Kate shrugged her shoulders. "Not bad, at least not yet." Her voice was above an indoor tone since the music would make it impossible to hear someone use their indoor voice. She thought for a moment, nearly forgetting the drink the man wanted, but quickly said it before she completely lost it. "What about you? You must be tired." She stated as she knew the first shift of the evening was usually the hardest since there was little business. She watched Ben as he began to mix the liquids together to make the strong drink. She flashed him another smile as she grabbed the drink. "I'll see you soon!" she said cheerily, the contagious smile still on her face, as she went to deliver the drink.

Through the next few hours she continued to burst into smile when she came over to Ben with a drink. Normally she'd wait until she had a few orders before she got all of them, but now she came almost everytime she was given an order. She was really starting to like Ben.

Kate survived the night better than she had in the past. The fact that she liked Ben now kept her mind positive and her attitude optimistic as she went about ignoring the men who groped her. She sighed in relief as she watched the last few either stumble out on their own, or being thrown out by the security. She glanced over at the lonely bar to see Ben cleaning up.

A soft smile came to her face as she walked over to him. He looked so tired. "Hey," she greeted warmly as she moved behind the counter and started to help clean up. She didn't want to leave him alone, she wanted to spend as much time with him now as she could manage. "How was your night?" she asked curiously but in a soft tone as Ben seemed to want to just sleep soon.

Kate smiled to herself as she saw him attempt to wake himself up. "Fun for you, I guess it will be well deserved after this double-shift." She smiled as she picked up a cloth and began to wipe down the bar. She shrugged her shoulders as he asked how her night was. "It wasn't too bad, I actually almost enjoyed being here for once." She glanced at him, knowing full well he was the reason why. She blushed lightly at his words as he said he was glad to see her smile.

"So what does one do with his day off?" Kate asked in a horribly attempted English accented tone.

Kate laughed softly. "Yeah, you should get sleep, you look like you're about to fall over right now." She grinned as she put the cloth aside. She nodded her head, she'd be very grateful for a ride home. "Yes, I'd like that a lot." She smiled as she followed him out of The Cove. "If I die, it's on your head." She stated before she smiled and took the spare helmet. She pulled her hair out of its bun before she put the helmet on.

Kate rolled her eyes but made no comment as they left the parking lot. She held on to him, not nearly as tight as she had the first time. She was rather tired and was glad she could sleep in instead of having to do her day job which she no longer had. She couldn't help but sigh as she looked up at her apartment complex. She hated the place, but she felt so much better with Ben around. She climbed off the bike and took the helmet off before she smiled at him. "Thanks for the ride Ben," she said in a warm voice as she looked at him.

Kate grinned at his words. "Makes me feel a whole lot better too," she said with a smile before she nodded her head. "Yes, I would love that very much." She stated before she began to lead the way in. She followed the hallway to the stairs before she mounted them and began towards the third floor, when they came to her apartment she sighed and turned around to look at him. Kate hated being alone, especially now that she knew what it was like to feel safe. She moved close to him and looked into his eyes. "You have no idea how much all of this means to me, thank you so much." She whispered softly, their lips inches away. Kate never dreamt that they'd ever become friends, let alone anything more than that. So much had happened in the passed few days, but she found that she didn't mind one bit since she had him with her now.

Kate felt a soft smile come to her lips at his words. She knew that she could ask him to jump off a bridge and he'd get a running start. She felt as if she didn't deserve him, he was so much more than she could've ever thought. Her whole life she had had bad experiences with men, and now, now he was dashing away every thought she had against them. Kate knew there were still awful men out there, like her landlord, but Ben was showing her that there were also some good guys too.

Surprise fell over her, but it disappeared swiftly as she knew she shouldn't have been surprised at all. His touch was so gentle and caring, that she merely melted into him as he kissed her. The passion behind it was easily reciprocated as she easily got the hang of things. It wasn't until her lungs started to burn slightly from the lack of oxygen, that she decided to pull away from him.

A gasp came from her as she stared at him with a hazy expression. Kissing had never felt like that before. It had been explosive, and yet it was like a quiet whisper at the same time. "Ben?" she said softly, realizing then that she had wrapped her arms around his neck which left no space between them. "Stay with me tonight?" she whispered quietly as she looked at him with gentle and yet pleading eyes; yet beneath all that, there was a yearning for him. These feelings were strange and different, but she was ready to take them on since she knew Ben would never hurt her.

Kate's mind was still jumbled and her emotions were still full of how the kiss had felt. She was hoping that he'd stay with her, and for a moment she feared he wouldn't and would just leave her there. She held her breath for a slight moment until he nodded his head and she sighed in great relief. She smiled and brought her lips once more to his and kissed him. This wasn't as long as the one before, but it was definitely full of the same electric feelings. Kate smiled against the kiss before she pulled back and pulled the keys out of her pocket.

Kate put the key in the lock and undid it before she put the keys in her pocket once more. She opened up the door before she turned to look at Ben with a grin. "Thanks." Kate's voice was soft as she slid her hand down his arm before she took his hand and pulled him into her apartment. She closed the door and locked it up before she turned back to him. Now she was a little stumped, she had invited him to stay the night with her, but she hadn't really thought about it. "Uh, you hungry?" she asked as she now wasn't exactly sure what she was doing.

Kate couldn't help but smile as he assured her that she didn't have to do anything grand or special. He was right, it was still just him. "I know, but, I've never really done this kind of thing before. I don't want you starting to think that I'm the kind of girl who goes out there and kisses men she just really started to get to know over the past couple days." She shrugged her shoulders. Normally she'd pull away from him, but she liked having him hold her, it was such a peaceful and secure feeling, she didn't want it to ever go away.

Before, she had always been afraid, but she had never known just how much until now, when he was with her. Kate felt perfectly safe with him around, and she was starting to feel something other than just a safe and secure feeling. She was a little scared to figure out what it was, but she knew she'd have to cope with it. "I'll go get you a pillow and some blankets." She said softly as she began to pull out of his arms.

Kate merely smiled to herself at his words as she left him. She knew he would keep his distance, and she liked that about him. He wouldn't ever push her to do something she just didn't want to do. She grabbed a pillow off of her bed before she grabbed two spare blankets. She moved from her bedroom and walked back into the living area. She smiled at him and put the things on the couch before she walked over to him and warpped her arms around his neck. "Thank you ever so much, how could I ever repay you?" she asked with a smirk as she looked up at him.

It was very early in the morning, but Kate didn't really mind so much since she was completely and fully awake for the moment. Ben had gone from a guy at work who kept an eye on her, to her friend. She wondered if they'd be more than that. Of course they probably would, since they had already kissed and Kate knew that friends didn't kiss.