She didn't ever want to have to withdraw from any physical affection or any type of intimacy with him. Unless it was absolutely too far, she would probably end up only telling him that they shouldn't have done that. She wondered if she would have the strength to say no. Hopefully, it wouldn't be tested, but she would have to become stronger. She couldn't depend on someone else. She wasn't sure if he wanted a different relationship, and she wasn't sure how to react to that admission from him.

She wondered how long this crush would last. Would it stop if she didn't encourage it? Would it end after a while? Would it become love? "Thank you," she whispered glad that he had said that. She wasn't sure what the chuckle meant, but she was worried still. She supposed he should have apologized, but she felt that it was her fault too. It had been her idea to go dancing after all. "Well...at least we know how to slow dance," she sort of laughed through her tears. She didn't think either of them were in the mood to dance.

She could feel her composure slipping, and she didn't want to bawl like a baby in front of everyonee. Even worse would be having to come up with an excuse or explanation for the dance instructors. They would never allow teenagers in this class again if she reacted badly. "Let's get our stuff and wait outside," she told Eric. She began gathering her stuff, and she hoped that Eric would make all the excuses and grab her water bottle. Now that they were outside, she took a deep breath. A few tears slid down her cheek. Once she wiped them away, she knew she was done crying for now.

~~~~~~~

Kai and Eric continued to become closer. She had stopped asking him to prom. After those rumors she didn't want to feed them anymore, and she understood if Eric didn't want to go. She didn't want to pressure him into doing something that he didn't want to do. She believed that she wanted to go still, and she hoped that he would ask her. She wasn't sure if she should wait for him or accept any guy's invitation. After he had admitted his feelings for her, she had sort of expected something to change.

She hadn't changed her behavior. At least she wasn't being weird or more awkward than normal, but she felt that both of them were a little more careful after their talk. They were more intentional with their physical touch, and paid attention to what they were doing. She was more careful not to flirt with him. While she still joked and teased him, she realized that was one thing she needed to stop. They still hung out the same amount, but she felt they were both more aware and cautious.

She kept hoping that he wanted something with her, and that he was going to do something. He hadn't done anything yet. She kept telling herself that they hadn't been friends long. Perhaps he was scared that it would mess their friendship up. It was a valid reason, but she didn't want to live in fear of that. Even though she hated being afraid, she kept on being afraid that he didn't really like her. Perhaps he decided that he was happy just being friends. He might have started liking her only platonically.

She was glad that the rumors were finally dying down. Every now and then they would get a look, but most of the time nobody paid attention to them. It was a relief, that she would probably be able to go to the prom without worrying about everyone hating on her. She knew they would eventually. Even though she and Eric had hung out a lot, they hadn't really given them anymore reasons to spread rumors. They were finally getting tired of repeating the same thing to each other.

As she was retrieving some books from her locker, she shut it, and all of a sudden Daniel was visible. Her eyes widened for a moment not expecting to see him. "Hello, what are you doing here?" she asked him. Since he was right there are her locker, she considered that he had come here to talk to her, but dismissed it as silly. They weren't in the same friend group or friends. She hadn't spoken to him, since the party. How had he snuck up on her? Was she that oblivious?

"I came to talk to you," he told her after a brief smile. "Do you have a date to prom yet?" he asked her.

Her eyes widened slightly again. Why was he asking her?

"Why do you want to know? I don't think that's your business," she told him.

She knew it was a little short, but she was annoyed by this question. She kept hoping that Eric would ask her, and she was a little sad that no one else had asked her either. She knew she wasn't the most popular or pretty, but she felt that she held her own.

"Uh....I was going to ask you to prom, if you didn't have a date," he explained to her.

"Oh," she said blankly.

What was she supposed to say? You are my second choice. Would you mind waiting to see if my first choice is going to ask me? "I'm not sure how to say this. I really do want to go to prom, and I wouldn't mind going with you, but there is someone I hope will ask me. I'm sorry," she said hoping that explanation wasn't too transparent. Prom was coming up soon, and she wanted Eric to ask her soon. She needed to know if she would be able to go to prom, so that she could begin shopping for a dress and shoes.

She wasn't sure if Daniel would consider asking her later and waiting or if he had a list of girls he was going down.

"Why don't you ask the guy?" Daniel asked her. "Do I have any chance with you?" he asked her. "I would be willing to wait for an answer," he offered.

Her eyes widened as she realized that she could ask Eric. She felt that she had spent most of the time pushing their relationshp, and she really wanted Eric to ask.

"You are willing to wait for me," her voice sounded puzzled.

They weren't close. Why her?

"I'll think about it," she told him. "Sorry, I'm just not sure. Thanks you for honoring me and asking me though," she apologized.

"I guess I'll see you around," he began to back up, as he headed off.

"Yeah," she agreed with a small smile.

She finished grabbing her books from the locker, and shoved them into her backpack. She realized that the conversation had taken valuable time. She took off at a run for her class.

After his confession and their little talk inside the studio, Eric could plainly see that Kai was really struggling to keep herself together. He felt bad, and he didn't know how to help. He'd done enough damage, and he didn't want to slip up and do any more by accident. He was glad that she was wanting to leave, because neither of them really seemed in the mood anymore. She started to gather her stuff up, and so he slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed her water bottle. "I'll be right back," he said quietly to her.

The music was still playing, and it was a bit awkward for him to maneuver through the mingling couples without touching any of them by accident. He went up to one of the instructors, thanked them for their time, and told them that they had to leave. He gave the excuse that he and Kai hadn't realized how long the class would be, and they were running late for something.

The instructor thanked him as well and said goodbye, leaving him with the statement that they could come back anytime. He was silent as they walked outside, and stayed silent as he saw her tears fall down her cheeks. He wasn't sure what to say or do, for fear that he would overstep.

I'm sorry Kailey. he thought to her, leaning up against the wall of the building. I never meant to make you cry. Seeing her tears gave way to his own, and for a moment he stood leaning against the wall, a few tears escaping his eyes, before he brushed them away and told himself to pull it together.

He may have slipped up this evening and ruined their fun time, but he promised himself then and there that he would try his best not to mess up anymore, even if it meant throwing his feelings for her under the rug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little over a month had passed, and during that time Eric and Kai had grown closer as friends. He was more aware of his physical touch, and he kept his feelings at bay when around her. He didn't know how she felt, and with her dialing back on any flirty comments he was really left blind. He came to the conclusion that she only liked him platonically, so he really had tried his best to reciprocate that feeling. But it was a lot harder to do than he had anticipated.

When he spent time with her, he had developed a talent for shoving his crush and feelings aside and pushing them to the very back of his mind in order to keep his promise to her. But at home when he was alone, he often spent hours awake at night, tossing and turning just thinking about her, unable to rest.

One good thing that had come out of all this was that his father had noticed his improved grades. Eric's test scores were higher, and his C and D average was now lifted to a B. Kai's studying lessons really were paying off, and he was grateful for that. At first, David Godfrey had been furious upon finding out that Eric was still spending time with her, even after the beating that he'd gotten. But when he began to realize that his son's grades were lifting, and when the teachers continued to give praise to Kailey for helping a student in need, David's view on her slowly began to change.

Kai still hadn't really come to Eric's house much over the course of the month, simply because last time had been quite traumatizing for her. But his father in the few times he'd seen her since had been kind, and he even apologized to her for his actions previously. When he wasn't drunk, Eric's father could be a quite nice and decently respectable man, and sometimes he was fun to be around. But those times were few and far between, and for her safety and his own he refrained from inviting her over much.

This morning so far had been kind of a rough one. He'd woken up early, showered and gotten in his car at his normal time to go to school, but traffic had slowed him way down. By the time he'd gotten to school the first bell had already rang and he found himself speedwalking down the halls to get to his first class. The first two classes had gone decently well, and he'd started the habit of taking notes like Kai had suggested to him in one of their studying sessions.

Those notes helped greatly when it came to studying and test taking, and he internally thanked her every time his test came back with a grade higher than a C. The bell to switch classes rang loud, and all the students rose from their desks, packing up their things. Eric had weights next, so he needed to hurry and get to the gym.

He made his way down the hallway, and stopped short at a peculiar sight. He noticed Daniel standing next to Kai, the two talking. From where he was at he couldn't hear what they were saying, so he moved closer, walking slowly by. So far neither of them had noticed him passing.

"Uh....I was going to ask you to prom, if you didn't have a date," He overheard Daniel saying. Eric's heart did a little flip and then drop upon hearing those words, and he found himself not wanting to hear her answer. But...he needed to know, didn't he? He'd kind of given up on the idea of going to prom, especially since she had stopped asking him. The rumors had died down since then though, and he supposed maybe he could give it another shot. But if she said yes to Daniel...

"Oh," she said. "I'm not sure how to say this. I really do want to go to prom, and I wouldn't mind going with you, but there is someone I hope will ask me. I'm sorry," This confused Eric all the more. Okay, so...she'd politely refused Daniel's offer. But who was the guy she was waiting for to ask her? It wasn't him, was it? It couldn't be him. But she had been the first one to ever bring it up....and she'd been the one asking him all along...

Maybe it was him she was talking about. He had hope that it was, and he would consider thinking about it. But he still had doubts. What if it wasn't? What if he got shot down and denied the request?

He shook the worries off his shoulders and decided not to think about it. But weights class proved to be a different story. For the first half of class, it went as normal, but the last half he overheard Daniel speaking to some of the other guys. He was telling them how he'd asked Kailey, and told them what she'd said. Eric also overheard him saying that he was willing to wait for her.

Why? he wondered. As far as he knew Kailey and Daniel weren't all that close. Does he like her too? Maybe he liked her for the same reason that Eric had in the beginning. Maybe he just thought she was pretty. Pretty, and a possible hook up for after prom. The thought made him sick, and the simple idea of that pushed him to do what he had been planning to do from the very beginning.

I'm going to ask her. he thought. Before anyone else does, and before she makes the decision about Daniel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day at school, Eric made sure to keep his ears open for any gossip or rumors about who Kai was going with, and what Daniel was up to. So far he hadn't heard any clues as to whether she'd made her choice or not, so he was in the clear.

He'd stayed up pretty much all night figuring out how to ask, and now he was prepared to do just that. He refrained from talking about prom with her all day simply for the surprise factor. When school was let out, he caught her at her locker.

"Hey," he said. "Are you free this evening?" he asked. He really hoped she was. It was the middle of the week, surely she had no plans. "If you are, would you want to hang out later?"

To his excitement (and nervousness) she'd agreed to meet him, and the two walked down to the park. He wondered if she would suspect anything, since he didn't bring Gunner with him this time. He usually always did when they went walking in the park. He made normal conversation with her the entire way, asking her how she was and slowly coming around to bringing up prom. He'd brought his bag, but that was nothing unusual, since he usually brought it to carry water bottles or snacks for them both.

But this time he'd brought something else inside. It was late enough in the evening that the sun was beginning to set, giving off a nice warm pink-orange glow on everything beneath it. "So I heard Daniel asked you to prom yesterday," he said casually. "But I haven't heard what the for sure outcome of that was."

He knew by now that she recognized where he was taking her, and he wondered if she was starting to piece together what was happening. The two were walking down the trail that led to the beautiful little spot where they'd really talked for the first time. Once there, he led her slowly to the bench that they had sat in that first day of meeting, and gestured for her to sit.

However, he stayed standing. He slid the bag off his shoulder, looking down at her and trying his best not to get too nervous. He had a small smile on his face, his eyes alight with nerves, excitement, and slight orneriness.

"So since I hadn't heard what your final answer was..." he said quietly. "I was wondering if..." He opened the bag and pulled out a small bunch of roses, some bright red, some pale pink, and some white. Tied to the stem of the biggest one was a small plain card, and written on it in fancy curved writing was the phrase,

Will you go to prom with me?

He handed it to her, smiling a bit nervously now. "If maybe you'd want to go with me?"

"I may or may not have overheard him asking you," he answered her first question a bit guiltily. "And then in weights he was telling all his friends."

Eric didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her reaction. Or both. She instantly was on her feet and embracing him in a hug, and it took him by surprise that she'd actually said yes. He wasn't sure why he was surprised, but he had kind of been expecting her to politely turn him down like she did Daniel. For a moment he just stood there in shock, and then slowly embraced her back. He was surprised as well to see tears rolling down her cheeks, and he felt the impulse to cry just seeing her tears.

He smiled a little at her complaint as she tried to keep everything under control, and he for some reason found it cute. He noticed her brief hesitation, and once again was taken slightly aback by her burying her face in his chest. She started speaking, and he had to listen carefully because her voice was muffled. He felt tears spring to his own eyes, and he wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was because she was crying, and because he cared about her, it made him cry too.

"I'm sorry," he apologized gently. "Kailey of course I still have feelings for you. I've just...I don't know how you feel so I keep it hidden." She asked him why he had waited so long, and he pulled her closer, glad to finally be able to hug her tightly without fear of being told not to. "I was scared." he admitted softly. "I didn't know if you still wanted to go or not, and I was scared that you'd say no..." he trailed off.

"I didn't hear anything about you saying a for sure yes to Daniel so I just...I took a chance." He smiled a little, pulling back so he could look into her face. "I guess I maybe was a little bit jealous and didn't want you going with him." He made a face, one that read perhaps he shouldn't have said that. He chuckled softly. "But I mean...I remembered you asking me awhile back if I wanted to go, and in all honesty I was planning to ask you back then. But I quit and gave up because of the rumors and stuff. But now...it's died down and I guess maybe I was a little bit selfish."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "Was I the guy you were wanting to ask you? Or did I just ruin your hopes and dreams and some other guys plan?" He laughed a little, pretty sure what the answer was but still a little anxious just in case. He didn't want to be that guy. That guy that ruined and interfered with other's love lives. "I wasn't sure how to ask you exactly, so I hope this wasn't too bad."

He'd figured it'd be a nice and sweet sentiment to go back to the place where they'd had their first real connection. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if she would pull away or tell him no, but he didn't think it was that big of a deal. Besides, she'd done this before they really knew each other well at all, so he hoped she wouldn't say no.

He reached out and gently took her hands in his, the flowers completely forgotten. "Maybe that one day of dance class will pay off, huh?" he said, smiling and wiping a couple of her tears away.

She smiled a little as he admitted that he had overheard. She hoped he didn't mind that she hadn't said anything. It made her a little uncomfortable that Daniel had talked about it in the weights room. She might inquire further into that later, but she didn't think it was important right now.

She hated crying. Sometimes she had a feeling she did it, because she was being slightly manipulative. Tears always made people pay attention, and they would actually listen to her. It always made people more sympathetic too, so that they would be more willing to listen to what she said. She wondered if she was pushing things again. She was confused and not sure how to react. It was a lot of emotions. She wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking either. She found that she was pressed into his chest mostly, because she was trying to hide her tears.

It was probably pointless, because he most certainly could feel the tears. "Ugh. I'm obviously not a very good mind reader. How did I miss it?" she continued to speak. "I don't know. I was confused. I wasn't sure what you wanted. I guess I should have just asked, and I was scared too," she began babbling. She relaxed as he returned her hug, and she found that she was enjoying it. "After all of those rumors, I wasn't sure if you wanted to go. I didn't even know if you wanted to go in the first place. I guess I sort of felt odd always asking you at first, and I didn't know if you actually wanted to go," she continued to babble.

"I guess I should have guess that you were nervous too, but I never got a hint from the thoughts that I can't ignore, and I didn't want to pry, because I know you don't like it, and it's rude," she didn't even know what she was saying. She was really glad that she hadn't said yes to Daniel. "I am really glad you took that chance," she pulled back so she could look into his face. She wasn't sure if he should mention that she had been considering not going to prom at all. Would it put pressure on him or make him feel flattered?

She felt really dumb and clueless for someone who could read minds. Her eyes widened a little at him admitting to being jealous. "Was there any reason I shouldn't have gone with him besides you liking me?" she asked. She still had her own little hunch and she wondered if he had any similar thoughts. She smirked at him as he looked like he regretted saying that. "Somehow I find that sweet," she chuckled. She was pretty sure that he hadn't been adverse to going with her, because he had never said no, but she hadn't been a hundred percent sure.

While she had been trying to make him feel wanted by asking him like that, she felt like it had had some negative effects on her. She had been faking it, and it started becoming true. Since he never committed it had caused her to worry more. "How are you being selfish?" her head cocked to the side. What was negative to him asking her? She was relieved the rumors had died down for so many reasons. Among them was they wouldn't have been able to go together.

Her face took on an astonished offended look as he felt the need to clarify. His face was apologetic, and she felt guilty that he still wasn't certain. With much enthusiasm, she began, "Of course it's you. I haven't been hanging around any other guys. At least not regularly. I've asked you multiple times, and I just said yes," she stated reasons he should think that. "You were really sweet," she smiled at him. "You did it just right." She stilled even more, when he wiped away the tears.

Gently, she took his hands and squeezed them for a moment. "Yeah," she sort of laughed and it sounded odd, because of the tears. She sighed not sure if she wanted to say this. "Oh yeah...I forgot. I was about to waste that dance lesson. If you didn't ask me sometime soon, I was going to give up on prom," she told him. "I decided prom wasn't worth going to with anyone else," she told him. She wondered if that was too much or what. Her face became a little nervous after telling him that.

He let out an amused breath as she stated that she wasn't a very good mind reader. He found himself smiling at her babbling, partly because it was cute and partly because he was relieved that she seemed to be reciprocating at least some hint of feelings beyond friendship towards him. At least, he thought she was. He still wasn't one hundred percent sure, and he didn't want to push it too far by asking or doing something that could push her away instead of pull her closer.

"I didn't know his true intentions," he said quietly in response to her question. "I just know the type of crowd he hangs with and I didn't want anything bad happening to you." He paused. "But also because you're my best friend and...I wouldn't want you to go with someone who may not treat you with the respect and love you deserve." He shrugged. "There's a lot of other reasons, but those were my driving forces I suppose." he said with a small chuckle.

He kind of dipped his head at her as she said she found it sweet, and for a brief moment he knew he was blushing. But the sunset was illuminating his outline and warping the colors, so it would be a bit hard to see. He was thankful for that. His normally bright icy blue eyes now seemed to appear almost a forest green as the yellow hues reflected off of them.

She asked him why and how he was being selfish, and he just shrugged cutely. "I don't know," he mumbled a little, sounding a couple years younger than he actually was. "I guess because I'm kind of robbing you from going to prom with anyone else." he said. "I mean, I wouldn't want you to go with someone shallow minded, but...this is also me we're talking about, and I guess I'm kind of scared that I'll mess something up again." he confessed, his heart starting to beat faster.

"I don't do well in crowds, my anxiety peaks too easily, and...what if...I mean what happened at dance class..." he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. "I don't want to push you away." He whispered, looking at the ground. He was glad to know that it indeed was him that she'd wanted to go with and was willing to wait for, and he found himself incredibly happy as well that he'd taken that chance.

She pointed out a couple reasons why he should be thinking that, and he gave her a smile. She took his hands in her own and he felt relieved that he hadn't overstepped. She said that if he hadn't asked her...she wouldn't have gone to prom. The emotions that knocked into him from that statement alone should have been enough to knock him over, but instead he stood there, looking at her for a moment longer.

A question hung on his lips, one he really wanted to ask. But he knew it was too soon, and he didn't want to push her away. He wanted to ask if she was developing feelings for him as well, because he was starting to sense that she was. He knew that his plan for prom was to possibly ask her to be his girlfriend, but he needed to know how she felt before he attempted that.

He felt like they knew each other pretty well by now, and if she didn't flat out admit her feelings towards him, he would be watching and gauging her actions and words more closely from here until that night, just so he would know if he should make a move that big or not. He felt like he was mostly ready for a committed relationship, but he really needed to at least feel 90 percent sure about her feelings towards him before he made his choice. He didn't want to risk a friendship like this one over uncertainty.

"Well I'm really glad I asked you then," he said quietly, giving her a shy smile. "Especially since you seemed to want to go pretty badly earlier this year." He didn't want to rob her of that chance. "So I guess we'd better get to shopping, huh?" he said, his eyes alight with orneriness.

"Once you get your dress, I'll match my tux." he told her. "Just....when we're there....don't let me die." He referenced back to when they were at the party together. "You're going to one hundred percent be my anchor for this." he teased.

What if somebody didn't respect her like he did? While she was excited to have physical intimacy with somebody someday, she didn't like the idea at all of not being completely willing. She was glad that Eric couldn't read her mind at that moment. She gave him a small smile, "Those are good reasons." It was hard to see in this light, but if she had to guess her compliment had made him blush again. She couldn't help smiling a little, as he explained to her why it was selfish. She was amused at how childish he sounded, when he mumbled.

Her head cocked, because that was the oddest explanation she had heard. If she didn't want to go with him, she wouldn't have. She understood why he was afraid, but she had known that he had crushed on her since they started their friendship. If they could do that without too much weirdness, she doubted that if they ever got together and then broke up that there would be the same awkwardness that there would be for other relationships. "Hey. I'm your friend. I'm here for you on your good days and bad days," she reminded him.

When he mentioned the dance class, she hadn't thought of that. "You won't mess anything up," she told him. She couldn't think of anyway he could. She felt sure that whatever happened she would be willing to work through it with him. He was so worried, and she wanted to comfort him. She knew her face took on an odd look for a moment, as she considered a rather drastic action. Her gaze was focused on his lips for a moment. The feelings inside of her urged one small gentle kiss. She could wrap one arm across the back of his neck and pull him towards her.

It would be done rather easily. Her head told her that was foolish. She had told him that she wouldn't do something like that with someone unless she was in a relationship with them. That would certainly confuse him and throw away her word. She changed the focus of her gaze and tried to think about something else. She tried to hide her smile, as she observed how stunned he was by her confession. She hoped it was a good thing and not a bad sign. Because of her height, she hoped that him holding her hands would keep her from doing anything foolish.

She felt his wave of astonishment, and they were looking at each other in silence. She wondered if he would ask the obvious question. If he wasn't even sure that she wanted to go to prom with him, he would definitely be wondering if she liked him or not. She was surprised, when he didn't ask. While she wasn't sure if she should tell him, she would definitely tell him if he asked. She wasn't exactly sure what the differences were between a relationship and a friendship, but she personally didn't think she would have any problems with commitment.

They might have other problems, but she didn't think that would be a problem for her. She always tried to be loyal to her friends. Ever since they had become friends, she found that she spent the greatest amount of time with him. Being in tuned with others did help with her loyalty. She also was more aware if a friend was feeling left out or lonely. She smiled at him as he mentioned being glad that he asked. "I did want to go, and I still do, but I realized that there are more important things than just going to prom," she shrugged.

She gave a giggle, "Yeah. We'll have to go shopping." She didn't want to break up their good moment together and ask about his father. Would he let him go? She gave him a smile, "I'll try not to." She tried not to worry about all the things they would have to do. She was hopeful that she wouldn't have to wear her splint for the evening. Normally, she kept it on, because she was scared that she would hurt her arm, but it wouldn't go well with her fancy dress. She hoped that this wouldn't spark any nasty rumors.

He returned her small smile, his heart fluttering just a little as he admired her. She may not think she was the prettiest girl, but in his mind she was. He knew that a lot of girls struggled with accepting their looks, and he hoped she wasn't one of them. Guys struggled too, but most of the cases he'd heard about and seen within the school had been girls.

She spoke, and her words just were so comforting that he felt the warmth and sting of tears starting to well up in his eyes. He pushed them back, they didn't stay for long, but he was amazed at how emotional she made him all the time. He didn't know why fully, but perhaps it was because he loved her. Or, he thought he could love her romantically. He loved her inside and out as a human being, but he still had yet to know what it was like to love her romantically and have that reciprocated.

"Thank you," he said softly, his voice coming out a little warped with tears at first before he swallowed and choked them back. "You know I do the same for you." She reassured him that he wouldn't mess anything up, and while that worry was still very much there, he decided not to think about it too much, especially not right now. She'd said yes and agreed to go with him, she'd been waiting for him to ask her, and she didn't want to go with any other guy. This moment was supposed to be happy, so he shoved back all the stupid negative stressful emotions for now. He could deal with them later.

There was an odd little moment after her comforting words, where her facial expression changed a bit, and her gaze shifted. He knew that look. He knew it all too well because he knew it was a look that he'd had on his face before. It was the same look that he'd given her at Daniels party in the closet. The same look that read, I'm going to kiss you, or I want to kiss you, or even, I'm thinking about kissing you.

So with all that in mind, Eric's heart was really starting to pick up pace. He was worried that if she made a move, it would be beating so fast that it would burst out of his chest and onto the grass beneath them. A huge part of him was waiting, waiting for her to actually do it. Waiting for her to make the move this time because he'd already done his part once, and he was scared to do it again without being something with her first. He was scared to break a boundary. But if she did it...sure, it would confuse him later on, and sure, it would be a tad bit hypocritical, but in the moment he knew he wouldn't overthink. Because if she kissed him....he wouldn't refuse that. How could he refuse that? But nothing happened, and while that part of him had been anxious and hopeful for it to, he was still relieved and glad she hadn't.

In the long run it could have potentially made things worse, and he was glad to know that she at least thought things like that out first, that was a smart thing to do. After another small moment of silence, she said that she had wanted to go, that she still did, but there was a moment in time that she'd realized there were more important things. While that was true, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly she was talking about. About things in general, like school work, friendships, family? Or was it so vague for a reason? A deeper reason she just wasn't ready to share?

He shook himself free of that, he didn't want to keep overthinking everything, it was starting to make his brain hurt. He smiled at her, and pulled her slowly into another hug, just glad that he'd done what he'd done. While he was nervous about going because of the social aspect of it, he did hope for it to be fun, and now that he knew Kai would be by his side....what could go wrong?

Eric had a very brief moment of absolute fear as she said she was disappointed with him. His anxiety peaked, and all sorts of questions began spiraling into his head.

Oh no, what did I do?

Did I do something wrong?

Is she regretting saying yes?

Did I overstep a boundary?

Does she even still want to go with me?

How can I fix whatever I did?

But all those questions shattered and blew into the wind as she started talking about Gunner, and all he could do for a moment was stand there and let out a few amused breaths until his brain was able to start working correctly again. Once it did, he started laughing, his heart thudding loudly in his chest.

"I'm gonna be honest with you," he said, smiling at her. "I was really scared there for a second." He laughed again, and gave her his habitual shy glance, the sun bouncing off his eyes. "I am sorry though." he said. "I'll make it up to you and bring Gunner next time. Since I guess Gunner's the only real reason you hang out with me at all," he teased her, his tone loaded with obvious sarcasm and joking.

She asked him what color he was thinking about wearing, and she listed off some colors. He nodded, listening to her. "I don't think I could ever stuff myself in something yellow." he chuckled. "Not the color that suits me." He knew over all he looked best in darker colors. Like black, a darker blue, a darker purple even. He knew that he would probably get a black tux and try and match the tie and vest to her dress, along with the corsage and boutonniere. But he also was aware that blue and purple and black were very common colors to wear to prom, and nearly everyone would probably be wearing that.

"What about mint?" he asked. "Or maybe a turquoise?" He shrugged, just suggesting a couple ideas. "If you end up choosing either of those, I could probably get a white tux." He paused for a moment, then took her hand and sat down with her on the bench. He was getting tired of standing, and he wasn't sure how much longer they were going to be here. The sun was setting rather quickly, and he knew that in about an hour it would be dark.

"Random spur of the moment question..." he said, giving her a smile. "I told my dad I was going to ask you to prom, and he said it was fine. I told him I didn't know how long I was going to be gone, and...he didn't seem to care. So...are you doing anything tonight? Do you think it'd be okay if I could come over for a little bit? Or is it too late?" He didn't know what they would do, exactly, but it would be some time with her that they hadn't really had for awhile. It had been at least a week or so since they'd been able to spend more than an hour together, and he was really starting to miss it.

Besides, he wanted to ask her how she felt about him, but now didn't seem like the right time. Maybe with a few more hours spent with her....and even if he didn't get up the nerve to ask, spending some extra time would help him gauge how she felt so he would know whether to ask her to be his girlfriend or not in a few weeks. That of course wasn't the only reason he wanted to spend more time with her, she was his best friend and he missed the time they had together.

Eric still hadn't really spoken much to Kai's father, and he knew that he needed to get up the nerve to talk to him about possibly asking Kai to be more than friends. He felt like he should and that it was the respectable thing to do, but just the thought of confronting Mr. Adair about it made him nervous. He wanted to talk to Kai's mother first about it, because she seemed to be a little more involved, and not to mention that he always had leaned more towards mothers for communication and deep talks.

He may not get to speak with them tonight, but he needed to sometime soon.