Nervous yet excited to tell him how she feels, Lainey goes out with CB on their friend's date, only to find a surprise waiting for her instead.

~.~

"We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight

We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight

The indescribable moments of your life tonight

The impossible is possible tonight

Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight."

~ The Smashing Pumpkins, "Tonight Tonight" (1995)

~.~

Lainey nervously wrung her hands together as CB opened the car door for her outside of Bistro de L'Amore that same night. She thanked him, pulling on her shoulder bag, and the two friends walked in silence side-by-side toward the restaurant.

Lainey had worn her blond hair in an updo and donned a new dress, a little black number that she'd purchased to wear on a date with Barry - if he ever came into Jenkintown again. It fit her snuggly, hugging her curves in all the right places. She knew if everything panned out the way she wanted it to that night, CB might in fact be the one to take it off her. Her whole body shivered at the thought - the thought of his strong hands slowly lowering the zipper as his lips worshipped her neck, the thought of his hands here and there and everywhere on her body...

Lainey caught herself almost panting as they approached the restaurant's doors and quickly shook away her thoughts. After her conversation with Wilma, she had thought about being with CB more and more as the day went on, her mind ultimately drifting to more carnal desires. But how could she even think of being with CB in that way when she was still technically with Barry? She just couldn't do that to him, no matter how much she wanted to be with CB in that way. Oh, how she wanted to be with him in that way. Badly.

CB had barely spoken a word since he'd picked her up at her apartment, which was completely out of character for him. He'd also seemed rather nervous and distracted, and Lainey was beginning to wonder if something was amiss. Maybe he was feeling anxious about taking her out on a friend's date, that maybe his new girlfriend wouldn't approve. Or maybe he was just embarrassed about what had happened between them in the lobby earlier. Still, something pulling at the back of her brain thought that maybe he did have more-than-friends feelings for her and his prefrontal cortex was driving him literally out of his mind.

"Where is everyone?" Lainey said, confused, as she and CB entered the lobby of the restaurant.

"I'm not sure," he answered, not meeting her eyes, and scratched the back of his head.

She glanced around, noticing that the entire restaurant was unusually empty except for the maitre d. He smiled happily as they approached his post.

"Ah, yes, Miss Lewis," the kind man greeted them, holding an outstretched hand toward a table similar to the one they'd shared a month ago. "Your table is right this way."

Lainey's jaw dropped to the ground.

On the round table sat two lit taper candles and a vase full of at least a dozen red roses. Her heart pounded wildly, and her lips morphed into a huge grin.

CB did have feelings for her!

Her heart nearly sang with happiness. Joyful tears began to form in her eyes, and to think he'd set this all up just to tell her how he felt - and at the same restaurant where he'd told her about his crush. Even though she hated surprises, Lainey wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him, kiss him senseless. Not to mention she also wanted to thank him by taking care of his little "mishap" from that morning. But that would have to wait until later.

She swiftly turned to CB, who was busy staring blankly at the floor.

"Is this all for me?" She bit her lip, trying to mask her excitement.

"Yes, Lainey… it's all for you." CB nodded, his eyes deflecting from the ground to hers.

Their eyes met. In that moment, Lainey's whole world shifted, and she knew, she just knew who the one for her now was. And he was standing right in front of her.

Smiling, Lainey opened her arms to embrace him, but suddenly, the lights went dim.

"When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next you… "

"Barry?" She said in disbelief, spinning around, her eyes quickly searching the room.

Lainey then focused on the back of the restaurant, catching sight of Barry and several string musicians as they emerged from behind the kitchen door. The soft music from the violins soon filled the entire restaurant.

"When I go out, yeah I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you…" her boyfriend, dressed in a black dress jacket over his usual Flyers shirt, serenaded her, completely out of pitch.

Her heart plummeted in her chest when her eyes spied the tiny red box held firmly in Barry's hand.

No, no, no, this is NOT happening, Lainey thought, her anxiety skyrocketing through the roof.

This whole friend's date had been a ploy for Barry to propose, not for CB to confess his undying love for her. She had never felt more embarrassed in her life - or more disappointed.

Lainey turned back to CB, only to see the doors of the restaurant closing behind him as he left.

"CB!" She called after him, but he didn't turn back. She could see through the glass windows that he was already jogging toward his car.

Her heart dashed into a million pieces. CB had indeed moved on… with someone else.

"Lainey Lewis…" Barry woke her from her reverie, and she whirled around to face him, utterly crushed.

The tears began to overrun her eyes as Barry approached her with the open box in his palm, but this time, her tears were for something very, very different. She would have to reject him, break his heart again, and tell him she had feelings for someone else, someone who didn't have feelings for her in return.

And she didn't know how she could go through with it.

~.~

Damn. It hurt to write this and the next chapter too, which is from CB's point of view. Please don't run away yet like CB! I promise it will get better. Just one chapter left! Thank you for reading! ~ Dazzy xxoo