* Please Review!*

A few minutes before six found Vincent pacing in his tiny apartment. He was nervous and excited. He was questioning himself over and over again. What was he doing? Why was he doing it? Was it okay that he was going on a date with someone? His wife had been dead for three years so at some point he was going to have to move on with his life. He couldn't just sit around and not do anything. Ashley would never want that for him, Vincent knew that. Gabriella was the first girl in a long time that had gotten his attention and he really wanted to run with it, see where things could go.

" It's not like I'm asking her to move in with me." He said to himself. " It's just a date. A second date, actually." With a girl that had actually made him feel something when he had been dead for so long. He took a deep breath and looked back at his dog as he laid across Vincent's couch. " Wish me luck, Vicky." He said. He sighed and turned back around. He walked over to his door and opened it quickly. He shut his mind down as he locked the door and moved towards hers.

The date went better then he could have even hoped. They walked to the restaurant, talking non-stop, ate while talking and walked home, still talking. Vincent was shocked at how much fun he was having. She was easy to talk to and made him laugh. He found that he wanted to hold her hand and that shocked him as well. He knew he wanted to kiss her because he couldn't stop staring at her mouth. He had caught himself over and over again, staring at her lips and licking his own. He wanted to know what she tasted like.

At the end of the date, they walked slowly up the stairs because neither one was ready to end it even though it was nine at night. They reached the top and turned to stroll towards their apartments. Gabriella wanted to ask him to come in but didn't want to come off as a whore. She wasn't intending to sleep with him and didn't want him to think that.

Vincent wanted her to ask him in for a drink but didn't want to come off as a horny bastard. Sure, if she came on to him, he didn't think he'd turn her down. He knew he couldn't turn her down. He had last had sex two years ago. It had been a one night stand when he was feeling completely depressed about his life and it hadn't been that good. He had gotten off but he could give himself better orgasms then the girl he had been with had given him.

" So I had a really good time. Thank you." Gabriella said once they reached her door. " I haven't been out in a long time." Vincent smiled and put is hands in his pockets.

" I had a good time too." He said.

" Look, I really want to invite you in for a drink but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I don't sleep with a guy on the first or second date." She said. Vincent chuckled softly.

" I'd love to have a drink with you and just a drink." He said. Gabriella seemed to relax then. She took her keys out of her bag and turned towards the door. She slipped the key in and quickly unlocked the door.

" So I have beer or I can make you a mixed drink." She said when they walked into her place.

" A beer's fine." Vincent said, closing the door behind him.

Vincent took a minute to look around. Her apartment was the same as his but it looked brighter, more cheerful, then his place. She had a light blue couch against the big windows at the back of the room. Her small table had a plain white table cloth on it. Sitting in the center of the table was a vase filled with mutli-colored daisies. His place looked run down and dark and depressed him. Her place was comfortable, warm, and relaxed him.

" Wow, it looks great in here." He said. " You painted the cabinets and walls." He said. Gabriella opened her fridge and grabbed out two beers.

" Yeah, I asked the land lord first. It was so dark in here and the space is so small. I thought the white cabinets and walls would make it took bright." She said when she faced him.

" It does. It looks huge. You replaced the light fixtures too." He said, taking the beer from her. The light that hung down over her table had a plain looking cover on it but she had replaced it with a bright blue one. " You should redo my place." He said as he followed her to her couch. Gabriella smiled and opened her beer.

" I can do that if you want." She said. He smiled, sitting down beside her.

" My place is so...it just needs something, I don't know what but something." Vincent said.

" Do you want to see my room? I did some work in there too." Gabriella said a second before her cheeks flushed. " I'm not just trying to get you get you into my room." Vincent laughed.

" I wasn't thinking that." He said. But he did want to see her room. He wanted to see her intimate space. He liked how embarrassed she seem to be. He hoped that meant she liked him the way he liked her.

" Well come on." She said, standing up and patting his leg.

He followed her through the room and over to her bedroom. She flicked the light on and he was surprised at how different her room looked from his. He had his mattress on the floor. Hers was sitting on a iron bed frame. His walls were a dingy cream color, hers were painted a beautiful blue. Her door frame and window frames were painted white. Her dresser was white and her bedspread was light purple. Her entire bedroom looked as her apartment did, comfortable, warm, and relaxing.

" Yeah, that's it. You are coming to my place then we will buy some paint and do my place up." Vincent said. " It looks great in here." Gabriella smiled.

" I'd love to help you." She said.

" You want to come over after work tomorrow? I will get home about 5:30. I need to walk my dog then you could come over. We could have dinner together." He offered.

" Sure." She said.

XXXXXX

Vincent was excited the entire next day. He couldn't wait to see her. Gabriella made him feel good. She cheered him up and made him forget he was supposed to be depressed. His heart and head felt lighter. He was planning on making her dinner while they planned on what to do with his place. When he had woke up in the morning, he had straight up, putting his clean clothes back into his dresser instead of leaving them in the basket. He gathered up his dirty clothes and shoved them under his bed then straighten up his blankets before leaving for work.

At 5:30 a knock came to Gabriella's door. She hurried out of her room and over to it. She looked through the peephole and smiled when she saw Vincent standing there. He was looking down and talking to something. She figured it was his dog and her smile grew. She opened her door and leaned against it as he looked up at her.

" Hi." She said.

" Hi. Would you like to go with me to take Vicky for a walk?" He asked.

" Yeah, sure. Just let me grab my jacket, come in." She said, stepping back. Vincent smiled and led Vicky into her place. She grabbed her hoodie and slipped it over her head then grabbed her keys.

" So I hope you like lasagna because it's actually all I can make." He said with a shrugged of his shoulders. Gabriella laughed as they walked out of her apartment.

" I actually love it." She said. She put her key in the door and pulled it tightly shut before locking it.

They took Vicky for a walk around the block twice before coming back to his place. On the second trip he slowly and carefully took her hand. Gabriella interlaced their fingers and moved closer to him. They slowed their pace down and talking quietly together. His heart was slamming in his chest and he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

The rest of the night went well. They ate, made plans for his place and stayed close together. They wrote down the plans then settled down on his couch, sitting so they were facing each other. His arm was on the back of the couch. Vincent took a deep breath before he reached out and started to play with her hair. He twisted his fingers around the strands while they talked. Vicky was sitting so he was leaning against Gabriella's legs. She was casually rubbing his head and smiling at Vincent.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice Alice standing in front of her apartment building across from the court yard. She was going to take care of that girl. She had been watching Vincent since he moved into the building and there was no way a new girl was going to take him from her. She was the one who had put the time and effort being friends with him. Alice wanted to know what the hell was going on between them but knew Vincent would never tell her so she was just going to have be friends with Gabriella. She would get the girl to trust her then get rid of her quickly. Every one had something they wanted to hide. She would find out Gabriella's secret and use it to destroy her. Then Vincent would be all hers. Alice smiled and turned away. She left her apartment and headed out to the bar.