrong.”

“Oh,” she chuckled. “Nothing, I’m sorry.” She walked over to the closet and pulled out a blanket as well as a couple of pillows. “It’s just been hard, you know? It’s nice having somebody here with me for once. It makes me feel like nothing is wrong. That he’s…just away on business or something.” She glanced around the room nervously, and clutched her things tighter to her chest. “But anyway…”

“Are you going to be able to sleep?” he interrupted her. “Because I’d feel horrible if you spent the whole night wide awake, thinking about all this.”

“I’ll manage,” she told him softly, before turning to the door. “Night, Justin.” She opened the door, and put her hand on the light switch.

“Elisha,” he called to her, before she could turn out the light.

Her eyes widened a little. “Yeah?”

“You can sleep in the bed too,” he told her. A little voice in the back of his mind, was telling him that Sheridan wouldn’t approve of his suggestion, but right now he didn’t care. It wasn’t like he was attracted to Elisha or anything. He just felt so…bad, that she was so alone. And he knew that if she slept beside him, she might have an easier time getting to bed for once.

She cocked her head to the side. “With you? Justin…but you have a girlfriend,” she reminded him. “It wouldn’t’ be right.”

He shook his head, and patted the empty space beside him. “This isn’t about romance, Elisha. This is about you getting some sleep. I know…I know you must not get much of it, and with a baby inside of you I don’t want you taking any chances.”

She bit her bottom lip, and he knew that she was very tempted to take him up on his offer. “You won’t be uncomfortable?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I thought I would be,” he chuckled.

“Well, okay Justin.” She flashed him a grateful smile, and Justin knew he’d done the right thing. She flicked off the light, and a moment later, he felt her crawl into the bed with him. “Night, Justin.”

“Hey, you’ve been great,” he told her. “And you know, I don’t know how you do it Elisha. I don’t know how you’ve been strong enough to go through most of this stuff by yourself. You’re a hell of a lot stronger than I am though, that’s for sure.” He waited for her to respond, but when all he could hear was the sound of her breathing in and out, he realized she was out cold. But that was a good thing. She needed her rest.

He smiled. “Goodnight,” he whispered.

*****************

It wasn’t fair.

Sheridan had been sitting out on the back deck for most of the evening, thinking about how unfair it all really was. Justin had barely been around at all his last few days at the ranch. The first night, he’d spent at Elisha’s. It wasn’t something she was happy about, but she didn’t let Justin know that. It wasn’t his fault that they’d fallen asleep, and she let him know that. That wasn’t the worst of it though. Upon his return to the ranch, Justin had been swamped with all sorts of things, all thanks to his mother. Lynn barely left his side now. She made sure to keep him busy too, especially when she knew Sheridan was at home. She still hadn’t made any sort of effort to get to know her, and by now Sheridan was convinced that Lynn Harless was nothing more than a selfish woman who wanted Justin all to herself.

When Lynn happened not to be around, it didn’t’ help either. Justin was always going over paperwork, or talking on the phone with his management or record label. She knew it all had to do with his career, and him getting back to work again. In the conversations they’d held in the past, Justin explained that he was still contractually obligated to JIVE, and would have to produce another album eventually; whether he wanted to or not. It was something she couldn’t even begin to understand, and she knew she had no place in it. She had no idea what it was like to be in the entertainment business, and now she figured it was too late to start asking him about it, because he was leaving.

Spending time with Juan had helped a lot. She’d been able to kick back and enjoy herself at Silver, something she probably wouldn’t have done again if it hadn’t been for him. She was grateful to him for that, and that he’d been able to push some of her insecurities about Justin and their relationship out of her mind. Juan made her realize a lot of things too. That she shouldn’t have been so worried about Justin forgetting about her, because it was obvious they were in love. And when you’re in love, nothing can stand in your way. It was true too. She was in love with Justin, and she was pretty sure he felt the same way. But she hadn’t been able to sit down and tell him all of that, not yet at least.

The last three days of his stay at the ranch had come and gone quickly, hardly giving them a chance to spend some last minute quality time together. She was angry. Angry at Lynn, angry at Justin’s management and label for keeping him so busy. She was being selfish again, and she knew it. But damn it, she just wanted him to hold her for a few minutes and assure her everything was going to be okay. She needed him. She needed him more than he would ever realize.

Gazing up into the star filled sky, she began to make a wish. She wished he would stay. She wished that something would happen, anything…to keep him with her for just one more day. She closed her eyes, and drew in a long breath. Please…

“Sheridan.’

She tried to smile at the sound of his voice, but found that she couldn’t do it. No matter how selfish she knew she was being, she couldn’t make herself be happy that Justin was doing something noble. Hell, if Lynn could be selfish and hog Justin, why couldn’t she act the same way? She was, after all, his girlfriend. She slowly looked over her shoulder to find him positioned just inside the sliding glass doorway. “Hey there,” she said softly. “You hungry? I can make you something.”

“Oh no, I‘m good. Karen made me something before. I probably should have thought twice about that though,” he chuckled. “She gave me this tofu thing.” He made a face, and wheeled himself through the door, positioning himself next to the lounge chair she was laying on. “It’s nasty stuff, Sher. Really.“

She forced a laugh, but didn’t say anything to him. She had no words right now. She loved him and he was leaving. Anything she could say right now, she knew, would only result in shedding tears in front of him. Justin didn’t need that right now. What he needed her to be was strong, and positive about the whole thing. And she would do it, come hell or high water. She would do it for him.

“So…”

She met his gaze. He seemed a little torn, as if he wasn’t sure what she was thinking. She couldn’t blame him though. She’d been in a weird mood since he came home from Elisha’s. “So,” she sighed. “You all packed?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Yeah,” he shrugged. “My mom brought all my stuff back to my house this afternoon so we wouldn’t have to worry about it…tomorrow.” He looked down at his lap a moment, and tugged at the bottom of his shirt before looking back at her. “She told me I should shave,” he mumbled. “But I just don’t see the point. Sheridan, do you think I should?” He ran his hand over his scruffy beard, and shrugged. “You think I’d look better? I think it makes me look so much younger when I shave it all off.”

She had to smile. Justin was so particular when it came to his looks, and she thought it was cute. She was curious though. Other than the television interview she’d tuned into, she’d never see her boyfriend clean shaven before. She knew it would make him look younger, but she thought that it might be good for him. It would probably make him look a lot more lively than he did now, and she was sure his family and friends needed that. They needed him to come home looking renewed, and positive. “I’m kinda curious to see it,” she finally said.

“Oh,” he winked, and nodded. “So you think I’d look hot, babe?”

“You’re hot anyway,” she cooed, and shifted herself over so she could hold his hand. “It doesn’t matter what you do.”

“You’re sweet.” He smiled, and pressed his lips against hers.

She closed her eyes, and let herself melt into the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and let her tongue glide gently into his mouth. Soon, his lips drifted from hers and made their way down her face, and onto her neck. She felt his hands slide under her shirt a moment later, and she felt them begin to tug at the clasp of her bra.

But she knew that it wasn’t the time or place to act this way.

“Justin. Not here,” she blushed, and pulled back from him slightly. “My mother might see us.”

“Sorry.” He bit his bottom lip, and grabbed her hand, willing her back to him. “I just…girl, I’m gonna miss you so much. It’s going to be so different not having you a few feet away from me all the time. I’m…” He looked down at his lap for a moment, before continuing. “I’m scared, Sheridan.”

She faked a smile, not wanting him to be put down by her own negativity toward the situation. “Don’t be scared, baby,” she said gently. “You’re going to be fine, you know? You get to go home and be with everybody you love again. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“But I won’t have you,” he persisted, looking deep into her eyes. “I won’t have you around to keep my head together, Sher. That’s what scares me.”

“You can call me. I want you to call me every day,” she nodded, and brushed her lips against his again. “And…and on the weekends we’ll spend all of our time together.” She felt like she was reassuring herself as well as Justin. She wanted to believe her words. That it would work, that it had to work.

There was no other alternative.

His expression fell into a frown, and he ran his fingers through her hair. “And you won’t get tired of me and leave,” he whispered. “Will you, Sheridan?”

She gasped a little. Get tired of him? Leave him? He was crazy. Absolutely crazy. She was…she was head over heels in love with him, and if she ever lost him she didn’t’ know how she would ever get over it entirely. But she knew that Justin hadn’t realized that yet. He was still naïve to the fact that she could love him, probably because she’d been against the idea of them being together for so long. But if she was ever going to tell him how she felt, now was the time. Whether or not he was going to take it well, she couldn’t say. But she had to try.

“I could never leave you, Justin.“ She shot him a soft smile, and interlocked her fingers with his. She studied them for a moment. Their hands bonded together, like a perfect link…like the way their relationship should have been. “I love you,” she admitted, staring into his angelic blue eyes. “I love you so much.” Her stomach was doing flips flops, as she waited for him to say something…anything at all. But he was silent. Dead silent, and Sheridan wanted to cry.

She knew this wasn’t going to work.

“You love me, Sher?” he whispered.

She forced herself to look at him. “I can’t lie to myself anymore.”

“I uh…” He paused and scratched the side of his mouth. “I wanted to tell you…for a long time. I wanted to tell you that very same thing.” He curled his finger under her chin, and swept her up into a long passionate kiss. “I love you too Sheridan.”

She couldn’t prevent the tears from crawling down her face any longer. She let them out, and she tried not to make a scene…she really did. But after a few moments, she was sobbing like a baby. She couldn’t’ help it. She loved him, and he…he loved her too. It was almost to much for her to bear.

“Shh.” He pulled her close to him, and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t cry. It’s okay.” He rubbed her back in a soothing, circular motion and soon, Sheridan began to calm down.

“Please don’t leave,” she managed to say. “I know it’s selfish of me to ask you that…I know it is. But Justin, I feel like I haven’t had the chance to do anything with you yet. I’ve…I’ve barely gotten to know the real you…the one inside, and now I might not get that chance…”

“Hey,” he interrupted her. “I said I loved you, right?”

She nodded.

“So that means that we’re in love, and that we’re going to make it work okay?” He kissed her forehead gently. “I’m not going to let anything bad come between us. You know that Sheridan. I’ve never let anything come between us in the past.”

“I know but…”

“No buts,” he protested. “I love you.”

She leaned into him again, and rested her head on his shoulder. “You promise that you won’t change your mind later on?”

“Fine,” he laughed. “On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Get all sexy and help me shave.”

She looked up at him in surprise. “What?”

“You know.” He nudged her playfully. “You can go put on that little pink thing you wear for me when your mom isn’t around , and we can lock ourselves in the bathroom and have ourselves some fun.”

“Justin I don’t know.” She felt her face begin to turn red as she spoke, and she looked away from him. “I mean, if my mother sees us…”

“If you’re mother sees us, she’ll need to understand,” he interrupted. “Come on Sher. It’s the last night I’m here. Let’s make it count okay?”

Sheridan was nervous, and she felt stupid but she couldn’t help it. Being intimate with Justin was still weird for her. She was always afraid she was going to mess things up, or not know what to do when they were alone together. Fortunately for her, they barely got the chance to be alone together like this, and when they did Justin did most of the work for her. But tonight was different. Tonight had to count and she had to make an effort, because she didn’t’ know when either of them would have an opportunity like this again. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to mess around with him. She wanted to more than anything. But doing anything with Justin besides cuddling was risky. She could embarrass herself, or lean on him the wrong way and hurt him. Cuddling was the easy way out. She couldn’t hurt him if they simply laid together and kissed. Cuddling was safe…secure.

But cuddling wasn’t going to be good enough for Justin tonight, and deep inside…the better part of her knew that it wasn’t going to be good enough for her either.

“Sheridan, please,” Justin spoke up again. “I want to be with you.”

She kissed him gently, and finally managed to smile. “How could I say no to a face like that?"