That night, Gem was so excited and conflicted, that she could barely sleep. She liked John and warm emotions that start spreading around her heart.

Still, she was afraid. Afraid of losing the special understanding they seemed to have, afraid of losing him.

It was common with her friends and family members to destroy everything by entering into a relationship with someone. They would end up not even being friends anymore, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to her and John.

He was such a great guy, and hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn't help but wonder whether people could truly avoid hurting each other.

One way or the other, they found ways to break each other's hearts. At least, that was true for the people she knew.

That was the reason Gem was hesitant to ask for something more with John. What if it didn't work out? What if she lost him?

But what if she let him in? He was the first person she could even think about giving her heart to.

The next day, she spent more time than anyone should, picking an outfit for a chocolate cake date. It was just a casual meeting, wasn't it?

She was mad at herself for giving him the peck on the lips. That might have indicated that she wanted more than a friendship from him, and she wasn't sure that was true.

Once again, she was a nervous wreck.

It was strange how she was always anxious when thinking about meeting him, and how she should behave, but when they finally started talking, she felt more comfortable than she had felt in her entire life.

"Pull yourself together! It's just chocolate cake. You love chocolate cake! You also like John, so stop stressing about it." She told herself firmly, as she descended her steps.

The whole time she was waiting for the bus, she repeated that as her mantra. It didn't make her feel better, but at least it occupied her mind, stopping it from thinking about other things.

Upon arriving at the confectionery, she realized that she was almost forty minutes early. It was an annoying habit of hers to arrive everywhere before the appointed time, but still, she had never been so early.

Not knowing what else to do, she sat at the table near the window and decided to get a head start on the cake eating.

She ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate filling. She wasn't kidding when she said that she loved chocolate, it was her favorite sweet, in any shape or form.

Gem was enjoying her chocolate cake while admiring the view of the river through the window. That was how John found her, ten minutes later.

He couldn't help but look at her with admiration. She didn't notice him as seemed lost in thoughts, admiring the scenery, and enjoying her cake.

It was clear to him that she could thoroughly appreciate the cake because, with every bite she took, pure joy was evident on her face. In his whole life, he hadn't seen anyone savoring something so much, enjoying the texture, the smell, the taste, everything.

People around him were always in a hurry. Meals and desserts for many of them were just obligations, something they had to do to satisfy their bodies' needs.

For Gem, it seemed to be a true delight. He loved that about her. How she could make small things that others considered insignificant seem so important, miraculous even.

Although he could have stayed there watching her, in her blissful bubble, forever, he also wanted to hear her speak, make her laugh...So, he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"I see that you have a head start." He said jokingly.

She was a bit startled like she wasn't even aware of her surroundings. When she finally registered that it was him, she smiled broadly and got up to give him a short hug.

"Sorry, I was a bit early, so I thought I might as well start without you. I am glad you came earlier, otherwise who knows how many pieces of cake I would have eaten." She said, which made John burst out laughing.

His laughter made her feel happier than she thought possible. Also, she loved the fact that she was the reason for it. Something she said made him laugh with genuine mirth.

With time, she had learned to tell the difference between the real and fake laugh, and she was very good at it. Most people around her thought it their duty to laugh or smile politely, even when they didn't truly feel the joy, but John wasn't one of them. He laughed with honesty, and there was that special spark in his eyes that was only noticeable when someone's laughter was real.

As he sat down, they started talking about anything that came to mind. Somehow, they ended up talking about the previous night and how much fun they had while watching the dinosaurs, and which part was their favorite one.

Remembering the previous night, John couldn't help but recall that brief connection of their lips and how soft and kissable Gem's lips were.

"The best part, for me, came after the movie." He unintentionally voiced his thoughts.

Once he blurted that out, he thought he might as well go on. He gently covered her hand with his, as he looked into her eyes that hid endless beauty, leaning in slowly towards her.

For a moment, she was mesmerized by his eyes. They held raw power that ridiculously enough reminded her of some kind of ancient power, strong and reliable. But before he had the chance to lower his lips on her plump lips, she suddenly pulled her hand away and leaned back.

"I am sorry, I have been misleading you last night. I am so sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you, and I can't let you kiss me." She said with a strange kind of determination.

It was clear to him that she chose her words carefully, and that she never said she didn't WANT him to kiss her.

"Why not?" He couldn't help but ask.

She wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the sugar rush caused by too much chocolate. Perhaps it was because he made her feel safe for the first time in years. Whatever might be the case, Gem decided to tell him the truth.

"It is a long and complicated story, and it might not make a lot of sense to you." She warned him.

"That's okay. Let me be the judge of that." He responded.

"Okay, bear with me. When I was a child, I was a very open person. I loved people easily and effortlessly, it was normal for me. The person I loved the most in the whole white world was my dad.

He used to play with me and protect me from the monsters under my bed. Whenever I got scared or felt sad, he would make me feel better.

At some point, I started having a strong fear of death, so he sat me down, and explained what death was. He told me that I had nothing to worry about, that only old people died. I believed him. I stopped being scared.

A few months after that, he died in a terrible car accident. His car hit a tree, he was dead on impact. I was still very young, and couldn't truly understand what it all meant.

One thing I knew for sure, was that I would never see again the person whom I loved the most. From that day on, I started pulling back from everyone.

I loved someone. They died. It hurt.

My conclusion was that the fewer people you loved, the less pain you might suffer. If I didn't speak with new people, I wouldn't care about them. And if I didn't care about many people, the less likely it was for me to feel that same type of suffering ever again.

With time, it became worse. I started being afraid of being hurt, so much so, that I pushed people away, as much as I could. Of course, some people were still there for me, and I love my family, but I didn't want to add new people. That was when I first built the wall, to protect myself from people leaving, or dying, or just hurting me in any other way.

Letting myself be friends with you, was a huge step for me. But for us to become something more than that...I can't allow that to happen. The pain would be too great. I have too much potential to care about you, it would break my heart if you hurt me or died, or..." She trailed off, realizing, only then that she had revealed too much.

She had never before told anyone that, and she wasn't sure how John would react. It felt like a mistake telling him all that, but at the same time, it felt liberating.

For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes. Gem was trying to gauge his reaction, and John was trying to find just the perfect words he could use. She opened up to him, and he needed to be careful with his reply.