"And even as I wander. I'm keeping you in sight. You're a candle in the window. On a cold, dark winter's night." -REO Speedwagon, Can't Fight This Feeling

Kleper Avenue.

The soft flurry of snowflakes blurred my vision slightly as I kept to the side streets, navigating my way to Charlemagne's Beauty Shop. Pausing to get my bearings, I looked all around, a little lost, to be honest. The bright red awnings of the local businesses stood out and a few shops had started to decorate for the upcoming winter holidays.

"You lost, Queenie?" a deep voice sounded on my left hand side, as I stared up at a lamppost with snowflake decorations attached to it.

Slowly looking over, I met with a broad chest, covered in thick grey coveralls underneath a sturdy, black wool peacoat. My eyes trailed up, across the thick wall of muscle, and up to his dark brown goatee and full blush colored lips. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip, moistening it and I instantly felt my knees go a little weak.

Oh my, I was going stupid. I really was.

"You stalking me?" I joked and a hearty laugh burst from his lips.

His hand reached up and his thumb ran gently across the slight dip in my chin, as his eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Maybe," he admitted with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "You're hard to miss."

"So are you," I whispered, as a flurry of cold air rushed over me and I shivered, the small snowflakes coating my dark hair.

He reached up and pulled off the black beanie that kept his gorgeous head warm and pulled me close with his other hand. Ever so gently, he tucked the strands of windblown hair behind my ears and pulled his beanie down around my head. Leaning down to my eye level, he softly smirked, as his fingers brushed the skin of my rosy cheek, causing me to sharply inhale. On exhale, a cloud of chill fanned out around my mouth and he sighed.

"I really wanna kiss you again," he admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he answered, "but instead, I'll walk you where you need to go. Where you headed, gorgeous girl?"

"Charlemagne's." He nodded and took my hand in his. His rough skin grazed across mine as he lead me down the street. Among the hustle of the cars that puttered down the street, all I heard was the strong breaths that escaped his chest. Among the headlights that started to flicker on with the diming light, all I saw was this tall, imposing boy who walked effortlessly next to me like he had been doing it for years.

Stopping in front of a bright yellow shop, the large painted daisies on the sign competed with the red Christmas decorations that lined the window. Red and green holly garland lined the square glass, intermingled with fake snow from an aerosol can, and a large plastic snowman sat nestled in the corner, all lit up. The sound of a hairdryer spilled through the glass door that was cracked open and you could feel the warm air escaping desperately from within, eager to dance among the cold of the late afternoon.

"In you go," he prompted and I turned towards him when he released my hand from his.

"You're not coming in?" I asked and he chuckled.

"I'm not allowed inside," he admitted and I looked at him in confusion. Sensing my silent question, he added, "That's Devil's Henchmen territory. I'm a Nightmare Assassin. Don't worry, Queenie, you'll knock 'em dead. Charlie's good people."

Hesitantly, I nodded as I pulled open the door and looked behind me one last time to gain some courage. Straightening my spine, I composed myself and headed inside. Some kind of country music blared across the speakers and a petite blonde in her forties, no taller than maybe five feet, with an exaggerated hourglass figure and perfectly styled, curly blonde hair bounced her hips as she sang along. She teased the red hair of the lady in her styling chair, before snatching up the can of hairspray and swirling it all around.

"And a little for the house!" She chuckled, as she sprayed her hair with a few squirts, a childlike giggle escaped soon after, which sounded like a sweet melody. "You look like a million bucks and then some!" She spun the chair around and adjusted some of the red strands, as she tapped the heel of her riding boot on the linoleum floor.

Decked out in all jean, her large hoop earrings peaked out from under her shoulder length blonde curls. Turning, she warmly smiled and with her index finger she beckoned me over.

"You got an appointment, darlin'?" she asked, as she tucked the cash the woman handed her into the front pocket of her jean jacket.

"No, Ma'am. I saw your sign about needing help and—" She interrupted me with a raised hand, as she tapped her thigh with a hairbrush in beat to the country song on the radio.

"You're cute," she remarked. "I'm lookin' for someone on Monday afternoons and the weekends."

"You don't want to know if I can do hair?" I asked, curious as to why she wasn't more concerned with my ability. If she was basing it simply on the way I looked, then I wasn't sure if this was the right place for me.

"If you can't, then by the time I'm done with you, you'll be able to style like you were the Mona Lisa of highlights, darlin'." She smiled and another round of those giggles that tickled you from deep within, sprung from her lips. "Charlemagne Mona James, but you can call me Charlie. Actually, I prefer Charlie." She extended her hand in my direction and her thin fingers wrapped around my hand. With a confident shake, she released me and nodded her head.

"Rachel Palmiero."

"Alright Rachel, come back on Monday at four and you can meet Sassy and Carla. You'll be shadowing Sassy for a few times, then I'll let you loose on the town!" She clapped her hands together in excitement a few times, before the bell on the top of the door chimed and a lady in a dark hat walked in, brushing snow off her coat.

"Thank you," I said as I turned to leave, with a large smile plastered to my face. She wiggled her fingers at me in a wave, as she turned and got to work on her next client.

Pushing open the door to the chilly, snowy air, my smile got wider as I saw Kai standing there leaning up against the large, black street light. He pushed off it when he saw me, and flashed me one of his killer smiles of perfectly straight, white teeth.

"So?" he prompted and I nodded enthusiastically. He stretched out his arms and I found myself rushing towards him, a happy warmth spreading throughout my body. He hoisted me up in his embrace and twirled me, before encasing me in a hug that had my legs dangling far off the ground.

In the excitement, my fingers found their way into his silky hair, burying themselves in the cold strands. Briefly stopping, he stared into my eyes, before his lips slammed down onto mine and my body jolted with the need to kiss him like I've never kissed anyone before in my life.

All of my kisses up until now had been ok. They weren't anything that you wrote about in your diary, or giggled with your girlfriends about in between the popcorn and movie change. They really weren't all that memorable when I started to think about it. This kiss though... It was like planets colliding, slamming against one another with such a force that it caused time to halt infinitely. His thick tongue pushed past the seam in my lips and invaded my whole being. I tugged on his hair, pulling him closer as he supported my weight in his muscular arms. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine and sighed, the cold air creating a cloud of smoke around us.

"I wanna keep kissin' you, but I gotta get back to work," he sadly stated, as my body glided down his when he set me down. "What are you doin' to me, Rachel Palmiero?"

"I think I'm walking you to work," I joked and a smile beamed across his face which rivaled the Christmas lights that popped on to illuminate a few businesses. I took his hand in mine and pulled him back in the direction of his repair shop, enjoying the snowy breeze as my sneakers sloshed in the sludge that was slowly building up on the sidewalk.

When we came to a stop outside his repair shop, he pulled me closer to his body and tipped my chin up towards him. It must have been comical for people around to see us. Here was a guy that was well over six feet tall and I was about a foot shorter than him. I raised up the best I could on my tiptoes and kissed the bottom of his chin, straining to reach it with the height distance. A yelp escaped my lips as he grabbed me by the hips and hoisted me up into his embrace again.

His laugh pierced the commotion of rush hour around us, as he pressed a kiss to my chin and then smiled. Running my hand down the side of his face, I affectionately fingered the short strands of his facial hair, as I leaned in and gently brushed my lips against his.

"What are you doing to me, Kai Heyman?" I asked tenderly.

"I think the same thing you're doin' to me, Queenie," he admitted, "Go on a date with me tomorrow night. I'll pick you up and show you around Northridge." When I stayed silent, he hugged me closer to his chest. "Say yes."

"You're bossy. I take it you're used to making demands," I teased and he smirked playfully, "Ok. I live on Corvelle Lane; second blue house on the left with the yellow trim. But..." I hesitated for a moment, causing Kai to set me down lightly, before he tucked his hands in the pockets of his coveralls.

"But?" he questioned and I scrunched my nose up.

"You'll have to meet my dad. I don't make the rules, I'm sorry."

His face wrinkled in contemplation for a moment, before he smiled. "He can question me all he wants, if it means I get to spend time with you, gorgeous girl." He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to my lips, and it was over all too quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow around five, after work." His thumb brushed my chin, right before he turned and entered the shop, leaving me alone on the sidewalk.

I inhaled the scent of motor oil that spilled from the shop doors and swirled in the winter air, before I turned and headed in the direction of my house. All the way home, I struggled with how I was going to tell my parents that I was going on a date— and with someone who definitely wasn't Lex Slater.

Someone, who I was utterly and undeniably smitten with.

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A/N: Hey!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment.

Did anyone catch who Charlemagne is? I left some hints for readers of Beasts & Burdens
(her middle name is the same as someone's bike, her last name is the same as someone we loved to hate). :)

So, do we think Rachel's parents are going to take it well that she's going out with Kai?

<3 Amina