Part 3

"Happy day-after-your-birthday, bitch!"

Carolina cracked open an eye to see Dakota standing over her, wearing her sleeping boxers and oversized shirt. "Bitch, what are you doing in my clothes?"

"We crashed here, don't you remember?"

"No."

"Well, we did. Connie's passed out on the couch, and we slept in your bed. Clothed," she added quickly, as Carolina shot up an eyebrow in suspicion. "And no guys, don't worry."

"I wasn't. She's terrible at closing," she said, sitting up. "Oh god, hangover."

"Yeah, you refused to drink any water when we got home, that's your bad." Dakota tossed her robe in her direction and she caught it, climbing out of bed to wrap it around her striped pajamas set. "Hurry up, I've got pancakes made."

"Oh thank god, I'm starving." Carolina followed her out into the living room of her one-bedroom apartment to find CT curled up in the fetal position on the couch. She groaned as Carolina sat down on the opposite end, making the cushions bounce.

"Go away," she whined, burying her face in a pillow. "I feel awful."

"Because you drank half the bar," Carolina lectured.

"So did you."

"And I feel just as shitty, so stop complaining and let's eat."

"Bring it over here."

"God, you baby." She stood up and slapped CT's leg, laughing as she kicked half-heartedly. She went into the kitchen and grabbed two plates, loading them up with miniature pancakes that Dakota had made. CT rolled over and found the television remote on the table next to the couch as Carolina sat down, handing her a plate.

"Hey, who's Wash?" Dakota asked, sitting down on the floor in front of the couch.

"Who?" CT asked, shoving a pancake in her mouth.

"I found this in Lina's bag this morning," Dakota said, handing her a piece of scratch paper. CT grabbed it as Carolina's mind began to clear, realizing what was going on.

"Ooooh, did you meet a guy last night?" CT looked at the paper, grinning through a mouthful of pancake. "Wash, huh? What kind of name is that? Look, it's his phone number!"

"His name is David, and I don't know how that got in there," Carolina snapped, grabbing the paper away from her. "His friend must have shoved it in my purse when he hugged me."

"Ooooh, a friend? Is he hot?"

"I didn't notice," Carolina mumbled, pushing the paper into the crack between the couch cushions. "Shut up."

"That means he was hot," Dakota and CT answered at the same time. Carolina slammed her plate down on the table and stood up, stalking back towards the bedroom. "Aw, come on, it's not a big deal!" Dakota yelled after her. "You need this! You haven't been on a date in forever!"

"Because I haven't wanted to!" Carolina yelled back, shutting the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned over, holding her head in her hands as her elbows balanced on her knees.

When the hell had North had the time to even write out the number in the first place? she wondered, feeling annoyed. He probably had it written down ahead of time in case he found anyone he wanted Wash to date. Suddenly she felt less annoyed, realizing he must have deemed her worthy of dating his friend. Panic overtook her as she realized Wash probably had no idea what had happened, which was quickly displaced by disappointment that he probably wasn't really into her, it was all North's idea.

So much for that, she thought with a frown.

(break)

"Oh my god, call him." CT upturned her glass and finished draining the last precious drops of her mimosa.

"Are you seriously drinking at two in the afternoon?"

"It's brunch!"

"Brunch is in the morning. Breakfast slash lunch, therefore brunch. Brunch does not happen at two in the afternoon, dipshit."

"Whatever—it's brunch somewhere, right?"

"You're hopeless."

"Call him! Come on, Dakota, you agree with me, right?"

"Ohhhh no, I am staying out of this. The last time I tried to get Lina to date a guy, we didn't talk for a month after he dumped her."

"He didn't even dump me! He just stopped showing up to dates and I found out he was sleeping with his boss!"

"See? Still bitter."

"Come on, just call him. He sounds adorable." CT leaned back in her chair and raised her hand as the waiter passed by, ordering yet another refill of her mimosa. "Besides, you need to know what he's like when he's sober."

"Yeah, he was pretty drunk. I guess I should give him a chance." Carolina stabbed a piece of her potato salad and sighed. "It's just weird. I'm not sure if he liked me or was just talking to me because I was there."

"Now, I understand that we weren't there to pre-judge him for you," Dakota started, "but generally if a guy is talking to you, that means he likes you. I'm just saying."

"Yeah, shut up, I know."

"So call him."

"Fine!" Carolina dropped her fork onto her plate, wincing as it clattered loudly against the porcelain. "Do you want me to call him right now? Because I will!"

"We didn't say to call him right now, god, stop over-reacting. We just want you to go on a date. You need this."

"I'm thinking I may need new friends," Carolina grumbled, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She reached into her purse hanging off the back of her chair and rummaged around for the piece of paper, finally finding it tucked into a corner of the bag. She dialed the number and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she listened to it ring once, twice, three—

"Hello?"

Oh god. "Hi, uh, is this David?"

"Uh, yeah. Who is this?"

"This is Carolina, from last night? Outside the bar?"

Silence. Then, finally: "Oh, Lina? Wow, sorry, I never assumed that was short for anything. Oh my god, I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's fine, sorry I wasn't clearer about that." CT and Dakota raised eyebrows at her and she shook her head, turning away to look at the carpet of the restaurant. "How are you?"

"Honestly, still kind of hung over. We drank way too much last night." He laughed and she smiled to herself—it was such an adorable laugh, she couldn't help it. "And you?"

"Yeah, nursing ourselves back to normal at brunch." CT let out a yell of triumph and she heard Dakota shush her. "So, uh, sorry about just calling—your friend gave me your number, and I wasn't sure if that was something he normally did, or—"

"God dammit, North! You gave her my number?! When did you even have the time?!" The line muffled as he continued yelling, and she could make out North trying to defend himself. There was a loud noise and more yelling, and she waited patiently for another ten seconds while listening to what sounded like physical fighting. Just as she was about to say something, another voice came on the line. "You still there?"

"Um, yeah, is everything okay?"

"He's beating up North right now, can I take a message?"

Carolina blinked, confused. "Sure, just have him call me back when he gets a chance."

"Okay." The line went dead a second later and she pulled the phone away from her ear, slightly shaken.

"Everything okay?" Dakota asked, frowning.

"Yeah, uh, he got busy and had to go. He'll call me back later."

"See, that didn't go so badly!" CT said, high-fiving her across the table.

"I guess…"

(break)

Carolina was sitting on her couch later that afternoon, trying to read one of the many magazines CT left lying around her place when she stayed over random nights, when her phone rang from her back pocket. She jumped and dropped the magazine on her lap, digging into her pocket for her phone. She didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Lina?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"North, Wash's friend from last night."

"Oh, hey! Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, he just—well, okay, so Wash and I were fighting, and I sorta stepped on his phone, and we managed to get your number from the caller ID but it doesn't work now, so he wanted me to call you and apologize because he had to go to work." He sounded completely embarrassed. "So anyway, you have this number, and he wanted me to ask you to call him on my phone later tonight, any time after 9pm when he's off work."

"Uh, sure, I can do that."

"Good, he'll be—dammit!" North's voice got muffled as he yelled at someone next to him. "Fuck off, York," he said, barely audible through the scuffle. Finally he came back on the line, apologizing again. "My friends suck, I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay. Just tell Wash I'll call him tonight, okay?"

"Great. Actually, if it's not too weird, can I meet you for dinner? As friends?"

Carolina laughed. "That is weird. Why?"

"Just to get to know you, that's all. Wash is…not the bravest man in the world, and I could give you pointers on how to not scare him off."

"That's just intriguing enough to agree. Where do you want to meet?"

North laughed. "Awesome! How about at the Starbucks over on Teller and Main?"

"That's not really dinner, you know."

"Well, fine, we'll just do coffee then. Come on, you know you want to."

She sighed. "Sure, I'll see you there around seven?"

"Sounds great! I gotta go kick someone now, I'll see you later!" The line clicked off and she set the phone beside her on the couch, shaking her head.

This was getting stranger by the hour, but she still wanted to see Wash, so what could she do?

"Why did I agree to coffee when I hate drinking it?" Carolina groused, staring down into her mug of nearly-white coffee thanks to all the creamer she'd added. She was sitting at a small table next to the window, waiting for North. The sun was only just beginning to set, reminding her it was still early enough in the summer and that she should enjoy the long days of hot weather, even if she preferred wearing jeans and a casual blouse. Which is what she was wearing, having decided to go casual since it wasn't really a date, just 'coffee with a friend.' Who she'd met less than 24 hours previously. And barely knew at all.

What could go wrong?

(break)

"Hey there!"

She looked up and saw the blonde man from before standing next to her at the table, grinning down at her. He looked more composed than before, and was dressed in a nice pair of jeans with a purple t-shirt. "Hey!" she replied, realizing she was a little more uncomfortable than she'd originally thought.

He slid into the chair opposite her and leaned back, propping his hands behind the back of his head. "So, how are you today?"

"Good, still worn out from last night. I don't normally drink that much."

"You seemed sober compared to Sean. At least you weren't throwing up all over everything."

"Is he okay?"

"Eh, he's fine." North shrugged half-heartedly. "But he's not the one I wanted to talk to you about. Let's get down to business."

Carolina took a sip of her coffee. "Business, huh?"

"Wash is…a special guy, let's just say." North leaned forward and put his hands on the table, lacing his fingers together. "He's not one for short-term hookups, and I just want what's best for him. Honestly, he hasn't dated anyone for a while now, and he hasn't really been looking, so when I saw how he was acting around you last night, I decided to take things into my own hands."

"When did you even get the chance to write down his phone number?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, this is going to sound sad, but…I keep it on me at all times just in case we meet someone he seems interested in."

Carolina blinked slowly. "I can't decide if that's sad, or one of the sweetest things a guy can do for a friend."

"Well, with any luck you'll land on the latter." His cheeks turned slightly pink. "I mean, I could be a typical guy and try to block any chances he gets, but Wash doesn't deserve that. He's a great guy."

She leaned forward onto the table, her face inches away from North's. "How great is he?"

"The greatest."

"Please, tell me more."

Part 4

CT ran a brush through Carolina's hair, trying to get it tied back so she could braid it, but it wasn't cooperating very well. "Oh my god, seriously, you should just cut it all off and start over. This is ridiculous."

"Shut up, I love my hair."

"It doesn't want to tie back!"

"Then just leave it down!"

"But it looks better back!"

"Ugh, just leave it already." Carolina swatted CT's hands away and leaned towards the mirror, putting the final touches on her eyeliner and eye shadow. "I've gotta get going anyway, I'm supposed to be meeting Wash in half an hour across town."

"Then stop messing around and get going!" CT shoved her out of the bathroom a moment later, handing her the smaller purse she'd packed earlier with just the essentials. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? Safety in numbers and all that."

"Yeah, no thanks, I think you'd just scare him off."

"Hey! Rude." CT thought for a moment. "True though."

"Okay, I'll call you when I get home, just to make you feel better."

"Yeah, you will. Though I won't wait up."

Carolina glanced back at CT while opening the door, catching her wink. "Ugh, grow up," she called out, shutting the door behind her. She ran down the steps towards her car parked on the street and got in, tossing her purse onto the passenger's seat. The engine roared to life and she pulled out onto the street, headed for the restaurant across town that Wash had chosen during their phone conversation a couple of nights previously.

(break)

"So, I'm really sorry about earlier." He sounded so sorry she couldn't help but giggle.

"No, it's really okay. North apologized for you."

"When did you talk to North?"

"Oh, we had coffee a couple of hours ago, didn't he tell you?"

"No." She could practically hear Wash's eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What did you talk about?"

"Nothing really, he just apologized for breaking your phone and we had a nice conversation over coffee."

"Did he…tell you anything about me?"

"Not really, just that you're a great guy. He spoke highly of you."

"Good, I won't have to kick his ass later then."

"So…why did you want me to call you tonight?" She was trying to play coy, but was terrible at it, and probably sounded completely dumb.

"Oh, uh, well, I kind of wanted to ask you to dinner. I know we just met last night, but—"

"When did you want to go?"

"Oh!" He sounded surprised, and she mentally kicked herself for answering so quickly. "Uh, how about the day after tomorrow? Have you ever heard of Errera?"

She thought for a moment. "Isn't that a little expensive?"

"Not really. I make decent money, just so you know."

"Sounds great then."

"I'll make reservations for seven, and meet you there? That way you can leave in your own car if you feel like I'm too creepy or something."

She laughed. "I think I'll be okay."

(break)

Carolina walked into the restaurant and immediately felt overwhelmed, surrounded by couples dressed in their very best outfits and waiters carrying expensive-looking food around to the intimate tables. She turned to the hostess and gave her name, where she was told her date had already arrived. The young girl led her to a table near the back of the restaurant where they found Wash waiting patiently. He jumped up as she approached and helped her into her chair. She felt extremely underdressed in her black shirt and teal button-up blouse when she realized he was wearing gray slacks with a pale green shirt and gray jacket.

"This is a little fancier than I was expecting," she admitted, watching as a look of relief came over Wash's face.

"I'm so glad you said that, I feel really out of place here," he said, glancing down at his suit. "I mean, this is the nicest thing I own. I'm surprised they even let me in here."

"We don't have to stay if you don't want to," Carolina suggested, looking around. "I can tell this isn't really your style either."

"Well, you know what is my style?…"

(break)

"This is amazing," Carolina said through a mouthful of food, reaching for a fry.

"Told you! This is the best place in town to get burgers, and no one knows about it." Wash dipped his burger into his coleslaw and took a huge bite, whimpering as a tomato fell out from between the bun slices. She laughed and picked it up off his tray, helping shove it in his mouth as he coughed, trying not to choke. They were sitting side-by-side in a booth near the window, people-watching and whispering comments about the other customers.

"Stop!" he managed to say in-between coughing and chewing.

"Just trying to help!"

"So I want to know more about you," Wash finally said, having finished swallowing his entirely-too-full mouthful of food. "What do you do? Do you have any family in the area? What are your hobbies?"

Carolina reached for her soda and took a sip, thinking. "I work in an insurance office and essentially push paper. My parents live in New Hampshire, which is why I'm here in California—about as far as I can get from them. No siblings. I love reading and watching trashy television shows. You?"

"I just finished my master's degree in education, and I want to be a teacher at an elementary school. My dad passed away years ago, my mom lives out in Colorado, and I figure someday I'll move back there to teach. I enjoy true crime shows and playing video games."

"Elementary school, huh?"

Wash blushed, staring down at his burger. "I know. It's gonna sound dumb, but I had this amazing teacher in second grade who really helped me out. I was one of those antisocial kids, who sat alone and just wanted to read, but he made me talk to this other kid and we became best friends. I want to be like that teacher and help others."

"That's not dumb—I think that's amazing. Do you still talk to the other kid?"

"Unfortunately, every day. You've met him, actually."

"Oh my god! You and North have been friends that long?!"

"Yup." Wash grinned, picking a piece of lettuce up from his tray to shove in his mouth. "We live together, actually. Been best friends since the day Mr. Flowers made us talk to each other."

"Wow, was that actually his name?"

"Yeah…I know, seriously. But he was the coolest teacher ever. And North is the greatest friend a guy could have, so it worked out. We stayed in touch even though we went to different colleges, and moved in together after we both graduated to save money."

"I've only known Dakota since college. I majored in architecture; she majored in business with a minor in communications. We met CT here at a club opening—she was the promoter for some new brand of vodka or something, she's since moved on to larger accounts so she stays pretty busy in the club and bar circuit, which is awesome because she usually knows what new places are opening and which ones have bad reputations."

"That's pretty awesome! I don't go out much, but she sounds fun." Wash smiled and dipped a fry into some ketchup, angling it towards his mouth.

"Yeah, she is. They both are. I'm more of the 'stay at home and take a bubble bath' type myself, but we have a lot of fun. The two of them have an apartment together across town, I still live alone."

"That's convenient," he said, chewing on the fry. He caught her look and shook his head quickly. "No! I mean, like, that's not what I meant—I mean, that's nice you can relax, and take your baths alone, but you don't have to be alone, because—okay, I'm going to stop talking now." His face was already as red as the ketchup on the plate.

Carolina burst out laughing, nearly dropping what was left of her burger. "I know what you meant, but that was hilarious watching you try to back out of it!"

"Shut up!"

"Aw, come on, it wasn't that bad. We can go back to talking about other stuff, like—"

Wash leaned over and kissed her, cutting off her sentence. She closed her eyes and they continued kissing for a minute, the sounds of the restaurant fading out around them. Finally he pulled away and she smiled, setting down her food.

"That was—"

"Sorry, I wasn't really thinking. Well, I was, but I was thinking that I didn't really want to wait any longer to kiss you."

Carolina glanced down, embarrassed. "That's okay, I didn't mind."

Wash cleared his throat, reaching over to take her hand. "Hey, can I say something? Something that's, well, super awkward right now?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Lina, I think you're fantastic. You're funny, you're gorgeous, you seem to really get me, and you haven't punched North—who obviously approves of you. But, just now, I…well, I don't really know how to say this." He hesitated, squeezing his eyes shut. "I think we'd be better off as friends," he finished in a rush of words.

Stunned, she stayed silent for a moment. Finally she burst out laughing, pressing his hand between both of her own. "Thank god you said that."

"What?!"

"I didn't want to be the one to say it, but—kissing you was like kissing, well, I don't have a brother but I kind of imagine it'd be like that?"

His shoulders visibly slumped with relief. "I thought it was going to be just me. I still want to be your friend, though!"

"I think that can be arranged." Carolina leaned over and kissed his cheek, then reached for the remainder of her food. "We'd better finish eating so we can go get dessert."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Wash grinned, scooting over in the booth. She shifted and leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling to herself.