Thank you for the reviews.

Now the title for this chapter is for your own interpretation... I honestly thought it was rather clever when I came up with it but you might think otherwise... And of course (as the running theme is now going to be), more Reddie cuteness ahead... You have been warned.

Chapter Nineteen
(Not) a Double Date

"Eddie please, you can't leave me on my own."

"It's only Melissa and Adam."

"Exactly."

"So you want me to go out with your sister and a man I barely know and like. How much trouble can they cause?"

"Melissa keeps saying that she is going to try and set me up with Adam."

"What?" Eddie said as he stopped walking.

Rachel's reactions weren't as quick as she took another couple of steps. She turned on her heels to face him.

"So now you are concerned."

"Have you… told her about us?"

She couldn't help but smile and love the way that he said us. She took a step closer to him but keeping enough distance if someone was to interrupt them.

"Are you jealous Mr Lawson?"

"I'm not jealous."

"So the green-eyed monster wasn't there during Adam's interview."

"Okay, I did feel what you must be feeling when Melissa flirts with me and it was horrible."

"Which is why I need you to come to this dinner. I need you to come as my date rather than my sister playing matchmaker."

Eddie quickly looked over his shoulder before he leant forward and kissed her.

"Does that mean you are coming?" She said as she wiped her lipstick from his lips again.

"Did you tell her about us?"

"Not in so many words. I told her that I was seeing someone and that it was early days but I thought it was going well. She just told me that if it was early days, then I could still keep my options open. I swear Philip looked like he could have hit his head against the table."

"We are going to have to tell her."

"Eddie, I have now told her that I was pregnant and she doesn't believe me. If I said to her that I was dating you, I don't think she would believe me until she saw me kissing you. And even then I don't think she would believe me."

"Dating?"

"Yeah."

"So is it early days or are we dating?"

"What?"

"She does have a small point if it is just early days. It is like American, casual dating. But I think you couldn't say that if we are being English. Exclusive."

"Eddie, if I would let myself, I would scream it from the rooftops. But I can't at the moment. I… I want you and I want to be dating, going out with you, whatever term you want to attach to it, exclusively. You know me, Eddie."

He sighed. "I do. I'm sorry."

She took a step closer to him. "You don't have to apologise. It's not your fault that I am not used to having someone completely devoted to me."

"I know."

"So are you coming tonight?"

"As long as we can secretly call it our second date."

"The pure thought of that might just get me through the evening."

"Good. This time I'm paying. No arguments."

The urge to argue with him was there but she held her tongue. She was just glad that he had agreed to go with her.

The door flung open and Eddie was a little disappointed when it was Melissa on the other side rather than Rachel.

"She decided to work late. Again." She said, rolling her eyes.

Eddie already knew that Rachel was going to do that. Within Rachel's first couple of weeks at Waterloo Road, he had realised that the only day that she would leave at the same time as the kids and the rest of the staff was on a Friday. He obviously didn't know whether she carried on working at home but she at least went home at a sensible time.

"We did have that fight earlier that took up a chunk of her time."

"You don't have to defend her Eddie. My sister is a workaholic and you know it."

He could agree with her but he knew why Rachel was so passionate. He would have defended her more but he knew that everything he was going to say was going to fall on deaf ears. He was glad that he saved his breath because Rachel took it away from him as she walked down the stairs to join them. He could tell that her smile was at his not-so-subtle reaction to her. She made it even worse for him as she placed a kiss on his cheek, knowing that she would have wanted to kiss him properly.

"We'd better not let this poor driver sit around any longer." He said once he had found his voice again.

"Good call Mr Lawson." Rachel said.

She was teasing him and he hoped that they could get away so he could show her how much he loved and hated the teasing. It wasn't so bad at school. He could keep his less-than-professional thoughts to himself. But they didn't have to be professional now and her smile gave her away. She wanted him to react like he did. It was going to be a long night for the pair of them if she kept it up.

Rachel was glad that it was her and Eddie that reached the table first. He sat down and as much as she would have loved to have sat in front of him, she sat down in the chair next to him, with Melissa basically running around the table to sit opposite Eddie. She shared a look with Eddie before turning to Adam, who was opposite her.

They looked at the menu while they waited for someone to come over and take their order.

"Merlot?" Eddie said to her.

"You know me, Eddie."

"Merlot?" Adam questioned.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"With the food on offer, I would say that a Zinfandel would be better than a Merlot."

Rachel already knew the look on Eddie's face. As long as Adam didn't order for her, there would be no problems.

"Alright Miss, Sir."

A smile rose on her lips as she turned to Bolton, who stood at the end of the table.

"I really need to stop going out to places where my students work." She said.

"How long have you been here then Bolton?" Eddie asked.

"Since the summer. Couldn't go back to Hordley even if he wanted me to. Mum knew a friend and I put everything you taught me last year into practice. Got it well easy Miss."

"Good for you." Rachel said.

"Don't worry. Your order is safe with me."

"Oh, it will be. Because you wouldn't want to risk having the rest of the term in detention."

"So what are we having?"

"A glass of Merlot and a pint of bitter," Eddie said before Adam could even open his mouth.

There was a small smile on Bolton's face as he wrote down the order.

"Any bitter?"

"Whatever is recommended."

Melissa ordered a white wine while Adam was very specific with the beer that he wanted. To Rachel, it just showed that Eddie and Adam were rather different. And Eddie just happened to know her a lot better.

Bolton told them that he would give them a little more time before he took their food order.

"At least we know that someone learnt something from the lessons for life group," Eddie said.

"Always knew he was a good kid deep down. Just needed someone to believe in him."

"Are you two going to talk shop all night?" Melissa said, seeming already annoyed at the small amount that they had said.

"Bolton is currently Rachel's biggest success."

"And Eddie, I've already told you that you don't have to defend her."

He gave her a look that she knew meant that he would tell her later. The conversation moved to Adam and what he had done since they last saw each other. Rachel couldn't deny that he had been successful but he didn't have to be all cocky about it. He was coming off a bit of a jerk and she hoped that it just because he was trying to show off.

"So the name change?" Adam asked.

Rachel had noticed that Adam hadn't called her by her name, probably trying to get used to not calling her by her old name.

He had said it at the wrong time as Bolton shot him a look that Rachel didn't know if she was grateful for. Although she suspected that Eddie was equally giving him a look of 'don't go there'.

"This is really the time or the place to be discussing that. As much as it is… Somewhat common knowledge."

"Have I missed something?"

"Adam…" Melissa started.

"Drop it. I am sure Rachel will tell you but this isn't the time or the place." Eddie said, interrupting her.

Dinner carried on in a similar fashion with Melissa and Adam getting on well while Rachel was sure that Eddie had the same idea of her as getting out of there as soon as possible. They were given the perfect opportunity as Adam went to talk to his friend that ran the new cocktail bar in town while Melissa disappeared into the loo. Eddie asked Bolton for the bill and the argument between them started.

"Eddie, I'm not leaving you with half the bill when both my sister and old school friend have drunk double what we have."

"And I said that I was paying. No arguments. Bolton, put half the bill on there." He said as he handed over his card.

She thought about shooting Bolton a look of 'you aren't doing that' but she had noticed that he had the smile that he had when Eddie ordered her drink for her.

"So the rumours are true then," Bolton said as he handed back Eddie's card.

"What rumours?" Rachel said.

"That it was Lawson's baby."

Both of them gave her a shrug before Bolton told them about a back entrance, making sure that they could just slip out without having to face Melissa or Adam. Eddie managed to flag down a taxi and as they got in, she realised that she didn't really know what their plan was.

"It's Friday." She said.

"Yeah, it is."

"Back to mine so I can get some clothes and then back to yours."

"Sounds like a plan."

Eddie felt like they could have had another drink or talked a little more but as soon as he had closed the front door, Rachel was kissing him. He could feel her smile as he pulled her closer.

"I have wanted to do that all night."

"I could tell." He swallowed, not really knowing how she was going to take what he was going to say next. "In fact, I think we need to talk about your behaviour tonight."

"What about my behaviour?"

"I think you know exactly what I am talking about Mason."

He did worry that she wasn't going to catch on but with a groan, that did the weirdest of things to him, he realised that she understood his teasing.

"What are you going to do about it then Lawson?"

"Haven't made my mind up yet."

"Not like you to be indecisive."

"Maybe I've been spending too much time with you."

"How about… Instead of you trying to think of something, I make it up to you."

His mouth went dry as she gave him a smile that he had only seen more recently. He wanted to say something as she grabbed his hand to pull him towards the bedroom. He had made a promise to himself that he didn't want to do anything that would remind her of her past, but he didn't really stop her as she sat him down on the bed and undressed. There was just something about Rachel that made him feel things that he had never felt before and he hoped that she felt the same way as she pushed him back onto the bed.