Tyler

Piper was insistent that we not talk about anymore heavy stuff tonight. I was prepared to let it all out, until she stopped me.

Instead she wanted to go eat dinner and then she wanted me to help her decorate her room.

I changed my shirt quickly, opting for something a little more presentable, and we headed out the door.

I was taking her to my favorite restaurant, La Belle Fondue. It was an assortment of nothing but fondue, from appetizer to dessert. The restaurant was dark and secluded, each of the tables private with a romantic feel.

I didn't take girls here, because I didn't do dates, but Piper was special. And somehow I wanted to show her that. If a restaurant that cost around a hundred dollars a plate didn't say she was special, I didn't know what would. Not that I couldn't afford it, but I wasn't one to just drop that kind of money on someone else.

Her eyes grew wide as we walked in the door, taking in the flower patterned walls and the low lighting. She looked over at me with her eyebrows raised and swallowed a few times before speaking.

"Ty, how much does this place cost?" She asked quietly, as to avoid the hostess hearing.

"You don't worry about that Piper, I'm paying." I said, pushing her forward to the counter.

"Tyler Scott, I have a long standing reservation." I said, smiling at the hostess.

She ran her finger down a page in her book, tapping it twice.

"Yes Mr. Scott, right this way."

When we got to the table, Piper's mouth dropped open. It was the most secluded table in the place, and above it was a crystal chandelier that glittered the walls with its beautiful light.

"I'm just going to go ahead and turn on the burner so it will be nice and warm for when you order." The hostess said.

I slid into the round seat at the table, patting the spot next to me.

"So, basically everything is fondue. For appetizer we will pick a cheese dip and they will bring us an assortment of breads and vegetables to dip in it. Then we will choose a main course, which will be an assortment of meats that we will cook ourselves. Last we will choose a chocolate. There will be an assortment of fruits, cakes, and other yummy treats to dip. I hope you are hungry Piper because I promise that you will leave here full." I handed her a menu and watched as her eyes lit up taking all of this in.

I had reacted the same way when I happened to stumble across this place. It was like being in food heaven.

"This is amazing." She said, flipping page after page.

"Tell me Piper, what kind of cheese would you like? Personally I like the Spinach Alpine." She glanced down at the menu, running her finger down the assortment of cheese dips and landing on the Spinach Alpine.

"That sounds delicious." She said, looking over at me. "Let's go with Spinach Alpine."

I smiled, flipping the page for her and pointing to the meats.

"Okay, now pick an entree. Whatever you want. There will be enough for us to share."

"Definitely Land and Sea. I've never had lobster tail or duck breast before." She said.

"You will love it."

I flipped another page, pointing down to the desserts and watched as her face lit up even brighter.

"Now dessert." I said.

"White Chocolate Crème Brûlée."

I took the menu from her and closed it, grasping her hand and placing it in my lap under the table.

"Perfect."

The waiter came up, turned the heat up on our warmer and introduced himself.

"We're going to have the Spinach Alpine, followed by Land and Sea, cooked coq au vin, extra vegetables, and White Chocolate Crème Brûlée. Oh and two sweet teas." I told him, never taking my eyes off Piper.

"I'll have the Spinach Alpine right out."

He walked away, leaving us alone for only a few moments.

"You know Ty when you said you wanted to take me to Main Street I never pictured this. I didn't even know such places existed." Piper said.

I only smiled in response and turned just as the waiter walked up with a large tray.

"First we have fontina, raclette, and gruyere cheeses. Then we will add in the spinach and artichokes. Add a little white wine, some garlic, and lastly a dash of nutmeg." He said as he put all the ingredients in the pot and started to stir. "Is this your first time here?"

"Yes." Piper said, watching with rapt attention.

"You will love it. Here are some carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and an assortment of italian and pumpernickel breads to dip. Enjoy." He twirled the fork up and out of the cheese, placing it on his empty tray and turning to walk away.

"Dig in sweetheart." I said.

I smiled, remembering how she had told me once not to call her sweetheart. This time she hadn't said a word. Obviously the idea was warming on her.

By the time we finished the appetizer, Piper said she was almost full and wondered how we were going to manage an entree and a dessert. I laughed, remembering my first time. I had been so full I practically waddled out of the restaurant.

A little while later the waiter returned, taking the pot from the warmer with a heat glove and returning to the kitchen with it. A few moments later he returned with the base for our entree.

"Okay here we have a bouillon base. We're going to add a bit of red wine, some fresh herbs and spices, and mushrooms." He said as he fixed our base.

"Now here we have herb infused chicken, lobster tail, honey orange duck breast, pacific white shrimp, premium filet mignon, broccoli, and potatoes." He pointed each meat out. "Everything except the shrimp needs about three minutes to cook, the shrimp needs two."

Piper grabbed her forks, piercing pieces of filet mignon and dropping it into the base. I did the same with my own forks.

"Here we have a curry sauce, here is a yogurt dill sauce, here is a honey sriracha sauce, and last we have a pepper jelly sauce. A lot of people like to take the yogurt dill and stuff the mushrooms with it. It's delicious. Enjoy." The waiter said, dipping each of the sauces into the little compartments on our plates.

We ate mostly in silence, taking turns cooking pieces of meat and trying all the dipping sauces. I was starting to feel full by the time our entree was finished. Piper was holding her stomach, groaning a little.

"We still have dessert." She said, looking at me. "I'm going to burst."

About that time the waiter came over and replaced the base with the pot of white chocolate.

"Now this is a favorite around here. We have premium godiva white chocolate and caramelized sugar." He set down a tray filled with tiny desserts and pieces of fruits.

"This is pound cake, this is brownies, then blondes, oreo crusted marshmallows, pineapples, and strawberries. Enjoy." He said pointing each of them out.

Piper groaned again, staring down at the tiny desserts and licking her lips.

I laughed as she lunged straight for the oreo crusted marshmallow, spearing it with her fork and dipping it right away into the chocolate.

She brought it to her lips, moaning as she tasted the gooey goodness.

"Fuck, it's like an orgasm in my mouth." She muttered, spearing a strawberry and plopping it into the chocolate.

"It most definitely is. It's almost better than sex." I said.

But sex with you is way better.

"Blasphemy!" She said excitedly, "nothing is better than sex!"

I laughed, swallowing hard and spearing a pineapple on my own fork.

"Stop me before I pop." She said, spearing a pineapple and dipping it into the chocolate. "Ty you're making me fat."

I laughed, turning to face her and caress her cheek.

"Sweetheart you could never be fat. You're the most beautiful girl in the world." I leaned down, swiping a bit of chocolate that had run down her chin and put my finger into my mouth.

"Mmm." I moaned.

Fuck I want her so bad.

As the last of the chocolate was eaten, she leaned over the table and sighed loudly, whimpering at how full she was.

"I told you sweetheart. You can't ever leave here hungry. Imagine trying to do it by yourself."

She sat up quickly, eyes wide and staring.

"I couldn't possibly. I would die."

I waved the waiter over, thanking him as he placed the check down. Without even opening it I pulled out a card and handed it back.

"You come here a lot?" Piper said the moment he walked away.

"No, but I wish I could. It's not as enjoyable alone."

She frowned, the small crease between her eyebrows bunching together.

"What about all the girls you date? You've never brought them here?" She looked genuinely surprised.

"Before I met you, I didn't date. I think I remember telling you that the night I insisted on that fake tour."

She smirked at me, slapping me lightly across the chest.

"I knew you made that shit up."

I only smiled in response.

You still agreed to go though.

The waiter returned with my card and I promptly signed the receipt, exiting the table and holding my hand out for Piper.

"Let's go decorate that room." I said.

She took my hand and let me lead her out of the restaurant and back to my car.

*

"Sophie, what are you doing back?" Piper said, clearly surprised.

Her friend, a blonde with big blue eyes, stared between me and Piper, then down to our intertwined hands. Piper quickly jerked away, eyes wide and on full alert.

"Well should I leave? Who is this handsome young man?" Sophie said, the smile on her face a mile long.

She reminded me of the Cheshire Cat and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her eyes snapped back to mine, her eyebrow raising.

"Something funny?" She asked.

I shook my head no and looked back at Piper to keep from laughing again.

"Soph this is Ty, he's in my psych class." Piper said, stepping slightly away from me.

I wondered exactly what was going on here and if I should play along.

"I see. Are you two dating?" If it was possible, her smile got even bigger.

"Yes."

"No." Piper said at the same time.

I glanced back at Piper to see she was nervous and shaking.

"I mean no, we just went out tonight." I quickly said.

I had thought tonight was a date. Maybe I was wrong.

"I see." Sophie said, looking back at Piper.

"We're just gonna decorate a little. We went shopping at the mall before dinner. Want to help?" Piper said, tossing the bag onto the bed.

"Sure." Sophie said, looking back at me for confirmation.

I shook my head and laid the painting down next to my bag.

I went to work hanging pictures and decor while Sophie set up the bed. Piper was standing in her desk chair, attaching the glow in the dark stars to the ceiling.

"I think you two have this covered. Piper I won't be in tonight, I have this thing. You gonna be okay tonight alone?" She glanced back over to me as she said this, a knowing smile on her face.

"Y-yeah." Piper said.

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow Hun." She gave Piper a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, then walked out the door. I could tell she whispered something to her, but I couldn't hear what it was.

I waited a few moments before speaking, ensuring she was out of earshot.

"Well that was awkward." I said, breathing out and falling back onto Piper's bed.

"Tell me about it." Piper fell beside me, wrapping an arm around my stomach as her head rested gently against my chest. My heart was beating rapidly and I was sure she could feel it against her cheek.

"What's her story?" I asked, sitting up slightly to look at her.

"Sophie was my foster sister. Really she is more like a mom than a sister though. She took care of me when my foster parents decided that drugs were better than us children." She ran her fingers up and down my chest, her hands shaking slightly.

"She seems nice." I said.

"Sophie is far from nice. She's very blunt. Honestly I'm surprised she didn't grill you on your whole life story." She sighed, rolling onto her back and looking up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?"

"Well she knew I lied when we came in. She told me so right before she left. She has this thing about lying. Apparently her birth mother lied a lot and so she took this vow to always tell the truth no matter how hurtful it is. On several occasions she's been downright mean. I personally don't like mean." She clasped her hands at her stomach, wringing them together fitfully.

"Everyone has their quirks." I said.

"I would hardly call the things she says quirks. Once during a depression spell she told me to get up and get the fuck over myself because my mood was bringing her down. Obviously it only made me feel worse."

I turned on my side, facing her and smoothed the stray hairs from her face.

"I bet." I said. "Sounds awful."

"It's getting late." She said, glancing at the clock beside her bed.

"I should probably head out."

I didn't want to leave, but I didn't want to assume anything either. I was terrified even the smallest thing would send her running.

"Could you stay with me? I don't want to be alone tonight." Her voice was shaking, I could tell she was on the verge of tears. "We can talk about Sophie more."

I leaned forward and kissed her gently, wrapping her up in my arms and pulling her closer.

"Of course I will."

She breathed a sigh of relief, burying her head in my chest further as her arm tightened around my side.

"Thanks Ty. You are most definitely not who I thought you were."

I smiled, knowing that she was right. Before Piper I would never have even considered staying the night with anyone, not even my friends.

I could only hope with Piper we could be more than friends. More than anything I had ever had with anyone.

"So... Sophie?" I asked, trying to take her mind off whatever was dragging her down and threatening to send her spiraling downwards into the place she so desperately seemed to want to avoid.

"Sophie's mom was a drug addict. I mean that pretty much explains it all honestly. She was so far gone into her addiction she didn't even know that her own daughter existed most of the time. She didn't know her dad. Whenever she would ask her mom about him, she would lie and tell her some crazy story about how he was married to someone in a high position in the government and that was why he couldn't see her, or that he was the president of the United States and she was the product of an affair. Once she even told her he was deployed overseas in the military. She still to this day doesn't know who he is. Her mom was so strung out she didn't remember all the other lies she had already told. She basically lived her whole life on lies. That's probably why she has poor bedside manner. Why she is such a bitch sometimes. I can't really blame her though. Once, her mother traded her for an eight ball of crack. She lived with the dealer for a whole month, trading favors for her rent. Then one day the house got raided and she was sent into foster care. She was only fourteen." Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled memories. I could tell she was in a faraway place instead of here with me.

I rubbed circles into her back, offering what little comfort I could. I didn't know a thing about this, I had always been with my real parents up until my mom left and eventually later my dad kicked me out. I had heard horror stories about foster care, and I had hoped that Piper didn't have to live those stories, but it was starting to look like she had.

"She went through several of them before ending up at the one I would later call home until aging out. Somewhere along the lines she took that honesty vow. I can't blame her, living a life of lies would make anyone hate liars, but sometimes I wished she would just lie. Sophie went through so much shit in her life, so much that it hardened her heart to stone. I was the only person who was able to break through that stone, though sometimes I wonder just how much I really did break through. I know she loves me to death, it's just sometimes she is very harsh. Sometimes her words hurt more than you could imagine. I've tried to tell her this, but she just says I've always known what she was like and I shouldn't expect her to change now."

I wiped the tears that were streaming down her face, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs.

"Piper we don't have to open this wound tonight. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." I said, staring into her watery eyes.

"Just hold me." She said, "just hold me and tell me everything will be alright."