“Get your ass in the car now, before I change my mind.” Mandy yelled.  Joey and Lance were at her side as they were just waiting on Katy to finally get her stuff together.  For some one that had been talking about this all day she sure didn’t have to together.  Katy finally appeared at the door – her camera bag in hand and a cheesy grin on her face.  Mandy rolled her eyes and led the guys to the car.  She wasn’t sure if they would run or not but they both appeared to be pretty calm.  Katy waved at Chris and Brandi before following them out the door.

              Chris waited for the door to close completely, before rushing around to Brandi’s side of the table and pulling her chair out for her.  Once she was seated he pushed her up to the table before heading for his seat.  Mandy and Joey had done an awesome job with the food, everything looked and smelled great.  As far as Chris was concerned that included Brandi.  She looked like an angle in the soft candle light.

              Brandi blushed slightly; she hadn’t expected Chris to be such a gentleman.  And she could totally see him staring at her right now.  Brandi quickly brushed her hand through her hair and checked herself; she wasn’t sure what he was staring at.  She hadn’t exactly planned for a date so when it came time to get dressed for this evening her options were limited but then again his were too.  But it made the whole thing seems slightly more casual.

              “Thank you.” Chris said, finally breaking their silence.

              “For what?” Brandi questioned, as far as she knew she hadn’t done anything special, well accept that one thing but that had been gratifying for both of them.

              “For having dinner with me tonight.  I know you guys have better things to be doing, like your video.” Chris explained.  Brandi smiled, but the video stuff was really Katy’s thing.  Brandi was more crowd control atthis point.  She certainly had Chris under control.

            “I am just shocked that you even wanted to do this.  I mean you don’t have to be nice to me.  I am used to the guys I sleep with turning out to be complete jerks.” Brandi stated.  It may not have been the right thing to say but she wasn’t going to lie to him.  He wasn’t her first but so far he was the nicest.  She had come to kind of expect men to be jack asses, but Chris was starting to shatter all her expectations for men.

            “I haven’t turned out to be a jerk yet have I?” Chris joked, taking a bite of his food.  He hoped she didn’t think he was a jerk, god knows he was trying not to stick his foot in his mouth tonight, which was something that he knew he was good at doing especially around girls that he really liked.  Brandi just smiled at him.  He wasn’t a jerk, he was a sweet heart, she just hadn’t ruined him yet or so she thought, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.  Her feelings for him still scared the crap out of her but she was willing to give he an honest try before writing him off completely.

            Brandi closed her eyes and for a minute she was back in his arms again.  His tender touch and loving kisses, her back pressed up against the bathroom counter.  He had to have the gentlest hands.  She had put herself into a bad place but he had made everything feel so right, even now he was being freaking prince charming and yeah it was driving her nuts.

              “Brandi?” Chris calls, bring her back to reality, damn him.

              “Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.” Brandi lied, if he only knew what she had on her mind right now.  Chris could understand that she had a lot going on; he had a lot on his mind too.  But why wasn’t she talking to him, wasn’t that kind of the whole point of tonight? 

           “You never did tell me much about yourself.” He pointed out.  Brandi smiled again, what about her boring life would possibly interest him.  He had traveled the world with a boy band, while she was stuck at home listening to him on her radio.  But someday soon she would see the world, she had promised herself that much.

            “Why would you care, I am sure you have no interest in my crappy job, my lame friends, or my loser ex-boyfriends.” Brandi snapped.  The words come out a bit harsher that she intended. 

             “Hey now, I have had plenty of crappy jobs in my life time.  Your friends aren’t that lame, at least not the few that I have had the pleasure of meeting, and you are right I don’t care about your ex-boyfriends, unless of course you want me to arrange to have them beaten up.”  He smiled at her and she smiled back.

              “You can do that?” She questioned jokingly.  Hell she would pay just to see the look on her ex’s face if she showed up back in her hometown with Chris on her arm.  Brandi sighed and went out on a limb; letting Chris know a few things about her that might interest him, nothing of course that he could us against her later.  She loved that it made him smile to find out the stupidest little thing about her.

            Maybe this date had been just what they both needed.  Being locked down there with the guys was bringing back all the bad memories for Chris of what had happened when the group broke up.  He felt lied to and betrayed by them but yet somehow he still needed them.  It was to the point that he couldn’t think about it anymore and tonight he wasn’t, his focus was on the lovely young woman before him.  Something that he craved in his life right now was honesty, and she had it in spades.

            “How long do you think the others will be gone?” Chris asked.  Brandi raised an eye brow at him.  “Not, that.  I am not opposed to that but I am just enjoying talking to you.  I just can’t seem to get a word in edge wise around your friends. That’s all.”  Chris cursed himself on the inside, that sounded like it hadn’t come out right.  He cringed and waited for her to say something.

            “Well you kind of have to talk over them sometimes or ignore them.” Brandi explained.  Chris suddenly hated that the table was between them, clearly this seating arrangement had been poorly planned, he wanted to kiss her but he couldn’t without getting up.  He wasn’t sure he could bring up moving without seeming like he had other motives again.  Brandi could see him racking his brain over something.  They were done eating by now, so there was no reason for them to stay at the table.  “Do you want some coffee, maybe move to the living room?” Brandi offered nod toward the sofa.

            Chris smiled then got up, while Brandi went into the kitchen to get the coffee, he sat down on the sofa.  He was trying to rearrange the pillows so that they could get comfortable but not too comfortable.  Brandi smiled as she watched him fidget with the pillows, he seemed nervous and it was kind of sweet.  She sat down and handed him a cup.  He sipped on it for awhile figuring that it was best to keep his hands busy doing something right now.

              Brandi finally pulled it out of his hands and placed it on the coffee table before pulling him in for a kiss.  It was a tender kiss; he let one of his hands caress her arm while the other cradled her face.

              “I just want you to hold me.” She whispered, looking him in the eyes.  She was sure he needed more but she just needed to feel his arms around her and the safety that they provided.  She didn’t expect him to be a saint after all.  He was happy to oblige her, pulling her close to him, letting her rest against him.  Brandi rested her head against his chest listening to his heart beat, it soothed her.  It seemed to be beating a little faster than normal. 

           Chris ran his hand through her hair, he was trying all the things that he thought might relax her and but her at ease.  He knew they didn’t have to have sex for her to bring him complete happiness.  He just needed her to be there.  They didn’t even have to talk; it was like they were cut from the same mold.  They just fit.

            Kim sat silently at the top of the stairs.  She wasn’t spying on them, but thinking about their date tonight and now seeing them there on the sofa together was freaking her out about the love scene that she was going to have to do with JC.  They looked so happy and so at peace with each other, they really should be the ones to do it.  She didn’t think she could fake it, or that she wouldn’t have to fake it but he would.  It wouldn’t be real in her mind, it would just all be an act, and yeah she would never admit it out loud but she did want it to be real.

            Her heart churned in ways she wasn’t used to, the stupid thing must be broken she reasoned.  She just needed to talk to him, to see what was really going through JC’s mind.  That is what brought her to the steps in the first place; the fear of ruining Brandi’s special night was what had stopped her there. 

           But now they looked to be almost asleep, or at the very least resting.  She didn’t think that they would even notice her if she slipped past them right now as long as she could be quiet.  Kim started to get up as the steps creaked a little so she paused but Brandi and Chris didn’t move.  Holding her breath the whole way she crept across the dining room to the basement door.  She was flustered with the locks as they got stuck a few times before finally opening.

            Brandi lifted up when she thought she heard something, but when she looked around there was nothing in sight and no lights in the drive way.  Chris softly questioned her then pressed her back down against him.  They were in a house in the middle of nowhere, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know what the noise was.  Ignorance in bless.