Shocked by his appearance, Madison stood and stared. That's when Avery decided to help her out and give her a nudge....a particularly hard one.

"Oww," she muttered, throwing Avery a glare. Her shoulder and arm lifted as she rubbed the spot.

"Excellent!" the director snapped, smiling widely. "Thank you, Ms. Chase. I'll leave you to it."

Looking pleased, Carson shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered over. Her eyes roamed over him. He looked strong and unapologetically male in jeans and a black button down shirt. The ends of his shirt were rolled over and pushed up to his forearm. She could see the muscles flexing as he moved.

Kelly stepped from behind and whispered in her ear, "You might want to wipe the drool off your face."

"I'm not drooling," she shot back. But she swiped a hand over her mouth just in case. Her heart kicked into high gear when his eyes locked onto hers. They were like a beacon calling out to her. Unable to control herself, she met him halfway. When he was within touching distance she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I got your text," he replied.

"But you never responded." She would know. She vigilantly checked her phone every ten minutes since she sent the darn thing.

His hazel eyes flashed. "I wanted to talk in person, but then I remembered you're grounded. The only way I could see you this weekend was to come here." He shrugged. "So here I am."

"Aww," Avery sighed.

"That's so cute," Kelly commented, clutching her chest.

Carson ducked his head and smiled as Madison whirled around and glowered at the girls. "Seriously?" she demanded. "Don't you have something better to do?"

Avery shrugged. "But this is so much more fascinating."

Kelly pushed her glasses up again. "Hey, some of us don't have boyfriends and have to live vicariously through you. So suck it up." Then she turned to Carson and sized him up. With a glint in her eye, she asked him, "Say Carson, do you have any single friends?"

He stroked his chin and smirked. "Actually, I have this friend named Ben. He's single."

"Oh really? Do tell."

Sensing Madison's impatience, Avery butted in. "He can tell you all about that later, Kelly." She latched onto Madison and Carson and ushered out the door. "Why don't you show him around, Madison? Give him the tour." She gave her a sly wink.

"Great idea." Madison squeezed her hand in gratitude.

Once they were alone, Carson rocked backed on his heels. "Sooo...you wanted to talk? What about?"

She did, but she wasn't prepared for him to show up and want to speak now. She thought she had at least a couple more hours to think about the proper words to say. "Um, I....well the thing is..." She stumbled over her words then blurted out, "What were you going to say before? At the track yesterday? You never got to finish."

His expression faltered and suddenly he looked as uncomfortable as she did. "It's stupid now that I think about it. You probably don't want to know."

"I do," she rushed out.

Her eagerness seemed to relax him. The hard lines around his face softened as he chuckled. "Well, I uh, saw you the other day at lunch. You were sitting with Zach Brewer and I was wondering if you and him...?"

"We're just friends."

He looked skeptical. "Really? Because I've known Zach all my life and he doesn't have many friends who are girls. And he doesn't sit with them at lunch unless they mean something to him."

"Positive," she said with certainty. Then she thought of everything he'd done for her. "He's been sort of like a fairy godmother to me. Besides, he's not exactly my cup of tea."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe. And ever since that day he sat down at your table, you've been ignoring me."

"I didn't mean to ignore you. I was giving you space."

"But you wouldn't even look at me," he countered. "For two days you ignored me then you show up at my cross-country practice and act like I exist again. I'm confused as to what's going on."

Determined to prove how much he meant to her, she wracked her brain for an idea. It hit her like a lightening bolt. Reaching out, she took his hand and pulled.

"Where are we going?" he asked, not budging.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," he answered immediately making her smile.

"Then follow me. I want to show you something." She led him across the room, through a hallway, and down a flight of stairs. Flicking on the lights, she weaved through shelves of canned goods.

"What is this place?"

"It's where they store all the food." She found the door she was looking for and twisted the knob. Pushing him into the dark, she followed and closed the door behind them.

"Um...where are we, Maddy?" he asked, sounding concerned.

She reached up and pulled on the string, which turned on the small light above. Suddenly, they were bathed in a soft glow. Carson blinked several times to gain his bearing. He looked around the tiny room and then grinned.

"We're in a closet," he stated.

"A pantry closet," she corrected.

His arm snaked out and pulled her flush against him. "You remembered."

"Of course. Our first meeting was unlike any others. How could I forget?" She patted his chest, offering him physical and verbal petting. "Zach Brewer doesn't interest me because I tend to go for messy, Boy Scout types who likes to ask questions and run for a ridiculously long time."  

His smile nearly blinded her with how bright it was. Reaching out, he flicked the end of her nose. "Well, that's good because I tend to go for curly blondes who like to hide out in laundry rooms and have a neat streak a mile wide."

Exhilaration shot down her spine. "Does this mean you've had enough space? Because I have to tell you, I hate space."

"That's right, you're a fan of boxes."

She tilted her head back to glare at him. "There's nothing wrong with boxes. Boxes keep everything need and orderly. I like things in its place."

"Unless it's my intoxicating smell," he teased. "And don't forget about my adorable dimples."

"You're impossible."

"No," he said, his voice dropping to a low whisper. His lips brushed softly over hers. "I'm just simply yours."

"No more friends?" she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck. She leaned into his body, trusting him to support her.

"No more friends." His arms banded around her in a tight, unforgiving hold. "Now that I have you, I'm not letting you go." He kissed her again, this time harder and faster. His lips pushed against hers, in an almost brutal manner, but she reveled in it, meeting him stroke for stroke.

"I'm not letting you go either," she whispered against his lips, branding the pledge on his skin.

"Promise?"

She stared into the eyes of the boy who looked past the walls, past her flaws and truly saw the real Madison Chase. In that tiny, darkened closet, she placed a hand over his heart and emotionally stripped herself of all armor till she stood before him naked and vulnerable. Quietly, she pledged, "I promise."

No words more words were needed as he covered her hand and showed her exactly how happy she made him.