From Friends to Lovers

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was 8pm; Rick knocked on the Becketts' door, and was greeted with a smiling Johanna.

"Hi Mrs. Beckett!"

Rick was suddenly pulled into an unexpected tight embrace, "Rick, honey, how are you, oh I was so worried when Kate told me you were gone. Are you okay now?"

"Yea, yea, I'm fine, thank you"

"Come on in, Jim's in the living room, I'll go tell Kate you're here."

Rick took his coat off and hung it in the closet, and then walked into the living room to find Jim siting on the couch.
"Hey hey, look who's back from the dead"

"do I look that bad?" he joked

Jim laughed and lightly pulled him in for a hug.

"I'm just puling your leg big guy, you're looking great, what, you worked out much while you were away?"

"Yea, you could call it something like that."

Jim switched the TV on, and sat at his recliner chair. They made small talk, just beating around topics ranging from football, Jim's work place, Rick's outing, and it wasn't long before Kate made her way downstairs, clad in her denim shorts, and a long t-shirt that hung loosely around her.
"Hey" she said, as she plopped herself on the sofa beside Rick.

"Hey yourself" he said with a warm smile, that had immediate effects on Kate. She suddenly felt warm too.
They watched the game together, cheering when necessary, groaning in frustration when the team they were rooting for missed a goal.

Rick had to stop himself from looking towards Kate every so often. She was so much more different compared to other girls, hell; she understood everything you needed to know about football, which was a very rare thing to find. She was sporty, beautiful, real, and yes, he was staring again.

And this time, she had caught him.

"What?" she chuckled, raising an eyebrow at him.

He opened his mouth to explain, to make up some excuse for his creepy staring, but he had nothing to say. Fortunately, Jim picked that moment to speak; he got up from his chair, holding his back.

"Ahh... The things old age does to ya... Well, I'm retiring for the night; I think I'll be of more use in bed"

Rick laughed out loud.
"Eww dad!" exclaimed Kate.

He then came up behind the couch and tapped rick on the shoulder, "I'll leave you kids to it, don't stay up to late Katie"
he kissed her over the head "goodnight".
"Goodnight dad"
"night Mr. B."

As soon as Kate heard her dad's door close from upstairs, she turned to look at rick, siting at the other end of d sofa, and asked "this game is getting a little boring, want to watch a movie?"

"Yea sure."

"There's a tub of ice-cream in the fridge, could you go get it? I'll put in a movie till then"

Rick went into the kitchen and returned with the tub and two spoons, he sat himself down, and Kate came and sat just a few inches away from him, making herself comfortable at his side, to dig into the ice-cream tub with him.

And when he inhaled his nostrils were filled with her scent, her proximity did it for him. Of course he knew her scent before, but he didn't know he was in love with her at the time. Now was a whole other story.

Little Manhattan began playing. And they both watched silently, until the movie and the ice-cream were over.

When she turned the TV off, he got up to leave.
"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave"

"Hey, what's the hurry, stay for a while. Please, I've missed you... this."

How could he deny her that? He loved her. He sat back down, this time placing his hand along the back- rest of the couch, and facing her a little more. She turned a little too, so that she was looking at him

"okay" he said.

"But only cause you said please."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes at him, another thing about her he had come to love. "You haven't changed one bit." she said, looking down.

"Did you want me to change?"

"No" she glared at him. "I'm glad you're still you"

'Oh Kate, if only you knew that I'm not the same. If only you knew how much my feelings towards you have changed.' he thought to himself.