Disclaimer: I really should think of an original idea, shouldn't I?

"You're certainly dressed up for a date," Mrs. Sinclair commented as she stood in Holly J's doorway.

"That would be because I'm going on one," she replied, throwing a sarcastic look in the mirror as she applied her lip gloss. She had chosen a tight, knee-length, one shoulder black dress that was lace on the back, sliver star earrings, a few silver bangles, and blue peep toe pumps that were encrusted in iridescent silver sparkles. Simple black eyeliner and a rose tinted lip helped complete the look, as did the two little star hair pins she used to keep her messy French twist in place.

"Oh okay, miss smartass. This just came for you," and she handed her daughter a long, thin package. Holly J took it with a puzzled expression, carefully unwrapping it. It was a beautiful box with scenes of European landmarks all over it and indiscernible phrases. She opened the lid to reveal a small paint set with a handwritten note:

Rendez-vous à la station de Queens Quay

7 pm

"He wants me to meet him downtown, by the piers," she explained with a smug smile. She knew Eli had a flair for the dramatic, which is why he stayed in his bed for nearly 24 hours when he and Clare broke up, so she had no idea what to expect for their date, or why his note was in French.

"Oh, so no traditional 'pick you up at the front door and meet the parents' I guess."

"Hasn't he kind of already done that?" Holly J threw back with a smile. She was just so excited to actually go on a date, a real date, with someone who had become so special to her. Work was torture the day before, a six-hour shift feeling like 60. She wasn't scared or nervous… just happy. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Midnight at the latest. You may be on summer break but I'm not going to have you running all over the city in the middle of the night," she said as she walked out of Holly J's room. The girl looked herself over in her mirror and could only smile.

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She had to admit, she felt kind of odd. Public transportation was not the usual way that a girl met up with her date. At least, not one that was wearing blue heels. Holly J managed to survive though and stepped off the bus at the requisite stop, Eli sitting on a bench near it. He stood and smiled when he saw her, clutching a red rose. He had gone with a new pair of black skinny jeans, a v-neck tee shirt, a black tie that hung loosely around his neck, and a longer black military jacket with gold accents.

"Wow," he said softly as she approached him, his complete and total admiration all over his face. She giggled a little as he handed her the rose.

"Is this what it's going to be like every time I dress up?" referencing how he was speechless as Sav's party. The blood crept up to his cheeks a little.

"Yes, that is, until the day you get all morbid and corpsified," he said with a smirk as he leaned in to kiss her. He took her hand in his and started walking down towards the piers.

"So, what exactly are we going to do on this date?"

"You let me worry about that. I have a few things planned that I hope you'll enjoy," he answered, leading them into a building lobby. They took the elevator up to the top floor, the doors opening to reveal a large, rather expensive looking restaurant. Eli nodded at the host and he took two menus from the desk, leading the two of them to a small table near the back, right next to the floor to ceiling windows that opened to the Toronto skyline.

"Toula? Eli, this place is really expensive…" Holly J worried as she sat down. She didn't want him to think that just because she had dated Declan that she expected every date to be on the Coyne level of taste.

"Don't worry about it," he said as he opened up the menu.

"I would have been fine with pizza and The Dot…"

"Holly J, don't worry about it. I've been working all summer and haven't had anything to spend it on. I'm happy to take you out on a nice date, so please, just relax," he gently explained. He wanted the night to be special for them, to be something he never would have done otherwise. They both ordered pasta when the waitress took came by, Holly J going with the gnocchi and Eli sticking with ravioli.

"So, how badly did your parents freak out?" Eli asked slowly, a little afraid of the answer.

"Um, well, my dad didn't really care. My mom was… judgy, as she is. The guyliner and the black nails freaked her out a little, I think," Holly J giggled. She wasn't sure if she should bring up what else her mom said. She wanted to have a nice, relaxed, fun time with him tonight, but she also wanted to be completely honest with him. Looking out the window, she sighed and decided on the latter. "And then… she brought up Yale…"

"What about Yale?" he responded, his face getting serious.

"Eli, you know I'm still going to go in August, right?" Eli didn't want to have this conversation, not now, not ever.

"August is still…"

"Six weeks." Eli frowned slightly out the window. He had just gotten her. There was no way that he would be ready to give her up. It wasn't fair. Why did he always have to give up the ones that he cared about the most? "Eli…" she started gently, reaching out to softly take his hand in hers, "I told her that we would deal with it when the time came. But, right now, I want these six weeks to be the best they can, and dwelling on the future isn't going to help. So, please, let's just not worry about it." Eli knew that Holly J was right. Hell, he even knew about Yale before getting into a relationship with her. But putting a time line on it made it real, and that scared him. He swallowed hard and met her gaze across the table.

"You're right. We shouldn't worry yet. Things will be okay," he said, making her smile.

"We're going to be together, we're going to have a blast, and we're never going to forget this summer." Eli smirked and nodded, trying his hardest to push the Ivy League from his mind, "So, what about your parents? We're they completely shocked?"

"No, they knew I liked you," Eli shrugged, "Other than the embarrassing moment when Bullfrog found me dancing around my room…"

"Wait, you danced around your room?" she giggled.

"Well, yeah. The girl that I've liked since pretty much the beginning of summer agreed to be my girlfriend. I think that's pretty room dance worthy, don't you?" Holly J could only giggle at the thought of Eli really dancing around his room because of her. She squeezed his hand a little tighter and met his gaze again.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For inviting me to Sav's party. For asking me to dance. For getting along with my friends and not pushing me to go too fast with all of this. I think you know that it wasn't really easy for me to come to terms with everything," she explained.

"I know, and that's why I didn't push. I figured, if it was supposed to happen, it would happen," he shrugged.

"I'm really glad it did."

"Me too."

A/N: Sorry it's a day late and a dollar short, in my opinion. Thanks again to ToastMania, Kasia, Lyssa, Steff, the Holly J who IMed me on my RP account, and the random anon I woke up to on Thursday morning. You guys make my life. Thanks to everyone who reads and especially those who review!