Calvin finished his shower and was walking around the set with his hands
holding the towel around his neck. His hair was still wet, but he didn't
care. He had so much on his mind. He knew what Shane was talking about
earlier, about him changing when she showed up. At first he didn't get it,
but when he was getting some different clothes out of his bag it came to
him, literally. As he pulled out another undershirt a picture of Britney
fell to the floor. That's when he realized that from the second he heard
Mandy's voice, he had completely forgotten her. All he knew was Mandy
Moore, and that he wanted to learn every single curve of her face. Her
eyes, green like his, but different, hers shifted while his remained the
constant green he knew all too well.
Britney didn't like his eyes when he looked at her. He would try to show
her all the emotion he could in his eyes, but all it did was make her
upset. She said she didn't like how green they were, that they seemed,
unreal. He never understood, they were as real as him, a part of him, and
the first thing Mandy did was meet his eyes with hers.
He was just walking along, past the crews getting set up for the film, past
the hustle and bustle of this business. To him, this one or the next, it
was all the same, publicity and fame. Those were two things he didn't
want. He loved playing the guitar, and loved music in general all the
more, but he never wanted to be the one everyone looked at. That was one
of the hardest things with Britney, when she would pull him to the front of
the stage, the last place he wanted to be. It wasn't that he had stage
fright, nothing could stop him from playing, it was all the attention. He
knew some people liked that type of thing, people just fawning over them,
but he wasn't one of those people. He could play and he liked to play,
that was all he really cared about, or at least, most of the time.
As he was walking along aimlessly, he heard someone call him from behind.
He knew right off who it was, Mandy. He stopped and turned around putting
his hands into the pockets of his sport pants. She came jogging up quickly
and kinda bumped him with her shoulder.
"Hey, where you headed?" She asked.
"No where."
"Sounds fun, can I come?"
"If you'd like."
"Great."
The walked in silence for awhile, both think of only one thing, each other.
All Mandy could get past was how she almost ran up and put her arms around
his neck, but stopped herself last minute and nudged him. Calvin in mental
shock that she had touched him. They kept walking and glancing at each
other back and forth before the other one could see they were looking.
They started slowly getting towards the point closest to a fork in the
road, one towards her trailer, and the other towards Shane's, and neither
of them had said a thing.
Finally Mandy broke the silence, "So, are you going to dinner with everyone
at 7?"
"I don't think I will, I'm still kinda new around here, I want to get a
feel for the place before I venture off."
"Oh," Mandy said, kind of disappointed.
"Are you?"
"I thought about it, I usually go, why?"
"Uh, well, I was just gonna make some food in Shane's trailer, since I know
he's going, then I thought, if you weren't going, that maybe you could join
me. Nothing big, just food, but I thought maybe.." He trailed off, he was
always self-conscious of his rambling and tended to think he made a fool of
himself. He was rubbing the back of his neck wondering where he got that
sudden bit of bravery when she spoke.
"I'd love to. I was actually getting tired of the big group dinners.
There's only one place in Wilmington big enough to take us all, and it was
getting old eating the same things. What time should I come by?" Mandy
said all this very excited. She didn't know what it was, she'd been
thinking about him ever since she heard him play, then there was the almost
hugging him incident.
"Ummm, well it's six now," he said looking at his watch, "I can head over
there now and get everything going and you could head over say..seven-
fifteen, right after everyone leaves?"
"Sounds like a plan." All she could do was work to calculate how much time
it was gonna take her to get ready, which didn't take long, even with her
poor math skills.
"Great, well, I'll go and get at that."
"Okay, see you then." She strolled off to her trailer trying not to seem
like she was in a hurry and praying for 7:15 to come around quicker.
"So..Mandy's coming over, huh?" Shane began to question his buddy as soon as he saw him getting ready. "How could you know?" Cal said and stopped straightening his shirt. "Because you've tried on three shirts and my little kitchenette looks like your making a five course meal." Shane laughed. He laid back on his couch and watched Calvin fiddle with his red button up shirt and black slacks. Shane picked up a nerf ball from the table and started tossing it back and forth between his hands. "Well, your right, about the shirt that is, but not about the food. I would have done that anyway, even if she wasn't coming over for dinner. It's only pasta." Calvin retorted in a tone that said, 'you think you know everything.' "Oh, so this isn't a 'date' thing?" Shane stopped throwing the ball to make floating quotes with his hands as he said date and then went back to throwing the ball. "No it's not a date thing, it's food." He said sounding calm, like he was trying to convince himself more then Shane. "Food?" Shane gave Cal a sideways glance. "Man, 'pasta' isn't just food, it's date food." "No it's food. People have to eat right? Especially beautiful, funny singers who send me weak in the knees." Once again mumbling more to himself then Shane. "Well gee man, if I'd known you were cooking for me, I wouldn't have told them I was coming to dinner at the group thing." Trying to crack a joke to ease the mood. He knew Calvin was nervous, he wanted things to go well just as much as Cal did. "Oh very funny, thanks a lot buddy." Looking at Shane, thoroughly brought out of his nervous babble. "Anytime Cal, but you better not be up to late tonight, I've got a scene bright and early and I don't think you'll want to miss it." "What's so special about it?" He said a little angrily because he felt Shane was patronizing him. "Mandy's in it." "Oh.a.." "Yeah, that's what I thought." Shane said throwing the ball he'd been tossing back and forth at Calvin and hitting him in the stomach. "Well hey, it's seven, I better go so you can hurry with your finally touches you perfectionist. I'll be back around midnight, I think I'm gonna go to a bar or something, who knows. And by the way," he continued as he started to get up to leave, "there's a bottle of Merlot in the top cabinet if you want to serve that, I got it awhile ago, but I'm not a wine guy, a beer will suit me just fine." "Thanks man, but why are you helping me pull out all the stops if your just going to tease me about it later?" Calvin said jokingly. "Hey, I'm not the one that's in love with her." Shane said as he left the trailer and walked off. Calvin didn't get a chance to say anything back, so he pushed the thought aside and set up the table. He went back to checking to make sure everything was ready when he heard her knock. "Calvin?" He hurried to the door and opened it to let her in. As soon as he saw her he was taken aback. She was beautiful. He thought that every day, but to see her actually there, particularly dressed up to eat with him was enough to shut him up. She wore a red dress, not big and flashy, simple and neat, and her hair was down in waves of brown that framed her face. She looked at him first with a nervous grin and then smiled at the definitely good reaction. He stood there in shock over her until she jolted him back by saying, "What? Cat got your tongue?" He blinked his eyes and shifted back into reality. "Uh, sorry, no, I'm a, I'm fine, it's just...wow." "Well, I'll take that as a complement. Now are you gonna keep me out her all night or." "Uh, no , sorry, again, please come in, have a seat." He moved out of the way of the entrance and pulled out a chair for her at the table set for two. Mandy took her seat with a little smile knowing how nervous he was. "What smells so good?" She asked, half talking about the food, and half about his cologne. "Well," walking over to the kitchenette to set it all on plates and bring it to the table, "tonight we will be having fettuccini alfredo." He set down the plate in front of her and set down another in front of his vacant seat. "What would you like to drink, I have a Merlot, and if you don't want any wine, I made some ice tea, then of course there's Dr. Pepper, coke, vanilla coke, there might be some juice.." He had his head in the little refrigerator spying around for beverages when he heard her laugh. He stopped realizing that he was at it again. "Sorry, I'm rambling again, it's a bad habit, especially when I'm nervous, either I completely shut up or I go on and on and yeah I'm doing it again." He said as he got up looking at her smiling face as she let out a small giggle. A bit embarrassed, he looked down at his feet, hands on his hips, and tried to get back his composure. Why does she do this to me? To be truthfully Calvin never really had problems with being nervous. He wasn't a big flirt so when girls come on to him, he didn't usually notice. He didn't think Mandy was interested in him, he was still in surprised that she was actually here to have dinner with him. He didn't know if he loved her, he barely knew her, but he did find himself being even more self- conscious about his appearance and mannerisms around her. The last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression. She interrupted his thought, "Don't worry so much, I think your rambling is cute." This thoroughly making him blush. "I've never really been a big drinker, but considering it is a special occasion, I think I'll have a glass of the Merlot." He lifted his head to look at her and she could see the red on his face, but it faded, leaving only his smile. All Mandy could think was, wow, I could really get use to that smile quick. "Okay, well, I'll get that then." He brought to wine glasses to the table and began uncorking the bottle. He poured his glass first like a gentlemen so that if any cork fell into the wine, it would float and end up in his glass. He poured hers, and set the bottle down on the counter. As he took his seat across from her, Mandy picked up her glass and said, "A toast, to knew friends, and great smiles." Did I just say that?!?, she thought. He smiled, again blushing, and lifted his glass to clink with hers. They took their cloth napkins and set them upon their laps. Mandy looked at the dinner and asked, "Did you make this?" "Yes." "Well aren't you the master chef," she said teasingly. He laughed, "Well, you might say that, I've been cooking since I was about eight, but big dinners like these didn't come until I was about nine or ten." "Wow, you started young." He laughed again, "My Granda, the Irishmen that he is, tends to be a very boisterous eater. Which works out well for my Granma because she's a great cook. I used to spend a lot of my summer with them, so when I started to get old enough, she taught me the tricks of the trade. Since I was ten I could make the best steak in the family, and not to be a brag, but that's saying something, especially with the fever that my family cooks with. I would have made steaks, but that's a little heavy and I read once that you weren't a big meat eater, not that your a vegetarian, you just don't eat a lot of meat.." Calvin quieted down, realizing that he had been going on for some time now. Mandy laughed and smiled again, making him smile. "I think it's wonderful," she began, "I would love to be able to cook like this, but I've just never really had the knack." "Well I could teach you some time, not everything, but I could teach you some basic things, how to make your favorite food?" "My favorite food wouldn't be too hard," she laughed, "considering that it's ice cream, but maybe you could teach me something more exuberant." "Anything," he glanced at her, "I'll teach you to make anything your heart desires." They ate their dinner and talked about everything. Calvin became more capable, though he was still nervous, and managed to keep cool. Mandy felt so comfortable around him. She wasn't worried about whether or not he liked her, that was obvious, but she was questioning whether or not their dinner would be considered a date? She remembered calling it special, and to her mind, it seemed like a date enough, but she didn't know what he thought of it. They had finished eating and were just laughing over a funny story Cal had just told Mandy about Shane, one in where he tried to play his guitar with cheese once because he was so drunk. "I was always the designated driver because I'm underage, and, I'm not much of a drinker either. You'd think I would be with the curse of the Irish and all, but I'm not. So after a while of being around him and the guys when they're acting stupid, I started bringing a camera and taking pictures of them. The next morning, when he looked at his guitar strings, we thought he was going to cry or something, he had to replace all of them." Mandy laughed hysterically and then noticed something she never had before, "We match." "What?" Calvin asked, confused. "Your shirt and my dress, they're both red, we match." "Yeah, your right, well, you know what they say, great minds think alike." "Are you saying I have a great mind?" Mandy asked trying to get him to blush again, she thought it was adorable. "You have a great everything," Calvin said, without a stutter, but looked right into her eyes. Noticing how serious the mood had gotten all of a sudden, he decided to lighten it. "I'm a different story though." "Care to share?" She asked with a playful tone, she wasn't giving up that easily. "Well, since I feel like I can tell you anything, why not," he began, taking a sip of his still full wine glass, "what do you see when you look around LA and Hollywood?" Mandy had a confused look on her face. Calvin tried to explain. "When I look around, I see so many people who may or may not have talent, but all of them trying to find a way into the spotlight, to be the center of attention, all eyes on them. Then there is someone like you who is unbelievably talented," now Mandy started to blush, "and has been fortunate enough to find their way into the spotlight. But me? I'm just the guy in the background playing the guitar that no one sees." He didn't know if he was doing a good job of explaining, but he waited to see what she'd say. "So what, are you saying that you want to be in the spotlight but just can't seem to get there?" She was trying to understand, but she didn't get how someone as talented as he was not being able to get a deal with some band. He put both of his hands on the table lightly, palms down, as he began, "See, that's not it at all, I have been offered opportunities to be a major player in a band, hell, even Shane and the guys have asked me to join Jonny Was. , but that's not what I'm looking for. I love my job, I love being able to be apart of the music, because I love it so much, I get to 'do what I do best' as people have told me. But it was never about that. I just like being able to play, not having to worry about publicity or the public eye. I can do what I love, and no one has to know it's me. The only way you can see me, is if your right there next to me. I'm happy only being known about by the people I care about most. If that makes any sense." "It makes perfect sense, you care about the music, not the fame. I'm the same way, I love the music, but I part of me does like the attention too." Mandy said and then reached across the table and laid her hands on top of his and rubbed them with her thumbs. She had wanted to find some way to touch him all night, to maybe make it seem more like a date, to know if he thought it was a date. Calvin forgot everything, right then, all he could think about was her hand was touching his, he stared at there hands completely enraptured. All he knew was the rhythmic movement of her thumb across his skin, it being much more constant then his heart, which was beating like a race horse. He lifted his hand so that his finger met her and they became entwined. Her skin was so soft against his, he knew he would never forget that feeling, of her hand in his. He was looking at there hands still, wondering what was going through her mind. What did she think about him, about this night, about him holding her hands. She watched him, relishing the feeling of his hand. He wouldn't look at her, he just looked at their hands. She already felt so comfortable with him, and holding his hands just felt right. She only wished that he'd look at her, to try and figure everything out. Calvin took a deep breath, and lifted his head to look directly in her eyes. He knew he could regret saying what he wanted to say, but it just felt right. All he wanted to do was tell her. He knew it was abrupt, he'd only just met her that morning, but he wanted to get to know her more and more. All he could think about was the things she did to him, though they made him nuts, he loved it, all of it. Finally he spoke, "I just want you to know, and it may sound strange, but I have to say it." She shook her head and said, "Okay." He licked his lips and said, "I'm crazy about you." At first she was stunned, but only for a second, she was still holding his hands. Not that he wouldn't let them go, but she wouldn't. Then he continued on. "I mean, I know, we only just met this morning, I know we don't really know that much about each other, but what I'm trying to say is, I want to know more about you. Am I making any sense?" She nodded, 'yes.' Mandy couldn't say anything. She didn't know what to say, here was this guy, a complete gentlemen, good-looking, talented, and sincere, extremely sincere about most anything he talked about. When he said things, it was for a reason, because either they were important to whoever he was talking to, or they were important to him. She knew he was right, they had just met, but she kept having to tell herself that she shouldn't be wanting him to kiss her. She shouldn't be wanting him to hold her, they had just met, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know him too. "Please say something?" He said nervously, they had been quiet for along time now. She kept looking at him then swallowed hard, willing herself to speak. "I..I want to get to know you too," were the words that came out of her mouth. The biggest smile possible came on his face. He squeezed her hand gently and said, "Thank you." "I do have one question though," finally getting around to the big question on her mind. "What is it?" Calvin asked, a bit worried. "Would this count as our first date?" Mandy struggled to say it, but when it was out, it felt easier. "Well, a... I would hope that..it would, just the thought of actually being on a date with you is practically inconceivable, but then again, yesterday it was inconceivable that I'd even meet you so...do you think it's a date?" He looked at her, still worried. "I would have to say it is, and just so you know, I've had a great time." She smiled at him to ease his mind. He still couldn't believe how she always seemed to know how to make him all better, like she was reading his mind. He smiled at the thought, our first date, and you know, when you label it as a first, that implies that there'll be a second! "Well it's getting late, maybe I should walk you back to your trailer?" He asked, not wanting her to leave, but knowing it was time. "Okay," Mandy said half heartedly. She didn't want to go, but she knew he was right. He held the door open for her as she left the trailer, and followed her out. They walked in silence once again, but this time it was different, this time they were holding hands. When they got to her door, he gave her hand a squeeze and then let go. "Good night Mandy," he said with stars in his eyes. "Good night Calvin, I had a wonderful time." He waited outside until she was inside and locked her door. He headed back to Shane's trailer knowing that he better get some sleep if he was going to get up early. There was no way he was going to miss Mandy's scene in the morning.
"So..Mandy's coming over, huh?" Shane began to question his buddy as soon as he saw him getting ready. "How could you know?" Cal said and stopped straightening his shirt. "Because you've tried on three shirts and my little kitchenette looks like your making a five course meal." Shane laughed. He laid back on his couch and watched Calvin fiddle with his red button up shirt and black slacks. Shane picked up a nerf ball from the table and started tossing it back and forth between his hands. "Well, your right, about the shirt that is, but not about the food. I would have done that anyway, even if she wasn't coming over for dinner. It's only pasta." Calvin retorted in a tone that said, 'you think you know everything.' "Oh, so this isn't a 'date' thing?" Shane stopped throwing the ball to make floating quotes with his hands as he said date and then went back to throwing the ball. "No it's not a date thing, it's food." He said sounding calm, like he was trying to convince himself more then Shane. "Food?" Shane gave Cal a sideways glance. "Man, 'pasta' isn't just food, it's date food." "No it's food. People have to eat right? Especially beautiful, funny singers who send me weak in the knees." Once again mumbling more to himself then Shane. "Well gee man, if I'd known you were cooking for me, I wouldn't have told them I was coming to dinner at the group thing." Trying to crack a joke to ease the mood. He knew Calvin was nervous, he wanted things to go well just as much as Cal did. "Oh very funny, thanks a lot buddy." Looking at Shane, thoroughly brought out of his nervous babble. "Anytime Cal, but you better not be up to late tonight, I've got a scene bright and early and I don't think you'll want to miss it." "What's so special about it?" He said a little angrily because he felt Shane was patronizing him. "Mandy's in it." "Oh.a.." "Yeah, that's what I thought." Shane said throwing the ball he'd been tossing back and forth at Calvin and hitting him in the stomach. "Well hey, it's seven, I better go so you can hurry with your finally touches you perfectionist. I'll be back around midnight, I think I'm gonna go to a bar or something, who knows. And by the way," he continued as he started to get up to leave, "there's a bottle of Merlot in the top cabinet if you want to serve that, I got it awhile ago, but I'm not a wine guy, a beer will suit me just fine." "Thanks man, but why are you helping me pull out all the stops if your just going to tease me about it later?" Calvin said jokingly. "Hey, I'm not the one that's in love with her." Shane said as he left the trailer and walked off. Calvin didn't get a chance to say anything back, so he pushed the thought aside and set up the table. He went back to checking to make sure everything was ready when he heard her knock. "Calvin?" He hurried to the door and opened it to let her in. As soon as he saw her he was taken aback. She was beautiful. He thought that every day, but to see her actually there, particularly dressed up to eat with him was enough to shut him up. She wore a red dress, not big and flashy, simple and neat, and her hair was down in waves of brown that framed her face. She looked at him first with a nervous grin and then smiled at the definitely good reaction. He stood there in shock over her until she jolted him back by saying, "What? Cat got your tongue?" He blinked his eyes and shifted back into reality. "Uh, sorry, no, I'm a, I'm fine, it's just...wow." "Well, I'll take that as a complement. Now are you gonna keep me out her all night or." "Uh, no , sorry, again, please come in, have a seat." He moved out of the way of the entrance and pulled out a chair for her at the table set for two. Mandy took her seat with a little smile knowing how nervous he was. "What smells so good?" She asked, half talking about the food, and half about his cologne. "Well," walking over to the kitchenette to set it all on plates and bring it to the table, "tonight we will be having fettuccini alfredo." He set down the plate in front of her and set down another in front of his vacant seat. "What would you like to drink, I have a Merlot, and if you don't want any wine, I made some ice tea, then of course there's Dr. Pepper, coke, vanilla coke, there might be some juice.." He had his head in the little refrigerator spying around for beverages when he heard her laugh. He stopped realizing that he was at it again. "Sorry, I'm rambling again, it's a bad habit, especially when I'm nervous, either I completely shut up or I go on and on and yeah I'm doing it again." He said as he got up looking at her smiling face as she let out a small giggle. A bit embarrassed, he looked down at his feet, hands on his hips, and tried to get back his composure. Why does she do this to me? To be truthfully Calvin never really had problems with being nervous. He wasn't a big flirt so when girls come on to him, he didn't usually notice. He didn't think Mandy was interested in him, he was still in surprised that she was actually here to have dinner with him. He didn't know if he loved her, he barely knew her, but he did find himself being even more self- conscious about his appearance and mannerisms around her. The last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression. She interrupted his thought, "Don't worry so much, I think your rambling is cute." This thoroughly making him blush. "I've never really been a big drinker, but considering it is a special occasion, I think I'll have a glass of the Merlot." He lifted his head to look at her and she could see the red on his face, but it faded, leaving only his smile. All Mandy could think was, wow, I could really get use to that smile quick. "Okay, well, I'll get that then." He brought to wine glasses to the table and began uncorking the bottle. He poured his glass first like a gentlemen so that if any cork fell into the wine, it would float and end up in his glass. He poured hers, and set the bottle down on the counter. As he took his seat across from her, Mandy picked up her glass and said, "A toast, to knew friends, and great smiles." Did I just say that?!?, she thought. He smiled, again blushing, and lifted his glass to clink with hers. They took their cloth napkins and set them upon their laps. Mandy looked at the dinner and asked, "Did you make this?" "Yes." "Well aren't you the master chef," she said teasingly. He laughed, "Well, you might say that, I've been cooking since I was about eight, but big dinners like these didn't come until I was about nine or ten." "Wow, you started young." He laughed again, "My Granda, the Irishmen that he is, tends to be a very boisterous eater. Which works out well for my Granma because she's a great cook. I used to spend a lot of my summer with them, so when I started to get old enough, she taught me the tricks of the trade. Since I was ten I could make the best steak in the family, and not to be a brag, but that's saying something, especially with the fever that my family cooks with. I would have made steaks, but that's a little heavy and I read once that you weren't a big meat eater, not that your a vegetarian, you just don't eat a lot of meat.." Calvin quieted down, realizing that he had been going on for some time now. Mandy laughed and smiled again, making him smile. "I think it's wonderful," she began, "I would love to be able to cook like this, but I've just never really had the knack." "Well I could teach you some time, not everything, but I could teach you some basic things, how to make your favorite food?" "My favorite food wouldn't be too hard," she laughed, "considering that it's ice cream, but maybe you could teach me something more exuberant." "Anything," he glanced at her, "I'll teach you to make anything your heart desires." They ate their dinner and talked about everything. Calvin became more capable, though he was still nervous, and managed to keep cool. Mandy felt so comfortable around him. She wasn't worried about whether or not he liked her, that was obvious, but she was questioning whether or not their dinner would be considered a date? She remembered calling it special, and to her mind, it seemed like a date enough, but she didn't know what he thought of it. They had finished eating and were just laughing over a funny story Cal had just told Mandy about Shane, one in where he tried to play his guitar with cheese once because he was so drunk. "I was always the designated driver because I'm underage, and, I'm not much of a drinker either. You'd think I would be with the curse of the Irish and all, but I'm not. So after a while of being around him and the guys when they're acting stupid, I started bringing a camera and taking pictures of them. The next morning, when he looked at his guitar strings, we thought he was going to cry or something, he had to replace all of them." Mandy laughed hysterically and then noticed something she never had before, "We match." "What?" Calvin asked, confused. "Your shirt and my dress, they're both red, we match." "Yeah, your right, well, you know what they say, great minds think alike." "Are you saying I have a great mind?" Mandy asked trying to get him to blush again, she thought it was adorable. "You have a great everything," Calvin said, without a stutter, but looked right into her eyes. Noticing how serious the mood had gotten all of a sudden, he decided to lighten it. "I'm a different story though." "Care to share?" She asked with a playful tone, she wasn't giving up that easily. "Well, since I feel like I can tell you anything, why not," he began, taking a sip of his still full wine glass, "what do you see when you look around LA and Hollywood?" Mandy had a confused look on her face. Calvin tried to explain. "When I look around, I see so many people who may or may not have talent, but all of them trying to find a way into the spotlight, to be the center of attention, all eyes on them. Then there is someone like you who is unbelievably talented," now Mandy started to blush, "and has been fortunate enough to find their way into the spotlight. But me? I'm just the guy in the background playing the guitar that no one sees." He didn't know if he was doing a good job of explaining, but he waited to see what she'd say. "So what, are you saying that you want to be in the spotlight but just can't seem to get there?" She was trying to understand, but she didn't get how someone as talented as he was not being able to get a deal with some band. He put both of his hands on the table lightly, palms down, as he began, "See, that's not it at all, I have been offered opportunities to be a major player in a band, hell, even Shane and the guys have asked me to join Jonny Was. , but that's not what I'm looking for. I love my job, I love being able to be apart of the music, because I love it so much, I get to 'do what I do best' as people have told me. But it was never about that. I just like being able to play, not having to worry about publicity or the public eye. I can do what I love, and no one has to know it's me. The only way you can see me, is if your right there next to me. I'm happy only being known about by the people I care about most. If that makes any sense." "It makes perfect sense, you care about the music, not the fame. I'm the same way, I love the music, but I part of me does like the attention too." Mandy said and then reached across the table and laid her hands on top of his and rubbed them with her thumbs. She had wanted to find some way to touch him all night, to maybe make it seem more like a date, to know if he thought it was a date. Calvin forgot everything, right then, all he could think about was her hand was touching his, he stared at there hands completely enraptured. All he knew was the rhythmic movement of her thumb across his skin, it being much more constant then his heart, which was beating like a race horse. He lifted his hand so that his finger met her and they became entwined. Her skin was so soft against his, he knew he would never forget that feeling, of her hand in his. He was looking at there hands still, wondering what was going through her mind. What did she think about him, about this night, about him holding her hands. She watched him, relishing the feeling of his hand. He wouldn't look at her, he just looked at their hands. She already felt so comfortable with him, and holding his hands just felt right. She only wished that he'd look at her, to try and figure everything out. Calvin took a deep breath, and lifted his head to look directly in her eyes. He knew he could regret saying what he wanted to say, but it just felt right. All he wanted to do was tell her. He knew it was abrupt, he'd only just met her that morning, but he wanted to get to know her more and more. All he could think about was the things she did to him, though they made him nuts, he loved it, all of it. Finally he spoke, "I just want you to know, and it may sound strange, but I have to say it." She shook her head and said, "Okay." He licked his lips and said, "I'm crazy about you." At first she was stunned, but only for a second, she was still holding his hands. Not that he wouldn't let them go, but she wouldn't. Then he continued on. "I mean, I know, we only just met this morning, I know we don't really know that much about each other, but what I'm trying to say is, I want to know more about you. Am I making any sense?" She nodded, 'yes.' Mandy couldn't say anything. She didn't know what to say, here was this guy, a complete gentlemen, good-looking, talented, and sincere, extremely sincere about most anything he talked about. When he said things, it was for a reason, because either they were important to whoever he was talking to, or they were important to him. She knew he was right, they had just met, but she kept having to tell herself that she shouldn't be wanting him to kiss her. She shouldn't be wanting him to hold her, they had just met, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know him too. "Please say something?" He said nervously, they had been quiet for along time now. She kept looking at him then swallowed hard, willing herself to speak. "I..I want to get to know you too," were the words that came out of her mouth. The biggest smile possible came on his face. He squeezed her hand gently and said, "Thank you." "I do have one question though," finally getting around to the big question on her mind. "What is it?" Calvin asked, a bit worried. "Would this count as our first date?" Mandy struggled to say it, but when it was out, it felt easier. "Well, a... I would hope that..it would, just the thought of actually being on a date with you is practically inconceivable, but then again, yesterday it was inconceivable that I'd even meet you so...do you think it's a date?" He looked at her, still worried. "I would have to say it is, and just so you know, I've had a great time." She smiled at him to ease his mind. He still couldn't believe how she always seemed to know how to make him all better, like she was reading his mind. He smiled at the thought, our first date, and you know, when you label it as a first, that implies that there'll be a second! "Well it's getting late, maybe I should walk you back to your trailer?" He asked, not wanting her to leave, but knowing it was time. "Okay," Mandy said half heartedly. She didn't want to go, but she knew he was right. He held the door open for her as she left the trailer, and followed her out. They walked in silence once again, but this time it was different, this time they were holding hands. When they got to her door, he gave her hand a squeeze and then let go. "Good night Mandy," he said with stars in his eyes. "Good night Calvin, I had a wonderful time." He waited outside until she was inside and locked her door. He headed back to Shane's trailer knowing that he better get some sleep if he was going to get up early. There was no way he was going to miss Mandy's scene in the morning.