“Is this just sex?”“Well… no,” I said. “What is it, then?”I couldn’t tell how serious he was. Was he suggesting it was more than a cou...le of guys getting each other off?“Well, we’re good friends, right? Buddies having some fun together?” “Yes,” he said. “Good friends.”The slight edge in his voice took me by surprise. But then I remembered what Caitlin actually said: not that Rob had the hots for me, but that he was in love with me. If she was right, this was a lot less casual thing than I. Love Always, Deeny."Only her family and a few close friends from her childhood still called her Deeny but Robben had picked it up and liked how cute it sounded. She smiled as she wrote it but as the elevator delivered her to the ground floor and she walked to the street to hail a cab, tears began to form at her eyes. She would truly miss Robben in many ways, but she was sure of her decision. On Monday morning life would go on as she set her life's course towards her goal.The message light on. All the scientists were hurrying to cram as much additional research as possible into the remaining time. Many were already drafting the breakthrough papers they would publish after their return, papers that would forever immortalize their names within their own fields and afford them a popular renown that few academicians could ever hope to attain.A few were also making plans for a return visit. To be sure, it would mean yet another year and a half isolated from all human society except that. ’ CHAPTER 2 Leah’s heart rate soared when Oliver said he’d be a fool to want her out of his life. She’d much rather had he clutched over his heart and said he loved her and never wanted her to leave him, but that was over-expecting. At least he’d not rejected her. Leah ate slowly and fed Oliver some chicken from her sweet and sour dish to try. She watched his lips close over her chopsticks to remove the morsel. Oliver had olive skin, dark hair and was very good looking. She’d had his long and.