“Yo, yo, what up, Everly? Good to see you, girl!” Randy Jackson greeted me, as I stepped on set of the photo shoot for him and the ABDC judges. I couldn’t help, but to chuckle, finding amusement in the way the man spoke. He was definitely the same in real life as on TV.

“Hi, Randy. I’m glad to see you too.” I smiled. “I’m ready to get this started.”

“So are we. I’m excited to see what clothing we’re all going to wear.” He then pointed toward a huge selection of clothes that were hanging on long racks. “Start looking for the awesome duds, girl. D-Trix, Lil Mama, and JC should all be getting here any moment.”

I simply nodded my head and stepped over to the clothing. I knew that the look for the shoot was leaning towards an urban edge, but polished as well. I noticed many different kinds of jackets, as well as baggy pants. There were many items with zippers and embellishments, as well as a whole selection of funky footwear. I wanted to keep the street vibe with my selections, but also not make it too cheesy. They were the judges after all, not the crews themselves. I wanted everyone to look great, but also feel comfortable and maintain their individual style.

I really didn’t have a clue though as to what I’d pick for Lil Mama. She was her own definition of special and her fashion sense was definitely interesting to say the least. I was thinking I’d have to just let her make her own choices and pray I didn’t get yelled at for them. On the other hand, JC would be easier to style and I was thankful for that. I also imagined that D-Trix would be easy to style as well. I had no concerns with Randy, seeing as he was already a pretty stylish dude.

“I’m ready to get me some swagger.” I looked up, hearing a voice and then saw it was Lil Mama. “You’re the new stylist?”

I nodded my head as she stepped closer to me and then put my hand out. She shook my hand. “I’m Everly Monroe. I know who you are.”

She cackled then. “Of course, darling. Everyone knows who I am. It’s nice to meet you, Everly.”

“Likewise.” I simply said and began to look at the racks of clothing once again. “You have a certain color in mind?”

I knew that asking a basic question could sometimes be the key to finding the right outfit. I hoped that she had an answer.

“Pink! I’m feeling pinklicious today.” I tried to not chuckle at her reply.

“Sounds good. Let’s see what we’ve got in pink.” She began eyeing the rack, as I did too.

“This jacket is styling. I think I got to wear this.” I saw her grab a leather pink jacket off the rack that was studded out with various-shaped silver studs.

“Sure, if that’s what you want. Hopefully there’s something around here you can wear underneath it.” I wasn’t a huge fan of the bubblegum pink, but it was an ABDC photo shoot after all. I wasn’t exactly styling for a Vogue cover.

I ended up finding a halter top and mini skirt set that was a light turquoise with pink lip prints all over it. The pink of the lips would match the pink of the jacket and since Lil Mama was all about the lip gloss, I figured she’d have no objections to lips on her clothing. I showed her the set and her face lit up. She immediately grabbed the articles of clothing from me, ready to try them on.

“This is gonna be perfect, girl. I hope it fits.” I watched her head toward the direction of the changing area.

“What about shoes?” I yelled out in question.

“Pinkliciousness again, please.” She replied and I shook my head. I looked at the collection of shoes and found the highest pair of platform heeled shoes ever. They were that annoying shade of bubblegum pink again and matched the pink jacket perfectly. I checked for the size and sure enough they were the right size for Lil Mama. She’d just have to try them on, as soon as she returned in the rest of the outfit.

I waited a moment and Lil Mama reappeared, looking like a princess diva, who got swallowed up by bubblegum. The halter top, mini skirt, and jacket all fit her well actually and she pulled the look off. Plus she appeared happy with the outfit and I didn’t want to ruffle her feathers on our first day working together. I’d let her keep it all on and hope it came out nice in the photos. I showed her the pink platforms and she squealed in delight, grabbing the shoes from me and switching out the pair she had on for them.

“Marvelous, absolutely marvelous.” She exclaimed, taking a few steps in the pink platforms. They seemed to fit her alright and she stepped over to a mirror to check herself out. I tried to not laugh as she checked herself out and made model poses.

“I love it. This totally works. I’m feeling ready to rock it for the camera.” I smiled and tried to not roll my eyes. I had to keep it professional and just be glad that the girl was satisfied.

“Great. Then I guess you can go over to hair and makeup, while I style the guys.” She nodded and then walked away from the mirror, over to the other side of the room where a hair stylist was waiting for her.

I looked around, taking a moment to sigh in relief that I’d finished Lil Mama, when I spotted D-Trix next. He had an eager smile upon his face and he walked into the room like he owned it. I knew he was the new addition to the judging panel for this season and that his crew had been champions of a past season. I didn’t have a real opinion of the guy yet and just wanted things to go smoothly. I hoped he didn’t have an attitude and that he’d put on what I picked out for him.

“Hey, I’m D-Trix. It’s nice to meet you.” He held his hand out and I shook it in return.

“Nice to meet you too.” I put a smile on. “I’m Everly Monroe. I know you’re new around here and so am I.”

“It’s nice to be fresh meat together.” He said with a nervous chuckle. “So…what clothing have you got for me?”

I eyed him up and down and seeing what he had on, decided that he could easily pull off a t-shirt, jacket, and pants. I just wasn’t sure what color choices he’d be comfortable with. Yet, I knew I didn’t want him to be as bold as Lil Mama. Something more subdued and understated would suit him.

“You like dark colors?” I asked, eyeing the mens’ clothing. “I’m thinking I want you to wear a simple t-shirt and jacket.”

“That sounds good and I do like dark colors, but a splash of something bright would be nice too. I want something that’ll pop and still be hip hop, ya know?” I nodded my head and then saw a green t-shirt. It had very thick, faded stripes across it, but was nothing over the top. I also grabbed a gray jacket that had buttons, pockets and flaps. I found dark charcoal pants as well, that were denim. I looked at all the items together and imagined them looking great as an ensemble. So I gave all of it to D-Trix, after confirming sizes, and had him head over to the dressing area.

When he returned, all decked out in my selections, I was happy and he appeared happy as well. The look was young and hip and had some of the street flavor I was going for. I realized he just needed a pair of shoes that would go with the outfit and once I asked him what he was looking for, he told me boots.

Luckily, there was a pair of dark boots that laced-up and would blend in with the rest of the outfit. They were edgy and masculine, as well as big, which was quite alright, considering the shoes Lil Mama was going to wear.

“Try these.” I said, handing him the pair of boots and he obliged. Once he had them on, he seemed to gain even more confidence.

“These boots are dope. Plus they look mad cool with everything else. I think we’ve got a winner.” I smiled, happy to cross another judge off my list.

“Good, I’m glad.”

“Thank you. I hope it’s this easy every time.” He winked and then headed over to get his hair and make up done.

I checked my watch then and realized that time was ticking. I hadn’t seen JC appear yet and decided I’d get Randy taken care of. The man already looked decent and it was apparent he was feeling the black today. He had on a black t-shirt with a v-neck. Which was good, considering that I wanted the guys to blend in more than Lil Mama.

“Hey, Randy.” I called his name out and motioned my hand for him to join me. He walked over to me after finishing some small talk with the photographer.

“You ready for me?” He asked, grinning.

I nodded my head. “Yeah, I have Lil Mama and D-Trix styled. I haven’t seen JC yet, so I’m moving onto you.”

“I hope he shows up. It’s not like that dawg to be late.” I tried to not laugh at Randy referring to JC as ‘dawg’. There was just some usage of slang that I couldn’t get over.

“I’m sure he will.” I assured him and then grabbed some black pants off a rack. “I want you to keep your black t-shirt on. Just swap out your blue jeans for these black ones. I think you’ll look great in all black.”

He nodded and didn’t protest at all. “Sound good to me. I like to keep it simple and real.”

“You can have fun with your accessories instead.” I told him, eyeing the accessory table. “Maybe a bright watch or something that’ll give a neat contrast.”

“Dude, look at this bad ass watch.” He grabbed a plastic, bright orange watch from the table and put it on his wrist. “Now this is mad dope.”

“I think it’ll suit you quite well, Randy.” I wasn’t about to object, when the man gave me the job in the first place.

“I need an awesome chain too.” He grabbed a silver chain off the table and then left to put his outfit together.

So far, everything was going well and I didn’t feel like I was making any mistakes in my decisions. I managed to dress three out of the four ‘stars’ of the photo shoot and everyone had made it easy on me. I really hoped that JC would be equally as easy to dress, but then again he’d never really stirred up too much trouble for me. He was pretty easy-going and took my opinion into consideration.

I checked my watch again, noting that I’d already been on set for a little while now. I looked across the way at the photographer and watched him double-check his equipment and fool around with the lighting. I could tell he was growing antsy and was ready to take the pictures, but we were both waiting on a certain man.

I decided to start picking out what JC was going to wear to save time and to stop him from having too much say. I knew I wanted a t-shirt, jacket, and some dark pants for him as well, keeping in mind the outfit I’d picked for D-Trix. I went through the racks, checking for stuff in JC’s size and made some good pulls. I found a light gray t-shirt, along with a darker gray jacket that I knew JC would like. It had zippers on it and a collar that could be popped, which was something he could get away with. There was also a neat pair of pants with a dark stripe down the sides of them, which would complement the zippers on the jacket.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m late.” I looked up from the clothing I placed aside and saw JC. He was breathing heavily and looked disheveled. He appeared like he’d just come from the gym or something because he had on a gray track suit. I also noticed that he had what looked like a smudge of lipstick on his cheek.

“Hi.” I laughed, not being able to hold it in. “What happened to you?”

He took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face. “Hey. I kind of lost track of time and got caught up in something.”

I looked at his mouth as he spoke and realized his lips looked slightly swollen, as if he’d been kissing someone. The pictures of him making out with the mystery brunette flooded back into my mind and I wondered if he’d just been with her again.

“Like a make out session at the gym?” I quipped in question. “ ‘Cause that’s what it looks like.”

He blushed then and I noticed just how happy he appeared. His eyes seemed to be sparkling. “Maybe…maybe not.”

I chuckled. “You realize you have lipstick…here.” I reached to the side of his face, that he’d failed to touch earlier. I rubbed the shade of red off for him.

He gave me a guilty look then, like he’d been caught and was embarrassed. “Oops.”

“Yeah, oops. You got to be more subtle, Chasez. Can’t be walking around with lipstick on yourself.”

He chuckled then. “My bad. I honestly didn’t know it was there.”

“But you knew her lips were there.” I smirked, trying to put humor into the situation, instead of focusing on the fact he had been kissing a girl. I was trying to get past that.

“Yeah, yeah...whatever.” He sighed and he seemed to calm down. “Can we get to the task at hand? I need clothes to wear.”

I nodded my head. “And I have them for you.” I picked up the t-shirt, jacket, and pants that I’d selected and handed them to him.

“Gray?” He questioned. “I guess that works. It’s in my wardrobe a lot anyways.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “That’s all you can say? Look at the jacket, Chasez. Don’t you love the zippers? I know you love zippers.”

He laughed then and tugged on a zipper pull, making a pocket open up. “Okay..this jacket is sweet. You could hide a bunch of stuff with these zipper pockets.”

I grinned. “Much better. Now go try this all on and come back looking amazing.”

He tossed me a cheeky grin and gave me a salute with his hand. “Aye, aye, captain.”

I watched him walk away and go to the changing area and sighed. He was something else and I had been surprised by the way he showed up. He was a pretty professional guy and was so good about his schedule. Having him be the last to show up and looking slightly like a hot mess was just…unexpected. Yet, if he was dating the mystery brunette, I guess understood.

“I feel great in this outfit.” JC strutted over to me a couple minutes later and he had a confidence about him. He appeared just really happy and truly content with what he was wearing.

“You look great in it too. It’s enough flavor without you pretending to be ghetto.” I heard a hearty chuckle escape his lips then.

“What? You’re not digging my thug appeal?” It was then my turn to chuckle.

“You don’t have thug appeal. You’re just…you.” He stepped over to the collection of shoes.

“But me being me is good, right?” I nodded my head.

“Yes, you’re fine being you. I prefer you over someone with thug appeal.” He grinned and then picked up a pair of boots.

“Look at these, Ev! Aren’t they super dope?” I carefully eyed the boots and noticed how huge and vintage looking they were. They almost looked like work boots or like they’d been abandoned at a construction sight. Heck…they even looked like they could’ve belonged to Frankenstein’s monster.

“JC, really? They’re ugly. Don’t you dare put them on.” He dropped his head then, not happy with my reaction.

“But..but..they’re cool. I think they’ll totally go with the rest of the outfit.” I watched him turn his head and catch sight of Lil Mama and D-Trix, who’d finished up with hair and make-up. “And look…Lil Mama has hooker shoes on and you let D-Trix pick boots too.”

I laughed at his attempt to get me to allow him to wear the boots. It was kind of adorable and I sighed, debating whether I should give into him.

“Please, Everly? They’re just boots. They’re not going to make or break your career. I want to wear them.” I noticed a pout forming on his full lips.

He did have a point though. It wasn’t like his feet would be the focal point of the pictures anyways, so it wasn’t that huge of a deal what kind of shoes he wore. Plus, I knew that once we were taping the actual episodes, his shoes selection wouldn’t really matter since no one ever saw what the judges had on their feet, since they sat behind the judging table. So since this was the one time his shoes would actually be seen, I’d just give into him and let him have his happiness.

“Alright…alright.” I smiled. “You can wear your monster boots.”

“Thank you.” He grinned and dropped a kiss to my cheek. “You’re the best.”

“Now go get your ass to hair and make-up. They’ve got to quickly get you ready, since it looks like everyone else is done and waiting on you.”

“Yeah..yeah…” He quickly slid his gym shoes off and replaced them with the boots, before walking over to the hair and make-up area.


About ten minutes later, I watched as Randy, D-Trix, Lil Mama, and JC all appeared on set. Everyone looked ready to start shooting and I realized just how great everything came out. Their looks complemented one another’s and I liked the contrast of gray shades on D-Trix and JC’s ensembles. Randy was just smooth in his all black, minus some white sneakers and well..Lil Mama was pinklicious. Yet, it worked.

I was really amazed though at how wonderful JC looked. It was like he’d transformed from a handsome man to a devastatingly sexy bastard in point two seconds. The hair and make-up stylists had really done a great job on him in so fast. His face looked refreshed and there was no signs of lipstick or fatigue. His hair was also perfectly styled and neatly placed. He just looked so clean cut and well put together. It dawned on me that the scruff he’d been sporting for the past little while was gone and his cheeks just looked baby soft now. I wanted to rub his cheek again, but not because I had to removed lipstick from it. His eyes also seemed to be even brighter than usual and I just knew he’d look killer in the finished product of the photo shoot.

I stood back and watched as the photographer worked his magic with his camera and captured awesome shots of the foursome. They photographed well together and I already sensed a lot of excitement between them for the new season. They were all in good spirits and had fun posing together. Then the photographer decided to take some individual photos of everyone and of course, JC was the most stunning. The camera just loved him and he was simply photogenic.

Once the photo shoot wrapped up and the photographer had all the shots he wanted, everyone started to change back into their original clothing. It was up to me to put everything back neatly on the racks and tables. I took all the pinklicious items from Lil Mama once she was ready to hand them over, and placed them where they belonged. I honestly didn’t mind the fact I wouldn’t be seeing the girl again for another couple of weeks. I also gathered clothing from Randy and D-Trix and waited on JC.

He was once again the last one and I realized he was on his cell phone, when he stepped up to me handing over everything, but the boots. He still had them on his feet and I feared he wanted to borrow them and not return them just yet. I shook my head at the thought, placing the jacket back on a hanger, as well as the t-shirt. Then I placed them on a rack, along with the pants he’d worn.

His eyes made contact with mine as he concluded his phone call and then he smiled, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“I’m wearing these boots home. I feel bad ass in them.” I chuckled.

“I was afraid you’d say that.” He grinned.

“I asked Randy for the okay and he told me that I could leave with them.”

“Well that’s just great.” He continued to grin.

“I know. So, you did a great job today. Randy told me he was impressed.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that and thank you, JC.” I felt him pull me into a hug then.

“Your welcome, honey. We’re gonna have a blast all season long.” I hugged him in return and then felt him pull back a few seconds later.

“I think so too.” He then reached for his phone again and I watched him quickly send a text message.

“About the other night…I know I apologized…” He began to speak and I listened. “I just wanted to apologize again. I know I wasn’t right in the head at the time.”

“It’s fine…I understand. You had a lot of wine and you seemed nervous. I know you didn’t mean for any of it.”

He nodded his head. “I was nervous. I met this girl…and I was trying to impress her and I thought the whole wine thing would calm me down and make me appear suave. Then I accidentally texted you and all that jazz.”

I nodded, understanding where he was going with his explanation. “I get it, JC. Though I’m pretty sure this girl showed up later, didn’t she?”

“Mmhmm.” He admitted. “Like right as you were leaving. I was happy to see her and let her in. We ended up having a great night and she slept over.”

I could only imagine what sleeping over had entailed and something told me I didn’t want to know. “And you’re telling me all of this why? You usually don’t share that much about your love life.”

“Because…I just feel happy. She’s like the coolest chick I’ve met in a long time and I’ve been seeing a lot of her lately. I wanted to give you a heads up. I figured since you might have already formed an inkling that I was seeing someone, I’d let you in the know.”

“Ahh…I understand.” I mustered up a smile. “I’m happy for you, JC. Thank you for trusting me with such information. It means a lot. I just hope she’s treating you right.”

He chuckled. “She is…she is. Don’t you worry about that.”

“So did you meet her at the gym?” I blurted out in question. It was something Lila and I had suspected and I just wanted to know.

“Actually, yes.” He chuckled again. “She’s a personal trainer at Equinox and one day while I was working out, we just kind of started talking and hit things off.”

“That explains why you’ve been working out so much lately and took a hike with her.” I watched his jaw drop slightly then and realized I said too much.

“You know about that? How?”

“You were photographed after your hike and Nathaniel sent me a link to the pictures.” I admitted. “She’s a small brunette, right?”

He nodded his head slowly. “Yeah…that would’ve been her. I thought we maybe got seen by some paparazzi, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Thanks for letting me know. I’m sorry you saw us together before I could clarify everything.”

“Don’t worry about it, JC.” I waved his comment off. “You don’t have to explain your whole life to me.” Yet, the more I was in the know about his life, the better I felt. It was nice to be confided in and to feel close to him.

“I know, but you’re my friend and I like sharing stuff with you.” He confessed and I smiled.

“And thank you for telling me. I’m glad you didn’t get molested on the street by a random girl on your way here. It’s nice to know the lipstick came from a girl you actually know.”

He laughed. “Yeah..yeah. In fact, I’m meeting up with her for dinner tonight. I just sent her a text to clarify the time.”

“Cool. I’m having dinner out tonight too with Matthew.” JC smirked.

“Oh yeah? How’s that going for you?” I smiled.

“It’s going pretty well. It’s our third date and I already feel a connection. The man is definitely a good guy.”

“He is. He really is, Everly. That’s why I figured it wouldn’t hurt to match you two up.”

“Yeah, it’s been nice so far.”

“And I talked to him last night and he brought you up, saying nothing but great things.” I smiled, touched that Matt was talking about me. I knew things were still really fresh with us, but if I was on his mind, then it was a good thing.

“That’s sweet of him.” JC nodded his head.

“Yeah. Well I actually should get going. I’ll probably see you in a few days, if I make it into Divine Threads for that other outfit I need.”

“Sounds good.” I nodded and then waved at him.

He waved in return, stepping away. “Bye, Ev.”

“Later, JC.”

I watched him walk away then and wondered if this new girl in JC’s life realized what she had. I also wondered when and if I was going to meet her.



Later that night, I met Matthew for our dinner date. He had chosen a little Italian restaurant that wasn’t known to many Hollywood regulars, which was nice. There weren’t that many other customers in the restaurant and we had some privacy. We sat beside each other in a booth and it was rather cozy and romantic. Not to mention that Matthew looked and smelled delicious.

He had on a simple white dress shirt, paired with a skinny black tie. His pants were a pair of classic gray slacks that hugged his legs just right. He appeared more sophisticated than the character he played on TV and I liked that a lot. His hair was tamed and I could tell he’d put just the right amount of product in it. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating and I was pretty sure it was some designer brand.

“You really do look great tonight.” I told him with a smile.

“As do you, pretty girl.” He said, eyeing the dress I had put on my body. It was a simple gray dress with a black belt at the waist. It also had cap sleeves and a modest neckline. The skirt of the dress felt right at my knees and my feet were adorned with black pumps. It was simple, yet classy enough for the atmosphere we were in.

“Thank you.” I said softly and reached for my glass of water. I sipped some of the cool liquid, having decided to not have wine tonight. I wasn’t one to usually drink wine on every date, nor did I feel the need for it right now. Matthew had gone along with it and decided to order a Sprite. I was happy with my water.

“I’m so hungry.” Matthew said. “The chicken parmesan is so yummy here. You’re going to love it.”

We had both ordered the chicken parmesan and were waiting on its arrival to the table. “I love Italian food, so I’m sure I will.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “And if you don’t, I’ll make it up to you with dessert.”

I chuckled then. “I’ll take dessert either way.”

He laughed. “Sounds good to me.”

“So…how did today go? You had an ABDC photo shoot to style, right?” I nodded my head.

“Yeah, and it went pretty smoothly. Everyone ended up looking great. JC was actually the last to arrive though.”

“He’s always been the first one at the studio, when we’ve been scheduled together.”

“Yeah, he usually is Mr. On Time.”

“So did he have a good reason for being late?” I wasn’t sure what, if anything, JC had told Matt about his budding romance with the little, athletic brunette. So I decided to keep it simple.

“He’s seeing someone and I guess he was with her and lost track of time.” Matthew chuckled.

“That’s quite an excuse. He did mention to me though the last time we were in the studio something about feeling like his love life was heading in a good direction. So good for him.”

I smiled, as I received my answer. Apparently, Matthew and JC had become real good friends, just as I suspected. Maybe Matthew even had more dirt than I had, but I decided not to dig. I wasn’t going to gossip right now with him, while we were on our date. I was the apple of Matt’s eye now. I needed to focus on him and not on things I couldn’t control.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see him happy.” I grabbed my napkin and laid it upon my lap then, as the waitress brought out dishes of chicken parmesan to the table. Matthew did the same as well and we both grabbed our forks and knives, ready to dig in.

After savoring our food and swallowing some of it down, our conversation started up again. Sometimes it just felt good to fill your stomach before rambling on more. I listened, as I heard Matthew speak up.

“So while you were being Miss Fashionista today, I actually had a meeting about my upcoming tours. I have some European dates and then a whole slew of US dates. I finalized all the shows with my manager, the record label, and the venues. Everything’s pretty much getting set into motion now. It’s just amazing how quickly it’s coming together.”

I grinned, happy to hear that he was going to go out on tour and that his dreams were coming true. I knew this was such a change from starring on Broadway or being a lead role on Glee. It was a chance for Matthew to be Matthew. A chance for him to put is personal flavor into the music world and to show what he was capable of.

“That’s great, Matt. I’m happy for you.” I put a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll have to definitely catch a show.”

“I’ll put you in VIP, babe.” He laughed. “But, yes..I want you to catch a show. Even more than one would be great.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll be there whenever I can.”

“Good. I just hope that when I’m overseas, you don’t forget about me.”

“I’m pretty sure I won’t.” I assured him. “You’re easy to remember.”

He smiled and then stole a quick peck. “ That’s what I like to hear. I know it’s going to be hard with this being a new development between us and my album coming out soon, along with the tour happening. Yet, if you can just work with me and I work with you, then we can keep this going and see where it leads to.”

I nodded my head, fully understanding. I knew enough to know that many musicians feared that their relationships would crumble once they got hectic schedules and hit the road. Being in a relationship was a lot of give and take and it was even more true in Hollywood. I was willing to just let it play out as it would and not worry too much just yet. I would do whatever for Matthew and take it day by day.

“I’ll work with you.” I smiled. “Don’t get crazy on me. I’d like to see where this goes too and I’ll do my best to stay sane and be there for you.”

“Thank you. Thank you.” He grabbed my face and put a gentle kiss upon my lips. “That means a lot.”

“Welcome.” I whispered against his lips and tasted them once more in a kiss. Then we separated and continued to dine on our chicken parmesan. Luckily, Matt was right about it being delicious and we both finished off our plates without any problem.

When the waitress returned, we didn’t need any doggy bags, and we decided to forgo ordering dessert in the end. I knew we would probably end up finding our own dessert later, seeing as the night was still young.

Matthew made sure to pay the check and leave a generous tip for the waitress and I smiled, as he slid out of the booth and then waited for me to stand up. I slid out and then grabbed his arm, after standing up. With our arms linked together, Matthew led me out of the restaurant and then over to his car. He gently backed me up against the side of his car then and smiled. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

“So, I was thinking…you could come back to my place. I haven’t brought a girl over in awhile, but I’d love to have you over. I apologize now if it’s a mess.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry about a mess. I can handle whatever you’ve got for me. Plus you’ve seen my place, so I’d love to come over.”

“Awesome. I love how easy-going you are.” He smiled and gave me a warm, squeeze.

“I aim to please.” I let out a girlish giggle then and realized that maybe this thing with Matthew wasn’t just a fluke anymore. Maybe there was true potential there and I had to say ‘yes’ the next time he asked me to be his girlfriend.

He held me against him a little longer and then let me go. “I’ll see you at my place. Just follow me.”

I nodded and then walked over to my car, wondering what I was getting myself into now.