Chapter 6: It's NOT a date!

As soon as Kimberly hit the mall, all of her previous anxiety about baring her soul to Tommy was alleviated. Shopping has always had that kind of therapeutic affect on her. She wasn't looking for anything specific, but it didn't take her but forty-five minutes to find three pairs of shoes, a killer pair of jeans, two handbags, and a to-die-for pink cashmere sweater, all on sale, and all of which she just couldn't live without. It was a new record for her, and in a mall she wasn't familiar with, too.

There was still over a half an hour before Tommy was supposed to pick her up, and Kim figured that $400 was enough spent to consider this a successful shopping spree. She decided she'd have a seat in the food court with a cup of Starbuck's coffee and people watch while she was waiting. If she remembered correctly, the food court was about ten stores down, just past Nordstrom's. It would be good to have a seat and relax for a while with some quality caffeine. This had been a very busy day, starting at six in the morning when she had to be up to get ready and make it to the airport for her ten o'clock flight. After a layover in Houston, she finally landed in California almost seven hours later at quarter till two. From there she got a cab to the hotel, checked in and made it to the hospital for her interview by three-thirty.

Strolling casually down the mall, she found herself lost in thought again about her past mistakes and her upcoming dinner with Tommy. It was so good to see him again, and she was amazed at how quickly they fell back into the easy banter of their teenage years once they got over the initial awkwardness. He looked incredible, and she could tell that he had retained the quiet shyness that she found so charming in high school. It was her immaturity and bad judgment that caused her to so impersonally end their relationship all those years ago, but it was his rationality and compassion that would make tonight's task bearable.

Just before she reached the Starbuck's, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of herself in a mirrored store window. Somewhere in the far reaches of her mind, panic set in. She was having dinner, today, in less than an hour, with Tommy Oliver, the man she had loved more than any other she's dated since him.

But this was NOT a date. No….no, no, no, No! This was JUST DINNER. Just dinner with an old friend. Like if I had run into Adam, or Aisha, or Trini. Yeah, and if I say it enough times I might actually start to believe it. It's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a date! Oh God, look at me, I'm a mess. Maybe I can slip on this new sweater, and the matching pink suede heels. Better not. That would look too much like I'm trying to impress him, besides, it's not like it's a date. Let's see, I already touched up my face once today, but that was before I had a…NO!..before I had dinner plans. This constitutes an emergency. Quick! To the make-up counter at Nordstrom's!

And with that, all thoughts of a relaxing cup of java went out the window in favor of last-minute primping and preening. But it's still not a date.

During the entire drive back to his house, Tommy's mind replayed his meeting with Kim over and over again. At first she seemed glad to see him, well, sort of, anyway. Then she got kind of withdrawn, but still ran after him when he tried to leave. How confusing was that? Was she happy about running into him, or not? He was beginning to think that he'd never understand women.

Instead of torturing himself with questions he'd probably never have answers to, he opted to use his time more productively. There were other important decisions he had to make, like should he tell Kimberly that he was a Ranger again? Not just any Ranger either, but the founder and mentor of the current team, and that their command center was in his basement. After a little deliberation, he decided that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut, at least for tonight. If they were to end up staying in touch, maybe he would share things with her, but not yet. Wait a minute, Tommy! Aren't you putting the cart before the horse here? What makes you think you'll ever hear from her again? It was by pure coincidence that you saw her today. But I don't believe in coincidence, do I? Stop it, man, or the nice men in white coats will be after you as much as Zeltrax is. Just go tonight, have a good time, no pressure, and come home. You'd better curb your expectations now, or you'll likely end up very disappointed. After all, it's not like it's a date…

Finally, Tommy was home, and that realization was exactly what he needed to put an end to his internal monologue and get his brain focused on what he was supposed to be doing. It was just before seven. That gave him about forty minutes to shower and get dressed before he had to leave again to pick up Kim. He was NOT going to be a minute late, or she'd rib him about it all night.

Letting himself into the house, he immediately ran upstairs and turned on the shower. Undressing quickly, he got in, letting the hot water and steam relax him. As he went about his washing routine, he forced his mind to keep away from the subject of one Miss Kimberly Hart. To do that, he used the focusing techniques he had mastered during twenty-five years of martial arts training to center himself. They instantly calmed him down.

When he was all squeaky clean, Tommy turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and stepped out of the tub. He dried off while moving to his bedroom to decide what to wear while the bathroom mirror defogged. Standing in front of his closet in nothing but a towel, he perused the portion of his wardrobe that was clean. He could never be called a clothes horse, but he did like to dress nicely, and had a fairly decent sense of style for a straight guy. Once, he heard a feisty old saleslady in a department store comment to another clerk that he "sure could wear clothes, but probably looks even better without them." That had embarrassed him to no end, though he was flattered.

Ok, Tommy, just pick something. What difference does it make, anyway? It's not like it's a date! A pair of jeans and a shirt, why are you making this so difficult? His mind was at it again, but this time he was too wound up to fight it without the benefit of the warm water.

There were only two pairs of jeans available, since laundry day was imminent. He stood there with both the black ones and the faded blue ones laid out on the bed, trying to not only to make up his mind, but also to figure out why it even mattered.

Hmmm…the blue ones are pretty slim-fitting. If we were attacked by Mesogog's goons, I couldn't move too freely if I had to fight before I got a chance to morph. The black ones are so old, though. There's a hole in the front pocket and I think there's a bleach stain on the butt…Yeah, there is. OK, Mesogog's been quiet lately, just wear the blue ones and don't jinx it with negative thoughts. Besides, Elizabeth always said they made my ass look good…Who cares what my ass looks like? Certainly not Kimberly. Focus, Tommy. Now what shirts are clean?

In front of the closet again, Tommy fingered through the shirt section. Blue button down? Too small…Green pull-over? Too big…Black and white flannel? Too wrinkled…Red t-shirt? Too red…Grey button down? Sleeve's torn. Oh come on, Tommy, just pick one. It's 7:20 already. OK, how about the black long-sleeved V-neck? It fits a little tighter since I put the dryer on the wrong setting, but it will look fine under my black leather jacket. It's supposed to be cool out tonight. Black army boots…alright, done.

Back in the bathroom, Tommy went about drying his hair, taking the care to pull his naturally curly hair straight up to facilitate the spiky look. Then he shaved quickly, luckily not nicking himself. His mother had bought him an expensive bottle of cologne on his last birthday, for some reason. I think she wants to be a grandma in this lifetime. Whatever…I've never opened it, but I would hate for Mom to have wasted her money for nothing. This ISN'T a date, but it would still be a good idea to smell nice for an old friend. He splashed a little on. Enough already…get dressed, you have to be out of the house in seven minutes.

Returning to the bedroom, he scrambled about gathering his things. Need socks and underwear. Black socks with black boots, can't see them anyway. Boxers or briefs? Boxers, maybe the navy blue silk ones, women like…WHOA! Where did THAT thought come from? Kim is not going to see your underwear!! What on Earth is going on in your subconscious, Tommy? I know it's been a long time since you've had sex, but My God, how could you even think about such a thing?

Shaking his head to clear his mind out of the gutter, he grabbed the first pair of shorts in the drawer, white Fruit of the Loom briefs. Tommy then threw on the rest of his clothes, glancing at the bedside clock every few seconds. At last he was ready. It was 7:35, time to go. He took one last look in his closet mirror before grabbing his jacket and ran out the door.

Half way down the stairs, Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. There was one more thing he needed. Running back up the stairs to his room, he opened the wooden jewelry box on his dresser. He rummaged through a bunch of trinkets and junk until he found what he wanted. He hadn't worn earrings in ages. I hope the hole is still open. Deciding to just wear one gold hoop in his left ear rather than one in each, he haphazardly poked the wire through the indentation in his earlobe. Ouch! Guess it has been a long time…Shit! It's bleeding. He snagged a Kleenex to wipe away the blood, noticed that the clock read 7:41, then ran like hell.

The reality of a Jeep is that they may be cute, and lots of fun in the mud, but they don't handle well at all. That didn't stop Tommy from racing down the winding country roads that would take him out of the woodsy setting where he lived and into the city. If he didn't run into any problems, like taking a corner too tight and rolling the Jeep, he'd make it to the mall just in time.

About two miles from the mall, Tommy saw a flashing sign up ahead. As he came closer, bulldozers and orange barrels appeared. Construction! They weren't working right now, it being late in the evening, but half of the road was blocked, and traffic was backing up. Goddammit! I am NOT going to be late for this da…DINNER!

Tommy frantically looked around for a way out of this mess. He saw that the blocked off side of the road was freshly paved, but it looked like it was navigable. Screw it! He thought as he swerved around the cones into the other lane and passed up the bottlenecked cars, weaving back onto the right side as soon as he was passed them. 7:54 and 4 more miles to go.

Another four minutes and the mall was finally in sight. He pulled into the parking lot and up to the entrance just as his watch alarm signaled eight o'clock. Wheeew! Now where is Kim?

In the cosmetics department at Nordstrom's, Kim flitted from counter to counter collecting and trying on samples while trying to dodge sales pitches from some overly- painted saleslady who introduced herself as Lulu. Nose is shiny, need powder…shit, now I look pasty, better dab on some blush…Is my mascara smeared? "Excuse me ma'am, do you have a Q-tip?...thanks." Why am I doing this? It's just dinner with an ex-boyfriend. What does it matter how I look like? It's not just any ex, though, it's Tommy…So what? I did dump HIM after all. God, look at my hair! Crap! It's 7:55!

Taking one last look in a big, round magnifying mirror, Kimberly grabbed her packages and dashed out of the department store. Now, where is the door I'm supposed to meet him at? Jesus Christ, Kim, you're so nervous you can't find your way around a mall! Just calm down, he'll probably be late anyway.

When Kim was about seven stores from the mall entrance, she glanced at her watch. It was 7:58. She'd be fine. Unfortunately for her, her shoe wouldn't be. She must have taken a wrong step, because the next thing she knew, she was sprawled out on the floor of the mall, shopping bags everywhere, her heel broken in half.

Several people came to her aid, asking her if she was OK. She assured them she was fine, and she was, just really embarrassed. To think she was at one time a Pan Global Games gymnastics team hopeful. These days, she couldn't even walk through a mall in heels without falling on her face.

Kim took her packages from the nice folks who gathered them up for her, and after reassuring them that she was fine one more time, she hobbled over to a nearby bench to collect herself and take a look at her shoe. Snapped right in two! These cost a fortune! What am I going to do? It's 8:03. I'm late already. Wait! The new black pumps I bought would look great with this outfit! She rummaged through her bags until she found the right ones, then quickly slid on the new shoes, throwing the old pair in the empty box. She was on her way again.

Coming up to the door, Kim was both disappointed and relieved to see the black Jeep parked at the curb. Shit, he's here, and I'm late. I'll never hear the end of it.

Straightening up her posture, she confidently passed through the double doors out on to the sidewalk. Tommy was waiting in the Jeep with a huge grin on his face. Just as she approached him, he made a big show of checking his watch, but he didn't say a word about the time. Somehow, Kim found his silence on the subject and the shit-eating expression on his face to be more taunting than if he had teased her outright.

"Hi." Tommy said simply as he hopped out of the Jeep to help her place her packages in the back seat. Once upon a time, he would have made some kind of comment about the number of bags she'd collected in less than an hour and a half, but he didn't feel he had the right to pick on her so familiarly anymore.

"Hi, yourself. You look good." Did I just say that? God, I'm an idiot, but I do speak the truth. Get a load of his ass in those jeans. It's just not healthy for the whole of the female population for a man to be that good looking.

As always, Tommy blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. You look very beautiful tonight." Why did I use THAT word? Of all the words I could have used, I had to say 'beautiful'. God, I'm an idiot.

"Thanks." He said I'm 'beautiful'. Why did he have to do that?

The awkwardness of the moment permeated both of them, all because of one little word. Tommy felt that he should be the one to break the silence, as it was his faux pas.

"So, are you hungry?"

"Sure am. Shopping always makes me work up an appetite."

"I hope you still like Italian food."

"I do. I'm surprised you remembered." OK, uncomfortable moment over. Kim had her wits back.

"Very funny. How could I forget? You were the only one of us who could out-eat Rocky when it came to Fettuccini Alfredo."

"Ha Ha! At least I was able to keep my girlish figure."

You sure did…OK, you're heading for the gutter again, Tommy… "Get in, we'll get going. I'd hate for you to starve."

And with that, Tommy, ever the gentleman, helped the petite woman into the Jeep. He consciously ignored how good it felt when he took her hand, even for that brief moment, and climbed into the driver's side. Then they were off on their…dinner.

Author's notes: Kinda funny, huh? Thanks again to all who are reading and reviewing. I know it might seem sort of slow getting to the good stuff, but please bear with me. I think it will be worth it. Let me take a minute to remind all of you that this is an R-rated fic, or at least will be. I realize that most of you are looking forward to that. I certainly am looking forward to writing it. I just don't want anyone to be surprised or shocked later. This might be a Power Rangers fic, but I am an adult, and Tommy and Kim are adults, too. They will be acting like it. Love you all!