Does He Ever Get The Girl?

4. Hands Down

Greg stood in front of the mirror as he straightened his tie. He looked at his reflection as he sighed at the sight of his hair. No matter what he did he couldn't get it to stay down. In defeat, he decided to have his hair they way he normally had it. At least this time he didn't have to dress to impress his mother. He just had to impress Sara, and with her, he could just be himself. He finished fiddling with his tie as he smiled. He was ready. He remembered back to that weekend, and remembered how nervous he had felt, how anxious...But now, he was nothing but calm, and that surprised him. He was about to go out on a date with the beautiful Sara that he'd been harboring a crush on for years, and there wasn't even one butterfly in his stomach. For once he was confident, content knowing that it was she who'd wanted to go on a second date.

It was she who'd asked, who'd taken control of the reservations, and he didn't mind at all. Though he was determined that he'd make this date so much better than the last. And without his parents in tow, it was on its way to beating their last outing. Greg looked down at his watch, realizing that he should have left already, seeing as he needed to make a stop along the way. And that's when his nerves began to set in as questions and uncertainty began to cloud his thoughts. He shook his head as he left his apartment, turning into the nervous wreck he'd been days before.

------------------------------

Sara steadied herself against a chair as she pulled on her shoes. She wasn't a fan of high heels. She was already tall enough. But she wore them anyway, despite the pain she'd be feeling over the next few hours. She returned to her bedroom to retrieve her purse, and stole one last glance in the mirror before returning to her lounge room. She liked how she looked, with that red dress that Greg had chosen for her. She felt strange wearing the same dress, to the same restaurant, with the same man, all in the span of one week. But she didn't mind, she just wondered if she'd receive the same reaction as she had the first time. She checked the clock as she began to feel anxious. He'd arrive at any second, and she couldn't wait. The silence of her apartment was quickly interrupted by a knock at the door. She smiled as she made her way to the front door, almost tripping on the rug before her. She shook her head at herself, she tended to get clumsy when she was nervous.

She smoothed her dress as she approached the door. She placed her hand on the door handle and paused. She took in a deep breath before quickly pulling the door open. She paused again. She couldn't help but smile at the sight if Greg looking spiffy in a suit, but this time it was more like his usual self. After a few seconds she realised she was grinning like an idiot.

"Hi." She said through a grin as she finally noticed the large bunch of flowers Greg was holding. They took her by surprise. She definitely wasn't expecting flowers. The two of them stood in silence for a few moments. Sara thought it was strange, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She just stood there, looking at him. She was beginning to feel stupid and she didn't know why.

Breathe in for luck,
breathe in so deep,
this air is blessed,
you share with me.

"Hi. You look..." He trailed off, letting his facial expressions finish his sentence for him. Greg stared back at her, taking in the sight before him. He took in a deep breath as he stepped towards her, and handed her the flowers he'd been clutching so tightly to his chest. He really didn't know why he'd gotten them for her. Well, why not? He wanted to be a gentleman, and there was nothing wrong with that. His thoughts were quickly directed back to Sara, as he tried to memorize her appearance in his mind. She looked just as beautiful as before, though her hair was straightened this time. She was enthralled in the flowers once he snapped out of it.

"Do you like them?" He asked, hoping that she'd say yes. But he knew she would, probably even if she hated them. He had pretty good odds, she was into plants after all...

"They're gorgeous." She replied, "I'll just put them inside..." She pushed her door open, leaving it wide open for him to enter.

He stepped inside, taking the implied invite of the wide open door. He scanned the room, taking in all the tiny details. He smiled. It all fitted Sara perfectly. His attention was diverted by the clinking of glass as Sara placed the flowers into a vase. She set them down on the kitchen counter and admired them for a moment longer. Lilies. They really were gorgeous, and they were one of her favorite flowers. She grabbed her purse, and was once again ready to go on their date. She watched Greg as he checked out her apartment. She realized he'd never been inside her apartment before. But now wasn't the time for the grand tour. There's time for that later.

Greg continued to scan the apartment, until his eyes met Sara's. He was a little startled, so he cleared his throat, and gestured towards the door. "You ready?"

"Yup." She said as she followed him out the door.

They walked to his car, arm in arm. Greg was happy with things so far. He was looking good, he'd arrived on time, she'd liked the flowers, he'd gotten inside her apartment, and now they were happily on their way to the restaurant. This night will be perfect...

------------------------------

Sara stared out the window, her attention drawn towards the passing lights featured everywhere along the Strip. The window was slighlty lowered, gently blowing in her hair. She smiled, realizing that Greg was playing music that she loved, classic rock, the way all music should sound...She liked being beside Greg, knowing that they could share a comfortable silence and not have to try and force any kind of false conversation. All through dinner she'd been completely relaxed. She felt beautiful, and he really seemed to know how to make her feel that way. He knew how to be a gentleman, and he was so sweet and courteous towards her, she really didn't know why she hadn't realized any of this before. She looked across at him as he drove. He'd really made the night perfect for her. And she'd done her best to do the same for him. After all, she did owe him one fantastic date with a killer ending. Any ending would be better than the last one. She sighed as she continued to relive the events of dinner. The small gestures he'd made, showing that he truly was thinking of her, and wasn't doing anything just because he felt obligated.

Greg felt her eyes upon him, and couldn't help but pass her a glance every now and then, taking his attention from the road for split seconds at a time, or when he'd become caught in traffic. They were heading towards aclub he'd scoped out. Something a little classy, a little trendy, but not that expensive. He'd made sure he'd scoped out the place before actually taking her there. In Las Vegas, you could find practically anything inside a bar, and he wasn't willing to find that out tonight, at least not with Sara. He glanced across at her again. The night really was going smoothly, almost better than he could ever have planned. It'd given him some added confidence, but he knew that the night wasn't over yet. He pulled in to the underground parking lot. Although there was a valet service, he felt much safer parking his own car in the spot he had chosen. He really didn't know why he disliked valet service, but he did, and that's all that mattered. He opened the car door for her and led her into the club. He'd specially reserved a 'room' as they were called, although it was really just a semi-isolated 'booth' within the club.

Greg placed his hand on the small of Sara's back as he guided her inside the club and towards their booth within the club. As they reached their booth he gestured for her to slide in first, and couldn't help but notice the curve of her rear as she slid behind the table and onto the cushioned seat. He took a seat beside her, sliding as close as possible to her without invading her space. He realized that his nerves had returned with a vengeance, and he needed something to calm him down. As if on cue his friend arrived at the table.

"You must be Sara," he said as he smiled at her and offered his hand, "I'm Mickey. If you need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"Hey Mick can I get a beer," Greg said as he glanced at Sara and raised an eyebrow, asking her what she wanted.

"I'll have the same, thanks." She said. Although she really was wondering what the brightly colored cocktails that everyone seemed to be carrying aroundtasted like.

Before long the two of them had had quite a bit to drink, though neither of them were drunk. Greg's nerves had disappeared, he was feeling more comfortable with her, and they'd been able tohave conversationswithout him even having to search for something to talk about. He wondered what she was thinking. She'd done nothing but smile since they'd entered the club. Sara placed the beer in her hand down on the table, and decided that she felt a little lonely, a mere 20 centimeters away from Greg's side. She slowly slid over, minimizing the space between them to nothing at all. Greg's heart began to race as the warmth of her body met his side. Had Sara Sidle just made a move? His mind was racing faster than his heart, and he didn't know what to do. He swallowed hard as he wondered whether he should reciprocate, or just wait for her to make another move. Before he could decide she shifted her legs, crossing them, and extending one across Greg's legs. Her leg grazed his, and he could have sworn that he could hear his heart beating in his ears. Sara turned to him, monitoring his reaction. She didn't want to do anything he didn't want to do, and she really didn't want to be taking things too quickly. He seemed to have tensed up, so she moved her leg away from his. He seemed to relax a little, and she couldn't help but smirk. He was so nervous and they weren't even doing anything. She couldn't help but me amused.

This night is wild,
so calm and dull,
these hearts they race,
from self control.
Your legs are smooth,
as they graze mine,
we're doing fine,
we're doing nothing at all.

Hours had now passed since the two of them had entered the club, and it was finally time to go home. As much as Greg wanted to stay there, sitting side by side with Sara, she was starting to yawn and drift off without even realizing it. He needed to get her home before she fell asleep. He led her back out to the car, and closed the car door after her. He hopped into the car and started the ignition. The rev of the engine woke Sara up. She stretched a little, feeling as though she'd just woken up. She looked across to Greg and smiled, hoping that he read it as an apology for cutting their night short. Really they had had an amazing time, and it had gone longer than any of her dates ever had. She decided that she wasn't ready to go home, she wanted to spend more time with him.

"Can we just...drive?" She asked, as she continued to stretch her muscles.

"Sure." He said as he nodded with his reply. He was glad she'd asked, because he really didn't feeling like ending their night just yet.

Sara leaned over the the center of the car and fiddled with his radio, changing the stations until she settled on a familiar song. Wild Horses played across the speakers. Greg glanced across at Sara, noticing her interest in the song. She was no staring out the window and taping her hand against her knee along with the song. He smiled as she began to hum along to it, and pretty soon she was singing along to the chorus. He couldn't help but grin at just how cute she was singing along with the radio. He wondered if she even realized she was doing it. He glanced across at her. She turned to him, and their eyes met. She abruptly stopped singing and a blush crossed her features. She didn't even realize that she was singing aloud. A silence fell throughout the car as the song continued to play, the lyrics echoing throughout the car. He continued to pass glances at her, but now she was staring out the window. He felt bad, and wanted to let her know that he liked her singing. Before he could think, the chorus began to play, and the words were already leaving his mouth.

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away..." He sang at the top of his lungs, almost drowning out the radio as he continued to sing, making up the words he wasn't sure of.

She couldn't help but laugh. His voice was horrible, but she knew he meant well. The blush disappeared from her face, as the chorus played again and they both sang together. He glanced across at her once more, a huge grin plastered across his face. If she didn't like him, she would've surely thrown herself out of the moving car at just the sound of his voice. But she was still there, and singing with him. And she was comfortable with him. The song soon came to an end, and the radio DJ began to talk. Sara switched it off, as they realized again, just how late it was. Again, she really didn't want to go home, but she didn't want to have him continue to drive. They had drunken quite a bit, and they were both pretty tired. But she couldn't bring herself to ask him to take her home.

"You want me to take you home?" He asked, trying not toconvey his emotions in his voice. Truth was, he wanted to drive all night. Just being near her made him happy. But he knew the harsh reality that he would eventually have to say goodbye. He stole a quick glance at her for the millionth time since they'd gotten into the car. She spun her fingers through her hair as she considered the question.

"As much as I don't want this to end...I'm going to have to say yes." She replied regretfully with a quick smile.

Greg returned the smile as he nodded. He made his way through the maze of suburban streets, until finally pulling up in front of her apartment. They sat within the car for a moment, both thinking about the date they'd just been on. Both realized that they'd never been on such a great date, and they'd never realized just how much they were attracted to each other. Sara wondered what would happen next, and Greg hoped for a different ending to the last date. But he knew that that wouldn't happen. She'd shown him how she felt towards him, how sorry she had been. Throughout dinner she'd tried to repeatedly apologize, and he knew that she was truly sorry and regretted that it had ever happen. And they both had agreed that they'd forget it, move on...and here they were, with the chance to end their date on a much happier note. Finally he got out of the car, and rounded to the other side to open the door for her. He put out his hand as she got out of the car, steadying herself against him as her heels began to sink into the grass. They both began to make the journey towards her front door, both with their own hopes and wishes for just how this date would end. But one question stuck in Greg's mind...Would he ever get the girl?

Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember,
I'll always remember the sound of the stereo,
the dim of the soft lights,
the scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers
and the time on the clock when we realized it's so late.

Greg's heart stuck in his throat as they finally stopped upon Sara's doorstep. He really was dreading this moment, however much he tried not to, he just couldn't shake that feeling. But on the other end of it all, he had been waiting for this moment. He realized now that they were standing in the exact same position as last time. She stood across from him, her back to her own door. He suddenly couldn't think about anything but that night, and he hated himself for it. Sara watched him, and frowned as he looked down at the ground. She knew what was troubling him. She needed to show him that things were different...that she wouldn't do that to him again. She moved closer to him, resting her hands gently on his waist. He looked up at her, a smile growing on his face. She moved one hand to his cheek, holding his face as she returned the same smile. She needed to show him...

Greg's mind raced as they stood in this same position, before her hand returned to his waist. He realized how comfortable he was, her hands resting upon his waist, their bodies dangerously close to each other. He wondered what would happen next. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to make the move. He just couldn't do it. But he was feeling the growing urge to do something. He found himself staring into her eyes, shooting her with the questions that plagued his mind.Sara wondered how long they'd been locked into this position. Before she could process her thoughts she found herself tightening her grip on his waist, pulling him even closer towards her. Their bodies now stood flush against each other. Her hands wandered up his body, one stopping on his chest while the other came to rest at the back of his neck, pulling him in to their first kiss. Sara gently pressed her lips against his in a soft and tender kiss, showing him exactly how she felt about him. He now found his hands resting on her hips as their kiss continued, growing more and more passionate. Finally they broke apart, each watching the other's response, hoping that the other didn't regret it...Greg felt his confidence hit the roof, now that he knew how she truly felt. He didn't have to be cautious, but he still wanted to remain the perfect gentleman. He now took initiative and moved towards her, his arms wrapped around her as they shared another tender kiss, a goodbye kiss.

This time when they pulled back from each other Greg moved back slightly, knowing that if she was close enough he wouldn't be able to resist kissing her again. He didn't want to ruin the night by completely letting go. He realized that their hands were still entwined. Sara smiled. She had to admit, it had been the perfect end to the perfect date, with the perfect guy. She let go of his hand as she moved back closer to her door.

"Goodnight Greg," she said with a smile, before disappearing into her apartment.

"Goodnight..." He finally managed, moments after the door had been closed.

Greg stood, bewildered by the experience. He couldn't move from that position. He found himself replaying it over and over in his mind. This new memory easily erasing any others that had taken place on her doorstep. He finally snapped out of his Sara-induced trance, and wondered just how long he'd been standing in front of her door, grinning like an idiot. He returned to his car, finding it increasingly hard to walk like a civilized man. He had to fight the urge to run across the lawn, to yell out to the world that Sara Sidle had kissed him, and she had indeed meant it. He'd never been happier in his life. Hands down, it was the best night that he could ever remember, and he'd shared it with her.

And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist
and you kissed me like you meant it.
And I knew that you meant it,
that you meant it,
that you meant it,
and I knew,
that you meant it,
that you meant it.

Thank you all for the rad reviews. It seriously does mean a lot. I'm glad some of you liked the line about Greg screaming like a woman. I liked it too ; ) This is a monster of a chapter, I know...but I felt like I had to make up for taking so long to update. My life's been crazy of late, and add some serious writer's block onto that...But I finally wrote it, I didn't know where to go with it, so I used a little DC to help me along. I hope y'all like it! I didn't spell check it, so sorry for any typos. If it's all over the place I'm sorry, I was aided by some friendly frozen margaritas and a sweet guy called Gregg, ironically. Should I finish it here or continue it? It's your call! Lyrics from DC's Hand's Down. / Britt