“Aria,” I called up the stairs to where the door to our apartment stood ajar, letting in all of the hot summer air, “Give me a hand, won't you?”  I dropped a handful of Wal-mart bags onto the pavement and started back to my car for more.
        “I’m working on it!  I can only find one shoe!” I heard her call back even though I couldn't see her.  Rolling my eyes, I wondered if she was referring to the pair of Gladiators that always got shoved under the edge of the sofa.
        Aria and I had been best friends since we were first graders which meant that we had been through everything together and, in turn, knew every detail about each other.  She knew I had a party girl streak and only liked fountain sodas; I knew she was a little OCD and, for some reason, always managed kick off her shoes in a way that caused at least one of them to lodge underneath the corner of our living room set.     
        After I carried the last of the bags to the foot of the staircase and locked the car, Aria finally popped her head out of the apartment, the summer breeze fanning her red hair out.  Behind her, Brenna held onto the corner of Aria’s shirt.  The little girl was still in her pajamas.  “Aunty let you stay in your jammies all day?” I asked Brenna as they came to help me with the bags.
        “Yeah, all day, mommy!” she squealed.  I scooped her up, along with half of the grocery bags, and wobbled up the stairs.
        The air conditioner was on full blast.  It was the middle of the summer, so I understood even though I was in a constant state of freezing, no matter what the temperature was outside.  I found my cardigan hanging off of one of the dining room chairs and slipped my arms into it before I started to unload the bags.  The groceries were stacked on the kitchen counter while everything else - the new summer clothes I got Brenna, some bathroom essentials, and food for Aria’s annoying excuse for a dog - were left on the floor.  “Go bring this to our room, okay?” I said to my daughter, handing her one bag.
        She toddled away to do as she was told and I continued to put things away.
        “Is this it?” Aria asked as she dropped her armful of bags onto the tiled floor, “It’s whatever was left at the bottom of the stairs.”
        I nodded, “Then that was it.  I didn't get the dog a big bag of food this time.  It was way too expensive.  He can wait until someone’s payday.”  Like he knew I was talking about him, the fat little English bulldog waddled into the room.  “Look at him, he doesn’t even need the big bag.  He’s obese,” I commented when he stopped at my feet, tongue out and panting.  
        “Leave Mumble out of this,” Aria said in defense of her little bouncy ball, “He is only a little overweight.”  She scratched the top of his head, “Plus, he is such a good boy.”  The dog wagged his tail.
        “You're such a weird child,” I shook my head.  I hated dogs.  How we ended up with a dog, I would never completely understand.  “Hand me those bananas, will you?”  We started a system and soon, the rest of the groceries were put away and the empty bags were shoved into a cabinet for future uses.  I carried the last of the stuff - a bottle of Brenna’s shampoo and a box of q-tips - into the bathroom and slipped out of my shoes.  “Brenna, where are you?” I called after peeking into my room to find she wasn’t in there.
        “On the porch!” she yelled back in her little voice.
        I didn't bother putting my shoes back on and I only slightly regretted that when the concrete burned my feet.  “You aren’t supposed to be outside without me or Aunty Aria, dork,” I said, “You know that.”
    “Sorry mommy, but there’s a little girl moving in next door!”
    My nosey child, I thought to myself.  “Is it a little girl like you or a girl that is older than you?” I asked because I knew she wanted to talk about her recent discovery so bad.
    “She was bigger than me, mommy.  Not three, like me,” Brenna explained in a way that didn’t make her seem like a three-year-old at all.  Then again, she always seemed older than she actually was.  She was my big girl and she loved when I acknowledged that.  “Do you think we can be friends, mommy?” she asked, her eyes diverting towards the apartment next door.
    I shrugged, sitting on the top step beside my daughter, “Maybe.”  I was about to say more when the door next to ours swung open and a little red haired girl, probably five or six at the very most, walked out, followed by a blond who appeared to be a little older than me, if that.  Hypnotized by his looks, I smiled like a dope.
    “Hey,” his voice flowed smoothly.  
    I sat there, tongue tied, while my toddler showed more courage than me.  “Hi!” her voice was so little compared to our new neighbor’s, “I’m Brenna.”  It was so hard to explain to a three-year-old that not everyone in the world cares what your name is.  
    But for some reason, the guy crouched down next to us and shook Brenna’s hand, “Hi Brenna, my name is Ryan.”  I guess you could say that was the moment I fell in love, even though I was definitely not the one to believe in love at first sight.  
    “Can I play with your daughter?” Brenna asked and, just as I was expecting the that isn’t my daughter speech, Ryan nodded.
    “Yeah, you can play with Lucy if she wants to play,” he answered.
    That was the moment I confirmed it was love.  First, he was nice to my kid.  Second, he had a kid of his own, so he wouldn’t be judging me for having a daughter so young.  “They can play with Brenna’s toys inside if they want to,” I chimed in, still looking a bit like an idiot.
    Ryan turned to the little redhead, “Do you want to go play next door while I finish unpacking the car, Luce?”
    The little girl - Lucy - shrugged, “I guess so, daddy.  Can Nana come?”
    Ryan laughed, but I wasn’t sure what was so funny until he added, “Princess, I don’t think they want to play with the dog.  Besides, who is going to watch our new house while I’m down at the car if you take Nana?” 
    “I guess Nana has to stay home then, huh daddy?” Lucy sighed and her dad nodded his head in response. 
    Wonderful, I thought, Another annoying dog.  In my mind, all dogs were like Mumble: fat and slightly useless.  Out loud, I said, “We have a dog, too, Lucy.  His name is Mumble.”  His name should’ve been Sir Eats-A-Lot, I laughed on the inside, Or Fattington Bear.  
    “Yeah, we have a little doggy!” Brenna squealed, walking over to grab Lucy’s hand and pull her towards our apartment, “He’s actually my aunty Aria’s doggy, but they live with me and my mommy, so it’s like he’s my doggy, too!”  They were both talking by the time Brenna practically yanked poor Lucy into our apartment and pushed the door shut behind them.    
    “Well, there goes my kid.  I guess it’s the perfect time to finish unloading the car,” Ryan sighed.
    I used the railing to pull myself up, “Do you need any help?  The girls will be fine; my roommate is in there, doing homework.  Besides, we have a ferocious bulldog to protect them.”  I nearly choke on the intense amount of bullshit in my voice.  It all came out as some fucked up sort of laugh that I tried to cover up as a cough. 
    Ryan flashed me the most stunning smile I had ever seen, “That would be awesome.”
    I followed him down the stairs, to the parking lot, where he opened the trunk of a beat-up Toyota.  There wasn’t much left in the car; we were going to finish it all in one trip, that was for sure.  “I’m Addison, by the way,” I said, twisting my golden ponytail nervously.
    “Addison,” he repeated.  The way my name rolled off of his tongue gave me chills, the good kind.  “So is Brenna your only?” he asked, handing me a clear container that appeared to be full of Lucy’s toys.  After I took it, he picked up the other two like it and started to lead the way back up to our apartments.
    “Yeah, my one and only,” I said.
    As soon as Ryan pushed open his apartment door, a blur of fluffy black ran towards me.  “Nana, go lie down!” Ryan’s tone was stern and the blur of black listened, flopping down next to a dark couch.  “Sorry, that is my mutt,” he apologized for the dog, “She’s a big baby at heart, I swear.  She just gets overly excited around people.”
    “It’s fine.  I’m, uh, not much of a dog person, honestly.”  They terrify me, I added in my head.  “Where do you want this?”
    “How can you not be a dog person?” he laughed, “Just look at that face!”  He gestured over to Nana who was lying, belly up, in the middle of his living room.  I had to admit, she did look cute…for a dog. 
    “Something about getting bit as a kid,” I shrugged, following him with the container until he told me where to put it down at, “I’m surprised I can live with a dog.  But Aria - that’s my best friend - literally cried until I let her bring home Mumble.  She even threatened to sleep on the front steps with him.”  
    Ryan raised an eyebrow, “What kind of name is Mumble?”
    “It’s the fat little penguin that dances off of Happy Feet,” I explained.
    “Gotcha,” he nodded, “I can’t really judge.  Nana is definitely from Peter Pan.”
    I grinned, “I know.  Peter Pan is my favorite.”
    Once Ryan dropped the containers he was carrying in what I assumed was his room, we both walked back out to the little slab of porch our two apartments shared and I couldn’t help but notice that he was staring.  My cheeks flushed what I could’ve only guessed was a lovely shade of fuchsia before I could even stop it; Ryan smiled.  “Why are you blushing?  I haven’t said anything yet,” he inquired.    
    I bit the inside of my bottom lip, “I don’t know.  It just happens sometimes, I guess.”  You’re a liar, Addison.  You know exactly why you’re pink in the face.
    He was beautiful.  And tall.  And muscular, but not in the big way; in the thin yet strong way.  He was exactly what I loved in a guy.  “I bet it does,” he winked.
    I tried not to blush again.  “Uh, I’m thinking we should check on the girls,” I stammered, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
    The air conditioner was still blaring when I led Ryan into my apartment.  Lucy and Brenna were curled up on the sofa with Mumble, a throw blanket pulled over the three of them, and a Disney movie played on the TV.  “You two having fun?” I asked.
    “Yeah mommy,” Brenna nodded viciously, “Aunty put on The Little Mermaid for me and Lucy.  Doesn’t Lucy look like Ariel?  They both have red hair!”
    “She does,” I agreed, ruffling her hair, “Lucy has pretty red hair, huh?  Like Aunty Aria.”  Brenna nodded again.  
    “Hey Addie, I need a ten!” Aria yelled from her bedroom at the back of the house before I could even say anything more to Brenna.
    “Uh, I’ll be right back.  Make yourself comfortable,” I said to Ryan, feeling a little weird that he was in my house.  The only guys that were ever in the apartment were there for Aria.  
    After he sat down on the sofa with our girls, I walked to the back of the apartment, white carpet squishing between my toes.  “What?” I asked, sticking my head into Aria’s bedroom.
    She was counting a stack of money, mostly ones with the occasional five, and hitting some buttons on her laptop, “I’m trying to order pizza.  I’m, like, a couple dollars short.  Do you have a ten or not?”
    I reached into my bra and pulled out the rest of my cash from when I went shopping that morning.  It was a whole sixteen dollars.  “I’ve got sixteen,” I said, “Do you really only need ten?”
    “Yep,” she held up a French tipped hand.
    I jammed two bills into it and went to leave, but something made me stay, “So, the little girl in the living room…”
    “Lucy?  What about her?  Except that she is utterly adorable,” Aria smiled.  She loved kids, especially because she could give them back to their parents.
    I nibbled on my lip.  “Her father is the dreamiest man I have ever laid eyes on,” my voice dropped to a hushed whisper and I could feel my face growing redder by the second.  
    Aria raised both of her eyebrows and grinned at me, “Go for it then, Addie!” 
    “Shh!  He’ll hear you, dumbass,” I said in a harsh tone.
    She rolled her eyes and then got that look on her face that I only saw when she had what she believed to be a brilliant idea.  “Invite them to stay for pizza!” she demanded.
    I shook my head, “Oh hell no.  I will pee my pants, literally.”
    “Do it,” she said again, “Come on, chicken.”  She punctuated her sentence with realistic chicken sounds; I couldn’t help but crack a smile.  Still, I stood my ground; I wasn’t going to ask someone as hot as Ryan to stay for dinner.  I just didn’t have the guts.  “Fine,” Aria finally said as we exchanged looks, “I’ll ask him.”  My face matched her hair perfectly, but as hard as I tried to stop her, Aria still beat me to the living room.  “Hey Lucy, do you and your daddy want to stay over for dinner?” she asked the little girl directly.  Aria knew how parenting worked:  it was hard to say no to a face as cute as your daughter’s.  
    I shot her a glare, but no one else seemed to notice.
    “Yeah, Mr. Ryan, can you and Lucy stay for dinner?” Brenna was hard to say no to, I knew that much.  
    Ryan looked up at me and that smile danced across his face again.  “Sure, Brenna.  We’d love that,” and he ended his sentence with a wink in my direction.
    My heart skipped a beat.

    Pizza was ordered and delivered by six-thirty that night.  As much as I loved pepperoni and olives on a tomato sauce and cheese covered crust, I couldn’t focus on eating; I couldn’t take my eyes off of Ryan.
    “Addison,” Aria snapped her fingers in front of my face.
    I shook my head, trying to get back with the program, “What?”
    “Ryan asked you a question.”
    I stared across the living room at Ryan for a second before muttering a quick, “Sorry.”  I took a bite of my pizza, swallowed, and added, “What did you ask?”
    Ryan laughed.  “No problem, I zone too,” he handed a napkin over to the girls who weren’t making as big of a mess as I thought they would’ve been, “I said, is Brenna’s dad in the picture?”
    I tried to hold back a laugh and managed to nearly choke on my pizza.  “If by ‘in the picture,’ you mean ‘dead on the side of the road,’ then yes, he’s in the picture,” sarcasm dripped off of my words.  
    Aria smacked me.  “What she means is that Trevor left her when he found out she was pregnant with Brenna,” she explained for me, “Which kind of sucks hardcore since they were best friends for so long.”
    Just hearing Trevor’s name gave me unwanted goosebumps; I just had to change the topic, “What about Lucy’s mom?  Is she around?”
    “She gets Lucy for two hours a week, but only if her mom is with her.  I don’t trust the bitch,” he answered.
    Lucy wagged her finger at her father, “Daddy, that’s a bad word.  Shame on you.”
    Aria laughed and I couldn’t help but smile.  
    “I know, princess.  Shame on daddy.”  He finished off his slice of pizza and reached for another.  Both he and Aria were on their second or third pieces and there I was, barely halfway through my first.  The nerves were eating at me instead.  “So,” Ryan started up the conversation again so we wouldn’t be sitting there like dopes in an awkward silence, “Did you guys graduate from Camillo High or are you from somewhere else?”
    “Camillo, class of 2010,” Aria answered for the both of us, “What about you?”
    “2008,” he said, “But Lucy’s mom was 2010, too.  I don’t know if you guys would know her…  I think she was doing drugs by the time she was a senior.”
    Aria reached under the table to give Mumble her crust, “Give me a name.  I knew the entire graduating class.”    
    “Susannah Thompson,” he said, “Kind of short, lots of red hair, always hung out with Lauren Patterson.”  His voice shook as he said Lauren’s name.  
    Of course I remembered both Susi and Lauren.  Susi was suspended twice during the second semester of senior year and didn’t get to walk with us at our graduation, but she still earned her diploma.  All I really remembered about her was when her locker got searched after someone started spreading rumors that she was on cocaine; turns out, it was 100% true.  I didn’t even remember Susi had a kid.  As for Lauren, I only knew her name because it was everywhere after she committed suicide the week before graduation; no one really knew why.  We all knew her face after that though.
    “Didn’t Lauren kill herself?” Aria asked bluntly.
    Ryan swallowed so loud, I could hear it.  “Yeah, she overdosed on sleeping pills,” he said quietly.
    “How do you know these things?” I tried not to sound rude, but I think it came out that way anyway.
    “She was my little sister.”
    Dinner was awkwardly silent after that.  I just didn’t know what to say after that.  I didn't personally know Lauren, but I knew what it felt like to lose someone.  My mom died when I was a kid and it still hurt, so I knew what Ryan felt.
    By the time it hit eight o'clock, Ryan announced that it was time for him and Lucy to go home,“Lucy, you still have to take a bath.  It’s almost bedtime.”
    Lucy frowned, “Can we come play again another day, daddy?”
    I expected Ryan to say no.  That he never wanted to see us again.  That Lucy would make better friends elsewhere; friends that weren't rude or nosy or prying.  But he didn’t.  “Yeah, we can come play again another day,” and he showed me that dazzling smile again, “Right Addison?”
    “Definitely,” I felt as though I couldn't get enough oxygen in my lungs, “Come play anytime you want, Lucy.”  You too, Ryan, but I kept that thought to myself.   

        Ryan and Lucy started coming over all the time.  They were literally over every day for the three weeks that followed.  It didn’t take long for the girls to become best friends and, with some help from Aria, I was beginning to try to reel Ryan in.  There was only a week until my 21st birthday and, after that, there would barely be two weeks before school started back up for everyone except Ryan, who already graduated with a bachelor‘s, and Brenna.  To Aria, all of that meant one thing: I had to make my move.  Immediately.
        “Okay,” Aria went over the plan with me on the Saturday before my birthday, “Here’s the plan.  Ask him if he wants to go see a movie or something tonight.  Tell him I offered to watch the girls.  Go home with him after you guys do whatever.  Have fun.  Be a teenager, Addie!”  
        “I‘m turning twenty-one in a few days, Aria,” I retorted, looking around to make sure Brenna was still in the other room, playing with her baby dolls.
    “That is exactly my point!  Go have the fun you never got to have,” she literally pushed me, “Go!  Now!”  
    I dead-weighted, leaning back onto my best friend, and Aria struggled to push me back up.  “I.  Will.  Not!” I argued, nerves eating at me from the inside out.
    “Yes.  You.  Will!” Aria shot back and gave me one hard push.
    I stumbled forward, having to grab onto the doorframe for support, “You’re an asshole, Aria Grace!”  
    “As are you, Addison Rosalie,” she smiled at me though, “But you know you’re going over there now and you are going to have a good time.”  She gave me another shove until I finally gave in and started towards the front door.  I was just about to turn the knob when Aria stopped me, “Wait a sec.”  I rolled my eyes and released the doorknob.  Aria pulled the hair tie out of my hair and shook out the golden waves with her fingers.  “There, you look hot.”
    Shaking my head, I went for the door again, “So I can go now, right?”
    “Yep, go on, my little swan.”
    I ignored my best friend; she was such a dork.  Before I could change my mind, I mustered up all the courage I could and knocked on Ryan’s door.  A part of me wanted to turn and run away, but before I could even decide to do that, the door opened and there Ryan was, still in his pajama bottoms.  “Hey Addison.”
    “Hey,” there was a moment of hesitation, but I channeled some of Aria’s sheer nerve and went for it, “Do you want to do something tonight?”
    “Something, like what?”
    Behind him, I could hear Lucy playing with Nana and the TV blaring some childish show.  I was quickly losing my nerve, so I rushed into it, “Like go see a movie.  Or rent a movie.  Or grab dinner.  Or…”  I was so nervous that I was babbling and I knew for a fact that when I babbled, I sounded like a complete idiot.  
    “Movies and dinner sound awesome,” he cut me off, possibly saving me from years of humiliation, “But I have Lucy…”
    I raked back my hair, tucking some locks behind my ear.  I hated my hair down, but if Aria insisted, then she insisted.  “Aria said she would watch Brenna and Lucy for us,” I remembered.
    “Sounds awesome.  What time?” his dark blue eyes watched me intently.  I tried not to look into them; it was like staring straight into the sun.  Blinding.  Beautifully blinding.
    “How does six sound?” I questioned, my voice shook with nerves as I waited for Ryan’s response.  “That way the girls can eat dinner together at my house.  I’m sure Brenna will convince Aria to make them macaroni and cheese.  She makes some bomb homemade mac and cheese,” my eyes kept moving; they never stayed in one place.  I was nervous; so very nervous.  Just being in Ryan’s presence gave me the most intense case of butterflies; they swarmed in my stomach and caused uncomfortable knots.  
    “That works for me.  I’ll see you at six.”
    After Ryan closed the door, I practically flew the whole foot and a half back to my apartment; I was on Cloud Nine.  When I fell onto the sofa and heaved a sigh, Aria squealed in delight.  “So he said yes?” she practically shrieked, bouncing slightly.  When I couldn’t find words, Aria beamed, “I just knew he would!  Oh God, Addie, what are you going to wear?”
    I blushed, “Clothes.”
    “Or not,” my best friend winked awkwardly at me; I shook my head.
    “I’m wearing my clothes, Aria Grace,” I glared at her.
    She flashed me an intense eye roll before letting a sigh escape her lips, “Fine.  Be a party pooper.”  She would’ve continued on, insisting that I just go naked, but Brenna walked out of our bedroom, right on time.  “Monkey, do you want to hang out with me and Lucy tonight so that mommy and Ryan can go on a date?”
    Brenna made some high-pitched noise to vocalize her excitement and hugged my leg.  “I love hanging out with Lucy!” she said, jumping up and down.  
    “Calm down, little girl,” I placed my hand on her head to stop the hyper rampage she was on.  When she finally stopped, I removed my hand and knelt down to be at eye level with my daughter, “Are you okay with mommy going on a date with Lucy’s daddy?  Ryan is a nice person, right?  You like him?”
    My little girl nodded so ferociously, her curls of hair hid her brown eyes.  “He’s really nice, mommy!  He might even be nice enough for you to go on a date with!” she giggled like the little girl she was.
    That meant a lot to me.  My most important person in my life was Brenna, so it was crucial for her to like anyone I even considered dating and vice versa.  If I wanted to date someone and it turned out that they didn’t get along with Brenna, it would just turn me off completely.  Besides, in my eyes, how could someone not like Brenna?  She was adorable and smart and funny.  “So you’ll be good for Aunty Aria while mommy goes out?” I asked.
    Brenna’s smile grew even bigger, “Of course, mommy!”  My little smartass.
    “Okay Brenna, you sit here and watch TV while I help mommy find something to wear on her date,” Aria gave my daughter a gentle push in the right direction and soon, Brenna jumped up onto the seat beside where we were.  “Hair down,” she decided, pulling me off of the sofa and leading me to my bedroom, “How about your dark shorts and that green scoop neck that makes your tits look fantastic?  Simple, but really adorable at the same time.”  She paused for a moment as she dug around my dresser for the articles of clothing in question.  When she found them, she threw them at me.  I went to start changing, but Aria made me wait.  “Here, you need this, too,” she said with a wink and handed me a pair of black lace panties and a matching bra out of my underwear drawer.      
    “What in God’s name do I need those for?” I was already pulling them on, even though I wasn’t exactly sure why.
    “What if you get laid?  Or he wants to see you in your undies?  Duh.”  Aria dug around one of my dresser drawers for my eyeliner.  “Come here.”  I sat down in front of my best friend and allowed her to draw on my lower lids.  When she was done, I glanced over to the clock on my nightstand: 5:52 p.m., it flickered.  My heart jumped up into my throat and began beating wildly.  Welcome back, nerves.      
    I straightened out my shirt and made sure my pockets were tucked in before turning to the mirror, “So?  How do I look, Aria?”
    She walked over to me, pulling the necklace I wore every day out of my cleavage and letting it fall onto the front of my top.  The little silver-and-diamond heart glistened in the light.  “You look so hot, Addie.  Ryan is going to fall head over heels for you,” she said with confidence.  Sometimes, I wished I had the amount of confidence that Aria did.  Ever since we met as kids, she had that immense amount of poise.  I had always been a little jealous of it and she knew it.  That night, I just hoped that some of it would rub off on me.  
    “Thanks again, Aria,” I slipped my feet into a pair of black flats and started towards the door, “You’re the best.”
    She flipped her hair dramatically, “I know.”
    “Brenna, mommy’s leaving,” I called instead of commenting on Aria’s snarky remark, “Come give me hugs and kisses.”
    Of course, the three-year-old obliged, throwing her arms around me and planting a huge, slobbery kiss on my face.  “I love you, mommy!  Have fun!” she said in an overly excited tone.
    “I will,” I promised her, “Make sure you listen to your aunty.”
    “I promise!” she gave me one more squeeze before pushing me out the door. 
    Lucy and Ryan were both on the front porch when I got out of the apartment; I almost collided with them both.  Lucy’s hair was sloppily braided and in her hands, she clutched a little backpack and a tattered stuffed giraffe.  “Go on in, Lucy.  Brenna is watching TV in the living room,” I held open the apartment door for the little girl.  After she said bye to her daddy and walked into my house, I pulled the door shut and turned to Ryan.  He was in a pair of jeans and a muscle shirt.  For others, it might have been really plain, but for me, it was perfect.  He looked so handsome.  “So, what do you want to do?” my heart was still racing, but I tried to play it cool.  
    “We can watch some movies and I’ll cook you dinner,” he suggested.  
    It had been a long time since someone other than Aria made me food.  “That sounds perfect to me.”  
    Ryan led me into his apartment.  The first thing I noticed about it was the fact that Nana wasn’t around.  
    “Where’s the dog?” I slipped out of my shoes and left them by the front door, a habit of mine that I just couldn’t break.  Ryan’s apartment had the same squishy carpeting that Aria and I had in ours.  
    “Joint custody,” he replied with a laugh, “My mom and sister like taking her sometimes.  They take Nana and my niece to the park a lot.”  We walked into the kitchen where Ryan offered me a beer.  “Oh wait, are you old enough for a beer?” he asked and another laugh fell out of his mouth.  I was falling so in love with his laugh; it was one of the things about him that pulled me in.  
    Shaking my head, I let a smile take over my face, “You got me.  I’m twenty for another week.”  I took a seat at Ryan’s dining table and crossed my ankles.  “I don’t like beer anyway.  It tastes like piss,” I commented.  It was the truth.  I had spent a lot of my pre-Brenna days drinking beer, but no matter how many cans of Bud Light I drank, I still never got used to the taste.
    “It kind of does,” Ryan agreed, “It’s good for after work though.”  I guess he saw that I wasn’t really interested in the topic of booze because he quickly changed the subject, opening the cabinets and fridge to investigate their contents.  “How do you feel about burgers?  Lucy thinks I make a pretty good burger,” he bragged with a grin.  
    “I love burgers.  They’re my favorite food group.”
    He pulled preformed burgers and some cheese out of the fridge and searched a cabinet for a frying pan, “You’re my kind of girl, Addison.”

    It wasn’t long before we were sitting on the couch together, eating dinner and watching some straight-to-TV movie.  I wasn’t sure what it was about, but neither of us were really watching it anyway; we were too busy talking.  
    “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, Addison?” Ryan asked out of the blue when he returned from putting our empty plates into the dishwasher.  His eyes surveyed every inch of me, from top to bottom.  
    The beating in my chest sped up, “You don’t mean that.”  Even Trevor, the guy I was with for so long and got pregnant by, never called me ’beautiful.’  But then again, I was pretty sure Trevor just thought I was a hot piece of ass.  It disgusted me so much; I wasn’t sure why I even stuck with him so long.
    “No really,” his voice dropped, “I just…”  He looked like he was contemplating something.  My guess was confirmed the moment he leaned over and brushed his lips against mine.  The kiss was so light that if I blinked, I would’ve missed it. 
    That was when my heart stopped.
    “I’m sorry,” Ryan apologized quickly, suddenly unsure of what he just did, “That wasn’t okay, was it?”
    I waited a moment for the beating in my chest to start back up again.  “No,” my voice fell to a hushed whisper, “It was more than okay.”  And it was.  
    Ryan touched my cheek gingerly before pulling me in again.  This time, however, he kissed me more urgently and even though I was a bundle of nerves, I found myself kissing him back.  He didn’t kiss like he was hungry; like Trevor kissed me.  Ryan’s kisses might have been urgent, but they were also gentle in a way and they radiated through my entire body.  I didn’t know what I was thinking after that, but as the kisses grew stronger, I grabbed Ryan’s shirt in both of my fists and allowed him to lower my body onto the sofa.  
    We continued to make out on Ryan’s couch for what seemed like several sunlit days, his tongue dancing with mine, until I finally mustered up some courage and did what I never thought I would do.  “Let’s take this somewhere a little more comfortable,” I murmured, running my hands down his body.
    Without hesitation, Ryan showed me the way to his bedroom.  It took moments for the door to shut behind us and for Ryan to gently push me down onto his bed.  “Are you sure about this, Addison?” his words held a small amount of concern.  He actually wondered if I was okay with what we were doing.  
    I tried not to seem so scared.  I wanted this; I wanted him.  “I’m sure.”  Before either of us could change our minds, I slipped my hands under his shirt and pushed it over his head.  I allowed myself to trail kisses from his mouth, down his throat, all the way to his belly button.  I stopped just shy of his waistband, causing him to release a small, throaty moan.  While Ryan was still trying to regain himself, I manage to free myself from the green scoop neck.
    Ryan’s eyes were on the black lace of my bra, so he didn’t notice when I undid the button on his jeans, but the moment I touched the zipper, I got his attention again.  With a little help, Ryan’s jeans met the bedroom floor and I discovered that he wore boxers, not briefs.  It took less than a moment more for my shorts to join the rest of our clothes.
    “You’re so beautiful, Addison,” Ryan managed as he pushed his lips against my earlobe and then my neck.  It sent chills shooting down my spine.  
    I didn’t know what to say back or if I was even supposed to say anything back.  Instead, I slid my hand between the elastic of Ryan’s boxers and his skin, moving the blue plaid material down his body so that he could kick them off.  

He was naked; exposed to the world.  I was still protected by the sheer fabric of my underwear.  That didn’t last long though.  Ryan’s fingers fumbled with the clasp of my bra for a moment before it fell to my wrists; I took my hands off of his abs long enough to let it drop to the ground.  I felt his hands graze my hips as he guided the delicate material down my thighs, his fingertips brushing just the right places and making my breathing grow heavier.
    I hadn’t been with a guy - in any way, shape, or form - since Trevor left, so it was almost completely new for me to open up like that to a guy, especially one I had only known for a short period of time.  But still, I found myself pulling Ryan closer, gripping his hips and losing my breath with every movement of our bodies.  The weight of his body on mine was a feeling I welcomed.  I knew it would soon be over; it couldn’t last forever, but for those moments, I was going to enjoy myself.

    We didn’t mean to, but we both fell asleep in Ryan’s bed, curled into each other and both still lacking clothes.  When I woke up, moonlight danced on the edge of the bed and I could feel Ryan’s body heat radiating off of his chiseled features.  I moved Ryan’s arm off of my middle and sat up, unintentionally causing him to wake up.  “Addison?” sleep coated his voice as he spoke my name.
    “Yeah, I guess we both fell asleep,” was all I could manage to get out; I was too busy trying to keep my eyes off of Ryan’s bare body.
    He pulled me closer to him, his chest on my back, and heaved a soft sigh.  “I thought I was dreaming,” he breathed and tangled his fingers in my hair, “I didn’t think being with you tonight was real.”
    “It was like a dream,” I agreed in a low voice, “Everything about being with you was like dreaming.”  I wanted to beg him to touch me again, like he did earlier, but I didn’t want to kill the moment; I wanted a relationship based on more than just sex.  Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if what Ryan and I were starting was going to be a relationship, but I didn’t care.  Whatever it was, whether it was love or just a fling, it was magical.
    Ryan nuzzled his face in between my shoulder blades, “I don’t know what it is about you, Addison, but I can’t take my eyes off of you.”  His words made me shiver.  
    I’m falling so damn hard for you, I kept the words to myself, locked in my head, but I wanted to say it out loud so bad.  Three weeks may not have been very long, but it was long enough for me to fall.  I was just waiting for Ryan to catch me.
    I scooted as close to Ryan as I could and breathed in his scent:  spearmint gum, cigarette smoke, and something that might have been some kind of Axe.  It was addicting; I didn’t want to move away.  “Hey Ryan,” my voice was just a whisper as he rolled over to face me.  He went to say something, but I cut him off, touching my lips to his in a gentle, passion-filled kiss.
    I could get used to this.