AN: Wow. After a long break, here’s the next part. Sometimes, I think I start stories just so I can procrastinate on them. :) I’ll try not to do that, especially since people have actually been reading this one. Let’s see if I can remember where I left off...

CHAPTER THREE

I want to explain why I didn’t want to say “love at first sight” before. You’ve got to remember that I can’t really do much of anything. Because of this, I tend to be more aware of all the feelings that I have, especially the happy ones. If something makes me happy, I don’t forget it quickly. I just want you to know that I fell really hard for Kathy right away, and I was more conscious of it than you might be if it happened to you. That’s what I meant by that.

When Kathy came over, my dad kind of hovered over us for a while. I guess he felt like he had to entertain her or something, because I couldn’t really do that for myself. But after about fifteen minutes, he just wandered off and left us alone.

We didn’t really do anything. My dad had turned the TV on, and we watched some sitcom (I watched as much as my eyes would focus on). I found out that day that Kathy is very conversational. Everything seems to remind her of something else, and every few minutes she would launch into a new story on a random topic. But it was a very comfortable kind of talking. She sat on the couch with me next to her in my chair, and when she finished a story we would just settle back into the TV program. There wasn’t that much awkwardness, which was a big relief.

If I could say anything to her right off the bat, the first thing I’d tell her (after “I love you”, of course) would be that I really enjoy hearing her talk. She has a talent for breaking the ice and making people feel comfortable, and also for not talking down to anyone. As the two of us sat together, I thought that she really would make a good doctor. Because you know how you go to the doctor, and you’re nervous or scared for whatever reason? She knows how to make you feel better. It’s the greatest thing.

She hung out with me for a little more than an hour, and then it was time for her to go. But before she left, she knelt down beside me and told me in this quiet voice, “I’m going to try and come back next week. I hope that’s okay.” Then she got up and left.

And she did come the next week, and the week after that. It kind of surprised me, because then school started for the fall, and she still came around, only on the weekends. Even my brother didn’t come home that much. Before I knew it, it was December, and I’d seen her almost every week for the last four months.

I think it puzzled my family too. She hadn’t really taken the time to come into our lives slowly. It’s not until now, much later, that I realize what she knew: if she hesitated and was careful about how she approached us, my parents might think she wasn’t really interested in hanging out with me. She had to make it clear right off the bat that this was where she wanted to be. That way, they couldn’t refuse or argue with her.

The week before Christmas, she came over to spend time with me, just like usual. My parents were going out and leaving the two of us, and she used our kitchen to cook something for them as a Christmas present (and whatever it was, it smelled great, by the way). While it was cooking, she read to me from her biology textbook– which wasn’t the most interesting thing in the world, but I didn’t mind listening. A few hours later, my parents came back home with my brother and sister, so Kathy went home. Before she went, though, while my parents were out of the room, she whispered in my ear, “Merry Christmas, Shawn.” And then she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. She hurried out, almost embarrassed, before I could do anything– as if I could react in any way.

It wasn’t until that moment that I realized why she’d been coming around all this time, even though no one asked her to: she actually liked me.

Saena