"Personally, I had you pegged as a fish eater," Eddie said as they strode lazily across the parking lot, hands still joined.

"I have a secret," Celina replied. "But you can't tell anyone. Promise?" To emphasize, she lifted a finger to her lips.

Eddie nodded, fascinated by the prospect of her confidence and by those lips. "Promise."

She inhaled. "When I go off my rocker, I binge on sushi. There, I said it."

"Are you going to the meetings?"

"What meetings?"

"The Sushi Anonymous meetings. On Wednesdays."

Celina played along and feigned a torn voice, "Hello, my name is Celina. And I..." She paused to mock-sob into her hand. "And I'm a sushi addict!"

Eddie chuckled as they approached her car. "Would you look at that, I crossed the asphalt without getting mowed over."

"How about that," she remarked as they squeezed into the narrow space between cars. Her attention was occupied with digging for her keys in her bohemian style bag, to no avail. She met his eyes apologetically as she dropped his hand to aid in her search.

"You must be my good luck charm," he continued. Internally, however, he was flailing. He'd been fine and dandy when her hand was firmly grasped in his. Now, he was left more than a little lost.

What had he planned to do, exactly? Walking her to her car was gentlemanly, but the effect of safely delivering her across a parking lot was somewhat lost in broad daylight, save for the sentiment. Trying to correct his tailspin, he fell back on the Gentleman Code.

When Celina procured the keys triumphantly, Eddie plucked them from her hand and shuffled closer to the driver's side door. Celina was privately confused for a moment, but her heart melted with 'aw, sweet' when he opened her door for her.

"Thanks," she said sincerely, throwing her bag in before she moved to climb in.

Crap. She was in the car. Unless he physically dragged her out for...what, again?...this was goodbye. "You have my number," Celina said tentatively. "Call me?"

"Tonight, if not sooner," Eddie said with an affirmative nod. Awkwardness reared its ugly head again as they simultaneously hesitated.

"I'll see you," she said decisively.

Eddie closed her door with automatic movements as she cranked the Beetle. He couldn't believe he'd blown it. He'd gotten the gumption to ask her out, and then to walk her to her car, but now he was doomed to stumble at the finish line. What was he thinking? He didn't deserve her kiss, though he wanted it more than anything before.

Did she even view this as the first date of many? Or did she simply see him as a one-time deal that would fade with gradually spacing phone calls?

He turned away, embittered by his own stupidity, to cross the parking lot again. Suddenly, the wolf rose up in his mind for the first time since he'd avoided becoming roadkill. Claim, it whispered to him. Claim her as yours. You are alpha, she is female. Claim her.

Eddie's spine straightened, and a minor revelation overcame him. If he didn't show her where he stood, not to mention where he wanted 'them' to go, then he would lose her to the sucking vacuum that was apathy and indecision.

The thought made his chest ache, just a little. The wolf growled in his mind.

Celina was at the entrance to the parking lot, signal ticking. Eddie loped over, feeling rather blutbad in his sudden desire. He rapped on her window, causing her to startle. She rolled it down. "Yes?" she asked innocently.

Eddie leaned into the bottechat's car window. "Sorry," he growled, the wolf flashing his eyes red. Her own eyes sharpened and brightened, animal recognizing animal. "But I can't let you go without this - "

And he laid his lips on hers.

Time stopped in that VW. Outside the breeze blew, people talked and laughed, creatures went on their merry way. Inside, Celina and Eddie were wrapped in their own personal comet tail of glittering pheromones and endorphins.

Their lips regretted to move, so enraptured was the couple in the sheer volume of emotions, of the absurd amount of feeling that could come from the meeting of two innocuous parts of the body, both physically and otherwise.

It had to end, or they'd both supernova.

Eddie put one inch between them, opening eyes that he didn't know he'd closed. Celina noticed that they were still red, but set in a human face heavily affected by their kiss. She inhaled, her own eyes wide with surprise, fiery green and pupils fully elongated. His breath tickled her face as he said, with carefully reined emphasis, "I'll be seeing you again. Soon."

"Yeah," she said faintly. "Looking forward to it."

There was the briefest pause, no more than a second's split, where their respective inner animals shone bright enough to interact. The cat leaned up to the wolf that was half inside her car, and with the grace and purposeful sensuality that felines possess, rubbed cheeks. The wolf growled with approval.

"Goodbye, Celina Victorie."

"Goodbye, Eddie Monroe."

They parted ways physically, but their minds were consumed for the rest of the day by the memory of that kiss.

Tracy and Celina were perched on Celina's bed, leaning close as girlfriends do when they're sharing state and national secrets. "So he kissed you? On the first date?" queried Tracy with hushed incredulity. "Way to go, Miss Conservative!"

"Can it, lady," replied Celina wryly, reddening despite herself. "It was a first date. We've known each other for all of two days."

"So? Chemistry knows no time."

"Chemistry fizzles out, too," commented the bottechat, picking at the coverlet.

"Don't be so glass-half-empty," chided her best friend.

"I can't help it," said Celina exasperatedly.

"Can't help what?" asked Henry from the doorway, causing the two girls to jump.

"Nothing," replied his sister hurriedly, in a way that suggested she would never tell.

"Just so you know," said her brother casually. "He's on my hit list, this Eddie person. If that is his real name," he mumbled half to himself. "Where did you say he lived again?"

The cat woman's eyes narrowed playfully, but the effect was lost on her kin. "We're not there yet, but even if I knew, I'd never tell you."

"Ah, well," sighed Henry ruefully. "The nice way was worth a shot." He raised his voice as he ambled down the hall. "Hey, Rene, I'ma need a bucket of water, a car battery, and a Justin Beiber CD!"

"What makes you think I'd have anything of JB's?" came the indignant reply from the living room.

The girls snickered. "He said he was gonna call you tonight, right?"

Celina nodded, hope coloring her face. "He promised."

Tracy tilted her head. "Then we'll see if he's a man of his word."

"You make it sound so...serious."

"It is! There are, like, scruples he has to have, or he's not worth it."

"He did open my car door for me."

"Fine. One point," grudged Tracy.

"Hey, don't worry so hard," chastised Celina, patting her friend's knee. "I'm keeping the verdict out. For now."

Tracy sighed. "I suppose that's all I can ask for."

Celina looked at her friend gratefully. "You're the best. If only Henry was as low-key about me dating someone."

"He just wants your heart to stay whole," said Tracy reassuringly.

Celina cradled her head. "He's worse than Dad."

"He learned it from Mr. Victorie," corrected Tracy. "By the way, have they called yet this week?"

"No, thank God," said Celina. "Every time they do, it's like 'When are you going to get a real job?'" She eyed her friend heavily. "At least your folks are musicians, too. They understand."

Tracy shrugged. "As much as any parent can understand their daughter."

Celina winced, knowing the subject was sore. Tracy's parents did not approve of her living with two boys under the same roof, no matter how platonically. "My night to make dinner. Want to drink tea and keep me company?"

The skinny skirt wearer cocked her head, listening to the TV in the living room. "Sounds like there's a game on tonight." They slid off the bed and padded down the hall.

Celina rolled her eyes. "How will you manage without?"

"I'll find a way, trust me," said Tracy dryly. "Maybe I can sneak a little meat into that dinner while I'm at it."

"No way, Jose."

"You have to look away sometime!" insisted Tracy.

"Pfft. Try to fool my nose, I dare you."

And so it went while Celina diced potatoes, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. While the potatoes baked, she started the waffle iron and mixed up the Bisquick.

"Smells like breakfast for dinner," said Rene appreciatively, rolling into the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge. "Let me guess: Celina's Southwestern Hashbrowns?"

Celina saluted him with her spatula. "Good nose. You want chocolate chips in your waffles?"

"You know me too well," sighed the guitarist.

"Me too!" came Henry's shout from the living room.

"Me, three," said Tracy from the kitchen table, sipping her tea.

"How'd the date go?" asked Rene, his soda can spitting.

"Really well, actually," Celina said with as much casual innocence as she could muster

Rene was fooled for all of two seconds. He squinted at the redhead. "Holy crap, you kissed him!" he stage whispered, rolling closer.

Celina blushed furiously, and Tracy went to bat for her. "He kissed her, actually," corrected the percussionist.

"Still, wow," said Rene with surprise. "Kinda quick, don't you think?"

"Why does everyone say that?" Celina begged of the ceiling. "I know, I know, but it just sort of happened."

"Hey, this is a judgement-free zone," said Rene, holding up his hands. "I don't mean to make it sound like I'm not happy for you. I really am. As long as he's good to you..."

Celina squeezed her friend's arm gratefully. "He is. So far, I get the feeling he's a really good guy. He's gonna call me tonight."

Rene considered his soda can. "I think I'll ask Henry to take this studly dog for a walk. Or a roll."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. What are friends for?"

Celina leaned down to hug him. "That's fantastic!"

"TOUCHDOWN!" screamed Henry from the living room.

"Gotta go," said Rene briskly. "Just remember: you have to tell Henry something, or he'll start to assume all kinds of stuff."

"I know," said Celina with a reluctant nod. "I'll update him soon."