Why was he staring at me like that? Did I have something on my face? Did my hair already start to frizz? Was my dress dreadful? But never mind my dress. Jack Barakat was standing in my aunt's doorway, looking as gorgeous as ever, and waiting for me. I felt like barfing. He had on a gray button down shirt, black skinny jeans, a tie, and a leather jacket. His hair was perfect. His dark eyes were smoldering. I felt dizzy. I held on to the banister for support.

"Hi," I managed to stutter.

"Hi. You look beautiful."

I blushed a deep shade of burgundy. Jack Barakat was talking about me!

"Thank you. You look nice, too," I grinned shyly.

"Well, you two better get a move on. You wouldn't want to be late to that reservation."

I almost forgot Aunt Deb was standing in the room. What reservation was she talking about? Jack hadn't even informed me on what we were going to be doing on this date.

"Right," Jack agreed.

He walked towards me, holding out a hand.

"My lady."

I took his hand, trying hard not to shake. It was warm, and his fingers interconnected with mine nicely. I felt safe. I felt secure. I felt happy.

Aunt Deb slipped a key into Jack's free hand.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

"As I'll ever be," I replied.

"I won't have her out too late, Deb."

"No worries. Be back whenever. Tomorrow, never even, if you want that is."

With that, we both got shooed out the door. Jack smiled at me, and I felt my heart melt. I was going to die before the night was over, I just knew. I was going on a date with a twenty four man that was in a famous band, had dated Holly Madison, and had been around the world. I was going on a date with a very attractive man that was attracted to me. I was going out with my crush I'd had for what seemed like forever. I was going out with a man that may have serious chemistry with by the end of the night. I was going out with a man that I had a serious chance with.

Jack squeezed my hand.

"Let's get out of here."

He pulled me along to Aunt Deb's Corvette.

"Deb gave you permission to use the Corvette?"

"Of course. She doesn't know that I don't know how to drive."

I laughed at the fanbase joke. It never got old.

He opened my door first, and then went around to the driver's seat. I put my seatbelt on as he started the car.

"Wait, Jack, I don't want to die."

He laughed. It sounded like what magic would sound like if magic had a sound. "We're far from dying. The night's just starting."

I smiled, making a mental note to add that to my list of favorite Jack quotes.

"You're right. Speaking of the night just starting, what are we doing? You were being all mysterious about this."

Tall, dark, mysterious, and handsome. I liked that about him. He could be sexy but silly at the same time; serious yet stupid; silent yet seductive. There were many sides to Jack Barakat I'd never seen before. You mostly see his crazy side, not the romantic one. It was really... rad.

"Well, I got us a reservation at La Reve."

"The Dream? I've only dreamt of eating there," I said, laughing at my own pun. "That's where all the huge celebrities go! How'd you do it?"

"Oh, you know, paid the manager a thousand dollars." Jack replied in a fancy voice. "Just kidding. I've got connections. One of my friend's cousin's is the assistant manager. The manager a bit uptight, but he's on vacation right now, so we're all good."

"Wow," I sighed. "You're great, you know that?"

He gave me a grin out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey, it's not what you know, but who you know."

Oh, Jack's cute words of wisdom.

"Then what are we?"

"I have no idea. It's up to you. You know the area better than I do. This is only my second time here."

"Right. I'll think about it. All I know is that I don't plan to be back by midnight."

"Ooh, the adventurous type."

"That's correct," I said in a sing-song voice.

We were stopped at a light. The traffic was insane this time of year. We could've been halfway to the restaurant by now. I wasn't complaining though. I was stuck with Jack Barakat in a small space. I felt so cool for once, zooming down the highway in a shiny red sports car with a gorgeous guy, dressed up, feeling the breeze on my face, knowing that tonight was going to be one of those nights as I like to call them. Those nights are the nights you feel alive. The nights where you focus on nothing except the swelling high inside of you. The nights where you finally feel nights when you know you've got so much to look forward to. Those nights.

Jack turned towards me fully, gazing into my eyes. "I like that about a girl."

"I like a guy that likes that about a girl."

I felt my ears turn the wonderful color of tomato. There was an awkward yet pleasant silence until I said, "How about some music?"

"Sure." I pushed the play button on the CD player. It was the Punk Rock mix tape I made for my aunt. "The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves came on. It fit the scene perfectly. Jack and I smiled at each other, thinking the same thing. This would be a night we wouldn't forget.

The light turned green, and as Jack revved the engine, we started singing.