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  "I thought apologizing was a sign of weakness?" he asked, in a mocking tone.

  "There are exceptions to every rule."

  "So, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on with you or what? It's been eating me alive all night."

  "It's not really a big deal." She shrugged and drew in the water with her finger.

  "The hell it's not. It's obviously something."

  Charlie scowled at him. "I met this guy today, kinda."

  "What do you mean 'kinda?" He perked up and leaned forward.

  "I saw him at the coffee shop on Main, but I kinda played hard to get. Then I ran into him again at the shoe store."

  "Okay, so whats the issue then?"

  "I don't know, dude, but I have all these feelings that I just don't understand." Charlie shrugged again and shook her head.

  "Stop it." He smacked the floor.

  "Stop what?"

  "Over thinking shit. Damn, Charlie, this is a good thing." Jules nodded his head at her.

  "I'm not, I just don't do good with stuff like this. I mean, look what happened with Jake when I was with him." She sifted the suds through her fingers.

  "Jake is a douche and that was two years ago."

  "I know but I was wrong about him and I vowed to never go through that again."

  "I know Jake was your first, and I know what he did to you. I get it. But you can't compare every guy to him because not all guys are like that."

  She shrugged.

  "So tell me what the hell happened with this guy that has you so freaked out? Start from the beginning." He rolled his eyes like he wanted to strangle her for not being forthcoming.

  "I went to the coffee shop and he was there. He tried to talk to me and I didn't give him the time of day—." Jules interrupted before she could finish.

  "Why the hell not, if you're interested?" He threw a wash cloth at her from a box by him.

  "Because I was fucking nervous. My heart raced the second I sat down at the table next to him and he smiled at me. Then when he talked to me ... I ... I didn't know what to say, so I gave him one word answers and he gave up."

  "Well no shit, Sherlock. How are you so clueless?" Jules shook his head at her. "So let me get this straight, a guy talks to you, and you shoot him down. That's how you show him you're interested?"

  "I know, okay? I was trying to play it cool, but I don't think it came off that way."

  "Well duh! Here's your sign Captain Obvious."

  Another wash cloth sailed into her face and she frowned at him. "Put those over your lady junk. The bubbles are disappearing, and I don't feel like staring at your boobs."

  "It's not like I was expecting company." She draped the wash cloths over her breasts and pulled her knees up.

  "Better. Okay now back to you being a social leper," he snorted.

  She laughed and splashed him.

  "Hey, don't make a mess." he pointed his finger at her.

  "It's my bathroom." She splashed him again.

  "Yeah, but somehow I'll be roped into cleaning it up," he said, as he reached over to the tub and flicked water at her.

  "Whatever."

  "Anyway, what happened after you acted like a twat?"

  "Your mom showed up, we talked, and then when I was leaving he asked my name and told me his name was Sam."

  "Did you tell him your name?" He raised his eyebrows at her. She stared at the water and looked up at him through her lashes, embarrassed.

  "Charlie. Seriously?" Jules let out an exaggerated sigh.

  "Look, I was nervous. I didn't know what to do, so I made a smart ass comment and left." She held her hands up defensively.

  Jules huffed at her.

  "I know."

  "I mean really?"

  "Look, I have no idea how to show someone I'm interested or even carry on a normal conversation without being a defensive smart-ass." It was the first time she'd ever admitted it out loud and she didn't like the way the words tasted.

  "I'm not trying to be a dick here, but you hit the nail on the head dude." He paused, "So that was it, then?" He yawned and looked at her.

  "No, I ran into him at the shoe store and I wanted a chance to redeem myself. So I sucked it up and talked to him but it was more banter than real conversation."

  "Well, that doesn't surprise me, that is your go to when you're uncomfortable." She realized he was right, and she didn't know how to stop doing it.

  "Ya think?"

  "It's a fact." He rested his forearms on his knees. "So, did he shoot you down or something? Is that why you're so bent out of shape about it?"

  "No, actually he had a comeback for every remark I made, and you're the only person I've ever met that could handle my bullshit, until today." She thought about what she just said and wondered if there was hope for her after all.

  "Okay, so did you guys exchange info?"

  "Uh ... no."

  "Oh my God, really? You're a lost cause." Jules threw his arms up in the air.

  "Oh shut up. Thanks for ruining my relaxing bath. I'm getting out, close your eyes." He didn't listen very well because he stood up and grabbed a towel off of the rack opening it for her. She looked up at his closed eyes and smiled. I guess chivalry isn't dead after all. She pulled the plug, got out and wrapped the towel around herself.

  "Thanks."

  "Mmhmm."

  He laid back, put his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling as she got dressed. She crawled into her bed next to him and assumed the same position he was in.

  "So are you going to try to see him again?" He turned his head toward her.

  "I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I know nothing about him." She never took her eyes off the ceiling.

  "My mom told me he was a regular at the coffee shop." Jules closed his eyes and squeezed them shut. She sat up and could have burned a hole through him with her glare.

  "What the hell, asshole, you already knew about him?" She shoved him so hard he almost fell off the bed.

  "Well I knew something was up, other than your birthday so I asked my mom and she told me about the guy and we both assumed that was what the issue was."

  "Oh did she? What else did she say? And why the hell did you both come to the conclusion that it had to do with him?" Charlie criss crossed her legs and hit him on his bare stomach.

  "Ow. You don't have to beat me. She didn't say anything other than he was good looking and obviously interested in you. The reason we both thought that, was because you and feelings don't exactly go hand in hand, you tend to lash out." He rubbed his stomach and cowered away from her.

  It was true and she didn't want to be that person anymore, it was exhausting.

  He flinched right before she hit him in the stomach again.

  "Dammit, stop hurting me." They both burst into laughter as she laid down next to him and he pulled her into his chest.

  "Okay warrior princess, I think we need to scope out the coffee shop and find this guy. I just hope you won't beat him like you do to me. Then again he may like kinky shit like that." Jules tensed right before she smacked his stomach again.

  "It is my job as your sister from another mister to beat you. Someone has to keep you in line, jerk."

  "Love you too, Charlie."

  She squeezed him tight and laid her head on his arm.

  "I don't know what to do, Jules. Do I just sit down and say Hi, I'm Charlie?"

  "Give it a shot."

  "Yeah I guess."

  "We'll worry about it in the morning. Go to sleep, snot face." Jules kissed her on the top of her head and she saw the flicker from the bathroom.

  "Oh shit, the candles." She jumped out of bed and her knee caught him in the junk.

  "Son of a bitch, I think I'm sterile," Jules whined, and grabbed himself. She tried not to laugh because she didn't mean to knee him there.

  "I'm sorry, I..."

  "Just go blow them out before I kill you." He rolled back and forth and whimpered. She blew out each candle and s
et them all on her counter before she crawled back in bed carefully.

  "Are you okay?" She bit the inside of her cheek.

  "Other than the fact I won't be able to reproduce, I'm fine. Go to bed," He said, tight lipped.

  "Night." She laid on her side with her back to him and curled into a ball. She heard him yawn and felt the mattress move. She knew what she needed to do if she was going to change and that meant she had to find Sam and try to be herself.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  Jules was sprawled out across most of the bed when she woke up the next morning. She propped up onto her elbow to look over at the clock. It was almost noon and she couldn't believe they'd slept that long.

  "Jules, wake up." She shook his arm.

  "Mmmm go away. I need my beauty sleep," he groaned.

  "Well, you'll be sleeping for a long time then, because you have a face only a mother could love." She wrinkled her nose and made an ugly face at him. A pillow hit her in the face before she had time to block it.

  "We better get up before my dad comes in here and sees you in my bed."

  He turned and looked at her. "Why does he get all bent about it now? He didn't used to."

  "We hadn't hit puberty yet, and he thinks anyone with a penis is the enemy." She held back a giggle and crawled out of bed.

  He laughed as he sat up with a yawn. She disappeared into her bathroom to get dressed and went downstairs. With a cup of coffee in hand, she was leaning against the counter when he padded into the kitchen with bed head.

  "What are your plans for the day?" he asked.

  "I dunno, you?" She expected him to say something about her birthday, but he didn't and she was hoping he forgot.

  "Go home and help mom get everything set up for the Christmas eve party junk I guess." He shrugged.

  "Nice."

  "See ya later tonight, chick."

  He kissed her on the side of her head and left. She sat down at the table with the paper, her coffee and tried to figure out what to do with herself for the day.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Sam grabbed his keys off the counter and ran out to his Jeep. It'd been a couple days since he'd first met her, and he couldn't keep his mind from wandering straight to her. Was she even interested, or was it all a game?

  Rain pelted the windshield as he drove to the coffee shop. It was the perfect day to stay in and read, but he needed to get some work done and that wouldn't happen at home with roommate hounding him nonstop.

  Wind whipped around his Jeep so hard it rocked back and forth. He cleared his throat and gripped the steering wheel with both hands trying to stay in his lane. He pulled into the parking lot with a sigh of relief, grateful he'd made it there in one piece. There were no empty spots in the front, so he had to park around the side of the building. With his bag over his head, he sprinted for the door. Sam ran his ringers though his wet, dark hair and looked around for an empty table.

  Marco called out. "Well, well, Mr. Predictable How's it goin'? The usual?"

  "Good. Yeah, the usual. I, uh, have a strange question for you, too." Sam crinkled his brow and leaned toward Marco over the counter. His cheeks flushed and hoped Marco wouldn't think he was nuts for what he was about to ask.

  "Okay, I'm intrigued, I'll bite. How strange we talkin' here?" Marco grinned.

  "Do you remember a girl that came in the other day? She had dark hair, blue eyes and was about 5'10"?" Sam tried to suppress his smile.

  "The Hottie with the body on the Ducati?"

  Sam forced a laugh and bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't tell Marco to watch his mouth.

  "Yeah." Take a breath, dude, and get it out.

  "How could I forget her? You don't see a girl like that everyday. What about her?"

  "I want to buy her drink today, if she comes in. Can you just tell her it's been handled?" Sam squinted and waited for the backlash. Marco nodded in approval, and Sam hoped he didn't seem like an idiot.

  "Trying to buy her love, eh?" Marco laughed and handed Sam his tea.

  "Nah, just trying to make a statement. Can you help me out?" He pulled out his wallet and handed him a twenty.

  "Yeah, man. I'm only doing this because she's way out of my league, and you tip well."

  "Thanks."

  Sam noticed an open table in the back corner and went for it. He really hoped she'd come in again but he knew he needed to focus and get the work done he didn't do the day before. He sat down and pulled everything out of his bag and flipped his binder open to where he'd left off.

  His heart skipped a beat every time the door opened and he looked up but she never walked through it. He gave up hope she'd show and it wasn't long before he got lost in his mound of paperwork.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  Charlie tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel of her truck and narrowed her eyes at the road. She really hoped she'd run into Sam. She thought about what Jules had said the night before, and she was willing to give being herself a shot.

  When she pulled into the parking lot, she didn't see his Jeep anywhere and her stomach dropped. Maybe he doesn't like the rain. She parked her truck, pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up, and sprinted inside. There was only one person in front of her in line and she looked around but he wasn't there.

  "What can I get for you?" The barista gave her a knowing smile and she had no idea why.

  "Uh, a Venti Zen green tea, please." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a dirty look.

  "Well, isn't that a coincidence," he said with a smirk on his face. He filled her cup with hot water and dropped in two tea bags. She handed him a twenty, but he shook his head.

  "It's been taken care of." He held his hands up.

  "What the hell does that mean?" She furrowed her brow.

  "Exactly what it sounds like. It's been taken care of." His eyes moved toward the corner of the cafe, and he smiled.

  She followed his gaze and recognized Sam at a table in the corner.

  "Uh, thanks." Her cheeks flushed and she regretted getting defensive.

  "Anytime." He looked amused.

  She stuffed the money into her pocket and walked toward Sam. He had to arrange his little stunt ahead of time, which meant he'd put some thought into her getting attention. That had to be good, right?

  His head was down, and it looked like he was consumed in his work. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves before she spoke.

  "I don't recollect telling you that you could buy me a drink." She put her free hand in her back pocket and shifted her weight.

  He looked up at her with a smirk on his face. "Who uses words like recollect in a sentence?"

  "Obviously someone who doesn't use English Grammar For Dummies." She pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.

  "I don't recall inviting you to join me."

  She held her breath. Shit did I read him wrong?

  "Well, look at that, ladies and gents. He knows what a synonym is." She took a sip of her tea with a smirk on her face and tried to play it cool even though inside she was anything but.

  "Are you always a smart ass?" He looked amused.

  "Basically."

  "So are you going to tell me what kind of drink I paid for?"

  "No." She pulled the cup to her lips and blew through the hole in the lid as she looked up at him staring at her mouth. He looked away as soon as she caught him. She cleared her throat, and glanced away.

  "It doesn't matter anyway, it was a one shot deal," he said, and took a sip of his own drink.

  "Bang bang." She rubbed her hands across her thighs and hoped he didn't laugh in her face. He choked and almost spit his drink all over the her and the table.

  "That was the lamest attempt at a come back I've heard from you. Where do you come up with this stuff?"

  "It's a gift." Her body relaxed and she exhaled the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Or a curse, I haven't decided yet."

  "Don't worry, you're keeping me on my toes."

  Her
eyes shot up to his, Shit.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  Sam watched her as she gazed out the window. She was quick on her feet, that much he knew, but he wanted to know much more. He asked her the first thing that popped into his head.

  "So have you finished unpacking yet?" Please don't think I'm a creep, he thought and wanted to kick himself.

  She stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "Eavesdrop much?"

  He couldn't tell if she was amused or pissed, so he decided to test it. "Hey I tried to strike up a conversation with you, but you were too stuck up. So I had to be resourceful. Besides, it wasn't my fault you were talking loud enough for me to hear your conversation."

  She scoffed at his remark. He gave her a sly smile and hoped she knew he was joking.

  "I am not stuck up. Uninterested maybe, but not stuck up." She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest.

  "Well, if you're so uninterested then why are you sitting with me now?" He mimicked her body language.

  "Curiosity."

  "Curiosity killed the cat," he said with a matter-of-fact kind of look.

  "Yes, but satisfaction brought him back." She licked her lips and took another sip.

  "And no, I can procrastinate like a boss. There are boxes everywhere."

  "Nice. Have you been here long?"

  "No, only a few days."

  "So where are you from?" Sam tried not to look too eager, but he was pretty sure he'd blown it.

  "Nowhere and everywhere. I never really stay in one place for very long." She frowned and wrinkled her brow.

  He heard the evasion with her answer but he didn't want to pry. "Does that mean you don't plan on being here very long then?"

  "Well, we bought a house, so we're hanging around this time."

  "First house?" Sam wondered what part of town she lived in. We? Who bought it with her? It has to be close if she comes here.

  "That we've ever owned, yes. What about you?"

  "My cousin and I are roommates for now. I just started a new job, so I haven't found the dream house, or the dream girl for that matter." Sam leaned forward with his forearms on the table.

  "Well, maybe your luck is changing." She smiled at him and fiddled with her cup.