After the meeting, Eve drove Shuuhei to her favorite restaurant. "Don't laugh," she said as they got closer.

"Why would I laugh?"

"This is my favorite place to go and it has nothing to do with you."

"Okay then." As she pulled in to the parking lot, Shuuhei understood why Eve seemed so nervous. Her favorite restaurant was a sushi bar. Before she could open the car door, he leaned over and kissed her. "We could have gone back to your place," he suggested.

"We could have but it's not good for us to spend all day in bed."

"It's not?"

"Not yet. We should continue to learn things about each other." She eyed him. "Do you jump in to bed with every woman that interests you without getting to know her?"

"You interest me more than most women but no." He kissed her again.

Struggling to regain her composure, Eve opened the door and walked in to the restaurant.

"Welcome back, Eve-san," the hostess greeted.

"Thank you. A table for two please."

"Follow me." They followed the hostess to the table.

"They know you by name?" Shuuhei said as they sat.

"I'm here a lot."

"Then I'll let you order for us."

"Any preferences?"

"Anything but sea urchin." Eve placed their order. "So, why teaching?"

Eve shrugged. "I was always a really good student and I read a lot. At the orphanage I helped the other kids with their homework. As I got older, I noticed a lot of them had trouble with math so it became an obvious choice for me."

"How is it you were never adopted? You're smart and beautiful and..."

"And I can sense spirits. That freaks people out. I lost some potential families because of that." Eve sighed. "After my 16th birthday I gave up trying to get adopted. I got a job and when I graduated high school, I moved away for college."

"What about your biological parents?"

"My mother walked in to a hospital one night alone and in labor. She refused to give them her name or my father's name. She died giving birth to me. Her last request was to name me Eve if I was a girl or Parker if I was a boy. They had no information on her so I was given the name 'Eve Parker'. They released me to the orphanage." Salads were delivered and Shuuhei watched her as she ate. Her past sounded sad but she didn't look sad. "You're awfully quiet."

"Just amazed at how well you use chopsticks."

She smiled. "After they realized I was here so often, they stopped giving me a fork. I had to learn how to use chopsticks if I wanted to eat."

"Do you cook?"

"Of course. Cooking is mathematical."

Shuuhei shook his head. "Don't ruin cooking for me," he smirked.

"Cooking is all about proportions. It's very mathematical." She smiled as their sushi was served.

They ate in silence, occasionally commenting on the sushi.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"What?"

"Not having a family."

"Sometimes but not as much as it used to. When I was younger, I always wondered why no one wanted me. Then I heard stories. Kids would come back because they had been abused or neglected. That scared me. But Shuuhei, I was never alone. There was a woman who worked at the orphanage that I kind of thought of as a mother. She'd buy me presents or give me special treats. She loved me but she couldn't adopt me. She was ill." Now her eyes did look sad and Shuuhei reached across the table for her hand.

"I'm sorry."

Eve shook her head. "It's been a couple of years."

"What was her name?"

"Ms. Marilyn." She looked at him. "Do you want to leave?"

"We can leave if you're ready." Eve paid for their meal even though Shuuhei insisted that he pay. They walked out to her car and before she could open her door, Shuuhei had his arms around her. As he held her close, Eve let herself lean against him. It had been a long time since she had told anyone about her past in the orphanage. Shuuhei kissed her temple. "Eve, for what it's worth, I want you."

"You barely know me."

Shuuhei tilted her chin up so he could look at her. "I know you better now than I did this morning. Nothing's changed for me."

"Don't pity me," she said quietly as she turned her head away from him.

"Eve, I don't pity you. I admire you." She looked up at him, shocked. "You never let not having a family stop you from reaching your dream. If anything not having a family helped you discover your love for teaching." He leaned in closer to her. "And it makes me feel small for almost letting my injury get in the way of me being a shinigami. Nothing stopped you." Shuuhei kissed her softly.

"Shuuhei, I'm not ready to go home just yet."

"That's fine. Where would you like to go?"

"I don't know but we can't stay here."

"Why not?"

Eve laughed at him. "Because it's not exactly private." Whatever else she was going to say, he cut off with a kiss. One that took her breath away and left her knowing that she was wanted.

...

"Where are we?" Shuuhei asked as they pulled into a parking lot.

"The movie theater." It wasn't crowded which was fine with Eve.

"Anything in particular you want to see?"

"Not really." Shuuhei laughed as they got out of the car. Taking her hand in his, they walked up to the ticket counter. Eve looked at the list of movies. "Although there's nothing really good playing right now. Kid movies. Sequels. Low budget comedies." Eve sighed.

"If it's bad, we don't have to watch it," Shuuhei whispered in her ear. She shook her head at him as he purchased their tickets. They walked into the empty theater and picked seats in the back. "How it is I was lucky enough that you weren't dating anyone?"

Eve shrugged. "Because there was a fictional guy I kind of had a thing for and other guys see that as competition."

Shuuhei looked at her profile then leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I don't mind competition especially when it's against myself."

...

Eve would never admit it to Shuuhei but the movie was boring. So boring, she couldn't concentrate on it. It had only been on for 10 minutes but to her, it felt like an hour. Every bit of the movie was boring. The only good thing was that her fingers were laced with Shuuhei's. He hadn't let go of her hand since he had purchased their tickets. The armrest between them was in the up position. Eve leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"This movie is awful," Shuuhei whispered with a smile. Eve grinned. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. Then he turned her hand over and kissed her palm and her wrist.

"Didn't you say if it was bad we didn't have to watch it?" she asked, tilting her head up toward his.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked innocently. Eve smirked at him.

"It was your suggestion. I was just reminding you of it." She looked at the screen. "I think you picked the worst movie you could find on purpose."

"Maybe I did. You'll never know for sure." He kissed her. "We can leave if you want," he whispered. His breath was hot in her ear and his lips began to lightly caress her neck.

Eve was tempted to say yes but instead, she said, "I've never made out in a movie theater before."

"Me either," Shuuhei said as he kissed her, pulling her closer. His hands rested on her waist and Shuuhei bent his head down so he could run his mouth over the swells of her breast that peaked over the top of her dress. He heard her breath hitch as his tongue snuck down her cleavage. Eve fisted her hands in his hair. She drug his mouth back up to hers.

Eve's legs laid across his and Shuuhei moved his hand under her skirt. When he caressed her through her panties, Eve shifted one of her legs slightly to give him better access.

"I thought we were just making out," Eve panted in his ear.

"Isn't foreplay part of making out?" Shuuhei asked as he kissed her neck. Eve moaned quietly as Shuuhei slipped his fingers past her panties and into her. She bit her lip to keep from being loud. His mouth was on hers again as he used his fingers in her and on her clitoris. Eve wrapped her arms around his neck, and grabbed his shirt as she felt the orgasm ripple through her.

Shuuhei was far from done and he took her up several more times. Eve's breath was hot against his neck as he brought her up one last time. It took everything Shuuhei had in him not to pull her into his lap and have sex with her. His name escaped her lips as she peaked. His mouth came back to hers as he kissed her again.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked.

"Leave? The movie's..." Eve glanced at the screen as the credits began to roll. "Over." They stood and walked out of the theater hand in hand. "Can I have a minute?" Eve asked, motioning toward the bathroom. Shuuhei nodded and Eve ducked into the bathroom.

As she stood at the sink, washing her hands and checking her neck for any telltale signs of hickeys, two teenage girls came into the bathroom.

"Ms. Parker, he is so hot," one of them said.

"Yeah. We saw you when you came out of the theater."

"Were you in that movie too?" Eve asked, trying not be embarrassed that two of her students could have seen her making out with Shuuhei. At least she was hickey-free.

"No. That movie was lame."

Eve smiled. "It was."

"Have you been dating him long? You never mentioned a boyfriend at school."

Eve had always tried to keep her personal life separate from school. "No. We just started dating."

"Have you known him long?"

"You guys ask a lot of questions," Eve joked.

"Sorry Ms. Parker."

"I feel like I've known him for a long time but we haven't been together long." Heading for the door, Eve called back out to them. "I'll see you ladies in school."

"See ya, Ms. Parker."

Shuuhei reached out for her hand and they walked out of the theater. The sun was starting to set. "I think it's time for my tests, Princess," he said.