"Katie, the past few weeks with you has been the most fun I've ever had." He spoke quietly, so Jason and Hailey couldn't hear. "I like you—a lot. I like to kiss you. Is that so terrible?" "Oh, I—" I licked my lips. I wanted to tell Alex that I had liked him for a long time, but I'd been afraid to try to change our relationship. I'd been really happy the past few weeks, too. Just being friends with Alex had freed me from comparing myself to Nicole. I hadn't worried about measuring up. But if we declared ourselves to be more than "just friends" I could still turn into a shivering mass of insecurities. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I couldn't live in limbo forever and I certainly couldn't expect Alex to, either. I took a deep breath. "Alex, I—" "Ahem." Hailey cleared her throat. She'd appeared suddenly, as if beamed down from another planet. "Excuse me, but I think it's going to rain." Alex looked up. Big black clouds filled the sky. "It looks like a storm coming.
