Disclaimer: I probably will never own Teen Titans. If I did, I'd be in an alternate dimension. I don't own it!

It's chapter 6. Well, here you go.

Chapter 6

After that day, the two decided to split up in their search. They used the excuse that they'd cover more ground, but they really just needed time away from each other. Both of them were unsure of their feelings at that point and needed some time to think.

It was an unusually lazy day for Rachel. She went back to her hotel after only a few hours of being out and just lay on her bed and contemplated on things. Only one thing occupied her mind, and it was someone she had just met, but for some reason, was always thinking about him.

She watched the ceiling fan go round and round. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she thought. "He's my friend. It's rare that I people even want to get to know me. Am I really gonna risk that for something as stupid as romance?"

She sighed and rolled over to her side. She started to think of someone else. This time it was someone she had never met but felt envious of. She was jealous of Katy. She hated the fact that she was so prissy, girly, and materialistic, but Richard, "for some reason only God would know," she thought bitterly, seemed to care more about her. Rachel knew that Katy was the only reason that she even got to spend time with him. She felt guilty and dishonest, but she really did not want to ever find her.

She groaned. "Why am I behaving this way? Why am I being so shallow and superficial? Why do even like him?"

"Maybe it's because he has qualities that you admire, but never saw in anyone else," her conscience said to her.

She stopped for a second. She hated when her conscience would talk to her. It always made her feel like an idiot. She would ask something, her conscience would answer her, and she'd feel stupid for not realizing it in the first place.

"I guess he does. I mean, he is sweet and trustworthy and kind and caring and brave and funny and… and…"

Realization hit her. She smacked herself.

"I can't be in love with him can I? I can't go through all that again!"

Richard came back from his search at around 3 o'clock. Normally, he and Rachel stayed out until nearly 8, but he needed some time to compose his thoughts.

"What are you doing fool? You're here to look for your ex-girlfriend, not to fantasize about Rachel!"

He ignored his conscience and continued to think about her anyway.

Richard wasn't exactly sure why, but there was something about Rachel that intrigued him. The way she talked, her personality, the air of mystery surrounding her held something over him. He loved thinking about her, but felt so guilty about it.

"You can't date her. I'll give you two good reasons why! 1. She's your friend. Do you really want to lose that? 2. You promised Katy forever!"

He shrugged it off. He knew that he felt something about Rachel. He intended to find out what exactly it was. Hopefully, it wasn't really anything too serious, but if it was, he had to know. It was just the way he was. He always had to solve a mystery, even if the result was ugly. He thought about it for a few more minutes then leaned over to grab his cellphone.

Her phone was ringing. Of all people, it had to be him. "Curse you!" she whispered at it. She couldn't talk to him, not yet at least. She decided not to answer it and listen to his message so she'd know why he called her.

The phone stopped ringing. "Hey, this is Rachel. I can't come to the phone for one of two reasons. One, I'm really busy and can't come to the phone. Two, I don't know who you are and most likely do not want to bother wasting breath to talk to you. Leave a message and I'll call you back. That is, if I want to."

She listened attentively. "Rae, I know you're there. It's me, Richard. There's something I really need to ask you. Pick up."

She held the phone cautiously, as if it was some dangerous chemical that would burn her flesh if she made any sudden movements. She took a slow breath. "He just needs to ask me something. All I have to do is answer and I can hang up," she rationalized. She flipped it open and dialed '555-7626'

She listened as it dialed. "Hello?" Richard asked.

She gulped. "Yeah, uh, Richard, it's me, Rachel."

He froze. "Okay, I'm actually gonna do this. I have to, if I'm ever going to know."

"Oh, right. Listen, Rae, there's something I really need to ask you."

She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever it was. "What is it?"

"Um… do you have any plans tonight?"

She was surprised. Was he asking her out?

"No, not really."

He was panicking. "Great, because, I just wanted to ask you, do you want to, maybe hang out tonight? Maybe go to dinner or watch a movie or something?"

"You mean like a date?"

He was shaking all over. "No, it's not a date!" his conscience screamed at him. "You're just taking her out to dinner. You're just two friends going out for a little bit."

"Well, I guess you could call it that," he stammered.

"Uh, um, well…"

"So, is around 7, okay?" he asked, slightly more confident this time.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, well bye."

She paused for a moment. She thought about what just happened. Her mouth suddenly formed a smile.

"I love this city!"

Yes, I know. It was a bit short, but I can't have this and the date in the same chapter. It would make two cliffhangers. Well, sort of. And yes, I know it's not the best way for someone to ask another person out, but if you think about it, it's kind of hard to make a good "asking out" scene. Oh, and if you're wondering about Richard's phone number, the last four digits are 7627. If you look on the phone keys, those numbers contain the letters ROBN. Sorry, if you people out there already knew that, but I know some people who really don't understand that. Anyway, drop a review. I'd love to hear all the criticism you can throw at me!