I buttoned up the last few snaps on my shirt as my phone chimed from the dresser. Tonight was my date with Paisley, and I'm not going to lie, I'm somewhat nervous. I don't know why, because it's just her, but now everything has changed and it feels like there's a little more pressure than there was before.

I planned to take her out to an Italian restaurant because that seems classy. I don't know if she'll want to, and I don't want to push her, but then I was thinking we could come back to my house and watch a movie. We'll just see how it goes, though.

From: Paisley :D- You're picking me up at seven, right?

I quickly typed back a response.

To: Paisley :D- Yes. I'm just about to leave :)

I took a deep breath and another look in the mirror and then felt too much like a girl, so grabbed my keys and went straight out to the car.

I was so relieved when Paisley told me she wanted to give 'us' a try. I knew all along that I was developing feelings for her and us giving this a shot is exactly what I wanted to happen, even if I tried denying it in the beginning. I'm determined to make this the best date she's been on so there's not a hint of regret in deciding to be in a relationship with me.

I was over at Paisley's before I knew it, and I made my way up to the front door. I don't know if Paisley's mom knows about us being more than friends, but I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell her.

I rang the doorbell and waited a couple moments until Paisley appeared.

She looked amazing.

She was wearing a flowy dress with printed flowers on it. Her hair was curled in waves around her. She had a little make-up on, but not much. And I can honestly say she's never looked more beautiful.

"Hi."

"Hi." She said, smiling brightly.

"You look beautiful." I said, her appearance taking my breath away.

"Thank you, Harry. You look nice too."

"You by my side is what makes me look good, Pay." I said cheekily.

"Whatever, Harry." She said laughing. "Let's go." She shut the door behind her and followed me to the car. I walked over to her side and opened the door for her and she just laughed at me.

"Hmm, maybe I should have made this a relationship sooner if you're gonna do such nice things for me." She joked.

"Just trying to be a gentleman." I said. This was the chemistry I loved between us; the playful mood and flirty back and forth.

I walked over to my own side and got in the car, starting it up.

"So, I thought we could go out for dinner, obviously. And then, we don't have to, but if you're up for it we can go to my house and watch a movie. We just recently got netflix, so there's lots of movies for us to watch." I said.

"That sounds great, Harry. I'm so excited for tonight." She said, looking to me as her eyes sparkled. How did I never notice how pretty she was until now? "Where are we going for dinner?"

"Romas. It's a little Italian place. You like that, right?"

"Of course. I eat Italian food like I'm actually Italian." She joked. She was having fun. Good, the night has started out good.

We were both quiet for a moment, so I turned up the radio. I put the Ed Sheeran CD in right before I got to her house because I knew it was her favorite. And that proved to be a good idea when she looked over at me and smiled.

"This is perfect." She said.

"I try." I smirked.

The rest of the ride consisted of us letting Ed fill the silence. It wasn't awkward or tense; instead it was a happy and content silence. Soon enough, we were at the restaurant.

I looked over at Paisley as we unbuckled our seatbelts. "Now don't mess this up and get out of the car before I can open it for you." I joked. She listened to me as I got out of the car and went to her side and got her out, then the two of us made our way into the restaurant.

The place was pretty nice. Not overly fancy because I don't think Paisley would like that, but still pretty okay for two kids in high school. The tables had table cloths and a single votive candle on them. There were little twinkly lights hanging over the ceiling made to look like a classic restaurant in Italy. A hostess met us at the front.

"How many?"

"Two." I said. When she was leading us to our table and out of ear-shot I said to Paisley under my breath. "I guess she can't count because you plus me makes two." She just giggled in response.

"Be nice, Harry." She still laughed, though.

They gave us a table in the back, near a corner, which was nice because it was more quiet. Although, they probably put us back here because they thought we would be 'nuisance teenagers' to the rest of the guests. And knowing me, they're probably right.

I walked over to one side and motioned for Paisley to sit in the seat I pulled out for her.

"Wow, you're pulling all the stunts tonight." Paisley laughed.

"I told you I want to do this right." I said, meaning every word. I know I've never officially had a girlfriend before, but I'm trying my best to be a gentleman to her.

"Well, thank you." Paisley said genuinely, her eyes looking into mine. Her eyes are so pretty. We've always had an eye contact thing between the two of us. Probably because the only way I knew she was alive the night of the accident was because I could see her eyes moving and frantically searching mine. Nonetheless, we've developed a sort of language through our eyes. I can tell what she's trying to say. I'll never love somebody else's eyes as much as I love hers.

Our waitress came back soon and took our drink orders and when she left, I asked, "So what are you getting?"

"I don't know!" She said exasperatedly. "I always have this problem. Should I get the alfredo or chicken parmesan? Gosh, I'm so indecisive." I couldn't help but admire her as she flipped furiously through her menu. Everything she did was just so Paisley-like and adorable. "What do you think I should get?" She asked.

"Get what you want." I laughed.

"But I don't know what I want." She whined.

"Fine, get the alfredo." I said calmly.

"Alright." She said. I studied her face for a minute.

"Did you feel any disappointment when I told you to get the alfredo?" I asked.

"No?" She asked more than said.

"See, now you know you're getting the right thing." I explained. "That's the trick, you settle on one and then if you feel any regret you know that you secretly probably wanted the other one more." Paisley looked astonished.

"That's a great idea, Harry." She said. I love when she gets overly-excited about new stuff like this. "Brilliant."

"What can I say, I'm more than a pretty face." I smirked. Our waitress soon came back with our waters and took our food orders. After she left, I grabbed my straw and went to unwrap it and put it in my water. I ripped only half the wrapper off and put the straw in my mouth, aiming it at Paisley. Catching her by surprise, I blew into the straw and sent the other half of the wrapper plummeting to her face. It hit her square in the nose, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"Gotcha." I said, looking confidently to her.

"Harry." She said, taking a breath in-between laughs. "Are you a child? My goodness."

"Are you accusing me of not being mature?" I asked, feigning hurt.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"You want to see a child, I'll show you one." I said mischeviously.

I reached over to the little basket of bread and butter on the table and grabbed a packet of butter.

"What are you-" Paisley started.

"Don't worry about it." I said. I grabbed a fork and balanced the butter on it. Positioning the fork towards the only table around us with people, an old couple to be exact, I looked up to Paisley. She looked at me disprovingly, but I could see the mischevious glint in her eye. Deciding to go for it, I pushed down on the other end of the fork, sending the pad of butter catapulting through the air.

It landed right in front of the elderly woman's plate, but not on it. Paisley's eruption of laughter from across from me let me know I was doing something right. I looked over to her and she was doubled over, tiny tears escaping from her eyes from her excessive giggles. The old folks didn't even notice that it landed on their table.

I reached over to Paisley and wiped the tears out of her eyes, gently brushing them away from across the table. "Well I'm glad I got you to cry happy tears tonight." I said.

She looked up and her gaze met mine, holding much more meaning than either of us could put into words. For so many reasons, I've been a source of pain for her, and right now, knowing I'm able to reverse that...there's no better feeling.

About 15 minutes later, the watiress came back out with our food, and we both dug in. My spaghetti was amazing, and it looked like Paisley's alfredo looked to die for. "So did you make the right choice?" I asked, twirling a spaghetti noodle on my fork.

"Definitely." She smiled. We finished up our meals and I paid the bill. Paisley didn't know this, but I had something else planned for tonight. I wasn't sure how she would react to it, and honestly I didn't know how I would react to it either. It's not something I did often, and by that I mean ever.

We walked out to the car, and nervously, I grabbed Paisley's hand. She flinched a little bit at my touch, and quickly looked over to me. "Is this okay?" I asked.

"Of course." She smiled. I can tell she's nervous about all of this, and I am too. I'm not used to being this...careful when it comes to girls. When we got to the car, I grabbed her hand again as I drove.

"So, I was wondering if I could take you somewhere else." I said, looking over and testing her reaction. I don't want to go too far in one night. I know she wants to take this slow.

"Yeah, sure. Where?" She asked, her tone genuine.

"Well, it's a place that's really special to me." I started. I'd never taken anyone else here. Nor have I ever talked to anyone about this. Paisley though, she makes me want to tell her, show her. I feel like having her there with me would make our connection even deeper, let her know more about me and the way I am. "I haven't really brought anyone there before. But I think it would be good for you to see it." I said, my voice getting stronger as I grew in confidence, knowing this would be a good idea.

"I'd love to see it then, Harry." She said, her ever-stunning smile taking over her face and making my insides squirm with a nervous excitement.

On the ride there, we were both quiet. She was, I'm assuming pondering over what in the world I was about to show her. I was thinking about how sure I was that there was no one else I would rather show this to.

Paisley was the reason I had changed so much, and there was no one I trusted more.

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I JUST LOVE THEM OK. I'M IN LOVE WITH MY OWN FICTIONAL CHARACTERS!

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