Kyle did his nightly perimeter check with Buster in tow.  For Buster, it was like a game of hide and seek now, searching all the rooms checking for things that could be hidden. 

When they got back downstairs Buster ran to his favorite chair and curled up happy to be home and settled in.  I sat on the end of the couch, exhausted at the events of the day and wondering what tomorrow would bring. A nervous energy tingled across my brain and I knew it was time to get things moving.

Kyle snuggled next to me and put his head on my shoulder.  He relaxed even more as I stroked his hair, my fingers memorizing the texture as the curls sprung between my pointer finger and thumb like tiny hair hugs. 

I wasn't thinking about bugs, or cameras, or tomorrow, my only thought was touching my lips to his, he wrapped his hands around both sides of my face and pulled me in and the whole world disappeared.  My body felt his hands exploring and the only thing I could think of was more.  I need more. 

He pulled my shirt off slowly. My breath sucked in and I tensed. Kyle seeing my scars made me more vulnerable than being naked in a supermarket. It was a roadmap to me, my whole story and what defined my life. Until now.

His fingers slowly traced the scars, I couldn't feel, but I studied his face instead. So many emotions flew across it I couldn't catch them all. Closing his eyes, he slowly leaned forward and gently swiped his lips across its bumpy surface. Tears made their path down my cheeks and he pulled me off the couch and swiped them from my cheeks with his thumbs.

His lips crashed against mine and I reached my arm around his shoulders as we walked without separating toward the stairs. I was flooded with a warm feeling, like I was drowing and he was the only air in the room.  He picked me up, and carried me up the rest of stairs, as I gulped air between kisses exploring his face and neck with my lips.  He went to the left, my parents room, and I stiffened, causing him to spin around to mine.

My thoughts wavered, sending me a flash vision of myself in the hospital bed sick and gasping for air. The images flooded across my mind as I pushed them down as deep as I could. Kyle gently sat me on the bed, positioning himself above me. His tongue lightly and playfully ran across my shoulder while his hands swirled like butterfly wings across my stomach and breasts. 

We kissed and wiggled trying to find a spot on the small firm bed designed to keep my head in an unright position. It wasn't built for two, or for laying flat and I couldn't stop the flood of relieved giggles that erupted.  It wasn't long before Kyle broke and fell into a bout himself.

I traced his face with my finger, glad for the distraction, hopefull I hadn't ruined the moment.  "I just can't go in my paren't room, not for this. I know it's big and..."  Kyle put his finger on my lips.

"There's no need to explain that, God, I was an idiot for even thinking it, and I'm sorry.  I just got carried away.  We don't have to rush into anything Cassie, we've got time.  I'm not leaving, and soon time is what we'll have most of."

He threw a blanked on the floor and added all the pillows from the bed.  He rolled right off and plopped down onto it an patted it for me to join him.  As I rolled, Buster immediately flew to the spot Kyle was patting and I joined them for a full on puppy love fest.  It felt like heaven, soon Kyle placed his arm around my waist and drifted off to sleep.

I closed my eyes and let my body memorize the feelings. As much as I liked Kyle, I still didn't want to fool myself into believing he was going to stay. Family ties were powerful things. More than crushes and feelings of right and wrong.

I imagined myself in his position. Could I give up my mom and dad for him?  The answer wasn't what I wanted to dwell on. I'd choose my family.  Maybe it's because of how different they were compared to his, maybe it's because I didn't really have a choice at all. They were gone and it was easy to want to pick them now.

When I woke the next morning Kyle was gone. My body was sore from sleeping on the floor and Buster was next to me staring at me as if I was putting wrecking his day by sleeping in. 

Groaning I pulled myself off the floor and threw on a robe. Today was the day. I would call Vanessa and set up a time to get the baby.

Kyle was in the kitchen, spreading butter in burnt bits of toast with a Cheshire grin across his face. I couldn't help but laugh at the leftover smoke lingering around the toaster.

"You made breakfast?"

"Well, I tried to make breakfast. I still get points for that right? You don't keep much food here. So I made instant oatmeal and toast."

I poured myself a cup of coffee and wrapped my hands around the mug.

"Sure. Points. Redeemable at a later date. Keep wracking them up and you'll get the prized goldfish in a bowl."

He snickered as he brought the bowls of sludgy oatmeal to the table. It was grey and thick and I tried to lift the spoon to my mouth but my brain had other ideas. Not that I could do any better, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to swallow this down.

Kyle watched my spoon as it hovered in the air. "So, can I take you to breakfast?"

"Was this whole thing a ploy to get me to go to breakfast with you?"

"Yeah, lets go with that!"

Kyle was ready in about three minutes and tapped his foot the other fifteen waiting for me. Why did guys have it so easy?

We ate at a diner on main street. I'd been there before with my dad. I remembered ordering French toast that came in sticks with a tiny bowl of dipping syrup. Kyle's phone buzzed several times in his pocket and he never even looked its way.

On the way out I excused myself to go to the bathroom and instead stopped at the payphone and dialed the number for Vanessa.

"Blue kennel. Can I help you?"

It was the same cheerful voice, and again I could hear background noises of life in motion.

"Vanessa? It's Cassie. When can we meet?"

"Cassie! I was worried. Let's meet at the aquarium. When can you get there?"

"An hour?"

"I'll be there. And Cassie, watch yourself."

"You too Vanessa."

I hung up the phone and met Kyle at the cash register.  His face was stormy and his mouth pulled down into a frown.

"I have to go into work for a while. Apparently there's some problems with an inspection. You want me to drop you at Agnes's"

My mind was reeling at the thought of meeting Vanessa and seeing the baby. As much as I wanted to blurt it to Kyle I couldn't, maybe It was his work, maybe I was protecting him from the whole mess, or there was a part of me that refused to completely trust him.  Whatever it was, I kept it to myself.

"Actually I have some cleaning to do, those oatmeal bowls alone are gonna take forever."

He smiled but it didn't make it to his eyes. His mind was on something else which was fine with me, seemed like we both had a big day ahead of us.

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I find this chapter a bit choppy and I'm not sure why. It just doesn't flow the way I want it to. If anything jumps out, feel free to shout it.