“Wear something sexy!”  He called over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.
    Jess looked at JC.  “Sexy?  I don’t own anything sexy!”
    “Sure you do,” Josh reached into her closet and pulled out a dress.
    “Josh, that’s not my dress.  Where did you get that?”
    “At the store, where else?”
    “You went shopping to buy me a dress?”  She looked at her best friend in disbelief.  “You hate shopping almost as much as I do.”
    "Yeah, but this was for a good cause.  I know how you pack for vacation, and I wanted to make sure you had something to wear on your date.  You’d better go get a shower.  Kelly will be here in ten minutes to do your hair and all that girlie stuff you women do.”
    “Josh,” she protested as he pushed her towards the bathroom, “I don’t do girlie stuff.”
    “Well, here’s your chance.  Oh, go with the ‘Moonlit’ body wash, much sexier than that orange stuff you have.”
    “You smelled my body wash?  What is wrong with this picture?”  Jess turned around to see that the bathroom door was closed and Josh was no longer any where to be seen.

    She shrugged and got herself into the shower.  After the cold water from the fountain, the shower felt really good.  She stayed in it much longer than ten minutes, and when she did get out, she nearly jumped out of her skin to see Kelly standing in the bathroom with a robe.
    “Quick, Jess, get this on.  We’re losing time here!”  Kelly wrapped the robe around Jess and pushed her into a chair.  Jess didn’t have much choice but to let Kelly do what she was going to do to her hair.
    “So, Chris, huh?”  She made eye contact in the mirror as she started combing out Jess’ hair.
    “Yep.”
    “Care to elaborate?”  Kelly eyed her hopefully.
    Jess smiled and gave a sigh.  “He’s so sweet.  I’ve liked him for a long time, and he asked me out.”
    “So, how was Navy Pier?”
    “I had a lot of fun.  Chris was great.  He was so attentive and he made me feel so special.  I don’t know how to explain it.”
    “I do.  You two belong together.  He let down his guard and showed you his serious and sensitive side, and you let down your guard and had fun.  You’re good for each other.”  Kelly smiled as she started to place rollers in Jess’s hair.
    Jess thought about it.  “That could be it.  I hadn’t thought about it like that.”
    “So, give me the dirt, did he kiss you?” Kelly grinned.
    “Well, sorta.”  Jess shrugged.
    “Sorta?  How do you get sorta kissed?”
    “Well, I mean, he kissed my forehead and my nose.  I’m not complaining, I liked those kisses, but…”
    “But he didn’t kiss you kiss you yet, huh?” smirked Kelly.
    “Yeah, but honestly, I don’t know if I want him to.  I’m not sure I’m ready.” Jess shrugged.
    Kelly rolled her eyes, “Jess, a kiss isn’t a marriage proposal.”
    “I know, Kell, I’m just scared.  I’m not really good with relationships, you know?  I like him, but I don’t want things to move too fast, and I don’t want to screw things up.”  
    Kelly looked her squarely in the eyes.  “Jess, just relax.  How long have we known Chris?”
    Jess thought about it, “As long as we’ve known each other, I guess.”
    "Yeah, and let me tell you something, Jess, in all that time, I’ve never seen either of you as happy as you were today.  I saw the way he looked at you and the way he held your hand.  Jess, the boy is smitten!  And then there’s you.  Girl, you look  like you’ve been lit up from the inside.  Something about the way he cares for you just makes you come alive, I can see it just by looking at you.  Just let go, Jess.  Don’t let all your fears hold you back.”
    “Thanks, Kelly, you’re right.  I need to stop thinking about it and just live in the moment, right?”
    “Yep, and in this moment, you’ve got to get your dress on,”  Kelly laughed as she pulled Jess out of the chair.

    Half an hour later, Jess stood there, amazed by her reflection.  The dress JC had chosen was perfect.  The midnight blue colour brought out the colour of her eyes.  It was sleeveless, and clung to her figure from her bust to her waist, then it flared out into a full skirt that ended just above her knees.  She giggled and did a spin.  
Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard the knock at the door.  She took a deep breath and willed her heart to return to its regular place before she went to the door.  
    Chris’s jaw dropped to his chest when Jess opened the door.  “Wow,” he whispered.
    His reaction gave her a moment to take in his appearance as well.  As usual, Chris did not have a hair out of place.  His goatee was trimmed with the utmost precision.  He wore a royal blue dress shirt and matching tie under a black suit.  He looked very, very good.
    “Chris?”  Jess’s voice brought him back to himself.
    “Wow, you are stunning,” he met her eyes and grinned broadly at her.
    “Thank you,” she flushed.  “You look great too.”
    He offered her his elbow.  “Shall we?”
    Jess picked up her wrap and clutch and took his arm.  “Let’s!”
    They heard doors closing quickly as they headed towards the elevator.  Jess rolled her eyes, “Honestly, don’t these people have anything better to do?”
    Chris laughed, “Hey, I can’t blame those guys for wanting to get a look at you!”
    As they passed before the last door, it popped open and a wolf whistle was heard.  The door happened to be on Jess’s side of the hallway, so she reached out and gave it a hard shove inwards.
    “Oof!”  Jess and Chris laughed.  The door opened and Justin pouted out at them.  “What was that for?  I was merely expressing my admiration for the beautiful woman!”
    As they got in the elevator, Chris called, “Hey, Justin, she’s with me!  Go ogle someone else!”
    The doors closed before they heard Justin’s reply which was probably just as well.  They were alone in the elevator.  Chris hit the emergency stop button.  
    Jess looked at him with anxiety obvious on her face.  
    “Don’t worry, Sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear.  “I just wanted to take a minute here and now to tell you how beautiful you are.”  
    Jess felt her insides melt as Chris’s body got closer to hers.  She was pretty sure that now he was going to kiss her.  Then, the emergency phone rang.
    “Damn!”  Chris muttered before he picked it up.  “Hello.  No, everything’s fine.  Oh, you have security cameras.  Can you blame me for wanting a moment alone with this fine woman here?”  Chris gestured towards Jess.  “Yeah, I’ll tell her.  OK, I’ll hit the button.  Thanks.”
    Chris turned towards Jess.  “The security guy thinks you’re a hottie.”
    “Oh, that’s nice,” she replied dryly.
    The elevator reached the lobby and they stepped out.  As they were passing the front desk, the security guard gave them a grin and a thumbs up.  Jess hid her face against Chris’s shoulder in embarrassment, but Chris just grinned and gave a thumbs up back.
    The doorman approached them, “Mr. Kirkpatrick?  Your limousine is here.”
    Jess’s head shot up.  “What??”
    Chris smiled, “You’re surprised?  I don’t know why.  You my dear, deserve only the best.”
    Chris assisted Jess into the limo and stopped to talk to the driver before getting in beside her.  Jess was nervous.  Her knee was bouncing up and down uncontrollably.  It didn’t help a lot when Chris put his hand on her knee to stop it.  
    “Hey,” he whispered.  “Relax.  It’s just you and me having dinner.  Nothing else, OK?”
    She looked at him.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I’m acting like a star-struck teenager.”
    Chris took her hand and placed it over his heart.  “If you are, then I am too,” he smiled.  She felt that his heart was racing and they both laughed.
    “OK, I feel better now.”
    “Good, I’m glad.  But, you know, you are cute when you’re nervous.”
    “Gee, thanks, Chris,” she answered sarcastically.  “I’ll have to remember that for when I meet the Backstreet Boys.”
    “Oh, now, Jess, that was low!”  Chris pouted.
    Jess just looked at him and laughed some more.  Before she knew it, they had reached their destination.  Chris got out of the car and turned to take Jess’s hand.
    “Hey, isn’t this Navy Pier?”  
    “Yep,” he replied.
    “Weren’t we here already today?”
    “Yep.”
    “You’re not going to tell me anything else, are you?”
    He laughed.  “Nope.”
    She held on to his arm and they walked down the pier together.  It was getting dark, so he wasn’t as easily recognized.  The lights reflecting off the water were beautiful.  The wind off the water was cool so Jess pulled her wrap a little tighter around her shoulders.
    Chris took Jess past the restaurants and towards the gardens.  He stopped at the entrance to Crystal Gardens and was met by a hostess.
    “Mr. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Crosby, my name is Holly.  Your table is ready, will you follow me?”
    Jess was stunned.  She looked at Chris.  He smiled, but didn’t say anything until the hostess left.
    “What?” he asked.
    “We’re in the gardens.  There isn’t anyone else here.  We’re having dinner in the gardens alone?  You told me not to be nervous, and you take me to dinner in the gardens?  Are you crazy?  Am I crazy?”
    “Relax, Jessamyn.  They do private parties here all the time.  This time, it just happens to be a party of two.”  He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his.  “I wanted a private evening for the two of us.  No fans, no cameras, just you and me.  Don’t be nervous, OK?  I really want you to have a great time.”
    “OK,” she smiled weakly at him.  “Thank you, Chris.  It’s really beautiful here.”
    Chris reluctantly released her hands as the waiter arrived.  While the two of them looked over their menus, Chris caught Jess’s eye.  “If you dare to order a salad or a low carb meal, I’m going to have to throw you in the lake!”
    “Whatever!  You should know me well enough to know I don’t eat low carb anything.  Heck, in Cosmo, they say that you should order the most expensive dish on the menu and not eat it, just to see what kind of guy you’re dating.”  Chris laughed at this point.  “But don’t worry, I’m crazy that way.  I only order something that I really would like to eat.”
    “Oh, you’re one of those real girls I’ve heard about.  One who actually tastes the food they order and can carry on intelligent conversation.”  Chris teased.
    They placed their orders.  While they were chatting, the waiter came and poured their wine.      
Chris raised his glass.  He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words.  “To giving romance a chance,” he smiled at her.
    Jess giggled.  “How about ‘To silly boys who finally wake up and see the girl next door?’”
    “Um, to beautiful women who give the silly boy a chance even if he’s been thinking about her for a long time and takes forever to ask her out.”
    Jess pretended to be weighing her options.  “OK, I’ve got it.  To friendship that’s become more than friendship with the possibility for more.”
    Chris looked directly in her eyes.  “To the way you make me feel.  To the two of us together (finally), to my dear friend who has become so much more to me and I hope will become even more.”      He reached out and tapped her glass with his before she could come up with another toast.  It didn’t matter, because she was sitting there, gazing at him with a rapt expression on her face.  She came to herself quickly and sipped her wine.  Chris held her hand and they gazed into each other’s eyes until their meal was brought out.
    They talked during their meal about everything and anything.  They were comfortable with each other again and could be themselves.  Part way through dinner, Jess looked up at Chris.              “Thank you.”
    “For what?” he smiled.
    She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.  “For letting me see the real you, not crazy Chris, not silly Chris, just Chris.”  
    He blushed.  “Just Chris can be a little boring.”
    She shook her head.  “No way.  You’re never boring.”

    When their meal was finished, Chris excused himself to go and take care of something.  He was acting rather secretive, so Jess knew he was up to something.  She decided just to let him have his fun.      Rather than stay sitting alone at the table, Jess got up and wandered through the gardens.  The flowers were captivating.  There were so many colours and shapes.  She stood for a few minutes looking out at the water.  She was startled to suddenly hear Chris’s voice behind her and feel his fingers in her hair.
    “Woman, do you know what you do to me?”  He growled as he drew her hair to one side.  He put his chin on her shoulder and  his arms around her waist.  
    Jess squirmed.  “No, but, I know what you do to me!  That beard of yours tickles!”
    Chris laughed and rubbed his beard into her neck.  “This tickles, huh?  I’ll have to remember that.”  
    Jess giggled and tried to get away from his beard.  She turned around to defend herself but stopped short when she realized they were now standing face to face, just inches apart.  She blushed and looked away from him, too nervous to look him in the eye.  Chris smiled, adoring the fact that she was so shy.  
    “Hey,” he whispered.  She looked up.  “I’ve been dying to do this all day.”  With that, he gently ran his fingers through her hair and brought her face up to his.  He lowered his mouth to hers.  Despite her seeming hesitation, she met him halfway.    
    The second that their lips met, fireworks exploded.  Literally.  Although the kiss was gentle and sweet and everything that a first kiss should be if it’s done right, the two of them broke it off fairly quickly because they were laughing.
    “OK, Chris, how did you possibly arrange that one?”  Jess giggled.
    “Me??  No way.  I’m good, Babe, but I’m not that good!  They do fireworks every Wednesday night.  We must just have impeccable timing.  Can we try that again?”  
    Jess didn’t answer him with words.  Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her.  It was hard to kiss him with the huge grin on his face, but she did.  When they separated, both were a little weak-kneed.  Chris led Jess to a bench.  
    “Holly said this was the best place to view the fireworks from,” he told her.  Chris straddled the bench.  He swung Jess around so that she was sitting between his legs with her back leaning against his chest.  She snuggled back into him as he put his arms around her.  It was cozy and comfortable.  It felt like she was finally in the place she was meant to be.
    Jess sighed contentedly.
    Chris placed a kiss on the top of her head.  “Whatcha thinking?”
    She turned her head so she could see him.  “Happy thoughts.”
    “Good.”  
    They watched the fireworks exploding over the water.  They oooed and ahhh-ed at appropriate times, enjoying the colours and the music.  
    After a while, Chris’s curiosity got the better of him.  “So, are those happy thoughts about me?”  
    “Wouldn’t you like to know?”  Jess teased  “Hey, did you mean it before when you said that you had been thinking of me for a long time?”
    “Well, yeah.  I wouldn’t have said it otherwise.  I mean, I haven’t liked you forever or anything.  For pity sake, you were practically a kid when I met you…”
    Jess interrupted.  “Whatever!  I’m less than two years younger than you!”
    “Like I said,” he laughed.  “You were practically a kid when I met you.  And quit interrupting or I won’t tell you any more.  Now where was I?  I thought you were pretty when JC first introduced us, but wow!  You’ve been getting more gorgeous the last few years.  I’ve noticed and so have the other guys.  Man, I’m surprised JC even let us hang around you.  But you know what?  The truth is that being around you makes me happy.”
    Jess smiled.  “You really know how to make a girl feel special, Chris.”
    “So, do tell, how long have you been pining after me?”
    “First of all, I don’t pine.  OK, maybe I pine a little bit.  Oh, stop trying to confuse me!  It’s been awhile.  I remember when Josh introduced us.  I noticed your kind brown eyes.  Of course, I was pretty sure at that time that you were crazy.  But, after I spent time touring with you guys, and I got to know you better, I realized you weren’t really certifiable.  I’ve been interested in you for a while.  I don’t know when it started, but it’s been growing over the last couple of years.  It didn’t help that you had a girlfriend every time I saw you.”
    Chris interrupted.  “Wait!  Did you say a couple of years?  Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
    “Didn’t I just say that you always had a girlfriend?  I’m not the kind of girl to go in and try to break people up.  Besides, I wasn’t ready.  I needed that time to find myself.  I had to know who I was on my own.  It’s not like I’ve been sitting there moping over you for the last two years.  It started small.  One day, I realized how sweet you were.  I saw how you cared about people, and I fell for you slowly but surely.  Josh is the only person who knew.  He saw the way I looked at you once and he called me on it.  It is very annoying having a best friend who knows you so well sometimes.”
    “Hey, let’s not talk about Josh, OK?”
    “Sounds good to me.”
    The two settled back and watched the fireworks until they were finished.  Jess sat up and pulled out of Chris’s embrace.  She was starting to feel sleepy and didn’t want to doze off.  She looked at Chris and saw a mischievous grin on his face.
    “Oh no, what are you up to now?”
    He just smiled.  “You’ll see.”  He stood up and reached for her hand.  Some music started playing softly.  “I believe you owe me a dance, Miss.”
    “You may be right, sir.”  She agreed as he placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.  She revelled in the feeling of closeness.  Here was warmth and acceptance.  Here there was love…well, not love…it could hardly be love on a first date, could it?  Definitely caring.  There was caring.  
    Chris released her left hand and moved his hand to her face.  He tenderly brushed his fingers down her cheek.  Jess closed her eyes and sighed.  Chris couldn’t hold back any longer.  He placed gentle kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids.  Just before the first song ended and the next began, he kissed her softly on her lips.  
    At first, Jess responded to his kiss and kissed him back, so Chris wasn’t totally prepared when she suddenly tensed up and pulled away from him.  
    “Jess?  What’s wrong?” he asked as he gently ran his fingers through her loose hair on her back.
    She had all ready placed her head in his shoulder, facing away from him.  “Um, nothing.  Could you just hold me for a bit?”
    “Sure,” he replied.  “Did you mean dance and hold you or just hold you?”
    She laughed.  “Whichever you like.”
    They danced to a couple more songs.  Then Chris stopped dancing and put his hand under her chin so he could look her in the eye.  “Look, why don’t we get out of here?”
    Jess didn’t make eye contact.  “Yeah, OK.”  She went back to the table to retrieve her purse and let Chris finish up the details.  As she bent to pick up her wrap, Chris passed her his cel phone.  
    “JC’s number 4.”  Jess looked up at him quizzically.  “Look, honey, I can tell something is bothering you and I thought maybe if you weren’t ready to talk to me about it, maybe you should talk to him.  I’ll wait for you outside, OK?”  
    Jess opened the phone and looked at it.  She sat staring at the phone for a couple of minutes before snapping it closed and slowly getting to her feet.  She found Chris outside with his back to her, looking out over the water.  Jess slid her arms around his waist.
    Chris pulled her around in front of him so he could hold her too.  “Hey,” he smiled.  “That was quick.”
    Jess laughed.  “Yeah, well, you know how Josh and I kinda know each other inside and out?”  Chris nodded.  “I didn’t have to call him because I knew what he’d tell me and he’d be right.”  She sighed.          “Chris, there’s some stuff I need to tell you, but not tonight.  I’ve had such a great day and don’t want to end it on a negative note.”
    “I can live with that.  Would you like to go for a walk?”
    “Sure, that would be nice.”
    Chris took her hand and they walked around for a couple of hours, just talking and enjoying each other’s company.
    When they finally made it back to the hotel, Jess was wearing Chris’s suit jacket to keep warm.  He walked her to her door and they stood awkwardly for a moment.
    “So,” Chris shrugged his shoulders.  “I really enjoyed our day, and I’d like to see you again.”
    Jess smiled.  “I had a great time too.  You’ll see me in the morning, remember?  I’m going on tour with you guys for a few days.”
    “That’s not what I meant and you know it, smart ass!” he laughed.  “Seriously, will you want to go out with me on a date again?”
    “Yes, I’d like that a lot.”  She tried, but she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face.
    “Great!  I know you’ll want to spend some down time with JC, but maybe we could spend a couple free hours together or something.”  
    “Sure, that would be great.”  She looked up into his eyes.  “What?”
    “Nothing.  I’m just thinking about how much I want to kiss you goodnight.”
    “Oh really?”
    “Well, not really, because that will mean that our date is over, but yeah, I’d really like to kiss you.”
    She took a step closer to him.  “I’m not going anywhere.”
    He grinned, “Yeah, so I noticed.  Come here then!”  He pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness of her body to his.   “I had a wonderful time,” he whispered.  
    “Me too,” she replied.  She brought her lips up to meet his.  Again, they both felt the spark of their kiss.  They kissed each other gently and tenderly until Joey stumbled by them on his way to his room.
    “Get a room already!” he muttered at them.
    Chris stepped back and apologized.  “I’m sorry, that was supposed to have been a quick goodnight kiss.”
    “You’re apologizing for kissing me?” she asked defensively.
    “No way!  I’m not sorry I kissed you!  I’m only sorry that I kissed you like that in a place where others could observe and comment about it.”
    She smiled.  “OK, well that’s better then.  Oh, here, I still have your jacket.”  She shrugged out of his jacket and handed it back to him.  “Thanks!”
    “You’re welcome,” he smiled.  “Good night, Jessamyn,” he whispered and kissed her forehead.
    “Good night, Christopher,” she sighed.