Sorry for the delay, but I was suffering writer's block. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. But thank you for your patience. :)

Chapter 9

Kate had lost all track of time while she was sitting at the bar sipping her water and teasing Rick. She would ask him question after question about all the different liquors behind the bar. After about an hour of endless questioning he pulled her behind the bar and taught her how to make some drinks. He never told her the name of what she was making, but instructed her on how to measure everything just right and mix together to make a small drink.

At eleven o'clock Rick told John that he was leaving for the night. John nodded and watched as Rick and Kate left the Old Haunt hand in hand. They walked for a while Kate going on and on about how much fun she had and was glad she came. Finally she fell silent and leaned her head against Rick's shoulder as they walked. He glanced down at her.

"Penny for your thoughts." He said.

"Only a penny." She teased before answering. "I like the stars. When I was younger I used to try and count them, but since we live in the city that doesn't sleep we really don't get to see them."

Rick nodded in understanding, noting that she liked the stars.

They continued their trek through the city. When they reached Kate's townhouse, they stopped and Kate turned to face Rick.

"My friend, Maddie and I were going to lunch tomorrow, if you're not busy I can ask her if she wants to make it a double date. If you want to?"

"Kate, I would be honored to meet your friend." He said placing his hands on her hips. She rested her hands on his strong forearms. He pulled her a little closer to him.

"Really?" He leaned down a little, butterflies erupted in her stomach.

"Yeah." She could feel his breath on her lips, before he captured them with his own. Her arms moved around his neck.

When Rick pulled away, Kate looked up into his watery blue eyes. "I'll call you later if she answers her phone."

"Sounds good to me." He kissed her gently. "Good night." He pulled away, removing his hands from her waist she immediately missed his touch.

"Night." She muttered.

Kate moved distractedly toward her front door. She opened it quietly. As she headed for the stairs, she saw light dancing in the living room. Walking in carefully she saw an old Alfred Hitchcock on the screen, moving her eyes to the couch she saw her mother lying on her side and her father sitting with Johanna's legs resting on his lap. Both had fallen asleep, their chests rising and falling in sync. Kate left the movie on her parents would be up soon any way. She tip toed upstairs.

Curling up on her bed she picked up her phone, knowing full well that Maddie would be awake. She dialed her friend. After two rings, the girl picked up.

"Becks, what are you doing up this late?" She asked.

"Just got home from a long day."

"Would this long day have anything to do with this Rick character you keep ditching me for? Our lunch plans better still be on for tomorrow."

"That's what I called about." Kate said.

"Becks!"

"I just wanted to know if we could make it a double date."

The line was silent for a minute. "Okay, sure. I want to meet this Rick person that seems to be stealing you away from me." The girls laughed quietly.

"Great thanks Maddie."

"Becks, still same plans?"

"Yeah."

"'Kay see you tomorrow. I gotta call Mark."

"'Kay. Bye Maddie."

"Bye Becks."

Kate ended the whispered conversation. She dialed Rick's number. It rang twice, before his voice floated across to her.

"Miss me already?" He teased.

"Don't flatter yourself Ricky."

"You just don't want to admit it."

Kate stirred the conversation in a different direction. "Maddie said she's fine with the double date."

"Great. Where do I meet you?"

"The Starbucks where you spilled your drink on me."

"If I remember correctly, you spilled your drink on me."

"The glass is either half-empty or half-full." Kate said.

"It depends who you ask." Rick said. "What time?"

"Eleven." Kate shrugged.

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow. Night Kate."

"Until tomorrow." Kate heard Rick's deep laugh before she hung up.

X-X-X-X

Kate opened the door to the Starbucks, that she had met Rick in. She looked around and saw Rick sitting at a table with two green teas. She smiled and walked up to him.

"Hey." He said. "I thought you'd enjoy an iced tea." He smiled up at her.

"Smart-ass." She said.

"I buy you a drink and you call me a smart-ass? And without telling me why."

"You know exactly why I called you a smart-ass." Kate said grabbing the iced tea.

"Please enlighten me." He acted oblivious.

Kate raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Come on Maddie is waiting for us." Rick stood grabbed his drink and laced his fingers with Kate's.

"You can thank me later." He said as they stepped out on to the sidewalk.

Kate smiled as they walked.

She led him toward Central Park. After a minute of walking and sipping their drinks, careful to savor the icy liquid flowing through their veins; Kate waved to a lovely blonde girl seated beneath a tree with a muscular man.

"Becks!" Rick noted the nickname.

"Hey Maddie!"

The couple beneath the tree stood and made their way toward Rick and Kate. When they met half way Rick slipped his arm around Kate's waist and held her close to him. She didn't remove his hand from her waist, so he took it as a good sign.

"Maddie, Mark, this is my boyfriend Rick Rodgers."

"Hi." Rick said shaking Mark's hand then Maddie's.

"Rick this is Maddie." Kate motioned to the blonde. "And her boyfriend Mark."

"I finally get to meet the mysterious Rick that keeps stealing my best friend away from me." Maddie joked.

"That would be me." Rick smiled. "I hope." He glanced at Kate.

Kate shrugged with a mischievous smile.

Maddie turned to Kate. "Do you have the stuff?"

"Yup."

"We just sat down here is this spot okay?"

"Yeah." Kate smiled. Rick looked at Kate then Maddie, before his eyes traveled over Mark. He didn't seem to have any idea what the two girls were talking about either. When the man's brown eyes met Rick's blue he raised an eyebrow, Mark responded with a confused expression and half of a shrug.

"Rick. You comin'?" Kate asked.

"What? Yeah." He said. Kate followed Mark and Maddie to where they were seated before she and Rick had showed up.

The two couples sat beneath the giant oak tree. Kate produced small sandwiches from her bag, Rick's eyes followed Kate's hand as she dug around for another sandwich; inside her purse Rick saw the laces of a football. As Kate passed them around, Maddie pulled bottled water from her bag. They ate lunch beneath the tree. Once they finished Kate pulled the football from her purse.

"I thought since there are four of us we could play a friendly game of football. We could do teams, boys v. girls."

"Now that's just not fair to you two." Mark said. "Rick and I could take you two in less than five minutes." Rick nodded in agreement.

"Couples then." Maddie said.

"Sounds good to me." Kate said. They left their bags beneath the tree and walked to a large empty space next to it.

"Let's say that this tree is one end zone." Mark indicated a pine.

"And this one is the other." Rick said nodding toward another.

"Okay." Maddie and Kate shrugged.

The game started quickly. The group wasn't keeping score. But every time Maddie and Mark earned a point they high fived, laced their fingers together and kissed passionately, before Maddie clambered up onto Mark's shoulders and they would parade around in a circle; Kate, whenever a point was earned would run to Rick and leap into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, his hands holding her thighs while she kissed him.

Everyone had lost track of time, but the sun was dipping lower in the sky when Kate invited everyone to her place where they could rent a movie and relax after a long afternoon.

Everyone agreed and they caught a cab to her townhouse. She had told them that her parents wouldn't be home for a while.

After a short drive they all clambered out of the taxi and walked to Kate's front door, she unlocked it and excused the mess in the front hall.

"What time is it?" Maddie asked while Kate sat and suggested movies.

Rick checked his watch. "4:57."

"Anybody else hungry?" Maddie questioned.

Everybody nodded and Maddie pulled out her phone. "Authentic Nick's anyone?"

"I love that place." Rick said.

"Sounds good to me." Kate nodded from the floor.

"Can't go wrong with pizza." Mark added. Earning a nod from Rick.

"Great. It'll be my treat." Maddie said as she dialed and moved to the hall.

Kate stood with a couple of movies in her hands. Placing them out on the table and looking at everyone.

"We don't watch that many movies." She blushed.

"Titanic." Rick said picking up the movie.

"Yeah! Let's watch that!" Maddie called as she rejoined the group.

"Everyone good with that?" Kate asked.

Mark and Rick nodded in unison.

Kate put in the movie while Mark and Maddie made themselves comfortable on the loveseat, leaving the couch to Kate and Rick.

Rick sat down next to Kate, their thighs barely touching. Kate smiled and pulled her legs up on the couch and leaned to put her head on his chest. She could feel Rick relax as his arm fell to rest gently on her shoulder and his fingers stroked endless patterns on her arm.

They were 30 minutes into the movie when the doorbell rang. Maddie sprang up before anybody else had time to process the sound. Kate hit pause and went to the kitchen to grab plates and sodas. Rick stood to help her. While Mark went to carry the pizza's in to the living room.

Once they were all set, Kate started the movie again. Everyone finished in the same relative time and stacked their plates on top of the empty pizza boxes. Rick sat back on the couch, but Kate didn't rest her head on his chest, instead she threw her feet up on his thighs. Rick unsure what to do stroked her calves absent- mindedly. As the movie went on the sun descended completely from the sky. Kate's parents still weren't home, but Rick suspected they would be anytime now.

He tore his eyes away from the movie and gazed down at Kate. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing steadily, her hair was strewn across her cheek and shoulder. She'd fallen asleep with her legs resting on his. Rick smiled. Looking around he saw that Maddie was also asleep and Mark was entranced in the movie.

"Mark." Rick whispered.

Mark looked around at Rick.

"You think we should move them?" Rick motioned to the girls both asleep in their laps.

"Yeah that'd be a good idea."

Rick nodded and stood carefully moving Kate's legs so he didn't wake her. He bent and wrapped Kate's arms around his neck, before positioning his arms to lift her gently. He looked over at Mark who had the same idea; they made their way to the stairs. Rick walked up them making sure he didn't bump Kate's head against anything. He walked down a short hall and found her bedroom at the end. Pushing the door open with her feet he placed his sleeping girlfriend on the bed.

Moving so Mark could put Maddie down on the bed next to her friend.

"You don't think they'll mind do you?" He asked Rick.

"Dunno. Hope not." He smiled.

"You know if she has any paper?"

"I do." Rick said pulling his leather notebook out of his back pocket and also producing a pen. "You leaving a note?"

"Yeah." Mark said jotting down a quick message to the girls saying that he and Rick had left at eleven-ish and had moved them in here.

Rick placed it on Kate's nightstand. And kissed her gently on the forehead before moving to the door.

The two men cleared the dishes away and left the pizza boxes on the counter.

When they opened the door they saw Jim and Johanna walking toward the door.

"Rick. Mark. What are you two doing here?" Jim asked suspiciously.

"We had a movie night, Kate and Maddie fell asleep on the couch so we moved them to Kate's room. We cleared the dishes and put the movie away." Rick explained.

"Well isn't that nice of you." Johanna smiled.

Jim narrowed his eyes at the younger men.

"Well you guys have a nice night." Mark said, sidestepping Rick and moving carefully past Jim.

"Good night Mark." Johanna called after him.

"You better not have hurt my Katie." Jim said to Rick, eyes still narrowed.

"Sir, believe me I would never harm your daughter." Rick thought carefully about his next words. "I care about her, sir."

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