She's sitting in the passenger seat of his car by ten o'clock, brows raised as she takes in his wicked grin.

"You plan on telling me what we're doing?" she asks. His smile only grows as he shakes his head.

"Well, you wouldn't give me any specifics as to what you wanted to do for your long over-due Kate's Relaxation Day," he says, giving her a pointed look as they come up to a red light. She huffs. "So, I've taken the liberty of doing that for you."

She's silent for a second before it dawns on her. "You have an entire day planned out, don't you?"

"Of course," he says. "Unless you have other plans, obviously, then we can just forget—"

"No," she cuts him off with a hand on his forearm. "No other plans. This is really sweet, Rick."

His face breaks on a wide smile. "Perfect."

"Really, thank you," she says again, softly, eyes still trained on him as he concentrates on the road. "I know it's been... rough, lately, after that—you know, but I could really use this day off."

Bright blue eyes meet hers briefly. "No thank you necessary," he tells her. "That's long forgotten, and you deserve to treat yourself, Kate. You're working your ass off with classes and the coffee shop, it's about time you get a day to yourself." He pauses. "And, well, me."

This man. He's far too good to her, and she's not entirely sure what she's done in this life, or maybe it was a past one, to deserve having someone like him as a friend. Maybe more, too, because as much as she's tried to deny it, she has feelings for him that run far deeper than just friendship.

And she's pretty sure he feels it too.

She laughs. "Even better."

They ride in silence for a while longer, save for when Rick sings wildly along with the radio. She rolls her eyes, laughs and covers her mouth with her hands when he sings Say My Name word for word, loud and proud. She joins in too, unbridled and unashamed for the first time in a while, and finds herself feeling lighter.

When they pull up in front of a fancy restaurant, she looks over at him, some doubt etched into her features.

"Rick, I don't think I'm exactly dressed for this place," she says, gesturing to the sign written in perfect script and then down to her own outfit; a pair of skinny jeans, flats, and a fitted top.

He'd told her to dress comfortable, said nothing about going out to a high end restaurant, and so that leaves her feeling fairly under-dressed.

But he just smiles as he gets out of the car and walks around to her side, opening the door. "This isn't where we're going," he says then, extending a hand for her to take. He bends down, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Though, you'd still be the prettiest one in there."

A blush tinges her cheeks at the compliment as she grabs his hand, clutching her cross body purse to her chest, and lets him tug her from the car. She doesn't say anything in response, doesn't have to, because the crinkles around his eyes at her soft smile lets her know that he gets it.

True to his word, he guides them past the fancy restaurant and into an alleyway, past a few sketchy looking doorways until he leads her into the last one on the left. He must sense her hesitation because he chuckles, turns back to her with a quiet, "it's nice inside, I promise."

She nods, following him inside, and wow—he's not lying.

It's a quaint lunch place, one she's never even heard of, hidden away in the back of an alley canvassed with spray paint and graffiti. There's a decent amount of people inside, and she wonders how they've come to learn of it. She takes a look around, absorbing the modern mixed with chic that fills the space. It's not quite a restaurant, more so like a small cafe, and she already loves the vibe it gives off. There's a nice air of comfort without being too casual, a hint of sophistication without being uptight or smothering.

She fits in wearing her jeans, but she'd fit in wearing leggings or a sundress too, probably.

"This place is..."

"Nice, isn't it?" he beams back at her, beckoning over a man in slacks and a striped button down. "Dave, nice to see you again."

"Same to you, Rick," the man, blonde and probably mid-thirties, says to him, shaking his hand. "Glad to see you back. And who's this lovely lady?"

"I'm Kate," she says politely, shaking his hand next. "Nice to meet you. This place looks amazing."

Dave smiles. "Thank you," he nods. "I hope you enjoy the food, too. Take any seat you want, Rick'll show you what's best I'm sure."

And with a few other pleasantries Dave's gone, disappeared behind a door in the back, and she turns to Rick.

"How do you even know about this place?" she asks. This isn't anywhere near his home in SoHo. It's not that close to her apartment either, but it's closer to hers than it is his and she's never heard of it.

He looks back over his shoulder as he weaves between tables, taking her to a more secluded one near a corner. The lighting is a little dimmer but no less stunning, and there are decorative plants seated where the walls meet. "I met Dave while I was researching hidden gems around the city for an early book." At the questions in her eyes, he continues. "Never made it past the first draft," he explains. "It wasn't much of anything that would sell, but I got a lot out off the process." He gets to the table, pulling out her chair and waits for her to sit. "Like this place."

She nods, taking a seat. "I had no idea this place existed," she admits, grabbing for a menu. "It has an incredible feel to it, though."

"It really does."

Rick takes his own menu and looks through it for a few seconds before setting it back down.

"You already know what you want?" she asks, eyes lifting from the laminated pamphlet in her hands.

"I kind of have a regular," he shrugs. "But you get whatever you want, even if that's everything. Today's all about you."

She snorts. "I'm not ordering the entire menu," she assures him, her gaze traveling back down. "Should I be saving room for some kind of dessert later?"

Rick's eyes widen. "Of course, is that even a question? Dessert is a must on a 'treat yourself' day, Kate. A must."

"My apologies," she laughs, holding up one hand. "Dessert it is."

Kate ends up choosing a wrap that looks simple yet delicious, along with a small salad. She only barely manages to resist the eye roll and stifle the laugh when Rick shoves a few of his french fries in her direction because you can't just have a salad and a wrap to treat yourself.

Halfway through the meal, she looks up at him, chin propped in her open palm.

"So, do I get to see any of these other hidden gems that research of yours found?"

He grins. "All in good time, Kate. All in good time."

They end up at the park next and he disappears for a few minutes, holding up his pointer finger in indication for her to wait. She laughs, taking a seat on one of the benches as she nods. She's digging the toes of her shoes into the dirt below her, scraping against a cluster of rocks when Rick comes back to her with two ice creams in hand. A smile stretches across her face as she takes the chocolate and vanilla twist that he offers her.

Compared to his twist with gummy bears and what looks to be both caramel and hot fudge, hers is relatively tame. But that he knew what she'd want when it comes to ice cream, when he hadn't asked and she hadn't told him her preference before, is sweet.

"Thank you," she grins, wrapping her fingers more securely around the cone. "Perfect for this weather."

Rick nods. "Absolutely," he agrees. "Ice cream is an all-season food though, you know. Summer? Perfect. Spring? Perfect. Winter? Still perfect."

"Of course you'd eat ice cream in the middle of winter."

It's so very him.

He shrugs. "Never the wrong time for ice cream, Kate."

She watches as he eats his, cocking his head to the side, his tongue jetting out to lick at the melting ice cream as it trickles down the side of his cone. When he brings his head right side up again, he has spots of vanilla on his nose and his upper lip and she chuckles, shaking her head.

"You've got a little..." She reaches out, wiping the ice cream off of his face with her finger. His eyes meet hers as she does, soft and expressive, and she has to dip her head. "All good."

"Thanks," he manages, clearing his throat. "Shall we?" He nods towards one of the paths and she follows suit, falling into step with him as they finish off their snacks.

The park is beautiful this time of the year. The blades of the grass stand tall and there are bright green leaves with hints of other colors weaved between the veins scattered across the ground. There's a nice breeze that keeps the air from becoming to stifling, too humid, and it makes it the perfect temperature for this kind of stroll.

She orients herself towards him as they continue through, eventually tossing out the melted remnants of their ice cream.

"I know you probably had something more exciting in mind, but I thought this would be nice, calm," he says, breaking the comfortable silence that's fallen over the two of them.

"No," she says. Calm is what she needs, what she loves so much but rarely has the pleasure of getting between class and work. Add in the club, back when she worked, and it was almost impossible for calm. But his kind of calm, walking through a park with someone she trusts completely, just enjoying each other's company without any expectations, is good. It's welcomed, it's... "Perfect."

He grins then, his face glowing with joy, and he brings his hand down to grab hers, twining their fingers together.

By the time dinner rolls around, both of their stomachs are rumbling in protest. She doesn't expect him to take her to a high scale place, no. She honestly didn't really know what to expect, but it most certainly wasn't this.

Standing in front of Sky Zone, she turns to him, a look of both curiosity and wonder on her face.

"Come on," he beams, opening the door and ushering her into the building.

It's practically empty, aside from a few other adults that she assumes are actually working, and she's not really sure how a place like this would be vacant. Unless—

"Did you buy this place out?"

His expression is answer enough, but he does nod. "I might have called in a favor," he shrugs.

"Rick," she whispers, then lets out a small laugh. "That's—this is—wow."

A trampoline park. He's taken her to an indoor trampoline park. And he hasn't just taken her to an indoor trampoline park, he's taken her and made it so they'd be the only two here.

It's incredible. Trampolines lining the walls, the floors, everywhere, only separated by thin lines of material to section off the smaller trampolines. She can't even remember the last time she's been on one of these, because there's not much room for one in New York. Not when you don't have a real backyard, one big enough for something like this.

"That's a good wow I hope?"

She turns to him, all teeth and smiles. "A good wow," she nods. "Definitely a good wow."

"Oh, good," he breathes. "Now, the important question." She looks at him expectantly. "Food first or jump first?"

A loud laugh bubbles out of her, and she mentally chastises herself for thinking the important question would be anything but something like this.

"Do we want to jump around after we've eaten?" she asks, and there's a brief pause before they both shake their heads and reply at the same time. "Jump first."

They put their stuff down at one of the tables off to the side, toe off their shoes and slide them under the accompanying bench, and make their way over to the trampolines. The first one she steps on is lying flat against the floor, not angled diagonally against a wall, and she does a test jump, pure childhood excitement taking over.

She doesn't look back until she's hopped across three different trampolines, her tongue stuck between her teeth as she glances over at Rick, who's making his way in a circle—or square, really, with the layout of the rectangle trampolines—around her.

"Got any fancy tricks?" he asks as he approaches, a glint in his eyes.

She has a feeling he's about to try one, whether it works out or not.

Her shoulders lift. "Maybe one or two."

It's possible that her few years of gymnastics as a small child will help her out here. It's also entirely possible that she's retained nothing and anything she tries to do will end miserably and with her flat on her back.

Worth the risk, she figures.

"Alright then," he says, a brow raising as he gestures around them. "Care to demonstrate?"

She shakes her head with a small chuckle. "Oh no. You first. Definitely you first."

"Who's to say I have any tricks at all?" He says it seriously, but the tug of his lips keys her into the joke.

"Oh, please."

Grinning, he laughs. "You got me." He takes a few steps away from her, bouncing on the balls of his feet over to a larger area. "Now don't try this at home, kids. You could injure yourselves."

She looks around, crossing an arm over her chest as she tries to stifle her laughter. It's literally only her. She's the only one here, but he's still putting on a show. Typical.

Truthfully, she enjoys it. But she won't tell him that, no, won't let him get that satisfaction. Maybe eventually.

He takes a running start and tries to do a cartwheel across the trampoline, but his hand gets caught in the divider and thwarts his success. Without that he would've had a pretty nice landing, though, she has to give it to him. Lifting his head, he gives her a look and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep a straight face.

"That doesn't count," he says, standing again.

She shakes her head. "Of course not."

With a nudge to her shoulder, he walks by again and tries it once more, this time making sure to avoid the dividing material. He sticks the landing, and while not totally straight, his cartwheel is a success. A lot better than she was expecting.

She's clapping when he comes back towards her, and he crosses an arm in front of his chest, bows. "Thank you, thank you."

"Not bad, Rick," she acknowledges with a smile. "Looks like you're not all rickety bones after all."

He gapes. "I'm not that old," he protests.

Kate laughs, rubbing a hand over his shoulder. "You're young, so young," she soothes, a teasing sparkle in her eyes.

He's not old, not even remotely, but teasing him about it is far too much fun to pass up.

"Okay then, let's see your tricks now," he challenges, taking a step back.

She raises a brow, gives a smug smile as she nods, accepting the challenge. "Stand back, kids, don't try this at home," she mimics his earlier sentiments, gaining a huff and grin from him.

She does a test bounce on the trampoline before heading over to the larger patch of area just to her left. It's been a while since she's done any kind of gymnastics, anything other than the occasional cartwheel in the grass before everything took a downward twist, but the adrenaline of trying again brings her up.

Starting off a bit slower, she decides to just do a front flip. Hard to mess up, and it'll be a nice way to gage where her skillsets still lie, tell her what she can and can't do anymore. She jumps once, twice, and then curls her head into her chest, legs together as she flips in the air once and lands back on her feet. There's a stupid grin on her face when she turns back and sees him smiling at her too.

"Not bad, not bad," he downplays, but the spark in his eyes tells her that he loved it anyway.

She laughs. "Yeah, well, it's been a while."

"No, no, that was great," he says then, losing the facade. "You know anything else?"

Shrugging a shoulder, she bites her bottom lip. "A few things, but I'm not sure how well a lot would work," she explains. "I used to be able to do aerials, but after I quit gymnastics and had my growth spurt... probably not. A back walkover and back flip, maybe."

A front flip worked fine, she assumes she'd still be able to get a back flip too, then.

His gaze finds hers, brows shooting up. "Oooh, let's try! Please, Kate."

"Back flip," she compromises. "I don't feel like bending all over right now."

"Deal," he grins.

Looking over her shoulder at him once more, she shakes her head with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, takes another small test jump and a deep breath before taking off. She runs a few feet before she stops, jumps, and tucks herself into a back flip like she used to do all those years ago. The landing is a bit shaky, not as graceful as the front flip's had been, but she lands it regardless.

"You still got it," Rick says, behind her now, a hand on her arm.

She huffs a laugh, joy radiating from her body in a way she hasn't felt in a long time as she takes an exaggerated bow, much like he had ten minutes earlier. He runs at her then, trying to tackle her to the trampoline before she manages to dodge his arms.

They jump for another half hour, until they're both too tired to continue and too hungry to wait much longer.

When he offers his hand to help her from the edge of the trampoline, fingers brushing the soft skin between her thumb and pointer finger, she give him a smile and lets him lead her over to the food court.

The day ends at his loft, the two of them settled onto the couch with a glass of wine and her legs tucked beneath her body.

"Today was really... great," she says, breaking the silence to look at him. "Thank you, Rick. It was—I think this was exactly what I needed."

He beams. "I'm thrilled you've enjoyed your day so far, but it's not over."

Her brows furrow, eyes narrowing in confusion as she re-positions herself. "What are you talking about?" she asks with a small chuckle. "We're sitting in your living room with an old movie, popcorn, and two glasses of wine. What else could there possibly be?"

But he doesn't answer, just stands from his spot beside her and gestures for her to follow suit. And so she does, uncurls her legs and stands, following him with question after question popping into her head as he leads her through the living room. When they enter the office she thinks this is where they'll stop, that maybe it has something to do with his books that'll end the night, but then he keeps going, trailing through the study and into his bedroom.

She halts at the door, hesitant, because this isn't exactly what she had in mind, isn't what she thought he'd just jump right into to let the day end with a bang—no pun intended.

But then he's turning, watching her as she stands in his doorway, wine in hand, and he just smiles.

"Come on," he encourages, beckoning her into the room and to her surprise, into his bathroom. What? "Mind out of the gutter, Kate," he teases.

She rolls her eyes, a slight pang of disappointment settling in her stomach that she won't acknowledge right now, and trails behind. Her mouth drops open when she finally realizes what he's done, why he's brought her into the bathroom, and what he had planned to end her relaxation day.

The bathtub—the gigantic, beautiful bathtub—is filled with hot water and bubbles, a small table set up beside it with a stack of books and even a brand new, unopened bottle of the same wine she's drinking right now.

She's in awe.

"This is—Rick," she breathes. "When did you do this?"

"While you were upstairs," he says, a proud grin on his face.

"Wow. This is so nice, but it's—it's too much, I couldn't..."

He shakes his head. "Nonsense," he waves her off. "You can, and you will. What's more relaxing than a glass of wine, you asked?" His hands gesture around him, to the tub and its contents beside it. "Wine while in a nice, warm bubble bath. Because I can tell you're a bubble bath person, I know you're a wine person, and, well, I may have picked out a few books I thought you might enjoy while you relax."

"I see Storm Season peeking out in the middle," she jests.

"Only the best, Kate," he says seriously, eyes twinkling, and she wants to kiss the beginning of that smile right off his face. "Now, finish off your day the way you deserve."

"What about you?" she asks as he's walking back out.

"Is that an invitation?"

She huffs. "No," she tells him. "But am I just supposed to soak in your bathtub while you sit in the living room by yourself?"

"Sure, why not? And when you're done, we'll watch another movie or something if you're not too relaxed," he says easily, and she wonders how he does this, knows exactly what to do and what to say that makes something not so weird anymore.

She doesn't deserve him, but she's sure as hell glad she has him.

"Okay," she agrees then. "After."

"After," he nods.

Watching him leave, she purses her lips into a tight line. "Rick," she calls out, and his stride slows.

He turns back, a soft smile on his face as he regards her. "Yeah?"

She takes a deep breath before making her way over to him, stopping only when she's a few inches away. One hand finds purchase on his cheek, the other on his shoulder, and she lifts onto her tip toes to slant her mouth over his. It's soft, sweet, but it has the hairs on her arm standing on end, goosebumps following in their wake, breaking across her skin. When she pulls away, she hovers with her forehead dipped, her teeth digging into her lip.

"Thank you," she whispers, stealing a glance just in time to see his eyes sparkling, his mouth parted in awe.

She swivels on her heel and heads back to the bathroom, just barely registering the quiet, surprised "you're welcome" coming from behind her.

It'd be a lie to say she hasn't thought about doing that before, but it was better than she could've hoped for. She can only imagine how a real kiss will be. Will, not would, because she knows that wasn't just a one time thing; it can't be.

Her fingers tap lightly over her lips, a blush creeping across her cheeks as she moves to get undressed. It doesn't hit her until she's stripped and stepping into the tub that she doesn't have any clothes to change into, but then she notices a small stack of sweats and t-shirts on the counter. They're his, of course, over-sized and looking extremely comfortable.

He's thought of everything, it seems.

Fully submerged in the hot water, bubbles lapping at her collar bones, she grabs the glass of wine and opens one of his books—though if he asks, she'll tell him she read Stephen King—as she lets herself sink deeper into the tub.

The idea of today was to help her relax, and relaxed she is.

It's been a while, I know. Sorry for the long waits between chapters, but thank you all for sticking with me while I work through this one. And to those wondering, don't worry, this will be finished—it may be taking longer than I'd like, but I have no intentions of abandoning it!