"You can't seriously tell me that you bounced between guys this quickly. This is so unlike you. You've always been so dedicated and emotionally attached," Jen protested, her voice filling the space of my bathroom once more.

"I'm not bouncing between guys. Hudson said that he isn't interested in me and I'm not interested in stringing myself along for a guy who doesn't care," I explained, but glared down at the cellphone. Why did I think it was a good idea to call her while I was getting ready again? "You're the one who insisted that I tell him what I want. I did. He didn't care. Besides, Tyson is really nice and we've hung out plenty of times before."

"You used to hate him," Jen interjected.

"I also used to be super uncomfortable around Richard. I got over that and you didn't think it was weird. You told me to get over it."

"You were bothered by his profession and his skillset like most people are when they come face to face with someone who can undo all of their ticks and understand that their habits might actually be behavioral problems. Tyson doesn't fall into that category. He hit on you, he made you feel sexualized."

"He apologized and he knows that he can't do that with me anymore. We understand each other a lot better now," I defended.

I hated the way the words came out of my mouth, feeling like bile that had risen from my throat. I knew it wasn't the same as Connor, but I had also defended him when he had clearly been wrong. I hated playing for the losing side, and I hated having to protect people who didn't deserve it. But this was different. Tyson had changed towards me.

Besides, we were just going out for dinner. It seemed to be the only outing he could ever think of anyway.

"Fine, I can't make your choices for you," Jen sighed.

"You were the one who told me that I need to put myself out there," I protested, so annoyed with her behavior.

"Yeah, you're right. Do whatever feels right. I have to go, Richard just finished cooking supper." The words were so hollow it was almost insulting.

I hung up with her, then finished by applying one last swipe of mascara. I knew that I would be under dressed, Tyson loved taking me to place that reminded me of my past, but I didn't care. I wanted to be comfortable and pretty, but nothing beyond, like I didn't have the motivation to put in more effort. When I thought of putting on a dress it made my skin itch. Nothing but skinny jeans and a nice top for me tonight.

Since the snow was starting to melt and I was certain we would be indoors I put on cute little flats and left my cramped apartment with a blush purse hanging off one shoulder. As I descended down to the main floor I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing the right thing. I had never been one to believe in gut feelings, but this just didn't feel right. I had thirty two steps to decide.

Was I just trying to hurt Hudson?

Was Tyson just some sort of rebound for opening my heart up and getting burned?

Had Tyson really changed or had he just figured out how to play me?

What would Tyson think this was?

Was this a date?

God, I wasn't ready to go on a date yet, and certainly not with him.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thoughts as I pushed through the entrance, moving on autopilot. And slammed right into someone with my head ducked down and my eyes unfocused.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," I muttered, side stepping and almost ending up in the snow.

"It's alright, princess."

My head snapped up. My grey eyes met Hudson's brown ones. And for a moment, I just stood there, staring at him with my lips parted and our gazes locked.

He was wearing a Rush hoodie and dark wash jeans, looking so handsome in such simple clothing. His hands were shoved into his pockets and there was a smile on his face, but his lips were tight, telling me just how nervous he was. Even still, I hadn't seen him smile all weekend and it made me tingle to see it again.

"What are you doing here?" I said, finally finding my voice.

"I came to see you," he admitted.

"I have a date with Tyson," I stated. My voice came out cold.

I didn't want to hurt him, not originally. I knew that if he had given me half a second on the slopes I would've spewed a thousand apologizes for overstepping. But through the whole weekend he hadn't even glanced at me. He could say that there were no string attached, but it still hurt worse than I thought. And now, I wanted him to suffer, at least a little bit. Or I was just trying my hardest to protect myself from getting hurt more and this was the only way I knew how.

"I canceled it," Hudson said.

"Excuse me?" I had expected him to say a lot of things. I had fantasied about him apologizing and holding me close, telling me that he was wrong. But not this.

"Tyson told me. I called him this morning and told him that it was off, that you were busy."

I briefly wondered why Tyson had told him anything. It didn't seem like the kind of thing that would come up in casual conversations, however, that wasn't what I was most upset about.

"You had no right to do that," I growled.

"I know, but I couldn't have you going out with him," he replied, his voice sounding so close to pleading.

"That's not your choice. And what the hell is your problem with him anyway? You two are friends!"

"I know that too. Please, let's just go to your apartment and talk about it," he begged, trying to reach for my hands.

I jerked away before he could touch me. "Anything you want to say can be said out here."

"Princess, please, let's go to your apartment."

"No, say what you need to say."

"Fine, I can't keep going like this. I can't act like we didn't kiss or that it didn't mean anything."

"What are you saying, Hudson?" I demanded, sick of the way he was dancing around my question.

In two quick steps he was directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat off of his body. My breath caught and my head tipped back to peer up at him. His eyes searched my face for a brief moment, but I had no idea what he was looking for.

Then, he placed his hands on my cheeks, cradling my face so sweetly that I closed my eyes.

His mouth pressed down on mine.

~~~Question of the Day~~~

How do you define beauty?