Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 A Good Place to Leave Your Heart, Part 1

   by Little Ellie

   (Mg, rom, slow, nosex)

   -------------------------

   "It's not very big, but here it is," the broker said, opening the door.

   I followed him into the apartment, the hardwood floors creaking under
our feet.  It clearly wasn't being taken care of very well.  I didn't mind
too much, but I had to admit that my first impression was not the most
positive one.  However, I'd been looking for an apartment for several
weeks, jumping from couch to couch every couple of nights.  I needed a
place to live and I needed it yesterday.

   As I entered the place, I was expecting some sort of big reveal, like
when you enter a baseball stadium and the field opens up before you. 
Unfortunately, this place was so small that there was no "big reveal." I'm
not even sure if you can call it a "small reveal." The only thing that was
revealed was the kitchen, which you had to turn around to see once you
entered the main space.

   It was a small studio.  Enough room for a bed, a dresser, and maybe a
desk.  It could hold the bare essentials.  I wasn't looking for anything
extravagant anyway, so I was fairly satisfied with the space.  I just
needed a place to sleep, not a palace.

   I turned back and looked at the broker.

   "I'll take it."



   "Why did you have to live on the fifth floor again?" my friend Austin
heaved as he pushed the door to my new apartment open before returning
halfway down the staircase to where I was standing with the last of my
stuff.

   "Because it was the only thing in my budget," I replied.  "Plus, it's in
the perfect location."

   "I'm pretty sure the hike up to your apartment is worth at least another
ten blocks.  Couldn't you have at least found something on a lower floor?"

   "Austin, it's all they had.  Quit being a smartass."

   As we neared the top of the staircase, a young girl, dirty blonde,
around 8 years old, came sprinting down the hallway and turned the corner,
nearly running over Austin.  I saw her coming so I got out of the way in
time.

   "Sorry!" she yelled over her shoulder, practically jumping down the
stairs.

   "Little brat," Austin muttered.  "She almost knocked me over!"

   I sighed.  "Relax, Austin.  It was just an accident."

   "Accident, my ass!  She could have made me drop your stuff.  This shit
is fragile!"

   "Those are my bed sheets."

   Austin paused.  "Still.  It's the principle of the thing."

   I shook my head and grinned.  "Oh, it's fine.  Just shut up and keep
carrying my shit for me."

   Austin finished ascending the stairs, kicked the box through the open
door, and grabbed the box I was carrying.  As he went into my shoebox
apartment, I looked back down the stairs where the girl had been a minute
ago.  I shook my head, followed Austin inside, and closed the door.



   The first day of classes for the year was hard, but I managed to make it
through without too much emotional trauma.  Being a Dramatic Lit major was
fun and the classes weren't too long.  It was only 12:15 and I was already
done for the day.  None of those crappy long days again.  That was an
underclassman thing.  Once you got your requirements done, you could take
classes whenever you wanted.  And I was making full use of it.

   I had just sat down in my chair to relax when there was a knock on the
door.  Gathering up my energy, I slowly pulled myself out of the chair and
stumbled to the door.  I hadn't slept well the night before so I was just
about ready to take a nap.

   Opening up the peephole, I saw a woman of about thirty or thirty five
standing outside, a large smile on her face.  I wasn't sure what she
wanted, and I was half-tempted to tell her to buzz off and head back to my
chair, but I decided I should be nice since I just moved in.  I didn't want
to be known as the cranky tenant.  At least not yet.

   I unlocked the door and pulled it open, trying my best to smile and look
presentable.  This morning, I had put a little extra time into my
appearance, just in case there were any cute girls in my classes.  It was
very important to make a good first impression, after all.  I wore some
extra cologne, put on a casual button-up shirt, and some dark jeans.  I
thought I looked pretty good, but, alas, there were no cute girls in
today's classes.  Maybe tomorrow.

   "Hi," I said to the woman standing outside.  "Can I help you?"

   "Hi!" she replied.  "I just wanted to come introduce myself.  I'm Julie,
I live down the hall there in number 25.  And this is-"

   She turned to her right, where there was nothing but air.  I looked at
the blank spot next to her and then back to her.

   "I'm sorry," she said.  "Give me a second."

   She briskly strode back to her front door and knocked.

   "Annalise, what are you doing?" she questioned loudly.

   I sauntered toward her door and I heard a high-pitched giggle coming
from inside, followed by some slightly louder laughter.

   "Annalise, open this door!"

   "What's the password?" a voice inside asked.

   I recognized that voice.  Could the girl from the staircase be the
little troublemaker in the apartment down the hall?

   "Annalise, I'm serious!  Open this door right now or else!"

   "Or else what?"

   "Do not push me, young lady!"

   I tapped Julie on the shoulder.  "I've got an idea.  Play along."

   She contorted her face slightly, clearly confused, but nodded.

   "Annalise, c'mon.  Open up!"

   I walked a few steps down the hall, then slowly came back, loudly
stepping so as to be sure Annalise would hear me.

   "Hello, ma'am.  What seems to be the problem?"

   Julie looked even more confused, so I mouthed the words "police officer"
at her and her face lit up with understanding.  She grinned mischievously.

   "Oh, officer, hi!" she exclaimed.  "My daughter has locked me out of our
apartment!  Can you help me?"

   The laughter coming from inside the apartment stopped.

   "Certainly, ma'am.  Have you tried asking her to open the door?"

   "Of course, but she won't listen to me."

   "Well, then odds are she won't listen to me either.  I guess I'll just
have to get the fire department over here and break the door down.  That's
the only way we'll be able to-"

   The door flew open and a little blonde blur flew out of the doorway. 
She attached herself to her mother, looking terrified.  I was quite proud
of myself.  Julie grinned at me and I gave her a high five.

   Finally, the girl looked up at both of us, switching her gaze from one
to the other.

   "Wait a second," she said slowly, "you're not a police officer."

   I laughed.  "No, I'm not.  But that's what you get for locking your
mother out of your apartment.  Are you Annalise?"

   She nodded, looking up at me with a combination of fear, anger, and
curiosity.  It was, without a doubt, the same girl who had practically
knocked Austin down the other day.

   "After the other day, I'm starting think you just love causing trouble,
don't you?"

   She smiled and giggled.  I felt my heart jump as I soaked in the beauty
of that child's face.  It was simply flawless in every way.  It wasn't
picture perfect, but that was why it was so stunning.  It looked utterly
normal, and yet incredibly beautiful.

   Julie glanced from me to Annalise.  "I'm sorry, what?  Do you two know
each other?"

   "Annalise here...uh...ran into..." I winked her Annalise.  She giggled
again.  God, that sound was intoxicating, "...my friend and I the other day
when we were moving my stuff in."

   "Oh, I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble," Julie started.  "She
can-"

   "No, no, it's fine," I assured.  "It was nice to meet one of my
neighbors."

   Annalise seemed to have collapsed into a puddle of blushing, shy grins,
and giggles, as those were the only responses she seemed capable of giving.
Julie raised an eyebrow in confusion as she glanced at her daughter before
turning back to me.

   "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr...?"

   "Just Caleb is good."

   "Caleb.  Nice to meet you, Caleb."

   "Nice meeting you, Julie." I paused, and looked at her daughter.  "And
you too, miss Annalise."

   She just giggled and bolted back inside, this time leaving the door
open.

   "I swear, I've never seen her act like this before," Julie said, shaking
her head.  "I don't know what on earth is going on with her."

   "She's being a kid.  All kids have their rebellious stages."

   "No, I mean the giggling and the blushing.  She's never speechless."

   "Oh, well, I'm not sure what's up with that either but I'm sure it's
fine.  Maybe she's intimidated by my good looks."

   Julie laughed.  "I'll see you later, Caleb."

   As I was heading back to my apartment, I had a thought.  I spun around.

   "Julie," I said quickly.

   Julie stopped closing the door and looked at me.  "Huh?"

   "If you and Annalise ever want to get coffee or something, feel free to
let me know.  I would love to get to know my neighbors more.  I'm used to
being in a dorm, where everyone knows everybody else.  This is kind of new
for me."

   She smiled warmly.  "Of course.  How about Saturday?"

   "Sounds good.  I'll see you then."

   For the rest of the week, I would check my calendar at least five times
a day, wondering when Saturday was going to get any closer.  It didn't seem
like it would ever get here, but I finally awoke on Saturday morning.  I
had barely opened my eyes when I heard some footsteps outside and a knock
on my door.

   I hauled myself up out of bed, rubbed my eyes, and shuffled to the door.
I checked who it was and felt a strangely pleasant jump when I saw it was
Annalise.  Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she
was wear a tank top and shorts.

   I opened up the door and smiled at my little visitor.

   "Hey, Annalise," I greeted.  "How are you?"

   She grinned a goofy smile.  "I'm good."

   There was a pause.  She obviously didn't know if she should ask to come
in or wait for an invitation.

   "Do you want to come inside?" I asked with a poorly concealed smile.

   She nodded.  "Uh huh."

   I stepped aside as the little blonde walked past me and into my tiny
place.  She sat down in my chair and started looking around.

   "Where's your mom?" I asked.  "Weren't both of you going to join me
today?"

   Annalise shrugged.  "She's sleeping.  She worked late yesterday and she
doesn't like it when I wake her up, so I thought I should leave without
her."

   "Are you sure?  We really shouldn't abandon your mom."

   She gave me the look.  You know, the one that says, "Are you stupid?" I
could feel myself blushing.  Wait, why was I blushing?  I just made a
suggestion.

   "She's going to be asleep for hours," she explained somewhat insultingly
slow.  "I don't want to wait hours.  I want to go now."

   I glanced down the hallway, there wasn't much sign of life coming from
the apartment down there.  No noises, door closed, seemingly lifeless.  I
wasn't sure whether or not to leave with Annalise or wait, given I didn't
know them very well.  As I turned to face the little girl in my apartment,
I decided to leave the door open.  I felt myself treading in dangerous
waters and I wasn't about to potentially incriminate myself for something
that wasn't happening.

   "Are you sure you don't want to wait?" I asked, heavily hinting at
something.  "It may be more fun if your mom comes with us!"

   "I have to go everywhere with my mom.  I want to spend time with just
you!"

   I smiled, but looked at her doubtingly.  "You don't even know me."

   She blushed and looked down at her feet and mumbled something.

   "What was that?" I inquired.

   "Nothing," she mumbled, her voice barely audible.

   We sat in silence for a few moments.  I looked down the hall again and
still didn't see Julie, so I glanced back at the beautiful angel sitting on
my bed.  Two sides of a battle raged in my mind, but I finally made a
split-second decision.

   I sighed.  "Okay, fine.  Let's go get some breakfast."

   Annalise's face lit up and she jumped to her feet.  She raced out the
door and halfway down the first set of stairs before I even grabbed my
keys. I laughed, closed my door, and followed her down.  Suddenly, I
stopped, ran back into my apartment, scribbled a quick note to Julie, and
slipped it under her door before continuing down the stairs.

   We descended the four staircases down to the street and set off in
search of food.  Annalise walked with an adorable spring in her step, the
biggest grin on her face.

   "So where are we headed?" I asked.  "You seem to know where you're
going."

   "We're getting pancakes!"

   I just loved how simple she was.  She wanted pancakes, so, by God, we
were going to get pancakes.  There was no doubt in her mind what was about
to happen as she led me down the street.  We turned a corner and headed
down another street, the little girl's blonde head bobbing up and down as
she walked.

   We finally came upon an old-fashioned diner-type restaurant.  Annalise
threw the door open and went inside, with me following close behind her. 
We got seated right away and started looking at the menus.

   "So how's school?" I asked, trying to start any kind of conversation.

   "Good."

   "What grade are you in?"

   "Second."

   "Cool.  That's one of my favorite grades."

   She folded up her menu and looked at me again with that "Are you
stupid?" look, making my stomach jump.  The butterflies were back.

   "What?" I asked, laughing.  "It is!  I had the greatest second grade
teacher in the world."

   "Really?  Who?"

   "His name was Mr.  Molino.  He was so much fun.  After I left his class,
I was convinced I wanted to be a teacher."

   "Are you still going to be a teacher?"

   "No, I fell in love with theatre, so I'm majoring in Dramatic
Literature."

   "What is that?"

   "It's all about plays and playwrights and the history of theatre."

   "Sounds boring."

   "Hey, it can be really fun!"

   She didn't look convinced.  "Uh huh."

   "Like, I bet you don't know what the difference between Ibsen and
Chekhov is."

   "Of course I do.  They're different people.  Duh."

   I chuckled.  "But there's so much more than that.  They were both
brilliant.  Like Shakespeare.  That's another guy who was way beyond his
time."

   Without looking up from the menu, Annalise replied with an even tone,
"This is all very cool.  Please go on."

   "Aren't you a little young to use sarcasm?"

   "Aren't you a little old to be having breakfast with an 8 year-old?"

   "Hey now, I'm being nice.  You're the one who begged me to come with
you. I could have just left you in your apartment with your sleeping
mother."

   Annalise had been glaring at me with a blank face, but she suddenly
broke into a barely noticeable, involuntary smile.

   "There's that beautiful smile," I teased.  "I was wondering where that
thing was."

   She giggled.  "You think my smile is beautiful?"

   "Of course it is!  I can see the room get brighter when you smile."

   She laughed, clenched her teeth and opened her mouth in a jokingly
forced smile.  I couldn't help but laugh as I pretended to shield my eyes
from the "glare."

   "Oh my goodness!  It's so bright!  Put those things away!  I'm being
blinded by your brilliant smile!"

   This only caused her to collapse into more giggles, practically falling
out of our booth.  She finally recovered, breathing deeply and giggling a
little more.  She glanced down at her menu, looked up at me for a moment,
and then averted her gaze to the menu, suppressing the cutest little smile.

   "What's your favorite thing to do?"

   Annalise's face contorted into an adorable pondering look.  "Um...I love
riding my bike.  Mommy and I go to the river and ride a lot."

   "That sounds like fun.  I love the river.  It's so nice and calm over
there."

   "Uh huh."

   There was another pause.  As cute as this girl was, she wasn't making
much effort to keep the conversation going.

   "What's your favorite movie?"

   "Why do you keep asking questions?"

   "Because I want to get to know you.  You're my neighbor now and I was
hoping we could be friends!"

   She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.  "You want to be my friend?
Why would an adult want to be friends with a kid?"

   "Well, I think it would be kind of sad if we weren't friends since you
live so close.  What if we run into each other in the hallway?  Wouldn't
that be awkward if we didn't really know each other?"

   She thought about this for a moment.  It was a really stupid reason. 
But I honestly just enjoyed spending time with kids and I was especially
eager to get to know this little cutie.  I could only hope that my feelings
may be reciprocated to a degree.

   We made pleasant conversation for the rest of the meal, which mostly
consisted of Annalise giving me responses to my million questions while
occasionally giggling, giving me a condescending look, and shoving pancakes
into her mouth.

   The sidewalks were extremely crowded when we got out, as it was now
approaching early afternoon.

   "Stay close to me, Annalise," I said over my shoulder, reaching out my
hand.

   I felt her delicate little hand slip into mine.  And then what happened
next made my heart speed up: she intertwined her fingers with mine.  As far
as relationship etiquette goes, cupped hand in cupped hand means platonic,
and intertwined fingers means a relationship.

   I didn't say anything, savoring the feeling of her hand in mine, loving
the way her fingers hugged around my fingers, almost caressing them.  We
walked in silence like that as we wove in and out of the crowds.  Finally,
we passed the busiest part and there were fewer people on the street.  I
was in no hurry to let her take her hand away, but I did loosen up my grip
on her hand a little bit.  She did nothing.

   As we turned onto our street, I looked down at her.  She had a smile on
her face, seeming perfectly content strolling down the street hand in hand
with me.

   "Annalise, you know we're out of the crowd," I told her.  "You don't
have to hold my hand anymore if you don't want to."

   She beamed as she turned her head to look at me.  "I know."

   I smiled back at her, feeling myself begin to blush.  "Okay."

   She began swinging our arms back and forth with enthusiasm, giggling at
how overly exaggerated the motion was.  I couldn't help but laugh with her.
Something about this girl was incredibly intoxicating.  I was falling for
her fast.  There was no denying it.  I'd fallen for a girl or two her age
before, but it was mostly just little crushes.  I didn't really label
myself based on who I liked.  I liked who I liked and there really wasn't
any rhyme nor reason to it.

   But Annalise was different.  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but
there was a connection between us.  Something completely intangible, like
why you like one baseball team over another.  It just seemed to be
happening.  And I knew from experience that it was better to get out of the
way and just let those feelings be felt.

   When we arrived back at our building and finally finished climbing up
the never-ending flights of stairs up to our floor, Annalise rushed down
the hall to her door and knocked lightly, checking to see if her mom was
awake.  She waited a minute and there was no answer.  She tried the door
handle, but to no avail.  It must lock the handle when you leave.  It's New
York.  People take any safety precautions they can get.

   All this time, I was digging in my pocket, fishing my keys out and
watching her.  I didn't want to leave her out in the hallway.  I don't
think her mom would like that very well, and, plus, it was an opportunity
to spend more time with her.

   "Well, looks like you're locked out," I said simply.

   Annalise shrugged.  "Yeah, I guess." She paused and looked at me
expectantly.  "So are you going to invite me over?"

   I chuckled.  "Annalise, would you like to come inside?"

   She beamed.  "Uh huh!"

   She raced in the barely open door and threw herself onto my bed, laying
out spread eagle.  It made the blood flow down into my crotch, thinking of
all the things I could do to her when she lays like that.

   She sat up, leaning back against the headboard.  I sat down in the chair
next to the bed.  She grabbed the remote for my TV, flipped it on, and
began channel surfing.  After a few moments, she sighed, put down the
remote, and turned her head to look at me, an adorably irritated look on
her face.

   "There's nothing to watch!" she pouted.

   "I'm sure there's something," I said, taking the remote from her.  "If
you'd rather, we could watch a movie."

   Annalise smiled.  "Yeah!" Then she looked at the TV.  "Where's the DVD
player?"

   "Oh, I don't have one.  We'll have to watch something on my computer. 
I've got Netflix too.  What do you want to watch?"

   She got up and went over to my bookshelf, where I keep all my DVDs.  I
heard the shuffling of plastic as she flipped through the movies.  She
finally stopped and brought me one.

   "Crazy, Stupid, Love." I read.  "Um, Annalise, how about we watch a
different one?  I'm not sure this is appropriate for you."

   "I love this movie!  My mom and I watched it last week when it was on
TV."

   "Are you absolutely positive that your mom let you watch this movie?"

   "Uh huh!"

   I wasn't sure how to convince her not to watch it, but there was
absolutely no way I was going to let her watch that movie.  There were
several scenes that, while I'd love to see reaction, were just too graphic.
And the entire movie was about a 40 year-old guy whose wife cheats on him
(sex) and then he tries to redo his image (to get laid) while his 16
year-old babysitter lusts after him (more sex).

   Honestly, I'd be fine with letting her watch it if I knew no one would
ever find out.  Hell, I'd be begging her to watch it, hoping some of the
sex scenes may spur her on to make a move on me.  But I could never burden
her with such a secret.  While I didn't think having sex with her would be
harmful in itself, anyone who found out would try to convince her I was
abusing her, which couldn't be further from the truth.  But there's a
reason that kind of thing is illegal...and it's not because parents believe
their children when the kid says they enjoyed it...

   I shook my head, jolting these thoughts out of my head.  I resolved
myself again that she would not watch that movie.  Too risky.

   "How about we watch something else?  It's not that I don't believe you,
but it's not my favorite movie and there are parts of that movie I don't
feel comfortable watching with you in the room.  And, right now, I'm in
charge of you.  So, even if your mom let you watch it, we have to play by
my rules at the moment."

   She slumped her shoulder dejectedly, giving me the puppy dog eyes and
pouty lip.  When that clearly wasn't working, she got onto my chair and,
kneeling, straddled my lap and put her hands on my shoulders.

   "Please?" she whimpered somewhat pathetically.

   "Nope," I said, raising my eyebrow in an "I dare you to try again" kind
of way.

   And then she surprised me with what she did next.  She leaned in calmly,
kissed me on the cheek with her warm, soft lips.

   "How about now?"

   I stuttered, feeling some excitement arising in a region I did not want
any excitement.  Finally, I managed to choke out a response.

   "No.  Annalise, you're not going to convince me to let you watch that
movie."

   "Fine."

   She went back to my bookshelf and grabbed Finding Nemo.  I smiled at
her.

   "See, was that so hard?  Now that is one of my favorite movies."

   She cocked her head.  "Your favorite movie is Finding Nemo?"

"Yeah!  Of course!  It's so funny.  Dory's my favorite."

   "Mine too."

   Annalise sat down on my bed.  She slipped the DVD into my computer and
set it on her lap.  As the previews started, I looked over at her
expectantly.  I couldn't see the screen at all and, though I'd be content
just looking at this beautiful girl on my bed, that'd be a little weird. 
After giving her a look for several seconds, she turned to face me.

   "What?" she asked.

   "Um, I can't see the screen," I replied with a little sass.

   She giggled.  "Um, that's not my problem."

   I gasped in mock shock.  "That's not very nice."

   Rolling her eyes, she said, "If you really don't like it, come sit with
me!"

   I shrugged and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Okay.  As long as you don't
mind cuddling."

   Completely seriously, Annalise replied, "I don't mind."

   Good enough for me.  I stood up, shuffled over to the bed, and scooted
in next to Annalise, snuggling up against her small, warm body.  I felt her
lean into me as she sighed contentedly.

   As the opening credits began to play, Annalise grabbed my arm with both
of her hands and placed it over her shoulder.  My hand was dangling over
her chest, and she held it in her hands, resting her head on my shoulder.

   It seemed as if time had stopped.  Here I was, sitting on my bed, with
this angelic child nuzzled into my side, holding my hand.  It was the most
perfect feeling I'd had in a long time.  Maybe ever.  Ever since I'd left
home for college, I'd felt kind of lost.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but
it felt a little weird.  I didn't have anyone I was extremely close with in
my new town.  I mean, there were my friends from class, but that was it.  I
had never felt like I needed to be there.  I enjoyed being there, sure, but
sometimes I wondered whether I should be somewhere else, studying something
different.

   But at that moment, with Annalise in my arms, I just knew this was right
and everything else didn't matter.  At that moment, I knew I was exactly
where I was supposed to be.



   I awoke when I felt a stirring next to me.  I looked at my computer and
saw the end credits of the movie playing.  I didn't even remember feeling
tired and yet somehow I'd managed to fall asleep.  Glancing at the clock, I
panicked when I saw what time it was.  Julie was probably thinking I'd
kidnapped her daughter.  This was not a good first impression to make.

   Annalise stirred again, turning her head a little bit and nuzzling my
neck.  I couldn't help but admire her beauty for a moment.  She was just
such a gorgeous child, and she looked so peaceful when she was sleeping.

   Trying my best not to wake her up, I scooped her up and walked toward
the front door.  Somehow, I miraculously managed to get the door open
without bumping Annalise's head on the wall or dropping her.  I carried her
down the hall, smiling at her beautiful, sleeping face.  Arriving at
Julie's door, I knocked and waited patiently.  After a few moments, I heard
footsteps and the door unlocking.

   The little girl in my arms slowly opened her eyes, the eyelids
fluttering as she groggily looked up at me.

   "Where am I?" she uttered quietly.

   "Home," I said, grinning.

   I looked up to see Julie smiling at me.

   "I take it you two had a good time?" she asked.

   "Yes we did," I replied.  "Sorry about bringing her back so late.  We
were watching a movie and we both fell asleep."

   "I'm glad you guys had fun.  She needs an older role model in her life."

   "She's got you.  That's got to count for something."

   "Yes, but I'm her mother.  It's different."

   "Well what about her dad?"

   "He's not really around.  He lives in another part of town.  She goes
there every other weekend, but she doesn't really like it."

   "Then why does she have to keep going?"

   "It's part of the custody agreement.  He never seems to care when she's
around but he always wants to see her when she's here."

   "I'm so sorry.  That must be really rough on both of you."

   "Thank you.  It has caused more stress for us than we should have to
deal with, honestly.  He needs to make up his mind about whether he wants
this child or not.  She's too good of a kid to go through that kind of
emotional turmoil."

   "I know what you mean.  Just from getting to know her today, I can tell
she's a fantastic girl.  I wish I could help her somehow."

   "You're helping already by being a friend to her.  She needs to know all
men aren't rotten.  She needs to understand that not everyone is like her
father.  There are good people out there who care about her besides me. 
And I think she's found that in you." She paused and looked lovingly at her
daughter.  "I mean, look at her.  This is the first time you two have spent
time together and she already trusts you enough to fall asleep in your
arms. She hasn't stopped talking about you all week.  I think she really
likes you, Caleb."

   I smiled.  "That's good because I really like her.  It was such a
pleasure taking her out to breakfast and learning more about her.  She's so
sweet."

   "She really is.  Thank you so much for today."

   "No problem.  If you ever need a babysitter, feel free to drop by."

   "I'll do that." Looking down at Annalise again, she said, "She really
has taken a liking to you, hasn't she?"

   "Yeah, it looks like it."

   I grinned, lifted the girl up ever so gently, and placed a kiss on her
forehead.  She sighed and smiled in her half-awake state.  Julie reached
her arms out and slowly took the sleeping child off my hands.  As soon as
she did, though, I felt an emptiness creep over me.  It was strange not
having Annalise in my arms anymore.  It was such a pleasant feeling to hold
her, and I'd gotten so used to it the past few hours, it suddenly felt
weird to not have that anymore.

   Julie and I parted ways, and let myself back into my apartment and sat
down on my bed, where Annalise and I had been ten minutes before.  I could
still feel the warmth our bodies left on the mattress.  It felt wonderful.
I just couldn't believe how much I cared about this girl, having only spent
a day with her.
   Could it really be possible I had fallen in love with an 8 year-old?