3:

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Woody sat by the window on the desk. The cool spring morning had turned into an even cooler afternoon. The Cowboy stared at the world outside. The sky was a deep blue and the leaves were coming back to the trees.

Lost in thought, he began to replay that morning in his head. Jessie was right. Why did he get so self conscious when it came to Bo? Why did he care what the other guys thought?

Of course it wasn’t always like that. When they could be alone together, it was the easiest thing in the world to be himself. Bo had a special way of taking away the tension, much more so than anyone else he’d ever met. He never had to worry about meetings and rules when he was with her. They could just sit and talk for hours about anything. Or sometimes, they would just be quiet as they snuggled against one another. Either way, she was always there for him.

Always there for me… The door creaked. Woody looked to see who was coming in. Bo. And she looked as though she’d lost her sheep again.

As she lifted up the blanket to check under the bed, Woody watched. She released the cover and went to look somewhere else.

Suddenly, Woody felt a hankering in his heart. He started to stand, but as he did, he noticed Potato Head and Hamm not too far from where Bo was searching.

For a moment he looked back and forth between them and Bo. Then the Cowboy frowned. “Heck with it!”

Climbing down off the desk, he jumped off the chair. With a strong, purposeful stride he made his way across the bedroom. Past Buzz and Jessie. Past Rex. Past RC. Past Hamm and Potato Head. All the way until he reached Bo.

She hadn’t noticed yet. She was still looking for her flock. Summoning up every piece of courage in his toy body, Woody placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around toward him. He could see the surprise in her large blue eyes as she faced him.

“Woody, what…” Before Bo could get another word out, Woody had placed his mouth over hers. She let out a muffled cry of surprise. He had done it: In front of every toy in Andy’s room, he had kissed her.

And now, for some reason, he didn’t care. He didn’t care who saw. Right now, all he wanted to do was to kiss Bo. And suddenly, he felt his arms picking her up around the waist and lifting her above him as he continued. Time had stopped, and for all the love struck Cowboy knew, the Earth had as well.

When Woody finally stopped kissing her, he gently placed her back on the ground. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “So…” Then he took a deep breath. “So there!” He turned to the other toys who were staring at them agape. “So there! I love this woman, and I don’t care who knows it!” Bo’s face was scarlet red as he spoke. “Go ahead and laugh and tease!” Woody continued. “I don’t care anymore! This is my girlfriend and I’m crazy about her!”

He had been expecting snickers and giggles, so he was shocked when instead, every toy in the room started to applaud. Even Potato Head was clapping.

Next to Jessie, Buzz grinned. “Way to go, Cowboy!” He called.

Bo and Woody looked at each other and exchanged bashful smiles. “I mean it Bo,” said Woody in a quiet voice. “I love you.”

Bo beamed. “I love you too.”

This time, he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he just hugged her close.

--

That night, Woody and Bo sat by the window as everyone else slept. She snuggled under his arm with her eyes closed and her head resting on his chest. Woody watched the stars outside. It was a clear night and there were lots of them. Still, he told himself, he was holding the prettiest one of all.

The radio was playing. Andy often turned it on before he went to bed and now Woody could hear the soft crooning of an old familiar voice:

“Love me tender,
Love me sweet,
Never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
And I love you so…”

The Cowboy smiled tiredly. Suddenly, he was feeling rather sleepy himself…