I was browsing around in the store for probably a half hour when I saw the perfect dress. It was a long, black, flowy dress with a sweetheart neckline. The top of the dress was floral with a few lines of cream coloured beading going in different directions. I picked out my size from the rack then went to the dressing room area.

The girls working in the store were really nice so I wasn't too nervous about asking one of them to help me get the dress on. Once she got it zipped up we both looked in the mirror. I fell in love with it immediately.

It looked really good on and the top fit my boobs just right so it wasn't going to slide down. The worst part about strapless dresses is having to pull it up all the time but that dress wasn't going anywhere.

The girl told me that I looked amazing and that I should definitely get the dress, I know it was probably part of her job but it made me feel good nonetheless.

Once I was done in the dressing room I walked over to the shoe area of the store to see if I could find a nice pair to go with my dress. The first pair I saw were simple and cream coloured, they were a perfect match. The only thing wrong with them was that they were high heels. I knew that buying them was probably the stupidest thing I could've done, but they went perfectly with my dress so I decided that I was just going to have to suck it up for one night.

I headed straight to the counter to buy the stuff I had picked out, I didn't give it a second thought. The price was a bit high for my liking but I was going to deal with it because I wanted the dress so badly and I could probably find a reason to wear it again.

When I reached the counter, the girl who helped me out with it was there waiting for me. She told me that the dress was already paid for and said that she hoped I had a fun time at the party I was going to.

Well that was a sweet surprise. I figured it was James so I made a mental note to thank him at least 100 times.

I was in a really good mood when I walked out of the store, happy with my outfit for Saturday and I couldn't help but smile because I was so excited.

My good mood didn't stick around for long though once I saw James getting some girls phone number. Well I thought it was just some girl but when I looked closer I could tell exactly who it was.

Of all the people in Pittsburgh could there have been a worse person to come along and flirt with him? Anyone would have been better than Nicki.

I caught James' eyes and he noticed me glaring. A look of confusion crossed his face, he thought I was angry with him but in reality he was just stuck in the middle of it all.

As I walked towards them Nicki noticed James looking behind her so she turned around and saw me too. I knew I couldn't be near her so I rushed past them hoping that James would get the hint to get up.

Shortly after, he came up behind me and lightly grabbed my arm so I would stop walking.

"Why are you so mad right now?" He asked perplexed. When I didn't answer right away he spoke again. "Why does it matter if I got some girl's number? That's my business not yours." He said angrily. Then I noticed Nicki followed him and I tried to get us out of there as quick as I could.

"Can we just talk about this back at my place?" I pleaded as she was getting closer .

"No Cassie, there's no avoiding this." He said, his tone serious. How right he was. Before I could get another word out she was next to us.

"Hey Cassie! How do you guys know each other? Is this why you didn't come out after the game Saturday?" She said the last part with a wink.

"Her?" James asked but I ignored his question and spoke to Nicki. It really wasn't the right time or place for the conversation that was probably going to happen but it was James' fault we were still there.

"You're kidding right? Haven't you been talking to Michael?" I asked.

"No why would I be? What happened?" She asked, faking that she actually cared. I was blown away that she would try to keep up the charade when she knew that I was aware of what was going on when I wasn't there.

"You two deserve each other." I spit out before I walked out the exit, ready to let go and be done with it all.

I walked in the direction of James' car as fast as I possibly could. I wanted to get away from her and never see her again.

I heard footsteps hitting the pavement quickly behind me, someone was running. When they got next to me I felt an arm wrap around me and I didn't have to look up to know who owned it.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"For what? Getting mad at me before you actually knew what was going on or for flirting with the girl that my ex cheated on me with?" I asked. I was kind of pissed that he got mad at me before he really knew why I was acting like I was.

"Both." He said. I didn't say anything but I chose to accept his apology, he was the only person I had then and I wasn't ready to lose someone else that I cared about.

We ran the rest of the way as it started raining, and hopped in his car as quickly as possible. As soon as we were in we heard the thunder start, it was a bad storm and I just wanted to get home and hide in my bed until it was over.

Halfway home James noticed I hadn't said a word since we got in the car. "Cass are you mad at me?" He turned his head towards me.

"No, it's just.. these storms scare me." I said quietly. He didn't say anything after that, he just put one hand on my knee and rubbed it in an attempt to comfort me. He did that all the way home and it did make me feel a bit better but it definitely wasn't going to help me get rid of my stupid little crush.

By the time we pulled into the underground parking garage I was pretty well calmed down. We were walking through the garage together when I heard another clash of thunder, I whimpered and hid my face in James' chest. He wrapped his strong arms around me and we walked the rest of the way up to my apartment without another problem. I heard the thunder but like it was in the hospital, being in his arms made me feel safe like nothing could hurt me.

When we got in the apartment I threw my packages in my room quickly and went back out to the kitchen. When I got there, he told me he wanted to surprise me with supper, I didn't have to do a thing. I figured while I was waiting for him to cook it I could ice my arm for a bit.

I went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel to put some ice in then I went to the kitchen. I filled the towel and got James to wrap an elastic band around the top so no ice would come out.

When that was done I went into the living room and turned on the tv, hoping it would drown out the still booming thunder.

Sadly, it didn't, it never did and every time I could here it's loud sound, I whimpered. Storms have always scared me because they can be so unpredictable, like they have a mind of their own.

I was curled up into a ball in the middle of the couch when James came to check on me. I could tell that he felt really bad about leaving me alone. He took my hand and pulled me off the couch and into a hug.

"It's okay Cass it can't hurt you, not with me here." He whispered in my ear, trying to calm me down. We just stood there for a minute until I finally let go.

"Come in the kitchen with me?" I nodded. That proposal was too good to refuse. There was no way I wanted to stay out there by myself and listen to the storm.

I followed him into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, thankful that there were no windows in there. I sat down and watched him trying to figure everything out, it was kind of a funny scene.

He was running around the kitchen like a chicken with his head cut off. In all the time since we were home, all he did was get the steaks defrosted and turn the oven on. He had no idea where any of the things he needed were and he wouldn't let me help him.

He eventually found it all, by that time I could've had the steaks done cooking but it was entertaining watching him so clueless I couldn't complain.

Once he had everything figured out and he got the steaks in the oven he puffed out his chest and raised his chin, feeling very good about his accomplishment. I had to laugh at the fool.

"God I love your laugh." He said sitting down across the table from me. I blushed like mad. Those butterflies attacked my stomach again, worse than before. Damn it! Why did he have to be so nice?

He was looking me right in the eyes and I had to look away, I couldn't handle his stare. I knew that if I kept looking at him I'd get lost in his eyes and look like a complete idiot, so I pretended that there was something on the other side of the room so interesting that I couldn't look away. When I eventually looked back at him he had changed his line of sight to the table, he looked dejected.

Just when I was about to say something to break the silence, the timer did the job for me letting James know the steaks were ready. He pushed his chair back and trudged over to the oven to take them out.

"Mmmm, my favourite." I said. They smelled delicious and I eagerly awaited their arrival on a plate in front of me. James put them on plates for us and placed them on the table, then got us both a glass of water. I waited for him to sit down before I started eating.

It was the best steak I've ever had, I don't know how he pulled it off, but it was so good. We both looked at each other with surprised looks on our faces and said: "This is amazing." We laughed and continued eating.

"I've got to admit, I didn't have much faith in you when you told me you were cooking supper. I was planning out what restaurant we could order from when you made a mess of our food." I teased him as I stood up and took my plate to the sink.

"Hey!" He said and got up with his plate too. Once he knew I had my plate down he started tickling my sides, which just happen to be the most ticklish spot on my body. I curled up on the ground hoping that he wouldn't be able to keep tickling me but that was useless.

"Stop it!" I said trying to push him away. It was really hard when I only had one hand to defend myself and it didn't really help that he was 200 pounds of muscle.

"Say you're sorry and that I'm the best roomie ever." He said it with a smirk as he stopped tickling me.

"No way! You're the worst." I said and I tried to escape but that didn't work, he had me again in a second.

"Oh am I?" He said as he grabbed my sides and tickled me non-stop until I finally gave in.

"I'm sorry." I said hesitantly.

"And?" He asked, still tickling me while he was waiting for me to meet his other condition.

"You're the best roomie ever I swear!" I said hoping he'd finally let me go.

"Awe that's so sweet of you Cass!" He said, then got up and ran out into the living room without another word. That man always was a weird one, that's for sure.