Wow, been a while, hasn't it?

Kay, so first of all, Merry Christmas! 8D

Now for a lil' info: I was scrolling down my endless list of unfinished stories, and I came across this, proceeded to read it, and then asked myself "Why haven't I posted this yet?". So I've decided that this will be the first chapter in my 3-chapter story. However, since this chapter was originally gonna be a stand-alone story, it is the only chap. that is written in 1st person pov.

Well, here it is. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: No.

"Crap!" Edward shouted, banging his fist loudly on the door. The alchemist tried jiggling the brass doorknob for the umpteenth time, and once again, nothing happened. "The door is locked, and there's no way I can move it. Looks like we're stuck in here."

I threw him a look that clearly said 'No dip, Sherlock'. "Congrats, Ed! Did you figure all that out on your own?"

"You shut up." he glared at me and my sarcasm, then sat on the floor, facing me and leaning his back against the door.

An awkward silence fell over the tiny room.

Okay, you're probably wondering just where we are, why we're stuck, and basically what is going on. Well, let's get you up-to-date, shall we?

- - - - -

"I... don't know."

He doesn't know? What does he mean, he doesn't know?! It was simple; either yes or no. For the love of God, why did Edward always have to make everything so complicated? I furrowed my brow, looking at him and not even bothering to hide the confusion in my eyes.

"What do you mean? Ed, it's just a simple question. Do you like me, or not?" A simple question. Yeah right. It took everything that I had to finally tell him that I like him, and now, his indecisiveness and hesitation is threatening to rip my heart to shreds.

He looked at me silently and I offered him a slightly strained smile. He didn't even blink. After a few seconds, Edward turned his head away and let out a sigh, closing his eyes.

"Winry, I just... I don't know." He looked quietly over at me, "I'm sorry."

Tears quickly began to blur my vision, but I blinked them back and gave him a shaky smile. I patted his flesh shoulder lightly.

"It's okay, Ed. Don't push yourself to decide anything. I just wanted you to know, so don't worry, okay?" I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. At this rate, I had to get out of there right at the moment. My voice came out as a whisper, "Just... just think about it."

I smiled at him one last time and then, trying my best to ignore his pained and apologetic look, I turned on my heel and swiftly made my exit. Once I could not feel his eyes on me anymore, and since I heard no footsteps running after me, I allowed myself to take off in a run, dashing into my room and quietly closing the door. I quickly grabbed a pillow and pressed it to my face, seeing as it was the only thing I could do before helpless sobs began to rack my body.

- - - - -

And so, here I am two days later, locked in a broom closet with the one person I was trying so hard to avoid. Hence the awkward atmosphere. And to top it all off, Mr. 'I'm-so-much-better-than-you' Alchemist only has one arm at the moment. Thus, we're stuck in here until Al and Granny get back from the store.

I snapped out of my flashback, seeing as tears were beginning to develop again. Apparently, during my trip down nightmare lane, I sat down on a rather large box that had probably been sitting there collecting dust for an eternity or two, filled with who knows what. I looked around, trying and failing to locate the light-switch, so I opted for sitting in the semi-darkness. Our only light was the reflection of the sun on the wooden floors, shining through the gap underneath the doorway.

Oh well, this was probably better, anyways. At least this way, we wouldn't have to stare at each other. The situation was awkward enough as it is; what seemed to be a good five minutes had passed and neither of us had uttered a word. I know that the expression is overused, but seriously, the tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

I could just barely make out his face. His brow was furrowed, his fists were balled up tight, and his golden eyes were distant and unfocused. He was thinking. Hard. And I could probably guess what he was thinking about.

I couldn't help it. Concern took over. "Edward?" I asked quietly, "Are you alright?"

I almost missed it when his gaze shifted to me, then he moved to stare pensively at the floor. A long silence followed, and just when I was about to ask again, his familiar voice filled the room.

"Winry... about the other day..."

"Ed, don't worry about it, okay?" I interrupted quickly, trying desperately to sound as cheerful as possible while battling the annoying pulling at my chest. "Just... don't worry about it." My voice came out quieter the second time; much quieter than I would have liked it to be.

I saw his hand move to cover his eyes, most likely rubbing a temple or pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, Win, listen. I... it's not that I don't like you. I do. It's just... I haven't ever really thought about it."

I forced myself to smile, even though I knew he couldn't see me in the darkness. I smiled anyways. As long as he didn't say it, I'd be fine.

"I never really took the time... to think about it..."

As long as he didn't say it...

"I mean, I like you, but... but I don't know if I like you that way."

As long as he didn't...

"I guess, well..."

As long as...

"Well, I've always kinda seen you as a sister, you know?"

He said it.

Right then and there, I could feel my heart shatter into millions of pieces, shards dropping into my stomach as tears resurfaced. I focused on keeping them at bay. A long silence followed, and I moved to wipe at my eyes.

Silence.

Silence.

"So... you really don't feel anything...?" My voice sounded like that of a lost little girl. My throat was quickly closing up and I swallowed, fighting to keep it open while simultaneously trying to keep my lunch down.

A defeated sigh was my answer. I could feel my gaze hardening and my tears turned into those of frustration and pain. I felt one slip and roll halfway down my cheek before I wiped it away furiously. I swallowed several times and closed my eyes until I could get my tears under control.

When I reopened my eyes, I looked determinedly at Ed and slid off of the box. His head jerked up at the sound of movement, and he watched my every move as I came towards him. His face slowly became clearer and I kneeled down in front of him, a bit off to his side. My face was very close to his; the tips of our noses were very close to touching and I could feel his warm breath on my face, but my eyes never once strayed from his. I was upset and confused and I needed answers.

"It's just the two of us, locked in a dark closet, alone in an empty house," I was speaking just above a whisper now, as that was the best I could manage, and my voice sounded like it would crack any moment, "and you can honestly tell me that you don't feel anything? Nothing at all?"

Silence dragged on yet again as he looked directly into my eyes. Finally, his answer came.

"No."

I was shocked, yes, but I was almost expecting that answer. I blinked back another torrent of tears and leaned away from his face, battling a waterfall of emotions. I looked at the ground and struggled to keep my voice from shaking.

"...Alright, then..." I sniffed as quietly as I could and stood on my feet. "Sorry."

After choking out that final apology, I could not hold the tears back any longer. They silently slipped down my cheeks and rolled off my chin, tumbling to the floor. But, you know what? I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if he saw me cry. I didn't care if he pitied me or thought me weak and helpless. I didn't care.

I moved to turn and go back to my box, but a hand suddenly caught mine. I stopped and closed my eyes, but didn't turn around. I really didn't need this. Not now.

"Wait, Winry," his voice called quietly. I couldn't stand it! The way he said my name, the way he gently held my hand; it was tearing me apart! I bit my bottom lip and hung my head, squeezing my eyes shut to avoid yet another onslaught of tears.

Suddenly, I found myself falling. I didn't know why and, honestly, I didn't really care. Maybe I passed out suddenly. Or perhaps this is all one horrible nightmare. All I really knew is that I was falling. And suddenly, I landed against a strong chest, a muscular arm wrapping around me.

I wasn't dreaming. This was all too real.

"Winry," Edward said softly, his voice vibrating in his chest. I sat up a bit and saw that I was in the same position that I had been in just a few moments prior. Only, this time, I was practically hanging onto his shoulders, my knees placed directly off his hip, and I was very close to him. He was cupping my chin with his flesh hand, his thumb wiping away the tears that had fallen.

And he was smiling at me.

"Win, I don't think you understand what I said."

Wha?! Was he making fun of me?!

"What's there to understand? You said no." I couldn't keep some anger from entering my voice. "No means no. Plain and simple."

He tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind my ear. "No," he began, smiling at me, "that's not why I gave my answer." His eyes were giving off a number of unnamed emotions, while mine were just filled with confusion.

"You asked me if I could honestly tell you that I didn't feel anything for you." He seemed to be moving closer, although that might've just been my imagination. I gripped his shirt in my hand as my mind began piecing things together. "I couldn't honestly say I didn't." He whispered and I could feel his warm breath on my face as my mind clicked the final pieces into place. His lips were dangerously close to mine. This was definitely not my imagination.

"I couldn't, because then, I would be lying."

Before I knew it, his soft lips claimed my own in a simple, innocent kiss. I closed my eyes. This was real. This was truly happening.

It seems that my nightmare had suddenly turned into the most wonderful dream. Only, I wasn't dreaming. This was reality. This was heaven.

I lifted my hand to his jawbone, gently pulling him closer to me. I was intoxicated by him. By every little thing about him, every fiber of his being. His not-too-thin but not-too-muscular build; his long golden hair, always soft to the touch; the feel of his soft skin under my thumb; his short temper; his voice; the exotic color of his eyes; the way his eyelids occasionally twitched ever so slightly, causing his long lashes to flutter a bit against my skin; his lips...

He pulled away and we looked at each other for a moment. Then, I leaned in and kissed him again. And again. And again.

I couldn't control myself. But then, who could blame me? And anyways, he didn't seem to mind. Each kiss was soft, almost timid, like butterfly wings flitting across a hand; like rose petals brushing against a nose -soft and simple, but beautiful, all the same.

At that moment, something occurred to me. I love him. I love Edward Elric. I love him with all my heart, with my soul. But I couldn't tell him, not yet. We couldn't rush into anything. No, we needed to take this slow. It wouldn't matter if it took years to even go out on our first date -I love him, and nothing could change that.

A strange creaking noise interrupted my thoughts, but it didn't register in my mind until it was too late. Ed suddenly tumbled out of the closet, landing with a thump on the wooden floor, myself landing on his chest once again. We both blinked and looked at each other for a moment, before bursting into a little fit of laughter.

I rested my arms on his chest and smiled at him as he quieted down. He smiled back. Just then, I realized something important.

"Hey, Ed," I said, catching his attention, "I forgot that we had originally gone in there for some metal to fix your arm."

He blinked at me. "Oh, right." Apparently, he forgot, too.

I smiled and leaned over him a bit more. "What say I go get the metal and start working on your arm?"

He smiled, "Sounds like a plan." He stole a kiss and rolled out from under me, so I stood and walked into the closet.

After searching for a bit, I found a rather large box labeled Scrap Metal and I pulled it out. This must've been the box I was sitting on. I pulled the box out of the closet and into the light, went on a mini-scavenger hunt, and gathered as much metal as I could in my arms. I was heading towards the workshop when Edward's suddenly called out.

"Hey Win," I turned and looked back at him, "Like ya."

I smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. "Like you too, Ed."

With his goofy grin spreading to my face as well, I shook my head and walked into the workshop, bracing myself for an all-nighter.

WOOHOO, CHEESY! Hokay, so that concludes part one.

I had a really weird dream about rats in a movie theater last night. Just thought I'd share that with you guys for no apparent reason.

PLEASE R&R, and please try to deal with my utter randomness for just two more chapters!

~Vee