"Hey, is this a bad time to come over?"

"Well considering you are here standing on my doorstep as we speak, I'm pretty sure it's too late to turn you down," I tell Drew, rolling my eyes.

I move to the side so he can walk inside past me.

"How's your day been?" He asks, following me up the stairs towards my bedroom.

"Fine, I guess..." I reply with a sigh.

"But it's better now..." He says with a wink.

"No, actually when you knocked on the door I almost cried."

"Of happiness....."

"No, because seeing your face makes my eyes hurt," I tell him.

"Yeah, because it's too hot. Maybe next time wear some sunglasses. That could help," Drew winks and laughs a little.

"You know... I've got nothing. You win," I roll my eyes, and open my door.

Drew just laughs. I try to ignore the melting feeling inside me as he does so.

"Do you have the recorder thing?" I ask, looking back at him before jumping onto my bed.

"No." He sits beside me.

"What? Why?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"It's illegal to just want to hang out with you?" Drew asks, laying down on the lower half of my bed.

I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out.

"I mean, I could go back and grab it, if you want," Drew shrugs.

"No, no, that's okay. We can hang out. We should hang out," I say quickly.

He laughs a little and says, "Great. I was worried about you only talking to me because you have to."

"No!" I exclaim before I realize it. "I mean, I always want to hang out with you. I mean, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you."

"That's a relief," Drew winks.

I let out a deep breath. I probably sound like a huge idiot right now. But I really find it hard to control myself around him lately. He makes me feel uncertain, unlike anyone I've ever known.

"I think I still have bruises on my arms from where you hit me with those apples," Drew laughs. "You can hit hard."

"And I still have bruises from rolling down the hill," I reply, with a smile.

When Drew starts laughing, I can't help myself from laughing along with him, letting my head fall backwards.

"You have a cute laugh," Drew says.

My eyes widen in shock.

What do I say now? Crap, he's looking at me. Think of a comeback, how do you reply to that? Think fast. Just say something!

"Your have a cute face."

I slap my hand over my face. Are you kidding me? This is what I get for pressuring myself. I've got to stop giving myself anxiety. And being stupid.

Drew's laughing. "Lili, it's okay." He gently removes my hands from my eyes. "You're too cute."

I feel my face turn bright red. I want my hands covering it again to hide me, but Drew is still holding onto my hands. He's staring intently into my eyes, watching me curiously.

"Why don't we go outside? It's nice out there. I've also got this really nice hammock," I tell him, desperate to remove his gaze from me for a few moments.

Drew nods. "Lead the way."

We walk side by side down the stairs and out to the backyard. He follows me across the lawn to where the hammock lays between two trees. We get onto it, laying side by side.

We both look up at the sky that's now turning colors in the afternoon. I try to figure out my emotions, my feelings, sort them out. What's been happening when I'm around Drew isn't normal. I don't feel how I should feel around just friends.

Instead of figuring things out, I just start confusing myself. I end up moving a little closer and resting my head against his shoulder. I am just letting my eyes fall closed when I hear a voice that doesn't belong to Drew.

"Hey, Lili, you weren't answering the door so I figured I'd just come inside-" my eyes open quickly and I sit up to find Caleb standing in the doorway of the backyard. Now Drew's sitting up as well.

That's when I realize, Caleb still believes I'm on his side with hating the Cheddar Rolls.

I can see the shocked look in his eyes. "Wait, Caleb, let me explain-"

"No, no need for explanation," he is backing away slowly.

"Really, let me tell you everything," I plead with him.

"I don't want to hear it, Lili." He turns around. "You lied to me. Straight to my face. I thought I was what was important to you. I thought I might at least deserve the truth." He leaves without another glance in my direction.

After a while of me staring at the door in shock, I put my head in my hands.

I feel Drew's arm go around me. But then I feel him tense up and remove it from my shoulders. I can hear a sigh.

"Is that your boyfriend?" He asks.

"No. No, Caleb's my friend," I explain, taking my head from my hands and looking at him.

"Why's he so mad about me, then?" He asks, looking concerned. He seems worried.

"He... Well, we kind of both used to hate the Cheddar Rolls group-"

"Cheddar Rolls?" Drew asks, looking confused.

"Oh, right, that's what we nicknamed your friend circle," I explain. "But we both used to think you were all jerks who only cared about themselves. Then I actually met you all. I tried to tell Caleb that you all aren't rude and arrogant, but he flipped out on me. When I thought you posted that video of me, I told him he was right. You were all jerks and I never wanted to see any of you again... So seeing me here with you right now must have thrown him on a loop."

"Do we really seem that bad to everyone else?" He asks, looking almost upset.

"No, not all of you. Only a select few," I tell him. "You could probably guess. I never actually thought you personally were a horrible person. It was kind of your group altogether...."

"I'm glad you never thought I was a horrible person," Drew winks at me.

"I just hope someday Caleb can understand," I sigh.

"He will," Drew assures me. "I promise. He'll come through."

"Drew...." I start, drawing my eyebrows together in concentration.

"Yeah?" He asks, watching me curiously.

"Have you ever felt overly confused about something?" I ask him, leaning back on the hammock.

"Like school, or like in life?" He asks, leaning back beside me again.

"Just... About someone? How you feel about them?" I ask him, feeling my heart beating strong in my chest.

"Yes, I've felt confused about a lot of people. Why do you ask?" He questions, looking curiously at me.

"I think I might feel something about someone I know, but I don't really know if it's real," I try to find the right words.

He looks almost like he's sad. "If they make you happy, you'll know it's real. If you feel something deep inside you, you'll know it's real."

"Then it must be real. But what do I do about it?" I ask quietly, looking up at the dimming sky.

"You tell them. You show them how you feel," he says just as quietly. I turn my head to meet his gaze. His eyes are crystal blue and have a sad look in them, though I know he's trying to cover it up.

"And what if they don't feel the same?" I ask, not taking my eyes away.

"They'd be insane not to," Drew says. "Whoever it is must be an amazing person."

"He is," I tell him before pressing my lips to his.

It takes a moment of shock before he responds, moving his hand to behind my head and into my hair. The other finds my cheek. I feel myself drown in his touch. Warmth fills me and my heart pounds in my chest.

Drew pulls me closer, so I end up with my arms around his neck. I feel his hand move from my cheek down to my waist, sending chills through my body. I feel my heart flutter and I know immediately that this is right.

When we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine. My eyes fall closed lightly. I breath deeply, feeling more content than I ever have before.

When my eyes open, I see his blue ones staring into mine with a strong focus. We stay this way for a long time, our breaths mixing.

Then he says, "You're so beautiful." He presses his lips to mine again, softly. I take his hand into my own and the other clutches his shirt collar in the back. I hold tightly, not wanting to let him go. His hands wrap around me carefully and he buries his head in my hair.

I wrap my arms around his neck, my head falling onto his shoulder.

"I never thought you could think of me this way," Drew tells me quietly.

"I never thought I could," I whisper.

My eyes close softly and I feel his breaths on my neck.

"You didn't think it was you," I tell him quietly.

"What?" He asks.

"When I was asking you what to do, you didn't think I was talking about you," I say again.

"I have my doubts too," He tells me.

"You don't have to doubt anymore," I assure him. "And I don't either."

After that, we stay quiet, staying where we are. Neither of us let go or say a word. We just let this moment sink in.

I'm almost asleep on his shoulder, taking long breaths, but before I completely crash, I hear him whisper, "I didn't think I could ever really feel this way about someone."