Few Announcements; PLEASE READ! :)

A/N: Hey all! I've got a forum posted (for HTR) so please go check it out if you're interested (it's a contest)!

I'm going to post the links in my bio for the outfits used in this chapter (for the dinner). So, go ahead and check them out! Onto replies!

LunarEclipse22428: Don't be sorry :) haha. I love your reviews! :D I'm glad you found the chapter "phenomenal" you have no idea how please I get to hear comments like that!

Jellybean96: No comment… except TROLLING IS ZO! xD

Zevie-bade-spoby80726: I love the evolving of their relationship too. I don't like writing stories where "I hate you—no wait, I think I love you" happens like right away, you know? It just seems so rushed and there's nothing in between!

~Chapter 7~

~Dinner and Company~

STEVIE's POV

Dinner is already starting off rough.

I don't see Zander anywhere, but Kevin and Kacey and Grace and Nelson are already here. I approach the table and take a seat and notice there's only enough for everyone except Zander—no one knows I invited him.

"Uh. . ." I speak up and everyone looks at me. "W-We need an extra chair. . . I asked Zander to come," I say quietly, trying to ignore the shocked looks on everyone's faces.

"Since when are you and Zander buddies again?" Kacey asks, cocking her head to the side, raising a perfectly-plucked eyebrow. She watches as Kevin gets up and grabs a chair and pulls it up to the table.

"Thanks, Kev," I say, ignoring Kacey's question. He nods and then sits down beside the empty chair.

"Stevie, you can't ignore me!" Kacey says, trying to be angry but the look in her eyes says she's trying to figure out why I invited Zander. I don't know the exact reason I did it. Part of it was the dread of being surrounded by couples most of the night.

Any other reason, well I can't figure it out. I look around the table—the girls are all dressed in lovely, casual or semi-casual dresses—Kacey's wearing a casual, sleeveless light dress; it's white with a black skirt dotted in white. She can make anything look good (not that the dress is hideous, because it isn't). Grace is wearing a pink and white floral patterned dress that goes just slightly above her knees.

The guys look nice too, ties and vests or button-down shirts and nice pants. The restaurant is a mix of casual to semi-formal and the patio outside overlooks the sea. I feel the small urge to go outside and just spend the night there—why isn't Zander here?

I feel so out of place.

"Uh, Stevie?" Kacey asks, looking towards the door. "I see your date's arrived."

I look towards the door and then back at Kacey, "He isn't my date! I just asked him today if anyone had told him about the dinner and then asked that he come." Zander walks towards the table and smiles a bit as he notices the chair beside me is empty.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," he says as he sits beside me.

I can't help but look at what he's wearing; a crisp white shirt under a grey sweater. The sleeves are rolled up and he's wearing dark jeans too. I stop myself before I stare too long and then look at Kacey who's darting her eyes to the restrooms—she wants to chat in private.

I shoot back daggers, denying her. I don't want to talk about this.

She pouts, but discreetly I shake my head and order my meal—just now realizing the waitress is here. Zander orders after me and then the others.

We're probably the loudest table in the restaurant, but I find myself enjoying the time. I laugh a little and make a few jokes; we all have a few drinks, but then Grace taps her glass to get everyone's attention.

Everyone turns to her and Nelson and I can already feel my happiness draining. Nelson smiles at his wife and then back at his friends. I don't know why I do it, but I stand up and freeze as everyone looks at me.

"I. . ." I can't speak, so for a minute, I argue with myself. Finally I don't say anything, I just run away and go out onto the patio. I get out of sight of my friends and lean over the balcony slightly, watching the Los Angeles sun set over the water.

I can feel myself shaking inside slightly—I'm embarrassed by the way I just ran out. I should be in there supporting Grace and Nelson no matter how upset I am. There's no one out here on the balcony—thankfully—so I pound my fists against the marble railing and yell angrily, "So stupid!"

I'm being stupid, I know that. I just. . . want a baby.

I slip back inside and see all my friends busy laughing and talking and congratulating Nelson and Grace. They don't notice me as I slip away to the other side of the restaurant—the bar. I don't drink, but first times never hurt.

I need this.

I sit down in one of the bar stools and ask the bartender for something strong. He looks me up and down and then grabs something strong, but not horribly strong. I give him a questioning look. "If I give you my strongest, little lady, you'll be on your ass halfway through it."

I blush and realize that he's probably right. I don't intend to get drunk, just a little tipsy, maybe. I came here in Kacey and Kevin's car, so I definitely won't be driving home. He gives me a vodka tonic and I drink it. The taste is different to me, and I make a face at first, but I remind myself it doesn't matter what it tastes like.

I just need to feel something other than disappointment tonight.

I don't know how much time has gone by, but I'm pretty sure my food already made it to the table a while ago. No one's come to look for me though—and why would they look for a girl who doesn't drink at the bar? They won't look here.

I'm on the second vodka tonic and I'm already feeling tipsy. I listen to the conversations around me—though it all sounds like buzzing and ringing. As I go to ask for a third, someone grabs a hold of my wrist. "I think you've had enough," they say.

My eyes meet dark brown ones and then I—against my will—giggle. "No, I'm just getting started!" I whine, tilting my head back and finishing the second vodka tonic. The glad gets pulled away from my lips and I whine.

"You know this woman?" the bartender asks the boy in front of me. He nods his head and then helps me out of my seat.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll take her home now," Zander apologizes. I get free of Zander's grip on my wrists and start flailing my arms at him, whacking him wherever I can. I'm not hitting very hard though because he's not even flinching.

The bartender nods at Zander and watches as he drags me away.

"No, no, no—no! I wasn't done!" I whine loudly, trying to get free of his arms. He pulls me out of the restaurant completely and out to the parking lot. The cold air hits me and I calm suddenly, but feel sick—probably from the flailing.

I feel like I'm going to fall over—I've tripped enough. "Steves, I don't think you're tipsy. . . I think you're drunk. You're lucky I found you in that bar—much to my surprise—otherwise you'd be in trouble. You'll thank me tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" I giggle, stumbling over my feet again. Zander, finally having enough, scoops me up into his arms and walks to what I'm pretty sure is his car. He opens the passenger side and puts me into the sit and buckles me in.

Then he gets into the driver's side and starts the car up. "You're not going to wear a seatbelt?" I ask, giggling for no apparent reason.

"I'm not the one that won't sit still," Zander says, teasing slightly. He smirks at me and then turns his direction back to the road.

I look around the car and play with the buttons, and after everything I turn on, Zander turns them off. I pout at him, but he doesn't seem to feel guilty. "Are you taking me home?" I ask after a little while.

"Well, I'm not bringing you back to your apartment. I think your brother would kill me if your ex-boyfriend brought you home drunk. I'd rather just avoid dying tonight," he jokes. I giggle and mess up my hair as I play with it—why am I so ditzy? My mind briefly wonders.

"So. . . are we going to your place?" I ask trying to sound seductive; my voice is nowhere near seductive though, and I feel too giggly. He looks over at me.

"Geez, you're really drunk," he says, laughing quietly. "We are going to my apartment, but you're going straight to sleep, missy." I can hear he's teasing and I giggle. Something about this screams WRONG but my mind is too foggy to figure out why this seems wrong, but feels right.

"Will you come with me?" I ask, giggling again. I can feel myself blushing, but oddly I'm confident of my question.

"Not while you're drunk. You'd take it the wrong way tomorrow," he says laughing. He pulls into the lot of his apartment building and then gets me out of the car; I'm in his arms and he's carrying me into the building to his apartment.

"No, I won't. What if I want you to come with me?" I ask, running my fingers through his hair; it's fluffier and softer than I remember, or maybe my hands are numb from the alcohol. I whisper the words into his ear and watch as his lips turn up slightly in a smile.

"As. . . inviting as that sounds," he whispers back, unlocking the door to his apartment. He brings me inside and down the hallway to his room. He sets me on the bed and pulls my heels off. "You're drunk. I'd rather things happen while you're aware."

I pout at him, "I'm fine, Z. Come on!"

He sits me up and tugs my dress off over my head. I feel slightly upset as he doesn't pay attention to my body—what does that mean? He just goes over to the dresser and grabs a shirt (it looks like it'll be huge on me). Then he grabs a pair of shorts and comes back to me.

"Lift your arms up," he says quietly. I do as he says, still pouting. He slips the shirt down on me and then lifts me up to put the shorts on me. "Now," he says once he's done, "I'm going to get you some water and pill to help you sleep."

He leaves the room and I lie down on the bed, frowning. I want him to be all over me though. Maybe it's just the alcohol—something in the back of my head is fuzzy, but vaguely it says that that would be a bad idea.

The bed is really comfy and I hear the tap running out in the kitchen; it must be Zander getting me water. I hear the tap turn off and his shoes coming down the hallway, but I'm already half-asleep before he gets here.

I hear the glass gently placed on the side table and the small clink of the pill on the table right after it. There's a small tingling on my cheek and then my forehead, and that's the last thing I'm aware of before I fall asleep.

A/N: So, that was the 7th Chapter! :D How did you like it? Please let me know loves and thanks for reading!