"So he hasn't tried to play shifty fingers with you yet? Or, 'oops my hand slipped onto your b.o.o.b' or 'I have no idea why my hand is there, it just had a mind of its own but since it's there, let's have a go'?"

"No," I said bemused.

"Really? Hmmm. Every college guy I've ever met was like that."

"I told you, Caleb is different."

"He's never copped a feel," she said incredulously. "Even a little."

"No!" I laughed. "Jeez, can we talk about something else?"

"Has he tried to take you to a party yet?"

"No."

"Hmm. Well, he will. And that's where he'll make his move."

"Ok, Beck. I'll be on my guard. Now, tell me what's going on with you."

"Oh, nothing but the normal."

The doorbell rang and she ran to answer it. She came back with two boxes.

"Beck? Who else are you feeding?"

"No one. But I've got lots of questions and I want to keep you plastered with cheese to keep you talking."

I laughed as I followed her to the living room. She turned on her IPod and then sat with me on the couch.

"Where are your parents?" I asked.

"Oh, they're at this charity thing for the school. They've decided to sponsor a student. You know, school supplies, new clothes, football dues."

"That's nice of them."

"Yeah, whatever. So." She bit into a huge piece and the cheese stringed from her mouth but she kept talking. "What are you gonna do when lover boy goes back to school?"

"Well. I'm going too."

"What? I thought you weren't going to college? I thought you couldn't get in?"

"I couldn't, but Caleb's family has ties to the school, Tennessee. So...I'm going."

"Oh, he definitely wants in your pants," she said with surety.

"Beck. He may want in my pants, in fact I'm sure all boys want into the girls pants that they're dating, but that's not why he's doing this."

I felt a little burst of laughter in my mind. It was warm and made me giddy. At first I was confused, and I felt him. Felt him like he was standing right next to me. Caleb was here in my mind and he was enjoying the conversation. I tried to send him a thought to see if it'd work.

Are you enjoying this?

Immensely. But don't worry. I'm only checking in, not listening to everything.

I hid a laugh and tried to forget he was here so I'd be normal with Beck.

"Then why? You barely know him. It's creepy."

"I thought you would love this for some reason. It's so spontaneous and romantic."

"Yeah, for me! Not you! You're so responsible and a little naive and sweet and...and responsible! You don't do things like this. It's scaring me a little."

"It's fine. Hey? Why don't we all go out? And then you can grill him yourself. Double date?"

"Ok. Best idea so far. When?" she spouted all motherly.

"What about tomorrow night? I get off at 7:00 so we can meet at 8:00? I'll ask Caleb if he's ok with that."

"But what about the farewell party at the school? That's tomorrow night at 8:00. Aren't you going?"

"I wasn't planning on it. I'd forgotten actually," I grumbled. I had forgotten all about it. "We'll see. So I guess we can all go out the next night then."

"I'll spy who I wrangle up to be my date."

"What about Ralph? He was really into you. You guys went out a few times."

"Yeah, I know...but his name is Ralph," she whined.

"Oh come on. You are not that shallow."

"I could be! Ok, fine. I'll text Ralph. He is pretty cute. Maybe I'll see what his middle name is. I bet he'd let me call him that instead."

I rolled my eyes at her and then her IPod changed songs to 'Relator' by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson. She squealed as this was our song. Well it was her song and I played along. She pulled me up and bounced and danced with me as she sang loudly. I laughed, missing her terribly.

We shook our fingers as we sang like we were scolding someone. Then lined our backs up and danced some more.

Then her parents walked in.

Nineteen.

"Maggie. Rebecca," her father stated after Beck ran to turn down the music. He was clearly amused and trying to hide it. "I'm glad to see you two hanging out again."

"Hey, Mister T," I said as I went to hug him. They were the sweetest people. And their name was Thompson so I called them Mr. and Mrs. T. He loved it because of the joke. They always let me crash here, especially right after my mom left and even though Beck was spoiled rotten, they were still really good to her and everyone else. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah." He hugged me tightly and then released me to snag a piece of pizza. "They feed us like birds at those things. So, Maggie, what've you been up to? Haven't seen you around much lately. We thought Rebecca had chased you off for good."

"Yeah," Mrs. T chimed as she too lifted a piece of pizza from the box. "We missed you."

"No, she couldn't chase me off. I haven't been doing much, working mostly."

"And going out with a totally hot new guy," Beck blurted.

There was no point in trying to stop her. Her parents were as bad as she was.

"Really?" he asked in a fake girly accent. "Do tell."

Mrs. T and I laughed but Beck did not.

"Daddy, eww." But she was over it quickly and threw her arm over my shoulder. "So, yes. Our little Maggie bagged herself a college boy."

"Really?" His brow furrowed in concern. As cool as they wanted to seem, they were still parents. "Now, Maggie. I'd be careful with this boy. Once guys leave high school, everything changes. I remember college, when I met the wife and I wasn't exactly n.o.ble-"

"Honey, no. Not appropriate," Mrs. T insisted.

"I'm careful. Don't worry," I a.s.sured them. "He's really nice and has already met my dad."

"And how is your father?" he asked sincerely.

"Much better."

"Ok, good. Well, we'll let you girls get back to it." He went to Beck to kiss her forehead and then they made his way out but stopped at the door. "Make sure you come back, Maggie. We miss you around here, definitely not loud enough."

I smiled.

"Ok."

"Ok, so." Beck went right back to scheming. "Stay with me tonight. You can wear something of mine."

"Can't, have to work tomorrow."

"You don't go in until later. Stay."

"I can't."

I thought hard for an excuse but Caleb saved me.

Tell her your dad is really strict lately, which isn't a lie. I can also feel your fever, that you don't feel too good. You ok?

Yeah. Just tired. I'll take some Tylenol for the fever. I'm ok.

"Dad's kinda gotten over his funk. He's really been on my case lately."

"Really? Well, that's good, I guess. Ok, well it's ok. I'll see you tomorrow night anyway right?"

"Maybe."

"Come," she commanded.

I stayed for a couple more hours. We watched a 'wanna-be' scary movie in her mini-theater in her bas.e.m.e.nt, about a girl who is stalked because she answered a phone call or something. It was strange but Beck was appropriately girly and screamed and gasped at all the right moments. I just wanted to laugh but Beck loved these girly scary-but-not-scary movies. It was no Poltergeist.

After that it had started to get dark so Beck took me home. I told her I was excited about the next night, which was a lie. I was so not excited but I knew that she would love Caleb once she got to know him and wouldn't think he was just some hot guy trying to steal my virtue and then skip back to college.

I'm home.

I sent him the message as I opened my front door. Dad was just then taking off his boots by the hall closet.

See you soon.

"Hey, dad. How was work?"

"Good. Great actually. I got promoted."

"What? Awesome! What happened?"

I came to stand by him and tried to ignore the boot odor.

"Well, I saved a load of wood today from being destroyed by the new guy. He was an inch away from messing up the whole load and possibly cutting his arm off and I stopped him, right in front of the boss. So, I got promoted to general overseer because he said I had an eye for these things." I smiled at him as he beamed. I hadn't seen him so happy in a very long time. "So, I'm salary now and even get off an hour early every day."

"Dad. That's so great."

"Thanks, kiddo. Did you eat?"

"Yeah, Beck filled me with cheese pizza. You want me to fix you something?"

"No, I'll make a sandwich. I'm pretty beat so I'm gonna eat and go to bed I think. You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go to bed too."

"Alright." He stood and stretched his back, then yawned. "Well, goodnight."

"Night, dad."

I went straight to the shower. I didn't bring any clothes with me, thought I'd have enough time to change before Caleb got there. So I wrapped the towel around me and went to my room...and found Caleb sitting on my bed. I felt his instant desire and longing engulf me so I grabbed some clothes, wordlessly from my dresser, and went into the closet to get dressed quickly.

While at Kyle's I'd learned a few things. Like Caleb being so completely in tune with me and feeling everything I felt. He was hurting right along with me with the offense marks removal and I never wanted to cause him pain again. Even if it was the uncomfortable kind from seeing me almost naked and his body responding, making him need me in ways that we weren't ready for yet. Well, I wasn't.

When I came out he was still sitting there. I didn't want to make things harder for him, seeing as how everything was so much more intense for him than me, which still didn't seem possible but there it was. Right there in my head how conflicted he was and how much he wanted me how much his body told him to have me.

I sat on the bed next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. I laced our fingers, letting our touch cure my aches.

"Hey."

"Hey," he answered. "You're getting really good at reading me."