Sorry guys for such a delay. Finals were this week, meaning little to no time to write, but now they're all done and I have an update :D And this sorta has become a short story to those of you who were wondering. I think there's going to be a total of 4 chapters after I'm completely done, but its just an estimation. And I'm glad you guys liked the "water scene" because I have no idea where in my brain it came from haha

I'm gonna stop rambling lol. Enjoy! :D

Ashley's POV

The next morning

You know that rule "Don't call the girl/guy for a couple days so it doesn't seem like you're desperate" move? Well, I officially just tossed that rule out of my rule book. I'm tired of rules and "How to Date" guidelines. It obviously doesn't help because I'm freaking 25 and not married. It's time to bring in my own rules: Call the person I'm interested the next day (none of these head games anymore), be nice, courteous, and of course, sexy.

It's the early afternoon right now as I hold the napkin in my hand carefully. I'm debating on what time I should call her. I want to call her up now, but it seems a little early to be calling. I gotta think of something to say anyways.

I think about it a few seconds and then bam, I come up with something. I quickly dial the number and wait anxiously as it rings.

It rings a few times and then someone picks it up, "Hello?"

I answer immediately, "Hey is this Spencer?"

She responds confidently, "Yes this is. May I ask who this is?"

I stutter a little in my mind, causing a little delay in my answer. I say, "This is Ashley from um last night at that bar?"

A light bulb evolves on her head as she replies, "Oh yea! How are you?"

A big smile comes to my face. She remembers me! I don't think that's ever happened before because all the girls were piss drunk the night I met them. This is a great start.

I reply joyfully, "I'm great. I wanted to know how your ride home was."

"Oh it was fine. It was a little longer than I expected, but at least I'm home now," she says as she chuckles in between.

I react politely, "Oh really? Where do you live…if you don't mind me asking?"

She explains, "I live over in Great Caldor. It's a small town...maybe you've heard of it."

A light bulb goes over my head now, "Oh yea! I've been in that area a few times. And anyways I know this state like the back of my hand." I laugh.

She asks in an intrigued tone, "Oh really? Maybe you could bring me around some time. I just moved here about a month ago, but I don't really know where anything is."

I say pleasantly, "Yea sure. How about…this Friday?"

There's a slight pause in the conversation. "Yea that sounds good."

My heart is beating incredibly fast. "Okay I'll pick you up around 6:30?"

She replies, "That's good. I'm at 144 Earl Drive."

I quickly grab a piece of paper and a pen out of the drawer. I write down the address and then say, "Okay well I'll see you then."

"See you soon," she says ecstatically.

"Goodbye," I say with a huge grin on my face as I hang up the phone and toss the napkin into the garbage.

I'm so excited right now. I feel like a little kid who's about to go to Disney World. This will definitely be an adventure.

I tap my finger on the counter, trying to figure out what my next move should be.

Aha! Call for reservations Friday.

I get out the phone book for the area and start shuffling through the pages, looking for a decent restaurant. Italian food might be the best choice for right now. Everyone loves some kind of Italian food, right? Eh, I'm calling anyway.

I find the number for the best Italian restaurant in town and start dialing soon. The phone rings just once and then the receptionist picks up, "Hello how may I help you?"

I speak, "Hi, I'd like to make reservations for Friday, for two, around 7:15?"

I hear the humming in the background as she's, probably, scanning the book for availability. A few moments later, she asks, "7:15?"

"Yes, please, if it's available."

The girl says pleasantly into the phone, "Yes it is. We'll see you then."

"Thank you. Goodbye." I hang up the phone and place it onto the counter. I close the phonebook and slide it back into the drawer.

I rip off a small piece of paper from a scrap right next to me. I write down dinner onto the small sheet. I've got dinner down, what else should we do? Maybe if the weather is good, we can go down to the boardwalk. It's so nice at night. Show her around the boardwalk, preferably the view of the ocean. Perfect.

I can't wait until Friday.

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Friday

I quickly Google directions right to Spencer's house to make sure I know how to get there, without taking forever. I read off of the computer screen, "Take Route 362 for eight miles then Route…" Oh this is a piece of cake. I've gone past Great Caldor more than I realized…picking up chicks with Ethan.

I turn everything off on my computer and close the screen. I stand up to walk out, but I grab the bouquet of lilies before doing anything…and my keys. I wouldn't get too far without my keys.

I walk out of the house, locking the door behind me and then down the steps. I ponder as I walk to my car. Ethan and I were just over there not even two weeks ago, how did I miss Spencer?

I turn on the car, do a little K-Turn and zoom off and out of the development.

I drive about 45 minutes until I reach the right development. It actually took less time than I expected. I follow the "yellow-brick road" that leads right to her house. I follow the numbers as I drive, "140…142…144."

I park just after the end of the driveway. I put the car in park and flip down the mirror for one last check: hair and make up. I flip it back up, grab the flowers in the back of the car and open the door.

I slowly pace to the front steps in an extremely nervous manner. I haven't been on a real date in God knows how long. I step onto the porch and instantly feel the butterflies swarm in. I ring the doorbell and wait tensely. A few moments later, the blond beauty kindly opens the door. She greets me excitedly, "Hey! Oh my god those are gorgeous." I bite my lip as I hand over the flowers. "You really didn't have to."

I encourage, "Yea I did. I wanted to start the night off right." I smile widely. I'm acting like I've been going out with this chick for years, but is that a bad thing?

She's in awe as she rotates the flowers in her hands a little to get a 360 view of them. She responds to the gift, "Thank you." She holds the door with her elbow when she says, "Come in. I'm gonna put these in water really quick."

I take the door from her elbow, allowing her to walk freely towards the kitchen. I wipe my feet onto the floor mat before I walk through. Nice…check. Courteous…check. Sexy won't be far behind.

I walk into the house and instantly hear whispering coming from the kitchen/dining room area. Maybe it's her brother? I slowly walk down the hall and look to my left to see a whole table full of people: An older couple, a boy around our age and a girl around our age. The boy is probably the brother she was talking about the other night. Is this a family affair? I hope I don't get queasy from the nervousness…

I wave at the crowd and greet, "Hello."

An older man greets me back, "Hello. Who is this, Spencer?"

Spencer turns on the water to fill the vase of flowers and speaks, "This is Ashley. The one I told you about before. We're going out for a little."

He says in shock, "This is Ashley? The Ashley that I've been hearing about all week?"

All week? I'm honored, to say the least. I haven't even told my family about Spencer. I just don't want to jinx anything. That seems to happen when I speak highly of a girl to my family way before the relationship even starts.

Spencer rolls her eyes like a little kid and responds, "Yes, the Ashley you've been hearing about all week."

The older woman speaks, "Well, it's an honor to finally meet you."

I can feel my cheeks blushing when the water turns off. I chuckle nervously. "Well, thank you. It's quite an honor to meet you all." Spencer puts the vase on the top of the counter.

Spencer is a little frightened by the conversation; I can see it in her facial expressions. She interrupts, "We'll be going now." Spencer guides my body to the front door.

The same older man shouts from the kitchen, "Make sure you treat Ashley like royalty! She's a nice girl!" This family is priceless. I said about three words and they're all praising me. Whatever gets me on Spencer's good side, I guess. And better yet, Spencer has been praising me this whole week. This new way of dating is turning out really well.

Right before getting into the car, Spencer asks, "So where are you taking me?"

We hop into the car and get situated. I say mysteriously, "It's a surprise."

I turn the key for the car to start the engine. Spencer replies, "Oh this should be interesting."

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We step out of the car as we both read "Giuseppe's."

We walk into the restaurant; get a good whiff of the freshly-cooked Italian food as I guide Spencer to the host's stand. I say, "Davies for 7:15."

The host puts a smile on and carries a couple menus and guides us to our seats. It's in a nice, secluded area, which could make this whole experience that much sexier. We get comfortable in our seats when the host hands over the menus and says, "The waiter will be with you shortly."

Spencer admires her surroundings, "This place seems very nice."

I agree, "I think so too. I've never been here before, but I wish I had."

I glance down at the menu, especially the prices and she asks worriedly, "So you don't even know if this food is good?"

I utter, "No, but by the looks of the pricing, this place better have good food." I continue to keep my eyes on the menu.

She says, "Well if the food does turn out to be bad, we'll just have to bring it home so that you have to lick every ounce of food off my naked body."

I look up at her, drop my mouth, and just ponder that kind of experience. I murmur, "You think that's a punishment? That's actually a reward. I get to see you naked and please you at the same time. I think that's a win-win for me, dontcha think?"

She ponders, "You know what? You're right. I'll just have to find some other kind of punishment." She chuckles.

Her smile is so cute and her laugh—beyond adorable. I suggest, "How about we skip all this and go straight to where I have to lick food off you?"

She answers quickly, "I actually am hungry and want to eat."

My facial expressions change from excited to disappointed in a matter of seconds.

"But…there's always room for dessert." She winks at me. She looks back down at her menu.

Hmm…how about a little sex on the beach? The drink of course…

20 minutes into the meal

I ask randomly, "So is your family always that inviting of guests or was I just really special?"

She contemplates her thoughts, "Hmm…probably a little bit of both, but considering how this night is going, it's probably because you're really special." She smiles genuinely.

I smile back widely as a response as I dip my head down to eat another bite of my food. I twirl my fork in my spaghetti like a toddler.

I look back up at Spencer who has a little spot of sauce on her face, but doesn't know it. She continues to eat her meal, but I drop my fork. I say softly, "Hey you got a little…" I put my finger to the side of my face, but I'm not specific enough. I slide out of my chair gradually and reach my hand over the table. I caress the side of her face with my finger to make her face clean. I look into her eyes deeply and we connect right there, making my heart beat at a ridiculous rate.

I lean back into my seat, with both of us still staring in each other's eyes. I've never felt a connection so strong before and by the looks of it, neither has Spencer. I scoot my seat in and take my eyes off her for just a second. I'm waiting for her to speak or at least, utter something out of the side of her mouth.

A few seconds go by and then she shows her appreciation, "Thanks." I think she's still kind of shocked about that whole scene. She evidently felt some kind of connection because I can still see it in her eyes. A moment goes by and then she asks, "What do you have planned for after dinner?"

I answer, "I was hoping to bring you down to the boardwalk and show you the amazing view of the ocean."

She's swooned, expressing it through her facial language. She responds, "Ooo that sounds very romantic."

I swipe my shoulder like a conceited person would and joke, "I try."

She hints, "You know what? I'm pretty full; I think I should walk off some of this food." She glances around the restaurant, looking for the waiter.

It takes me a while to process what she meant by that entire act. I start looking every which way for the guy. I utter under my breath, "Check please."

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On the boardwalk

We're walking in-sync with each other on the wooden platform slowly. The moon is gleaming off of the ocean water beautifully. The air is as crisp as it can get. The boardwalk is practically isolated right now, which makes room for a lot of potential. And not to mention, I'm with a perfectly beautiful woman to share this memory with.

She says smoothly, "Tell me about yourself."

I answer with the first few things that come to mind, "I was born in New York, but I moved here when I was about six and that's when I met Ethan for the first time…"

She interrupts, "Is that the guy from the bar?"

I look at her and nod my head.

She gets ready to ask another question when all of a sudden, a guy speeding on a bike races right by me, causing me to lose my balance and tumble into someone's arms...

I look up and see Spencer smiling down on me. I use her arms as a lever and get myself back up onto my feet. She jokes and smirks, "Someone seems to be falling for me already."

I make a move by saying, "I think you may be right." I step a little closer to her and we continue to walk at an even slower rate than before. I thank genuinely, "Thanks for catching me by the way."

She laughs and explains, "I wasn't gonna let you fall."

I snicker, "Oh well that's' good." I'm really on top of things tonight because I come up with sneaky move. I explicate, "Well see I'm a little disappointed now." I look at her and all she does is express her confusion with facial gestures. I continue, "I was hoping for something more like this…" I wrap my left hand around her and pull her extra close to me. "…to happen. Dontchya think? "

She wants to kiss me so bad, but instead she suggests, "I think we should head back to my place…for some coffee or something….get to know the family and show you around the house…possibly the hot tub."

I nod my head, "Hmm…sounds like a good plan." I release her from my arms. "Lead the way."

She begins walking towards my parked car and then turns around to give me a sly smirk.

Courteous. Nice. Sexy. Check 'em all.