Sweet, gentle, and a little scratchy. That's what it was like to kiss Teddy. I could feel the warmth from his body pressing through my jacket as he held me close. My heart was racing. I was amazed how everything in that moment could feel so clear and so hazy all at once. The way his hand felt slightly rough against my cheek, the sound of the fire crackling in the stove, the smell of smoke.

Smoke? The thought repeated in my mind. A sharp sizzling sound quickly brought me back down to Earth. I gasped and pushed him away. He looked shocked.

"Teddy! Stew!" I shouted frantically.

He glanced at it. His eyes went wide as he saw the pot bubbling over onto the stove. He reached out quickly to move the pot away from the heat. I heard a small hiss and then a sharp intake of breath. He pulled away and clutched his hand close to his body.

"Fuck!" He cried.

I grabbed my gloves off the floor and used them to push the pot away from the heat. I hurried over to Teddy. He was still clutching his hand. He didn't look like he was in too much pain anymore. He just looked annoyed.

"Well, that's one way to kill the mood," he grumbled.

"Forget that. Let me see your hand," I said nervously, reaching for him.

He sighed and held it out for me. His fingertips were bright red, so was a spot on the back of his hand where some stew had splattered. I could see a couple of small blisters starting to form. Not as bad as it could have been, but not good either.

"Wait here," I said quickly.

I grabbed my cup from where it was on the floor and ran outside. Snow and ice would only make the burn worse, but luckily, the lake wasn't frozen right now. I filled my cup with water from it and hurried back inside. Teddy watched me curiously as I came back. I grabbed his hand and slowly began to pour the cold water over the burns. He jumped a bit.

"Damn, that's cold!"

"Better than your burn getting worse," I said, pouring out the last of the water. "How does your hand feel now?"

He gave me a weak smile. "Cold, but much better. Thanks. You're a good doctor."

"I used to babysit a lot when I was back in Ohio," I explained. "It's how I made what little money I did have. The kids would burn themselves on accident all the time. I also know how to apply calamine lotion to poison ivy, remove a bee stinger, and kiss a boo-boo."

"What? My boo-boo doesn't get a kiss?" He teased.

I smiled and lifted his hand up. I gently pressed my lips to the red spots on his hand. He blushed a little and cleared his throat before pulling his hand away.

"That was a joke," he muttered.

"But does it feel better?"

He looked down at his hand and nodded vaguely. He glanced over at the stove and sighed. I looked too. The pot was off the heat, but smoke still wafted gently from it. Burned. The stew that had splattered onto the stovetop had blackened to a crisp. The entire room was filled with smoke. I walked over and opened the door, hoping to air things out a little.

Teddy scratched his head, wincing slightly at the pain from the burns. "I'm sorry, Linny. I really wanted to try to do something nice for you."

"You still did," I reassured him. "I meant what I said earlier. No one has ever done this much for me before. Not for Valentine's day, birthdays, first dates, or anything else. Burned fingers and smoke aside, this is still the best date I've ever been on."

"Well, I guess that's something," he mumbled. "Looks like I ruined dinner though."

I felt bad. Teddy had really put his all into this date today. I knew what it was like to try so hard only to have things fall apart. I wasn't trying to make him feel better, I really was having a good time. It seemed like the mood was going to be bad if we stayed here though. An idea popped into my mind.

"Don't worry about it. If anything, I'm kind of glad it happened. You've been doing too much of the cooking lately anyway. Why don't we go back to my place and I'll make something?" I suggested.

"Doesn't really seem like I'm taking you on a date if I make you do the cooking..."

"Teddy!" I cried in mock surprise. "Don't you know? It's the twenty-first century. I'm a modern woman. Let me take you on a date."

"Take me out, huh?" He mumbled skeptically.

"What? Afraid I can't do it?" I teased. "Don't worry, Baby. I'll treat you right."

I winked at him playfully. His face broke into a smile. He started to snicker. When he got himself under control he nodded in agreement.

We left the pot. It was still hot and it would have been too messy to try to transport anyway. I helped him to pack up his bag with the rest of the supplies. We were about to leave when I noticed him having trouble putting his glove on over his burns. He winced slightly as the rough material brushed against them.

I walked over and took the glove from him. He looked at me, surprised. I took off one of my gloves and grabbed his bare hand with mine. I smiled at him.

"We'll keep each other warm until we get home."

He smiled at me as I tucked our gloves into my pocket. The room was still smoky, but Teddy said to close the door anyway. It would be better to let the room reek of smoke for a couple of days than have the snow blow in or an animal trash the place.

I tried to lead us home. My sense of direction wasn't the best, but I noticed where our footprints were in the snow. I used them to help guide me back.

Teddy didn't need the footprints I was sure. He led us here, so I was sure he could lead us back. Despite this, he didn't protest or try to take over. He stood by silently and let me guide him in whatever direction I happened to move.

Even though I took the exact same path that we had taken there, it still seemed like it took us longer to go back. I was starting to worry if I'd somehow taken a wrong turn when, thankfully, my house came into view. I breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing it. I turned to Teddy and smiled.

"So, what sounds good for dinner?"

"Now, now. I thought you were treating me to a date," he teased. "Why am I planning everything?"

I nudged him gently. "Alright, how about some super cheesy grilled cheese? Yummy, filling, and I can have it done in less than thirty minutes."

"Please tell me you have tomato soup," he begged playfully.

"Of course. What do you take me for?" I laughed. "I know how to treat a man."

"You sure do," he said, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "I can't remember the last time a woman romanced me like this. I'm practically swooning."

I giggled and leaned against him. We walked back to the house slowly. Despite the funk he'd been in earlier, it seemed that his mood was starting to lighten. He was regular, old Teddy again.

"Think you can start the fire while I make dinner, or are you still traumatized?" I asked, opening the door.

"I think I can handle it. You go ahead."

I hung up my coat and headed for the kitchen. It took Teddy an extra minute to undress with the burn on his hand. I watched as he walked into the living room.

I sighed and started getting out the things I needed to cook. Poor Teddy. I felt kind of bad his plans didn't work out, but I was happy that I was getting the chance to cook for him. It'd been a while. Seeing him dig into the food I made gave me a sense of satisfaction. Even if it was just a grilled cheese and some canned soup.

I heard the hollow thunking of logs from the other room. Teddy must have lit the fire at least a dozen times before, but I couldn't help worrying as I heard it. The last thing I wanted was for him to burn himself again. Especially not on the same hand.

I shook off that thought and tried to focus on the grilled cheese I was making. The last thing I wanted was for both of us to burn dinner. I wasn't sure about him, but I was starving. It had to be getting late. The sun had just started to set when we were walking back home. Aside from that, all the hiking and exercise only made me hungrier.

I had just put the last grilled cheese in the pan when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I jumped a little as I felt him rest his head on my shoulder.

He glanced down at the pan. "How's it coming?"

"Umm, fine," I said, still a little flustered. "This is the last one. We'll eat in a couple minutes."

I felt his beard brush against my cheek as he nodded. He didn't move though. He stayed there, arms wrapped around me, watching me cook. I tried to focus on cooking, but it wasn't easy. He seemed to realize this too.

"Does it bother you?" He asked.

"What?"

"Me holding you like this. You seem pretty uncomfortable whenever I touch you," he explained. "If I'm overstepping boundaries, please let me know. I don't want to make things awkward."

Teddy being Teddy. Again, he was worried that something he did might have made me uncomfortable. I blamed myself for that. I was always giving him the wrong idea. I kept keeping everything to myself in the hopes that things would work themselves out, but I couldn't keep doing that. Not anymore.

Teddy wasn't like Greg. With Greg, I could stay silent for days on end and he'd never ask a thing. Teddy was different. Teddy cared about me. He cared if I was upset. He cared if he did something to hurt me. By keeping quiet I was only making him worry. I didn't want him to worry like that.

"It doesn't bother me. It's not that I don't like it. I'm just not used to it yet," I admitted. "I'll be a little uncomfortable in the beginning, but I'll get used to it the more you do it. So don't feel like you need to stop. Do it as much as you like."

"So... if I want to hold you like this, then that's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"And I can hold your hand, and sit next to you, and put my arm around you, and that's all okay too?"

I couldn't help smiling at how cautious he was. "Yes, that's fine too."

He paused a moment. I could sense that there was something else he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure if he should. It seemed he was also worried about speaking his mind around me. Little by little, I hoped we'd both be able to overcome that.

"Why don't you go sit down? I'll be done in a sec."

He nodded again and went to the table. I slid the last grilled cheese onto a plate and started ladling soup into bowls. I brought Teddy his food first, then went back to get mine. He watched me as I sat across from him. I smiled at him and started sipping at my soup. He took a bite of his grilled cheese, still looking at me.

"Can I kiss you?"

I nearly choked on the spoonful of soup I was eating. I swallowed down what was left in my mouth and started coughing. Teddy looked at me sheepishly.

"Sorry! Wasn't trying to kill you. I guess that was pretty sudden to blurt out like that," he mumbled as if just realizing it himself. "I-I didn't mean now specifically. It's just that we were talking about your boundaries and stuff... I was wondering if it was okay for me to kiss you."

"Well, I mean..." I tried collecting my thoughts. "Well, didn't you already kiss me?"

"Yeah, I know," he said, picking awkwardly at the crust on his sandwich. "I kind of did that on my own though. Caught you off guard. I want to know if you're okay with me kissing you in the future."

"I'm... not not okay with it," I mumbled.

He chuckled softly. "That doesn't really help me."

I sighed. "I know. I guess... it's just like with the touching thing. It's not that I dislike it. I'm just not used to it. That's all."

"Should I... do that as much as I like too?" He asked cautiously.

I looked down at my soup. Something told me I was probably the same shade of red by now. I nodded vaguely. I heard him breathe a sigh of relief as I did so. He must have been really worried about how I felt today.

We ate in silence for the rest of the meal. I didn't even try to argue with Teddy as he collected the dishes this time. I sat at the table awkwardly. I usually stayed at the table while he did dishes, so it felt weird to leave the room this time. At the same time, I really wanted to run away. Today had been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride. I never wanted to go on a first date again.

"Hey, Linny?" He called.

"Yeah."

"I was just wondering about something else."

I couldn't help sighing. I didn't know how much more "permission" I could stand giving today. That whole kiss thing had really pushed me to my limits. Apparently, I sighed loud enough for him to hear, because he chuckled at it.

"Don't worry. This one's a lot milder than the others," he promised. "I was just thinking. The date I took you on and the date you took me on, they're pretty different dates, right?"

"Umm, yeah. I guess."

"And first dates can be really awkward and terrible, right?"

I let out a dry laugh. "Definitely."

"So, I was just thinking," he said, turning towards me, "what if we counted today as two dates?"

I must have looked confused because he smiled at me and held up a hand as if to stop any questions I might have. He dried his hands on a towel. It looked like he was trying to figure out the best way to explain.

"First date awkwardness sucks. Second dates aren't so bad though," he said, shrugging. "So, if this was our second date, maybe things would be a little more comfortable. We could relax a little more. What do you think?"

Count today as our first and second date? That was weird. Somehow, it was also comforting. I knew in the back of my mind that, technically, this was still our first date, but who cared? It's not like there was a rule or anything. Wasn't what was considered a "date" completely up to us as a couple? In fact, who made the rules about when we started dating really?

"Well, we've been eating together like this for a while, and we haven't dated any other people in that time," I said playfully. "So, what if we've actually been dating for about a month now? That's even less awkward, isn't it?"

He smiled. "It sure is. That's a good point. Damn, guess that means I forgot to get you a present for our first month together."

I shrugged. "I'll forgive you this time. We'll just pretend next month is our first month. Deal?"

"Deal."

He walked over and leaned against the table. He knelt down so his face was close to mine. I could feel myself blushing again. He smiled.

"Why so shy?" He teased. "After all, we've been dating about a month, according to you. If that's the case, then we've been moving pretty slow, right?"

I looked at the ground. I wasn't sure what to say to that. Whether we'd actually been dating a month or not was up for debate, but I definitely only found out about it this week. I wasn't sure if my heart could take us moving any further today. Even if it was just a kiss.

"If you're not ready, then I'll wait," he said gently. His voice was serious. "I'll wait as long as it takes. I never want you to feel uncomfortable around me, Linny. I don't need anything from you. Just you. As long as I have you, that's enough for me. So, tell me, honestly. Can I kiss you?"

"You don't need to ask about that," I muttered, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"This time, or-"

"Ever," I answered before he finished. "You never need to ask to kiss me. Ever."

I heard him chuckle softly at this. I felt his fingers under my chin. They lifted my head up gently. My eyes met his.

"I'm going to take care of you, Linny. I promise."

He leaned in and kissed me. It was still as sweet and dizzying as the first time. But this time, I wasn't so scared. I don't know if it was all our talk earlier or the promise he just made to me, but something in that moment made me feel comfortable. I felt safe with him.

Teddy. Sweet, honest, thoughtful, caring Teddy. The kind of man I could always hold to his word. He said he'd visit me again after that storm, and he did. He said he'd come to have dinner with me every day, and he did. He said he'd take me on a date that would really wow me, and he did. So, if he said he was going to take care of me, then I was sure he would do that too.

I didn't just want him to take care of me though. I wanted to take care of him too. I had been neglecting him today. I spent way too much time inside my own head. I was so focused on what I thought he wanted in a girlfriend, that I completely ignored what he actually wanted. The thing he told me he wanted. Me. Just me.

He pulled away and smiled down at me. I couldn't help returning his smile. I leaned up and gave him one more small peck on the lips.

"Hey, Mr. Psycho Lumberjack, want to play cards?" I asked playfully.

"I don't know, Ms. Scaredy Cat, you going to cheat again?"

"Scaredy cat?" I frowned.

"You know it's true."

I pouted. He chuckled and leaned in to kiss me again. I rolled my eyes and shoved him playfully before heading to the living room. Scaredy cat, huh? Maybe I was. I wasn't sure how long it would be before I finally got over that feeling, but it didn't really matter. Teddy would be there with me, and as long as I was with Teddy, I knew I was safe.