He had lived just across the hall from her. Rebecca was sixteen when he moved in and was absolutely annoyed then when her grandmother had insisted she accompany her to welcome the new tenants that just moved in. Both of them only had each other but while one stubbornly believes in good manners and neighborly relationships, the other was expecting no one to answer the door at all, as they stood there waiting with a freshly baked apple pie.

She remembered when a dark haired boy opened the door, looking at the two women suspiciously.

"I don't think they look like robbers," the young boy said seriously to someone behind him, which elicited a thwack on his head as a blonde woman opened the door with a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry about Zeke, he's just a funniest little guy- oh, you shouldn't have! I love pies, is it apple? Come in, come in," the pretty but tired looking woman said.

"I'm twelve Mom!" The boy had objected, probably stung at being called a 'little guy'.

That was when the mother and son duo had entered into their lives. Being a single parent, the mother had to work almost everyday of the week, and soon Rebecca's apartment became his hangout place after school and whenever he feels lonely, though he never admitted it to anyone. He became the little brother had Rebecca never had while her grandmother saw him as an opportunity to cook big meals and fuss. They would sit down on the big couch in her living room and watch TV with cable, something Zeke did not have. He would complain about teachers at school and Rebecca, or "Becks" as she came to be called, would help him with his homework.

It was perhaps two years after Zeke had moved in when he began to act strangely around her. He would come less frequently, claiming that he was out with friends. He would be flustered at the most oddest of times, like when they were watching TV or playing the occasional board game. Her friends would sometimes come over and he would always have an excuse ready to go home when he came and saw that they were there.

"Just coming to pass some stuff to Jenny," he would say, referring to her grandmother, or some other such excuses like a headache or homework.

Rebecca always put it off to how her friends acted around him, exclaiming how he was just 'the most adorablest thing' or make some other embarrassing remarks and asked rude questions. He practically ran out of her house when one of her more daring friends had asked, "Soo… done it with a girl yet?"

Then two more years passed and he went off to college with money his mother had managed to cough up, while Rebecca managed to secure a job at a nearby library to help her grandmother who worked in the kitchens at a small hotel. They remained in contact, through letters since Rebecca did not have a computer, and things became quieter around the small apartment unit. He rarely comes home, only three times over the course of his college days, to save on transport costs. The his mother started to make regular appearances in their home, probably missing the only family member she still had left.

When he came back, after graduation, Rebecca had no idea how to react. Gone was the awkward, shy boy who had left for college and in his place was a thoughtful, confident, easy to laugh, young man. That was when she began to develop what she thought was inappropriate feelings for Zeke. He was practically her brother!

"So… like what you see?" Zeke had quipped jokingly at her when she first saw him at her doorstep on his first night back. She would forever be mortified for nodding sullenly at the question, before realizing what she had done.

He reminded her everyday for the next two weeks.

After a few months, his mother came to have a talk with Rebecca.

"He never had a girlfriend before, through both high school and college," she had fretted. "I wonder if he is even interested in girls… you can help me find out, right? It would be so awkward for me to ask."

Rebecca was wondering at how it was less awkward for her to ask when the older woman had sighed, gave her a brief hug and went off to work, leaving a very much perplexed Rebecca.

The next few nights, she had struggled to keep her face straight and blush-free whenever he popped by over for dinner. Even her grandmother had noticed her strange demeanor and misinterpreted it.

"He's only four years younger you know," her grandmother had told her, chuckling as she did.

Two sets of mouths sprayed whatever it was they had been chewing all over the table. Rebecca had wanted to scream out loud, "You didn't have to say that while he is sitting right here!" but chose to keep quiet instead, glaring at her grandmother.

The old woman had then cocked one eye-brow and exclaimed, "Why, what a mess both of you made! I'll just have to clean this up…" and with that, she left the two red-faced individuals to shoot uncomfortable glances at each other.

After a few moments of picking whatever was left on her dinner plate, Zeke had left, politely turning down her grandmother's insistent offer for dessert.

"Of course, it was obvious what you were trying to do," she told her grandmother crossly later. "We never have dessert on a weekday."

It was a few more nights after that when Rebecca found herself lying in her bed in her room, with Zeke sitting casually to one side, laughing about the incident.

"You know, I had a crush on you once," Zeke had blurted out while laughing.

She had stopped laughing and stared. Her heart had started beating painfully hard against her chest at that statement and her stomach had plunged to where no stomach had any business to be.

Zeke had looked slightly alarmed, realizing what he had just said and avoided her eyes.

"I…well, I-," Rebecca had begun before she was interrupted.

"And Becks? I think I still have that crush on you," he said softly, a strange look passing over his dark eyes as he looked at the wall beside her in what seemed like deep concentration.

She kept quiet, her heart still beating erratically.

"Only I think," he continued, "that it's now way…way bigger than a crush."

Her mind was numb as she stood to move closer to him (he was still blushing at the wall), realizing just how much taller he had grown, towering over her as she had once towered over him, a long time ago. She had taken his hands into hers and he had smiled uncertainly before leaning into her, their lips meeting for what would be the first of many more kisses together. Definitely into girls.

"Well it's about time," came the sound of her grandmother's voice.

Now, a few months after that she was sitting on the same couch that had helped to cement their friendship, only this time she was cuddled snugly against his chest as they watched her favorite movie, 'My Best Friend's Wedding'.

"You know," Zeke said in a casual tone, just as the ending credits began, "I think we should have our own wedding."

"For what?" Rebecca asked absent-mindedly Silence.

Rebecca paused and looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Is he…

He smirked.

"What do think?"

Then she saw the silver band of metal in his hand.