beyond a theory or two

Lon looked around Ellie's room. It was certainly a girl's room. Really, he wasn't expecting this even if they'd spent the night in a motel before. It had been pure sleep just because it had been a rather exhausting trip to the beach. And sharing a tent was different. There were sleeping bags. Even though it had been warm and they'd slept on top of them. Still. It was camping. This was not camping.

Lon bit his bottom lip. This was a lot to take in.

"I could go home," he nodded. Yeah, that was solution. "I just wanted to make sure you got home, all right." Nobody knew he was here. Exactly. To stay. "I could leave."

"How?"

"Hitch-hike." He shrugged. He meant it too. He could walk. He'd walked plenty. It was in a days work on a ranch, especially if he were tracking mountain lions.

"I don't think so." She stared at him. No expression. Just that stare.

"All right," he sighed. "I want to stay. I want to find a job. Its just, I'm pretty much out of practice at this stuff. Sort of." He closed his eyes then, regretting what he'd said. "I mean, I've lived with, you know, her." Lon couldn't even make himself say her name. "And you're definitely not-her."

"Well, I know you're no Edward Cullen." She shrugged.

"Who?"

"You're definitely not out of practice."

Ellie cracked up then, and so did Lon. They found each other's lips then. Some how that made it all better. Some promises were meant to be broken.