Juggling my books and the bag of greasy burgers and fries, I make my way up to her door.

I'm almost thirty minutes early but I can't stay away any longer. After waking up to her being cold and distant. I need to talk to her. I haven't stopped thinking about her. It's been hours and I can't erase it from my mind for a second. Her body pressed to mine, her soft lips, the sweet smell of her perfume...

I tried to talk to her, to figure out what happened between the time we fell asleep and the time we woke up but she was closed off to the idea. I left, promising to return at the scheduled time for the project. If she needs space, I'll give it to her. But we need to talk about this.

Tapping on her door, my heart pounds in my chest. This morning didn't go over how I had hoped it would. I could actually see the bricks rising back up. The wall that I thought we were tearing down together was put back up faster than I ever imagined.

When she pulls the door open, I fumble with everything in my arms. I've never considered myself to be 'slick' but I have always been comfortable around women. She turns me into a bumbling idiot.

"Here," she reaches out, "let me take some of that."

Her finger brush against mine as she takes the bag and it's like an electric shock wave.

"Evie," I dump my books on her sofa and turn to see her leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "I'm not going to be able to focus for a second if we don't get this out in the open, right now."

She huffs out a laugh, looking nervous or uncomfortable maybe.

"I...umm...I just think we should focus for the next few weeks." Fuck, she's brushing me off. "When the project is finished we can figure everything out. We shouldn't be distracted."

"I'm already distracted..."

Fuck, this isn't going well. I wasn't expecting her to jump into my arms but I was hoping she wouldn't shut me down completely.

"Connor, I..." she sighs and rubs her hand over her face.

She's pulling back, fighting the attraction. I know she feels it too. It was on her lips when she kissed me. I didn't imagine it, it wasn't one-sided. She wanted me as badly as I wanted her, even if she only let her walls down for a minute.

"Let's eat so we can get to work." I'll squash it for now. I don't want to back her into a corner where she'll make rash choices.

When she sits beside me I can tell that she's being purposeful in not letting any part of her touch any part of me. She's as far away from me as her sofa will allow.

For the next several minutes we sit in tense silence, picking at our food.

"Conor-"

"Evie-"

We both turn at the same time, talking over each other.

"Go ahead," I anxiously encourage her.

"You're nothing like I was expecting when we met. Despite my best efforts, I feel myself getting swept up in your charm..." The tone of her voice and her words aren't matching up. Her words are promising, her tone sounds like she's breaking up with me.

"What if we want the same thing? Just let it happen."

"I can't just let it happen. I feel neurotic and needy-," she covers her eyes with her hands.

"Hey, look at me, please," I take her hands in mine. "Just tell me what you need. You don't know that I can't handle it if you never tell me what it is..."

She takes a deep breath, her big eyes looking into mine, "your face makes it hard for me to think."

When she pinches her eyes closed, we both laugh before she gets serious again.

"I haven't had a boyfriend since high school. At my first college party freshman year, I met a guy. We were friends with benefits up until the end of senior year. Only, I was always a better friend to him than he was to me. I don't know why I held on so tight or why I couldn't see what everyone else could... I really liked him, I thought, for a while, that I loved him. The feeling was not mutual. I know that I am to blame for that situation. I should have stopped it as soon as I felt like I wanted more than he was willing to give, which, if I'm being honest was after a few weeks." She looks up at me like she's expecting judgment.

"You don't want to put yourself in that position again..."

"Right. Since I've been here, I've been on a few dates but I've kept my distance. You're so smart and easy to be around," her voice dips down low, "and handsome..."

"Why don't we just give it a shot? I can't promise you that we will get married and live out our lives together but I can promise that I will not treat you causally. I want you. This isn't casual, Evie. Spending time together has been so easy, hasn't it? We fit..." She bites into her lip and I can't help myself.

I dip down, bringing my lips just close enough to graze hers. I won't go any further; I'll wait for her to decide.

A tiny whimper pushes past her lips and I can't stop my hands from sliding over the sides over her face and into her hair, holding her there. I'm silently begging her to kiss me. Just lean in. That's all she has to do, one centimeter...

Her hand comes up, the tips of her fingers gently touching my chest and for a moment I think she's going to push me away. When she grips my shirt, my breath catches.

The softness of her kiss only punctuates her nervousness.

"We'll be completely serious. There will be nothing casual about it," I kiss the tender skin below her ear. "Be my girlfriend, meet my parents, move in with me."

She laughs and pulls her head away to look at me. "Whoa, slow down."

"I just want you to know that I'm invested," her smile falters as I speak.

"O-OK, I believe you."

We work quietly, sharing the same textbook to write our conclusion and summary notes. After about two hours, she turns to me, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"My best friends are coming to visit next week. If you still want me after meeting them, we can go see The Shins together."

Pulling her into my arms, I hug her tightly to my chest. "We're definitely going to that show together," I feel confident. How bad could her friends be?