Hope 5

Kate was happy. Well, save for her one 7:30 morning class that was at least close to her dorm, she was happy. In fact she was smiling wide as she searched her closet and selected a nice skin revealing sun dress. She couldn't help it. On her very first day of class she had found Castle in her lobby holding a cup of coffee and he'd been almost grinning when he handed it to her. He was obviously a goof, but he was a kind goof.

They had been sending each other text messages for the last 2 weeks. Kate found it all to be very cute. She was also finding out that he was better with words than she was. And it solidified her belief that he was a goof.

"Ooo!" Jen commented as she entered their room. "That will definitely get his attention."

"Not too much, you think?" Kate wasn't sure why she was asking Jen since she already knew the answer.

Jen actually moved over and lifted the spaghetti strap. "No bra; yeah that will definitely get his attention." Jen liked it. It had "I'm getting laid tonight" written all over it.

Kate started taking off the dress. "I'm changing. Maybe some jeans and a simple top."

"You'll do no such thing." Jen took hold of both of her arms. "You obviously like him. God knows you've been glued to that phone of yours for the last 2 weeks. "Show him that you're interested in him. If it was me, I'd let one of those skinny straps fall off my shoulder." Jen knew she was pushing a little but this was a different Kate than the one she'd shared a room with last semester.

"I told you we're not having sex." Kate went back to taking the dress off.

"Will you stop!" Jen lifted the straps back up onto her shoulders. "Okay, I won't tease you. Now put on your shoes, grab your bag, and get going or you'll be late. WAIT! Is that him down in the lobby! The one standing there with a single rose in his hand? He's cute." Jen now had an idea of what he looked like and she approved.

"He's here already!?" Kate started to panic. She grabbed a pair of kitten-heeled sandals and looked for a clutch to take with her.

"You better hurry, there are girls in this dorm that would steal him in a heartbeat." Including her if Kate wasn't so taken with him already.

"OH GOD!" Kate scrambled to find what to put into her clutch. She'd fallen for Jen's tease and never even noticed.

Jen couldn't help herself. "Are you going commando in addition to being braless?"

"Argh!" Kate couldn't believe her and even slammed the door on her way out.

Kate was probably in the elevator by the time Jen left the room and went down the hall. "Hey Vik. Think I can crash here tonight?" Jen wanted to do Kate a favor and not get in the way.

"Sure, just bring your own pillow and your own bear to cuddle with," Vik smiled.

"Thanks, he's long, ribbed, has a head on one end and is hairless," Jen teased back. "And yes, he has new batteries." Jen left her sitting there with her mouth hanging open and went back to her room.

"JUST MAKE SURE YOU BRING HIS BROTHER!" Vik called after her. Jen grinned. This semester was going to be the best semester EVER!

Kate spotted him the second the door opened and she also saw the girl at the desk ripping his clothes off with her eyes. GOD but he looked good. Jeans with flip flop sandals and a Hawaiian shirt that was barely buttoned. She'd wanted her dress to get his attention but it was his shirt that had her attention. Kate croaked out his name. "Castle." She cleared her throat and walked straight to him, unable to take her eyes off his exposed chest. "Hi, Castle." She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes also looked up at the same time to meet her eyes. Pleased, she smiled. He'd noticed she was braless.

"Hi," Rick's voice rasped softly. His hand whipped around and he held something out. "This is yours." It was a single red rose in its own little plastic vial with water in it.

Kate looked at the rose. Roses weren't really her thing, but she knew he didn't know that. "Thanks." She took it and lifted it to her nose. "You look nice." Kate was lying; he looked far more than nice.

"You, however, look stunning." She had been gorgeous the first time he had seen her, now she was incredible. If she ever looked better than this he was a dead man. His heart would stop beating and his brain would no longer function.

"I called for a taxi which should be here by now," Rick said. So they walked toward the door. Sure enough she found a taxi parked illegally in the parking lot, waiting. "651 Oak Grove, Menlo Park," he told the driver. But that didn't tell her anything.

"Where are we going?" Kate questioned.

"An Italian restaurant, it's not far. There's a cafe and a Starbucks not that far away if you're willing to walk after dinner," he replied.

"Is there a park?" If they were going to walk and talk she would rather do it there.

"Burgess Park. But it's not really within walking distance." At least he didn't think it was. His answer told Kate where they were going since she knew where that park was.

Kate wanted to go there. "We can always get another taxi."

"Taxi it is then." Rick was more than willing to take her there after dinner and coffee.

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Kate got out of the taxi and looked at the restaurant. "Piccolo."

Rick was immediately convinced that he'd made a mistake. "Is that good or bad? Have you been here before?"

"Good. …I mean, neither actually. I've never been here before." She couldn't even remember ever seeing this place. "Sounds Italian." Kate was willing to give it a shot.

"If we say 'ciao' we get a complimentary Brushetta Di Pomodoro and house wine for $5.00." Rick was all smiles since he thought he'd found a place they could both like.

"Tomatoes and basil leaves on bread," Kate said, letting him open the door for her. "I told you I liked Italian, Castle." She smiled at him as they entered. They both made sure that they said ciao to the lady that seated them and their hostess that took their orders.

Kate looked around. "This is nice Castle."

Rick wasn't so convinced. "We can do better next time." He kicked himself for never coming here to look first.

"Why?" Kate didn't see anything wrong.

"Everything's plastic." Rick fingered the nearby plants and even pointed out the fake porcelain décor. "Even that wall is wallpaper and not a real painting." He'd been looking for a place that would impress her.

Kate wasn't leaving. "Well, I still like it. Besides if the food's good who cares what the restaurant looks like?" Then she glanced at her menu. "Castle, this place is expensive." The entrees started at $24.95.

"Nothing to worry about." He was willing to spend twice that price to impress her.

She chose something less expensive but it was still costly. Fiocchetti Con Here (V). Rick didn't care about the cost and chose Scaloppine Piccata

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"Ignoring the fake everything, dinner was delicious," Kate commented as they slowly walked through the park.

"Yeah, it was. I apologize for being too critical of the place. You choose next time," Rick suggested and tried to keep in step with her walk.

"In that case it's Chinese," Kate proclaimed. "Or pizza. That way I can take it back to my room and feed my roommate. She's a sucker for pizza and I can use the leftovers to soften her up for when I do something that pisses her off," she rambled then suddenly shut up.

"Pizza." He stored that bit of information away for another time. "So why Stanford? If you're going into law shouldn't you be in Harvard?" Rick was sure that was the place for lawyers.

Kate snorted. "Hah-vuhd." She did her best to mimic being a stuck-up, highbrow nobody trying to be somebody. "I want to be a Supreme Court Justice, not some stinking rich bitch that thinks money is the only thing in life." She rolled her eyes.

Rick tried to understand. "So you want to have control but not be rich?"

"Control?" Kate was ready to shoot him.

He defended himself. "A Supreme Court Justice has the final say in all things that involve what is lawful. Isn't that control?"

She opened her mouth to counter his assertion and then closed it to think about it. "It's guidance, not control. Lawyers get justice, not revenge, and it's not about money." Though she was hoping that a Supreme Court Justice got paid well.

"But don't you have to be a lawyer first and make a name for yourself so you can be chosen?"

"Yes, but you don't have to sacrifice your morals to do it." Kate still thought her plan was the best plan.

"Good." Rick spun Kate to face him then he kissed her. At first she didn't kiss him back and then she grabbed a handful of hair and forced him to hold the kiss.

Kate finally broke from the kiss to get some air. "WOW!" She'd never been kissed like that before.

"Yeah, WOW!" Rick agreed.

She was conflicted. What she wanted to do was kiss him again and then her fight with her roommate came to mind. "No, we're not having sex." Kate began shaking her head.

"We're not!" They were kissing not having sex. Then he said, "We're not having sex?" Rick was confused.

"No… Yes… I don't know. My roommate has been teasing me ever since she found out about you. She's been razzing me about having sex on the first date." Kate couldn't stop talking.

"And we're not having sex?" Rick was wondering, as in never, ever?

"No… I mean, not on a first date." She could feel her blush starting up her cheeks and turned away from him.

"So we're having sex on the second date?" Rick really didn't get it.

"WHAT?! No, I mean. …What did you say?" Kate was confused plus she wanted to kiss him again.

"We're talking about sex," he reminded her.

"My roommate wants to have sex." Jen seemed to be talking about nothing else.

Rick was still trying to catch up to what they were talking about. "With me or with you?"

"Yes… maybe… I don't know." Then things clicked for her. "No, not me. Can we please stop talking about sex?" She needed off this topic before she said or did something stupid.

"Well, since we'll never be having sex…" He didn't see what else there was to do but stop talking about it.

"WHAT? I never said…" Kate stopped talking when Rick kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. "Wow!" Kate whispered when she broke from the kiss.

"So sex on our second date?" he teased; she was clearly not thinking straight.

"Yes. …NO, I mean no. And you're not having sex with my roommate either." She wasn't losing him to her roommate or anyone else for that matter.

Rick did his best to not smile. "Well that kind of takes the fun out of dating you if we're never going to have sex."

"Will you shut up and kiss me?" Kate didn't wait and kissed him.

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Kate was escorted to the elevators in her dorm building. Rick pretended to be hurt. "Aren't you going to invite me up?"

"Guys aren't allowed upstairs." She had never even thought about trying to sneak a guy onto her floor let alone into her room.

He smiled at her. "We can plan on how to sneak me in during our next date."

"Maybe. …No, definitely not." For one the other girls on her floor would see him and then they'd never have a moment's peace. She waggled her finger at him. "Remember, no sex."

"What is it with you and sex? We can just neck while sitting on your bed." Rick immediately kissed her to keep her from rejecting that idea as well.

"I'll text you and we can discuss where our second date will be. Remember, you're choosing this time. Is two weeks from now too long?" he whispered into her lips.

"Yes," she answered softly. All she saw was his lips that did amazing things. "I mean, no, two weeks sounds perfect," she agreed then kissed him. Kate felt the elevator doors open and retreated before she gave in and found a way to sneak him up to her room.

"I'll text you tomorrow. …Two weeks," Rick said just as the doors began to close.

"Two weeks," Kate confirmed. The doors closed and she collapsed against the wall. "I'm in so much trouble," she groaned.

Meanwhile, Rick ignored the stares he got from the young women in the lobby as he floated out the door and down the streets on his way home.

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"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Jen was still up. She hopped over to look out into the hallway. "So where is he? I even made arrangements to sleep somewhere else tonight." She was disappointed in Kate.

"He went home, where he's supposed to be," Kate snipped and began to take off her dress.

"Kate!?" Jen just didn't get her. Pretty girl meets handsome boy and sex happens. At least that was the way she thought it should be. She watched Kate strip off her dress. "So you did go commando." She was suddenly pleased with her roommate; there might still be hope for her. "Did he know and why isn't he up here? I'll help you sneak him up." Jen was more than willing to help.

"Will you stop!" Kate grabbed a towel and her shower bag. "No sex." She glared at Jen and left their room to go down to the restroom and shower area.

Jen stepped out into the hallway. "I'm disappointed in you." She went back into their room.

o- [:] -o

Kate glowered at Jen who was lying in bed while she changed into her sleep shirt. She wanted the teasing to stop. She hadn't had sex nor was she going to have sex. They'd simply kissed once. Okay, maybe closer to three times and there was no way she was telling Jen that they were the three best kisses of her life.

She tossed and turned. She was having trouble getting to sleep; her brain just wouldn't turn off. She could still feel those kisses on her lips. Jen's teasing about sex was also on her mind. Their talk about how big a cock she really liked was running around in there, too. It was only then that she realized that she hadn't said no to a second date. "Because I want one," Kate whispered to herself. Now just where was their second date going to be? She had two weeks to figure it out. Rick had said their next date was her choice.

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Rick was in his room and felt the need to check on his two backpacks. It was all the money he had and because of what happened before, he really didn't feel secure in taking money from banks. He might have a new name but he still had the same face. Unless he went far enough away, maybe. That got him on his computer to see what time it was in other places.

It was just short of 11:00 pm Pacific Time so what time was it farther away? He quickly learned that if he wanted money from a bank far away, he was going to have to do it during the middle of the day. "Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of me." It was proving to be more difficult than he thought. Rick set his alarm for 6 hours so he could go to Tokyo after the banks had closed. It would mean getting up really early. But since he had a 7:30 class so he needed to get up relatively early anyway.

Now he just needed a bank that had good pictures online.

o- [:] -o

It only took a few minutes of his time. Jump to a roof across the street, down to the sidewalk, into the building, to the other side of a door and into the vault. It was almost all Japanese yen. At one time he'd considered getting some Japanese yen, but now things were different. What he did find, though, made him smile. They had some American dollars, but not much. There were Chinese yuan, South Korean won, and even Russian rubles. He was a little confused as to just what to get. So he took all of the dollars, some yuan and won and filled the rest of the space with yen. He would sort it all out later.

A quick Jump and he left this backpack with the other two backpacks and Jumped to his room.

Rick was still worried that someone had seen him at the bank. Yes, he had worn his Disney advertisement clothing and yes, he'd worn his ski mask. But he was worried.

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"Write a 5,000 word short story using one of these four topics. You have one week." His teacher had finished writing the four topics up on the board. The guy sitting next to him poked him and got his attention. He pointed at what was on the board.

"Oh shit!" He might have to cancel his date with Kate and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Maybe she'll understand." He couldn't afford to flunk out this time. He had to behave himself, not Jump more than he had to and pass his courses or he would lose Kate. Possibly permanently.

"She has to understand. She just has to." He cradled his head in his hands. Rick was sure he was dead.