Chapter 17

Saturday, February 16

3:30 PM

Raven is sitting on the couch in the living room, reading. Logan walks into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When he sees Raven on the couch, he goes over to her.

"Hey Rae," Logan says, sitting on the couch facing her. She nods to him but doesn't look away from her book. "Dick and Kori just left for Gotham to visit Bruce and won't be back til tomorrow afternoon, and Vic is in Steel City with Bee until late tomorrow night or Monday morning."

"I know," Raven says, still not looking up from her book.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something as a couple since they aren't around."

"Like what?"

"Maybe go out on a date? We could go to the movies, or just out to dinner, or a walk in the park." Raven gives a noncommittal shrug. "Or I could give you your birthday present since last Saturday was pretty busy."

"And I still have some lingering pain from it."

"Your shoulders? Your ribs? The burns?"

"Mainly my shoulders if I lift my arms above my head. And occasionally my ribs hurt."

"So does that mean you don't want to do anything tonight?"

"I guess we could do something. Just as long as whatever it is doesn't aggravate my shoulders or ribs."

"It won't. Here's your gift." Logan holds out an envelope. Raven looks over at him and lowers her book.

"What is it?" Logan chuckles and takes her book from her, careful to keep the page marked, and hands her the envelope.

"You kinda have to open it to find out." Raven opens the envelope and pulls out two tickets.

"Two tickets to Jane Eyre: The Musical at the Jump City Performing Arts Center for tonight's show? I thought this show was sold out?"

"It is. Has been for a while."

"How did you get tickets then?"

"I know someone who works there and he was able to get them for me. I've had them since around New Year's."

"They couldn't have been cheap."

"It doesn't matter how much they were. I know it's your favorite musical and it's hardly ever performed here so it was worth it."

"I don't believe it."

"Well believe it. Now the show starts at 7. Why don't we go out to dinner before the show? I know a place close to the Performing Arts Center. It's a small family owned restaurant."

"What is it?"

"It's called Ziano's. It's an Italian place."

"I guess we could do that."

"Great. Why don't we plan on leaving here between 4:30 and 4:45? Then we'll get to Ziano's around 5 and that should give us plenty of time to eat and get to the Arts Center."

"It's 3:30 now. That only gives us an hour to get ready."

"So? It doesn't take long to get ready."

"It takes girls longer to get ready than guys. I need to find something to wear, put on makeup, fix my hair…"

"You know you don't need to put on makeup or fix your hair for me."

"But I need it to go with whatever I wear. Performances at the Arts Center usually call for a more dressed up appearance than jeans and a nice shirt. I need to see if I have a dress I can wear."

"I'm sure you'll find something. Bring along more comfortable clothes too. Like sweats and a t-shirt or sweatshirt."

"Why?"

"For more of your birthday present. I promise you'll like it and it won't bother your injuries."

"Fine. Now I need to go get ready." Raven gets up and walks out of the room to find something to wear. Logan puts Raven's bookmark in her book then sets it on the table next to the couch. He then too walks out of the room. Having already taken a shower, he goes into his room to prepare for that night. He grabs a cordless radio and several blankets. He then goes down to the garage and puts the items in the back of his truck. He then goes back inside and grabs some pillows. He puts these in the back of his truck as well then covers the items with a tarp and bungee cords the tarp so it will not fly off while driving. He then goes back up to his room and puts a pair of sweats, a sweatshirt, and tennis shoes into a bag. After that is finished, he dresses for the night. He puts on black dress pants and a dark green shirt. He puts on a silver tie and a black vest. He puts on his dress shoes, grabs his suit jacket and his bag, and goes downstairs to wait for Raven. Ten minutes later, Raven enters the living room wearing a black full-length v-neck dress. Her hair is pulled up in a braided bun. She is wearing silver earrings and the raven pendant Logan bought her for Christmas. She is carrying silver heels to pair with the dress.

"You look beautiful," Logan says. Raven blushes and looks down. Logan walks over to her and lifts her chin so she is looking at him. "One day, you'll get used to my compliments." He kisses her lightly on the lips. "I like your makeup too. It's pretty subtle."

"Thanks," Raven says. "I don't like to wear a lot of makeup so I usually go for a mostly natural look."

"It looks good. I like that you're wearing the necklace I got you too."

"I thought it would be appropriate to wear."

"We should get going. It's close to 4:45. Do you have your other clothes?"

"Yeah. It's by the door." Raven puts on her shoes then grabs her bag. Logan puts on his jacket and grabs his bag, then they go down to the garage. Logan puts their bags under the tarp in the bed of his truck then they both get into the cab. Logan drives them to Ziano's. When they arrive, Logan parks his truck, gets out, then goes over to Raven's side to help her out. He holds her hand as they walk inside the restaurant. They are seated quickly, and after looking over the menu for several minutes, they place their orders. While waiting on their food, they make small talk.

"So what's all under the tarp in the bed of your truck?" Raven asks.

"You'll find out later," Logan replies. "It's a surprise."

"How did you know that Jane Eyre is my favorite musical? I don't remember ever telling you that."

"I think it was last year. All of us were talking about the school musical after we had gone to see it and then we were talking about our favorite plays and musicals. I remember you saying that Jane Eyre was your favorite one but I don't remember if you said why it's your favorite."

"I don't really know why it's my favorite. Maybe because it was the first one that I've ever seen so it just sticks with me because of that."

"Makes sense. You usually remember your first experience of something new."

"Good or bad. You still remember." Their food arrives and they eat. After they finish and Logan pays, they leave the restaurant and Logan drives to the Performing Arts Center. They walk into the Arts Center and stand behind some other people waiting to get inside. Once they get inside, they find their seats and sit down. Their seats are five rows from the front of the stage and in the middle. The seat levels are tiered so no one will be blocking their view of the show.

"Do you like the seats?" Logan asks Raven.

"These seats are amazing," Raven says. "How much did they cost you? They had to be expensive with how close we are and we are in the middle of the stage so we won't miss anything near the side of the stage."

"It doesn't matter how much the tickets were."

"Logan, tell me."

"Maybe later."

"Logan." The orchestra starts playing.

"Shh. It's starting soon." The lights dim and focus on the stage as the performance begins. During the intermission after the first act, Raven gets up to go to the bathroom and Logan buys them a bottle of water to share. They get back to their seats and the second act starts shortly after. At the end of the performance, everyone stands up to applaud the cast. After the cast takes their bows, Raven and Logan leave and go to Logan's truck. They get inside and Logan starts driving.

"How did you like it?" Logan asks.

"It was great," Raven replies. "Better than I could've imagined. Thank you for taking me."

"Anything for you Rae."

"Will you tell me how much the tickets were now?"

"No."

"When will you tell me?"

"I told you earlier that I might tell you later."

"Later could be now."

"Or it could be later tonight."

Raven huffs. "You're stubborn. Where are we going?"

Logan laughs. "You do realize how stubborn you are right? And we're here." Logan pulls the truck into a parking lot and shifts into park and turns the truck off.

"Your secret spot?"

"This is the parking lot and beach for it, but we're not going up there. I have other plans."

"Like what?"

"I'll show you if you get out of the truck." They both get out and meet around the back of the truck. Logan pulls off the tarp and grabs the radio. He turns it on and tunes into a station with music playing. He then turns to Raven and holds out his hand. "Dance with me?" She takes his hand and he pulls her close. He puts his free hand on her waist while she puts hers on his shoulder. She also leans her head on his shoulder as they dance. They dance to several songs without talking. When the radio goes to a commercial, they step apart.

"Did you really bring me out here just to dance?" Raven asks.

"No," Logan replies. "That wasn't the only reason. Change into your other clothes and I'll show you why I wanted to come out here."

"Where am I supposed to change?"

"You can change in the cab of the truck. I promise not to look."

"Fine. I'll go along with whatever you're planning for now." Raven grabs her bag of clothes and gets into the cab of the truck to change. While she is changing clothes, Logan also changes into his sweatpants and takes off his vest, tie, and dress shirt so he is left in his t-shirt. He puts on his tennis shoes and puts his sweatshirt on the tailgate of the truck. He pulls out the pillows from under the tarp and arranges them in the bed of the truck then covers them with blankets. As he is finishing covering the pillows, Raven steps out of the truck now in sweatpants, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

"Okay, I'm changed," Raven says. "Now will you tell me why I had to change clothes?"

"Because you are probably more comfortable in what you are wearing now instead of the dress," Logan says. "And probably warmer too."

"I am but you probably liked me better wearing the dress."

"I like whatever you wear. You always look beautiful to me. But I'll admit that you looked stunning in the dress."

"Well don't get used to it. Special occasions only."

"I'll just have to find reasons for you to wear a dress then."

"Anyway, what is your plan for coming out here?" Logan climbs into the bed of the truck then turns back to Raven.

"Come up here." Raven climbs into the back of the truck as well and both she and Logan sit on the pillows. "Lay down." Raven does as he says and he lays down next to her. Raven looks over at Logan. "Ever stargaze before?"

"No. I don't know any constellations."

"I'll show you some. I brought us out here because it's easier to see the stars. The lights from the city don't hide the sky out here." Logan points up to the sky. "See that star? The really bright one? That's the North Star. That also marks one end of the Little Dipper. From there, you can move to the Big Dipper. Two of those stars always point toward the North Star." Logan points out several more constellations.

"How do you know all of this?"

"When I lived in Africa, my dad noticed that I would always go outside at night to look at the stars. He talked to one of the other scientists in the group who had a strong interest in astronomy. He gave me a book about all of the constellations. After getting the book, I would always look to see if I could find the constellations. Sometimes my parents would join me and other times it would just be me on my own looking."

"Do you come out here often to look at the stars?"

"No. I've only been out here a few times at night. I'll go up on the roof of the Tower at times though. It's not as good of a view there because the city lights affect it but you can still see some constellations."

"Do you still have the book about the constellations?"

"Not the same one but I do have one about the stars."

"Can I borrow it sometime?"

"Sure." Raven moves closer to Logan, laying her head on his chest and her arm across his stomach. Logan puts his arm around Raven.

"Maybe I can try to find some constellations on my own after reading through the book."

"I can always point out the ones you can't find." They lay there in silence, just looking up at the stars and listening to the radio playing softly. After 30 minutes of silence, Raven moves off Logan so she is looking at him.

"Thank you for bringing me out here," she says. "I enjoyed it. The whole night."

"I know you don't like your birthday, and with good reason," Logan replies. "You've never had a reason to like it. I want to change that. I want to replace all of your bad memories with good ones."

"You're doing a good job so far."

"I'm glad." Logan leans up to kiss her. She returns the kiss and deepens it. When Raven starts to pull back, Logan raises up more to keep contact and rolls them over, switching their positions. After a few more minutes, they break apart, breathing heavily. Raven is laying on her back with Logan next to her with one hand on the other side of her so he is slightly over her. Raven looks up at Logan.

"That was unexpected," Raven says.

"Yeah it was," Logan says. "Were you okay with it? I didn't push too far did I? You know, with rolling us over so I was above you?"

"It startled me at first but I was okay after a little bit. You weren't trapping me so I was fine."

"Okay, good. I was worried I might've taken things too far."

"I will let you know if you go too far."

"I know you will." Logan leans down to kiss her briefly then sits up. "We should start heading back. I would like to stay out here all night, but it's supposed to get colder tonight."

"Maybe another night we can come out here and stay out all night."

"Definitely." They both gather up all of the blankets and pillows and cover them with the tarp again and tie it down. Logan turns off the radio and puts it in the cab of the truck when he gets in. Raven gets into the passenger seat and Logan drives back to the Tower. When they arrive back at the Tower and park in the garage, they get out of the truck and grab their bags, the radio, and the blankets and pillows. They put the blankets in the laundry room and the pillows and radio in a hall closet. They then go up to their rooms to get ready for bed. As Logan is hanging up his suit, he hears a knock on his door.

"You can come in Rae," Logan calls. The door opens and Raven walks inside, already in her pajamas. Logan hangs up his dress shirt then turns to face Raven. "There's no way you got ready for bed before me."

"Looks like I did. I may have skipped doing some things but that's irrelevant."

"What did you not do that I did?"

"My dress may or may not be just laying on my bed instead of hanging in my closet. And my shoes might just be laying somewhere in my room instead of being put away. Basically I just changed into pajamas, removed my makeup and let my hair down. Everything else can be taken care of tomorrow."

"So I take it we're sleeping in here then instead of your room since your stuff is just thrown on your bed?"

"Yes."

"Works for me. I'm going to go get a glass of water first. Do you want anything or are you just going to drink mine if you get thirsty?"

"You can bring me my own glass if you don't want me drinking out of yours."

"I don't mind if you drink out of my glass."

"Then I'll just drink your water if I get thirsty."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Logan leaves the room to get a glass of water. Raven turns on the bedside lamp and gets into his bed and under the blankets. When Logan returns, he closes the door and turns off the overhead light. He puts his water on the nightstand then gets into bed under the blankets next to Raven. He hands his glass to Raven which she takes and takes a drink of water. She hands it back to him and he puts it back on the nightstand. He turns off the lamp then lays down on the bed. Raven cuddles up to him.

"Thanks again for today," Raven says. "It was wonderful."

"I'm glad you liked it," Logan replies. Raven leans up to kiss him.

"Will you tell me now how much you spent on those tickets for the musical?"

Logan sighs. "$150 each."

"Why did you spend that much money for the tickets?"

"Because it's your favorite musical and it was for your birthday and I wanted to make it special."

"You don't have to spend that kind of money on me."

"It was well worth it. It gave you a good memory for your birthday instead of a bad one."

"I feel like you're a better boyfriend than I am a girlfriend."

"Don't feel like that. You're a great girlfriend."

"I don't do anything special for you."

"You don't have to. Just be you."

"I make you keep us a secret. I haven't even let you tell our friends."

"I don't mind. Sure sometimes I wish they knew that way I could act as your boyfriend in public, but it makes these moments in private that much more special. As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"But don't you want more?"

"Good things come to those who wait. Seriously Raven, I'm good with where we're at. I know that eventually we'll tell the others that we are dating and our relationship will become public. I don't want you to think we need to make our relationship public to please me. We will tell the others when you are ready to reveal our relationship. Are you happy with us?"

"Of course I am."

"Then stop worrying that I'm unhappy. I like being able to call you my girlfriend, even if it's only in private. I like spending time with you, both as a friend and girlfriend. I like spoiling you with gifts and other experiences like stargazing tonight. I want us to have more moments like that."

"I want that too. I just worry that eventually you'll realize you could have someone better than me as a girlfriend."

"There's no one better than you Rae."
"You say that now—"

"And I'll keep saying it. I don't think there's anyone better than you Rae." Raven is about to speak again but Logan cuts her off with a kiss. "No more disagreeing. Go to sleep Raven."

Raven sighs. "Good night Logan."

"Night Rae." Raven lays her head on Logan's shoulder and they both fall asleep shortly after.