“Are we still on for the Royal Ball?” Aaron questioned as he and Katie walked to her door after they watched the end of “Chasing Liberty,” and “Love Actually” in its entirety.

Katie looked down at her feet. “If you still want me to go with you.”

Aaron put a finger under her chin and lifted her face up so she’d look at him. “Don’t be stupid.”

“I seem be getting that a lot lately,” she joked.

Aaron dropped his hand to his side. “Do you need me to buy you a dress?”

She shook her head vehemently. “Absolutely not, Aaron Peirsol. Don’t even think about it.”

He leaned against the door and folded his arms across his chest, staring hard at her. “I know you’re strapped for cash. Don’t be so stubborn.”

Katie tried to scowl at him, but found herself smiling. “You’re way too sweet for your own good. I hope you know that.”

“I do,” he replied modestly, batting his eyelashes at her. “I will pick you up tomorrow afternoon and we’ll go blow some of my hard earned money on something ridiculously overpriced. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“It sounds like fun,” Katie stated quietly. “Really.”

Aaron nodded and started to turn around, but she put her hand on his arm to stop him.

“What?” He asked curiously.

Katie stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

Aaron fought the urge to kiss her and instead plastered on a fake smile. “You’re very welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*

“You can’t keep kissing me,” Aaron stated, his voice hard. “It’s killing me. I guess this whole us being friends while I secretly pine away for you really isn’t going to work. How was that?”

Brendan was lounging on Aaron’s bed, watching him talk to himself in the mirror.

“That was…good.”

“Don’t hold out on me. I need this to work. I can’t just be her friend anymore. It’s driving me insane.”

Brendan sat up, his brow furrowed in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I’m in love with her,” Aaron muttered, running a hand through his hair in distress. “And every time I’m around her I want to kiss her brains out but I can’t because I know she’ll freak out and push me away again.”

“Thanks for the whole ‘kiss her brains out.’ I got a great mental image.”

Aaron scowled. “Sorry.”

“Dude,” Brendan stated, standing up. “Give her some time.”

“I don’t think time is going to help,” Aaron replied, kicking his bed in anger. “I think me not seeing her is the only way I can get over her.”

“Yeah, but do you even want to get over her?”

Aaron blinked, but didn’t say anything.

“I thought so.” Brendan patted him on the shoulder. “I’m off. I’ve got a lunch date with your would-be girlfriend. IF she decides to stop lying to herself, and to you.”

“You think she’s lying?” Aaron questioned as Brendan opened the hotel room door.

Brendan shrugged. “I think she’s in denial; I think she‘s probably always been crazy about you but, as we both know, is incredibly stubborn. Maybe bring that up to her. See what she says.”

“Maybe you should.”

Brendan shook his head sadly. “I’m not getting involved, man. You know how I hate to interfere.”

Aaron picked up a shoe to throw at him, but he was already gone.

*

Katie threw her key in the lock and pushed the door open with such force that the mail she was holding in her arms flew all over the place as she raced for the ringing telephone.

Even after all that, she was too late to make it before the machine had picked up.

“Katie, it’s Aaron. I’m sitting here in my hotel room wondering why you’re suddenly acting like a crack addict. Surely it’s not because you’re IN LOVE with me and are trying to DENY it to yourself. You know, denial is not just a river in Egypt. I know you hate when I say that, but it’s true and I, for one, will not----”

“I’m here,” Katie said breathlessly, dumping her bag on the couch and going back to the front door so she could kick it closed. “Sorry, I just got in.”

“Oh. I see.”

“I’m not a crack addict, thank you very much,” Katie went on as if he hadn’t spoken, “Also, I know all about the Nile, but thanks for that anyway.”

Aaron sighed. “So, you’re not in denial? You’re just certifiably insane?”

“I have always been certifiably insane and you’ve never cared before.” She paused, huffing out a breath. “I was at lunch with Brendan.”

He laughed, but it sounded forced. “Katie, just TALK to me. Tell me what you want me to do. Do you want me to leave you alone forever? I have to say that it would kill me, but I’ll try it if it’s what you want. Kissing you yesterday was…well, it was really good, and I’d love to do it again when you’re back from Egypt.”

Katie dropped down onto the couch and fingered a lock of hair, considering his words. “I wish you wouldn’t talk in riddles like that.”

“I’m kind of angry.”

“I can sense that.” Katie stood up again and wandered into the kitchen to find something to drink. Whether it would be hard liquor or a soda was anyone’s guess. “What’s going on? You seemed okay last night.”

“I wasn’t okay,” Aaron breathed heavily and she could tell he was struggling with what to say next. “I’m not okay. I’m crazy about you and I hate being in limbo about this. I need to know how you feel about me right now. Right this second.”

Katie closed the fridge, staring at a picture of she and Aaron that had been taken in Athens at the Olympics. The two of them looked elated, as Aaron had just won a gold medal; he was twirling her around in the air and she was beaming down at him.

She bit her bottom lip until she had figured out how to respond.

“Aaron? Can you come over?”