Generally speaking the easiest girls to get are girls on the rebound, girls that are heartbroken from some previous break up. If all he wanted was to get Xtina into bed, that could be done the next time she's crying on his chest because she misses her old boyfriend. If that was all he wanted...but Coby hasn't made his mind up yet what he wants. He's done the rebound thing before, they never last very long, which is usually what Coby aims for, quick affairs that he doesn't have to get too involved in. But here's the problem, with Ti, it would bother him to be just the rebound thing. She's not just some chick he's met on the beach or in a bar, she's actually become his friend, and that means something to him. He's lost too many friends already, one way or another..he doesn't want to lose this friend by having sex with her. But he really wants her, too, and he can't figure out a way to be her friend & have her at the same time. So he's playing a sort of waiting game, hanging around in her room while she paints, reading her weird comic books, which he has to admit he's actually started to get involved in, though he only started reading them as an excuse to be near her.

He can't resist touching her, tickling her, whenever he gets a chance. But he's careful not to cross that line, where she'll stop him & tell him to pretend it never happened...like that kiss they never talk about. The kiss he thinks about constantly.

She comes in quietly, but Coby's become so attuned to her, he feels her standing near the weight bench before she calls his name.

He puts the weights down & jumps up immediately to find out what she needs from him. What she needs is someone to take her to a party on Saturday. Well, hell yes, he'll go. And then she lays it on him, the party is at the house where her ex lives. Apparently all her friends live together in Echo Park, so if there's a party, she has to face the ex just to see them. And he hates the way she chokes when she says the ex will have his new girlfriend there. "Are you sure you're ready for that, Ti?" he asks her, pretty sure she'll crack up if she has to watch her ex kiss his new girl or anything like that. She can barely say it out loud. "That's why need you with me, Coby," she answers quietly. If he weren't all sweaty from working out, he'd take her in his arms right there, he feels so badly for her. It'll probably be as hard on him as it is on her, but he agrees to take her. What other choice is there?

Coby can tell right away which is the ex-boyfriend: the suave looking one with the hottie girlfriend. And Ti can't take her eyes off them, not even for a second. Coby acts relaxed, but it drives him mad.