"So, we're agreed. No more secrets," Liz said.

"No more secrets," Maria promised. She pushed up the hinged section of the counter and stepped through, then grabbed a couple of the sugar bowls and headed toward the closest row of tables.

"Maria," Liz called.

Maria turned to face her. She should have known Liz wouldn't let her off the hook without more of a lecture on putting her life in jeopardy.

"Why don't you tell Michael how you feel?" Liz asked.

"Why?" Maria repeated. She blushed, then hugged the sugar bowls more tightly to her chest. "Because if I do that, he might laugh. Or he might start acting all weird around me. Or he might just avoid me." Maria could hear her voice shaking with emotion, but she kept going. "He might stop climbing through my window late at night… and I don't think I could stand that."

"You know what else might happen?" Liz asked gently. "He might tell you he feels the same way about you."

"All right, so I'm thinking, for this week's list, 'Bills That I'd Rather Be Than Me.' Number one: Bill Gates. Number two: Billy Baldwin. Number three: Mr. Bill. What do you guys think? Is that stupid?"

Same spot in the quad as at lunch yesterday. Same people. Practically the same conversation, with Alex going on about ideas for the lists he put on his web site, Liz thought. Then she smiled. She wouldn't want it any other way.

"How about terms for guys who spend way too much time thinking about their web page?" Michael suggested. "Number one-wedgie boy."

"Hey, you know how many hits I get? My lists have a following. It's practically a cult thing," Alex protested.

"Number two-big goober," Maria suggested.

Liz noticed that Isabel wasn't jumping in to defend her man. She wasn't sure what she thought about the Alex-Isabel hookup. It's not that she didn't like Isabel. Liz was actually feeling closer to her all the time. But she and Alex… they just weren't an obvious couple. They had some of that I'm-a-little-bit-country / I'm-a-little-bit-rock-and-roll deal going on.