My nerves are getting the best of me as I plan a memorable date for Nicole to celebrate our sixth-month anniversary tomorrow night. It's a surprise. She has no clue where I'm taking her, and I want it to be perfect.

I've made reservations at the Italian restaurant in town, Mia Fratelli's, because my girl loves her pasta—the tickets I ordered to see Maroon 5 arrived in my email this morning.

Sitting on my bed, I try to figure out how to let her know when I'm picking her up and what to wear. Yes, calling her and telling her would be easy enough, but this night deserves something with a little more effort. And here's where my nerves come into play.

After thoughtful consideration, I wrote her a note to place in her locker tomorrow morning. My mom has a box of blank note cards, so I go to her desk to grab the box. I found one with blue ribbons wrapped around two pink linked hearts. Perfect. Now, what to write? I'm a man of few words, so I make it simple and sweet.

Nicole,

Meet me on your front porch at 6:00. Dress nice. I love you!

Love,
William

I arrive at school early and go directly to Nicole's locker, placing the note into the vent-like slots at the top. I'm unaware that Tessa came around the corner and saw me putting the message in Nicole's locker. Smiling, I head to the courtyard to meet my friends, including Nicole.

Nicole's brilliant smile and deep brown eyes greet me as I approach. She wraps her hands around my waist; I embrace her and kiss her head. The sweet smell of vanilla permeates my senses.

She looks up into my face, and the corners of her lips lift, turning into a sexy grin; my heart might have stopped.

Her mahogany eyes sparkled with curiosity. "So, will you tell me the plans for tonight?"

I slightly shrug my shoulders, unable to hide my grin. "You'll just have to wait and find out."

"Ugh," she sighs and buries her face into my chest.

I chuckle in amusement.

Tessa walks up to the group with a smug look on her face. I ignore her as the bell rings for school to start.

Nicole gives me a peck on my lips before leaving with Chris to go to homeroom while I head in the opposite direction with a smile plastered to my face, thinking about tonight.

I'm sitting at my house waiting for some word from William about tonight. He was so secretive at school, making me wonder what he had planned for us.

Not knowing is driving me crazy. I don't want to bug William at work, so I sit here and stare at my phone, waiting and waiting, getting increasingly irritated.

I glance at the time on my phone. It's almost 6:00. William usually gets off at 6:30 on Fridays. I throw my phone on the bed and head downstairs. Mom prepares dinner, and Dad sits at the table reading the paper.

"Hey," I greet them as I hop onto a bar stool.

Mom turns towards me. "Hi, Honey. Have you heard from William yet about your plans for tonight?"

"No." I pout.

"Really?" She looks up at the wall clock.

"Really," I grumble.

She turns back to her task. "I can set another plate for you if you're hungry."

"No, thank you. I'd rather wait and see what William has to say."

Someone is knocking at the door, so I jump off the stool to answer it.

Standing before me is William dressed handsomely in dark jeans, a button-up white collared dress shirt, and a green blazer, making his eyes look even greener if possible. I took in the sight of him. To say that I'm shocked is an understatement.

He looks me up and down before his full lips turn downward, frowning. "Why aren't you ready?"

I feel the heat rising to my cheeks before angrily replying, "Well, I would be ready if you had the decency to let me know what the hell you had planned for tonight!"

His brows raise in surprise at my outburst. "I stuck a note in your locker this morning before meeting you in the courtyard."

"I never saw a note, William," I say defiantly as I cross my arms.

He shakes his head in disbelief. "I placed a note in the vent of your locker. If anything, it would have dropped down on top of your books. You should've seen it when you opened your locker."

"Well, I didn't get the note. What did it say?" I demand.

William sighs and says, "I asked you to be ready for me at 6:00 on your front porch and to dress nice."

I look down at the filthy t-shirt and jean shorts I'm wearing and cringe.

My anger quickly dissipated. "How long do I have to get ready?"

William checks the time on his phone. "As quickly as you can. Our reservations are in fifteen minutes with a ten-minute drive."

"I can do it!" I reply before leaving William standing in the doorway as I run up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Running to my closet, I grab the first dress I see. I throw off my clothes and pull the soft teal sweater dress over my head. I grab my black boots, slip my feet in, and zip them up. I check my image in the mirror and gasp—what a mess. After yanking out the rubber band holding up my hair in a messy bun, I quickly brushed it and braided it to the side. I rush to apply blush on my cheeks and put mascara on my lashes before running back down the stairs in record time. I grabbed my jacket off the chair and met William waiting in my foyer.

When he turns his attention toward me, his eyes widen. "Wow! That was quick, and you look stunning, Babe."

I'm out of breath from hurrying; I inhale. "Thank you."

He reaches for me, pulls me to his chest, and kisses the top of my head. "Let's go, Beautiful."

I yell out to my parents, "Bye, Mom and Dad. Love you."

"Have a good time, Honey."

"Behave yourselves," my dad adds.

We head out to William's car. He opens the door for me, and I slide in.

"Thank you," I say before he smiles and shuts the door.

He gets into the driver's side and starts the car.

"Where are we going?" I ask with a glint in my eye.

He smirks adorably. "You'll see."

He pulls away from my house and heads towards town.

As promised, ten minutes later, we parked in front of Mia Fratelli's.

"Seriously!" I exclaim excitedly, clapping my hands.

"Surprise, Baby!"

Not waiting for William to come around the car, I open my door and jump out. He meets me, chuckling, and takes ahold of my hand.

We enter the restaurant and are seated after William gives them his name. They lead us to a corner table for two with flickering candlelight illuminating the white tablecloth. William pulls out my chair, and I sit with a massive grin spread across my face.

William sits and extends his hand across the table. I place my smaller hand inside his larger one. He gently squeezes it, and my heart dissolves into a puddle in my chest.

His brows furl, and his forehead wrinkles. "I don't understand what could've happened to my note. I know that I secured it between the vents."

"Babe, don't worry about it. We're here now; all is well; now, let's enjoy the rest of our evening."

His face relaxes. "You're right."

The waiter arrived moments later to take our order.

After a fantastic meal of lasagna and salad with buttery rolls, William slips something on the table and pushes it to me. I wipe my sauce-splattered lips and pick up the paper from the table. I unfold it and gawk, unbelievingly, at two tickets for the Maroon 5 concert tonight.

I glance up and see William proudly gazing at me with a grin.

"Are you kidding me?"

I can't believe that this man in front of me planned this unforgettable night for me.

I feel tears prickling my eyes. "I don't know what to say."

William beams. "Your face says everything, Babe."

Leaping from my chair, I wrap my arms around the neck of my incredible man and practically shout, "I love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He squeezes me and replies, "You're welcome, Nicole. I love you, too. Now, let's get the hell out of here."

He raises his hand to get the waiter's attention before asking for our check.

Once we're back in his car and on our way to the Crystal Lake Forum, where Maroon 5 is playing, I grab his free hand. "If this indicates how you celebrate our anniversaries, I can't wait to see what you plan for our first year."

He looks at me wide-eyed, and the color drains from his face. "Shit, this is going to be tough to top. What the hell was I thinking?"

To alleviate his panic, I reply calmly, "William, while I appreciate everything you arranged for me tonight, you know me. I'd be happy with a picnic at the lake as long as I'm with you. That's what's important to me."

I see him visibly relax as he exhales and his shoulders loosen up.

He glances my way with a glimmer in those emerald-green eyes. "You're a remarkable woman, Nicole."

"And you're a lucky man," I say teasingly.

He laughs heartily. "I sure am."

We arrive at the Forum and park. My heart is beating out of my chest as we walk hand in hand toward the venue, and it's not because of my excitement to see Maroon 5. The entire reason for my palpitations is right beside me.

I may have kidded him about being lucky to have me, but it's me who's fortunate to have him. I sneak a peek at the man holding my hand and smile.

He must feel my eyes on him because it's at that moment that he looks down at me, winks, and says, "Are you excited?"

Clutching his hand tighter, I pull him down to my level. "I'm always excited when I'm around you."

His eyes lit up as he kissed my cheek. "I know exactly how you feel."

The concert was amazing; I danced and sang out loud to every song. William surprised me by joining along. It was so much fun, and the best part is that we shared this incredible experience. His thoughtfulness and fun-loving attitude are what I admire most. The more time I spend with William, the more my love for him grows.

A/N The first concert I ever attended was Joan Jett. My hubs took me when we were dating. So fun!