It was hard to believe it was already sunset by the time they had arrived at the lake. The lake itself was a common date spot and a hard location to get reservations for in either the cabins or the little weird yurt things but there was never a time when you weren’t allowed to visit the lake. A small sigh left him as he climbed out of the car and the two started towards the lake. Half of him was excited to see his old friend back but the other half was disappointed to see her in such a state. She must hate it, and people probably assume that she couldn’t do anything because of the crutches but… well that’s not who she was.

When Gray was younger, he had very few friends; well, honest friends and that weren’t trying to get something from him. The closest one was Monica and she was always against his help. “Let me help.” Was a common phrase out of Gray’s mouth, which was met with Monica’s common phrase, “I can do it by myself.” Sometimes that phrase was said a lot louder than others; but they would always be met with the same response from Gray; a chuckle, hands held up in ‘surrender’ fashion and a small step back. Of course, as every true friend does, as soon as she fell on her face Gray was to her side chuckling and helping her back on her feet asking again if she wanted help, there’s never been a time when he pulled her off the ground that she had answered ‘no’.

“Yeah… yeah it really is…” Gray responded when she mentioned how lovely it was. Though his attention wasn’t exactly on the lake as he followed her down the path and to the shore line. Who would have thought that the little tom-boy rebel girl he grew up with would turn into such a beautiful woman. He would love to see her in something a little more… ‘girly’, a dress or a shirt or something. She had really become an adult and there was no denying the beauty in front of him. Pulling a hand from his pocket, he ran it along the back of his neck and shook his head slightly as if to move the thoughts from his skull. That’s kinda… weird; where did that come from?

When she sat down, he kept himself standing looking over the waters with a long soft sigh. The last time they were here was the day before prom. Neither of them had a date and that’s when he sucked it up and asked her to be his date. Not because he couldn’t find someone else but because he didn’t want to find someone else. Monica was one of the few people he could be his goofy, awkward, nerdy self around and not feel like he was getting judged. Why wouldn’t he ask her to prom?! However, someone else could have wanted to take her so he waited until the last minute to ask. Turns out it wasn’t such a bad idea, they had a wonderful time and it was something worth remembering… except her disappearing after that; that was a topic worth forgetting about now that she’s back.

“Pppppffffffftttttttttt.” Gray said, blowing air through his lips before giving a small chuckled, “You agreed to the title of ‘best friend’; you’re stuck with me.” Flopping down next to her he stretched his legs out in front of him and placing his hands behind him for more support before giving her a small nudge with his arm. “Call it a blessing, call it a curse; be grateful or hate it, I’m here until the end.”

“Though… I do have a question for you.” His chocolate gaze turned back to her. Leaning towards her, he spoke softly. “I can’t help but wonder…” His voice trailed off as he got closer to her and put his lips ever so gently against her ear. “Why… do you… have flowers in your hair?” With that he leaned back, in his motions he had put some of the flowers around them in her hair and gave her a cheeky cheese grin. “They look good on you.”

Monica laughed, "I'm very grateful for you, Mr. Best Friend," she elbowed him back, just for kicks. She had always teased her friend about everything; from the color of shoes he was wearing with those pants to the girls who were crushing on him. Monica had always had a bit of a crush on her friend herself, and it was only in their senior year when she finally realized that her crush had lasted far longer than something she could truly call just a "crush".

Their prom had been wonderful; the night before, her memory reminded her, had been something of a dream for her. She had been asked, albeit quietly to the dance before Gray had asked her, but in the hope that her friend would indeed ask her she had turned the other guy down. Nicely, to the best of her ability. She had kept it a secret from Gray, as she felt that if she told him he'd feel pressured to ask her. He had asked her of his own free will though, in the end.

His sudden change of position caused her to look at him, and she found her eyes locked with his. Their faces were rather close, and she couldn't help but wonder if he had felt the same way she did. She fought her urge to lean in and meet his lips, and when she turned her head to the side she was surprised to feel the sensation of his mouth against her ear.

She didn't know what she was expecting from her prankster friend, and playfully pushed him away with a chuckle when he asked her about the flowers in her hair. She felt the back and sides of her head, and sure enough he had snuck some of the flowers into her hair.

"Cut it out," Monica smiled before brushing her hair back over her shoulder, "Of course I'd look great," she joked, and ever so slowly reached for the mass of flowers.

"But I bet," she leaned in slowly until her own face was inches from his, "They'd look great on you!" She laughed, throwing the whole lot of them into his hair. Monica was laughing so hard; she couldn't remember the last time she had found something so funny.

"You're so pretty!" she teased him, falling flat onto her back as her whole chest heaved with laughter.

"God, I missed you," she looked up at him for a good long moment before clambering to her feet. She supported herself on the crutches, and sighed a little, "We should probably get back. I'm sure there's some movies on TV or something," she smiled gently. It was getting a little chilly. If she was going to make a move, tonight would have to be her night to do it.

-----------

It wasn't long before the two pulled up at the apartment building, and made there way up to the woman's room. She opened the door, still laughing with Gray, and her mouth dropped open. Sitting on the couch, in a simple black tee and jeans, was Austin O'Connell.

The man turned his head, he had been busy reading and had only just noticed the door open. He smiled, revealing his neat row of teeth that matched just perfectly with his neat crew cut.

Monica stumbled into the room, her eyes locked on the man.

"S-sir? What're you doing here?" She questioned.

"Checking up on you, sergeant," his voice was smooth as stone, and in an instant he was in front of her. He was about to close the door behind her, when he noticed Gray.

"Who's this, Monica?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow. What was she doing bringing men home with her after a day? She was going to get herself into a nasty situation.

"Oh!" Monica had nearly forgotten her friend was still standing behind her, "This is a friend of mine, Gray Yin," she motioned to her best friend, gently touching his arm.

"Gray, this is Lieutenant Austin O'Connell," she introduced him, and he flashed a smile once more.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gray," his smooth voice was notably accented, probably from somewhere in Tennessee.

When she threw the flowers at him he laughed as well. “Are you kidding me? I’m the fairest princess in all the land!” Giving her a large cheesy grin, he brushed the flowers from his hair and watched her as she fell backwards against the ground. The look of relief on her face was one he was grateful to see. Then again, he honestly never thought he’d see her face again with how quickly she disappeared.

But that didn’t matter anymore, she was back and back in his life. When she healed up properly they’d have to go out and do fun things! Fun crazy adventure things like they used to when they were younger. Hiking out in the woods, climbing trees, riding in a rented jeep over the sand dons; all that good stuff! It was only a matter of time now. Plus, she was a strong woman; she’d be healed in no time!

The car ride back was fun, the radio played some of their classic favorite songs and Gray banged away against the stirring wheel singing along. Man it was just like old times as they sang and laughed and talked while he drove them from the lake back to town. Everything was so much fun and the only difference she seems to have is that she’s on crutches and that’s okay! Those will go away and they will be in their right places once again.

Even though the arrival at the apartment seemed to come too fast for Gray’s liking but they had all night to chit chat and watch movies together. This catch up time was something that he was really enjoying and something he felt like they both needed. That was until she opened the door to her apartment and they found a man sitting on her couch. If it wasn’t for how she greeted him, Gray would have put himself between her and the man.

“Did you forget to lock your door?” He whispered softly to his friend as the man approached them. The man’s presence was certainly one who commands authority but Gray kept his nonchalant manner about himself as he slid his hands into his pockets and allowed them to have their small discussion.

When he was offered a hand to shake, he exchanged just as firm of a grip as the lieutenant did. “Likewise and thank you for your service Austin.” His nod was honest and his words were sincere as he gave him a gentle smile and the men dropped hands.

His attention then turned to Monica. “Well, seems as though you have someone else to catch up with. Here.” Pulling out a card, he placed it in his friend’s open palm. “Here’s my business card, stop by my office sometime; I’ve got some neat things to show you.” Turning around he went to leave before stopping, his hand on the door. “Oh and my cell number’s on the back. Text or call if you need anything; see ya soon.” With that he shut the door behind him and began the track back to his room.

"Actually, I've got a key," Austin held the small thing up with a small smile. Monica was still a little puzzled by his sudden appearance and was just about to turn and try and explain to Gray. The man had already handed her a business card and was gone before she could say another word. She hadn't wanted him to leave; in fact, she'd rather have sent Austin off and spent more time with Gray. She tucked the business card into her pocket, and

As much as she liked Austin, his whole air and mannerisms just reminded her of a time she'd much rather forget. In her minds' eye she saw him as he had been once, with dirt and dust and blood all over his face, and small cuts that looked just deep enough to be painful. Her own face probably hadn't looked much nicer, and she found herself subconsciously checking to make sure she wasn't bleeding or dirty. She pulled her fingers away from her face and was relieved to see they were clean.

"What're you doing here, lieutenant?" She turned her attention back to his face.

"Please, Monica. Austin," he took a step closer to her, a smile on his face, "And I'm here to watch out for you. I've got an apartment just across the street, and the doctors gave me permission to get the extra key to your apartment," he grinned.

Monica furrowed her brow, "I'm fine, Austin. I can take care of myself," she almost sounded disgusted. "Besides, if I need help, I've got Gray," she motioned to the door where he had been standing.

Austin shook his head with a smile, almost as if he found her funny, "Oh Monica, Monica, Monica," he continued, eyes locked with hers, "He doesn't know what you need like I do. I'm going to leave you for tonight, but I'm going to be checking up on you often. Make sure you're ready for me all the time," he laughed, "Keep some clothes on. Or not," he winked, and with another chuckle left.

Monica was left dazed. It wasn't usually something the military did that she knew of; sending a supervisor for an injured soldier. Perhaps she had just never been in the situation before, so she wouldn't have known. She glanced at the business card she was holding onto. She'd have to go visit Gray right in the morning; she couldn't help but want to see him right away.

-------------

Luckily for Monica, the address on the business card wasn't too difficult to find. All she'd had to do was hop on the bus, then search a couple blocks. It wasn't awful, even on her crutches. She made her way into the building, but once she was in she had no idea where to go.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket, and for the first time in quite awhile decided to actually call someone on it. She plugged in the number, and when Gray picked up she couldn't help but smile at his voice.

"Surprise! I'm here, at your office. But I have no idea where to go!" She chuckled, "Care to give me the grand tour, nerd?"

“She said she didn’t have a boyfriend…” Gray repeated to himself as he leaned against the wall of the elevator. “Why would he have a key if they weren’t dating? That doesn’t make any sense!” Of course he didn’t stick around to hear the explanation. Maybe she was just afraid to introduce him to her boyfriend. Or maybe the relationship between a solider and their commanding officer was taboo. Hm… why was he worrying about it anyway? It was her choice and as long as she was happy than Gray had nothing to worry about her for. Except he felt this unexplainable pulling in his chest…

The next morning arrived without a worry for him and he did his morning routine to get ready… meaning hitting snooze one too many times on his alarm, sliding through his house jumping into a pair of paints and attempting to button his shirt at the same time. Spilling tea all over his kitchen floor, cleaning it up in a hurry and filling the rest into a to-go container and sprinting out of his house after locking his door. There’s a reason he keeps ties in his car and it’s because by the time he got on the road he’d realize he didn’t put one on. Even though it was his office and the people were employed by him, he always wanted to set a good example by dressing well and looking presentable --- despite his crazy, untamable hair.

“Good morning Gray.” She head security greeted him as he entered the building. “You… you have a flower pedal in your hair.” The older woman said doing her best to hide a chuckle as she mimicked where it was upon her own head.

“Well don’t you know?” Gray asked as he pulled the pedal from his hair and gave it a grin. His chocolate eyes twinkling as he tossed the pedal onto the counter. “I am the prettiest princess in all the land.” With that he gave her a nod and continued into the two story building. The building itself was nice, something comfortable and welcoming with two floors and three business meeting areas. His company works on various projects involving software engineering and he employs about 35 people who work hard and play hard.

“Hey good morning!” He called out to people as he passed, being sure to use their names. With only 35 employees it’s not that hard to remember names on individuals. As he waved he was greeted with smiles and waves in return; his employees were the best and he respected all of them.

The day kept him at him completely engulfed in paperwork and research. “Man…” He said finishing up his to-go cup of tea before running his hand through his crazy hair. This was a lot more difficult than he was expecting, maybe he should get someone else’s input on it… but everyone else has projects they’re working on in teams and he… well he’s by himself on this one.

After throwing a ball into the air for a good ten minutes, Gray’s phone began to go off. Grabbing with one hand and continuing to toss the ball with the other he picked it up. The number didn’t look familiar so he coughed slightly clearing his throat as he threw the ball again into the air. “This is Gray Yin.” He said in as professional of a tone as he could handle. But the voice on the other end of the line was shocking, so surprising that he actually lost his groove in catching the ball and missed, causing it to land with a thud on his hand. “Ow!” He shouted as the ball hit him square in the forehead. “Hi!... Yeah of course… I’ll be done in a minute. Don’t bug Linda, she doesn’t need to get any more sassy learning from you.” As if hearing her queue, Linda waved towards Moncia as a hello.

Gray hurried and cleaned up his office and put his ball. Rubbing his head he muttered something under his breathe about it hurting and hurried out of his office.

“Hello! Welcome to the office.” He said as he dashed into the lobby and slid to a stop in front of her. “Glad you came to visit. Shall we begin the tour?”

[didn't want to fast forward too much on you]

Monica took a look around the place; it wasn't unlike one of those family dentist offices: friendly, welcoming, but also here to get a job done. Gray had always been something like that, he always could get the job done, but before he did that he made sure he was approachable and kind on the outside. Sometimes, in the case of homework and studying in high school, the "getting it done" part took a little bit of a nudge from Monica. She chuckled at the memories before Gray picked up his phone.

"Wow, you even sound like a nerd," she poked fun at his professional voice, "But I like it," she teased, and waved back at Linda at the front desk when the secretary seemed to somehow pick up her name in the conversation between Monica and Gray.

"I'll do my best not to pass any of it on," she smiled into the speaker before hanging up and leaning comfortably against a wall before Gray came running into the lobby. She placed her free hand in front of her so to place it on his shoulder when he just managed to stop before slamming into her.

"You're a little ball of energy," she ruffled his hair playfully before moving her hand, "Oops, I forgot! We're in a professional environment now," she chuckled.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" She smiled, a carefree smile that only her best friend in the world could pull out of her, "Impress me," she raised an eyebrow and grinned.

A chuckle left Gray when she called it a professional environment. “Hey hey hey, just because I’m in a tie… which I look handsome by the way, I know you don’t have to say it.” He began playfully as he pulled on his tie and gave her the ‘prince charming’ look and smile. Of course that didn’t last long because he never considered himself anything like a prince charming but whatever. Doesn’t mean he can’t joke about it!

“Alright, be ready to be impressed!” With that he began the tour with a skip in his step. Even as they walked, he was stopped by a few employees who had questions for him. He proceeded to answer them with an utmost understanding and professionalism before introducing them to his friend and continuing on with the tour. As they walked away, he explained what each individual did and what they were working on at the time. There wasn’t a project that goes unknown or an employee un-praised under Gray’s company.

“Here we have the break room.” He said as he opened the door to reveal the room. The room was filled with games including a pool table and lounging chairs. After looking around there for a bit they moved on, “This is the quote ‘cafeteria’, you know me I’m not one for things like this but if someone forgets their lunch I don’t want them going hungry.” With that he opened the door to reveal the the cafeteria which didn’t ask for any money except if someone was willing to make a donation towards the front of the door. “This month donations go to building a new vet clinic for the town. So far we’re at $2,000, sometimes I think people purposefully forget to bring their lunch so they can grub here and donate money… or they really are taking after their boss and just sprint out of the house every morning. I’m not so sure.”

Leading her down the hallway he pointed towards three doors in a row. “These are the meeting rooms, looks like nothing is in use so we should be fine to go in.” With that he opened the door to room number one. “This is the professional room.” The interior made it very apparent. “This is where we bring new clients and visitors so they can see that we are a serious company.” With that he shut the door and slid to the next one. “This is our meeting room where we hold a staff meeting once a week in order to make sure everyone’s on task, offer help or suggestions and the sort.” With that he opened the door and revealed a much more modern looking meeting room. “It’s a round table because we’re all knights of the company get it? Get it? Huh? Huh?” He pouts slightly giving her a playful look. “Well I thought it was clever.” With that he closed the door and opened the last one. “This one is the fun room, when the groups get together they will traditionally meet in this room. It’s the fun meeting room and is always the first one to get snagged for groups when they need to pow-wow.” With that and a chuckle he opened the door to reveal the final meeting room. At this reveal he grinned with pride. “This is my personal favorite too.”

After that they continued on the tour. “Sadly the building isn’t big enough to give everyone their own offices so they are in cubicles but everyone gets to design their own cubical. You’d be amazing at how many people put grass in theirs.” He said with a laugh before arriving to his door. “And this is my office.” With that he pushed open the door to reveal his office.

His office, despite all the other rooms she had seen, was the smallest one. It didn’t have much in it and was rather simple but he liked it. Walking inside he offered her a seat across from his desk with a gesture of politeness. “I chose the smallest room for myself because there’s no reason for me to be in here too often unless I want to be alone. I’d much rather be with my employees and help them but this damn project has kept me tied to my office more than I’d like. The sooner I can get it down the sooner I can help the others.” He gave a small shrug and fell into his chair across from her. “How was your night last night…?” He finally asked the question that had been on his mind all day and all last night.

"It does look good on you," she wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling herself a little too close before backing off. She felt terrible for sending him off like that last night, and was determined to make up for it any way she could. She also felt terrible for sending him off like she did the night of senior prom. Monica had given him a quick hug, and had said nothing meaningful and nothing that she had really from the bottom of her heart wanted to say.

"I better be impressed! This place wasn't exactly the easiest to get too," she teased, and made sure to continue, "I'm joking! Thumbs up for accessibly." She gave him a thumbs up sign with her free hand. Monica stopped and greeted each employee that confronted Gray, and couldn't help but feel impressed by his ability to handle them. He respected them; they respected him right back. Monica had never worked in an office, and especially not an office that produced such innovative technology.

"Of course you'd have a break room like this," Monica chuckled. No little vending machines and small, awkward tables for Gray! He was a playful soul, and as they made their way around the building his whimsical eye was exhibited throughout the meeting rooms. He touched her heart when he spoke of the cafeteria that collected donations. She stopped him, and pulled him into a quick embrace. Monica couldn't help herself, he had grown into such a selfless and generous man, "You're pretty amazing, you know that," she smiled gently when she let him go.

"I get it I get it," Monica laughed, but only because it was Gray who was telling the joke, "You're such a nerd," she repeated.

"Of course it's your favorite," she pointed to the table, "It's got swings!" She placed a hand on one to test it out, and sure enough the seat rocked a little.

Monica followed her friend to his office, and gently shut the door behind herself before taking the seat he'd offered her, "A selfless nerd," she grinned. She didn't really like the idea of sitting across from a businessman in his office, but with Gray, she knew it was okay.

"I'd love to see if I can help you on the project," she laughed, "I'm not that smart, but I've got a little juice left up there," she grinned, and her smile quickly turned into a furrowed-brow frown when Gray asked her about her night.

"It was," she thought, "sad I couldn't stay up with you. Aus-- the lieutenant, I had no idea he was coming. He's intense to say the least. He just, something about him reminds me of a time I'd rather forget. I'm not sure when he'll drop by again, but stay this time. It would be better for me to face the big bad lieutenant with you by my side," she grabbed his hand in a reassuring gesture, and held it until he was ready to let go.

Gray’s head cocked to one side. She corrected herself as if they weren’t supposed to be on a first name basis. Was he reading the situation wrong? Maybe they actually weren’t an item. Maybe he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. “Well I don’t mind helping you stand up against the big bad lieutenant but next time, lock your door. That building doesn’t exactly have the best security.” His voice held concern in it as he nodded at her before placing his fingers together and placed them behind his head.

“Do you know, all these years later, you’re still the only one who calls me a ‘nerd’?” Obviously this ‘Austin’ guy wasn’t meant to be the topic of conversation and as far as Gray was concerned, he got the answer he was looking for. “I’ve heard genius, entrepreneur, ground-breaker, intellectual and the sorts; but never a nerd except from you.” Giving her a cheeky grin, he kicked his legs up on his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Is that just your special nickname for me or are you finally starting to fall for me?” He said giving her a cheesy wink as he causally laid back in the chair.

"Sure thing," she looked at her friend and rolled her eyes a little, "You know I can handle myself," she teased him, "Remember how much better I was than you in P.E.?" Monica had loved sports, art, pretty much everything that couldn't get her a good job or scholarship. She had been served well by her naturally athletic build in the army though, and the doctors had told her that she was lucky to survive. Had she been in any worse physical shape she would've most likely not been able to fight off the infection that had taken hold of her body when the wound was open. She'd lost most of that muscle and her limbs were far more scrawny then they had been once.

She grinned slyly at him, "Of course I'd be the only one to call you nerd. If anyone else started calling you that I'd have to think of a new name," she ruffled his hair, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"All those people are lying to you, you know," she laughed, "You're a nerd, nothing more and nothing less." Monica met his gaze when he mentioned her falling for him, her face serious. He was probably just teasing her. Now wasn't the time to tell him how she felt, she just knew it. If she said anything, he'd most likely just laugh her off.

The woman was able to hobble to just above him without her crutches as he reclined in the chair, and leaned close into his face. Her expression was serious, but her eyes were playful.

"Well, you see, I--" she gave his chair a light push just so that he would fall to the ground and laughed, "If you really want to know, I'll tell you later," she half teased, and offered a hand to help him up.

You can imagine his surprise when she got up and started to him. She’s joking right? He was joking, just playing around… yet seeing Austin in her house made him feel weird and that was a feeling he couldn’t shake. She was the same, yet different now. Now she really was a woman and as a man; he couldn’t help but look at her a little differently than he did when they were younger. Now… now was… different ---

Wait, what is she doing? As always, Gray wore his feelings on his sleeves and a look of shock moved across his face as she hobbled over and looked down at him. Her face was seriously and he found himself gulping in surprise but he didn’t move. Wait, wait what was going on?! What was she doing?? Now she’s leaning down, her face getting closer and closer, her voice as smooth as butter and he felt his cheeks start to go red. What was happening?! He swallowed hard again when she got closer and closer to him; he hung on her every word and waited for something expected-yet-unexpected to happen.

That was until his chair went tumbling to the ground and he let out a yelp of surprise. THUD, the young man hit the floor with a shocked look on his face. She tricked him! Obviously, the look on his face was one of pure surprise that she had tricked him into not paying attention to the point of knocking him out of the chair. Her teasing voice made him laugh hard, his laugh echoed through the little office as he looked up at her. “Oh really now…” He began as he reached up and grabbed her by the hand.

Instead of taking her help up he pulled her down to him and rolled over, pinning her under him with his hands gently holding her wrists next to her head. “Tell me later? You know I hate waiting…” A smirk moved across his face as he leaned down to her ear. “Though I have news for you…” Once to her ear he gently whispered, “You’re proving the doctors wrong, you just walked without the crutches.” With that he pulled back and grinned down at her. “That’s the Monica I know. Nothing can keep you down, no crutches, no injuries. And now you have me back to help you through. Next time I’ll have to get further away and make you move further.” There was a small bit of silence between the two of them as he stared down at her with a gentle, almost proud smile on his face to know that she walked, she actually walked.

The moment was, of course, interrupted by a knock on the door. “Gray, I have a question for you.” The voice of a young man echoed through the closed door.

A small, almost disappointed sigh left Gray as he gently released her wrists and climbed off her, only to reach down and help her to her feet. “Feel free to hang out in here, I’ll be right back.” With that he left her in the office, pictures and photos up on his family, friends, coworkers and the sort including the professional photo they had done at prom which seemed oddly placed near his computer as if it was important to him for some reason.

Now it was Monica's turn to blush. Of course, she had always felt a pull to Gray that had been more than just friendship, but she had always repressed such urges deep down inside so that she could at the very least remain his friend. He was confusing though, and when moments ago he had been laughing like the prankster he was, now he suddenly had her pinned. From such an angle, Monica discovered that he was far more of a man than she realized. They were two adults now, and it seemed like their relationship had matured despite the years they hadn't been together. She supposed that that happened to all relationships, eventually. Her lips curved into a smile after the surprised ‘o’ had disappeared, and she reached her hand up to run her fingers through his messy hair. She didn’t have to reach far, as he had leaned in to speak into her ear.

The realization that she had in fact walked over to him without the help of her crutches, something she never would've done before, shocked her. It must've been Gray's fault; seeing him always motivated her. Perhaps she subconsciously was reacting to his presence once more and that feeling was helping her heal the mental block she had when it came to physically healing. She smiled even wider, her eyes alight, "You're right, I did," she almost sounded as though she were reassuring herself, "What makes you think it was your doing, you little nerd?" She teased him with love in her voice. It really was his doing. No one else knew her like he did and no one else could move her, literally and figuratively, like he could.

Monica was about to say something else, or perhaps she'd just try and pin him instead, but a knock on the door just had to interrupt them. The woman took Gray's hand and pulled herself to her feet, before slipping herself into his office chair. It was nice and comfortable, and she kicked the leg that wasn't casted onto the edge of his desk, "Oh, I'll stay here, count on it. I might not even give this chair back," she stretched out in the comfy thing. The woman glanced around his desk; she didn't want to sneak around in his business or anything, but her eyes did wander to the pictures on his desk. He had placed their prom picture right next to his computer, and Monica couldn't help but smile. They looked so young, and so very happy. Almost like a couple newlyweds. She shook that thought out of her head real quick. She noticed a couple more pictures of them together with other friends and family members, and one of just her making some odd face. She picked up the prom picture, running her thumb lightly over her friend's face. Just seeing him in that picture, all those memories filled her with joy. It had been such a carefree time back then. She kept her hand on the picture, admiring every detail of it. The woman still had it in her hand when Gray returned.

"Look at this," she motioned to the picture, although he had of course seen it innumerable times before, "Look at how happy we are," she grinned, almost wistfully.

During the time that Gray was helping his employee, his mind wondered back to the woman in his office. She was, in fact, a woman now. They weren’t kids playing around anymore; they were adults and she had become a woman. His head shook slightly, trying to push the thoughts of her into the back of her head. Why were these thoughts coming up now? Was it because she was in the building? Because she pushed aside her fear of being unable to walk to stumble to him? Because she teased him? Maybe that could be something… or maybe he’s just overthinking things.

Finishing up with his employee he returned to his office finding her lounging on his chair holding their prom picture in her hands. A smile moved across his face as he shut the door and walked to the desk sliding himself onto it and sitting comfortably. “I’d say we’re happy like that now. We’re back together after all. There’s no reason not to be happy. And you’re starting to walk again. Nice time I’ll hold out a piece of chocolate and make you stumble your way to me. Soon we’ll have you running after me as I keep the chocolate away from you.” His voice was cheeky, matching the smile on his face.

Monica smiled as Gray talked about chocolate. She shook her head with a grin, "No need for chocolate, just seeing you is plenty for me," she ruffled his hair affectionately before standing up and grabbing her crutches.

"I should probably let you get some work done," she looked around, "If you actually do any work," she teased him with a smile. She stood quietly in thought for a moment, "How about I cook you dinner tonight? You can come over around seven," she paused and corrected herself, "Or whenever you get off, keep me company while the food's cooking," she smiled, "We can watch a movie or something afterward," she added. It would be nice just to relax with her friend, she'd wanted to be alone with him ever since their lake trip.

"I'll keep the doors locked this time too," she teased and pulled him into a quick hug before heading out.

------

Monica finally managed to make her way home with a bag full of various groceries; she was going to make as good of a meal as she could. She had purchased an assortment of spices and veggies, and some rice. It wasn't going to be anything fancy that she cooked, but she hoped she would be able to make something at least a little tasty. First she rubbed the chicken down in spices and threw it onto the stove to be lightly grilled, and while that was in progress she began to chop up some of the vegetables and marinate them in the chicken stock. After a bit she stuffed them into the chicken and popped the whole mess into the oven. The baking wouldn't take too long, but it would be long enough that she had time to chat with Gray for a bit.

Monica had picked up a couple pieces of drugstore make-up on her trip, and quickly applied some of it. She hadn't forgotten how to, but she had forgotten what it did to her face. It was nice to look even a little pretty, especially for Gray. It was odd, her strange feeling that she wanted to, had to even, impress him. She had just finished up a little more of her preparation before the tinny sounding doorbell rang. She did her best to hobble over to the door without her crutches, and succeeded much to her surprise. It really must've been Gray.

She opened up the door and smiled, "Come on in! Make yourself at home, nerd," she grabbed his hand and pulled him into an embrace as soon as he entered and the door had shut, "I'm glad you came," she smiled into his neck.

The day dragged on when Gray realized that he was going to go and hang out with Monica when he was done. Every question that his employees ask him seem to require all of his attention but take the longest time to complete. It was too the point when it hit 3pm that the young man was sitting at his desk throwing the ball back up towards the ceiling. Why… Why day?! Why do you have to be SO DANG LONG!!

After what felt like an eternity it’s finally hit 5pm and for the first time since the business opened, the employees were stunned to see Gray Yin sprinting out of the building and skipping most of the steps and stumbling to his car.

What to bring? What to bring? What to bring?! Soon Gray found himself standing in the grocery store looking down the isles. What the hell do you bring to a dinner?! Sure, Gray had been on dates, but dates involved going out and someone else taking care of the ‘needs’. Uh… Staring blankly with his dark eyes at the selection of wines he tapped his chin. Oh god… lucky for him, as he was about to pull out his hair, someone approached him and began to talk to him.

It wasn’t long before Gray found a small chocolate cake and a bottle of moscato wine to end the night with. [i]Not bad for someone who knows nothing about a whole ‘at home’ date. Though, it didn’t dawn on him until he left the store and got to his car that this… this wasn’t a date… Uh, glancing in the review mirror he could see the bottle of wine and the cake in a bag waiting for their chance to be used. Was… was he overthinking things?

Hesitation got the best of him when he stood out in front of her door. [i]Was bringing this stuff a good idea? I mean, this isn’t a date… it can’t be a date. This is just two friends hanging out after not seeing each other for a long time… two friends, two adults… with adult feelings and… being adults now….

His finger rang the bell and to his surprise she answered the door without being on her crutches. “Hey.” He said brightly returning the hug he received as soon as he entered the room. “Thanks for the invite.” As they pulled away from the embrace, he noticed she was wearing makeup and found himself dropping quiet with a bit of shyness. “I… I brought… dessert.” His voice soft and shy like as he holds out the chocolate cake and wine. “The people at the grocery store said that this would be a good mix for a dessert…”

Monica smiled at Gray as he began to fumble around and stutter with his words. It was so uncharacteristically strange on him, and yet instead of asking him if something was wrong and finding it weird she found his shy little voice adorable. The woman ruffled his hair, "Cat got your tongue, big shot?" She carefully took the cake and wine bottle from his hands and grinned, "Thanks for getting these! That was kind of you," she hobbled back into the kitchen, "Wait here!" determined to show off her newfound walking skills that were in reality quite shaky.

The woman had sat up a little folding table with a couple chairs, a little vase of flowers and a couple small candles. She was rather proud of her tiny apartment kitchen at the moment, and quickly pulled the chicken from the oven and the rice off the stove. She prepared the plates as nicely as she could; her stomach was rumbling and she was ready to eat with Gray, and set them on the table. She hobbled back and stuck her head back into the living room, "Okay, it's all ready now!" She grinned and beckoned him in with a couple waves of her hand.

Monica laughed and moved over to the side her friend was headed toward to pull out his chair for him. Her laughter grew louder as she grabbed his napkin off the table and tucked it down the front of his shirt. Her hands lingered on his chest and shoulders for much longer than they should've, and she gently rubbed the muscles in his shoulders before removing her hands and sitting across the small table with a small grin.

The woman placed her own napkin on her lap and began to eat. Her cooking wasn't half-bad; it wasn't exactly five-star cuisine but it certainly wasn't bad. She ate as politely as she could. It was odd, when they were kids she would scarf down a whole pizza in front of Gray but now that they were adults she felt bound to manners and etiquette, something she'd never felt in front of him.

This isn't a date, Monica, relax a little, she thought to herself before realizing she hadn't even attempted to start a conversation with the man.

"How was work today? Anything exciting happen?" She asked before taking another bite and holding his gaze with her own.

Oh man she caught on! She noticed he was stumbling over his words. Gray could feel his ears turning red as she turned away from him. Phew, now he had time to relax… or not. As she turned and walked away, he did what any man with half a brain would do, he watched. Boy, she had really become a woman and if she wasn’t limping or shaking she could have any man she wanted wrapped around her little finger just by her walk alone. Imagine how hard a man would fall if he knew just how amazing she was… well maybe he could speak from some experience.

Taking some time, he looked around her living room. There wasn’t much in it but then again she had just moved in recently but he couldn’t help but feel like she needed something assistance with her decorating. Hm… His hand rose up and gently tapped his chin as he gazed around the apartment. His pondering stopped when she called him and he ventured his way into her dining area.

Giving her a cheesy curtsy, Gray took his seat on the chair. But when she tucked his napkin into his shirt he felt himself holding perfectly still, his hands firmly on his lap as her hands lingered along his broad chest. God could he feel her heart pounding like a jackhammer?! His dark chocolate gaze never left her as she walked around the table, though he was fairly certain he was going to have claw marks in his legs thanks to his nails digging in through his dress pants.

It wasn’t until she started eating that Gray had calmed down enough begin focusing on his own meal. When she asked how work was he couldn’t help but laugh, “Well I had this crazy woman show up at my work today, calling me a nerd, rambling on and demanding that I come over to her house for dinner. You know the normal stuff.” He said with a chuckle before looking up at her front his foot and giving her a cheeky grin. “How was your day?”

Monica listened with a sloppy grin plastered across her face, her eyes never leaving his lovely ones. He had seemed extremely anxious, but perhaps she was just assuming he was because she was. And God, was she ever nervous. Monica was good at keeping her calm in a potentially embarrassing situation, but on the inside she wasn't at all as smooth as she wished.

"Normal stuff?" She teased him, "My my, you must be pretty popular with the ladies. At least the crazy ones," she chuckled before sipping her water, "You nerd," she smiled, and once more teasingly added, "I really need to find you a girl. You need some outlet for all that charm of yours," she flirted with him rather obviously. He might as well know how she felt, without her having to spell it out for him. However, she knew that men were almost always the same; oblivious to any hints, especially romantics ones, unless they came up and slapped them, or maybe kissed them, right on the face.

"I had a pretty good day overall," she began, leaning back jokingly and crossing her arms as though she had to really think about her words, "As usual, I busted into some random man's office, going on and on about whatever I could think up, and forced him to my house for dinner," she smirked and winked at him before adding, "I think tonight's catch was the best of all of them."

After finishing dinner, Monica stood and grabbed Gray's plate before he could even suggest helping with the task of clearing the table. She placed the dirty dishes in the sink before lifting the cake and the wine bottle from their places on the counter. The woman cut the cake into slices, a little on the large side, but hey, she was indulging tonight. She poured two glasses of wine, and hobbled the short distance to the table and placed their next course on the surface. When she finished giving Gray his dessert she grinned at him, "Voilà, monsieur," and gently ran her left hand against his back as she walked away. What was getting into her? Gray probably wasn't even interested in her as anything more than a friend, and here she was touching him as though she hadn't given it a second thought. She looked rather embarrassed as she took her seat once again, and stayed quiet for the first part of their second course.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," she piped up, "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, on the other side of town, and I was wondering if you and Lucky would mind getting me there?" She added with a teasing smile, "You didn't think I cooked for you just because," she joked. She would've cooked for that man any day, whether she needed a favor or not.

“Of course you caught the best of them all; it’s someone I approve of!” Gray said with a chuckle as he finished up his plate. It came as no surprise that Monica would take his plate from him without his help. He watched her as she walked away. God what was with his mind! He was tilting his head and watching her walk away like a perverted man on the streets. Shaking his head viscously he turned his attention to the table.

Gray, stop it… stop it… it’s Monica. Mon-i-ca! You shouldn’t be staring at her like that. He could slap himself for thinking in the manner that he was and yet… he couldn’t help it. He was pulled his gaze away from her as she turned back to come back to him. Her hand danced along his back and he could have sworn he let out a little squeak. This is crazy, just crazy!

Gray ate rather slowly as if trying to calm himself down. This was nut, insane even. His hand not holding his fork was gripping his pant leg so bad his knuckles were turning white. When she finally spoke his head jerked up, as if being pulled out a fantasy running through his head. “Oh yeah, I didn’t expect any of this for free.” He said with a chuckle as he finished up his cake and took a drink of the wine.

Letting out a small sigh he leaned back, pulling his hand from his knee he draped his arm across the back of the chair and raised her glass to her. “To a lovely meal, a lovely apartment and a lovely woman. Thanks for dinner.” With that he clanked his glass against hers and took a drink. “So what now?

"Cheers, but you exaggerate," Monica smiled cheekily and gently pressed her glass to his. It had been ages since she'd toasted anything; she couldn't even remember the last time. Perhaps during her senior year her parents had let her toast champagne at a relatives wedding or something. She had never really been much of a partier, so the taste of alcohol was almost foreign to her lips, "About everything except me being a lovely woman," she laughed.

"I was thinking we could take the old TV for a whirl," the woman laughed, "I even bought some popcorn," she waved a couple bags of the delicious, terribly artificial stuff in the air.

"I don't have any movies," Monica blushed a little; she had forgotten to rent something, "But I'm sure there's something on! Got anything at your place you've been just dying to watch?" She leaned up against the couch's arm after making her way into the living room once more. It seemed that even the dingy little apartment felt so much bigger, so much better, with Gray.