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(7:45)



The ride to San Fransisco had been uneventful. The conversation was small, the music flowing through the car, the silence comfortable.

Trent pulled the car into the parking lot of the restaurant, which was a large, antique-looking brick building with potted plants and accenting lights and the entrance were large French doors with gold hinges. The building was two stories, with several windows lining the upper story, with window boxes filled with bright flowers spilling over. Above every upper window was an onning in green and white stripes.

Lauren got out of the car, wrapped her coat around her in the frosty air, and listened as Trent closed and locked the doors and then he was beside her, taking her hand. She smiled up at him.

"Did I tell you you look nice tonight?" He asked as they walked toward the building.

Her smile widened. "Yes, but you can say it as many times as you'd like."

Grinning at her, he opened the door for her and placed his hand on the small of her back... almost possessively. He helped her out of her coat, and it didn't miss his eye the men that turned their heads and women who scowled at their partners to look at his date.

Trent beamed as he led them to a tall, handsome black man in a nice black suit behind a lage, marble counter. "Hey, Trent. Are you on the list?"

"Hey Josh." Trent nodded at him.



"Well, it wouldn't matter if you were or not." Josh laughed, then led them to their table, which was on the second floor near a large window. The entire place was packed with nicely attired people, but it was quiet with nice music flowing.

After they were seated, Lauren smiled at Trent then propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Come here much?"

Trent smiled back. "Once in a while."

Lauren sat up straight, her tapered fingernails picking at the blue and white linen. She was thinking about something to say, but with the way Trent was staring at her in a way she doubted even he knew he was doing, she was speechless. A waiter came and saved her.

"Hello, welcome to the Waterfront. My name is Chessie and I'll be serving you this evening." She handed them two leather-bound menus with the name of the restaurant scrawled in gold across the front. "I'll be with you in a moment."

Chessie moved away and they both opened their menus. "I hope you like Italian food... I forgot to ask."

Lauren looked up at him, blue eyes meeting striking silver. She gave a bright smile, trying to keep her breath from catching in her throat. "It's my favorite, honestly."

Trent nodded then looked out the window. "That looks really neat."

Lauren looked out the large window and saw the neat lines of buildings and the city lights of San Fransisco and then, just a little far off, Golden Gate Bridge. "It is, very beautiful." She said almost breathlessy. The moon was reflecting on the ocean, making waves and ripples visible even from where they were. Moonlight washed the mountains and the bridge, and Lauren could have sworn she'd never seen the moon so close to the earth.

"Very beautiful." Trent repeated, and Lauren felt his eyes on her. She felt like a naïve teenager again... and decided she liked the feeling.

A while later, they ordered, and they sat in a shroud of silence. "I feel like a hormonal eighteen-year-old all over again." Trent laughed, running his hand through his crazy black hair.

Lauren let out a half giggle half breath of air and blushed. "Yes, I know what you mean."

Trent touched her hand, which was lying on the table, and then grabbed it and turned it over so he could see the bracelet. "This is really pretty."

"Thanks, I saw it one day when I was out with Felice and I just had to have it."

'I would buy things like this for you all the time if...' Trent wanted to bash his head in for his thoughts. "I can see why." He placed her hand back down, but instead of letting go, just rested his hand on top of hers. He studied her face in the light of the candles on the table and dimly lit chandelier overhead, watched her slow, almost... sensual smile slide over her face. He suddenly wished he was eighteen again, maybe it wouldn't be so hard for him to understand why he didn't want to want her as much as he did. Maybe he wouldn't feel that twinge of guilt every time he thought about her... and that twinge was getting annoying because it happened a hell of a lot.

He also wished he was eighteen again for a lot of reasons... but then again, what if he had met Lanie first again? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he banished them to the back of his mind. "Do you miss Louisiana?" He said out of nowhere.

Lauren's face dropped a little, and if he hadn't been staring at her it wouldn't have been noticable because she lit back up right away. "No, not really. I love California because I don't have people hounding me every day about my father or my parents' relationship. You know how people are... my parents were celebrities basically in town because of their infamous fights, and our neighbors would gossip... Plus, him being senator and everything..." Lauren shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly. "And the weather is a lot nicer in California, too. Baton Rouge was so humid, but it was lovely."

Trent nodded. "Your parents - Meredith and Jake, right? - don't divorce or anything?" He questioned.



"Oh," Lauren let out a small laugh. "No... no, because it was cause this scandal or something terrible. My mother calls just about every month to tell me she's ready to leave my father or something but it never happens." She shook her head, waving her other hand as if to clear the air of her thoughts.

"My parents fought sometimes, too, but they were really great." Trent surprised himself by bringing them up. He hadn't talked about them since they died. "I really miss them."

"What were their names?"

"My dad's name was Andrew, everyone called him Drew... my mother, Alex, called him Nancy Drew," he said with a slight, sad smile, but not breaking eye contact like he usually did when he got uncomfortable or nervous. Instead he just shifted in his seat, tightening his grip on her hand, though he didn't realize it. He caught Lauren's questioning look and explained, "See, one night, she caught my dad in my sister's room and he was sitting there reading Nancy Drew. It just kind of stuck."

Lauren smiled. "That really is neat. My parents were never like that."

"They used to dance, too. I remember. I would peer around the wall and watch them dance. Sometimes in the living room, other times in the kitchen. It was just fun times until they died."

Lauren's smile faltered, and she decided he didn't want to hear any sympathy words, and the arrival of two waiters carrying platters with their food saved her yet again.

A large porcelein plate with ravioli and red sauce was placed in front of Lauren, along with a huge cup of mocha cappuccino and an empty wine glass. A plate of fettuccine alfredo with chicken and broccoli was placed in front of Trent, and an empty wine glass. Chessie opened the wine bottle Trent had ordered and poured it into Trent's glass until it was half full. Trent thanked her.

"Would you like some, miss?"

"Yes, thank you." Lauren watched the rich, blood red wine fill her glass and smiled at Chessie when she was done.

Lauren took a sip of her wine. "This is really good." She took another sip.

Trent picked his own glass up and took a sip. His eyebrows rose and he looked at her. "A toast, my lady." He admired her smile. "To good wine and..."

"Good... relationships." Lauren laughed.

Together, they laughed and clinked their glasses together.

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