“Do　you　hear　that？”　He　cocked　his　hand　in　a　way　that　reminded　Jenny　of　a　golden　retriever。　Jenny　listened。　She　could　hear　the　twins’　wavering　toddler　voices　singing　an　off…key　rendition　of　“Frère　Jacques”　from　downstairs。

“Sounds　like　the　twins　are　up。　We　should…”　Nate　trailed　off；　shrugging。

“Yeah；”　Jenny　agreed；　disappointed。　“I　should　change；”　she　added　sheepishly。　She　reached　behind　her；　fumbling　for　the　zipper。

“Can　I　help？”　Nate　reached　for　the　zipper　and　eased　it　down；　gently　allowing　his　fingers　to　brush　against　the　soft　skin　of　her　bare　back。　He’d　forgotten　how　soft　girls’　skin　was。

“Thanks。”　Jenny　crossed　her　arms　tightly　over　her　chest　to　make　sure　the　dress　didn’t　fall　down。　She　suddenly　felt　shy。

“I’ll　give　you　some　privacy；”　he　offered；　and　stepped　back　into　the　bathroom。　He　closed　the　door　and　she　quickly　stepped　out　of　the　dress。　She　made　her　way　over　to　the　wardrobe；　but　before　she　could　set　the　heavy　dress　inside；　her　foot　caught　on　the　leg　of　the　mirror。　It　toppled　to　the　ground　with　a　crash。　Fuck。

“You　okay？”　Nate　called；　popping　his　head　around　the　door。

“Everything’s　fine！”　She　yelped。　The　mirror　hadn’t　broken；　but　it　was　lying　on　its　side。　She　hastily　set　it　upright；　threw　the　dress　back　on　the　bed；　then　sprinted　down　the　attic　stairs　and　back　to　the　tiny　guest　room；　her　heart　pounding　from　adrenaline。

Not　to　mention　infatuation。

crushes　cover　for　each　other

Blair　heard　a　loud　crash　from　the　attic　and　woke　up　with　a　start。　Sun　was　streaming　through　the　east…facing　windows　of　the　guest　bedroom　and　Chuck　was　breathing　easily　beside　her；　oblivious　to　the　noise。

Blair　cocked　her　head　and　heard　the　sound　of　loud　footsteps　right　above　her。　Immediately；　she　remembered　how　many　h