"Hi," Devlin said quietly."Hi, I was just about to call you," Faith answered.There was silence on the line for a few seconds then he spoke. "I'm sorry about--"At the same time, Faith started, "I wanted to apologize--"They both stopped and laughed. "You go first," Faith said."Okay. I was saying that I'm sorry about what happened. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I could have just trusted you, waited and then asked you about it later instead of flipping out.""And I wanted to apologize for reacting rashly as well. I know you only reacted that way because you care about me.""We could have both handled that a whole lot better.""Yes, we could have." Faith curled up on her bed. "Thank you for the food as well. I didn't realize I was starving until I opened the bag.""I knew you wouldn't remember to eat."She giggled. "Now that I have you, I don't ever have to remember again.""I suppose that is right," he said gravely.They both laughed. "You know, there is nothing going on between

"Are you sure you've grabbed everything?" Adele asked for the umpteenth time.Faith sighed. "Yes, I have." Adele had been fussing all morning. You would think that Faith was leaving forever.Devlin had finally worn her out and she'd agreed to move in to his place for the duration of their exams.The exams would span over two weeks. For those two weeks, she would be living at the mansion with him. His argument was that he needed her help with studying and that would work more easily if she just stayed with him.He thought he was sleek with that one but the only reason why she agreed to move in with him was because she wanted to.They'd become so close over the past weeks and months that she hated being away from him. She missed him every second they were apart. So she said yes, letting him think that he had somehow convinced her.Mama Rose had been excited at the news and called to tell her just that. She told Faith not to bother herself over anything. She would make her stay very comf

Devlin stood at the doorway staring at the lingerie-clad Faith in shock.Perhaps because she'd seen this exact scene play out her very first day in this very house, Faith recognized that a serious battle was going on in his head.She waited for him to come to her with bated breath. Surely there was no way he could resist this time.The seconds ticked by slowly while he warred with himself. Faith shifted self-consciously. She fought the urge to cover herself with her hands under his intense scrutiny. It was nerve-wracking.Finally, Devlin took a step--but instead of the step carrying him forward, he stepped backwards. "I'm sorry," he muttered and disappeared from the doorway.Faith was stunned, utterly stunned. For a few minutes, she just sat there unmoving, staring at the empty doorway.He'd just walked away without a word. She'd thought they were making progress but the exact same incident of the past just repeated itself.She was mortified. She'd put herself out there, making the pl

Faith stepped out of the school building. A smile graced her face. She barely took in the excited chatter around her, staring up at the sky instead.She just wrote her final paper for the year and she was filled with happiness. Now she could spend time with Devlin without exams hanging over their heads.She did a little celebratory dance then blushed when she caught someone giving her an odd look. She hurried away.Devlin was supposed to pick her up. Where was he? She scanned the parking lot and immediately spotted the lone man leaning against the auspicious red car.He was clutching something in his hand that she couldn't see well. He spotted her and waved. Faith approached him.When she got closer, she could finally see what he was holding. He held a big card that said "Congratulations on your last paper" and a bouquet of flowers in the other hand.Faith squealed and ran up to him, jumping on him and throwing her arms around him. Devlin caught her with a laugh."You're going to sque

A loud ringing sound pierced the air.Faith was jarred out of the wonder land of the book she was reading by her ringing phone. She sighed and put the book aside.She'd dropped her phone at the other side of the room so she had to get up and walk across the room to grab it.It was probably Devlin calling to say hi. He'd gone off to work early that morning just like he had every day that week. He'd formed a habit of calling her during the day to check up on her and make sure she wasn't getting bored on her own. She wasn't.He'd taken her out to a bookstore during the weekend and bought her ten new books, one of which she'd just been reading. She was unlikely to be bored anytime soon but no matter how many times she told him that she wasn't bored and he shouldn't worry, he still called to check up on her.Faith picked up the phone and peered into the screen but it wasn't Devlin's name that popped up this time."Who could this be?" She thought to herself, frowning. She picked the call