A symphony of glasses and chatter made her wait seem to be one of the longest in her experience. She didn't want to be sitting there waiting for Adam, but this was something she had to do. It had taken eight years in the making, but she'd finally worked up the nerve two nights ago to call him up and invite him to dinner. Now she sat in the back of the tiny Greek restaurant waiting for his considerable form to come thru off the street.

He wasn't late because that wasn't something Adam allowed. He was too much for being in control to ever allow himself to be late. No, she'd arrived early, determined to be in the lead for once even if it was just in choosing their table for the night. Untold hours had gone into the anticipation of this day and everything from her hair to what she was going to order off the menu had been anticipated. Lucy had called that and this whole dinner ridiculous but for once her best friend's opinion hadn't swayed Rayne any.

The tinkle of the bell positioned on the door brought Rayne out of her thoughts and back into the crowded eatery. It was a fight but she managed to keep her heartbeat normal as she recognized the man who strolled inside. Reminding herself to be calm and cool, she waved her fingers at him and watched as he bypassed the host station to head towards her.

As he passed various tables, he caught the attention of other patrons seated. For some it was the rugged handsomeness of his features, others were overwhelmed by the size of his frame. Rayne had long passed admiring the physical of him. For her it was the confidence that radiated from him, the intelligence in his eyes, and his dominating disposition that made it difficult to break her gaze from him in the past but tonight after a brief smile, she looked down at the cover of the menu. If her thoughts continued along those lines she'd never get the truth out and they'd remain as they been for far too long. Reminding herself that there was steel in her spine, closed her eyes and hardened herself against the rush.

He almost started as he saw her gaze avert from his. When she'd called to invite him to dinner, he'd been almost sure that it was going to be a friendly affair, but something about Rayne's body language told him otherwise. She could be so moody sometimes, but usually he could count on Rayne's excitement to see him.
Bending he brushed a kiss onto her cheek, the smell of lilies filling his senses. Musing to himself that some things stayed the same, he slid into the booth across from her. Asking about how she was Adam didn't wait for an answer before adding that she looked beautiful. Her eyes lit up momentarily but her thanks seemed flat in comparison. Frowning, he started to ask her what was wrong when the waitress appeared at the table.

Welcoming a distraction from what she had to do, Rayne smiled up at the girl, surprised to see a drink in her hand. Lowering the martini glass onto the table, she announced that the drink was compliments of the gentlemen at the bar. The trio's gaze drifted in the direction of the bar automatically and as if on cue the duo smiled and waved at her. Dipping her head to hide the blush the heated her cheeks, she quietly asked the server to convey her thanks.

Adam cleared his throat and she looked up from the amber colored martini glass to see the flash of jealousy in his eye. Any other day that flicker of emotion would have had her on cloud nine, but she refused to give herself flight. Unable to resist, she lifted the glass, taking a generous sip just to incite him. His jaw ticked as Rayne's tongue darted over her lower lip sending a rush straight up his spine.

"What's your problem?

"It's kind of rude of them to send you a drink. It's not like you're alone. They don't know we're not a couple."

"We're not a couple and up until a few minutes ago, I was sitting here alone. I'm sure it wasn't meant to be disrespectful of you." Rayne lowered the drink, meeting his gaze head on.

"You want me to go so you can invite them over and decided which one you're interested in?"

Expelling a deep breath, she counted to three before answering. "If you're going to be like this, maybe I should go."

"What's with you, why are you angry with me?"

"I'm not angry with you. I'm just not in the mood for you being you."

"What's that supposed to mean Rayne?"

"It means acting all possessive and jealous like when some guys send me a drink isn't okay any more."

"I'm not acting jealous."

"You know what? I can't do this." Grabbing her purse, Rayne slipped out of the seat and headed for the exit. Calling after her, Adam growled as he stood, pausing to throw a bill onto the table before chasing after her retreating form. By the time he got out onto the street, she was practically halfway up the block. Rolling his eyes, he covered the ground with determined strides.

Reaching out, he managed to grab her hand before she could get across the street. "What is your problem?"

"You! You are my problem! I am so tired of you, of this, of us," she spat the words with venom startling both him and herself. "Let go of my hand! Let go of me!"
Seeing that he was upsetting her, he released her hand. Rayne turned back towards the street so he wouldn't see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Torn between wanting to reach out to her and not wanting to upset her further Adam waited for a cue from her.

As if she could feel that he was going to reach out to her, that he needed a sign, the words she'd carefully planned the night around came tumbling out. "I'm leaving. I got a job offer in Chicago and I'm taking it Adam. If I stay here... I can't stay here. I just can't."

"A job? In Chicago?" A frown marred his face as he processed what had been said to him. "Why? Is it a good offer?"

"It's a decent job. But I'm not taking it because of the money. This has to end. The on again, off again drama that is Rayne and Adam, I'm ending it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's a lie. You know exactly what I'm talking about." He cast his gaze to the ground, answering her without words. "There's always something. First it was me, I wasn't ready. Then there was Kayla and after her, there was Derek and I realized I'm tired. I'm tired of being the Rayne Lennox who moons over Adam Lark. I'm going somewhere else to be someone else and I wanted to see you tonight to let you know that."

"I didn't realize that you were so unhappy."

"No you didn't. Not once." Her heart broke as his eyes darkened with guilt. "That's why I'm doing this. We just keep hurting each other."

There was no doubt in his mind that she was serious and desperation clawed at him from deep inside. "You're one of my best friends. You can't just move."

"I don't have any other options."

Mournfully silent, Adam tried to think of something to say to stop her from walking away, but no words came to him. Rayne cast him a final smile, fake in nature, but a smile nonetheless and turned away, heading across the street without looking back. As he watched her familiar form retreat, he realized she hadn't even said goodbye.

Two weeks after that night in the street, Rayne and Lucy were sitting in her apartment packing up for her move. Actually, it was more like Rayne was packing and Lucy was annoyingly trying everything she could to convince her friend not to leave. She'd spent the last several hours alternating between calling Rayne a coward and insisting that she call Adam. Currently she was repeating her instance that Rayne call Adam.

Ignoring Lucy's suggestion for the umpteenth time, Rayne continued wrapping her glasses in newspaper. Since that night Lu had made it quite clear she thought Rayne was being overly dramatic by moving and that if she just gave herself a real chance to get over Adam she would. Much as she loved Lucy, she couldn't get her friend to understand. Lucy loved being out in the world, meeting new men. Falling in love every other day was something she basked in. One man leaving just meant another could come and take his place. It wasn't that Rayne resented her for it or even that she didn't understand how Lucy felt; it was the fact that she just wasn't that same kind of girl. Once her heart was made up for a man, it was made up. Her mind had been made up for Adam since the very first time that she saw him and he'd gotten a lot more heartbreaks out of her heart than she'd ever thought possible.

Cotillion. It's supposed to be a big deal in a young woman's life. For Rayne it was a big pain in the butt. Her mother was determined that Rayne debut in grand form and what Regina Lennox wanted, Regina got. That meant a designer gown, expensive shoes, a make-up and hair stylist and the most handsome escort she could secure. Talon Franklin was pre-med at a prestigious university, the son of a leading gynecologist and had modeled since he was child. Regina thought he was perfect. Rayne thought he was a bore.

But she and the bore were stuck with each other, and that included the required etiquette and waltzing lessons leading up to the event. The ride over in the chair had been slow torture, so when they arrived at the dance studio for their first waltzing lesson Rayne had been desperate for anything to distract her from what a long experience she was in for.

That distraction came in on the arm of Kayla McFee, another one of the debutants. Six foot plus and gorgeous, Adam had every eye on him when they strolled into the room. For the first time she could recall, Rayne actually drooled over a guy that wasn't from a Hollywood movie.

She'd blushed the first time the teacher had situated her beside he and Kayla. He'd given her and Talon a friendly and informal hi, and her cheeks actually reddened. Thanking God for her deep chocolate complexion, she'd stuttered something in response and then pretended to focus her attention on the teacher's instructions.

By the time they took their first break, Rayne was completely aware of Adam's smell, height, clothing and the sound of his voice. Pleading that she needed water, she shot away from him as soon as she could. Standing by the water fountain she mulled to herself how stupid she was being falling for a big pair of muscles and some dreamy eyes when the object of her thoughts appeared beside her.

Adam introduced himself and before she knew it they were talking about themselves. Years of being shy with strangers and with him it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. In the five minutes they had before Mrs. Daschle called the class back to order, they were fast friends.

From then on at every rehearsal or lesson Rayne, Talon, Adam and Kayla were a foursome. By the time the night of the cotillion came around, Rayne had a new reason to be resentful. As she let her mother fuss over every detail of her appearance, she tried to fake it for her parents' sake but she realized that this probably going to be the last night she saw Adam. Though they'd sparked a friendship over the past weeks, she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she wanted to keep their friendship going. Besides he could have hardly felt the same way.

As they wait behind the scenes for the cotillion to start, Rayne stood with Talon, Adam and Kayla wishing she could just be alone with him just for a minute. Some higher being must have heard her because Talon announced he needed a cigarette and though she'd never expressed a need for one before, Kayla readily agreed and the two zipped off. Left standing there together, the remaining two exchanged a conspirator's smile before launching into their own easy conversation.

Neither noticed their dates hadn't returned until Mrs. Daschle announced they were ready to begin. Both scanned the crowded staging area for their dates, but neither were immediately alarmed when Talon and Kayla were no where to be found. Mrs. Daschle on the other hand was mortified that they would engage in a smoke before their debut and sent an assistant of hers outside to retrieve the two delinquents. When the assistant returned without the duo, but the announcement that a valet said they had driven off, an uproar ensued.

Parents were retrieved from the audience, dramatic reactions were had and no one knew what to do. While the McFees and the Franklins tried to understand their children running off together, Regina was completely devastated that her perfect escort had gone missing, thus ruining the cotillion fantasy she'd worked so hard on when Adam spoke up. He and Rayne had quietly watched the scene without really a care about their participation or so it seemed until he suggested that the friends stand in for each other's AWOL dates.

Looking back Rayne knew it was then as her father passed her off to Adam and he smiled down at her that she was a goner. They'd been inseparable all that summer and whenever they were home from college. Their phone calls were long and frequent when they weren't together much to their phone companies' delight.

Junior year had gotten underway without much fan fair. The duo usually talked once every two days and it was because of one missed call that everything changed. Rayne had left her phone behind to take a shower and found the evidence of his answered call on her display screen when she returned. The way her heart fell when she saw she'd missed a call from Adam and it all clicked. That kind of exhilaration at just the thought of hearing his voice, of laughing with him, that wasn't something just a friend felt. It was so much more; she felt so much more.

At first she'd been excited. Finding someone who got you the way they got each other, it was fairy tale stuff. But then she got scared. Adam was so important already, so what if it didn't work out? The idea of going back to life without him wasn't even a possibility she was willing to accept so initially her silence came from that fear. But later, after they graduated it continually grew complicated.

From a distance Adam dating was something she could handle. Faceless women he talked about once, but she never saw were easily dismissed. But after graduation and when they moved within blocks of each other, she couldn't handle it. Seeing him in action was like stabbing herself repeatedly. Even after she met Derek, her jealousy of his conquests was an issue. She'd tried to deny her resentment, not just for her sake but for Derek's. Like most of the men she dated, Adam never quite took to Derek while they were together. Adam contended it was because they were so protective of each other and though she agreed verbally, part of her hoped it was because he was fighting against the truth of his own feelings the way she was.  

Hope can be the worst enemy for a girl in love, no one really tells you that. Though Derek was a great boyfriend, Rayne couldn't abandon her hope that Adam would come around. It was her own fault, dragging her feet when it came to committing to her relationship, but eventually Derek realized he was in second place. She wanted it to be different, she wanted to be able to tell him in a few years she would be his completely, but every time she tried, she knew it was a lie. She couldn't say anything like that as long as she had that kind of desire for someone else.

Since the day Derek walked out, she'd been there in everyway she could think of for Adam. A million different ways she'd told him she loved him and each and every time she thought he understood, thought he would acknowledge her, he managed to disappoint her. After years of it happening bitterness had taken seed, blooming as others around them met people they openly loved. It was another lonely Valentine's Day that had done it for her. Adam had taken some girl to his parent's cabin for a long weekend and she'd stayed home along watching old movies and crying. The hunt for jobs across the country had begun that night.

A fresh start takes massive amounts of bravery, something that Rayne built spades of over the months that had passed since February. This was the door out and for the first time in a long time, she was going to do something for Rayne, not for anyone else.

Before the ball left his hands and sailed through the air, Adam knew it would be a brick. Seeing as he'd been playing for the last two hours, he wasn't surprised when it hit the rim and flew into the opposite direction. Having had plenty of practice his little brother  Carlton, or Lil' C as he preferred to be called, darted to grab the rebound and put it up for the game winning point. Usually Adam would have been disappointed to lose, but today he was more than a little relieved.

As Lil' C retrieved the ball, Adam made his way to where his things were sitting and snatched up his towel. Usually spending time with his young partner from the mentoring program was an instant cheer up, and Lord knew he needed something to lift his spirits or at the very least distract him. The only thing his mind seemed able to focus on was Rayne and the damned things she'd said to him that night.

He'd been pissed at first with her leaving him standing alone on the street corner like some kind of trash she didn't want. Later he calmed himself with the knowledge that they'd never had argument that had lasted longer than it took for one of them to get home. It had been so easy to think she was just being dramatic because Rayne did have her drama filled moments. Then a week went by without word from her and he knew. Dread had filled him, but his pride kept him from doing anything drastic. He hadn't done anything to intentionally hurt her and yet she was acting like he'd committed some kind of crime. If she wanted to leave the state like some kind of exile, then fine. But he was refusing to let her make him feel as though all of this was him.

Despite not feeling responsible for the situation, he was undeniably saddened by the whole thing. Rayne was his best friend, his compass. Her being so unhappy that she felt the need to relocate was enough to down him. Add to that her refusal to speak to break down and call him and he was in a funk. Not the quality of funk where a man drinks himself into a stupor and doesn't shave, shower or change his boxers, but still it was enough of a funk. Hell he'd just lost a one on one game to a seventeen-year-old and he couldn't even blame it on physical illness. It was bad.

"Dude, today just wasn't your day." Said seventeen-year-old quipped after taking a long swipe from his water bottle.

Feigning a smile, Adam gave his friend a jab to the ribs. "Or you could be getting as good as you think you are."

That brought a smile to Lil' C's face. "Could be."

Grabbing their gear, the two exited the gym without speaking. For it to be the middle of June, it wasn't actually sweltering hot outside. The sounds of children playing in the park, mid-afternoon traffic and other sounds of the city made him feel right at home. Clarity was all big city during the day, but at night a body could still enjoy the stars without big city lights to obstruct the view. Adam had grown up in the midsized town and despite leaving for college, he'd happily returned  home because he knew where he belonged. He could imagine living anywhere else or having the ambition to move elsewhere. The one person he always thought would understand that was Rayne.

He'd broken down and called Lucy a few days ago, just to see where Rayne's head was at. Damned infuriating woman had told him that this was his mess and if he wanted it to be fixed he'd get no help from her. He should have known if there was going to be war it would be them against him. Not that Adam was truly mad at her for staying out of it, it was just other than him Lucy knew what made Rayne tick. Since he couldn't for the life of him imagine why she was acting so drastically, Lucy had been his best chance at gaining insight. Her refusal was definitely going to cost him.

"Hey man!" Adam felt himself being jerked backwards from his thoughts at the sound of C's warning. Blinking he watched as a woman driving an SUV of kids chatting on a cell phone blew past his face. Turning to thank his companion, he was surprised to see disgust clearly on the younger male's face. "Get your head in the game Lark."

"Sorry I was thinking about something."

"Hopefully someone worth you nearly getting flattened by the Suburban Express. What's her name?"

As they started across the parking lot, Adam hesitated a moment before answering. "What makes you think it's a her?"

"I know ladies, man. Three sisters? Trust me, you have the look of a man with women woes."

"One woman, one woe. She's moving."

"And you don't want her to?" Adam gave a jerk of his head in response. "So stop her. Tell her you want her to stay."

"She's not talking to me right now. I'm not sure if she'll be talking to me ever if you want me to be truthful."

"So what? She don't have to talk, she just needs to listen. I mean come on man. Aren't you the one who is always telling me the things that are right ain't always easy? If she's supposed to stay here with you, then what makes you think it's just as easy as you two talking? Maybe you gotta make her listen."

The simplicity of C's words took a minute to take hold in Adam's brain. She'd certainly gotten her chance to let him know how she was feeling. He still had the scorch marks to prove it. He deserved a rebuttal at best didn't he? A self-assured smile lit up his handsome features. "You're right."

Lil' C gave a confident snort as he came to a stop by the passenger door of Adam's Charger. "Of course I am."

Adam hit the keyless locks for the doors with a renewed attitude. Rayne Lennox was going to listen to reason if she liked it or not.

Time flies when you're miserable and fleeing the state apparently. Rayne couldn't believe she was just three days shy of officially living somewhere else besides Clarity. Everything was packed and ready for the moving trucks to arrive on Monday, so all she had to do was wait. It was killing her.

Luckily, Lucy had insisted that she deserved a Bon Voyage party, so she had something to keep her occupied on Saturday. A list full of things to do, Rayne set out of her apartment building bright and early with purpose. As she walked, she double checked the contents of her purse, completely unaware she was being watched and waited on until she reached for her door handle.

"Rayne." Jumping a mile out of her skin, she spun to find Adam leaning against her hood. Letting out a curse, she frowned deeply when he smiled in response. "Didn't mean to scare you Beautiful."

"You wouldn't have if you'd stayed away like I told you to Lark."

"I need to talk to you."

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear." Rayne started to open her door only to jump back in surprise as Adam used his size to wedge himself between it and her, effectively closing off her escape. "Move!"

"No. You got to ambush me on a street corner and I want my chance now." Adam took her poisonous glare but no actual violence as permission to continue. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here and work on us with me."

"There is no us."

"There is. We have eight years of friendship between us. You're closer to me than anyone else. You can't just walk away from that."

"I have to." The stubborn look on his face didn't waver any at her insistence. "You just don't get it do you? Your friendship is not enough! It never was!  I've been in love with you ever since you strutted into that ballroom!" Furious, Rayne used both hands to shove at his chest sending the dumbfounded man into the side of her SUV. Both hands came to rest over her mouth as she realized what she'd said.

She would have been comical, with the wide eyes blinking at him over her manicured fingers if she hadn't just emotionally punched him in the face, Adam thought as he straightened. The shove hadn't done any physical damage, but her words had been enough of a blow. She was in love. With him. As the words sank into his brain, something triggered inside of him. Of course, she was in love with him. All of those years of leaning on each other, of having each other's backs and sharing everything. She was in love with him. Moreover, he was a first class jackass.

Rayne wasn't sure if it was the shove or the stupidity of what she said that had Adam standing there just as blank as he could be, but she wasn't willing to stick around and find out. While he stood there with those gorgeous eyes glassy, she took off for her apartment. When she heard no sounds of him following, she decided that she'd finally said the one thing that could shut them off forever.

The sound of heels clicking on pavement brought Adam back to reality and to the realization he was standing there alone. Turning just in time to see Rayne retreat into the security of her apartment building, he started to follow yet stopped himself. According to what had just been yelled in his face, she'd been in love with him for eight years. Just thinking about the number of girlfriends he'd gone thru and stupid stunts he'd pulled alone was enough for him to know that standing at that woman's door ringing the buzzer until she answered wasn't going to be enough. If he wanted that woman to stay in his life, he was going to have to go big.

After hours of crying and then hours of covering up the evidence, the last thing Rayne wanted was a party. Yet here she was in her parent's living room surrounded by her nearest and dearest. Friends, family and the like milled around the Lennox home all to let her know how much they'd miss her and how proud they were of her. Despite the fact that she knew she should have been feeling sadness or something along those lines, Rayne couldn't help that her thoughts weren't on the events happening in the room.

Adam hadn't called or come after her after since her confession and she ached inside. There was no pretending now. There was no doubt he knew the extent of her feelings and rather than admit to sharing them or pleading friendship on his behalf, he'd done nothing. She had no idea how people made it through feeling like this because it was all she could to keep upright. He was supposed to have loved her back.

Feeling the need to blubber attempt to overwhelm her, Rayne steeled her back and plastered on her brightest debutant smile. If she made it thru the party with her dignity in tack, then it was home to curl up and sob.

A hand on her shoulder interrupted her self-reassurance and Rayne turned to fine herself in the presence of the very woman responsible for there being an Adam Lark. Wordlessly Norah Lark put her arms around Rayne and gave her a securing hug. Though she knew it wouldn't do any real good, Rayne sagged into the woman's embrace appreciating the support. Of course Norah knew she needed a hug. Norah knew everything or at least she seemed to in the eight years they'd known each other. Rayne had always expected her to say something, to encourage her or admonish her for her feelings, but she never had. She was just there whenever Rayne needed that hug or the cup of tea to get her through the rough patch. Even as she held tightly surrounded by the comforting scent of lilacs, both knew this hug wasn't going to change a thing.

Once his wife released Rayne from her embrace, Mason Lark stepped forward to offer his well wishes but he never got the chance. From outside the sound of loud honking and even louder music drew his and all the other party goers attention to the front of the house. Drawn by the insistent noise, Rayne followed Mason and Norah outside with the rest of the crowd.

It took a bit of maneuvering but the trio made it onto the front porch of the Lennox's Georgian. Someone had taken a rental moving truck and rode up onto the front lawn of the house. Parked haphazardly across the walk, the person had left the both doors open as they got out. Because the loud music and the honking had finally stopped, the guest varied reactions filled the void left when it stopped.

"What the hell?" Raymond Lennox's deep voice sounded as he stepped onto the porch with Regina in toe.

Once Regina processed that there was a truck in their yard, she let out an ear piercing shriek. "Who the devil ran over my azaleas!"

As if in answer, a tall skinny boy appeared on the top of the truck. His pants hung low on his waist, he had on a wife beater. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he called out over the crowd. "Hey! Yo! People listen up!"

Rayne's heart dropped to her stomach. She knew that voice. Lil' C was Adam's little brother. Suspicion filled her, but she refused to move even as he continued to call for quiet. By some miracle the only person left talking was her mother, who was in the process of yelling for him to come down when he cut her off with an annoyed, "Lady will you give me a minute?"

Regina let out an outraged gasp and started to aim for a higher octave. Raymond, taking his life into his hands, gently pulled his wife to him and covered her mouth with a big hand. "Hurry up son, say what you gotta say and say it fast."

At that moment Adam appeared around the side of the truck. Hands in his jeans pockets he looked hesitant and determined all at the same time. "He doesn't have something to say but I do."

Adam was tired and completely beyond the point of caring that seemingly most of Clarity was standing in the Lennox's front yard. The only person he truly saw was Rayne and it was like looking at her with new eyes. How could she have always been that beautiful and perfect without him noticing? Eyes on her, he stepped away from the safety of the truck.

"I can't just let you leave Clarity."

Despite the fact that her heart was beating out of her chest and she could care less who was present, Rayne shook her head. "Adam this isn't the time-"

"Yes it is. I should have done this a million years ago and we would have never got to this point. I'm not letting you go to Chicago without me. All my stuff is in that truck and I'm going with you."

He sounded so determined, so sure in what he was doing, but Rayne knew better than to let him make this mistake. "You can't just move to Chicago. Your family is here. Your friends are here. You have a job here."

Mason quickly spoke up. "Adam?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"You're fired." Norah nodded in agreement as her husband placed an arm around her.

The supportive words garnered a grin from his son. "Appreciate it Dad."

So much for them helping their son listen to reason. "Adam-"

"No. No excuses. Everything I need is in that truck. All you have to do is tell me that I have chance and wherever you go, I go."

Everyone standing in the yard had grown quiet during the exchange and for the first time Rayne felt every eye on them. The faces around them ranged from the curious, the encouraging, to the down right entertained. Catching Lucy's face in the crowd, she silently pleaded for her friend's guidance. Unable to do anything other than smile in return, Lucy waited with everyone else for her response.

Move to Chicago for her. He was standing in front of most everyone she knew giving up his entire life. It would have been sweepingly perfect except for one thing. Adam hadn't said he felt any more than friendship for her. Sure he was saying that he wanted to pull up stakes to go with her, but was it because he was simply wanted to repair their fracturing friendship or because he wanted more?

As much as her heart begged for him, she couldn't handle this. Her voice filled with unshed tears. "Why are you doing this?"

Up until that day, Rayne had thought she knew every smile, every expression that his handsome face was capable of. Then he smiled at her in a way she'd never seen. It was intimate, loving, secure and purely for her. "Because living without someone I love as much as I love you, it isn't an option."

Though the tingling sensation of the goosebumps on her skin told her what she heard was the truth, Rayne refused to trust her ears. "What did you say?"

That smile flashed at her again, even brighter than it was before. Pulling his hands from his pocket, Adam moved from his spot by the truck and strode to the porch with purpose. Pausing on the step directly below her, he looked down into her face. "I said I love you and being without you isn't happening now or ever."

Fighting the urge to bawl, Rayne just nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" She nodded again as a sob hiccupped free. Reaching his hands up to cup her face, he put the urge to kiss her tears away just for a second longer. "So we're going to Chicago?"

Her face went slack with confusion. "What?"

Bending to rest his forehead against hers, he gently swept their noses together. "Chicago, we're moving there together."

"We don't have to go to Chicago. I just want to be where you are, I just want-" His lips covered hers, silencing her reasoning. Melting into their first real kiss, Rayne wondered how she could have possibly thought she could live without him.

"Tell us where you want it already!"

Rayne placed her hands on her hips and cast a look at Adam that threatened his health. "I told you to put it down and wait a minute while I thought about it, but you wanted to be the big strong man and stand around holding it, so shut up and let me think!"

Sagging under the weight of the couch end he was supporting, Adam shot Lil' C a look across the length of the love seat. The smart ass had the nerve to grin back at him; his expression knowingly taunting ‘You're the one who signed up for this'. Grunting as he readjusted his hold on the couch, he knew that his little brother was right.

He'd been the one who had lobbied that they move in together right away. Since both had given up their apartments and already had their things packed, he'd been insistent it was fate. Her father had been downright outraged, but Rayne had agreed and they started apartment hunting right away. Well, not right away. There had been a delay as both holed up in her place with a mattress, a box spring and a whole lot of imagination.

Tempting as it was to think about how compatible he and his girl were in that way, his back was threatening to give out. "Rayne."

"Okay, okay, back against that wall."

With a sigh of relief, he and Lil' C maneuvered the couch into place as Lucy came into the living room. They'd barely gotten the couch on the floor when the woman flug herself onto the cushions.  Lil' C fell over the side onto the older woman as Adam straightened. Directing his scowl at his lover, he wasn't surprised when she grinned in response. "Payment."

Shrugging lightly she strode over and placed a willing kiss on his lips. Placing his arms around her waist, he ignored her intention of giving him a quick kiss and played his mouth over hers until she sighed in compliance.

Lucy cast a look at Lil' C. "Are you as over them doing that as I am?"

"More." Handing his co-conspirator a throw pillow, he took aim. "Hey guys?"