"DATE"

I have no idea why I'm so nervous. I check my hair and my outfit in the mirror for what feels like the tenth time while I wait, and I hear a snicker from the other side of the room.

"I swear to god, if you don't knock it off, I'm going to find a new roommate," I say. Christina actually laughs this time and I roll my eyes.
"I don't know what you're so worried about. He's seen you in just about every way imaginable, including naked," she says, flashing me a wide smile and a wink. "It's just a date, Tris. Relax."
"I know it's just a date, but technically, we haven't really been on one before. Well, like a real, real date I mean."
"Tris, you got this. Have dinner. Do whatever you're gonna do. Have sex. It's literally like any other day."

I know she's right, but it just feels more important than whatever we normally do, which lately consists of just talking on the phone and our Friday nights. Maybe I'm just excited to finally see Tobias in person. To touch him. To hold him. To kiss him. A knock at the door sends me running to get it before Christina does.

"Hi," I say, sounding out of breath. Tobias raises an eyebrow at me, and smiles.
"Hi yourself. You look beautiful."
"See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about," Christina says as she saunters up behind me. "Now do me a favor and show her a good time, if you know what I mean. She's been a little too high strung lately." I turn around and throw her a look that actually makes her take a step back. I hear Tobias let out a little laugh.
"I'll see what I can do," he says, and I snatch my sweater off the hook.

I don't look at him the entire walk to his car, thanks to Christina's big mouth. He really didn't need to know…how high strung I really am. He opens my door and I slide in, still avoiding any sort of contact. He doesn't say anything when he gets in, or even start the car; I can see him staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

I finally take a deep breath, and just as I turn my head, he leans forward, capturing my lips with his. He pulls me in deeper as he slides his hand behind my neck and into my hair. His touch and his taste always puts me at ease, and this time is no exception. When he pulls away, I feel completely breathless, and I want more. He smirks as I stare at him —eyes flicking back and forth between his lips and his eyes— and gives me a little peck just before starting the car. I'm left wondering what that was all about as he pulls out of the lot.

We head to a restaurant called Sliders. I've never heard of this place, and from the outside it looks like your typical, run of the mill restaurant. When he opens the door for me though, I laugh. I have to give it to him. He knows just where to take me.

There's a karaoke area off to the left and an arcade off to the right. There's also a large bar in the middle, with a few pub tables surrounding it. I look back at him, but he's just smiling. A hostess greets us, and asks which area we want to be seated in.

"Karaoke," he answers, and we follow her over to an empty table as someone takes the stage. The people sitting around start cheering when the music starts, and an older lady begins to sing a —really good— version of Baby One More Time.

"I hope you're in the mood for burgers, because that is all they have," he says as he takes a menu from the hostess. I smile as I take mine and see that he's not kidding. There are at least fifty different types of burgers on here. Tobias tells me that they come in pairs but they're small —like three or four bites— and I should start off with at least two different kinds.

He also orders a strawberry margarita, and gives me a wink when I order a coke. I know he just did it so I can drink too, since I'd be carded. I order caprese and bacon bleu sliders, while Tobias orders habanero, wild west, and extra cheesy. When our waitress comes back with our drinks, she also brings us a basket of fried pickle chips.

"I thought they only had burgers?" I ask as I dip one in ranch and pop it in my mouth. Damn these are good.
"Well, that's all you can order. They have other things that they bring you at random. Once I came here and I got fried macaroni and cheese bites with my meal."
"Oh god. That sounds like heaven."
"Oh, you have no idea."

I look around and see groups of friends and people on dates like us, laughing and having a good time. Someone else gets up on the karaoke stage and begins to sing a very dramatic version of The Wind Beneath My Wings. Tobias and I laugh as we share our food and drink, making small talk about nothing in particular. I get a text from Christina informing me that the room is all ours for the night, and I roll my eyes but smile at her thoughtfulness.

As we wait for another order of burgers to arrive, a young man takes the stage. The music starts slowly, and when he starts to sing, it's absolutely mesmerizing. Why is he here, in the middle of nowhere California, singing for us? He should be off winning Grammys. I've never heard this song before, but his voice is so captivating, and the music is so haunting, that I can't look away. The anguish and pain I feel as he sings, this song has to have a deeper meaning to him.

And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

I'm not sure why, but I feel that prickling behind my eyes. I blink a few times to stop the tears from actually forming. I've had connections to songs before, but never anything like this. It's almost as if this song is a piece of his soul, and he's giving each of us a part of it. I'm finally able to look away, and see I'm not the only one captivated; every pair of eyes is on the stage. Even the waitresses have stopped to watch.

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off of you

I look over at Tobias to see if he's just as riveted as the rest of us are, but he isn't watching the boy on the stage. He's staring right at me. My heart thumps hard, and if it were possible, it would leap right out of my chest at this very moment.

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes

I know I have to be blushing, but now I find I can't look away from him either. I've caught Tobias looking at me before, and I've sometimes wondered if it contained a little more than just lust in it. But this? This is different. I've never been looked at like this before— heavy eyes, flushed cheeks, tongue darting out to wet his lips. I swear, nobody in the history of human existence has ever looked at another human being the way Tobias is looking at me right now. My lips part just a little to let a gasp escape, and the corner of Tobias' mouth twitches up, just slightly.

The song ends, and the room erupts into a loud chorus of cheers and whistles. I finally tear my eyes away from Tobias and clap for the young man who bared himself to an entire room full of strangers. My heart is probably glad for the opportunity to get back into it's normal rhythm, too.

The waitress brings us our second round, and I'm thankful for the distraction; I'm not sure I could hold a normal conversation right now. I take a sip of the margarita between us and Tobias leans over and kisses me gently on the side of my head before picking up his burger and digging in.

We eventually make out way to the arcade, and this is when I know it's about to get serious.

"So," I say, trying to put as much gloat in my voice as I can, "You up for another round of losing to me?" Tobias shoots me a look, but smiles afterwards.
"I guess that all depends on what the prize is."
"Bragging rights. What else?"

We agree start with skee-ball, and Tobias has no idea what he's in for. I am the skee-ball champion.
"Okay, three games? Best two out of three?" he says, as he puts the tokens into both our lanes.
"Whatever you say. I just hope you're prepared to lose."

We went five rounds instead of three, and I just smiled sweetly when he lost every single one. He's actually kinda cute when he lets his mouth hang open in disbelief.

He looks around afterwards, no doubt looking for something he thinks he can best me at. Eventually we settle at one of those deer hunting games, and I know I'm toast on this one. I've never even held a gun —real or fake— before.

I let Tobias go first, and watch as he shoots with what seems like expert precision. I know it's just a game, but he hasn't missed a single target yet. When his time is up he hands me the gun, a satisfied look on his face as he puts more tokens in the machine. I aim the gun and…fail. Miserably.

I missed every target but two, and I think I only hit those out of sheer luck. I take a deep breath and let out a loud sigh, expecting him to be smiling. Instead I am met with a very serious Tobias.

"What?" I ask.
"Well I can't very well gloat over that," he says. "Let's do it again until you get it right."
"Tobias, it's fine, really."
"I know. Will you let me show you once, though?" I nod.

He puts more tokens in and shows me how he does it. Everything from aiming to when to fire before handing me the gun. I take it as he puts more tokens in, and find that it comes a little more naturally this time. I only miss about half the targets.

"There," he says. "Now I have something I can gloat over." I stick my tongue out at him as I shove the gun back in it's holster.

We play a few more games before leaving. I have to say, as far as dates go, this one was definitely a success. I expect Tobias to take me back home, but instead we end up driving into the nearby hills. I hum along to some songs on the radio, and so does Tobias. He eventually turns onto a road that's not really a road; it's more like a trail that cars can barely fit down, but it looks like it doesn't get much use.

"I'm hoping you know exactly where you're going," I say, not liking the darkness that's creeping in the further we head into the wooded area.
"Just a few more minutes," he says, making a left onto another barely used road. We go up and up, and sure enough, reach a small clearing. I wonder how he even knows about this.
"You up for a small hike?" he asks. I look down at my dress and flats and raise an eyebrow at him. "It's really small. I promise."

I follow him to the other side of the clearing, and see there's a small trail that goes up a hill. He takes my hand and leads the way. It only takes a few minutes to see the moonlight coming through clearer and brighter. When we reach the top, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Somehow, on this tiny hill that reaches above the tree line, there is not a single tree to obstruct our view. There are city lights in one direction, but in all the others, it's just as sea of tree tops. This is truly amazing.

"Wow. Just…how did you even find this place?"
"Went hiking with Zeke once and happened upon it. It's pretty cool, right?"
"Pretty cool," I say, elbowing him in the ribs.

He wraps his arms around me and rests his chin on the top of my head as we stare out, watching the hustle and bustle of city life juxtaposed against the serenity of the forest. If I could stay in this moment forever, I think I would.

I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him to the side so I can lean back and kiss him. He presses against me, and I know exactly what's on his mind. I'm glad Christina is as thoughtful as she is.

"Hey," I say, looking up into eyes that are a much deeper shade of blue, "Thank you. I had a great time."
"You're welcome. We'll have to bring the telescope out here sometime." I smile and so does he as I turn around and press myself into him, feeling completely at home.

A/N:

SONG: Matt McAndrew - The Blower's Daughter (Original by Damien Rice. Both are so good.)