Moment

“Oh thank god,” Callie let out a sigh of relief as they turned into the parking lot of a McDonalds.

Jack chuckled, “What?”

“You actually listened to me when I said I wanted a Happy Meal,” Callie explained. “Most guys STILL take me to places like O’Charley’s.”

“Guess those dates didn’t turn out well?”

Callie shook her head and laughed. “Is it too much to ask for a toy with my meal?”

Jack grinned as they jumped out of the car and headed towards the entrance, hand in hand. This date is going well, he thought as they walked up to the counter.

As they stood in line, Callie poked Jack and gestured for him to put his head down slightly. “Do you know any Spanish?” Jack nodded, “Follow my lead,” she whispered in his ear before they moved up to the register.

“Welcome to McDonalds, what can I get for you tonight?” the bored cashier asked.

“Que? Yo quiero una cena de contenta, la hamburguesa con queso,” Callie said quickly in Spanish with a straight face.

The cashier stared at her with a slightly open mouth before turning to Jack and quirking an eyebrow. Jack continued, “Si, si, me gusta. Yo quiero este y galleta, por favor señor.”

“Uh, ex-cu-say-me un momento,” the cashier held up a finger looking startled. He went back to back and Callie turned sideways and hid her face against Jack’s chest. He could feel her laughing into it as his arm draped around her waist.

The cashier returned a second later with a guy around their age. “Callie?” he asked.

“Dammit,” she breathed. “I was having fun!” she whined before apologizing to the cashier and introducing Jack to her college Spanish classmate Nick.

Nick laughed before shaking his head and nodding his head towards Jack. “Have fun with this one, she’s a handful,” he advised before waving bye and getting back to work.

“Cheeseburger happy meal!” Callie asked excitedly. “Sprite and an Oreo McFlurry!”

The guy behind the counter quirked an eyebrow but punched in the order before turning to Jack. “Cheeseburger happy meal and a coke and a cookie and…” Jack eyed the menu, “…a medium vanilla milkshake….Yeah,” he nodded his head, pleased.

“$15.63,” the cashier droned.

Jack passed the cash over and dropped the change into the charity box by the register before following Callie to the drink machine with their cups. Once their order was called, they sat across from each other in a booth in the corner of the restaurant.

Callie quickly tore open the plastic wrap surrounding the Happy Meal toy and played with the cheap plastic toy while taking eating her fries.

Jack watched and laughed as he ate through his cheeseburger.

“Wouldn’t it suck if they forgot to put a toy in the meal?”

“Holy shit I would cry,” Callie replied looking up horrified.

Jack chuckled.

Bored with her toy, Callie took a sip of her Sprite before asking, “What would you do if they didn’t give you a toy?”

“Throw a tantrum,” Jack winked. “Works every time,” he said sitting back and taking a fry.

Callie nodded in agreement and then took a bite from her McFlurry. “How old are you?” she asked.

“Eighteen,” he answered simply. “You?”

“Same.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“July seventh. Yours and what was your best birthday?” Callie asked.

“June eighteenth and this past one.”

“Why?” she smirked.

Jack stared at her then replied with a smirk, “Hot strippers and lots of booze.”

“Hell yeah!” Callie agreed.

“Yours?”

“My sixteenth,” she said shrugging.

“Why’s that buttercup?”

She threw a fry at his face before replying excitedly, “I got a tricycle!”

“You’re kidding!” Jack retorted looking at her jealously.

“Nope nope,” Callie shook her head with a grin. “I still have it.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” Callie nodded.

“Can I ride it sometime?”

A girl around their age that had just walked by the table stopped for a second and glanced at them before walking away. Callie and Jack looked at each other before cracking up.

“I. Love. People,” Callie said between laughing.

They talked a little more and Jack found out that she moved from California during the summer with her best friend, Nina, she had an older brother named Connor that lived in Baltimore, and a sister that was three years younger than her and a younger brother that was five years younger.

“I’m packing and I’m holding, I’m smiling, she’s living, she’s golden,” Callie sang along to Semi-Charmed Life playing over the speaker.

“Third Eye Blind fan, then?” Jack asked.

“Holy fuck yes,” Callie nodded fervently. “Favorite, favorite, favorite.”

“She said I want something else to get me through this, semi-charmed kind of life. I want something else, I’m not listening to you say, good byeeeeeeee!” they sang together at the chorus.

“Like pop punk?” Jack asked.

“If it’s good,” Callie replied.

Jack smirked. “There’s this band from around here, good pop punk.”

“Yeah?”

Jack nodded. “They’re having a hometown show on the twenty eighth. Want to go? I can get backstage,” Jack offered.

“Like another date?” Callie asked with a smirk.

“Something like that,” Jack replied.

“Are you going to tell me the name of this band?”

“Nope,” Jack replied. “Surprise surprise.”

Callie laughed. “Okay, but if they’re shit…,” she trailed off leaving him to wonder what the punishment would be.

“Which they won’t be,” Jack answered cockily.

“I hope you aren’t lying to me,” she replied with a mock edge in her voice.

Jack just continued to smirk at her as she stared back at him.

“Done?” Jack asked as she finished the last of her McFlurry.

“Mhm,” she answered standing up with him and grabbing her trash.

“Playground time then,” Jack said looking at her.

“Yes!” she said punching her fist in the air.

They ran into the empty playground area and Jack chased her through the tunnels laughing until Nick came in and shook his head. “I’m really not supposed to allow you guys to play on this. You’ve been here for half an hour, so go make out in a car or something,” he joked.

Callie slid down the slide and stood up and stomped her foot while crossing her arms. “You’re a fun sucker,” she told him.

He just shrugged before pointing to the door.

Callie stuck her tongue out at him, receiving a laugh and then took Jack’s outstretched hand and walked out into the chilly night to his car.

“So what do you want to do now?” Jack asked, starting the car.

“Cosi’s!” she said excitedly.

“You’re still hungry?” Jack asked surprised.

Callie nodded her head. “I want s’mores!” she explained.

“Oh those are so good,” he added, driving towards the little restaurant in downtown Baltimore.

They small talked on the ten minute drive. Jack found out that she was attending Towson University and studying communications.

“My brother got me set up as an intern at 107.3,” she added.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I just run around getting coffee, but my boss loves me, I’ll be talking people’s head off in no time,” she smiled. “What about you?”

“I’m in a band,” he answered, glancing at her.

“Yeah? Would this be the band we’re going to see on the twenty eighth?”

Jack grinned. “Mhm.”

Callie laughed. “So honest opinion, are you any good?”

“Yes,” he said laughing. “We got signed back in February to Hopeless.”

“Oh nice,” Callie replied approvingly. “So let me guess, guitar?”

“Yup, how’d you guess?” he asked with a smile.

“No muscle, so you can’t be the drummer,” Jack pouted, “You’re not mellow enough to play bass and I don’t see you as a singer,” she explained.

Jack nodded his head. “Yeah Alex is the singer and other guitarist. Zack plays bass and Rian plays drums, do you remember them at Target?”

“Vaguely,” Callie answered.

Jack chuckled before parking. They walked into the restaurant and were seated at a small booth. Callie decided to sit next to Jack in the booth, making him blush.

“Aw that’s cute,” she cooed making him blush even more.

They ordered s’mores and discussed favorite alcoholic drinks. Jack’s hand crept its way onto hers and laced his fingers through hers receiving a blush from her in turn. "Aw, that's cute," he said, mocking her tone from earlier.

She rolled her eyes at him, but continued smiling. The pair locked eyes, and a feeling of warmth spread throughout Jack's body. He smiled warmly at Callie; after a long moment between the two, they fell back into an easy conversation.

&&&

Callie grabbed Jack’s hand after they retreated from the car and joked the entire elevator ride up to her apartment. They stopped in front of the door and Jack looked away shyly with a smile gracing his lips. Callie was playing with his fingers and he could see her biting her lip but unable to keep the smile from playing on her lips.

“Hey Jack,” she whispered after a moment.

Jack turned his head and was met with her lips on his. His hand quickly found her cheek and the other to her hip while one of hers leaned on his chest and the other found its way into his hair.

They broke after a couple minutes and Callie giggled.

“What?” Jack breathed.

She just shook her head and looked at him with a smile.

Jack realized he was grinning goofily and quickly turned it into a smirk making Callie chuckle before saying, “Well I guess I’ll see you.”

Jack nodded, “The twenty eighth.”

Callie nodded before walking towards to the door.

“Hey Callie,” Jack whispered.

She turned around and he pecked her on the lips, “Have a nice Christmas.”

“You too,” she replied before he waved goodbye as she smiled and walked through the door.

“Fuck yes!” Jack yelled as he fist pumped the air and walked back down the hallway.