"I think Scott's going to ask me out tonight." Jessica said, dumping the popcorn into a large bowl. She squealed and jumped up and down a few times.
"Oh my gosh, do you think?" Nicole said sarcastically. She giggled at her friend. "He's only been gooning after you all evening. It was inevitable."
"I agree." Katie said, licking some butter off her fingers. "He wants ya Jess."
"I hope so." Jessica said, her excitement growing.
"I think Adams gonna ask you out tonight too." Katie added to Nicole.
"Really?" Nicole asked, grinning giddily. "I think he is too." She said.
"What about Dwight and Emily?" Jessica pointed out.
"What about us?" Emily asked.
"I know you just met him a few weeks ago, but he's got the hotts for you." Jessica said. "And Nate and Erin."
"Huh?" Erin asked, looking up from the bowl of popcorn she was eating.
"Nate wants you."
"I hope so! I've been flirting with him for weeks! He should get the hint by now." Erin said with an exasperated sigh.
"So, that means we're all hooking up tonight?" Emily asked.
"Yeah." Jessica said. Suddenly everyone's eyes drifted to Katie.
"Oh." Erin said.
"Sorry." Emily added.
"What?" Katie asked, breaking out into a grin.
"Oh....Do you think Zac will ask you out tonight?"
Katie laughed and shook her head. "I doubt it."
"Why?" Nicole asked. "He was flirting with you all night. Did you guys see how he pulled out her chair for her at dinner?"
"That was so sweet."
"He has such a crush on you Katie."
"I know....but I don't know if we're ready to go back out yet."
"Why?" Nicole asked. "You practically belong to each other."
"Well...It's a big step, and I'm not sure if I'm ready yet."
"That's okay. Just give it a few weeks." Erin said.
"I know." Katie said. "I'm fine with it."
"What should we watch next?" Nicole asked, jumping up. The first movie had just ended, and already the room was a mess. There were blankets, sleepingbags, pillows, soda cans, and bits of popcorn strewn all around the room, and it was only just past midnight.
"Top Gun!" Nate shouted from his position on the floor.
"No!" Nicole shouted back. "Not again!"
"How about Austin Powers?" One of the guys suggested.
"Oh ick. He is so nasty." Emily said.
"Well someone go look at the videos we have and let's decide." She stopped the tape and on TV Britney Spears was singing away.
"She's a skank." Erin said.
"No she's not! I like her!" Nicole said back.
"You would." Emily joked.
"Oh baby baby...." Nicole started singing.
"How was i supposed to know?" Erin sang back. Soon all five girls and a few of the guys were up and singing along with Britney.
Zac watched in amusement as Katie jumped up and down on the couch beside him with Emily, singing away.
"Show me/how you want it to be/tell me baby/cuz i need to know now/oh becaaaaaaaaause....."
Katie grinned at him and continued dancing. Zac watched as her blonde, curly hair bounced as she jumped on the couch cushions, and how her face was literally glowing. Soon the song ended and she flopped back down beside him.
"ulgh...stupid VCR..." Nicole muttered.
"What's wrong with it?" Adam asked, walking over.
"The stupid thing wont' eject." She said.
"You look hot." Zac commented as Katie wiped a few strands of hair away from her eyes.
"yeah."
"Wanna step outside while they try and fix that thing?" He asked.
"Uh...sure." Katie said. They both got up, un-noticed and went to the back door of Nicole's basment. They slid the door open and stepped onto the back patio. It was nearly forty degrees out, cold enough to immediately cool her down.
"ULgh, I didn't realize how it was in there til I got out here." Katie said, watching her warm breath cloud in the cold air.
"Yeah." He said.
"I really had fun tonight." She said, leaning back against the house.
"I did too." He said.
"I'm glad we went." She said, taking his hand and playing with it absentmindedly.
"I am too...I was worried that you weren't going to ask me for awhile there." He said with a laugh.
"I was too." She admitted.
"Thanks to Nicole though." he said, smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah." They suddenly heard hoots of laughter inside, and they turned to see everyone inside looking at them and giggling. As soon as they looked, everyone looked away and pretended to be doing something else.
"I think they think that we're...I mean that you're...." Katie started.
"Yeah...." Zac said. "I think they do too."
"Yeah..." She said. There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments.
"You wanna hear something funny?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said, looking up at him.
"I actually contemplated it."
"You did?"
"Yeah." He admitted.
"I though you would dream of doing that again in a million years." Katie said with a laugh.
"I still like you, you know."
Katie blushed and let out a nervous laugh. "Oh my gosh."
"What?" Zac asked, grinning sheepishly. "I do."
"Well, yeah...but I didn't think you would actually come right out and say it."
"I dont' care. I like you; I won't deny it."
"Oh. So you really were going to do something tonight?
"But I figured you'd say it was too soon."
"Isn't it?" She asked.
"To tell you the truth, I dont' know." He said, tucking a piece of hair behind his ear nervously.
"Oh...Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't know either." She said, dropping his hand.
"Well...can I ask you something?" He asked.
"Sure." She said.
"Is that a 'Not now', or a 'never'?"
Katie grinned first at her feet, then at him. "It's an 'I don't know', Zac.
"Oh come on." He said.
"I'm not sure....Most likely a not now." She admitted.
"Really?"
"I don't know." She said.
"I hate those three words." He said with a grin. "You use them a lot."
"Yeah..." She said.
"Katie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think things could ever be the same...between us? I mean, like they used to be?"
"Do you want me to answer that?" She asked.
"You dont' know?" he guessed.
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"That would be nice though."
"Yeah."
They were silent for a moment, the mid February night completly still around them.
"I miss you." She said quietly.
Zac smiled at her, his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I miss you too."
Katie sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning on his chest. Zac pulled his hands out of his pockets and returned the embrace. He could smell her fragrant shamoo which smelled like honeysuckle, and her purfume, which smelled like apples. It was a scent that he hadn't smelled it a very long time.
She picked her head off his chest and looked up at him. "We had it nice last time around, didn't we?"
"Yeah." he said, grinning. "We certainly did."
"We'll have it again sometime....not now....but sometime." She said.
"Yeah...." He said. He shoved his hands back in his pockets and closed his eyes, marvelling at the feeling of having Katie near him again. She leaned against him, her hands resting lightly on his waist. He could feel her breath on his neck and the rise and fall of her chest. "You're cold. Let's get back in."
Katie reluctantly lifted her head and followed him back inside the warm house.