<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: Ravi;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 10pt;">There was a moment, as their eyes met and she felt her body flush with heat at the honest desire that lay in his eyes for, that she was tempted to tug his shirt off, to let them go down a path of action they didn’t have time for. Besides, it was a lovely bright day outside, the sun still shinning and someone could see through the windows. Years of stifling her sexuality, of being told good girls were modest presented a rather solid hedge against some of the more adventurous things she knew Colin would enjoy. But he never treated her like she was lacking, for any of the countless hang-ups she had. <br/><br/>In return she hoped he realized over the past year she had been slowly trying to nudge out her boundaries, and there was the fact that she was always on his side with everything else. Like disengaging his father’s harping on him for not going higher in the firm yet, deflecting the all too familiar parental frustrations at a child not succeeding to the level that was expected. Those were barbs she was deft at handling and it seemed that her father in law to be thought the best thing Colin had ever done was find her. Some nights that made her laugh, because how could the man not see how incredible his son was? <br/><br/>Of course then he went and said she was perfect and Bethany blushed, shaking her head even as she thought of his words in other contexts. Hopefully he didn’t believe that there, that he should deny or ignore some part of herself for her. That wasn’t love, if someone asked you to do that. It was part of why she was always so adamant about accepting her own weaknesses, claiming them instead of blaming him or anyone else for them. “Sweet talker,” She said, managing a smile before starting to nod in response to his question. Ardy shouldn’t arrive for another half an hour at least. <br/><br/>But then came a knock on the door, causing a winkle in her brow only to laugh at his guilty look and return the kiss. “She’s early, don’t worry and I wouldn’t, you know I’ll always wait on  you…” The last was breathed out after he was already out of the room and for a moment she just sat there, legs dangling over her counter as she tried to get her composure back. Perhaps it was time to find a therapist herself, for all that she was going to be one. To go from desire, to being daring enough to think about removing clothing in the kitchen to fretting over family issues and then to her own lacking… the sheer scope of the spinning in her thoughts was unsettling. But a therapist would mean she’d have to talk about other things, things that so far she had only spoken of to Colin and then hardly at all. No, no she could handle it all on her own. <br/><br/>With a deep breath she pushed herself off the counter, grateful she had worn a pair of flats instead of heels that would have made that far more dangerous. A glance around her kitchen left her with a sigh, the table wasn’t set fully yet, but Ardy was early so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Less then her best meant Beth felt more nerves then normal as she left the kitchen to hasten down the short hallway that gave the kitchen some shielding from the living room and foyer, just one wall along the side of the kitchen, with the open floor plan taking up the rest of the downstairs. At the door she took a deep breath in and exhaled it slowly before opening it to the chilly late afternoon. <br/><br/>Ardy standing there had her blinking in surprise at the vision that was presented. The sweater that was hanging nearly off her, the short shorts that had to leave her legs freezing, not to mention the wild hair. Hoping her expression didn’t express the full amount of her shock Beth reached out and grasped the girls hand to draw her inside, shaking her head, “Ardy, dear heavens why are you out in the cold with only those shorts on?” A firm push to the door had it swinging shut behind the younger girl, sealing them into the cozy warmth of her house as well as the scents of dinner. The chowder and pie needed a little longer, so she could take the time to make sure her guest was comfortable. <br/><br/>“Would you like to borrow a pair of jeans? I have some that might fit you, or even a pair of work out pants? We are roughly the same height I believe. I just… I would hate for you to catch a cold.” Beth blushed, realizing she might be a touch too much of a mother hen, or forward with her offerings. Her hand fell away from the sweatshirt clad limb of the other girl, drawing back into herself with a sheepish smile. “Forgive me, I don’t mean to say you don’t look lovely, you do as always, though I don’t know how you manage to make the wild girl look so casual.”</span></span><br/>