(15)

Jay took off his boots and kicked them to the side as soon as he got inside his condo, forgoing his usual need to line his shoes up by the shoe rack. Damn, Erin was a bad influence on him when it came to tidiness. At least, he managed to put his keys, phone and wallet in their usual places before taking his shirt off on his way to his room for a shower. He just pulled his shirt over his head when he finally saw that there was already another person in his bedroom.

Erin.

He smiled, keeping the deep rumbles of laughter that were threatening to burst out of him to himself when he saw the state Erin was in. She was deep asleep, her body sprawled over his bed like her usual side of the bed could no longer contain her and she was now encroaching onto his territory. The blanket was half on the floor, the other half that did manage to survive the one-sided soccer match was doing a poor job of keeping Erin warm, the soft material barely covering half of Erin's legs. Some of the pillows suffered the same fate as the blanket while Erin had one clutch to her chest, holding it like a stuffed animal for a child. All in all, she was an adorable mess.

Fondness filled Jay's entire being as he slowly went over to the bed, picking up the casualties of Erin's sleep fight on his way, and gently placed the fallen pillows back into their spots. He released a quiet exhale of relief when Erin didn't wake up from the disturbance so he directed his attention to the blanket next. He took the fallen half that was on the floor and shifted the large fabric so it covered Erin better and protected her from the chill in the room. Satisfied, he smiled and leaned down as close as he could so he could see his slumbering girlfriend better.

Soft snores came from Erin in rhythmic bursts, telling him that she had been sleeping for a while, and every so often her closed eyelids shifted like she was dreaming. He ran his knuckles over her soft cheeks, a soft smile coming over his mouth at Erin opting to take a nap at his place instead of hers.

Living next doors definitely had its advantages; mainly, it was just so convenient. They were close to each other yet they still had their own space when they needed it. Like a his and hers kind of a deal. Only lately, it wasn't so much as a 'his' and 'hers' thing and was quickly becoming more of a 'ours' deal. Ever since they gave each other keys to each of their respective condos, they became more free and relaxed in treating each other's places like it was their own. Jay loved it and it reminded him of one of the best times in his life when he and Erin lived together and were building a forever together. And Jay coming home and finding a sleeping Erin in his bed to welcome him had to be his favorite thing.

He looked at the clock and figured there was some time left for Erin to catch up on her sleep so he left her with a fleeting kiss on her forehead that only Jay would know about before leaving to take his shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Erin was still in the same spot although her soft snores had stopped. Jay walked back over to her and glanced down, frowning at the thought of having to wake Erin up. He knew she was tired and could use a good night's sleep but he also knew that she wouldn't want to miss their plans for the night. So with reluctance, he sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly shook Erin awake.

"Babe," he called her, trying to wake her up. "Erin, wake up."

Her only response was a grumble and her hand swiping at the air. He chuckled at her reaction before trying again, only this time doing his best to move out of the way before her hand would make contact with his face.

"Babe, come on. It's almost eight. The party starts at 9, remember?"

A few more groans rang out in the air and Erin burrowed herself deeper into the bed, placing one of the pillows over her head to drown out his voice. His hand rested on her back and shook her again, Erin twisting to avoid the movement.

"I know you're tired but it's Kevin's birthday, remember?" No response. "Do you not want to go? Because if you'd rather just stay in and sleep, I can call them. No problem."

Jay wouldn't mind staying in with her but he knew that Erin didn't want to miss the birthday party for Kevin tonight. Just as he suspected, the thought of them cancelling on their plan finally got Erin to wake and open her eyes.

"No," she grumbled, shaking her head. "Don't cancel. Just give me a minute."

Jay patted her butt and complied. Erin let out a huge yawn and she pulled the pillow away from her head, her hair running wild from the action. Jay helped smooth them down and Erin turned her body over from on her stomach to her back so Jay could finally see her beautiful face again. She gave him a sleepy smile that was everything that Jay could ever need in life and he bent down to kiss her forehead.

"Get up, sleepyhead."

"I'm awake," Erin pointed out but her words coming out in a mumble didn't exactly help her point. He ran his finger over her forehead, trying to coax her out of the last remaining clutches of a comfortable nap.

"Mmm," she hummed, closing her eyes again. "That feels nice."

Thinking that he was probably doing more harm than good in his mission to get Erin up, he pulled his hand away, earning a loud complaint from her. Erin stretched her arms and finally sat up, peering up at him with sleep-filled eyes. She just looked so cute and soft as she looked at him with bleary eyes, messy hair and the tiny pout on her lips that Jay just had to kiss her. When he pulled away from the quick smoosh, he was met with a soft and sleepy smile from Erin.

"Come on, get in the shower. It'll help you wake up," Jay suggested, helping Erin stand. She complied easily enough, her body following Jay's as he walked her over to the bathroom and helped rid of her of her clothes.

"Mmm, a good househusband," Erin mumbled, patting his face cheekily after he turned on the shower to just the degree of hotness Erin preferred. "So good to me."

Jay shook his head, knowing that only Erin in this state would be so sickeningly sweet with her compliments. He helped her into the shower and left to get dressed. He put on a clean t-shirt and jeans for the party. It was just a small get together for Kevin's birthday at his girlfriend Rachel's place and Jay didn't feel like he needed to go all out with his outfit. Erin came out of the shower looking more refreshed and awake. She sauntered over to him and hugged him from behind.

"Hi," she said in that raspy voice of hers. Jay smiled and held her hands that were around his waist, pulling her body closer to his.

"Hey."

"I'm getting you all wet," she replied, her wet hair dripping droplets of water onto his new shirt.

"That's supposed to be my line." His quip earned him a smack on his chest from Erin, obviously unamused by his amazing one-liners. Really, they were so unappreciated sometimes.

"God, you're lame," Erin said, bringing her head around so he could see her face trying to hold her laugh in. "Why do I even put up with you?"

"No idea but I'm glad you do," Jay replied as he bent his head down to catch her in a kiss.

"Mmm," Erin smiled when he pulled away. "Probably because you're a good kisser." She got on her tippy toes to give him a peck on the cheek. "And a good househusband."

With another kiss on her lips, Erin pulled away and headed to her drawer in his room so she could get dressed.

"I'm gonna make a sandwich before we leave. Do you want one?" Jay asked while Erin headed back in the bathroom to get ready.

"No, I ate earlier. You eat while I finish my makeup and we can head out after." Jay nodded even though Erin couldn't see him and headed to the kitchen. He saw the bread left out on the counter— away from its usual spot by the toaster— and there was only one culprit who could've done it. He sighed and shook his head at how some things would never change. Erin would always be just a little bit messy and he would always be just a little bit too obsessed with cleanliness. But it was okay. He'd rather put away the left out bread to its usual space for the rest of his life and have Erin here than be without her.

With his stomach full and Erin done getting ready, they were finally ready to head out. He opted for more comfortable sneakers over his work boots and headed to the shoe rack to put them out. There, he saw Erin's heels stacked neatly next to his sneakers and he smiled. He didn't even notice her shoes when he came in since they weren't thrown haphazardly on the floor like usual. Like how he had his boots when he came home tonight. 'Huh, maybe he was influencing Erin in his own way too', he realized.

The party was a small gathering thrown for Kevin by his girlfriend, Rachel. Since Erin and Rachel worked together, Rachel pretty much made Erin promise to join them tonight. It was mostly Kevin's friends since he was the birthday boy like the Intelligence members, a few cops from 21st that Kevin was friends with, and some other first responders that they were friends with. Jay guessed that was why Rachel demanded Erin be there since she'd be surrounded by all the people in Kevin's world and Erin was the only one that straddled their two worlds.

Jay took Erin's coat when they got inside Rachel's place and judging by the amount of people in the place, Jay guessed people didn't get the memo that it was supposed to be a small gathering. But Kevin was a popular guy and had a lot of friends here to celebrate him. Erin held their presents for Kevin while Jay took their coats to where they were kept, leaving Erin to fend for herself for a minute. Immediately he saw out of the corner of his eyes a couple of people from Firehouse 51 rush over to Erin to say 'hello'.

Jay knew that he and Erin arriving together would get people's attention especially those who knew them before Erin left for New York. This was basically like their coming out party as a couple and he knew both he and Erin dreaded the attention and the questions that would come their way this evening. They just wanted to celebrate Kevin's birthday, that was all.

He quickly put their coats in the small closet by the hallway next to all the other coats that were already there and headed to where Erin stood with Stella and Sylvie surrounding her. Erin caught his eyes and shot him a 'help me' look and he quickly strode over to her, intent on rescuing his girlfriend from what looked like an onslaught of questions.

"Hey," he put his arms around Erin's shoulder, pulling her away from the group and closer to him. Immediately, the other two women's eyes fell on him and they narrowed, inquisitive questions on their lips. Jay preempted them and swiftly gave them an excuse that he and Erin wanted to look for the birthday boy to give him their presents.

"Thanks," Erin said after they managed to get away relatively unscathed. "They just started bombarding me with questions as soon as they saw me."

"Yeah, I figured," Jay replied as he pulled Erin into a small corner that wasn't occupied. "Sorry, I should've warned you it was gonna happen."

Erin shrugged. "It's not a big deal, really. I like Stella and Sylvie. I just wasn't expecting them to care so much about the status of our relationship."

"I guess people just have questions." He studied Erin's face to make sure she was comfortable. "You okay with being here? I have a feeling Stella and Sylvie won't be the only ones grilling you."

"Yeah," Erin nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like we can hide forever. Might as well get it over with."

Jay had to agree with Erin. As amazing as it had been for them to be in their little bubble for the past few months, he knew they couldn't stay in it forever. His team members knew, his brother knew and so did Hank. No matter how much he and Erin valued their privacy— especially when it came to their relationship— they could no longer hide away in their condos, away from the world.

"That's the attitude to have," Jay teased as Erin smacked him on the chest. They shared a laugh in the small quiet corner, their eyes locked on each other. Jay couldn't help but capture her soft lips with his own, having a stolen moment between the two of them away from the rest of the party. His lips pulled into a smile as he looked at her, Erin smiling back at him with those dimples that he just adored. She wiped away her lip gloss that had gotten onto his lips with her thumb then laughed softly when he pecked her forehead.

"Ready?" Jay's question brought them out of the moment and back into the real world. The small display of affection was probably the most PDA that they have shown in public throughout their whole relationship and it was a new territory for them. Before they never really did things like this out of the need to show their professionalism. The most they ever did in front of their friends was hold hands and maybe a small peck here or there. But now they no longer worked together and they didn't have the need for professionalism hanging over them. They were free to be just them.

"Yeah," Erin nodded and took in a deep breath. He took Erin's hand with his own and together, they left the safety of the small corner.

They looked for Kevin and Rachel since it was only polite to greet the host and hostess first but Kevin and Rachel were lost among the crowd. A few people came up to greet Erin and excitedly pulled her into hugs. Jay chuckled to himself seeing Erin accosted by her old acquaintances, all excited and happy that she was back in Chicago.

"I think I see Kevin and Rachel over there," Jay pointed to the other side of the room and Erin gave the crowd around her an apologetic smile, holding up the presents they have yet to give Kevin. "You must be loving this," Jay teased her, knowing just how much Erin 'loved' the crowd and people in her space.

"Not as much as you, apparently," Erin shot back, seeing the look of amusement Jay had on his face at Erin's predicament. He was trying to keep the chuckles to himself when he bumped into someone, coming face to face with Hailey and Vanessa.

"Hey," Jay greeted them, trying to sound as friendly as possible after seeing the less than enthusiastic expressions on their faces.

"Hi," Haily returned, giving them a small closed mouth smile. Vanessa, on the other hand, just nodded, her eyes stuck on Erin. Erin smiled back at them, pretending as though everything was fine and nothing was awkward. Jay stepped closer to Erin, his protective instincts over Erin coming out. He didn't like the almost cold and disparaging way Vanessa was studying Erin while his partner was looking pretty much everywhere else besides Erin, like if she tried hard enough Erin would disappear.

"So Halstead, you brought your girlfriend?" Vanessa asked, her eyes glancing Erin up and down. Erin pressed her mouth, probably trying to keep what she wanted to say to herself.

"She was invited," Jay returned. "She and Kevin are long time friends and she works with Rachel," Jay added, pointing out the fact that Erin wasn't a plus-one and that her presence was more than welcomed by the people throwing the party.

Whatever Vanessa wanted to say back was cut off by a happy cry of Erin's name, all of them turning around to see Rachel and Kevin come up to them.

"Erin! You're finally here!" Rachel shouted, pulling Erin into a hug and proving Jay's point at the same time. Erin laughed at the excited greeting by her friend before turning to pull Kevin into a hug too.

"Happy birthday, Kev," Erin said, kissing his cheek. Jay knew that Erin was always fond of Kevin and when she used to be in Intelligence, they used to go out for breakfast every so often together.

"Thanks, E," Kevin returned, giving her his patented big smile.

"Happy birthday man," Jay said, pulling Kevin into a half hug. "What is it now? 34?"

"33 and I'm still two years younger than you so I wouldn't be talking, man," Kevin retorted, punching Jay's arm in jest. Jay just rolled his eyes, thinking it was enough of a reply.

"Here, Kev." Erin handed over the two presents they bought him.

"Yes," Kevin cheered, happily taking the presents off of Erin's hands. "I know you got me something good, what's with your federal paycheck and all," Kevin joked.

"You can open it later," Rachel suggested, her hand already pulling Erin. "We gotta get these two a drink first."

"Yes, please," Erin replied, eagerly following Rachel. Jay watched on in amusement at Erin getting tugged away by Rachel. Rachel was excited to say the least that Erin was finally there. Jay understood, it couldn't have been easy for Rachel to be surrounded by Kevin's friends only and she probably welcomed a familiar face to rescue her.

"You want a beer, man?" Kevin asked, patting Jay's back. Jay just nodded, thinking he needed a drink before he had that encounter with his partner and her best friend. Hailey and Vanessa were still there, lingering around him. Vanessa looked like she had something to say but Jay wasn't in a mood to hear it.

"Yeah, maybe two," Jay replied back to Kevin. Kevin just laughed and pulled him over to where the drinks were.

As the party wore on, he and Erin were separated. Somehow, Erin got pulled into what looked like a serious girl talk between Stella, Sylvie, Trudy, Kim and Rachel. Adam and Kevin were buzzing around them, probably wanting to hear what they were talking about and if the women they loved were gossiping about them. Jay would've gone to rescue her but she looked like she was having a good time so he just stayed away, knowing that it was good for Erin to socialize with her old friends. It was good for Kim too, really. It was obvious that despite trying, Kim and Hailey would never be great friends, especially after Rojas' arrival to the unit and how fast she and Hailey got close. The three women in the unit were surrounded by testosterones on the daily so it was good for Kim to get Erin back, especially after the year she had. Jay didn't know everything that had gone on with her and Adam but he knew they went through a rough patch.

He emptied his second beer of the night and headed to the kitchen to get himself another drink. A water, this time since he was the one driving and he wanted to be sober. He was about to take a sip from the bottle when he was literally cornered in the kitchen by Rojas. She put her hand on the wall, her body leaning and she stared him down. Jay just shot her a confused look.

"What?" he finally asked, after waiting for her to say something.

"You are such an ass," Vanessa said, shaking her head like she was disappointed in him. Jay frowned, even more confused.

Jay took a sip of water. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't believe you brought her here," Rojas scolded him, smacking his arm. "You knew Hailey was going to be here."

Jay gulped down the water. "You mean Erin? You have a problem with me coming to the party that we were both invited to with my girlfriend?"

"I have a problem with you flaunting your relationship in my best friend's face even though you know that she has feelings for you." Jay narrowed his eyes. He and Rojas worked well enough together but they definitely weren't close enough to be having this conversation. "You should've seen the look on her face when she saw you and your girlfriend make out earlier."

"Her name's Erin," Jay corrected, not liking the way Vanessa basically sneered at the word 'girlfriend'. "And we weren't making out." Vanessa raised her eyebrow. "We weren't! It was a kiss."

"Whatever it was, Hailey saw it," Vanessa told him. Jay sighed. He had been trying his best to get things back to normal with his partner after she confessed that she was in love with him. Things were still awkward and tense between the two but they had been trying to act as though everything was fine and normal. The last thing they both wanted was other people in the unit digging around, asking questions of why they were so weird with each other. If Jay was honest with himself, he was tired of putting on an act and pretending like things were 100% okay with him and Hailey. They clearly weren't. At first Jay thought that if he just gave it enough time, Hailey would get over her feelings for him and they'd get back to the previous friendship and partnership they had. "So yeah, Halstead. Not cool."

"Vanessa, I get that you and Hailey are best friends but it's really none of your business," Jay said, trying to get away but Vanessa stepped in front of him, blocking him from leaving.

"It is my business if I have to see my best friend, my roommate, and someone I consider as my sister get her heartbroken because she got led on."

Jay widened his eyes. "How did I lead Hailey on?" he questioned, not appreciating the accusation. He had never once led Hailey on deliberately. He had genuinely thought that he and Hailey were good friends and good partners. The type of partners that were there for each other both on and off the clock. He didn't even know that Hailey had started developing feelings for him until recently. Jay would accept guilt for being dense, blind and ignorant of Hailey's feelings for him but he wouldn't feel guilty about Rojas assuming that he led Hailey on. It was clearer that Vanessa didn't have an answer for him. Jay was annoyed at being confronted like this and being made to feel like he should be ashamed of his relationship or hide his feelings for Erin. He had been trying his best to make the situation bearable for both he and Hailey. He had given her space and time and he had tried to keep normalcy by interacting with Hailey like he always had. But he would be damned if he had to pretend as though he wasn't with Erin or hide his relationship like it was a dirty secret.

Jay exhaled, rubbing his eyebrows. "Okay," he started, trying to keep his thoughts in order so he could finish this conversation with Vanessa. "I understand that you're protective of Hailey and you want her to be happy. I don't want to hurt Hailey either."

"Then act like it," Vanessa cut in.

"But," Jay ignored her remark and continued on. "As protective of you over your best friend, I'm protective of Erin and our relationship too. It's the most important thing in the world to me." The words 'more than his partnership with Hailey' went unspoken but Jay knew Vanessa got the implication. "I'm not going to act like I'm doing anything wrong here by being with Erin. I'm not going to apologize for it either or for kissing my girlfriend in public." Especially since it wasn't like he and Erin were full on making out. It was a quick kiss— normal and respectable amount of affection to be displayed in public. He felt bad that Hailey had to see it but it was bound to happen sooner or later if their lives were going to intersect. They couldn't tiptoe just so they wouldn't hurt Hailey's feelings for the rest of their lives, especially if he and Hailey were going to remain partners.

Vanessa remained quiet, still looking unhappy with Jay. But at this point, Jay couldn't care less. What was supposed to be a fun night out with Erin and their friends was just soured by Vanessa stepping into business that wasn't hers.

"Look," Jay sighed, at least wanting to end the conversation on a good note. Things were already tense between him and Hailey. He didn't want any bad blood between him and Rojas too. Erin was right when she said that team members needed to trust each other out on the field and despite his annoyance with a couple of his members right now, he did care about them. "I care about Hailey as a friend. I want the best for her and want her to be happy."

"Good. We agree on that."

"If she needs more time, I understand. And if she wants to switch partners so things will be easier, I understand too." Jay was serious about the offer. He didn't want to tiptoe around Hailey at work and if separation was what they needed then maybe it was what they should do.

"Wait!" Vanessa shouted. "I know she doesn't want that. She doesn't even want me to talk to you but….." she shrugged, clearly ignoring Hailey's wishes. "I just want her to be happy."

"Me too but I think we both know that it's not going to be me," Jay replied. "You're a good friend, Rojas. Hailey's lucky to have you."

WIth that, Jay walked away. His heart was heavy and his mind clouded as he left. He was genuinely considering changing partners. Even if Hailey didn't want it, perhaps it was a good idea. At least, temporarily; even if it would invite questions. Suddenly, Jay was just tired and over the party. He just wanted to go home with Erin.

He looked around the party for her, no longer finding her in the previous spot with the rest of the girls. He walked around the party, searching. He headed to the patio, thinking that she'd be outside and as soon as he got closer, he could hear the familiar raspy voice of hers. She seemed to be in a conversation with Kim and Rachel, the three of them seeking reprieve outside.

"I didn't know it was Jay that you were with," he heard Rachel say and he paused, lingering by the door. He was eavesdropping and he knew it. "So the mysterious flower guy, it was Jay?"

"What flower?"

"Yeah."

Kim and Erin spoke at the same time.

"And here I thought, it was Harrison that was sending you flowers," Rachel said. Jay frowned at hearing the unpleasant name but kept quiet.

"No," Erin refuted.

"So you and Harrison never?" Rachel asked. "Oh."

"Just a couple of dates, nothing serious between us," Erin replied, letting her friend in on a secret. Jay knew that Erin must have really liked and trusted Rachel to talk about her personal relationship.

"No way! He's so cute," Rachel gushed, Jay frowning again. "And you picked Jay over him."

"Please, it wasn't a competition," Kim added. Jay always knew he liked Kim. "She and Halstead are like meant to be."

Erin giggled and Jay could just see the faint blush that would come over Erin's face at what Kim said. It was a secret that Erin was actually a sentimental person and big softy at heart, despite her more tough exterior.

"Yeah? What's the story there?" Rachel asked, not knowing the story of he and Erin. "Jay must be really special for you to pick him over Harrison."

"Yeah he is," Erin replied. "Jay is…..different. He's always been different for me."

"Different how?"

Jay waited to hear what Erin had to say, holding his breath. "It's like he just gets in your blood. Even from the beginning, I just knew that he was going to be different than other guys. He's the person I trust the most in this world, my best friend and my boyfriend all rolled into one. It's hard to explain. But to put it simply, I could never see a future with all the other guys like Harrison. But with Jay…..I could see us in 20, 30 years. I just see a 'forever' with him."

Erin's words got loud 'aww's from her friends and Jay's heart was beating out of his chest after hearing what Erin had to say. His earlier bad mood was gone and was replaced with a feeling of absolute happiness, a lightness taking over him like he could float and walk on air right now. Deciding it was time to make his presence known, Jay stepped outside. Erin got flustered by his presence, her face flushing at the possibility of Jay overhearing what she said.

Jay kept his moment of weakness to himself and instead just walked over to where Erin sat. He spotted the bottles of beers on the table and understood why Erin's lips had been loose enough to say what she said earlier. She smiled up at him before she yawned.

"You tired?" Jay asked, seeing Erin's sleepy eyes. She nodded. "Want to go home?"

She yawned again and nodded, standing up. "Yeah, let's go home."

After saying goodbye to their friends and wishing Kevin a 'happy birthday' one more time, they headed home. Jay held Erin's hand over the center console of his car while he drove. He knew Erin was tired since she didn't even try to fight him for the control of the radio, letting him play his favorite band. Half way home, Erin had fallen asleep, her head drooping to the side until she was resting on the car window. Jay absentmindedly ran his thumb over her hand that he was still holding while he drove, wanting to get them home as quickly as possible so Erin could gett some sleep in their bed.

He parked the car and turned it off, looking over at Erin who was still asleep. He shook her awake softly until she woke. "We're home, babe," he told her softly, Erin letting out a yawn in response. He chuckled and got out of the car and went over to her side to help her out. She was still drowsy from sleep, leaning into his body as they made their way home.

When they got back to his place this time, they both just took their shoes off and Jay kicked them to the side, just wanting to get Erin in bed. He helped her into the bedroom, Erin plopping down on the soft surface. He shook his head at her fondly before helping her out of her socks and her coat. Getting a half-asleep Erin out of her clothes and into a more comfortable set of p.j wasn't easy but they managed and Erin quickly knocked back out while Jay got ready for bed.

By the time Jay had come out of the bathroom, shirtless and his p.j pants on ready for bed, Erin was already asleep, once again invading his side of the bed. Jay just rolled his eyes, more affectionately than anything, and tried to tuck himself in the small space Erin left with him. Apparently, Erin wasn't as deep asleep as Jay had thought because as soon as she felt the bed dip, she scooted closer like she was seeking him out. As soon as she made contact with his skin, her arms wrapped around his stomach and pulled him closer.

Jay just smiled, his heart filled with love and affection for her, and he put his arm underneath Erin's head so she could use it as a pillow. Erin burrowed herself closer to him and she gave him a content smile, her eyes still closed.

"Mmm," she hummed quietly, sounding perfectly happy and content in his arms. "Good night, love you," she managed to mumble before she rested her head on his chest, sleep pulling her back under.

Jay just looked down at his arm full of his girlfriend and he softly ran his fingers over her face, feeling the soft skin under his touch. "Good night babe," he returned quietly, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Shifting his body down as slowly as he could so Erin wouldn't be woken up, he placed a kiss on her hair and took a deep breath, sighing happily.

'Yeah', he thought to himself as he watched Erin and her earlier words coming back to him, 'Forever sounded just perfect.'