And just when our mouths had found where they melted just right into each other I heard a deliberate clearing of a throat.

"d.a.m.n" I whispered and Nellie giggled.

We both turned our heads to see an older man shaking his finger at us but smiling at the same time. He was probably remembering when he got some library love.

She took a look at her watch and then started packing up as he finally left us alone.

"Am I that bad of a kisser?" I laughed at her.

"I have to go to work. I didn't realize how late it had gotten. You were distracting me."

"But it was a good distraction." Way to fish for compliments dill weed.

She rolled her eyes at me but didn't answer. She bent her legs and gracefully got up and pulled her skirt down a little making sure she was all covered.

I stood up with her to at least walk her out.

She leaned up against one of the shelves opposite me and groaned.

"Ugh, I'm never going to be able to study here again."

She smiled as she said it.

"So when can I see you again?" I sounded desperate, but the truth was, I was already jonesing for our next encounter.

"I have work on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and I have practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But we only have two more weeks of the season."

"Hmmm-what time is practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

"From six to eight."

"Well, I don't work. If I'm a good boy, which I usually am, my parents give me money to live on. So if you want to see me, just text me. And I'm going to think up some creative ways to see you in between your busy schedule."

"Explain creative."

"Nope."

15. Nellie.

I worked my regular shift and went home to rest. When I got there Amber wasn't home again. Poor Owen. I wondered how girly it would be to text him and see where he was.

N: U ok?

O: Y,u?

N: Y, where r u?

O: Sleeping N: Where?

O: Bronco N: I got a couch with ur name on it.

O: U sure?

N: Def.

O: On my way.

I hurried to take a shower and put some other clothes on before he got here. I was starving so I ordered Chinese and lots of it. I also took out some sheets and blankets and pillows and stacked them on the edge of the couch. The Chinese food got to the apartment before he did and I did a little 'Ha Ha' in my head since I got to pay for the food this time.

I got plates and forks out and some bottles of water. I hadn't had time to do anything to my hair except to comb it out. I was only wearing purple sweat pants and a white fitted t shirt and zero make-up so I hoped I didn't scare him to death.

He knocked on the door and every time I saw him I was amazed at how huge he was. Now I wasn't sure if he would fit on my couch.

He smiled and stepped in with a bag. I closed the door and was going to ask him if he was hungry as if I didn't know he was. Before I could he grabbed me under my arms, lifting me up, and held me to him. After a few seconds of shock I threw my arms around his neck and held on to him as tight as he was holding me. He kissed the side of my neck and whispered "Thank you" into my ear. I whispered "You're welcome" back into his ear and made sure that my lips grazed his earlobe as I did. It amazed me that this little gesture could make this big guy shudder but it did. He was still holding me and I pulled back and held his face in my hands.

"Hungry?" I asked.

"Yeah, I will go get something. What do you want?"

"I want you to sit down and eat. I already got food."

"Thanks, you didn't have to."

He slowly put me down and we sat at the table together to eat.

"I hope I got something you like."

"I like anything. Don't ever worry about that." He laughed.

"Good."

"You look different tonight."

My heart sunk down in my chest. Oh, he thinks I look like c.r.a.p.

"You're not wearing makeup." He was looking at me, scrutinizing me.

"Yeah, sorry, I just didn't have time."

He grabbed my hand across the table and squeezed my fingers to get my attention.

"Tonight is the most beautiful I have ever seen you. And I've been blown away by your beauty a couple of times already."

He went back to eating as if he hadn't said the most amazing thing I had ever heard.

I cleared my throat in an attempt to reel myself in and continued to eat. He didn't say anything else and neither did I. I finished way before him and rested my face in my hands and truly enjoyed watching him eat.

He ate every last bite and I almost felt like clapping. He looked sheepish about the whole thing.

"So, if you want to get a shower, you can. I've got an early cla.s.s tomorrow, so I have to get to bed. It's ten already."

"Ok, I'll be quick." He rushed to the living room to grab his bag and I heard the shower running soon after. I cleaned up the mess and readied the couch for him to sleep on.

He came out of my room wearing some gray pajama pants and a white t shirt. I tried not to stare, but I could see most of his tattoos and I could almost swear that there were some piercings under that shirt. One day I would either ask him about them or maybe if I was lucky, I would get to see them.

16. Owen.

I trembled under the cold mist of the shower. I turned on the hot water at first but when I stepped in and remembered that this is where she showered, where she was naked, I turned the water to cold as quickly as possible. I hurried through it, not knowing how much longer I could stand there where she stood and smelling coconut all around me.

I got out and toweled off, even the towels smelled like her. I put on some pajamas that I went into the dorm to grab. Thankfully everyone was still dressed when I went to get them.

I walked out to the living room and she was laying out blankets for me to sleep on, as if she hadn't done enough for me tonight already.

"You didn't have to do that. You've done enough. Thanks again."

"It's no problem, really. And I would let you sleep in Amber's bed, but there's no telling how long that girl has gone between washing her sheets. She's such a mess."

"Anything is better than the Bronco. Trust me."

"Good. Ok, I'm going to bed. Do you need anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I sat on her couch and then lay down, stretching my legs out. I heard her bedroom door open again, but didn't know what to make of it until I saw her leaning over the back of the couch, smiling.

"I forgot something." She said.

"What?" I asked.

"This."

She leaned over further and kissed me. More than a peck but far shorter than what I wanted. But it was perfectly her.

"Ok, now I can go to sleep." She said.

"Yeah, and now I can't." I said loud enough so she could hear me.

I heard her bedroom door close and before I knew it, I was out.

When I heard her bedroom door again it was morning already. The sun beamed through the kitchen window pointed its glow directly at my face.

I felt her sit on the edge of the couch next to me and run her fingers through the front of my hair.

"Owen, I've got to leave soon. Why don't you go get in my bed and sleep some more. You look like a giant on a toothpick."

"What time is it?" I croaked out.

"It's a little after six. I have cla.s.s at seven, but I'm going to get coffee first. What time is your first cla.s.s?"

"Ten"

"Ok, so you can sleep almost three more hours. Come on."

She tugged on me a few times before I finally relented and slouched into her room and fell asleep.

I woke up to the sound of my phone's alarm going off from the other room. I went in and retrieved it and went back to her bed. I set the alarm for the latest possible time to wake up and went back to sleep.

My phone did its job and I went to get my clothes, got dressed and went to leave. There was an envelope taped to the door that read 'Owen'.

I opened it and pulled out a key and a note.

Please lock up after you leave. You can give me the key back in American Lit.

Hope you slept well.

N.

P.S. You don't snore and you are s.e.xy as h.e.l.l in the morning.

I left and threw my bag in the Bronco before going to grab some quick breakfast and went to cla.s.s. I had slept better those few hours in her bed than I had in weeks. How was I ever going to sleep right again?

17. Nellie.

Concentrating on math was hard enough at seven in the morning. But trying to pay attention while I knew that Owen was sleeping in my bed was torture. Even when I went into my bathroom to brush my teeth, he had left his shirt in there and it smelled like him. It was all I could do to return it to his bag. I wanted to keep it. h.e.l.l, I wanted to use it as a pillow case.

Where did tough Nellie go? She disappeared on me and in her place is sappy Nellie. Nice.

Amber and I went for breakfast after Algebra. She wasn't talking about last night and I wasn't asking. I tried not to ask about these things. It seemed like when I finally got caught up and involved the relationship ended. So the best thing was for me to listen when she wanted me to and leave it at that.

We ate breakfast in silence and then sat together. We talked for a few minutes about shallow things. How my back was, how work was, things like that. And then she told me as she picked in her eggs that she slept with Dylan the night before. I wanted to tear her a.s.s up for not even thinking about Owen and how uncomfortable that would make him not to mention left him without a place to sleep. But that's who she was.

I opened my mouth to make a pa.s.sive aggressive statement about her selfishness, but Dylan plopped into the seat next to her and I became invisible.

Not five minutes after he sat down, I got up and left. This was really getting ridiculous. I went to the library for a while and then made my way to American Lit when it was time. It was funny because I actually tried to get to cla.s.s in time to get a seat next to him.