Soundtrack:

You Are New by The Trouble with Templeton

I Belong With You by Lauren O'Connell

Little Vessels by The Lighthouse and the Whaler

Love Will Come Through by Travis

Specks by Matt Pond PA

All We Are by Matt Nathanson

The Chase: Part 2

The Date

"We've got to stop doing this." He muttered under his breath as he left the comfort of the restaurant, the door swinging shut behind him. "Caroline!" he called out in hopes of getting the angry blonde to slow down, her curls swinging behind her angrily as she huffed down the pavement.

The date had been going well. He had picked her up at the agreed time at her apartment. He had even worn a crisp new suit for the occasion and she looked beautiful in the royal blue dress that clung to her figure. The first thought to cross his mind was how much time he would spend after the date peeling the dress off of her body. Then there was that voice of reason reminding him of his vow to be a gentleman and waiting for her to instigate it. He wanted this to last. She wasn't one-night-stand material. She was the forever kind.

He brought her lilies, which luckily turned out to be her favourite flowers. She smiled as she accepted them and invited him in. They made polite conversation while she gathered her things. He was glad that she hadn't snapped at him yet. They left soon after, taking a cab to the restaurant where he had previously made reservations. The place was packed and he was glad he knew the owner.

It started off well. They spoke of their previous encounters and how much he annoyed her. He honestly thought it would go wrong there and was pleasantly surprised when all she did was poke fun at him and laugh. He let her have her fun. It was far better than her running away from him.

It went downhill at desert. They ordered a chocolate cake with raspberry coulis. She said it was her favourite. They decided to share it, much to his delight. And then he had to ruin it.

"You know, we've been talking all night and I still don't know what you do for a living." He said casually.

"Oh, um…" she took a moment to lick the excess chocolate from her spoon. "I work in the HR department of Salvatore Handlings."

He scoffed at that, without thinking clearly for a minute. "So you're one of the HR bitches then?"

It was supposed to be a joke. At least, that's what he told himself and his malfunctioning filter system. It was common knowledge that everyone presumed members of the HR team to be "bitchy" and have an "attitude" problem. He added a smirk to his offence.

She gaped at him for a good while before rising from her seat, grabbing her purse and storming out without a word. He knew he had messed up then. He quickly dropped a bunch of notes on the table before following her out.

Which brought him to his current predicament: chasing the blonde down the pavement. It was ironic that this would end the way it began - with a chase. He walked as fast as he could and caught up to her soon enough. It surprised him how fast she could walk when she was mad.

"For a first date that was spectacular!" she said sarcastically, not even bothering to look at him. "Good way to ensure that there won't be a second one."

"Caroline, I'm so sorry!" he said, pleadingly. "I don't know what I was thinking. "

"Did you bring me here to insult me? Was that it?" she whirled around to look him in the eyes, her fury evident in them. "And here I thought you actually cared. How silly of me!"

"No, no! I do. I spent months trying to get you to agree." He said, eyes wide hoping that she would see that he genuinely cared. He took her by the elbow and led her to the same bench where it had all began. "Look, Caroline, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry."

"And we're back here." She said softly, looking around at their surroundings. They were back at the bench near the café. The place where they met almost everyday. The place where she had finally agreed to go out with him.

"Yeah, well," he said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I picked a restaurant close to this place. I thought we could come back here for coffee after our date. It is a special place for us, after all."

She stared at him, her blue eyes unreadable. Time seemed to fly by around them as they stayed frozen in the moment.

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" she whispered but to him it was louder than a tolling bell.

"Yeah. I wanted it to be perfect."

"I'm sorry I ruined it."

"You didn't."

She smiled a small smile, the one that said she was content.

"I should warn you, though," she looked right into his eyes. "I'm not very good at relationships. The last few relationships I was in didn't end well."

"I'm glad." He said with a smile and when she began to frown, decided to explain further. "If it had gone well, I would have never had a chance with you."

She laughed at that. The sound almost infectious.

"You are…something else." She said when she had finally stopped laughing. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

He looked deep into her eyes, blue meeting blue. There was nothing but them and that rusty park bench in that moment. It felt like they had been at this several times before. Everything was suddenly clear. They knew how the night would end, what their next move would be.

"You're special. You should know that." he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

She looked pleasantly shocked to hear that. Her mind went into overdrive, thinking of reasons how he could possibly know of all her insecurities. And then she surprised them both by moving closer to him and meekly kissing his lips. It was unsure and innocent. Just a soft brush of her lips against his. And then she gained courage and pressed her lips more firmly against his, urging him to let her in. And he complied. His hands circled her waist, gripping her tightly. They kissed like they would never meet each other again. Like this was the end.

He pulled away, breathless. "How about that coffee?" he asked, huskily.

"Later." She said before pulling his head down to meet hers in a frenzied kiss. She was hooked.

And the world moved about them as they hid in the comfort of their perfect bubble, obliviously to harsh reality.