depressing realization that she might love Bobby. It was baffling to her how she could meet someone and be so annoyed by him and then just as quickly become so caught up in him. The first couple of Wednesday nights since arguing with Bobby were like torture for Piper. She’d spend hours looking out her window up at the stars and cursing the noise that came from the street and the stores below. Nothing would ever be as tranquil and serene as her time spent with Bobby swinging on Betty’s porch, watching the night unfold before them.
She occasionally saw Scott at work. Whatever story Bobby had told them about Piper’s absence had been enough to have him walking the other way when he saw her coming. Her emotions ran the gamut. There were days she was saddened by the barrenness of her life. Other days she was angry that she didn’t mean enough to any of these people for them to track her down and find out how she was. Did she mean that little to them? Had she misread their friendship?
Michael had been a steady presence in her life since the night after her date with Sean. She had asked him for coffee and told him that she was sorry for putting him in that position. She had genuinely thanked him for his help that night and even let a few tears fall when relaying her gratitude. She admitted she had been stupid, overzealous, and caught up in the idea of what she thought was wrong with the justice system. She told Michael she wasn’t putting this all behind her quite yet but she wouldn’t put herself back in a position like that ever again. She knew that was probably a lie, but it was one he needed to hear in order to forgive her.
They shared long nights together talking only about topics that pertained to Michael, never what was going on with Piper. They discussed his dysfunctional family, his cases, and his future. He picked her brain and loved to bounce new ideas off her. It was nice to see the spark slowly come back into her eyes after her brush with danger.
Many nights he felt himself on the verge of kissing her, staring at her lips as she spoke. She had told him time and again there would never be anything more than a friendship between them. Yet, somehow he kept finding himself caught up in the idea of running his tongue along her neck and making love to her on his desk. It was an internal conflict he fought hard to keep at bay.
He had spoken with Bobby the morning after Piper’s date with Sean. Bobby had told him he wasn’t able to get through to her. It was a large part of Michael’s job to read between the lines and it was clear that Bobby cared deeply for Piper. But Bobby explained he had other people in his life to worry about, and Piper was too much of a liability to them right now. He asked Michael to keep an eye on her, and to do his best to keep her safe just as he had that night with Sean.
At first Michael wasn’t sure how he felt about being someone’s keeper. He was a successful, handsome, and wealthy man with his pick of woman and an abundant social network. Babysitting wasn’t in his job description, and he assumed it would put a cramp in his social life. However, the more time he spent with Piper the more he realized how alone she was in this world. She had told him that first day over coffee she needed him to refrain from asking her questions about her family or her past. She wanted to spend time with Michael but it couldn’t be an interrogation, she wasn’t a puzzle needing to be pieced together. “Let’s go back to being funny, laid-back people who have a good time together,” she begged, and, begrudgingly, he agreed. However, even through casual conversation, he found Piper to be more damaged and lonely than anyone he had ever met before. So why commit to keeping watch over her. Frankly, he was lonely too.
When he felt himself wanting to scoop her up into his arms and make love to her until she felt whole, he reminded himself that even though he wanted her he didn’t love her. And even if Bobby couldn’t be around her right now, Bobby did love her. If Piper