I woke up to the startling sensation of cool fingertips pressing against the back of my neck and stifled a yelp of surprise. Sophie was kneeling beside me on the rug, water dripping from the ends of her hair. A droplet landed on my cheek and I brushed it away before sitting up and shaking off the last traces of sleep that clouded my mind.

"Hey," I said, studying Sophie's well-scrubbed face. If she was hungover, and I had no doubt that she was, she carried it very well. Freckles, usually hidden by foundation, dotted the bridge of her nose and her eyes shimmered like pale sapphires, the white spaces no longer stained red from crying. A night of sleep had definitely improved the shadows under her eyes and although she still looked more worn down than usual, I couldn't help but think that she really was the most beautiful girl I'd ever met.

"Hi," she said, biting down on her lip. She wrung her hands together and I noticed that, for once, her fingers were bare. Without any rings to twist around, she rubbed her knuckles in small circular motions. "Parker, I am so sorry."

"What for?" I asked, resisting the urge to tuck a rogue flyaway behind her ear.

"Yesterday." She peeked at me, her face a mask of guilt. "The past few weeks."

"Forget about it." I hesitated before continuing, "How much do you actually remember from yesterday?"

Sophie grimaced. "Not much, but I know I must have embarrassed myself pretty badly if you're here."

I shook my head and decided not to mention her stomach's display of digestive pyrotechnics. "You were fine. What time is it?"

"I'm sorry, it's only seven in the morning. I was going to let you sleep but I didn't know if you had somewhere to be today or... Or, something."

"No, it's cool." I stood, pulling my jeans up by the belt loops as I got to my feet. I was stunned that I'd slept for nearly eleven hours. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd gone to bed without waking up at least once during the night. "I should head home. Any plans for the day?"

"Nothing really," she said. I held out a hand to help her up and a rush ran down my spine when our fingers touched. "Probably going to stay in and try to salvage what's left of my dignity."

I ran my tongue across the bottom row of my teeth and hoped my breath didn't smell. "Seriously, forget about it."

Sophie's brow furrowed and she looked down, studying her slipper covered feet. "You're, like, not a real person, are you?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, even after I ignored you for weeks, the minute I needed you... You were there, no questions asked. Who even does that?"

"I do," I said with a shrug and Sophie nodded.

"I know," she said, studying me searchingly. Quietly, she added, "That's why you're so perfect."

I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed. "I'm sure you would've done it for me."

"Probably not, actually," Sophie admitted, not bothering to sugarcoat the bluntness of her response. "I didn't even want to talk to you until yesterday."

"Oh, thanks. Why'd you call me, anyway?" I asked, stretching my arms over my head. "Please don't tell me you woke up yesterday morning and decided to spend the day drinking alone."

Sophie laughed. "No, it's not like that. I, uh, went to lunch with some people and had too many Bloody Marys. It was sort of a steep downhill spiral after that." She twirled a finger in the air for effect.

"Who were you with?" I asked, annoyed that she had friends who would let her get that wasted and then leave her to her own devices. I couldn't even think of an enemy who I'd knowingly do that to.

Sophie rolled her eyes and made a face. "Who do you think?"

"Oh. Right."

A tense silence passed between us until Sophie's expression softened. "Well, anyway, thank you for helping me and, you know, um, I've been thinking..." She coughed and set her jaw in a firm look of resolve. "I've been thinking that maybe I overreacted the other day."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't need to like me for us to be friends."

This is your chance, I thought and I opened my mouth, ready to correct her. Before I could say anything, Sophie stuck her hand out and a shy smile spread across her face. "Forgive me?" she asked. Her tone was joking but I heard the anxiousness that lay beneath the surface of her easygoing bravado.

I hesitated. "Well, I--"

"Shut up and shake my hand, Parker."

I enveloped her fingers with mine, struggling to find the words. Should I just say it? I tried again, "Sophie, I really--"

She started at the same time, "So, are we--"

We both stopped and laughed nervously. "Go ahead," she said.

"No, what were you saying?"

"Are we cool now?"

"Yes, but I--"

Sophie's entire face brightened with unbridled relief. "Great." Clearly pleased by my response, she motioned towards the bathroom. "You can use whatever and I'll meet you downstairs. Do you want me to make you a latte or anything? I bought a new espresso machine the other day and the coffee's pretty good."

She trailed off and I shook my head. "That's okay," I said, moving towards the en suite. "I'll see you down there in a minute."

I locked the bathroom door and listened to Sophie pad away before letting out a sigh. I stared at my reflection in the giant wall mirror above the sink and smoothed down the cowlicks that stood up at wild angles at the back of my head. I opened the medicine cabinet, searching for mouthwash, and jumped when a half-empty pill box toppled out. The lid of each plastic well was marked in red with the day of the week and I gave it a shake, counting six white pills remaining inside. Guessing they were vitamins, I put the medicine back and took out the bottle of Listerine instead. Once I was confident that my breath smelled minty fresh, I bounded downstairs, cementing the image of Sophie's room in my mind before I went.

"Do you have everything?" she asked once I'd hopped off the last stair.

"Yeah," I replied, covertly looking at the slender legs that seemed to stretch for miles beyond the hem of her bright pink running shorts. The skin under my collar felt warm.

"I'll walk you out," Sophie said. If she'd noticed me checking her out, she didn't say anything, although a small smile tugged at her mouth's corners.

We walked side by side down the corridor until we reached the front door. Leaning on the handle, I pushed it open and Sophie hung back in the doorway for a moment before joining me on her front step. She looked up at me and I could almost see the sparks of excited energy that passed between us.

"So," she said, twirling a strand of wet hair around her finger before letting it fall back over her shoulder. "Now that we're talking again, maybe we can get together before I leave or something."

"That'd be nice," I heard myself say. Tell her.

"Alright, well, I'll call you later and see what you're up to." Looking unsure of what to do, Sophie rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet before stepping forward and pulling me into a hug. "Thanks again," she murmured in my ear.

"Any time," I said, not wanting to let her go. Tell her.

When Sophie stepped back, she looked content, peaceful even, and she gave a small wave. "Bye, Parker."

Dejected, I nodded and began to walk down the driveway towards my car, heart weighing heavy in my chest. I'd blown it again--how was that even possible? How many times could I possibly screw this up? I heard the front door close behind me and I stopped in my tracks. What is wrong with you? Tell her!

I turned on my heel and ran back towards the house. What was I going to say? I have to make it sound cool, I thought as I pounded on her front door for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. I needed to make it sound like I wasn't the complete idiot that I'd been acting like for months. When the door swung open again, Sophie stared at me, head tilted and brows raised quizzically.

"What--"

"I like you," I blurted, the words tumbling from my mouth, and as they did, it felt like a giant weight had lifted off my shoulders. Sophie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Parker..."

I ignored her and went on, unable and unwilling to stop rambling now that I'd begun. "I've always liked you. Seriously, I mean, I've had a crush on you since I was a kid--I tried to win a contest to meet you once, for God's sake." I laughed at the memory. "And ever since we met last fall, I just think about you all the time, all the time. I seriously can't get you out of my head and I tried to ignore it because--I-I don't know, I'm dumb, I guess."

Still looking stunned, Sophie's mouth fell open just wide enough that I could see her tongue flick around inside. I started pacing the length of her front step, running my hands through my hair and destroying any success I'd had at getting it to lie flat.

"When you came to my apartment and told me that you liked me, I couldn't believe it." I swallowed, pushing down the lump of nerves in my throat. "Actually, I still can't and I said I didn't want anything to happen because I'm... I'm kind of scared. Okay? I'm a terrible boyfriend, you can ask any girl I've ever dated. I'm God awful at, well, at all of it. I screw up constantly, I'm not good at dealing with things, I don't know how--and you could easily find someone better but I really, really like you, Sophie."

I emphasized the last few words before taking a deep breath and studying Sophie's reaction. When she didn't respond right away, I half-expected her to tell me that she'd been joking all along. I began preparing for the worst but instead of shooting me down, her face broke into the biggest smile I'd ever seen. My stomach tickled at the sight and I felt myself smiling, too. "I kind of guessed," she said after a beat, eyes twinkling. "Not that you like me but the other stuff." She reached out and patted my shoulder. "Just so you know, I don't expect you to be anything more than what you are, Parker."

My heart swelled when I heard that and, for a second, I felt like I could fly. I couldn't think of a time in my life that I'd ever been happier. "So, what now?" I asked, using the last of my courage to pose the question that inevitably had to follow.

"I don't know," she admitted and, as quickly as my hopes had risen, they came crashing back down to earth.

"Oh."

Undoubtedly having seen the devastation on my face, she added hastily, "Ordinarily I'd say that we should give it a shot but I'm leaving for location in a few days... I hate to say it but you were probably right when you said that now's not the best time to try to figure anything out, especially since things haven't exactly been great between us."

"I wasn't right about anything before," I said, shaking my head and stepping towards her. "I mean it, Soph, I--"

"Maybe not," Sophie agreed, cutting me off. "But I don't want to get hurt in case you change your mind. I mean, a couple weeks ago you didn't want to do this at all." Her smile had faded into a worried frown. I felt like she'd hooked me in the gut and thrown me in a bucket of chum. "Maybe we should wait, see how things go when I'm back."

"I'm not going to change my mind," I promised. I licked my lips. "And I don't want to wait anymore."

Sophie breathed in sharply when I tipped her chin up. She stared into my eyes and it was hard not to feel mesmerized by the seemingly endless pools of blue that watched me, waiting to see what I'd do next. As we looked at each other, I noticed the stunning flecks of gold that rimmed her rapidly expanding pupils. Our faces were closer than they had been the night before and the tips of our noses brushed briefly as I bent my neck and pressed my lips to hers.

As soon as our mouths met, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Nothing mattered except the girl in my arms and the warmth spreading throughout my body, from the tips of my ears to my blistered toes. My heart raced when the kiss deepened and I traced my hands down her sides until they rested on her hips. When she didn't protest, I pulled her closer until I could feel every inch of her pressed against my chest, almost as if we were molding together. I moved my hand to where the end of her shirt and the top of her shorts met, stroking the small of her back in teasing circles. She shivered slightly in response before wrapping her arms around my neck.

There was a longing hunger in her kiss like nothing I'd ever felt before and her warm breath mixed with mine as our tongues danced in a passionate tango of unleashed feelings. As I stood there relishing the kiss, an unshakeable sense of certainty settled over me. This--being with Sophie--was right. It had to be right. I'd never felt more sure about anything and I knew that I never wanted anything to come between us again.

I had no idea how long we stayed locked in each other's arms but when we eventually broke apart, the sun had risen higher into the sky and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light.

"Finally," Sophie said, laughing gently.

A girlish blush spread across her face, bringing with it a look of sheer bliss. I took her hand in mine and laced our fingers together. "I wish you weren't leaving," I said earnestly, wondering if an alarm clock was due to go off and I was about to wake up from a dream.

"Me too," Sophie replied quietly. I kissed her forehead and she offered a wistful smile. "But I have a few days left."

"When do you fly out?"

"I leave Thursday morning." Sophie's gaze met mine. There were so many emotions in her eyes: affection, hope, and a hint of something that looked like triumph. "I guess that gives us time to talk about things."

"Seems to me like we're already on the same page," I replied, amazed by how easy it had been to cross the line of friendship. What had I been so afraid of?

Sophie was beaming now and the skin around her eyes creased with amusement. "Well, then, we should really make the most of our time together, don't you think?"

"I definitely agree."

"Did you say you don't have anything to do today?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"That's what I thought."

And, with a coy grin, Sophie tugged on my hand and led me back inside.

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A/N: I've thought about this chapter for a long time (close to a year now, haha) so I hope that you enjoyed it. :3 With Sophie headed off to shoot her movie, the next few updates will shift the story focus a bit. (Hint: if you like Scott, you're in luck. If you don't, well, hopefully you will soon. :D)

Dedicated to @Azalea321 as thanks for sending me such an amazingly kind message. It meant a lot!