Alright guys, sorry about the wait, but I had an idea for Chapter 4 before I started writing Chapter 3, so therefore, it has taken me a while to write this one.
Thank to everyone for their wonderful reviews, it brightens my day when I see that people have been reviewing my stories and are actually reading them. So keep that going!!
Disclaimer: I do not own RENT, if I did, I would have met Idina and Taye already...which, sadly, I haven't...yet. ENJOY!

Chapter 3: The Date

Benny and Maureen walked the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence. The sudden exposure of feelings for each other caught them by surprise, and neither knew what to say about it. Inside they were both screaming with joy that the other felt the same way, but showing it was out of the question. Walking up to the door, Benny got a little in front of Maureen to be able to be a gentleman and open the door for her. She smiled at his manners and walked in, gasping at the gorgeous surroundings. He walked in after her, putting his hand at the small of her back, causing chills to rocket up her spine, evident in the shivering of her body.

"Are you all right, you seem cold?" Benny asked, not removing his hand but scooting closer to her.

"No, I'm fine," Maureen replied, not revealing what the real reason was for the sudden shiver.

Benny walked up to the woman at the front desk and told her that he had a reservation for two at 7:45.

"Name?" the woman, whose nametag told them her name was Neelah, asked him.

"Coffin," he replied.

Maureen felt her heart rise in her throat when she heard his last name refer to her also. She smiled slightly as Benny grabbed her hand and led her to the table that the waitress designated for them.

"Thank you," Benny said to the waitress as she went back up to the front desk.

Benny and Maureen sat there in silence for a while, both marveling the beauty of the restaurant.

"Benny," Maureen whispered to shatter the silence, "I want to thank you for taking me here. You didn't —."

"Shh," Benny interrupted, "I don't want to hear a thank you now, I just want you to enjoy it."

Again, Maureen just flashed her million dollar smile at him, not knowing what else to do. Benny slid his hand on top of hers and waited for their waitress.

Another woman came to the table, handing menus to them.

"Hello, I'm Hilary and I will be your waitress this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?" she asked them, smiling at the hands that were joined.

"I'll have a Gin n' Tonic," Benny told her, looking over at Maureen, who was contemplating her decision.

"Red Wine, please," she finally decided.

"Alright, I will go get those, and give you guys a few moments to decide on your meal," Hilary told them, walking around the corner and out of Benny and Maureen's sight.

They were left to search the menus and decide on what to eat for the evening. Benny kept stealing glances at Maureen, marveling her beauty. Sometimes his gaze settled too long and Maureen would shoot her eyes up to meet his. All he could do was smile at her and look back down at his menu.

Maureen sneezed an abnormally amount of times, catching Benny's attention.

"Are you alright?" his eyes shone with concern.

She sniffed and smiled at him, "Yeah, I think so. I think I'm just getting a cold, that's all."

Benny noticed that she was sounding more and more congested with every passing moment.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" he asked her.

Maureen coughed a few times before answering, "Yes, I'm okay."

Benny could tell that she was lying, but he wasn't going to press it any further.

Hilary came back to their table, asking for orders this time.

"I'll just have a Caesar salad," Maureen told her, feeling Benny's eyes fixed upon her.

"I'll have the New York Strip, medium rare, please," Benny told the waitress, before gazing in Maureen direction again.

The waitress thanked them and left them alone with their thoughts.

"You've always wanted to come here, yet you order a salad," Benny mocked Maureen.

She looked up from her hands and gave him a weak smile.

"Mo, are you sure you're alright?

Her ears perked at the nickname he had given her when she dated Mark and they all lived together.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling the greatest right now. It's no big deal," she said, waving her hand in the air to emphasis her point.

Benny looked through concerned eyes, but didn't try to argue with her. The more that time went on, he could tell that she felt worse. He wished the food would get here soon, so he could take her home so she could rest. Finally the waitress came back, but only with Maureen's salad.

"You're steak will be right out sir," she told Benny with a smile.

"Okay, thank you, and could I possibly get a glass of water?" he asked Hilary before she could get too far away from the table.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

Maureen had stopped eating and looked questionably at him.

"I noticed that you hadn't touched your wine, and I know it's because you don't feel good," he told her.

She slightly smiled at how well he could read her. Was she just that predictable or could only he do it? It seemed that Mark and Joanne would never be able to do that; they would continuously ask questions until Maureen had to draw a picture for them.

The waitress came back with the water and the steak and set them down in front of Benny before turning back to go get the check.

Benny pushes the water over toward Maureen, receiving a smile from her as thanks. They ate with idol conversation about their day and what they were working on.

Maureen had eaten half of her salad before pushing it away.

"Are you done?" Benny asked her.

She nodded her head as she grabbed for the glass of water and took a sip.

Benny could tell that Maureen didn't feel well at all, and decided to get his steak to go and get her home. The waitress walked by the table and Benny grabbed her attention before she got too far away.

"Can I get a box for this?"

"Yeah, no problem," the waitress said, going to the back.

"What are you doing?" Maureen asked, feeling guilty that she was causing Benny to get his food to go.

"You need to get home and rest."

"No, Benny I'm fine—

"Maureen, it's alright. We can do this again when you feel better."

She just sighed knowing she was not going to win this battle.

The waitress came back with a box for Benny's food, and placed the check down in front of him. He quickly put the enough money to cover it plus the tip. Telling the waitress to keep the change, he got up and offered his hand to Maureen, who gladly took it. They walked hand in hand out the door and through the streets to Maureen's apartment. Approaching the door, Maureen turned to Benny and tried her best to smile, but the head was throbbing, making it hard.

"Thank you for tonight," she told him. "I'm sorry that I ruined it."

"You didn't ruin it, and it's not your fault anyway," he said to her, kissing her forehead, "Go get some sleep sickling. I will call you later."

Maureen smiled before entering her apartment building. Benny grabbed his box and headed home to eat the rest of his meal.

REMINDER: Press the review button because subconsciously you know you want to. AND! I have to get ready to go to work, so I will put up Chapter 4 tomorrow!