Deana got home from work the next day, immediately going to her closet.  “I can’t NOT dress up a little, even if it is just Chinese food on the couch,” she said aloud.  She decided on a black scoop neck sweater and jeans.  She left her hair down, hoping there would be a chance for him to tuck it behind her ear.  She sprayed a little of her lavender and lilac body spray, enough to notice without being overpowering.  She felt excitement course through her as the buzzer rang three times.  She let him in, butterflies seemed to multiply in her stomach.

He gently knocked on the door.  She opened the door, and he took a step back, mouthing the word ‘wow’.  He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, waiting until he put the food down to hug her.  He pulled her into a tight squeeze, full of affection despite not being able to talk.

“Beautiful,” he signed.  

“This old thing?” she teased.  “I have one like it in cream, but I figured why tempt the gods and get food on it…”

Wear the cream one to karaoke next week.  You look amazing, as always.  

“Pick up where we left off on Friends?” she asked.  He nodded.  She got everything set up and pressed play.

It was the episode “The One Where Ross Finds Out”.  As they ate, they kept glancing at each other, sneaking smiles.  Deana couldn’t look at the screen as Ross checked his answering machine.  

“Reminds me of messages I left boyfriends, if you could call them that, in high school.  Yay for pagers…  Though one message didn’t go the way I thought.  I went to call to tell him I missed him, and on the outgoing message he said happy anniversary to another girl.  I was devastated.  I hung up the phone, I didn't know what to say after hearing that message.  I get really bad secondhand embarrassment, even if I know how things work out.  It still really bothers me to see people go through something awkward.  Which is ironic because I totally do it myself all the time.”

I’m just glad we don’t have to worry about things like that.  I know you like me, you know I like you.  

“Wait, you like me?” she laughed.  “I had NO idea…”

He smiled.  Well, I do.  Nothing you can do about it.

This is it, she thought.  The perfect moment, just kiss him Deana!  He’s looking right at you with those beautiful blue eyes, just kiss him!

Her phone buzzed.  “Hello?” she answered.  “Hang on Jonathan, what happened?  Oh my god, I’ll be right over…”  

Justin looked at her, his face full of worry and confusion.  “Mom fell.  Passed out.  She’s at the hospital now, I’m sorry, I need to make sure she’s ok.”

I get it.  I’d drop everything for my mom, no worries.  I hope she’s ok.  You want me to call you a ride?  I have cash I can give you.  

“I’ll get it, but thank you.  Understanding, as always.”

Do you want me to wait here for you?  I don’t mind, so you have someone to hold you when you get home, no matter what time that is.

“That sounds great, but I dunno what you’d do while you waited.”

Uh, you have Netflix, I’ll just watch something else.  See what’s in your recently watched and get your tastes in movies…

“If you’re sure, I don’t want to impose…”

No imposition.  I’m happy to wait here so I can hold you, even for a few minutes.

“You are something else, you know that?”

I get that a lot recently… he smiled.  

“I’ll text you once I know more…”

He waved her off, mouthing “go” over and over. She got downstairs, grabbed a taxi and rushed to the hospital. Danielle and Jonathan were waiting for her at the emergency room entrance. 

Dani gave her a quick hug, followed by Jonathan. “Well, Mom doesn’t need her blood pressure pills anymore,” Jonathan said. “Her BP dropped low enough that it made her pass out. X-rays show that as she fell she broke her ankle in a couple spots. She’ll stay overnight and once the swelling goes down, have surgery to put some screws in. Otherwise she’s fine.”

“Oh thank God,” Deana said, hugging her brother tight. 

“You’re dressed up, was HE at the apartment?” Dani asked. 

“Yeah, he brought dinner, we watched some TV, got to talking…”

“I’m gonna go check on Mom, I really don’t need to hear about my sister’s dating life…” Jonathan said as he walked away. 

“Feeling’s mutual,” Deana shouted after him with a light laugh. 

“So, did you kiss him?” Dani asked eagerly. 

“No. I was about to, I think, when J called.”

“You THINK??”

“I kept telling myself it was the perfect moment, he’d said something romantic, was looking into my eyes, but I just couldn’t do it.”

“D, you just need to relax, get out of your head about all this. He likes you, you like him. You’ve slept in the same bed, what more do you need?!”

“I don’t know. I’m gonna text him, I promised I would. He’s waiting for me, in case I need anything.”

“I think he loves you, D.”

“I think I love him, too, but it’s way too soon…”

“It’s been 2 months.”

“We haven’t even kissed yet. I want to hold off on the L word a bit longer. He could be called back to work at any time, I don’t want to say it and then lose him to work.”

“You know you feel it though. Follow your heart D, it’s not wrong about him.”

“Let’s go check on Mom. I’ll text him on the way…”

Mom passed out from low blood pressure. She broke her ankle in falling down. She’ll have surgery hopefully tomorrow, put some screws in. Gonna see how she’s doing, I shouldn’t be all that long. 

Take as much time as you need. You know I’m good at waiting.  Glad she’s mostly ok. 

They had just put Deana’s mom in a proper room instead of an emergency room ‘room’ of curtains. Deana lightly tapped on the door before coming in. “Hi Mom, how ya feeling?”

“I’ve been better…” She has bruises on her from the fall, including a slight black eye. “Well aren’t you dressed up for seeing your mother…”

“She had a boy over…” Jonathan said, like they were teenagers and he was trying to get her in trouble. 

“You’re seeing someone? That’s wonderful, you should invite him to Christmas…”

“We JUST started seeing each other, we’re not even officially dating, just talking things slow. No need to scare him off with all the family just yet.”

“Well, I’m glad you met someone. You’re not getting any younger, either of you, and I want grandkids…”

“You have two grandsons!” Jonathan replied. 

“They don’t live nearby like you two, I hardly see them but once or twice a year.”

“Another way to scare off a man, Mom. ‘I know we just started seeing each other but my Mom wants grandkids like yesterday…’. Yeah, that’ll go over well…”

“Alright. No use fussing over me, you can go home, we’ll call after the surgery.”

“You sure, Mom?” they asked. 

“Go. Hopefully I didn’t ruin your night with this new guy…”

“He’s fine Mom, he told me to take as much time as I need here.”

“Go, Deana. Your Dad will be here with me, his train getting here got delayed. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Deana walked towards the elevators. I’m on my way home, Mom told us to go. 

You want me to warm up the food?

Yeah, I’ll give you a 5 minute heads up?

See you soon. 

She walked out of the hospital, got into a cab and headed for her apartment. The plus side of her opening shifts was that it was barely 7:00, she still had time to spend with him before going to bed. She sent him a text when she got close, and buzzed so he knew she was there. 

He got Friends cued up on Netflix, the plate he made her was ready in the microwave, and he opened the door for her. 

She stepped in and hugged him tight. “She says she’s ok, but she’s all banged up and bruised from her fall. J didn’t say anything, but I’m sure she’ll need physical therapy, maybe even someone to help around the house…” she started to panic. 

He gently lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. He wished in that moment, more than any other, that he could talk. He moved her to the couch, got her plate of food to her, and sat down on the couch. 

Let me know how I can help. I have plenty of time right now, I can take her to appointments, whatever. Or hire some extra help. 

“You don’t need to do that, we’ll figure something out…”

He gently grabbed her hand. I don’t want you to stress about anything. I’m happy to help however I can, just let me know. He laced his fingers between hers. He looked deep into her eyes. Talking his other hand, he brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

This is it, she thought, the moment you’ve been waiting for.  What happened next came as a surprise to both of them. His hand lingered on her cheek, and tears streamed down her face. He blinked in surprise, pulling her close, rubbing her back. She started sobbing, almost uncontrollably. Justin tried his best to soothe her, trying to shush her, before letting her continue to cry. 

I did say I’d be here to hold her, he thought to himself. 

Do you want to text your boss, see if they can cover your shift tomorrow? You won’t be able to focus if you’re worried about your mom. I can stay tonight, hold you close to me, you can cry as long as you need. 

She nodded, tears still running down her cheeks. She pulled out her phone and sent her boss a text explaining everything. Within a few minutes, everything was handled. 

There. Now, what do you want to do? Do you feel ok eating and watching TV, do you need to cry some more, do you just want me to hold you?

“I’m ok eating for now, we can watch TV, then when I’m done eating you can hold me. I’d like that,” she said with a soft smile. 

There’s the smile I love so much… he smiled back. 

“LOVE?” she gasped. 

Well, I do love your smile, your eyes. Does that word scare you?

“No, it makes me feel safe…”

He nodded and smiled, pushing the plate of food closer to her. The sooner you eat, the sooner I can hold you.

She picked at her food, not really wanting to eat, but knowing she should. She put the plate down when she’d had enough, snuggling up beside Justin on the couch. He wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting on her hip. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arm across him. 

“Thank you, for everything. I’m glad you came over, even gladder you stayed.”  He squeezed her tight, kissing the top of her head. 

Do you want tea or anything?  She shook her head. 

“I’m fine right here.”  He ran his thumb along the curve of her waist. She laughed a little as it tickled her. A smile stretched across her face. 

“Yeah?” she smirked. She tickled him back, he squirmed in response. 

His eyes looked at her, almost as a challenge.  He hadn’t meant to tickle her before, but he certainly did now. Her laughs were like high pitched squeaks and squeals, he struggled not to laugh.  She was quick to sit on his lap, tickling his stomach and under his arms. His eyes went wide, letting go of her waist, she almost fell off of him. She pushed herself forward, fully leaning on him. 

At first she wondered why he’d stopped. She shifted slightly and had her answer, feeling the bulge in his pants. She found herself catching her breath. 

“A little excited, are we?” she giggled. He nodded, slightly blushing. She moved off of him, sitting back next to him. 

A beautiful woman is sitting on my lap, should I NOT be turned on by that, at least a little?

“I suppose, but I think you need your eyes checked along with your voice…”

You don’t think of yourself as beautiful, do you? His eyes turned sad. 

“Honestly? Not really. I’d been teased so much as a kid, from boys and girls. I guess that’s why I fall so deeply for people at any sign of positive attention. I can’t handle compliments, but I misread the nicest friendly gesture as someone having feelings for me. That’s why I get into our stay in relationships with the wrong people, any attention is better than none. I kept telling myself you didn’t like me that way so I wouldn’t get hurt.”

Well, I definitely like you. I think you could tell how much by what just happened. I wish you could see what I do about yourself. 

“Who all have you told about me?” she asked nervously. 

Just my best friend. If I tell my mom she’ll start planning the wedding and picking out baby clothes…

“Mine invited you to Christmas as soon as my brother outed me. I was too dressed up for seeing my mom…”

I already have family coming into town, but good to know both our moms can be a bit much. 

“She literally said to my brother and me, ‘you’re not getting any older, and I want grandkids’.”

Didn’t you say you have nephews??

“She wants some she’ll see on a regular basis…”

He nodded in understanding. Would that be so bad, though?

“Wait, what?!” she asked in shock. “We haven’t even kissed, and you’re talking kids?”

I guess I am. I was ready for it with my ex, I want to find someone else that wants all that. 

“I mean, I do, but there’s an order to things.  You don’t just spring that on someone…  But yes, I would like to be a mom if I’m lucky enough someday.”

Sorry for being so out of the blue. Just be aware of the comments when I introduce you to my mom. 

“Same with mine. I’m hoping she’ll put more pressure on my brother and Dani, but I doubt it.”

It’s getting late, you need to get ready for bed?

“Not in a hurry to get me into bed, are you?” she teased. She got up and headed down the hall. 

He put the leftovers in the fridge for her, cleaning up the dishes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her in the doorway to her bedroom, leaning against the doorframe, wearing her lounge pants and a black tank top. He had to hide a smile when he noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra. 

He walked towards her, a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but smile in response. 

She pulled him close, kissing his cheek. “Thank you, again. It means a lot to me that you’re here. I think I’d probably still be crying if you weren’t.”

YOU mean a lot to me. I hope this all shows that. The real stuff, not just spending money on you. He kissed her cheek before touching his forehead to hers. He let out a low hum. 

“I’ll be honest, I’m almost ready for that kiss. If my brother hadn’t called, I was seriously thinking about it. The more we talk about things, literally feeling how much you find me attractive, I’m getting more comfortable and ready and wanting to do things.”

I’m in no rush. Tonight wouldn’t have been right. That moment was special, but it still wasn’t right. You still want me under the covers with you?

“Now more than ever.  To feel the warmth of your body against mine, feeling your arms around me, it’s the safest place I’ve felt in a long time.”  They got into bed, and Deana soon fell asleep in his arms. Justin smiled as he held her, soon falling asleep himself.