Disclaimer: I am not Uncle Rick and I do not own the rights to these characters. I just ship them immensely.

A/N: I am SO SO SO SO sorry guys! Life got the better of me, as well as my family lol. Anyway, enjoy this fluffy chapter! ;)

"I'll take good care of her, I promise," Zoë was saying as Luke's rental car turned into the girls' hotel parking lot at the end of their evening.

"Alright, I trust you. Give me a call if you gals need anything, though," Luke offered.

Zoë helped Thalia out of the backseat of the car, where she'd been resting. Thalia thanked Luke with a weak smile, and they departed into the building as Luke's vehicle receded.

"I can't believe myself," Thalia said, scowling, when they were back in their hotel room. "That was so embarrassing!"

"Thals, it's not your fault. And it wasn't embarrassing. Girl, you have that man wrapped around your fingers by now. He was more than happy to stay behind with you, and not just to make sure that you weren't going to pass out or something. He used it as an excuse just to be with you. I said it before, but I think it's worth repeating. He's a keeper, and he is fine."

Thalia sighed. She gathered her pajamas so that she could just change and go to sleep. From behind the bathroom door, she answered, "I don't know. What if he was just being nice? How are you so confident that this fantasy were creating might actually be reality?" She returned barefoot to the main room and found her eyes meeting Zoë's impatient expression. "What?"

"You're looking at this all wrong. It's totally obvious to anyone but you that he likes you. Really likes you," Zoë replied, and giggled as Thalia's nose crinkled in confusion.

"I don't know. I want to believe that, but you know me. I just can't," Thalia sighed. She flopped down on her hotel bed and groaned audibly.

"Having a nice pity party? Look, why don't you just call him. He wants to hear from you, or else he wouldn't have offered the help when we left the car, remember?" Zoë sat down next to Thalia on the same bed. "What's wrong with you? You never act like this."

"I like him Zoë. I do. But come on, it can't work. I have that feeling again," Thalia muttered into the sheets. "And he'd always be busy anyway, with flights, and I'm trying to get to Broadway, and-"

"Oh, shut up. You're making excuses. You can at least try to make this work before saying no."

"No."

"Thals."

"No."

"Text him. Just say thanks again. Something to let him know you really are okay. And that way maybe he won't get the impression you're too embarrassed to see him again? That's the last thing you need," Zoë said, shrugging. "Huh. I should write a relationship advice novel."

Thalia snorted at that, and both girls laughed.

"I'm gonna make some popcorn and we can watch TV before we crash. How does that sound?" Zoë asked.

Thalia turned over onto her side and grinned. "Sounds great," she said. She fished her cell phone out of her purse, which was perched on the nightstand between their beds, and opened up a new text message. She and Zoë shared a smirk before Zoë got up to make their snack.

T: hey, just wanted 2 say thx 4 staying behind w/me QueenMary. meant lots

Not even a minute later, her phone buzzed with a reply.

L: of course ;) would b glad 2 do it again.

Thalia smiled. She was beginning to believe Zoë about Luke's kindness. She was about to respond when her phone buzzed again.

L: any chance ur free 2morrow lunch?

T: zoë and I r going shopping in morning, I think, but I can b. Y?

L: surprise. meet ur hotel 1?

T: ok :)

"I know that look. Spill," Zoë chirped, returning with a large bowl of popcorn and the TV remote. She placed the bowl in front of Thalia, who scooped out a handful, and flipped channels to find a good show. When Thalia told her the plans she'd made, Zoë nearly spit popcorn in her face.

"I was right! I am so right," Zoë said with a smirk, hitting Thalia's arm. "But I can't believe you're spending your last day in LA with him and not me," she said with a mock pout.

"Oh shut up. You and I are going shopping first, and you were the one who encouraged me to text him back," Thalia said, rolling her eyes.

"He does know it's your last day, tomorrow, right?" Zoë asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Thalia said. Lying through your teeth, her conscious reprimanded her. What he doesn't know can't hurt him. I'll tell him later. Maybe.

"Mhm. Well let's get our movie on," Zoë said, offering the popcorn bowl between them.

-x-

"So are you going back to tell me what the surprise is yet?" Thalia asked Luke once they had reached downtown LA.

"Nope. You'll figure it out soon enough," Luke said, taking his eyes away from the road for a moment to give her a sly smile.

Thalia laughed. "Okay, Mr. Mysterious."

Luke chuckled warmly at that, and Thalia felt a rush of warmth through her body, followed by ice. "Uh, Luke-"

"Here we are," Luke chirped, pulling into a sandy parking lot facing the beach. He must not have heard Thalia calling his name. He parked the vehicle beside a dock that was occupied by several ships, ranging from deep sea shrimping boats to tow boats used for water skiing closer to shore. There was also a collection of small yachts, one of which was more decoratively lit than the others. He gave Thalia a mischievous smirk as he helped her out of her seat. She was trying to hide the confusion and of surprise, but she was sure she wasn't succeeding. She let herself be led to the lit up yacht.

"Oh," she breathed as he opened the door. "Luke, you really didn't have to do this." The yacht was set up perfectly for a date, complete with all of the romance-y ambiance. A single, small, round table awaited them. The entire gesture was filled with thought, but it wasn't too overstated.

"Well I kind of did," Luke said, raising an eyebrow while motioning her inside. "When were you going to tell me that you're leaving tomorrow?"

Thalia whirled around. "How did-Zoë told you?" She realized that her eyes had probably popped out of her head, but she couldn't help it. When Luke escorted her to the table, Thalia fought to keep her hands from trembling with excitement and anxiety.

"Look, I know you're about to go back to your job, and you're going to be busy with your set designs and taking over the company-" Thalia snorted at this, but allowed Luke to finish, "but I just wanted to make sure that you and I had one last night together. Call it cheesy, or cliché, whatever. I ah, well, just thought that you deserved to know how special I think you are."

Thalia blushed. She looked down at the table cloth, rubbing her palms nervously on her jeans. Why didn't you dress up more? "This is probably the sweetest gesture anybody has made for me. Ever. I can't thank you enough. I've had a great time." She put a lousy smile on her face and forced herself to look at him.

Luke reached across the table, nonverbally asking for her hand. Thalia obliged, embarrassed with her clammy fingertips (although Luke didn't seem to mind). "I know it would be difficult, but I'd really like to keep seeing you, Thalia. I'd rather not let the great times end here in Los Angeles."

Thalia's breath caught in her throat, and she bit her lip, a smile creeping up on the corner of her lips. "I-"

[To be continued!]

Please rate and review! This is my first published fic, so I'd love some feedback! Critiques are welcome, rudeness is not.

A/N: Sorry again for being so late! I'll try to get back to my regular biweekly publishing asap! And of course, you guys just cannot wait to hear Thalia's response, can you?! I know I can't!