As it happened Mios Carlos was a fabulous restaurant, but twenty minutes after leaving the festive lights and sounds of the Mexican joint Jane’s stomach started to cramp up. She immediately excused herself and then, to her horror, threw up all over Ty’s bathroom. Holding her aching head in her hands and slowly breathing in and out, Jane surveyed the area. Not too bad, but she’d missed the toilet once, in her rush.

Her head was spinning and her skin felt too hot for her body so, after cleaning up her own vomit, Jane laid down on the cool tiled floor and let out a quiet sigh as it seeped into her fiery skin. She closed her eyes and carefully massaged her painfully hard stomach. She was never eating Mexican food again.

“Jane? Jane, honey, are you all right?” Ty asked quietly through the door. She could hear the rattling of the doorknob, as he tried, unsuccessfully to open the door. Thank God she’d locked it, she couldn’t stand the thought of him seeing her like this. Wasn’t this just like the Gods to do? She finally made a decision, that she was going to consummate her relationship with Ty, and what did they do? They gave her some kind of food poisoning…big old meanies!

“Yes, I’m fine…but I’m staring at my dinner as we speak,” she retorted, a bit saucily. Immediately she regretted that. It wasn’t his fault that her life had suddenly decided to take an evil turn. “I’m sorry…thank you for asking Ty, but I think I got some sort of poisoning from the food. I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning though.”

“Jane open the door.” Ty’s voice was soft, but there was no mistaking his stance. He wanted the door open. Jane sighed and reached up and popped open the lock. The resounding ting was all the signal Ty needed. He opened the door and stared down at the pitiful lump that Jane made on the bathroom floor. He quickly grabbed a rag from the bathroom closet and ran it under cold water. In quick order, he then wrapped it, and placed in gently over her steaming forehead. Jane couldn’t hold back her moan. That felt like heaven.

“Ty, I’m sorry. This isn’t where I wanted the night to lead to,” she apologized, feeling like a fool, and looking, no doubt, like a drowned rat.

To make matters even worse Ty laughed quietly at her admission. “Why, yes, I’m aware that this wasn’t where the night was leading to, but hey you’re sick and that’s all that matters. I need you better,” he told her. He smiled down at her, and patted her arm quickly, if a bit indifferently. Then he got to his feet and silently left the room. Jane didn’t know if she was happy or mad; She really didn’t want him to see her life this, pale yet greenish around the edges, with her hair stringy and sweat sticking to her body, yet it would be nice to know that he cared about more than just her looks. It would be nice to know that he’d take care of her when she was sick.

Two seconds later, when Ty re-emerged with paper towels, a pillow and blanket Jane silently reprimanded herself. If she ever expected anything to happen seriously between her and Ty she’d have to start trusting him. Of course he wouldn’t simply abandon her, just as she wouldn’t abandon him if he were sick. So why was she thinking such horrible thoughts of him?

“Here, I’m guessing you’re going to want to stay here tonight, so you might as well get yourself comfortable,” Ty noted, gently lifting up her head to place the pillow underneath.

“Thank you, I don’t deserve this, especially for all the mean things I’ve said to you the last couple of days,” “and the horrible thoughts I’ve head” Jane added in the silence of her own mind.

Ty smiled slowly, that crocked grin of his that always knocked her sideways, even when she was lying flat on her back. “Hey, what are friends for?”

“Is that all we are? Friends?” Jane asked, truly afraid of his answer. She’d given him no reason to think otherwise, yet a part of her needed him to say they were more than friends.

Ty looked down at her, and slowly cupped her chin within his rough hand, holding it in place so that she was forced to look into his eyes.

“Not to me, no. But Jane, dammit, you’re so hard to read I have no idea how you feel about me.” It was as if he’d read her mind.

Jane bit her lip, the need to admit her true feelings was so tempting, but the fear of rejection was huge, and the fear of the unknown was also great. Too great. She didn’t want to put herself on the line, at least not that far on the line, so she settled with, “I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about anyone. I’ve never wanted to be close to someone, the way I want to…with you,” she finished lamely. She cringed at her wording. That sounded cold. “What I mean is, you’re special to me. You’re…”

Ty held up a hand to stop her ramblings, and Jane was instantly relieved, she was only digging herself a hole and she knew it. Feeling love and expressing it were far different from one another.

“I think I know what you mean because I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I want to know you and talk to you, because I honestly care. I want to be intimate with you, and make love to you, but I don’t want to simply have sex with you,” Ty added. Jane nodded her head and smiled, “Yes that’s exactly what I meant. You are so much more than a…simple boyfriend.”

“So, the question of the day is, what are we going to do about it. And no more side-stepping the problem, lets hash it out, here and now.” Ty crossed his arms over his chest, and with a look that was serious yet open to communication, was set firmly on his face. Jane looked around at their surrounding and smiled, “Right here, and right now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“I’m a virgin.” The sentence hung out in the open and the air was suddenly tense. Jane closed her eyes and waited for Ty’s response. Surely he wasn’t surprised, it was obvious that she was a novice, but it was still a shocking admission she knew.

“I’m not.”

“I know…I just wanted to make sure that you knew that. I don’t want there to be any misconceptions about us.” Jane whispered her eyes still held tightly shut.

“You’re talking about sex, right?” Ty teased, just to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. If anything it only made matters worse. Jane’s face bloomed red and her eyes, if possible tightened even more, looking like wrinkled peach-colored globes

“I…assumed that’s what the next step would be. I mean…I mean I’m not sure, but I just…” She left the sentence tangling, finding it too hard to continue on. She felt like such a fool.

“I would love nothing more than to make love to you Jane. To hold you in my arms all night long.” He told her, ending her suffering. Her eyes opened at this statement, and her beautiful smile made a sudden appearance. “Really?” She asked.

“Yes, and it’s not just about sex, whatever stories you’ve heard about men,” Ty explained.

“If that’s true, than you wouldn’t mind holding me in your arms tonight then, right?” Jane asked, testing him. She didn’t really expect him to hold her, not when she was pukey and gross, and sick, but she honestly wondered what he’d say.

“Not at all.”

Then, much to Jane’s surprise Ty reached up and shut of the light-switch. The room was suddenly bathed in darkness, with the only light coming from the small window near the ceiling of the bathroom. Ty’s arms snaked their way around her waist and pulled her up against his long form. Tense at first, Jane slowly started to relax as Ty began to message her wrists, and presently she nestled in close to his warm, big body. Her eyelids soon felt heavy and it was no time at all before Jane was quietly asleep.