DISCLAIMER: ALL RIGHTS TO HUSH HUSH CHARACTERS BELONG TO BECCA FITZPATRICK

THIS CHAPTER: Okay guys, this is a short one because the next is going to be longer. This is the second one posted today in hopes of making up for the short chapter. Hope you like it!

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CHAPTER 7

HEARTS ON THE LINE

NORA'S POV:

After virtually running out on my date with Dante just minutes after Patch left the restaurant, I was not looking forward to facing him today at school. I really didn't care how he reacted, I just wanted him off my back. I didn't want anything to do with him mainly because he wasn't the one I was falling in love with. Reluctantly I might add. I couldn't deny the intensity of the feelings I had for the one and only Patch Cipriano, but I was trying desperately to. I didn't need his drama and his issues becoming a part of my life, I worked hard to be a good person and have the good life I enjoy. I prided myself on being a good daughter, a good friend and a good student. Every girl wishes she could be the one to save the proverbial troubled 'bad boy', but that girl obviously wasn't me for Patch no matter how much I wished it was. When my dad dropped me off in front of the school I got out and said goodbye. Of course the minute he drove away Dante appeared. I was really hoping to avoid this conversation for as long as possible.

"You ran out on me Nora," Dante said smoothly when he was standing beside me.

"Sorry about that," I apologized hoping he would leave me alone.

"You know I'm not going to give up, right?" he asked me.

"I wish you would," I muttered with my arms crossed.

"You're just afraid because you know it's going to end up being me. You're trying to prolong the inevitable," he smirked before walking away.

"Ugh," I sighed before following him into the quad. When I saw my table I veered off and plopped down with an expletive and a sigh.

~P&N*P&N*P&N*P&N*P&N~

PATCH'S POV:

I am freaking the fuck out. Completely. The flowers sitting on the passenger seat of my jeep feel like a ticking time bomb that's going to explode in my face any second now. This was completely stupid. Maybe I should have gone with roses like Mama Fitzpatrick suggested. Maybe I should do this somewhere private. I knew deep down that was a bad idea. My need for privacy was the reason I didn't have Nora now. What if she actually went through with it with Dante Friday night? What if she was now his girlfriend no matter how temporary that would be. I was seriously freaking myself out more and more and it definitely wasn't healthy or helpful. I am Patch Cipriano and the possibility of rejection was considered impossible for me, but I was in imminent danger of being rejected in front of all my peers. I could see it now, she would turn me down and I would be embarrassed. I didn't take embarrassment well since it had never really happened before. I always got what I wanted, it was a skill most guys wished they had. I just hoped it worked out that way today too, but it wasn't a guarantee and it seemed the times I really needed it the very most would be the only times it didn't work. God, let that not be true today.

I was parked in my usual spot in the student parking lot and I still hadn't moved. It was ten minutes to the bell and I still had no idea how I was supposed to get out of this car where I was safe and walk over to enemy territory and put my heart on the line. It seemed impossible and I had no clue how to deal with it. People were walking by the front of my jeep heading into the quad looking in, confused as to why it appeared I was thinking about making a quick getaway. I heard a knock on my window and I snapped to attention.

Rixon was standing on the other side with a smirk on his face, it was clear he understood my expression. It was terror plain and simple.

"What are you doing?" he asked when I rolled down my window.

"Trying to summon some courage," I admitted. He was the only one I would ever say that to. He was the only true friend I had and the only one who wouldn't judge me.

"Good luck. So you're giving her those?" he gestured to the flowers.

"I have until Friday to make her go out with me for real this time. That time line is feeling pretty steep at the moment," I told him shaking my head.

"Dude, you need to have more confidence. I'm sure she'll say yes. My mother predicts that she's going to say yes too," Rixon said and I smiled.

"Mama always has my back," I smirked.

"Right, before I forget she sent you breakfast too. You're supposed to eat before you go and talk to Nora. She gets annoyed when you don't eat breakfast," Rixon told me. I sighed and rolled my eyes taking the homemade breakfast sandwich from him and eating. That woman was like a mother hen. She wouldn't ever let me starve. I adored her. Besides, her breakfast sandwiches were to die for.

"Tell your mother I adore her," I ordered him and he chuckled.

"She knows," he smirked as I finished off my sandwich.

"She deserves to know and to hear it. She's probably the only woman on the planet that loves me for me," I shrugged.

"Probably. Nora would have you know if you hadn't screw that up out of misplaced fear," he reminded me and I glowered.

"Shut up. I have to go. I need to get this over," I said taking off my seat belt and opening the door. I was honestly contemplating making a clean getaway and not doing this at all, but I knew that it wasn't an option, not anymore. I had to talk to her, I had to have her. She was meant to be my angel.

Ignoring all the curious glances as I walked across the quad with flowers in hand, I strode directly to Nora's table where she was laughing with her friends. I cleared my throat when I stopped behind her and she turned her head, her smile disappearing. I wanted that smile to grace her features permanently. I didn't like this unreadable expression that was currently on her face.

"Patch?" she questioned when I had been standing there for a while without speaking.

"Uh... hi," I greeted her like an idiot. Nora's eyebrows raised and she stared at me trying to persuade me silently to start speaking.

"Hi..." she answered, eyeing the flowers in my hand. Everyone else at the table had lapsed into silence, presumably to ensure that they could listen to me make an ass out of myself.

"So how was your date with Dante?" I asked despite myself.

"It was fine. Is there a point to this, Patch?" she asked.

"Uh yeah," I tried again.

"Why are you talking to me with other people around? I thought that was against your rules, Patch." she asked me pointedly.

"Rules are made to be broken," I told her and she shook her head.

"You should have thought of that before," she told me as she stood up.

"Nora, please don't walk away," I called to her as she started walking.

"Why not? What are you trying to accomplish here?" she raised her eyebrow not caring that half the school was now watching us. To be honest, I didn't care anymore either. I wanted all of them to know that I wanted to be with her all the way. I wanted to walk into the quad holding her hand in the mornings, I wanted to walk her to all of her classes. I wanted to be the one taking her out on dates somewhere everyone could see how happy she made me. I don't want to hide what we have anymore.

"I want you," I told her stopping in front of her.

"We've already established that. I won't be with you the way you want me to be with you. I won't be anyone's secret," she looked down.

"I don't want that anymore. I want you, all of you. I want you in public and in private. I don't want to hide with you anymore," I told her sincerely.

"I can't do that again, Patch. I can't be your dirty little secret again," she said and I finally grasped how much it had hurt her.

"I wasn't keeping you a secret for me, Nora, I was doing it for you," I took a tentative step towards her.

"Where the hell did you get that fucked up idea from? You did it for you because you didn't think you could handle a public relationship. You did it because you were scared and I was stupid enough to go along with it," she hissed, her eyes cold and her temper flaring up now.

"No, I did it because I didn't want you lumped in with all the other girls I've been with. I didn't want you compared with girls like Marcie because there is no comparison. The second you and I were seen together you would become just like one of those girls to everyone else. I didn't want that for you," I was getting pissed now. The flowers were dangling from my hands and I had almost forgotten about them.

"Don't you think I had a right to make that decision for myself, you didn't have a right to make it for me," she demanded. "I don't care other people, Patch, I cared about you."

"I made a mistake, a very wise woman told me that I was stupid in almost those exact words. She told me that I would be an idiot if I didn't go after the one girl I actually wanted a real life relationship with," I said, watching her face start to soften and her eyes start to thaw.

"Why me, Patch?" she almost whispered and I had no idea how to answer that.

"I don't know how to say it, but in short it's everything. You challenge me to be better person than I am. You want more and expect more out of me than anyone else does. You're beautiful in side and out. Nora Grey, I'm absolutely crazy about you. I'd have to be to do what I'm doing right now," I told her and I swear to God there was the tiniest of smiles on her face. Her lips were turned slightly up in the corners.

"Why now? Why right after I went on a date with Dante?"

"You're too good for Dante. Hell, you're too good for me, but Mama Fitzpatrick told me basically to get my head out of my ass and get my girl back," I told her and she finally smiled.

"Who is this Mama Fitzpatrick? She sounds like a wise lady, someone I would like to meet," she said and I grinned. Ah, my Angel was back for the most part.

"Mama Fitzpatrick is Rixon's mom. She's like my surrogate mom and she arranged a date for us," I told her.

"You were so certain of your skills that you had her plan a date for us? What makes you think I'm going to go on a date with you now? I laid my heart on the line and you hurt me." She looked at me her eyes filled with the pain as she spoke.

"I'm not overly worried, I have five days to make you say yes and I plan on spending each one proving myself to you if I have to," I told her and she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh you do, do you?" she asked.

"Yep, we have a table reserved for us on Friday night at the restaurant thanks to her. I'm not telling you which restaurant because it's a secret, but you have to be there with me on Friday so what do you say?" I asked her.

"Hmm, no," she said pretending to think about it first and my mouth dropped open. I wasn't expecting that answer at all.

"No?" I repeated.

"Exactly. You heard what I said," she looked me in the eye. So my angel was feeling feisty. I won already and she knew it, she just wasn't willing to give in so fast.

"I did. What if I give you these flowers? Will that change your mind?" I asked handing her the flowers. She smiled a bright smile as she took them, sniffing them delicately before looking back up at me.

"No. I'm not that easy, Mr. Cipriano," she told me with a smirk.

"Damn. So what do I have to do to convince you to go out with me on Friday?" I returned her smirk.

"I guess you'll have to figure that out all by yourself won't you," she told me reaching up and kissing my cheek before walking away. I watched her leave with a completely dumbstruck look on my face. Oh yes, she was definitely my girl, that angel was made for me. I figured that was good progress for now so I walked over to my table where Rixon and Dante were sitting watching it all.

"Good work," Rixon grinned at me.

"Thank you," I grinned back.

"What did you say to her to get her to kiss you on the cheek? She won't even touch me," Dante demanded.

"That is really none of your business. It's my turn again," I told him making it clear that he wasn't allowed to go after her.

"Who said you get another chance? You blew it," Dante glared.

"It involved a lot of groveling, some daisy's and my charm," I shrugged, deciding he wouldn't stand a chance competing with me either way.

"You know it will be me right, I'll be the one to take her virginity," Dante told me not appearing to be overly concerned.

"Maybe it's not about that for me anymore," I looked him in the eye.

"You're actually serious about a chick? Come on, the great Patch Cipriano doesn't do girlfriends," Dante laughed.

"Maybe Patch changed," Rixon interjected and I smiled at my best friend.

"Maybe, but I can't see it," Dante laughed again. I brushed it off and grabbed my bag knowing the bell was about to ring. I left the table and walked towards the doors seeing Nora there talking to Joey "the wonder-jock" Mancusi. If I was going to date her, I was going to have to learn to be nice to him. I was about to walk past them when she grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"You know Patch, right?" she asked Joey and we both stared at her. She looked at me pointedly and I knew it was a test. Last time we were out together I was kind of a dick to Joey and she expected me to rectify that right now apparently. She was never going to stop changing me for the better.

"Yeah, I know him," Joey said stiffly. It was no big secret that he hated me, I was never all that nice to him. Not that I was ever nice to anyone besides Nora and Rixon. "Are you guys dating now?"

"Not yet. That's totally up to him. He's got to prove some things to me first," she eyed me. I decided in that moment to swallow my pride and talk to the jock. Not my idea of a good time but hey, a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

"Joey. Uh... good game last week," I said completely awkwardly.

"Like you watched," he scoffed.

"I was mostly watching the cheerleaders, but even I could see that you did good," I said happy to be able to partially tell the truth. Nora smiled at me and that made it infinitely easier.

"I figured, but thanks anyway. I'll see you later Nora," he said before walking away stiffly.

"Good work. You were almost nice to him despite how much it pained you," she smirked.

"It was painful, but anything for you," I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Good. I want to meet this Mama Fitzpatrick," she told me and I laughed.

"Ha, not until you go on a date with me. You go out with me and I'll take you to meet her. That's my deal. No one introduces you to their parents biological or otherwise if they haven't even taken you out on a real date yet," I smirked.

"Fine. I'll go with you. This better be some date Cipriano," she warned me.

"Don't worry, it will be," I told her before starting to walk away.

"It better be," she called after me again with a laugh.

"You just had to have the last word didn't you?" I asked and she laughed again.

"Yup, but now I think you should walk me to class," she said and I grinned.

"Absolutely," I said walking back to her side and slinging my arm over her shoulder as we walked down the crowded hallway.

Let me know what you think! Next chapter: their first 'real' date! :D

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