"So, you're friends with Jessica, right?"

The conversation got off to an awkward start.

"Yeah. Best friends. Our mothers were best friends growing up, and I guess the relationship was just passed down." I laughed. He didn't laugh.

Why didn't he laugh?

There was an awkward silence for a moment before I tried my hand at conversation again.

"So, have you met Jessica?"

Why was I only capable of talking about my best friend?

"Yeah, a few times when she came to family reunions with Kevin. She seems great."

"Yeah, she's the best."

"Yeah."

Silence.

I was starting to become nervous, and I decided to try one more time to lighten the tension.

"Have you--"

"I'm sorry, I'm being completely awkward, aren't I?" Andrew interrupted. "Like, I can feel it. I know I'm doing it. I'm just really nervous."

"Nervous?" I laughed, looking over at the insanely attractive man who was driving the car, with flowing hair and shining eyes. "Why would you be nervous?"

He snorted.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? Kevin told me that his girlfriend's buddy was hot, but he didn't tell me that she was so drop-dead gorgeous." Andrew shook his head and I felt myself blush at the compliment that he didn't even seem to realize he had given, "I'm just caught off-guard. It's hard to talk to beautiful girls, especially for someone who hasn't dated a ton of them."

"You haven't dated much?"

"I didn't say that, I just haven't dated girls that look like you."

This conversation was one of the strangest and yet most wonderful conversations I had ever had. A gorgeous man was sitting across from me, his eyes on the road, hardly looking at me, and yet he was throwing compliment after compliment out like they were some sort of disease.

And yet it made me more comfortable.

I thought back on every boyfriend I had ever had. None of them had been nervous around me. They had been smooth-talkers, boys who knew that they were hot and that any girl would kill to go out with them.

"Hey there. Samantha, right?"
"Samantha. Samantha Greene."
"Well that's an awfully beautiful name.. I'm Tyler. Tyler Vanzy."

Tyler hadn't been even remotely nervous.

"Well I've definitely seen you around school and you seem really chill. Do you want to hang out sometime?"
"Sure, why not?"

"Great. We can go to dinner if that works for you...say, Friday night?"

Mason had been the signature cool guy.

"Samantha, right?"
"That's me."
"Sorry, that was a little more forward than I usually am. I just figured that I would have to do something exciting to get your attention."
"My attention?"
"Well, yeah. You're drop dead gorgeous, I mean...I had to face my fears and talk to you eventually, right?"

Liam had been an immediate compliment king.

"You're beautiful. Was that too much?"
"Not at all."

Jason had gone straight for the physical aspect.

"Hello. Samantha, I assume?"
"Call me Sam. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine. I have heard wonderful things about you."

Tim knew he had me from the first word.

And yet here I was, sitting next to guy number six, and he was one of the most awkward and nervous people I had ever encountered.

It was alright, though. Something about it was refreshing--even endearing.

"Alright." Andrew shook his head as we sat down across from each other at the restaurant. "I promise I'll be normal. Would you mind putting a sack over your head, though?"

I looked at him like he had two heads.

"That was a joke." He grinned for the first time that evening, "I'm starting to be a regular person now."

I burst out laughing, half at the joke he had made and half in relief that he hadn't actually just asked me to put a sack over my head.

"Alright, but now it's my turn to be the not-normal one." I said, pulling the index cards out of my purse. "Because I've had a lot of crappy relationships, and I don't want to waste my time."

Andrew nodded.

"A woman on a mission. I like it."

I cleared my throat and read the first question.

"Who is Lincoln Carter?"

Andrew burst into laughter.

"Oh, no. Is this because other guys have been interested in your dad? Did you tell them that he's taken? And not gay?"

I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, since it hadn't been an answer, but it had revealed that Andrew was familiar with my family.

"Look, Sam." Andrew spoke when I didn't, "I'm not interested in dating someone who isn't going to have trust. And I can see that other guys have done a number on you. But I'm looking for a relationship with someone who's going to trust me the way I trust them."

I stared at him for a second before putting the cards back in my purse.

"Prove that you deserve my trust."

Andrew leaned in close to me, so that he was halfway across the table.

"How about you prove that you deserve mine? I'm not seeing a ton of reasons to trust you right now, Miss Notecards."

"I--"

"Having a famous father does not mean you get to boss me around." Andrew said, leaning back in his chair and smiling slightly. "Am I making you angry yet?"

I shook my head, a slow smile spreading across my face.

"I don't think I've ever been so interested in a person before."

"Yes! It's working!"

"Excuse m--"

"Calm down, Samantha Greene Carter, it was a joke."

<><><>

"I think I'm going to really like this one." I said, starting to walk up the stairs to my room. "Is that bad? It's only been one date."

"From what I've heard from your Aunt Emma, you've done much more than just "like" someone on a first date." My mother rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Jess talks to her parents, Samantha."

"I'm gonna kill her." I muttered as I stomped up to my room. I walked down the hallway, passing by my sister's old office on the way. The door was cracked open, which it hardly ever was, even when she was home.

I knocked softly before letting myself in, walking in on my sister by herself, reading from an old notebook.

"Vera?"

"Hey Sam." She smiled, "How was your date?"

"It was great." I nodded, "He's different from the other ones."

"That's good." Vera smiled. "I'm glad you're happy."

"Are...are you?" I asked timidly. Vera had always been so much older than me that we didn't really have "girl" conversations--the ones about friends and boys and gossip. She had been like my second mother more than my sister.

"What?"

"Are you happy?"

Vera looked down at the notebook in her hands.

"I don't know. I thought I was. But there's so much about a person that you just don't know, for years and years and years. They can keep so much hidden just to save face. They can keep secrets and they can keep terrible things from you. And you just have to trust that they're not doing all of that." She took a deep breath, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "It's just hard to trust someone that much."

"Did Aidan--"

"I don't want to get into it." Vera cut me off, shaking her head and wiping her cheek. "Nothing's wrong with him, everything's fine." She looked up at me, finally tearing her eyes away from the notebook. I caught a glimpse of the cover: Property of Vera Carter, 10 year old.

Her old diary.

"Sometimes he seems different, Sam." Vera said, looking me in the eyes. "Sometimes he seems perfect. And his imperfections just make him even more perfect in your eyes. But really, no one's perfect. And most guys are the same."

I just stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to believe that. And she had always been my role model. I took everything she said deeply to heart.

"Just be careful."

I nodded, backing out of the room and shutting the door.

Andrew was different. I knew it.

He would be someone I wouldn't regret.

A/N: What is going on with Vera? I want to know your guys' theories, so leave them below!

And how are we feeling about Andrew?

-Katherine