"Is there a reason I couldn't have just told you this over the phone?"  Nicole asked Kara.  Kara cut off a small piece of her chicken and ate it.

"Because you called me right when my lunch was starting so...why not go out to lunch with my best friend?  Is there a problem with that?"  Kara told her after she swallowed the food in her mouth.

Nicole gave her friend a cynical look before taking a sip of her water.  "No, I think that you were hungry and didn't want to be alone so why not drag me with?"

Kara smirked and shrugged her shoulders.  "Didn't want to be alone; wanting to chill with my best friend," Kara waved her friend off with her hand.  "Same thing; anyways, spill."

"I told you.  He called me back later that night."

"I got that."  Kara sat back in her seat and narrowed her eyes at Nicole.  "You are such a pain in my ass.  I wonder why I stay friends with you.  Explain the whole get together thing."  Kara wiggled her fingers toward Nicole.

Nicole looked at Kara's fingers that were wiggling at her.  Raising a brow she looked back up at her friend.  "Don't ever do that again."  Nicole placed her fork next to her empty bowl and sighed.  "You're making this a bigger deal than it already is.  He is cleaning out his garage and commented how he didn't have any boxes.  All I did was mentioned that I had tons of cardboard boxes from when I moved into my apartment that he can have, and offered to give them to him.  I'm not going to need them.  They are taking up space in that closet anyways."

"Mhm."  Kara hummed nonchalant.  "And that is where you're heading to after our lovely lunch?"

"Yeah."  Nicole licked her lips than rolled her eyes when she saw the smile Kara had on her face.  "Wipe that smirk off.  I'm telling Taylor to have him stop you from getting any more of those romance books."

"Taylor wouldn't dare.  It keeps me quiet; you think he will let them be taking away?"  Both girls chuckled.

"Whatever."  Nicole responded.  That was true.  There was no way her fiancé, Taylor, would stop her from buying the books.  It was either that, Kara reading her mushy romance books or her talking his ear off while he is watching TV.  Neither Taylor nor Nicole could understand how Kara could enjoy them.  Taking money out of her wallet, she set it on the table and stood up.  "Ready?"

Kara nodded her head and stood up.  After walking out of the restaurant, they made their way towards their car and gave each other a hug.

"If anything happens, call me!"  Kara shouted toward her, followed by a laugh.

"Oh my god, bye!"  Nicole hopped into her car and brought her Liberty Jeep to life.  Pulling out, she pulled out the piece of paper of directions out of her purse and started to read it.  She placed the paper on the passenger seat and turned up her radio.

"Turn right...two blocks down...turn left...house on right."  She mumbled to herself, shoving the directions back on the seat and taking the turn.  Slowly, her eyes widen when she came up to his house.

"Damn, do you really need a house that big?"

Pulling up to the silver box, she rolled down her window and pushed the call button.

"Hello?"  Chris voice boomed over the speaker.

"Cardboard lady is here."  Nicole joked.  She chuckled when she heard Chris's laughter through the speaker.

"Nice.  Alright I'll let you in."

Rolling her window back up, she pulled up into his driveway and parked her car.  As she hoped out, she saw Chris walking out of his garage, making his way towards her with a smile on his face.

"Hey Nicole."  Chris greeted her with a hug.  Caught off guard, Nicole stood there in his arms stiffly before she wrapped her arms around him to hug him back.  Chris smiled when she returned the hug and took a step back.  "How was the drive?  Where the directions okay?"

Nicole nodded her head and popped open her trunk.  "I didn't get lost so it all worked out good.  Here are the cardboard boxes."

Chris smiled and started to pull the flat pieces of cardboard out of her trunk.  "You're a life saver you know that?"

Nicole gave him a wink and pulled out some of the pieces.  "I know I know I'm such an amazing person."  Chris chuckled.  She flipped her black hair out of her face and looked up at him.  "Where you want them?"

"Follow me."  Chris responded and started walking toward the garage.  Nicole stopped in her tracks once she saw his garage.  Her eyes slowly looked around his garage.

"Did a bomb blow up in here or something?"  She asked while placing the cardboard next to where he set his.

Chris rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked at her with a small smile.  "You see why I needed the cardboard boxes?"

"You need more than cardboard boxes to fix this land mind."  She told him as she continued took in the site around her.

"Yeah, it's just a little messy."  Chris confessed.

"Messy is an understatement."

"And that's why you're here."  Chris joked while putting the boxes together.

"Huh?"  Nicole jerked her head back to look at him.

"That's why you're here."  Chris chuckled as he repeated himself.  He stood up after taping the bottom of the last box and looked at her.  "What, did you think you were just going to drop the boxes off and leave?"  He tossed the packaging tape across the ground and gave her a look when he saw the confession look on her face.  "You got to be kidding me.  I'm not that rude; having you drive all the way out here; drop off boxes, and leave."  Chris shook his head as a smile appeared on his face.  "Anyways, you still owe me."  He told her, winking at her while walking past her.  "You can't leave."

"Oh that would look good on the news; NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick holds a female hostage in his garage.  What would your fans think?"  She replied, setting her purse down.

Chris chuckled and he pushed some objects next to the box in front of her.  "I dunno?"

"And why couldn't any of the guys help you?"  She asked him.  Nicole sat down in of the box and carefully started to place the objects he placed by her into the box.  Nicole looked up at him and watched him place a couple objects into the box he was working on.

"Why have the ugly mutts help me when I could have someone a lot better looking to help?"  Chris smiled at her and laughed when he saw her roll her eyes.

"Stop buttering up.  I'm here aren't I?"

Chris smiled and kept his eyes on her.  He watched as she concentrated on carefully placing the items into the box.  His eyes followed her tucking her black straight hair behind her ears and blow her side bangs out of her face.  Every time she looked at him with her sparkling green eyes, he couldn't help but stare.  They were bright, beautiful, and breath taking.  They always seem to have a sparkle to them.  His tongue ran along his bottom lip when he saw her lean forward, her pink t-shirt rising up a bit from the hem of her black shorts to show her tan skin on her back.

"Chris?"

Chris's eyes shot up and looked into hers as she looked back at him.  He felt his face go hot. "Uh."  He cleared his throat.  "Huh?"

"I asked how was everything was going with the group and all."  Nicole pushed the box she just finished to the side and looked back up at him.

"Oh."  Chris shifted his weight to the other foot.  "Fine.  Just enjoying the finally nice break we've been waiting for.  How's your job?"

"Fine."  Nicole told him.  She scooted along the floor until she was in front of another box, and started to place items in it.  "I have to go to a party store and get some Halloween decorations for the Halloween party we are going to have next week for Halloween."

"You should go to the one by my house.  I go to it every year for the Halloween party I always throw."

"Yeah but," Nicole leaned back on her hands and looked at him with a smirk, "Would I find stuff for young kids?  I can't be buying the boogeyman masks or anything bloody."

Chris crossed his arms across his chest and looked down at her.  "Do I look like a person that would recommend that kind of place for a Pre-K teacher?"

"Well..."  Nicole drawled out before letting out a laugh.  Chris jaw slacked and let out a huff.

"I'm so hurt Nicole.  Oh so hurt."

"Oh shut up."  Nicole laughed, reaching out and smacking her hand against his leg.  "Anyways, I have no clue where that is."

Chris raised a brow, his eyes never leaving hers.  "It's by my house."

"Yeah...and?  I don't know where much is around here.  I'm not a human map."

"You live about thirty minutes away; and didn't you say that you've lived here your whole life?"

"Florida, yes.  I know where places are around where I live.  Here, no."

"Hopeless."  Chris teased and leaned his hip against the hood of his car.  "When you leave, take a left and go down till you see Orange.  Turn right and at the light turn left and..."  Chris paused when he saw the impractical look on her face.  "Okay, you really are hopeless."  Chris chuckled and shook his head.  "Women."

"Hey!"  Nicole sat up and pointed her finger at him.  "I resent that!  Just because I don't know what the hell you're talking about doesn't mean I'm hopeless."  She reached out and smacked his lower leg again.  Chris laughed, lifting his leg up and taking a couple steps back.

"Okay abusive women; how about I just take your hopeless self there, say next week?"

Nicole pulled her legs up, sitting Indian style, and rubbed the palms of her hands against her shorts.  Tilting her head to the side, she looked at him, humming and tapping her chin with the tip of her finger as if she was thinking.  Her eyes fixed on him as he stood there in an olive green shirt and jean pants.  Chris tilted his head sideways, mocking her, both of them smiling.

"I guess."  Nicole said with a sigh and rolling her eyes.  "What else am I going to do?"

"I'll take that as a complement."  Chris winked, and pushed himself off his car.  He walked past her over to another box.  He pushed a box towards her with his foot and pointed to the pile on the other side.  "Can you put that stuff in that one?"

"You're lucky I'm so nice and a pushover."  Nicole replied, pushing her hair out of her face and going onto her knees.  "So where are you going to put all these boxes after your done?"  She asked while putting the items in the box ahead of her.  She glanced up towards him before looking back down into the box as she placed another object in there.

"Storage," he simple told her, "I didn't know what stuff I wanted to put in my house when I moved in here so, didn't know what to put in the storage."  Chris out stretched his arms at the clutter mess.  "Thus, it became to this."

"And you moved in...when?"

"Uh, three years ago."

Nicole paused from her movement and looked at him.  "Three years ago?  It took you three years to figure out what you wanted to put in your house?"

Chris looked over his shoulder at flashed an innocent smile.  "I never had the time."

"Men."  Nicole mumbled under her breath and sighed.  She softly shook her head and finished packing the box in front of her.  Pushing it to the side, she got up and moved over to the other pile and started to pack it also.  Soon the garage was cleaned, boxes packed and taped together.  The once hurricane hit mess was clean minus the packed boxes and two of his cars.

Nicole looked around the garage, her hands into her back pocket.  Chris stood next to her with a proud smile on his face.

"We make a good team."  He told her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.  Nicole nodded her head in agreement and gave his hand a pat.  Chris looked down at her with a smile.  "Come in and have something to drink after slaving you in my garage."

"At lest it isn't summer; now that would have been dreadful."  Nicole picked up her purse.

"I hear ya.  I wouldn't have even bothered if it wasn't fall."  Chris opened the door and placed his hand on her back as she walked past him into his house.  Nicole slowed down her steps while looking around in awe.  She took a seat at one of the bar stools by the counter on the outskirts of the kitchen and looked around.

"Water?  Lemonade?  Ice tea?  Beer?"  Chris asked her while opening up the fridge.  Slowly, he smirked as he watched her look around his house, taking in the scenery.  From the bit he knew about her, he could tell she was an observer.  She always looked around wherever she went and took in the scene around her.

"Lemonade please.  You're place is nice.  Plain, but what do you expect from a guy."  She told him.

Chris chuckled as he poured her a glass of lemonade.  "Thanks."  He sat her glass in front of her and poured himself a glass of lemonade also.  "So, tell me more about yourself."  Chris sat in the stood next to her and turned it so he was facing her.

"Like?"  She question as she took a sip of her drinking.  "We just talked about me in the garage.  What else do you want to know?"

"I know there has to be more than teaching Pre-K in your life."  Chris smiled and tilted his head slightly.  "Hobbies?  How about your family; you haven't mentioned them yet."

Nicole swallowed the small lump in her throat and took her eyes away from his.  Nicole looked down at the marble counter top in front of her and ran the tip of her finger along the top of her glass.  "Uh, yeah my family."  Nicole said softly.  Chris instantly wished he didn't bring up the subject.  Chris reached out and placed his hand on her arm, giving her a light squeeze.

"Hey, I'm sorry.  You don't have to say a thing."

Nicole took a deep breath and let the air out slowly.  "No, no it's okay.  I can talk about it.  If you asked me two year ago this question I would of collapsed and start crying on the spot."  She sat up straighter and kept her eyes on her hands as she started to twist the ring on her pink finger.  "My dad is a lawyer and works in the Downtown Orlando area.  We are close.  I'm the only child and uh...my mom passed away two years ago suddenly from pancreatitis."

"Nicole..."  Chris said softly, his voice and eyes filled with sympathy.  "I'm so sorry."  He ran his hand up and down her arm softly.  Nicole looked at him with a small smile and sat her hand on top of his on her arm.

"Thanks.  It's okay.  I have my days once in a while, but other than that I'm doing better over it than I was when it happened.  It made me grow up instantly.  She's in a better place now and that is all that matters...Actually," Nicole chuckled softly, "After she passed away I listen to one of your songs over and over again.  The song, Sailing."  She leaned on her elbows on the counter and buried her face in her hands as she laughed, embarrassed slightly.  Chris cracked a smile and chuckled.  Nicole rested her chin in the palm of her hand and turned her head slightly to look at him.  "Oh how embarrassing.  You probably think I'm something else now."

Chris laughed after finishing his drink and leaned over, setting his empty glass in the sink.  "No I don't.  It's actually nice to hear; like a complement.  Nice to know that even though I didn't know you than that I somehow helped."  He gave her an encouraging smile as he thought of ways to change the subject.  "Favorite bands or singers?"  He asked.

"Huh?"

Chris smirked at the confusing look on her face.  "What are your favorite bands or singers?"

"Ohhh...Uh...The Beatles, Dave Barnes, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Aerosmith..."  She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she said the next words slowly, "Backstreet Boys..."

Chris's jaw slacked and slid down from his stool, staring at her with a hurt and disbelief look on his face.  Nicole laughed all while putting her hand on his arm and sliding off the stool.  "I'm kidding about the Backstreet Boys.  I know some of their songs but it's not to the point where I'll call myself a fan of them or anything."

Chris let out a dramatic sigh and motioned with his hand toward the couch.  "I was about to throw you out of my house and end our friendship."  He walked around the edge of the couch and dropped down next to the arm rest.  His brown eyes watched her as she walked past him, still chuckling, and sat down next to him on the couch.  Chris slid down his black leather couch and placed both of his hands behind his head and watched as she crossed her legs.  For the first time he noticed the small cross tattoo on her lower ankle.  His eyes slowly traveled up her tanned legs, from her coral color painted toes to where her shorts started at her thighs.  By the look of them, he could tell that she was active by how toned they looked.

"And yours?"

Chris eyes shot up from her legs to her face as her voice drew him out of his trance.  "Uh," He cleared his throat before he continued.  "Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, Michael Jackson, The Beatles."  Chris smiled when the next band came to his mind.  "No Doubt.  I am going to marry Gwen Stefani."

Nicole cocked an eyebrow as him with a smirk planted on her lips.  "Isn't she with Gavin Rossdale?"

Chris smiled wide and stretched his legs out in front of him.  "Joke all you want now, but just wait and see.  It will be me at the end of the isle, not him."  Turning his head, he looked up at the clock and groaned, rubbing his stomach.  "No wonder I'm hungry, its six o'clock."

"Really?"  Nicole looked up at the clock to make sure he was right.  "Damn...took us three hours to do your garage?"

Chris chuckled and looked at her as he pushed himself off the couch.  "Guess so.  I'm starving, want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure."  Nicole stood up and grabbed her purse off the counter.  Chris tossed his keys in the air and looked over his shoulder while walking to the door.

"We'll just go together.  I'll drive.  I'm craving for a sub, how about you?"  Chris opened the door and held it open for Nicole.

"Mmm subs..." Nicole moaned in happiness.  "I can eat one every day.  Love ‘em."

"I knew I became friends with you for a reason.  You eat real food, not just salads and all that crap.  Have you eaten at Delano's before?"  He asked her.  Chris stood next to her and opened the passenger side door and helped her in his car.

"Never heard of it."  Nicole told him once he got into the driver side and turned on the car.  Chris glanced at her briefly before looking out the back of his car while backing up.

"For a fellow sub and sandwich lover, that is where we are going.  They have the best subs, sandwiches and wraps ever.  They make your mouth water.  You are going to want to go there every day."

"Bring it on."  She chuckled and ran her hand through her hair.

"Okay, back to our game of twenty questions."  Chris flashed a smile before looking over his shoulder and merging into the lane next over.

Nicole raised a brow and turned to look at him.  "We were playing that game?  What are we, in middle school?"  She teased.

"Okay you caught me.  The age on my birth certificate is wrong.  I changed it just so I could be in *NSYNC.  It wouldn't work if I they knew I was really in middle school."  Chris winked at her and looked back on the road.

"You're shameless."  Nicole told him while laughing.

"Alright."  Chris drawled out while drumming his fingers along the steering wheel.  "Hmm...Oh!  If you weren't a teacher, what would you be?"

Nicole licked her lips than started to chew on her bottom.  "Wow."  She let out a breath and continued to think.  "I dunno...Ever since I was ten I knew this is what I wanted to do; teach little kids.  Hmm..."  Nicole clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.  He turned and looked at her.  "Probably something with kids."

"You really like working with kids don't you?"

"Love it."  She confessed.  "It still amazes me how no matter how upset you are, that just by either a simple smile they give you or just run up to you out of the blue and hug your leg that it can easily change your attitude.  They are just so full of love and energy.  It's hard not to love my little ones. Sure, they can be a pain at times; be a handful; give you a splitting headache but in the end; it's worth it."  Nicole explained.  She turned her head and looked at him, both of them smiling.  "There is nothing else I rather do in the world than work with little kids.  Now, your turn."

Chris laughed, stretching his left arm over the steering wheel and leaning towards her, resting his right elbow on the console between the seats.  "Love it."  He said, mocking her.  "But in all seriousness, I do love it.  I love singing and dancing and I'm so blessed to be able to do something I love and get paid to do it.  How many people get to say that?  I have been really blessed with the best guys, who are like my brothers, and with the great success that we have gained.  There are days that I'm still in awe of everything.  Coming from a family that went from trailer to trailer, barely having money, to now bam; a totally different life."

"It's got its ups and downs, heaven and hell."  He continued.  "The fans are nice, well...not to sound mean or anything, I mean they are the reason I'm able to do what I love, but sometimes it just gets out of hand.  I love them, I truly do, don't get me wrong."  He looked over at her.  "But sometimes a man needs his space."

"I totally understand."  Nicole replied with a nod.

"Don't get me started on the damn paparazzi."  Chris shifted in his seat and pressed the gas once the light turned green.  "Okay, now I know you have two tattoos, do you have any more than that?"

"Uh ..How..?"  Nicole looked at him, her green eyes filled with a look of confusion.

"I saw the cross on your ankle at my house."  He looked at her briefly before turning his attention back on the road.  "And I think...a butterfly on your shoulder at the club?"

"Ohhh, yeah."  She lifted her hair up and pointed to behind her left ear.  "I have three starts behind my ear.  A pink, yellow and green," She slightly turned and showed the back of her neck.  "In cursive it says John 3:16 on the back of my neck," She dropped her hair and turned forward, "And a shamrock on my right hip.  A total of five tattoos, unless you want to count each star separate; than seven."  She shrugged her shoulders.  "I dunno why but I just like them.  I'd only get tiny ones though, no way would I ever get a big tattoo, but each one has a meaning with them so they mean something to me."

"And what's that?"

"The shamrock is because I'm 100 percent Irish and I'm proud of my heritage.  Both sides of my family, my moms and dads, are Irish.  My great, great Grandfather from my dad's side worked hard on getting over to America.  I can remember sitting in front of him while he told me stories, listen to Irish music and always gave me something with a shamrock on."

"Can you speak with the accent?"  Chris raised a brow, his brown eyes filled with interest.  Nicole rolled her eyes which brought a smirk on Chris's lips, giving him his answer.

"Mhm."

"Say something in it."

"What do you want me to say?"  She asked with a sigh.  Every time, her being Irish was brought up, there is always someone that asks if she could speak with the accent.  It never failed.  Nicole looked over at him, seeing a sparkle of amusement in his brown eyes.

"That there is a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow with a pot of gold."

Nicole grunted and sat back in her seat.  "I should have known."  Nicole took a deep breath before she continued.  "At the end of the rainbow there will be a leprechaun with a pot of gold."

Chris looked at her in amazement before breaking out in a grin.  "I'm going to make you talk to me in that accent for now on."  Pulling into the parking lot, he looked for a free space and parked his car.  "You sound like you just got off a boat from living in Ireland."

"I don't think so."  She told him in her regular voice.  "It rarely comes out.  If I get really pissed off, it slips."

"I'll keep that in mind."  He told her.  Getting out of his car, he closed his door and waiting for Nicole to walk over to where he was standing.  Locking his car, he slipped his keys in his pocket and walked beside her toward the front door.  "What about the other tattoos meaning?"

"Well, the three stars are for how lucky I've been.  You know, like the saying ‘count your lucky stars'.  I got into a horrible car accident five years ago.  A drunk driver didn't notice the light ahead of him turned red, so he ran through it and nailed my car.  I suffered two broken ribs, a concussion and broken vertebrae in my lower back.  They didn't think I'd be able to walk again because they were afraid it might pinch the wrong spot and," Nicole snapped her fingers, "I'd be paralyzed from the waist down."

"Damn."  Chris mumbled under his breath.

 "I'm okay now.  Every now and then my lower back will get stiff or start to hurt, but other than that, I'm okay.  The cross on my ankle is for the one thing I could always fall back on, God.  John 3:16 is my favorite verse.  Then the butterfly on my shoulder is for memory of my mom.  She loved butterflies and I had the wings be in different shades of purple because that was her favorite color.  The three small letters underneath, K.R.M, are her initials."

"What was her name?"  Chris asked softly.  Reaching out, he grabbed the glass door and pulled it open.  His eyes followed her when she walked past him inside the cafe as he held the door open for her.

"Kaitlyn Rose McGinnis."

"That is a pretty name."  Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  Bumping his hip with hers, he led her towards the counter and pulled out a menu for her.  "So, Nicole McGinnis, eh?"

Nicole looked at him out of the counter of her eye before looking back at the menu in her hands. "Mhm.  Do you need to look?"  She asked gesturing toward the menu.

Chris shook his head and bumped his hip against hers again.  "Nope.  I already know what I'm getting.  So, Nicole what McGinnis?"

"Branna."  She told him casual.  "It Irish; meaning beauty with hair as dark as a raven.  My Great Grandpa gave me my middle name ‘cuz when I was born, I was born with a lot of dark hair, and as you see," She flipped up the edge of her hair with her fingers and dropped it, "I have black hair."

"Ahh.  Well it is a pretty middle name."

"Thanks...Hmm...Ham, cheese, spicy mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions on sourdough bread...mm."  Kristen read softly out loud than shut the menu closed and looked at Chris.  "I have found the winner."

"That one is good."  Chris turned his attention to the guy behind the register.  "Hi, can I have one Ham Signature Sandwich and the Club."

"What would you like to drink with that?"  The guy behind the register asked.  Chris looked over at Nicole.

"Oh, a bottle of water for me."  She answered.

"Make that two."  Chris told him and reached for his wallet in his back pocket.  He reached over and stopped Nicole's movements of her reaching in her purse.  "I got it."

"You don't have to."

"You just helped me clean and organize my garage so don't give me that."  He winked at her and gave the guy a twenty.  "Keep the change."  Chris told him as he took the number card.

"Yeah but that was for..."

Chris waved his hand, interrupting her, walking towards an empty table.  "You're too nice for your own good."  He sat down in the seat and rolled his eyes when she let out a huff, sitting across from him.  Nicole rolled her eyes and looked around the café.

"This place is cute."

Chris looked around the place and leaned back in his seat.  "Oh yea, that's just what I always look at for when I go to eat."

Nicole quickly turned her head to look at him and gave him a look.  Chris tilted his head to the side and smiled innocently at her.

"Innocent my ass..." She mumbled under her breath and unscrewed the top off before bringing it to her lips and taking a sip.

"So, Nicole Branna McGinnis," Nicole heard Chris said.  Slowly, Nicole raised a brow and looked at him over the bottom of her water bottle as she took another sip.  She watched as he stared her down, taking a sip of his own water bottle and licking his lips after.  "Do I remember correctly, but your friend that I helped out of the club was Karla?"

"Kara."  Nicole corrected him.  She set her water bottle on the table and placing her elbow on the table, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.  "She seems to make really good first impressions."

Chris snickered.   "Tell me about her."

"You really take this twenty question game seriously don't ya?"  Nicole shook her head to get her side bangs out of her face.  "We've known each other since....God; it has been years; since we were little.  Somehow we always got the same classes together and the teaches hated us together.  She is my best friend, but a big pain in the ass.  She loves those stupid mushy romance books, which Taylor and I cannot figure out for the life of us on how she can enjoy them, but it keeps her shut up when she reads them so whatever keeps that trapper closed, we're okay with."

Chris let out a laugh and picked up his water bottle.  "A talker?"

Nicole looked at him, giving him a bored look before lifting her chin off her hand.  "You have no idea.  I introduced her and Taylor two years ago and now they are engaged.  I dunno how he does it....Hell I dunno how I've done it these past years.  But, besides using that yapper and getting herself in more trouble; having me sweet talk her way out of things, she's really is the best.  She's been there more times for me than I can count and I've been there for her.  She's..."  Nicole sighed, "She's saved my life so many times and vice versa.  When we heard the news about my mom, Kara never left my side and spent those three days in the hospital with me while sitting next to my mother.  She is the biggest pain in my ass, but I love her none the less."

"Sounds like Justin."  Chris said, joking, causing them both to giggle.  Sitting back in his seat, he looked up as the server placed their plates in front of them.  "Thanks."  They both said in illusion.

"Jinx!"  Chris said with a triumph look on his face.  Nicole gave him a smirk, picking up her sandwich and taking a bite.

"Mmmm...You were right."

Chris smiled.  "I told you it was good."

"Good?  This is better than good.  It's great!"  Nicole exclaimed taking another bite.  "You are going to wish you never showed me this place."

"I'm always right."  Chris told her in a matter-a-fact tone, and took a bit of his sandwich.

"Uh huh, okay," Nicole wiped her mouth with a napkin.  "What place do you want to visit, that you haven't been?"

Chris chewed the food that was in his mouth as he pondered the question.  "Hmm..."  He hummed moments later.  After swallowing his food, he gave her his answer.  "Antarctica."  Chris smiled when he saw the look on confusion and disbelief on her face.  "It's not like any other places.  Where do you want to visit?"  He questioned, his eyes holding hers steadily.

"Ireland."  She stated.

"You've never been?"

Nicole shook her head.  "All my family lives in the United States so we never went to visit."

"Such a same.  It is a beautiful place."  Chris shook his head and took the last bite of his sandwich.  He grabbed his napkin and wiped his hands.  Crumbling the napkin into a ball, he tossed it on the plate where his sandwich once was and sat back in his seat, patting his stomach.  "Ahhh; that hit the spot."

Nicole nodded her head in agreement.  Finishing her sandwich, he placed everything on her plate and looked at him.  "I'm in love."

Chris snickered.  "Ready?"  Seeing her nod her head, they both got up from the table and started their way out.

"Thank you for dinner."  Nicole told him as he opened the café door.

"No problem, thank you for helping out the mess in my garage."  He told her, placing his hand on the small of her back as she moved passed him.

"If I get that sandwich every time I help you, than anytime."  She joked while walking towards his car.

"Deal."  Chris hopped into his car and waited for her to get into his car.  After putting on her seatbelt, Chris placed his hand on the headrest of her seat and looked out the back of his car while reversing.

"Do you mind?"  Nicole questioned him all awhile pointing a finger to his radio.  Chris briefly glanced at her before putting the car into drive.

"Nope.  Go on ahead."

Nicole leaned forward, pushing the tip of her index finger against the seek button to find a good radio station.  "Ooo!"  Nicole exclaimed when the beginning notes of the song filled her ears.  Turning up the radio a bit, she bobbed her head while she sang.

"If you leave me you let a good thing fall apart.  If you deceive me, you leave a pain inside my heart.  I really need you just like the air I need to breathe.  I'll stand beside you I'll never leave."  She sang.  She turned and looked over at Chris, both exchanging smiles before he joined in with her.

"Please don't go, please don't go.  Don't you know that I love you so?  Say your mine and give me tonight.  Let's stay together."  They both sang, bobbing their heads.  "Please don't go, please don't go.  You're the only angel I know.  You were sent from heaven above to love me forever."  Chris and Nicole sang together.

"You know that song?"  Chris asked her once the song was over.

"How can you not?"  She told him.  Crossing one of her legs over the other, she glanced at him before sitting back in her seat.  "Oh how that song can instantly give you energy no matter the situation."

Chris smiled, nodding his head in agreement.  Looking over his left shoulder, he hit the blinker and switched lanes.  "You got a good voice.  Have you sung before?"

"Besides in the car; cooking in the kitchen, and with friends?  Nope."

"Well, you do."  Chris looked at her with a serious look on his face before looking back on the road in front of him.  He glanced at her once more.  Sure, she wasn't the next Britney Spears or Beyonce, but she knew how to carry a tune and wasn't off key.  Her voice was soothing.

"Thanks."  Nicole blushed slightly, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"On the next CD, you and I," he motioned with his finger between them, "Are going to sing a duet together."

"Uh, what?"  Nicole stuttered.  She looked at him like he was crazy.  "And what song would this be?"

"You've got a friend in me!"  Chris sang.  Nicole rubbed her face with the palm of her hands and laughed.

"Why do I connect with the crazy ones?"  Nicole questioned out loud.

Chris flashed her one big, bright smile and linked his arm with hers.  "Because that would be boring, and hunny," Chris leaned over and gave her a big, wet kiss on her cheek once stopping at a red light.  "You're stuck with me."