Disclaimer – you know the drill – I don't own any pants! I am pantless!

Bridget looked at her hands. They were broad hands, and right now they looked very strange, alienated and detached from her body. She had an eyeliner mark from testing out an outrageously high priced green eyeliner yesterday. One of her fingernails was painted black, but the colour had begun to chip off. Her nails were kept short by her crazy energy and biting addiction. Her hands were tanned; and she never wore any rings. Resting just under her hands were his hands; Eric's hands. They were just above the sheet, where the rest of his body was hiding under. This was her fourth day in his house; and all of it had been a paradise. They had shopped together, cooked together and stayed up late together. The best part was that they even had runs together – Bridget's idea of happiness. But tonight he had booked for dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant, and she had no idea what she was doing. The question she needed answered was – did she need to go shopping?

Shopping was not one of Bee's favourite things. She would be more comfortable in comfy old sweats rather than wearing fancy cocktail gowns. Carmen had to force her into her old graduation party halter neck dress. The thought of having to endure the sheer terror of buying a new dress was almost terrible. Still, it was for Eric. She would do anything for Eric. She looked into his sleeping face and gently kissed him. The thought of two whole weeks with Eric made her feel better straight away. She pushed the thought of dress shopping out of her mind and fell swiftly back to sleep.

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The day flew by faster than ever. She and Eric spent countless hours in the soccer field by the park – playing soccer and kissing. The day panned out perfectly, and they spent the afternoon picnicking in the grass. They were baking cookies now, and she was completely concentrating on the timer when Eric spoke.

"Bee, I got you a present. Its for tonight."

She sighed. Until now, she had forgotten about tonight. The booking was for eight, and it was four now. The shops shut at five, and she was going to have to ask if she needed a dress before it was too late. She turned her head up from the cookies that had just come out of the oven. Eric had gone to bathroom and had just returned with - was that a dress bag? And it was. Out of the bag came the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was long and sleek, with spaghetti straps and a slit from the bottom to mid-thigh. The colour reminded Bridget of cotton candy. Tiny pink crystal-like beads were sewn onto the dress, shimmering under the light of the kitchen windows. She started – why would he buy her a dress? Then it came to her. She was too polite to mention what she was thinking, but her heart was swelling with happiness just at the thought of it. She smiled.

"Eric – Its beautiful. I'm speechless."

He smiled, and her swollen heart filled to bursting point. "Well, what do you know? I am the sole witness of the only times that Miss Bridget Vreeland has ever been speechless! I should be famous – all over the newspaper."

She smiled; it usually annoyed her when people said that she never stopped talking. It wasn't her fault she had a lot to say! Coming out of his mouth were like golden spun words – anything that he said was. He continued talking. "It was my mother's choice. She told me I had to buy you a dress. Oh – it has shoes and a bag that match it. I told her you didn't really like heels, so she got flats.

Her heart was bursting – he bought her a dress! Unable to resist any longer, she walked over to Eric, grabbed the bag and placed it carefully on the couch. Even in her temptation to make out, she would still care for the most beautiful dress, especially one that she would be wearing tonight. She grabbed his hand and walked into the bedroom, keeping his eyes in contact with hers.

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The food was good – She ordered pasta primavera – according to Lena and Carmen, an unacceptable date food. They tended to analyze everything that happened during the night – Carmen was even serious about the time that her date arrived. Eric ordered the same thing as her – something Carmen would spaz out about, but she wouldn't. Dates were an easy thing for Bridget; before she met Eric, she went on dates almost every Saturday night. Fridays were always for Lena, Tibby and Carmen. She marveled at how things had changed since then. They hadn't spent a day all together since before spring break. Carmen was away at winter break for her mother's anniversary and Tibby, Lena and barely talked. She marveled at the extent that things had changed. Eric cleared his throat, and her head was drawn back towards his face. Her view of his face was somewhat constricted because of a large wrapped box in front of him. He silently gestured towards the door; and she realized he had already paid while she was dreaming away. She picked up the box, shook it and walked towards the door. The air was unusually warm, and she followed his lead. He was walking towards the beach, and she kept close suit right behind him.

He stopped on the sand; still not talking and took the gift from her hands. He began to rip the paper, before giving it back to her. She knew what to do. The paper came off easily, and there was a cardboard box her heart beat in excitement, and unable to resist, she opened the box. Her heart sank. It was just a soccer ball, just black and white leather. But, she was Bridget Vreeland, he was Eric Richman and the beach was empty in the soft moonlight. She put the ball down and softly kicked it, spraying sand all around. The soccerball felt weird – strangely weak. Something inside it rattled. Her adrenalin was pumping, and he very lightly kicked it back to her. This got her curious, and she kicked the ball with an almighty force. The ball popped in mid air, and she fell down in laughter and suprise. Suddenly, she realized something in the sand near where the ball had burst. The something glinted. Eric still hadn't spoken.

She made a break for the glinting object. He got there first, and smiled at her. She got close enough to almost see what the object was, when he caught her in a passionate kiss. He let her go and bent down on one knee. Her heart pumped with happiness; but she couldn't do this. She turned and ran, ignoring the sounds of his shouting at her behind her back. She ran until she could run no longer, where she had no idea where she was. She sat down and realized. She was in Baja. The beach in Baja. The beach where it all had begun. It took a while to sit in, as she thought of what she was doing and what was going to happen to her life. Why was she nervous to marry him? Why didn't she want to? She loved him with all her heart. This is what she wanted. What was she running from? A thought struck her. She tried to push it back. What was wrong with her? Why would she even think that? In her heart, she couldn't deny that one thought. It chased her around. She stood up, turned around and ran, away from that thought from everything. Back to Eric. Someone she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

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Eric was waiting for her at the beach when she returned, ring still in his hand. She ran up to him and jumped into his waiting arms. He knew she would return. He loved her as much as she loved him. He knew she would tell him what was wrong, why she ran. Why she was so scared. More likely, what she was so scared of. And that fear, came in three different types; one called Tibby, one called Lena and one called Carmen.