He nervously adjusted his tie, the only tie he owned, as he looked into the bathroom mirror. The grey and blue plaid shirt he was wearing was clean – and ironed – and he was freshly showered. Well, actually he was twice showered. After the first time he had started to think about the night ahead and a film of cool, nervous sweat had begun to cover his body. The second shower had been followed by a liberal spritz of Schmidt's deodorant. Lifting his arms he checked for the tell-tale underarm dark patches; so far so good.

Slipping back into his room, he pushed on his shoes and picked up the small bouquet of flowers he'd bought at the market earlier. Daisies he'd chosen; he didn't know her favorite but they seemed to fit her style. Straightening up, he gave himself one last pep-talk. Be cool, Miller.He took a few deep breaths before heading out of the door.

She fluffed her hair for the millionth time before appling perhaps her tenth layer of lipgloss. Underneath the dressing table, she tapped her foot as she nervously pulled at the thick straps of her dress. Standing up she studied her reflection. Her dress was red, cherry red, and flared in a 1940's style, gathered in a sweetheart style at the front. Too much? She wondered. Her palms felt a little clammy with anticipation so she squeezed a little hand sanitizer onto them before rubbing them together.

Why am I so nervous? She thought, this is crazy, stupid-She was cut off by the soft 'ding-dong' of the bell as it rang out across the small apartment. Giving herself a large smile in the mirror she told herself, "Here goes," as she skipped out of the room to answer the door.

He'd found her address quite easily; it turned out she lived about ten blocks from the bar, in a small, modern looking apartment building, surrounded by its identical siblings. Sliding the car into neutral, he'd parked outside before picking up the flowers and slamming the door. The elevator was already there when he stepped into the lobby; he punched the number three and waited as the doors closed. Slowly rising up the floors, he gave himself one final look over in the mirrored walls. You'll do, Miller,he told himself.

Staring at his feet, he nervously waited for Jessica to answer the door. Finally, he heard the soft clack of her heels against the hardwood floor, stopping a foot or two away, before the door began to swing open. Momentarily, he was stunned into silence. She looked… "Hi Jessica," he began before faltering. He lifted up the bouquet of flowers and handed them to her, by way of extending the conversation. Bringing them to her nose, she breathed in the soft, sweet scent.

"Daisies. My favorite," she smiled, "Do you want to come in while I put these in some water?" He nodded in reply, his voice still choked by nerves.

He stood awkwardly watching her find a vase and fill it with water; he was hypnotised by the swish of her hair and her red dress. She was so… She turned to face him. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"Um yeah, sure… You look beautiful Jessica," he said finally. This made her cheeks glow a little.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling a warm glow buzz inside her.

After parking the car, they had walked a block to their destination. She had asked him again and again on the way what he had planned and he'd kept to the same answer, "It's a surprise."

Finally, the lightbulb covered marquee of the Rialto theater came into view; her favorite place to watch old movies. How did he know? As they got closer she could see the lettering on the sign become clearer. Pillow Talk , Starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. She let out a little squeal of excitement. "Oh my God, I LOVE Doris Day!" she exclaimed, digging her fingers excitedly into his arm as she spoke.

"You do?" he asked a little surprised. He figured she'd like old movies but this reaction was more than he expected.

"Yeah, I used to watch all her films on TV with my mom as a kid and sing along to all the songs…" she sighed contentedly.

"I've never actually seen a movie this old," he admitted.

"Seriously? Miller, you are missing out. Come on!" and with that she tugged on his arm and raced towards the ticket booth.

In the dark of the movie theater they had sat close together on a velvet covered double seat. The screen was an old fashioned type – with a stage and heavy curtains that pulled back as the movie began. He bought a box of popcorn and a soda and they took their seats as the lights began to dim.

As she watched the inevitable falling in love of Rock and Doris's characters, she snuggled into Nick's body. He'd eventually pulled his arm over her shoulder; she had known he'd wanted to do it since they sat down but it had taken an hour of 60's movie fun before he'd worked up the nerve. His body felt warm and comfortable to lean upon, as if she fit perfectly.

He loved the feel of her curled up against him. So soft and pretty, he leant his head down and pressed his lips against her glossy hair. Smiling, he thought he was the luckiest guy in the world.

They walked out of the movie theater, hand in hand. "I actually really enjoyed that," Nick declared as they headed out onto the street.

"Told you so," she teased, squeezing his fingers. "So what now?" she asked, not wanting the night to end.

"I have an idea," he replied, pulling her in the direction of the car.

Luna Park was still busy, although it was almost 10pm the rides still turned and the lights and sounds of the carnival games swirled around them. They bought a strip of ride tickets from the booth at the entrance and then he turned to her, "What shall we do first?" She bit her lip and thought for a while.

"Bumper cars!" she exclaimed.

"In those shoes?" he laughed, pointing at the red suede heels she was wearing.

"What's wrong, afraid a girl can whip your ass?" she replied sassily.

"Oh, you're so going to get it," he retorted, dashing in the direction of the ride.

"I hope so," she said under her breath before tottering after him.

Four rides later (Three bumper cars – score 2:1 to Jess and then a trip on the runaway mine cart coaster) their sides ached from laughing and smiling. Jess stopped to buy a cone of cotton candy, tearing off chunks of the pink fuzz and stuffing it into her mouth. He was mesmerized by the movement of her glossy lips, little bits of candy sticking to them.

"Nick? What's wrong? You're staring."

"Um, you've got…" he held his breath and stepped closer to her and picked a small piece of candy from her top lip before gazing deep into her blue eyes.

"Thanks," she replied breathlessly. The silence between them was full of underlying tension and unspoken words.

"Um, two tickets left," he finally said, holding up to small blue pieces of paper, "What next?"

Her eyes quickly flitted to the glowing Ferris wheel that dominated the skyline of the park; covered in glowing lights it lie up the night sky like a magic windmill of color and delight. "That."

Stepping into the car, they'd sat on opposite sides to each other as the attendant closed the metal gate. Silently the car had started to glide upwards into the dark night sky, higher and higher until they could see for miles. Jess was enchanted and looked out across the expanse in front of her. The wheel slowed and finally came to a halt as they reached the apex of the journey.

"Look at all those homes, all those people. Just going about their day to day lives. Eating, sleeping, watching TV, making love…" she caught herself in her musings and her eyes rose to meet his.

"Being up here certainly gives you a whole new perspective," he agreed.

"It just makes me realize how unimportant I am, we are, in the whole big scheme of things, you know?"

"I guess," he nodded, "But I can't agree you could ever be unimportant." She felt her heart race a little at his words and as a chill of excitement flooded her, causing her to shudder.

"You cold?" he asked as a cool wind crossed through the open carriage, blowing her hair around her face in fiery tendrils.

"A little," she admitted. Quickly her slid across onto the seat next to hers and wrapped his arms around her body until she lay back against his chest. "Mmmm," she moaned. Feeling warmer by the second as a glow of happiness flooded her body.

It was midnight and the fair was closing. They'd stayed on the Ferris wheel for long after their allotted time – Nick had slipped the operator a twenty. Finally, they had to step off and made their way back to the car.

"Oh, I don't want the night to end," she said, slipping her arms around his waist as he lay back against the car.

"Well, I do have a backup plan," he boasted. She raised her eyebrows as he rounded the back of the car and popped the trunk; he pulled out a small cooler and headed back to her side before taking her hand and pulling her towards the nearby beach.

As they reached the sand, she tugged off her heels and held them in one hand; the other in his, fingers intertwined. After a few minutes he stopped and gestured for her to sit. The beach was deserted; the only sound was a faint crashing of waves and a distant hum of car noise.

He popped the lid of the cooler and pulled out two bottles of Heisler, twisting off the lid he passed her the first condensation-covered bottle. As she took hold of it, the contents bubbled over a little and slid down her hand. She pulled it towards herself and licked the trail of beer from her skin.

"Sorry," he apologized as he opened his own bottle, before tossing the caps into the box and replacing the lid. They sat silently and watched the reflection of the full moon as it danced upon the gentle waves of the ocean. The quiet and calm of the beach was in stark contrast with the frenetic atmosphere of the fair.

He slid closer to her and returned his arm to her shoulder as they each took long draws of the beer. This feels nice,he thought, the soft breeze that crossed the breach filled the air with her scent. He breathed deeply and pulled her tighter to him. Eventually, she twisted her head to face him, "This has been the best date I've been on in a long time."

"Really?" he asked, surprised. He was worried she would think this was corny.

"Really, Nick Miller. You are full of surprises."

"I do what I can," he smiled in reply. She tipped the remains of her beer into the mouth before digging the bottle into the sand at her feet.

"You know what would make this perfect?" she continued.

"What?" he asked faintly as his heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

"A kiss," she replied softly, her eyes darting to his lips as she spoke. A smile pulled at his mouth.

"What a great idea," he agreed; pulling her body towards him and placing a soft, warm kiss on her lips.

The air had chilled further and they returned to the car. Once there, he had placed the cooler on the roof as he pressed her body against the car, stealing one last, longing kiss.

Breathing heavily, she pulled away, "Hey Nick," she croaked, "Want to come back to my place? For a nightcap?" Silently he nodded, maintaining gaze with her as he did.

The roads were quiet and the drive back to Jess's apartment was quick. A sense of tension and anticipation had filled the car. The date had gone well, was still going well,he thought as he pulled into a parking space. A soft rain had begun to fall, leaving small splashes of water on the windscreen.

She got out of the car, covering her hair with her purse and gave him a wide grin as he locked the door. This was really happening,she thought, not a fluke.

They ran into the lobby and she frantically pushed the elevator button with no response. Impatiently she turned and pushed the door to the stairs, unable to wait any longer; kicking off her shoes and taking the stairs two at a time, pulling him behind her.

She flung the door open to the third floor, turning to give Nick a wicked smile as she did so. Rounding the corner to her apartment she was struck by the sightof a long pair of legs lying across the hallway. What the-she thought, pausing as the rest of his body came into view. It was Sam.

Laughing, he had chased her up the stairs, full of excitement and anticipation. Reaching the third floor she had abruptly stopped short of her apartment and he almost crashed into her back. "Jess, what the-" he stopped as he saw the reason for her halting. Sam. His heart began to sink in his chest.

"Jess, I-" Sam began as he started to push himself from the ground, a large extravagant bouquet of flowers in one hand. I knew the daisies were a dumb idea,Nick chastised himself. "I've came to-" he stopped as Nick cleared his throat and stepped forward, "Oh, you're not alone." He finished.

"Um, no, I'm…" she struggled to find the words. What was he doing here? Her head was in chaos. She had called him yesterday, told him it was over- thought that was the end of it; they were nothing serious…

"Look, Jess, I know this is bad timing," he glanced at Nick, "But I needed to tell you. I-I love you."

Jess took in a sharp intake of breath as he spoke. What was he doing? A loud buzz of panic began to fill her ears. "I-I'm on a date Sam…" she replied weakly, letting go of Nick's hand and gesturing to him.

"I know and I know this isn't cool, but I needed to tell you. All that stuff about not wanting something serious, I didn't mean it," she held her breath as he spoke, "When you said it was over something inside of me just snapped and I knew, I knew…" His voice trailed off as he thrust the large heavy bouquet into her hands.

Nick's mouth went dry as he watched the scene unfold. The happy daydream of the past few hours came crashing around him as reality broke through the bubble it had created. Who was he kidding, how could he ever be good enough for her. He coughed and said weakly, "Look I'm going to go and let you to talk," he turned to walk away and Jess tugged at his arm.

"No, Nick, wait…" she cried softly. He looked deep into her eyes, drinking them in as though it may be the last time he saw them.

"Seriously Jess, it's fine. I understand," he nodded as he spoke, a side smile tugging at his mouth as he turned and began to race down the stairs.

Outside the soft rain had turned into a shower. His heart was racing and he gulped down cool, damp breaths of air. He was panicking a little. The scene outside the apartment began to swim a little as he placed his head between his legs, allowing the blood to flow back to his brain, the sick feeling subsiding a little. He finally raised his body up and laid his head back upon the cool brick of the apartment, slowing his breathing as he did so.

His face rolled to one side as the feeling of failure entered his mind. Well, 'least you tried, he solaced himself. You tried, he repeated.

Suddenly, his face twisted as the truth dawned on him. No, you didn't try Miller. You wimped out, as usual. Gave up at the first sign of trouble.

But how can I compete? The other side of him replied. There will always be some guy waiting to snatch her away.

But what did he have to lose, really? His pride? He snorted, he'd lost that a long time ago. He realized, all he had to lose was an amazing girl, a fantastic woman who at this moment may be getting back with the handsome, rich doctor who she met at his bar… No, he told himself sternly, this isn't how it ends, it isn't-And without finishing his thought he pushed himself upright and turned for the door.

Her heart dropped as he ran down the stairs, away from her. What, why…She turned to face Sam, his handsome face open and expectant. Her mind went blank. What had just happened? Her mouth tried to form words, tell Sam this wasn't what she wanted. He took her silence as agreement and stepped closer to her, placing his hand on her cheek. She stared up at his blue eyes; handsome, kind, perfectly nice Sam. Sam who wanted her and wasn't afraid to say it. Sam the kind of guy you could build a future with.

His face pulled into a smile, "Oh Jess," he began as he drew his mouth closer to hers.

She quickly shook loose of him and stepped back. "No Sam. This isn't what I want," she said, placing a firm hand on his chest.

"But I thought…"

"No. It's not you, it's me… I mean. I want someone else," she pursed her lips as she awaited his reply.

"That bartender guy?" he'd replied.

"Yes," she retorted, "That bartender guy."

"Really Jess? You sure? We could have a great life together, if you'd let me…" Her mind considered what he said. With Sam, it would be easy. Rich, handsome, successful and she knew he was a decent guy. Life would be easy with him. She could see their future stretched out in front of her like a map – engagement, marriage, kids, retirement to some cute condo... She shook her head.

"No, I mean, I know I would. But I don't love you like that and you deserve real love and so do I."

He silently nodded at her words. "So, do you love him?" he asked. Something inside her clicked at at this questionb. She'd never actually considered this before but without hesitation she replied.

"Yes, yes I do," as the full realization of what she had said dawned on her she looked Sam in the eye and continued, "I'm sorry Sam, I have to- have to go…" her words were drowned out as she made her own race for the stairs

Heart pounding she raced to the lobby, two, three steps at a time. I love him, the voice in her head kept repeating. She reached the glass door to the parking lot and pushed it open, just in time to see him reaching for the door himself.

"Jessica…" he said, staring at her, wide eyed. She saw he was soaked, the soft rain of earlier was turning into a downpour. She continued to breathe heavily. "I was wrong to leave…" he continued.

"I know," she cried, "I shouldn't have let you." She stepped away from the cover of the small porch; the rain began to soak though her hair. Her dress began to stick to her skin. He studied her face as beads of water began to slide down her ivory skin, her eyelashes started to clump together; she didn't care, she kept her gaze upon him.

"Jess, I'm an idiot, I don't want you to be with Sam," he swallowed, inching further to her, "I want you to be with me," he said breathlessly. Her eyes widened, she reached out and clutched the damp material of his shirt that was clinging to his skin. She smiled. What was she thinking? He thought.

"I…I think I'm falling in love with you Nick," she had to raise her voice. The rain had turned into a thunderous downpour, creating a roar as it attacked the cars in the parking lot.

His heart stopped; this-this he hadn't expected. His heart raced. "Really?" he finally asked.

Slowly she nodded. By now her hair was sodden, her bangs slicked to her forehead. He reached forward, pushing the damp tendrils of hair out of her eyes, he smiled. An honest, genuine happy smile.

"Jessica… I think I've loved you since the first time I met you."

Without hesitation, her arms hand flung themselves around his neck, her lips pressed themselves hungrily against his. Passionately, his hands had found her waist. As they kissed he spun her round, her feet kicked up in the air. She felt a little dizzy – she wasn't sure if it was from the kiss or from the spinning. Stopping briefly, he gave her a show stopping smile which made her heart melt, before he dipped her back into a satisfying, delirious kiss.