Chapter Three: Budding Romance

Love is in the Air

Katie watched Dom pack for his trip from the comfort of his computer chair, She leaned back in it and silently watched as he tried to fit his clothes in the small duffel bag. Dom, Lisa, Mia and Bryan were going on a month long trip to Rio to visit their friends Taj and Roman, two people that ALWAYS made Katie laugh when they came up to visit. Finally after realizing he had to roll up his last shirt to fit it he zipped the bag with a loud ZIP and a satisfied sigh making her giggle. It was unusual to see Dom frustrated and it was always a funny sight when he was, she couldn't help but giggle. He flicks his gaze over to her and sticks his tongue out something he NEVER did around the others, making her laugh harder.

 

Dom was a tough guy who was always in control and always serious, but with Katie he was like a child, goofy and silly. He smiles at her and laughs his deep booming laugh. Lisa walks in and his laughter dies quickly, his tough guy appearance coming to the front again.

 

Katie quiets down and smiles at her "adoptive Mother. Lisa was Latino, and a total Badass. She had more strength in her pinky finger then most grown men had in their whole body. She had once taught Katie how to defend herself in case she ever found herself in a situation where she needed to. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her dark black eyes looking at her boyfriend with mock annoyance.

 

"You done packing or what, the others are downstairs waiting." She says putting her hands on her hips. He looks over at Katie then smiles at his women. going over to her he puts his hands around her waist and draws her close to kiss her. Katie making fake gagging noises as she looks at them with love. Pulling away she sees Lisa had a slight flush to her face.

 

"Yeah yeah lets go." He says to her and grabs his bag. Katie gets out of the chair and follows the couple down the stairs to where Bryan and Mia were waiting in the livingroom. Plopping down on the couch next to Han she puts her feet on the coffee table and snatches the remote From Han. He just shakes his head and lets her. flicking through the channels she spies her favorite movie, Fast & the Furious, Tokyo Drift.

 

"OK We're leaving now." Dom says making her look over her shoulder at them. Looking Between Bryan and Dom she feels a slight prickle of Fear. Ever since that day they saved her she considered them Her protectors and got nervous whenever they left her for a lengthy period of time.

"Kid you think you can handle being here with just Han?" Bryan says guessing her thoughts. Han slings his arm around her shoulders and gives her a noogy to which she Squeaks in protest.

 

"No! Save Me from Him!" She fake wails before dissolving into giggles. In the two weeks he had been here Han and Katie and become fast friends, always meeting at night for late night talks about random things and the occasional talk about their pasts. He lets go over her with a chuckle and ducks as she tries to jokingly punch him. "Yeah I'll be fine, I can handle him." She says and looks over at Bryan to find him smiling at the two. It did him good to see her happy and getting along with someone new. Dom on the other hand at the frown of a concerned father.

 

Mia looks at Han with a raised eyebrow with slight suspicion in her eyes, He just looks back at her, his eyes wide with innocence, making her shake her head and smile. Katie oblivious to it all.

 

"We'll be fine. Tell the guys hey for me will ya?" Han says flicking his gaze to the TV before Mia could see his secret in his eyes. His secret was that he was starting to have feelings for this girl sitting beside him. He knew it was wrong and he would never act upon them. He was trying to rid himself of his feelings but no matter what he did he couldn't shake them. there was just something about her that got to him. And then there was the fact that whenever he was around her and saw her smile he forgot about Isabell, something he hadn't been able to do in the years since her passing. He feels her get off the couch and looks over to see her hugging Bryan with all her might. He muttered something to her that Han couldn't hear and saw her hug him harder, muttering something back. He looks away quickly feeling like he was intruding on something private.

 

The girls call out goodbye to him and he waves to them without looking from the TV. The couch sags as Katie sits back down and turns up the movie. Han could just hear the car leaving the Driveway over it. The two watch it for maybe an hour in complete silence. The weight of the fact that they were alone weighing heavily on their shoulders.

 

Katie tries to focus on the car chase that was flashing on the screen but it was near impossible. Han was sitting close enough that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, banging on her rib cage so loudly she was surprise he couldn't hear it. Somewhere in the middle of their late night talks feelings had starting to form. She couldn't help it, something about him made her trust him so completely, something she never did. She trusted him with things she hadn't even told Dom or Bryan. She told him what her father had done to her because she knew he would never judge her or think differently about her. She was realizing that she was starting to Fall for him. She knew though that it was a hopeless case, something that would never be more then just a girl with a crush. He was ten years older then her and was still grieving over his late girlfriend, whom she had seen pictures of. She had been Gorgeous and from the stories Lisa and Mia told about her she was a fiesty chick who could handle her own. Why would Han ever like an abused broken mental case like herself? He shifts and his knee brushes against hers making them both stiffen and jump away. Was that intentional? She mentally smacks herself at the thought. That was ridiculous! it was a mistake obviously look how he jumped away.

 

S**T! He thinks as he jumps away from brushing his knee against hers. What was he thinking? Why on Earth did he think that he could do that without her reacting! What was wrong with him? Han chastises himself mentally as he scoots away from her. Finally not able to handle being this close to her he gets up and wipes his hands on his pants.

 

"Hey I'm going to go take a nap, call me when Dinner's ready. I'll make tomorrows OK?" He says and heads upstairs before she could answer him. He didn't see her disappointment as she watches him flee from her.

 

She sags onto the couch in defeat, the movie totally forgotten. See! She knew there was no way a guy like him could like a girl like her. If She only knew.

Han slams his door shut and collapses onto his bed, a groan on frustration escaping him. What the hell was wrong with him? He had to keep himself under control if he was going to survive a whole month being alone with her. Suddenly becoming very uncomfortable he shifts himself and sits up. He grabs his towel and heads for the bathroom for a shower. F**k He figured if this was how his days were going to end this was going to be a VERY long month.