Chapter 40: You Said Beautiful Twice

"Yeah," Jonathan said. "There was something really off about that whole first date story, and now we know why. It might have been your first official date, but you two had been sneaking around for years."

"We weren't sneaking around," Angela said with a bemused smile. "We just kept finding ourselves in situations beyond our control."

"You mean in situations where you kept losing control," Katie said giggling.

"Katieface," Tony said with an eye roll. "You don't have to put it like that."

"Well, it's true," Sam said with a grin. "So, tell us, what actually happened on your first date that really wasn't your first date. I'm sure you both were in total control the whole time," she finished dryly.

"Well…" Tony said as he threw Angela a look and thought about how that whole night was really Mona's fault. She was always looking for ways to push him and Angela together, not that he could blame her. Mona had known, from day one apparently, that they belonged together. So, of course, when she told Tony the sad tale about Angela not being able to get a date, it hadn't taken him long to cave and agree to take her out. It would be good to spend a few hours alone as best friends anyway.

Ever since St. Louis, they had, without even realizing it, been avoiding being alone together for the most part. He knew neither one of them regretted what had happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The air between them seemed to crackle with even more static electricity now. It was obvious they both still longed for more. But they certainly didn't want the rest of the family thinking something was going on. They knew they had to get used to again being Tony and Angela – best friends. Tony had even taken Sam on a ski trip over winter break to give him and Angela some breathing room and space from the activities and heightened emotions of that weekend.

It would be good though for them to go out as best friends like they had done so many times before. The family could think it was a date, but he and Angela had agreed they weren't in a place to walk down that road and needed to stay on that tightrope as precarious as it was to do so.

It had taken Tony a bit to come up with what they should do on their pseudo date because as much as he would have loved to take Angela dancing, it would probably be too risky and push them closer to falling off their tightrope again. So, he had settled on a comedy club, which was about as far away from a romantic date night as possible.

It actually started out well. Angela looked as beautiful as ever and really seemed touched by the flowers he surprised her with. Then, they had discovered just how well they really knew each other after they got to the comedy club. He actually surprised himself with how much he knew about her and yet how enamored he still was wanting to learn even more.

But there wasn't time for that as it wasn't too long after the comedian had come out that Angela had decked him when he wouldn't stop needling them about their, Tony had to admit, rather unorthodox relationship. Tony remembered the silent drive home as he kicked himself for putting them in that situation in the first place. But, they smoothed things over after he came downstairs and helped her wrap her injured hand in ice. And then they were sitting on the couch, his arm around her, as they watched "The Marx Brothers" on TV; Angela having noted that she knew it was his favorite. After she asked whether he would ever ask her out again, and he had teasingly finally agreed, he remembered how the night had taken a turn.

"Tony, why a comedy club?" Angela ventured with a tinge of hurt still evident in her voice.

Sighing, Tony opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, not sure exactly how to answer, before finally saying, "I know. I messed up big time. I wanted to take you dancing, but I was afraid. It has been hard for both of us, since St. Louis, even though we know it's the right thing right now. I was afraid that if I took you dancing, I wouldn't be able to let you go," he finished, a small smile playing across his lips.

"Oh Tony. I get that. It has definitely been hard since we've been back, but in St. Louis, you promised that we could still dance…" Angela said her voice trailing off as she got up from the couch and went over to the record player. Pulling out one of Tony's favorite Sinatra records, she quickly turned the player on and soon the first notes of "I've Got You Under My Skin" softly filled the room.

"May I have this dance?" she asked holding out her good hand to Tony. Tony cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow at her song choice but then quickly got up and took her hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"Tony, we've spent many nights dancing in this living room over the past five years with nothing else happening, so if we really are going to continue to be best friends then we should be able to do all the things we did…before," Angela said looking into his eyes. "We're still the same two people we were before St. Louis. Plus, I really enjoy dancing with my best friend."

Nodding in agreement, Tony pulled Angela a little closer, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile until Tony felt Angela yawn. "You should go up to bed. It's been a long and eventful night."

"I know," she said. "But this has been the best part of the evening, and I don't want it to end."

"Me either," Tony said as he looked down into her dark brown eyes feeling his resolve slip away. Before his brain could comprehend and stop him, his lips were on hers and his tongue was pushing into her mouth.

Angela sighed happily as she kissed him back as passionately as he was kissing her. After a couple of minutes, she reluctantly pulled back and said softly, "Goodnight Tony. What a memorable first date."

"That's it?" Sam asked bringing them back to the present. "I thought for sure there'd be more to that night."

"Samantha," Tony said shaking his head. "We were trying to be responsible and after the way the night had started, I was lucky that Angela forgave me so quickly," he said with a wink at his wife.

"We were trying our best to not actually start something that we had agreed we still weren't ready for," Angela said.

"Ok, ok" Sam said holding up her hands in a mock surrender. "I guess that helps explain some of that weirdness between you two when Angela's first ex-husband, Brian, showed up."

"Her first what?" Katie said in a shocked voice. "Mom, you were married before you married Jonathan's dad?"

Angela closed her eyes as she thought back to the absolute craziness that had ensued when Brian had appeared at their door and how that had ended up affecting her relationship with Tony…