I got so many reviews about Preston, that I decided to keep him! At first, I was only going to have him in the last chapter. But, not to worry, Preston will be in future chapters! YAY! As annoying as Preston is, he's so much fun to write about. I really do love his character.

This chapter is dedicated to eCZi, who has reviewed every chapter, and helped me develop the characters even more.

"No way! I don't believe you." Nate said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Fine, don't believe me. But it's true." Tess grinned back.

"Show me."

"Fine." Tess said. Balling her hand into a fist, she opened her mouth. Lifting her fist to her move, she moved it inside. After wriggling it around a bit, she managed to fit the entire thing in her mouth.

"Forget singing, that's the talent you should peruse." Nate said, watching as Tess removed her fist.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious." Tess said with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, I know." Their laughter slowly died down, and Tess looked around the nearly empty Starbucks. The only other people there were an old couple, and a mother typing on a laptop while her children were running around her chair.

"So . . ." Tess mumbled, turning her attention back to Nate. The two sat in awkward silence until they both started to say something at the same time.

"Sorry, you first," Nate said, nodding for her to continue.

"Why'd you ask me to come out with you? I mean you hardly know me." Nate shrugged as he fiddled with the straw of his drink.

"That's usually what dates are for." Tess actually felt her mouth drop open. Even though she knew gaping at someone was something her mother would never approve of, she couldn't help it. Did he just say date?Quickly snapping out of it, Tess closed her mouth and tried to think of something to say.

"So," Tess managed to get out. Her mouth felt dry, and her voice was coming out in a squeak. She gulped before trying to say anything else. "So, this is date?" Nate glanced up, his brown eyes shining brightly, as a smile that seemed to light up his whole face appeared.

"Perhaps. That all depends on how the rest of the evening turns out." With that said, he slid out the booth, slapping a five dollar bill on the table, and sauntered out the cafe. Tess watched him leave, slightly shocked by this boy. Shaking out of it, she grabbed her purse and followed Nate.

"Rest of the evening?" She asked, speeding up to walk next to him. Nate winked at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her behind him.

"Follow me."

"Do I have a choice?"

--

"No! No, no no no. No way!" Tess said, shaking her head wildly, and backing away from Nate's outstretched hand.

"Come on, for me?" He pleading, giving her a pathetic excuse for a puppy-dog face.

"Nate," Tess spoke tersely, a thin smile on her lips, "Not even Orlando Bloom could get me to do that. But nice try." She turned to leave, but Nate grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Don't you want to have a little fun, tonight?" Tess stared at him for a moment, deciding on whether or not to accept. She glance over his should and warily watched the people flying by, seeming to be nothing more than a blur of color. She winced uneasily as she brought her gaze back to Nate's pleading face.

"This isn't exactly my idea of fun." She started and watched as his face fell slightly. "But-"

"Yes!" He shouted, immediately switching out of his somber mood. He didn't even let her finish her sentence as he dragged her over to a large red shack. "Two pairs of roller-blades please." He exclaimed, placing the money down on the counter. The boy behind the counter didn't even glance up from his magazine as he handed Nate the skates.

Tess groaned. Tonight is going to be very . . . interesting.

--

"Nate! Don't do that!" Tess shrieked as he dropped her hand to do a series of complicated twists and turns. Tess, never one for being graceful on wheels, felt herself start to fall forward. She grabbed onto the first thing she could reach, which was a six-year-old girl.

When Nate finally stopped spinning around, he searched for Tess's unbalanced body. That's when she saw a small girl, barely able to stand up on her own, being weighed down by the diva herself. Gliding over the smooth surface of the floor, he skated up to the two of them.

"What's the big deal? I'm just simply resting," Tess said in her usually cool tone.

"On my head!" The little girl shouted, trying, but failing, to push Tess away. Nate placed his hands around Tess's waist and felt her stiffen under his touch.

"How about I take it from here?" He whispered into her ear. An involuntary shiver went down Tess's spine. He liked that he had that effect on her.

Tess simply nodded and released her death grip on the little girl's shoulders. Nate spun her around, a little quickly at first, but slower after she started whimpering. When she was fully facing him he began to skate backwards, keeping his eyes on her the entire time.

"Psh, showoff." Tess scoffed. Nate raised his eyebrow in that sexy way he had done back at the studio.

"That's nothing. You wanna see showing-off?" He asked, preparing to release her hands.

"No! Nate, don't let go!" Tess begged, tightening her grip.

"Relax, I'll only be gone for a second. You'll be fine. Trust me." He said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Tess let out a deep breath, and relinquished his hand.

Tess watched in amazement as Nate kicked off with his left foot, sending him flying into the air, and watched as he did a back flip and landed perfectly on the ground.

"Like I said, showoff!" She called over to him. Trying something risky, Tess pushed off the ground and skated over to where he stood. She was doing fine until someone speed by her, throwing off her balance. She began falling forward, her arms outstretched and failing everywhere.

But, just as she was about to hit the ground, her knight in shining armor, Nate, grabbed her by the arms. Her breath caught as he helped her up to her feet. They were in such close proximity, that she could feel his muscles through his shirt.

"See, I told you you could trust me." He whispered. Tess nodded, her eyes never leaving his. Slowly, they started to lean in towards each other.

"Tess! Oh, Tess!" The annoying, high-pitched voice of a certain assistant called out. Nate and Tess broke apart the instant his voice hit their ears.

She looked up at Nate, an apologetic smile on her face. "I suppose I should go. Preston awaits." She said, rolling her eyes and nodding in his direction.

"Yeah, right." He said, looking down. Just as Tess was about to turn around and leave, she heard Nate's voice. "Lemme see your phone." He held out his hand.

"Alright?" She said, handing him her cellphone. He pressed a few buttons before handing it back to her. "What'd you do?" She questioned, replacing her phone in her pocket.

"Nothing." He said, giving her a mysterious smile before skating off in the opposite direction.

When Tess finally arrived back at the side of the rink, she was not in a good mood, despite her almost kiss with a member of the hottest band in America.

"What's your problem?" Preston asked, following Tess closely behind. Tess dug her nails into the skin of her palm, and gritted her teeth. If it wasn't for the fact that he was her mother's 'best friend', she would've punched him.

"Don't talk to me." Tess hissed. For once, Preston did what he was told and kept his mouth shut until they reached her hotel.

A/N: And I bet everyone thought they were going to kiss. Well, ha ha. HA! I'm sorry, but what's the point in having them kiss this early? Then, the whole plot would be ruined. And we certainly can't have that. So, review! Tell me if you liked this chapter.

Peace.Love.Jonas.