CHAPTER TWO:
A/N: Okay! I'm sorry if that last chapter was confusing, I will try not to flip around from POV to POV so much… I'll work on it. Tell me if it's getting better/worse or what this chapter okay? Thanks to MedicWarrickLver for telling me that, and thanks to Carolshane, Adamsgirl and Carolina in the Cantina for the support. Ha, yes a hug from Eric would cure almost anything.
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Twenty minutes later, Calleigh was ripping her closet apart looking for something to wear. She hadn't been anywhere in what seemed like forever where she really cared about how she looked. But tonight she did. It was stupid really, because she had been close friends with Eric for so long that one appearance wasn't going to change a thing, but she still felt the need to look good. She finally found something near the back of the closet. "Shows how much I go out." She laughed to herself as she slipped the dress on. Fifteen minutes later Calleigh had cleaned up and was waiting for Eric to come pick her up. If she knew Eric, he'd be early, and he was. Four and a half minutes early to be exact. She pretended not to be sitting and waiting for him as he knocked on the door. She got up, turned off the TV and slowly opened the door.
"Hey Eric!" She exclaimed as she opened the door.
"Calleigh! Wow, you look gorgeous." He smiled appreciatively at her appearance. She was glad she hadn't overlooked the 'stupid idea' of caring that she looked good for the evening.
"Thanks, you too." She smiled back. "Just let me grab my purse and we'll get going okay?"
"Sure." He nodded, stepping inside while she went back into her bedroom to grab her purse. "Alright, let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door. She laughed and walked quickly behind him, glad she had worn her lower heels rather than her favourite high ones.
"Are we walking?" She laughed as he continued leading her hand past their vehicles.
"We are walking." He smiled showing off his perfect, white teeth.
"I'm not falling for the angelic smile, Delko." She laughed, "Where are we going that we can walk to from here?"
"I'm not used to explaining myself on dates." He protested, still not giving up the mystery walking destination, "You're the first girl who hasn't gone for the smile Cal."
"Oh, I'm sure." She replied shaking her head, wondering what kind of girls Eric usually dated.
"No really!" He told her, "But I bet you're used to guys doing what you want because of your smile?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. She shook her head, thinking, what smile? And what guys?
"Eric, we all don't spend hour upon hours smiling at ourselves in the mirrors you know." She told him with a laugh, suddenly very conscious of her smile because she wasn't sure what he meant by the comment.
"That's what they all say." He shook his head with mock disbelief. "But all this smile talk really distracted you, didn't it?"
"It did." She agreed.
"So in a way, my smile still distracted you, didn't it?" He pressed.
"Are we on a date, or did you ask me to dinner to interrogate me?" She laughed.
"Avoid it if you'd like." He shrugged his shoulders flashing his teeth again. She shook her head.
"Really Eric, where are we going?" She persisted.
"Do you really, really want to know?"
"Of course I do, why else would I be asking you? There aren't any restaurants anywhere in comfortable walking distance. We don't have to walk really, really far do we Eric?" She whined.
"Calleigh, you're such a baby." He laughed, "Stop whining, we're almost there." She gave up. She would find out when they got wherever it was they were going. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
------ Switch POV -----
As they walked down the sidewalk, he was surprised she was still letting him hold her hand. He had just grabbed it to pull her past the cars and indicate they were walking, but she hadn't pulled away, and he didn't mind at all. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye as they walked. He didn't know how she could keep up with his pace which was fairly fast in those heels. He didn't know how any woman could walk in high heels at all, he thought they were crazy. Why does it matter if you're a few extra inches higher anyways? He loved watching Calleigh. The way she moved, the way she looked, the way emotions due to the thoughts she was thinking or what she was saying if in conversation played across her face. Most of the time, if he watched carefully enough, he could tell what she was thinking, and how she felt. He loved that about her. He loved everything about her. He squeezed her hand and broke the silence, "Over here Cal." She gave him a confused look, but followed him. They crossed the street and headed onto the boardwalk of the beach continuing the same way they had been before.
"Eric, I'm asking you one last time, where are we going?" She demanded. It made him smile. She was so determined to figure it out.
"Right over here. It should take us another two minutes…" He started but she cut him off which made him smile even more. His dates usually consisted of him driving a girl to a restaurant, some talking about nothing really important or memorable, him flashing some smiles and then depending on the night, and the girl, maybe something more afterwards, but with Calleigh, it was different. It could have been because even though she was more beautiful than any of the other girls that he dated, she wasn't just going out with him because he had looks and a handsome smile; she was dating him because she liked him. Loved him? He hoped so. She wasn't just one of those girls that you could pick up anywhere, she was special. She was brilliant, funny, confident, independent and tough, the list went on forever. She was his dream girl, and she was actually going out with him because she liked him as a friend and hopefully more.
"Eric, Eric!" She called with a smile on her face.
"Sorry, what?" He asked, embarrassed that he had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't bee listening to her.
"Is that where we're going?" She pointed to a spot in the distance in the sand. He followed her gaze to the spot he had set up earlier. This end of the beach was completely deserted, it always was.
"Yep, that's where we're going." He nodded with a smile. He hoped she liked it. He'd gone to the store right after he left work and bought some food then went home, cooked it and cleaned up. He grabbed a picnic basket and a nice blanket and packed the food up nicely in it. He'd gone down to the spot on the beach and set everything up. They both took off their shoes as they left the boardwalk and headed onto the cool sand. Calleigh squealed when the sand made contact with her feet.
"You could have just told me this is where we were coming." She told him with a smile.
"Yeah, but I wanted to surprise you." He shot back. They both shook their heads and sat down by the basket.
"Do you usually have a picnic on the beach for your first date Eric?" She asked him as he was getting the food out.
"Nah, I usually save it for like the fifth date." He told her with a smirk, "You're my exception."
"I see." She nodded with a smirk of her own, "I'm guessing you usually attract girl by your looks, and if you cooked for them on your first date, you wouldn't seem as attractive and masculine?" She guessed, wiping the smirk right off his face.
"And how do you get dates then, Calleigh?" He shot back, his smirk returning.
"What are you implying Eric?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. His smirk turned into a teeth bearing smile and he took his time answering.
"That you're beautiful." He answered looking up to meet her eyes. He could tell she was slightly taken aback by the comment because she took a minute before opening her mouth to reply. He didn't know if she'd take offence or what she'd do. It was one of those times that he couldn't read the emotions off her face.
"So is that why you asked me out to dinner?" She asked. He hadn't meant to make her feel like that at all. Dammit Delko, what have you done now, he thought. She thought he asked her out because she was beautiful and he didn't have another date for the night?
"Calleigh, you know me better than that. I asked you out to dinner because I am in love with you." He confessed. He was staring right at her, but her eyes were transfixed on her fingers which were drawing patterns in the sand.
"You're in love with me?" She asked. Her fingers stopped moving and she looked up and met his gaze.
"Yeah." He nodded, "Whatcha gonna do about it?" He teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He was waiting for an answer when she caught him off guard by capturing his lips with her own. The kissed lasted for a moment before she pulled away.
"That." She answered a smile playing on the corners of her lips.
"I have no arguments." He told her as she uncovered the food and handed her a fork. "Let's eat."
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ANOTHER A/N: Okay, less confusing I hope. Please review and let me know what you think about it… there will be more soon. Right now it is after three in the morning, and I'm still not tired… because I slept in today (gotta love snow days!) but I have a voice lesson earlier than I like to get up tomorrow morning, so I better at least try to get some sleep although I'll probably end up writing another chapter of some story, maybe this one. Ttyl!