Eric was....less than impressed with Andie's lodgings. While she stretched her arms out wide while walking him through each quaint room of her shack—yes, shack being the most precise word—as if she were giving him a grand tour of the finest mansion in all of Florida; Eric swallowed his distaste behind the world's most pathetically attemped smile.

Not only was the paint peeling from the walls, and the smell of mold present from the very second he stepped foot in the doorway; but many unsavory characters lingered in various places on the street; overwhelming him with concern for Andie's safety.

"You don't like it," Andie sighed, turning to him with a frown when she caught glimpse of his disapproval.

"It's not that I don't like it." He took one step towards her while extending his arms to his surrounds. "I just hate it with every fiber of my being."

"Eric!"

"Andie, this place is a wreck. How can you be alright with staying here?"

"Look, I didn't come from wealth—"

"Neither did I."

"—OK? And my apartment in Chicago wasn't anymore spectacular than this. So, this is what I am accustomed to, and it's fine."

"No, Andie. It is not fine. Were you blind to the trio of men huddled beneath the streetlamp just a stone's throw from your front door?"

"They're nothing, Eric. They were wearing boardshorts."

"Welcome to Florida, darling! Bad people wear boardshorts too!"

"So, you're saying a group of men hanging outside my house pose a threat?"

"Yes!" Eric threw his hands up in the air as if he were thrilled Andie had come to some part of his reasoning all on her own. "Because all it takes is for one of them to find an interest in the girl who lives here alone, the girl who weighs a buck o'five with her shoes on, the girl who doesn't know a soul on the block because she just moved here two days ago!"

"That could happen anywhere, Eric!"

"Not where I live," he countered quickly. "Guys don't hang out outside my apartment. You want to know why?"

"Because you live in a two-hundred and eighteen story building with privacy access and a doorman with a background in WWE wrestling?"

Eric shook his head. He was about ready to throw the stubborn girl over his shoulder and haul her from this dump, all the while smacking at her skirt-covered bottom to demonstrate how annoyed she had made him.

But, he couldn't help the smirk that broke through his frown.

"I was going to say...because I live on the safe side of town," he told her, propping his fists on his hips. "You're a pain in the ass."

"I know," she replied with a smirk of her own. He was glad his humor was contagious. He certainly hadn't meant to come off as passionately as he had, and he wouldn't have blamed her for getting angry with him.

But, perhaps they still knew each other well enough to recall how their usual banter went.

"Listen, Andie," Eric sighed, stepping foward to sit at the foot of her bed. "I don't like this. Not one bit. You are free to make your own decisions, but I am worried for you here, and I will be very remiss with myself if I do not offer you a secondary option."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Andie's posture took on a defensive stance. "And what might that be? A pretty loft just a block from work so that I never have to travel to the rough side of town?"

"Live with me."

"What?"

"I'm not Bill Gates, Andie. I can't afford a loft a block from work; that would cost a fortune. Besides, my condo is already spectacular, spacious, and worth at least double the cost of the loft."

"Wow, you're not at all humble are you?"

There was that smirk again. He hated himself for how much he adored it. He hadn't encountered much of Andie's wit in their younger years, and compared to how timid—albeit bold—she had been back then, he found this newfound sarcasm refreshing.

"I worked hard for what I have," he shrugged, and her defensive posture melted, and she started to sway a bit. He could almost hear the cranks turning in her head as she thought his proposition over. "It would be a temporary thing," he pressed gently. "Just until you get your feet on the ground. You won't have to pay rent, so your money will save up quickly, and within a couple of months, you'll have enough to get your own place. Maybe even in the same building as mine."

The overhead light flickered as Andie seemed to be considering Eric's offer. It made a terrible zapping sound as if something were sparking inside the outdated fixture. It brought both of their attention upwards before their eyes lowered back on each other.

Eric smiled, his argument feeling stronger now that Andie's apartment posed a fire threat from a faulty electrical-wire.

Andie heaved a great sigh. "I don't know, Eric. We've only just met each other...again. We're almost strangers, don't you think?"

"No, we're not strangers. We could go a hundred years without speaking, and we would still never be strangers. Not after what we went through six years ago. Our parents died, and we struggled to find a place amongst ourselves, and that's not something two people can just put behind them. Don't you agree?"

Eric's words seem to have a hypnotic affect on Andie, for she nodded, appearing dazed, but agreeable nonetheless.

Coming out of her trance, Andie's eyes dropped to the floor. She took a moment, uncrossing her arms and tucking them behind her back.

"I'd want to pay rent," Andie resonded at last, returning her eyes to Eric. He bit back his smile, feeling so unbelievably relieved that she was leaving this wretched place, and coming home with him. Where she would be safe. Where she belonged.

Belonged? Where the fuck did that come from?

With a shake of his head, Eric cleared his throat before replying. "No, there's no reason for you to pay rent."

"I have to do something to earn my keep."

"I'll come up with a chore list."

"Yes, of course. I'll do the dishes. And I can cook us dinners. And I'll do the laundry, and the picking up."

"Okay." He held out a hand to stop her from going on. "Just be good, and we shouldn't have any problems."

***********

Just be good.

Eric's words echoed in Andie's head. Her belly fluttered and her body grew warm all over.

What was he implying...? That if she wasn't good, their would be... That he would... No, no, she couldn't complete the train of thoughts in her head. If they formed into complete sentences, then... then... then, what? Would they be right where they were six years ago?

But, he wanted her to move in with him... Was it out of obligation that he take care of her? Just as he had been obligated to take care of her when she was a helpless sixteen-year-old? Is that how he saw her now? Helpless?

"Hey..."

Andie's eyes wandered up from the floor. She was surprised to find Eric no longer sitting on her bed. Instead, he stood before her, his arms outstretched as if he wanted to touch her. But he kept a respectful distance.

"Get out of your head, Andie... Just look at me for a second and let me explain, because I can tell you're feeling a little anxious about this."

Swallowing hard, Andie nodded.

"I just want you to be safe. And I don't think you'll be safe here."

So, it was all out of obligation...

"And..."

And?

"And, I miss you. I want us to be close again. I have a big apartment and nobody to share it with. I hate coming home. It's so stuffy and lonely. I would love your company, for however long you feel like gracing me with it."

With a hopeful smile, despite the concern that bled through his eyes, Eric stepped forward and closed his hands around Andie's arms. "I think we're very alike and would do well in each other's company. Don't you think? Just like before?"

Just like before?

Andie's heart fluttered in her chest.

It's not a big deal, she told herself. It's just a temporary living arrangement. They were friends. Colleagues even. This would be fine. Perfectly....fine.

Nodding, Andie offered a weak smile. "Okay."

"Okay?" Eric grinned. "Are you sure? If I'm forcing you—"

"No, no, you're not. I want to. I-I think I'd like it."

"You will, Andie. I promise." Eric closed the distance between them and engulfed her in a hug that warmed her to the core. "Are you willing to leave with me tonight?"

For a moment, Andie's heart stopped.

'Are you willing to leave with me tonight' had been the very words Andie had heard from Eric all those times she daydreamed of an alternate ending to their relationship six years ago. Instead of leaving her behind, Andie had convinced him to take her with him. But he was in such a hurry, that he said: "Are you willing to leave with me tonight?"

She honestly couldn't believe that she was recalling the daydreams that only a silly teenage girl could conjure from her fanciful mind. But—she pushed it aside. That was behind her. Even the abandonment she felt when Eric left her. It was behind her. None of it mattered now because they were together again.

"Yes," Andie responded with a nod, pulling back ever-so-slightly to deter the affect Eric had on her. "I can leave tonight. I didn't bring much."

Andie felt so uncertain. And her uncertainty paired so awkwardly with her relief, that she didn't know how she really felt about this decision.

Did she want to live with Eric? Yes.

Did she think it was a good idea? No.

Eric was admiral. She honestly didn't believe he would try any of their old relationship stuff without her consent. But that's not what concerned her. What concerned her was her own fragile emotions.

Andie didn't trust herself not to be within close proximity of Eric for such long periods of time, and not fall in love with him all over again. Just watching him move about her apartment to collect her things made her heart swell.

She really wasn't sure about this.

************

Eric knew Andie was concerned. Despite his attempt at calming her nerves, he could see her staring off, listening to the worrisome thoughts in her head. She was conflicted, and he didn't blame her. Could she really trust him? That's what she was asking herself. Could she trust Eric not to abandon her again?

Looking at her, where she gingerly perched at the edge of her bed, while her eyes remained fixed on the floor because she thought he wasn't looking at her, Eric's heart split in two.

Would he ever be able to fix the damage he caused?

He could try. And he would. That's why she was here.

Eric would give Andie the life she deserved—what her life should have been had he not left that fateful night six years ago.

Even if it was for just a couple of months.