When Amy left this morning, I didn’t immediately agree to see her this evening. I guess it’s partly because she’s becoming a bit too clingy and although she’s putty in my hands, I want some breathing space. I went down to the local courts for a workout, there were a couple of guys I didn’t know but we ended up having a friendly game. Once I got back and dived into the shower: it’s 11am and I’m uncertain about what to do for the day. All the guys were busy, and I didn’t want to call Amy and do something with her so I decided to call Natalie. A friendly call, just to see how she’s doing and to find out how her foot is. I dial her number and wait patiently for her to pick up.

Thank God its Saturday, I thought to myself. No work.. and all play. Too bad it can’t be that way all the time right? Well… As I get ready to head out for the mall, the phone rings. Figures… I thought… as I clumsily grab the phone.

“ Hello” in an slight exasperated voice#

“Hey Natalie, it’s Nick. Is this a bad time?” I ask

“Oh, hi! Umm, well, I was just heading out the door.. what’s up?”

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing. I take it your foot is much better now?”

“ oh yeah. Its fine. It finally healed up a couple weeks ago. Thanks for asking though”

“Oh that’s great news. Listen…umm…” I start and pause until my gaze rests upon a pamphlet. I smile.

“Do you wanna hang out at the beach for while?”

“ Ummm.. sure.. Is this afternoon good for you? I should be back around 1. When do you want to meet up?”

“That’s fantastic. I’ll come pick you up if you want. Saves both of us driving then”

“Okay.. sounds great.. I’ll see you in a little while then..”

As I hang up I beam, the idea had formed in my mind. It was gonna be great. I could tell that she was gonna like it. I made one more phone call for arrangements. It was all booked. I just had to remind her to bring her bathing suit. I try to busy myself to make the time pass quickly, I end up writing some lyrics for a song and I made a mental note to talk to Brian about it. When 12:30 finally arrives, i load my gear into my car, put on my shades, and drive contentedly over to pick up Natalie. The sun is shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky, which means the water, will be clear.

A couple of minutes before 1, I pull into Natalie’s driveway. I walk up to her door and ring the bell. As I was putting the last little items in my bag, the doorbell rang. He’s here… here goes… a day in the sun… and I walk over and open the door..

“ Hey Nick..” giving him a smile

“Hey you. It’s great to see you up and about. Ya ready to go? Oh have you got your bathing suit?” I say giving her a big smile and discreetly check her out. Damn, she looks good.

“ Thanks. Yeah its nice walking on two legs again. Yeah, I put it on already. Let me just brag m y bag and we can go.”

“Awesome”.

We set off on our journey and the conversation flows. We take it in turns to tell each other about our childhood and where we grew up. She knows I’m in a band so I don’t have to pretend around her. I can be myself. After about twenty minutes, she asks me where we’re going.

“Well” I begin not wanting to spoil the surprise, “we’re going to a beach the guys, and I came across a couple of months ago. It’s really pretty there”

“I don’t mean to be rude but isn’t the beach all the same down here. I mean.. it’s the same ocean and everything… “

“You just have to trust me” I reply with a wink

Giving him a skeptical look, I decided not to say anything more. But something told me that he had something up his sleeve.

Her silence is a little unnerving. Does that mean she doesn’t trust me? I wondered. Give it time, I tell myself.

“So” I start, deciding to change the subject, “what do you like to do in your spare time?”

Looking out of the window, I hear him asking me a question. Turning back to him

“Oh, I like to hang out with my friends listening to music, go to the beach, occasionally read a good book. And of course, a girls number one 1, shopping. Although I love being outdoors. It seems to be more refreshing than being cooped up all the time. What about you? Even though I know you don’t get a lot of spare time as it is..”

I laugh. “Well yeah that’s an understatement. I love playing basketball and I enjoy scuba diving as well. It’s amazing at what you can see, you should try it some time. I like hanging out with my friends but I loathe shopping. It’s bad enough being dragged round the shops by AJ; I swear he’s worse than a woman. I also like rollerblading, my younger sisters got me into that and I enjoy spending time on my boat”

Laughing at his comment about AJ, , then saying “ You have your own boat? Wow, that must be nice. I bet you spend a lot of time on it. “

I give her an odd smile. “Yeah it is nice. I sometimes take my siblings out for the day on it, we have picnics or sometimes the guys, and I sit on it whilst it docked and we have a few beers. Maybe sometime you’d like to go sailing with me”

“Yeah…. I might have to take you up on that offer. It sounds like a lot of fun. “

A few moments later, I pull into the parking lot and turn to her.

“here we are”

I go round and open the door for her, our eyes meet for a moment before I shift my gaze and grab my pack from the trunk.

“We’re a few minutes early but that doesn’t matter”

“ You have something planned don’t you?... trying to undermined me uh?”

I grin sheepishly “yeah I’ve got something planned but I promise you’ll like it”.

Moments later we walk under an archway that has a huge painted dolphin jumping out of a wave above it, underneath it said ‘Welcome To Discovery Cove’. I walk us over to the area where you book in for your swim.

“Oh my gosh.. I’ve always wanted to do this… “ Excitedly with a smile on my face.

“It’s amazing, getting kitted out in your wetsuit can take a bit of time but it’s really worth it. All we have to do before hand is pick out two dolphins that we want to swim with” handing her the leaflet

"Here’s the list. You can choose both if you want”

Looking through the pamphlet, I couldn’t really choose. There were so many. I didn’t know if I wanted a boy or a girl. I guess it really doesn’t make a difference though. After looking through it again, I decided to go with Lily and Lucas. They looked so cute!

After that, we were sized for wetsuits and hurriedly changed into them. I was so excited. I couldn’t believe that I… we were going to be swimming with dolphins. I quickly tied my hair up and walked out into the lobby and Nick was there waiting for me. Oh wow, I thought to myself as Natalie reappears. She looks so cute! She wore a black wetsuit with a deep blue front. Her hair was pulled off her face and her eyes shone with excitement. I smile.

“Shall we?” I ask her.

We proceed into a little area where they show us a safety DVD and they tell us where the lifeguard stations are situated and one of the lifeguards gives me a big smile and says “enjoy your swim”.

We wade into the water until we’re almost immersed and pull our breathing apparatus and goggles on. I turn to Natalie and give her a thumbs up. After a few moments, the dolphins Natalie chose swim beside us and they must be listening out for the sonic sound from the whistles because they stop right in front of us and allow us to grab their dorsal fins and glide through the water.

Oh gosh… what a rush! The water was cool as it washed over my suit. I hung on tight as Lily took me for a loop around the arena. Letting go, I swam out a ways and motioned her to do a couple of flips and dives. She then decided to swim back around and come under me, sweeping me up and diving back under the water. I was a little scared at first but it soon diminished as I saw Nick being dragged under by Lucas. They came up fast beside us and Nick gave a thumbs up before resurfacing. A few minutes later, we resurfaced and Lucas was spraying Nick with water. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Natalie laughs as I am sprayed with water. I laugh as well. I can see she’s having a fantastic time. It feels like it’s been forever since we started swimming but eventually it’s time to head back. Before we climb out though the Cove photographer takes a few pictures, even ones with both dolphins resting their heads on our shoulders. In between this, however Lucas decided to be mischievous and give Natalie a kiss! She giggled and I turned to the photographer and said, “he’s got good taste” to which the photographer throws me a knowing smile and takes an extra shot of the kiss. We go our separate ways to peel off the wetsuits and have a quick shower before changing back into our normal clothes. I walk over to the kiosk and purchase our photos before rejoining Natalie.

“So…I hoped you enjoyed yourself this afternoon?” I ask, a little too eagerly I guess.

“Yes.. I loved it. It’s so exhilarating! This is one thing I will definitely have to do again sometime. Thank you so much..”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you had a great time” I check my watch “oh wow the afternoon’s already gone. How about we go home and get changed and then we could go out for some food?”

“Okay, yeah sounds good”

We walked back to the car and headed back home only to finish out the rest of the seeming perfect day. As I got out of the SUV, he turned to inform me to dress more semi-formally. As, I waved goodbye, I wondered where in the world he was taking me.

I walked up to my room, and as I reached my bedroom, a thought entered my head.

Oh my gosh, he is on taking me for a date! I hadn’t thought this day was about to turn into a date… he must think he’s pretty slick… But still…. what the hell am I going to wear!

I ran to my closet in search the perfect thing. That is easier said than done. Finally after 15 minutes.. I found the perfect outfit.

I had gotten it several months ago and had worn it as of yet. It was a white summer dress with shoestring straps. It had blue butterflies scattered sporadically, with a flowy blue drape in the front. With a ¼ of the bottom side being blue. It was long and not too revealing. Not that I wanted it to be anyway…

I slipped quickly into the shower, washing my hair. After jumping out, I hurriedly blow dried my hair and put half of the way up with little flower and butterfly pins in. After putting on my dress.. I went to curl some the strands that had fallen into my face. Then on to the makeup.. Only applying a little as to not take away anything. Running back into my bedroom I quickly put some earrings in, sprayed on some perfume and quickly grabbed my shoes. Just as I came down the stairs, the doorbell rang. Just on time too… I thought, smiling.

“H…Hey” I say when she answers the door. Omg, she takes my breath away. She’s gorgeous. “You…you look beautiful”

I can feel my cheeks turning a nice shade of pink. Smiling “thanks… and you don’t look so bad yourself” Taking him in

The guy looked so freakin' hot. I couldn’t believe it. The black pants look good on him. His white shirt really brought out his nice tan. His hair was gelled back and spiked up a little.

He asked me if I was ready and I quickly grabbed my purse and locked up. As we walked down the drive, he briefly and gently put his hand on the small of my back. He was so close to me that I could smell his cologne. It was intoxicating. However, he took his hand away almost as quick as he placed it before he helped me into the car.

I turn the engine on and put the radio on softly. As I grip the steering wheel, I can feel my palms sweating. I’m nervous all of a sudden. The drive downtown is about 20 minutes. There’s been a silence and I know mine was because of my nerves but was Natalie nervous? I can’t help stealing glances at her. When we were walking to my car, I’d briefly put my hand on her back and it made my spine tingle. I quickly removed though because I didn’t want her thinking that I was trying to put moves on her already. I parked the car and went to open her door. Our hands grazed as she climbed out and I’m glad she didn’t see me blush. I’ve made reservations at Bella Trisso; a lovely Italian restaurant and the maitre D leads us out onto the patio decorated with more tables, candles, and roses. A beautiful fountain with angel décor stood central. Our table overlooks the city. It’s breathtaking. Once seated I order a bottle of red wine for us.

“Wow.. the view from here is magnificent. And the décor… is just… beautiful. Not trying to impress me are you?” with a slight laugh

I’m unsure to answer her question at first. Do I tell her yes? Or try to deny it? I shrug my shoulders and go for an indirect answer.

“Nah not really” I tease, “is it working though?” I ask with a sly smile.

I could tell he was a little nervous and I knew that I had just put him on the spot. He played it cool though.

“Would it make you feel better if I said yes?..”with a smile

Wow! I think to myself. She’s giving it as good as she gets. This is gonna be an interesting night. Maybe I should step things up a little.

“Yeah it would make me feel a lot better, if that’s at all possible” I flirt.

“ I’m sure I can arrange that…” laughing

Uh? I wasn’t expecting that. I’m grateful when the waiter comes over to take our order. I clear my throat.

“I think for starters we’ll have the garlic bread topped with cheese and tomatoes and for our main we’ll have the Meatball platter for two. Thanks”

“I hope you don’t mind me ordering for the both of us. I know you won’t be disappointed”

“Really? Think you know me that well uh?” mischievously

“Well I’d certainly like to” I reply coolly as I refill her glass

“ I bet you do… “ with a giggle and taking drink

As I glance at him over the top of my glass, his bright blue eyes are staring back at me. I feel a little intimated but yet the slightest bit comfortable. He seems to be a great guy and he can take my banters, which was a plus. I was hoping that he wasn’t thinking that I was just like every other girl who would just fold in under his charms. If he did, he had another thing coming. But he did have the greatest smile. As I put my glass down, he shifted his gaze.

Our starters arrived. We both agreed that this was the best garlic bread we’d ever tasted. It was delicious. I steal another glance at her and decide that I need to say something.

“This is turning into a great night, beautiful food and a beautiful girl for company. Thanks for joining me tonight, I think you’re amazing” I say sincerely.

“Amazing… really? I wouldn’t say that…. but I agree with you about tonight. You make great company yourself. “ with a smile

There’s a silence and the waiter brings over our main course. I get frustrated because I can’t twist the spaghetti onto my fork and I catch Natalie laughing at me. She’s sweet because she helps me to do it and on my next attempt, I master it and smile triumphantly. There’s some small talk, which is nice, but at one point, we’re so engrossed in conversation that we don’t realize that we have the same strand of pasta of our forks. She insists that I have it so when it comes down to the last meatball I insist that it’s hers. Once we’ve finished I order dessert for us. I found out from Charlie that Natalie’s favorite was Tiramisu so of course that’s what I ordered. She seems a little puzzled that I knew she liked it but I just grin at her.

“Oh I have my ways”

“Yeah, a little birdie told you uh?... Good one…” with a sarcastic giggle

I throw my hands up in mock confession “guilty as charged” I say and give her my innocent boy look “I just wanted to do something special for you because you’re a special person” turning away with embarrassment.

Oh nice move Nick. Scare her off on the first date. Oh if only she knew the reason why I split up with Amy. Damn she’d think I was a psycho. Turning back to her, I give her an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry…umm…maybe that was a little inappropriate”

Giggling at his show of admission, but becoming more serious.

“no no … it’s ok. I think..its actually sweet… “ smiling back at him

We leave the restaurant after I insist on paying the bill. There’s a slight breeze, which is nice, and the sky is a midnight blue with a hint of purple. I walk her down a couple of streets until we get to Valentina; a cocktail bar, which also has dancing. I order Natalie a frozen strawberry daiquiri; another tip I picked up from Charlie, and I get myself a root beer. The dance floor is quite busy but it’s not packed which is always a good thing. We grab a table and finish our drinks and then I persuade her to dance with me.

There’s quite a variety of music; we danced to some stuff from the 70’s and 80’s and we danced to fast songs. I’m not used to dancing with someone like this, I mean I’m used to dancing with the group or with the dancers but this is totally different. I’m scared of messing up in case she thinks I’m a dork. I take a deep breath. As we’re about to go the bar for another drink, a slow song comes on. Immediately I recognize it as Whitney Houston’s Run To You. I give her a hopeful smile, put my arms around her waist, and pull her close to me.

The moment his arms wrapped around me, I can’t help but say it felt awkward at first. The feeling of being held by a man was so foreign. But not much later, I begin to relax and put my arms around his neck. The words being sung were the lyrics of my life. But I just couldn’t run to anyone. I couldn’t let my heart be trampled on yet again.

As we sway along with the beat of the music, I can feel his strength as he holds me close. I looked up and our eyes connect. It seemed like the moment stopped for a time. Feeling rather nervous and vulnerable, I look away

I know that when you look at me,
There's so much that you
just don't see.
But if you would only take the time,
I know in my heart you'd find,
Oh, a girl who's scared sometimes,
Who isn't always strong.
Can't you see the hurt in me?
I feel so all alone.

I sense a change in her mood as she breaks eye contact. Was I doing something wrong? Was she not enjoying herself? Maybe she’s not in the moment like I am. I had to think and act fast. I decided to take a chance, a very big chance. I cup her face in my hand and gently tilt her face up so she’s looking at me. For a moment I’m lost in her eyes. They’re so beautiful just like she was. In that moment I press my lips against hers, softly.

Each day, each day I play the role
Of someone always in control.
But at night, I come home
and turn the key,
There's nobody there, no
one cares for me.
Oh what's the sense
Of trying hard to find your dreams?
Without someone to share them with
Tell me, what does it mean?

The touch of his hand on my face was soft and caressing. He turned my face to his so we were making eye contact. He looked straight into my eyes. It was such an intense moment that I thought that I might burst. Then suddenly his lips were on mine. His lips were soft and tender. I was not expecting the sensations that I was feeling down my spine. My mind was telling me one thing as my body was telling me the opposite. Isn’t that always how it works? But I was not going to fall for this guys’ charms, I’m not that type of girl anymore. But his kiss was so soft and….

As my thoughts were drifting off, Nick slowly pulled away.

as i pulled away, i felt slightly deflated. why didn't she return the kiss? had i misread the signs and she didn't actually like me in the way that i liked her? maybe the kiss was wrong, too soft or too hard

"I...umm...sorry...forget that ever happened"

I could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. Was he disappointed that I didn’t kiss him back? Or was his pride a little bruised? I knew he was smooth on the women and I wasn't going to be just some fling he could brag about. Even though my body craved to be caressed, I couldn’t let it happen. Yeah.. I was better off that it never happened…

“Yeah… maybe we should” in a slightly nervous tone

oh fantastic she's immune to my charms. maybe she likes playing the field and loves flirting then backs out at the last minute. however pissed off i was feeling was not deterring from the fact that i still wanted her. this was gonna be a challenge.

"Hey umm...you want another drink? I'm gonna go to the bar"

Feeling rather awkward out on the dance floor, as we were, I nodded my head no and he walked over to the bar. I hope I just didn’t ruin this evening. I thought as I walked back to our table alone.

As I sat there waiting for him to return, my nervous shot up a notch more. I guess its because I didn’t know how he was going to react to me now after such an intimate moment. I felt a bit awkward but also felt if he didn’t like who I was, it was ok because this was only a date. I waved a server over for a glass of water and as I was turning back, I saw Nick at the bar, talking to some other attractive looking girl. As I was standing there watching, she leaned closer to him, touching him and apparently was whispering something to him, which made him laugh. It seemed that he was really into her. Then she dug into her purse for something and then she was pushing something into his hand and giving him a kiss on the cheek. . I couldn’t believe it! The nerve of him! Here we are on a date, that least that is what I assumed it was, and he was off flirting and talking up some other girl! To hell with this… I grabbed my purse and left.

As I watch Jenna walk away, I quickly scan the dance floor looking for Natalie, I couldn't see her so I ordered our drinks, figuring she was in the bathroom and started to walk over to a nearby table. I had to apologise to her for making her feel uncomfortable. Maybe I had moved too fast but I liked her and wanted to get things back on good terms. As I wait for her, I look up and suddenly see her walking out of the door. What the hell? Why is she leaving?

I slam our drinks down and push past people as I try and reach her before she leaves. Once I'm outside, I spot her walking up to a taxi cab. "NATALIE! WAIT!" I yell, praying that she stops