All he needed was to be honest and tell her how he really felt. Easy, right? Then why did he feel like a 12 year old asking a girl out for the first time in his life? He had already spent a few afternoons at her place since she came back, hanging out, like they always did. Writing songs, talking, watching TV. Maybe she didn't feel the same way for him anymore? Maybe he had waited too long and now she had moved on? There was only one way to know for sure.

"So, are you doing something tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm going on a stupid date."

That was so not the answer he was hoping for.

"A date?"

"It's part of Glenn's Redemption Tour. He thinks I should go on a date with a nice boy next door B-list celebrity so his niceness could rub off on me. And so any rumor about an ongoing affair with Charlie Wentworth could be put to rest once and for all. 2 birds with one stone."

She was trying to avoid looking him in the eyes, but when she finally did she saw it. He was disappointed and failing miserably at hiding it.

"And who is Prince Charming?"


He's cute I guess. And it's just one date. It should be enough to feed the paparazzi for months if I play my cards right. It's just one date. So why do I feel guilty even being here? Avery has a girlfriend. What if he looked disappointed? He probably was just disappointed I would go back doing publicity stunts. I don't owe him anything.

"I don't"

"Ok I'll just order a glass then."

"Sorry what were you saying?"

"I...I asked you if you wanted wine."

He was nervous and she was totally ignoring him. She needed to put Avery out of her mind, because he was certainly not thinking about her when he was with Scarlett. She had decided when he came to see her at the hospital, that being just friends was enough. She was not going back on this.

"I'm sorry. I'm a little distracted. I was thinking of a song I'm writing."

Yeah right and it's called "Don't be delusional, you're just friends"

"It's ok, I was thinking of a character I'm playing."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's the story of this guy who's basically a nervous wreck on his first date with a beautiful but intimidating country star."

"Sounds painful. She's probably a right mess who's totally ignoring him when he's being really sweet and charming."

"Well he wouldn't blame her. She's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen up close."

One date wouldn't hurt, right?


She was taking this whole Redemption Tour pretty seriously. Did she really have to go everywhere with that Jamie Carver guy? One date should have been more than enough. He hated his perfect teeth, and his perfect hair, and his perfect car ARGH! He knew he had waited too long. He just didn't want to be tacky, telling her how he felt 2 seconds after breaking up with Scarlett. And now, she was probably falling in love with that stupid B list actor, who was according to Glenn perfect boyfriend material. He hated Glenn.