Never Say Forever

The next morning, Kaleah woke up with a smile permanently plastered all over her face. She was excited for the day to begin, knowing that Dawson was only a few feet away helping Belinda with the gardening. Kaleah quickly got showered and dressed and decided upon a cute outfit that fit closely to her body, in order to give Dawson something to look at. After approving her outfit, she skipped upstairs and headed outside. The first person she saw was her mother, watering plants as usual. She looked surprisingly chipper for a woman who only had a few hours of sleep. Kaleah felt bad about causing her mom to stay up so late, but it appear she hid her tiredness well. The second person she saw was Dawson, picking weeds and patting down dirt. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered when she saw him. He wore his old military style jacket...one that his father had gotten for him years ago. Kaleah always loved it on Dawson. He looked so good in it and it suited him. Kaleah remembered that not too long ago she had told Dawson just how much she liked it. She figured he had the same idea as Kaleah had when he was getting ready this morning. He wanted to turn Kaleah on. It worked. The third person Kaleah saw, and was totally surprised to see, was Olivia. She was sitting on a lawn chair watching Belinda and Dawson do their gardening. In particular, her eyes kept wandering in Dawson's direction. Kaleah couldn't decide if she annoyed by this or felt sympathetic. If Olivia truely did like Dawson as much as Alex claimed she did, Kaleah felt terrible that Olivia had no idea what had happened between them. Reluctantly, Kaleah headed into the yard and took the seat next to Olivia, smiling a hello when Olivia noticed her.

"How are you this morning?" Olivia asked, a little groggily. "Are you hungover?" Kaleah shook her head.

"I barely drank last night." Kaleah admitted. It was true. Ever since her little experience in Sunset Valley, the thought of drinking scared Kaleah. She never wanted to be out of control like that ever again. So she was extremely cautious last night with her alcohol consumption. "Are you hungover?"

"Yeah but not badly." Olivia sighed. "Just a minor headache, is all."

"What are you doing here so early?" Kaleah asked. Olivia twisted her face into a slightly offended expression. Kaleah didn't mean to offend Olivia, but Olivia was really sensitive.

"Should I no be here?" She asked, coldly.

"No, no, no. I like that you're here..." Kaleah lied. "I was just wondering why." Olivia's facial expression softened.

"I ended up waking up pretty early and couldn't get back to sleep. I had nothing else to do so I figured I would come by here and wait til you woke up." 

"Oh." Kaleah said. She stared off at Dawson and tried to control the urge to run over there and tackle him with her lips. Kaleah noticed Olivia peering over at Kaleah and she quickly moved her gaze elsewhere. "Where's Alex?" Kaleah asked.  Olivia shrugged.

"She will probably be sleeping til the afternoon. You know her...she always sleeps in late." Olivia smiled. Just then, Dawson began to walk towards the girls. They both braced themselves to control their hidden feelings from each other. 

"Good morning, ladies." Dawson said in his usual charming way. He smiled at both of them, but gave Kaleah a particularly longer, more affectionate smile. Kaleah couldn't help but to mirror it.  

"Morning, Dawson!" Olivia chimed excitedly, causing Dawson to look away from Kaleah. He smiled at her once more and then peered back at Kaleah.

"Belinda needs me to go pick up fertilizer from downtown. I need someone to help me carry it back. Either of you ladies interested in coming?" Dawson asked, staring at Kaleah the entire time. Kaleah knew that this request was more meant for her than Olivia, but he wanted to be polite and include her too. Just as Kaleah was about to agree, Olivia beat her to it.

"I'll come!" She said, all too loudly. Dawson's smile faded as he looked back over to Olivia.

"Are you sure? The bags are pretty heavy...." He said, hoping she would change her mind.

"I'm a tough girl." Olivia smiled, a sad attempt at flirting. "Besides, Kaleah just woke up. I'm sure she's starved." Olivia stood up from the lawn chair and pulled on Dawson's sleeve, leading him back through the house. Before he walked away, he shot Kaleah an apologetic glance. Kaleah smiled in understanding and watched as he headed off with Olivia. 

After they were out of site, Kaleah stood up and approached her mother.

"Mom?" Kaleah asked. "Do you know if there was anything going on between Olivia and Dawson while I was away?" Belinda paused what she was doing for a brief a moment and thought about the question.  

"Not to my knowledge." Belinda said, getting back to her gardening. "Although, Olivia does have a crush on him."

"How come everyone knows about this alleged crush except for me?" Kaleah asked in frustration. Belinda shrugged.

"Sweetie, I'm the last person who would know any of this stuff. Your best bet is to ask Alex. She's always in the know with drama and relationships and such." Belinda cleared her throat. "Which reminds me...you still need to tell me what happened with Dawson last night. You were beaming when you came home." Kaleah blushed but told her mom everything that happened anyways. Her mother didn't seem to disapprove as she listened.

"Well, I can definitely see a change in you." Belinda said. "If Dawson is making you happy, I say go for it."

"But what about Olivia?" Kaleah gulped. "And what about Sam?"

"What about Olivia and Sam?" Belinda protested. "Who cares! This isn't about them, darling. It's about you. You have been through a lot lately and you should pursue whatever makes you happy. It's not about their happiness, it's about yours. You need to be happy, at least for a little while." Kaleah considered what her mother was saying. It was true...Kaleah needed to feel happy. But Olivia was her best friend and Sam was...well...Sam.

"You're right." Kaleah said, unsure if she meant it. "Thanks."

"No problem, honey." Belinda pulled out a giant weed and Kaleah wondered how such an old lady like herself had so much strength. "What are your plans for today?"

"Mine?" Kaleah asked. "I actually don't have any. I'm sure what I want to do today."

"Might I recommend trying out that hot tub?" Belinda smirked. "You won't believe how relaxing it is." Kaleah peered over at the hot tub. All her youth, she wanted one but her mother never allowed it. Now, her mother was actually suggesting to use the hot tub she had refused to by all these years. Kaleah smiled.

"I guess it won't hurt." Without another word, Kaleah went to change into her bikini and went in to the hot tub. 

"Oh my..." Kaleah said as she sank into the hot water. "You weren't kidding!"

"I told you it was relaxing!" Belinda called over, smiling. 

"Ugh, I could stay in here forever." Kaleah said, closing her eyes slightly. "I almost wish that I did have a hang over. This would make the perfect cure." Belinda laughed at that, but continued on with her gardening. Kaleah shut her eyes and leaned against the side of the tub. She wanted to get lost in her thoughts and hopefully figure out what to do about Olivia and Sam and Dawson and the whole Sunset Valley situation, but the hot tub made her drift in and out of sleep. She was too relaxed to problem solve. Just then, Alex came stumbling into the yard, grunting as she tripped over a rock. She approached the hot tub and collapsed onto her back on the grass.  

"Well good morning to you, too." Kaleah giggled, staring over at Alex.

"No talking." She said, looking like she was about to throw up.

"You're that hungover, huh?" Kaleah asked, still giggling. Alex nodded.

"Why did you let me drink that much?" Alex groaned, holding her stomach.

"Don't look at me! You were plastered by the time I even I got there!" Kaleah put her hands behind her head and slid deeper in the steaming water.

"You're not hungover?" Alex asked.

"Nope. Barely even drank." Kaleah said quickly. Alex groaned again.

"God I wish I was you right now." Alex said.

"Alex, dear. If you want...I can make you my hangover cure again." Belinda chimed in. Alex almost threw up at the sound of it.

"No way, Mrs. Morgan! There is no way in hell I will ever drink that stuff again." Alex hollered back, Belinda had made a homemade hang over cure for Alex in the past. It's point was to make the drinker throw up so that the alcohol clears out of their system, helping speed along the process of getting over a hang over. Belinda smiled.

"Well, if you want it later, let me know." She said.  Alex and Kaleah relaxed in silence for well over half an hour. Kaleah peered over Alex, who appeared to have fallen asleep on the grass. Kaleah was about to get out of the hot tub, until she heard laughs coming from inside. Dawson and Olivia were back. They walked outside and dumped the bags of fertilizer near the garage door. Olivia was chattering like crazy and Dawson seemed very entertained. He was smiling and laughing at everything she said. This annoyed Kaleah. 

Dawson stopped laughing when he saw Kaleah. She quickly turned away and stared away from him. She wanted to get out, but the thought of Dawson seeing her in nothing but a bikini suddenly made her nervous. She watched him from the corner of her eye and saw that as he went back to work in the garden, he was staring at her the whole time. Maybe he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Kaleah's body? Kaleah couldn't be sure.

"What the heck..." Olivia said, noticing Alex on the ground. Alex woke up. 

"Hangover." She said, tiredly. "It's actually get better now, though. Alex yawned and sleepily stood up.  

"Hows the heat in there? I figure I can sweat the rest of this hangover out." Alex said, addressing Kaleah.

"It's good." Kaleah said, trying not to show any sign of struggling. The heat was really getting to her, but she didn't want to get in fear Dawson would see her. He's seen her body before in a bikini...hell, he's seen it in nothing but underwear. But for some reason, she felt shy. Like he was about to see it for the first time.

"I'm coming in." Alex said, unzipping her top.

"Hold on...do you even have a swimsuit?" Olivia asked, curiously. Alex shook her head. "What,are you going in your underwear?"

"I'm not wearing any underwear." Alex giggled. Kaleah shot up.

"Don't tell me your coming in naked!" She hollered. Alex nodded and giggled loudly. 

"Of course I am." She said slyly. 

Kaleah leaned in forward.

"Dawson is right there! And my mom!" Kaleah said, trying not to laugh. Alex crinkled her nose and looked over at the garden.

"Hey Dawson!" Alex called. At first, Kaleah thought she was going to tell Dawson to watch her strip. But, then she quickly remembered that Alex was crazy, but she wasn't that crazy. Messing with someone else's ex boyfriend wasn't cool in Alex's books. "Sheild your eyes!" She hollered. Dawson looked over the girls in confusion, but as soon as he saw Alex's top coming off, he quickly looked away. Once Alex was completely naked and in the hot tub, Kaleah turned over to see if it had any affect on Dawson. Surprisingly, a naked girl in the hot tub didn't strike his attention. Maybe Kaleah didn't need to worry about him checking her body out when she got out of the hot tub after all.  

"Leah, remind me never to go into that hot tub." Olivia said, disgusted. "Now that Alex's naked parts have been all over it." Alex stuck her tongue out at Olivia.

"Olivia, no need to be all squeamish." Kaleah laughed. 

"Sorry that I'm not into naked girls sharing a hot tub with me." Olivia rolled her eyes and Kaleah shook her head. Same old difficult, innocent, moralled Olivia. "So what are we doing tonight?" Olivia asked.

:Not drinking!" Alex gagged at the thought of it. "Seriously, even I have my limits. Todays hangover was one for the books."

"I just want to do absolutely nothing tonight." Kaleah said, leaning against the side of the tub again. "Just relax."

"Oh come on, Leah! The summer's almost over! We can't just sit around and do nothing." Olivia complained. It was true...the fall semester for the University of LA was starting in two weeks....Alex, Olivia and Dawson all went there. Alex was taking criminal law, Dawson was taking culinary arts, and Olivia was taking business so she could take over her parents clothing boutique when they are ready to give it up. Kaleah had forgotten that her friends were in school. The fact they will all be leaving soon made Kaleah sad. If she stayed in Ironhorse, it was too late to apply to UCLA. She would be wandering around Ironhorse all alone with her friends hours away. If Kaleah went back to Sunset Valley, she would be heading back into a whole world of drama, again so far away from her friends. Sadness overwhelmed Kaleah. 

"Leah..." Alex noticed Kaleah's change in mood. "We still have a couple weeks before school starts again. Don't look so sad and just enjoy the time we have together."

"Yeah...lots can happen in two weeks. Who knows...maybe UCLA will go up in flames or something and we won't be able to start up again until next year." The girls laughed at Olivia's silly fantasy. 

"You guys are right." Kaleah said, feeling a little better. "Just enjoy the time right now."

"Hey! I know!" Olivia chimed. "Let's go see a movie tonight. It's relaxing and doesn't involve any drinking."

"Good idea." Kaleah said.

"Ugh, I hate movie theatre popcorn." Alex groaned. "But yeah, it's a good idea."

"Kaleah...your face is beat red." Olivia pointed out. 

"Yeah, it's getting really hot in here." Kaleah said. "I gotta get out." Kaleah spotted Dawson before jumping out of the hot tub. His back was facing her so she thought now would be the perfect time to get out. She hopped out quickly and just as she went to reach for a towel, she realized...she didn't even have a towel out there. "Damn!" Kaleah said out loud. "Mom, where are the towels?" Dawson turned around just as quickly as Kaleah had gotten out. His eyes were all over her body, beginning at the bottom and working their way up until he met her eyes. Kaleah had that fluttering in her stomach again, and shyly covered her almost naked body. Belinda explained that the towels were down in the laundry room and without another word, Kaleah took off for the house. Dawson stared at her the whole time. As Kaleah passed Olivia, she noticed Olivia giving her another one of her jealous glares. Kaleah ignored it and almost ran to the house. 

"Um...what the hell was that about?" Alex asked watching Kaleah nearly sprint away. Kaleah slammed the door to the house behind her.

"More importantly, Dawson...what's with your face?" Olivia asked, coldly. Without even realizing it, Dawson was staring after Kaleah with a very obvious look of disappointment across his furrowed brow. When Olivia addressed him, he quickly wiped the emotion off his face and smiled sweetly at Olivia.

"Why? It's pretty, isn't it?" Dawson asked in a witty way. Alex rolled her eyes and Olivia giggled, the coldness also wiping off of her own face. 

"You're so full of yourself." Olivia teased. Dawson shrugged and turned back to the garden to continue helping Belinda. Once he was out of ear shot, Olivia turned her attention back to Alex. "I'm not crazy, right? He looked mortified." Alex grunted in annoyance.

"Liv, Leah has a great body. That's just a given fact. Any guy who sees her in a tiny bikini like that is going to drool. And once that body is removed from sight, any guy would be disappointed. Let it go." Alex said quietly so Dawson wouldn't hear.

"But Dawson isn't any guy, Alex! Dawson is...Dawson." Olivia whispered back.

"So? A guy is a guy! No matter how sweet and sensitive you think he may be, he's still a guy." Alex sighed. "What does it matter anyways? It's not like you're with Dawson or anything."

"No but if Kaleah goes back into his life, it will mess up everything." Olivia said, furiously.

"Mess up what? The non existent crush he has on you?" Alex's words were harsh and Olivia flinched at the truth behind them.

"I believe he cares about me." Olivia said, not entirely sure if that was true or not. Alex shrugged and closed her eyes as she sank deeper into the hot tub.

"It's none of my business." She said, ending the conversation.

Dawson tried to continue to work, but was distracted. Belinda noticed that he kept staring off into space and even almost drowned her tomato plant.

"Dawson..." Belinda said, quickly grabbing the watering can from his hand. Dawson snapped out of his daze.

"Sorry!" He said, blushing. "I'm so sorry. Did I kill them?" He asked, pointing to the tomatoes. Belinda laughed.

"Relax, honey. The tomato's are fine. I just think they won't need watering for a couple days." Belinda sighed. "What's more important here is if you are okay or not." Dawson stared at Belinda blankly. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" Belinda repeated. Dawson nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I think so." He said softly. 

"Look, my daughter is hard to resist. I've noticed that ever since the day she hit her growth spurt. Everywhere we go, there would be boys or men trying to flirt with her or pick her up. Out of all of those boys or men, I have never approve of anybody except for you." Belinda smiled.

"What are you saying?" Dawson asked, hopeful.

"I'm saying I'm dismissing you for the day." Belinda's smile grew bigger. "And if I were you, I wouldn't let her slip away again." Dawson smiled back at Belinda.

"Leah's lucky to have a mom like you." Dawson said.

"Oh now you're just being a suck up." Belinda laughed and Dawson shrugged,

"It's a compliment." Dawson giggled. "Take it or leave it."

"And this is the only time I'm going to be so nice to you." Belinda winked. "Take that or leave it!" Dawson smiled one last time before turning towards the house. He passed Olivia and she stopped him.

"Where are you going?" She asked. Dawson didn't even bother to stop and chat.

"Home." He lied. "Belinda said I can leave. I'm not...feeling well." Without another word, he disappeared into the house.

 Kaleah sat at her vanity staring at herself in the mirror. Why was she so upset at Dawson gawking over her? Or was she even upset? Was she just shy of her body? Or did the attention scare her? Moments later, Dawson walked in, closing and locking the door behind him. Kaleah didn't even look at him as he approached her. She continued staring at herself in the mirror. 

"What's wrong?" Dawson asked her, softly. Kaleah didn't say anything back. She didn't really know how to answer his question. "Kaleah? Why did you run away?" Kaleah let out a long sigh.

"You were staring at me." She said, coldly. 

"And you didn't like that?" Dawson asked, sadly. Kaleah shrugged.

"I...." She paused, looking down at the ground. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Dawson asked. Kaleah stood up abruptly, back facing Dawson. 

"I just don't know okay?!" Kaleah snapped. "Dawson, please leave. I have some thinking to do." Dawson considered obeying Kaleah's wishes, but instead took a step forwards.

"Thank about what?" Dawson asked. 

"About everything." 

"But last night..." Dawson began, but was stopped when Kaleah spun to face him. 

"Last night was great." Kaleah finished for him, trying to ignore Dawson's interest in her body again. 

"Then..." Dawson gulped, lifting his gaze from Kaleah's almost naked body to her eyes with great difficulty. "Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is...." Kaleah struggled for her words. She noticed Dawson having problems looking away from her body, but for some reason, she no longer cared. They were in the privacy of her own room and somehow, this made a difference.  "The problem is....Olivia has a crush on you. Alex told me she's practically in love with you. And Olivia's my best friend." Kaleah then realized that she ran off not because she was uncomfortable with Dawson seeing her body...she was scared of him blowing their cover in front of Olivia. 

"So?" Dawson said. "This isn't about Olivia. This is about me and you."

"Olivia is my best friend." Kaleah repeated. Dawson nodded.

"But last night...you said it yourself. It was great. Amazing, actually. I felt so reconnected to you...and it felt right." Dawson took a step closer to Kaleah.

Kaleah could barely look Dawson in the eyes. She felt nervous a their proximity, but at the same time, wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her. She felt badly about taking Olivia's crush away from her, but felt like she could selfishly give in to him at any moment. She was conflicted.

"Kaleah, I don't feel the same way about Olivia." Dawson continued. "Olivia can crush on me all she wants...my heart belongs to someone else." Kaleah's heart fluttered as he spoke.

"I'm assuming you mean your heart belongs to me." Kaleah smirked, finally meeting Dawson's eyes. Dawson laughed.

"Leave it to you to make a serious moment into a joking matter." He said lightheartedly.

"It might not make a difference to you if Olivia likes you or not, but it makes a difference to me." Kaleah said, getting instantly serious again. "I've known her practically my whole life."

"Not as long as you've known me." Dawson corrected. Kaleah considered this for a moment.

"She will hate me if she finds out anything has happened, or is going to happen." Kaleah suggested. This made Dawson laugh again.

"Olivia is a hard core Christian. She will barely curse you out, let alone kill you." Kaleah smiled. "If it makes a difference, we can keep this a secret for a while." Kaleah looked into Dawson's deep brown eyes....oh how she loved his eyes. It seemed cruel to keep such a secret from her best friend, but at the same time, Dawson made Kaleah happy. If Olivia was her best friend, she would understand that and want Kaleah to be happy, even if that meant Kaleah was with her all-time crush. Kaleah needed to know if Olivia would accept it or not, but she couldn't out right ask her without giving them away. 

"Please?" Dawson asked, grabbing hold of Kaleah's waist and bringing her out of her train of thought. Instinctively, Kaleah put her arms around Dawson in return, watching his pleading gaze tremble at the touch of her bare back under his hands. Kaleah felt that shock of electricity course through her body, just as she had the night before. It was exhilarating and only made her want Dawson even more. "Just give it a chance." Dawson said in almost a whisper. 

"You make it really hard to do the right thing." Kaleah whispered back, smiling sweetly. Dawson laughed softly.

"You make it really hard for me to want you to do the right thing." Without another word, Dawson kissed Kaleah. 

It started off as a sweet, gentle kiss. Kaleah got lost in the warmth of his lips lightly wrapped around hers. He pulled away, only inches from Kaleah's face. His breathing began to pick up and he could hardly stayed pulled apart for long.

"Yes or no?" Dawson asked. Kaleah raised one eyebrow.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"Are you going to give us a chance or not?" Dawson said. Kaleah giggled.

"Just shut up and kiss me again." Without any more prompting, Dawson leaned in for another kiss. This time, it was harder...more passionate. Kaleah sensed the urgency...the hunger....in the way his lips pressed against hers. She couldn't help but kiss him back just as hard, biting his lip from time to time. Dawson picked Kaleah up and tossed her legs around his waist, all the while keeping his lips locked on hers. Kaleah giggled again. "You picked up some skill while I was away." Kaleah teased. Dawson smiled and kissed her again, carrying her over to the bed. 

Dawson laid Kaleah on her back and he hopped on top of her, his one hand pressed firmly on her back as he tried to draw her closer and closer to his body. Kaleah tangled her fingers through Dawson's hair as she kissed him with such passion that it almost surprised her. Dawson reach both his hands around Kaleah's body to untie her bikini top as Kaleah started to unbutton his shirt. Before they got very far, a fierce knock startled them out of each other's arms. Nobody said a word as Kaleah and Dawson caught their breath, both staring at the door.

"KALEAH!!" Alex screamed through the door. She jiggled the handle. "What the hell? There's locks on these doors? KALEAH OPEN UP!"

"It's Alex..." Kaleah whispered to Dawson.

"What do we do?" Dawson asked, looking around for a place to hide while buttoning his shirt back up.

"I don't know..." Kaleah giggled softly. "Um...under the bed?" Dawson gave her a sarcastic look.

"That's just degrading. I may be your secret lover, but I'm not some naughty toy you can just toss under your bed when you get caught. Who knows what kind of yucky things are under there!" Dawson laughed and Kaleah joined him.

"KALEAH! I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING!!" Alex screamed once more. "OPEN UP! I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!" Kaleah rolled her eyes and gave Dawson a kiss on the cheek before leaving the bedroom.

"What do I do?" Dawson asked.

"I will be right back." Kaleah said. She quickly unlocked the door and stepped outside, making sure that Alex couldn't catch a glance into her room before closing her door again. 

"Umm yeah, hi. What the hell was that?" Alex asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"What the hell was what?" Kaleah asked, mirroring Alex's actions.

"Well let me see..." Alex cleared her throat and starting counting her fingers. "First there was the part where you got totally embarrassed in front of Dawson, then there was the little issue of you nearly booking it into the house. Oh and let's not forget the fact that you had your door locked and you took forever to answer it when I knocked a hundred times...and to top it all off, you've been down here all this time and you're still in your bikini..." Kaleah started laughing.

"There you go over analyzing every thing again." Kaleah said, pointing out one of Alex's flaws. She always read deeper into a situation then she should. "There's nothing happening...you're imagining things."

"Oh my god, Leah! You must think I'm completely dumb!" Alex practically hollered. "What the hell is going on? Dawson was practically drooling over you and you ran away. Explain that." Kaleah sighed and grabbed her friend's arm.

"Come on. I have to tell you something." Kaleah started leading Alex towards the living room.

"Why don't we talk in your room?" Alex asked, holding back.

"Um...long story." Kaleah smiled and managed to drag Alex to the living room. 

Kaleah told Alex everything there was to know about her and Dawson, starting from their relationship from before Kaleah moved to Sunset Valley down to the events that just happened only moments ago. Alex threw her arms up.

"Are you freaking kidding me!" She hollered. "After all of this....after Liv's paranoia and Dawson's freak out on your first night back, it turns out your actually sleeping with him!"

"Hey! We have not slept together." Kaleah corrected, hollering just as loud. When the rest of the words sunk in, Kaleah went quiet.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked, softer than before.

"Olivia's paranoia?" Kaleah asked. Alex stared blankly. "What do you mean Olivia's paranoia?" Kaleah asked again.

"I don't think I should say anything...Liv trusted me." Alex explained sadly. 

"Alex, if there's something I should know..." Kaleah urged. Alex sighed in defeat. 

"I think Olivia is on to you guys. Somehow, she sees that connection. I thought she was just being paranoid and imagining things...but then again, she's way more observant than I am...apparently." Alex said. 

Kaleah looked down at the floor, unsure of what to do again.

"Hey, listen." Alex said, noticing Kaleah's uneasiness. "Screw that bitch...pardon my French." Kaleah giggled.

"That's not very nice to say about one of your best friends!" Kaleah said, smiling.

"No seriously, though. If she's going to get mad at you for hanging around a guy that you've both known for way longer and hooked up with then screw her! Dawson was yours first." Alex said.

"I guess your right..." Kaleah said. "But I just don't want to hurt her. She's so innocent and good...she doesn't deserve heart break. Especially one caused by her best friend."

"Maybe heart break is what she needs to slap her out of her moral obsessions." Alex smirked. "Do you know what the worst part about all of this is?" 

"No, what?"

"You weren't even going to tell me!!! I bet that if I hadn't walked downstairs just now and questioned you, you would've never told me. You guys were planning on sneaking around!" Alex made a fake angry face and Kaleah started to laugh.

"Relax. You know just as well as I do that I wouldn't have been able to keep this a secret from you for long." 

"Yeah because I would've figured you out." Alex said proudly. Kaleah shook her head.

"Noooo! Because I can't keep anything from you! I feel too bad!" Kaleah said, mirroring Alex's pride. 

The girls laughed for a moment and then in almost an instant, Alex's face went serious again. She looked at Kaleah through narrow eyes.

"So are you guys like...dating?" Alex asked, repulsed by the thought. She never did like Dawson...and now that he was the object of both of her best friends affection, she hated him more. Kaleah's face went neutral as she thought about Alex's question.

"No." Kaleah finally admitted. 

"Do you want to be dating him?" Alex asked.

"Not right now." 

"Kaleah...what the hell? Get your head together! You said that this boy confessed his love for you. If you guys are hooking up, then why wouldn't you want to date him? You're probably messing with his head..."

"I am not!" Kaleah hollered. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm just having fun with him. Right now, the way things are, he makes me happy. I just want to keep feeling happy and bubbly before I make any real decisions about anything." Alex nodded in understanding and said no more.  

"I still want to keep this a secret from Olivia." Kaleah said, breaking the awkward silence that broke out between them. "At least until I figure out how she would feel about the thought of Dawson and I." Right before Alex could respond, Dawson walked in.

"Kaleah, I...." He paused when he saw Alex.

"Hello....Dawson." Alex stared at him as if she was scolding him. "Speak of the devil."

"I um...I was just...I was in the laundry room and..." Dawson was going red in the face, trying to stick with his and Kaleah's plan to keep them a secret. Kaleah started laughing and Dawson looked at her confused.

"I told her." Kaleah said. Dawson let out a long breath.

"Oh..." He said. "Good. What happened to keeping it secret?"

"It's alright if Alex knows." Kaleah smiled reassuringly and Dawson nodded. Kaleah stood up and brought Dawson to the side of the room when she noticed that Dawson needed to talk to her.

"Look, I have to head home." Dawson said in almost a whisper, standing very close to Kaleah's still half naked body. "But I will see you tomorrow? We can pick up where we left off." Dawson grinned jokingly and Kaleah giggled.

"Okay." She said. Dawson leaned in and kissed her a little too passionately for what Alex could handle.

"Ewwww!" She hollered. "Okay, just because I know about you too doesn't mean I like it when you get all mushy and kissy around me." Kaleah gave Dawson one more quick kiss and watched him leave the room. "I'm serious you know. Never do that again."

"You're such a baby!" Kaleah teased.  

Dawson headed towards the front door, but stopped abruptly when the sad eyes of Olivia from the kitchen caught his gaze.

"Hi." Dawson said, cautiously.

"I thought you went home." Olivia said, her voice shaken as though she was about to cry. 

"Yeah...I...." Dawson didn't know what to say.

"Did you just come from her bedroom?" Olivia asked. Dawson stared at her blankly. "Kaleah's bedroom..." Olivia said. Dawson nodded and when he did, tears flooded from Olivia's eyes.

Dawson closed the gap between him and Olivia and Olivia calmed down as he approached. 

"Why are you so upset?" He asked, wiping a tear from her cheek. "We've talked about this."

"I know...it just sucks. It's so easy for her to get whoever she wants and for me, I always have to fight for my heart." Dawson smiled apologetically.

"You will find that someone, Olivia. You just have got to stop thinking that that someone is me." Olivia nodded slightly, understanding what he was saying but making it obvious that she didn't like hearing it.  

"You said, though, that maybe someday..." Olivia tried to say, but Dawson shook his head and interupted her before she could finish.

"Yeah but that someday isn't today. That still could be true. Maybe we will end up together someday in the distant future...but right now..." Dawson saw the sadness in Olivia's eyes as he spoke and quickly dropped the subject. "Look, I have to go."

"Wait!" Olivia grabbed Dawson's hand just as he tried to turn away. Dawson looked down at where their hands met and moved his hand so that hers fell into his palm. He took his gaze back into Olivia's eyes and smiled. 

"You're very persistant, aren't you." Dawson laughed softly, but Olivia shook her head.

"No, I get what you're saying." She admitted. "It's just...are we ever going to tell Kaleah?" Olivia's words made Dawson's lighthearted expression fade into a cautious frown.

"She doesn't need to know." Dawson said harshly, dropping Olivia's hands.

"Yeah she does..." Olivia said as she folded her arms protectively over her chest. "Living with this secret is killing me."