Spinning.

“Does this look okay?” I spun around, showing my dress to Ava and Kelly on skype. We were having a three way chat as they helped me get ready for my date tonight.

We wanted to have our date the last time we had a day off, but then it turned out that we both spent the entire day doing interviews so we weren't able to squeeze it in. I couldn't believe two weeks had already flown by: Tessa was leaving tomorrow, we were almost two thirds of the way done with tour, placing us in Seattle, and Carolyn and Alice had begun arranging the next tour already. I didn't want to accept that soon we were going to be off the road, which meant that I was going back to Los Angeles and John was going back to Phoenix.

John was going to pick me up in half an hour, which really just meant he was going to walk from his room to mine, but I needed girl advice and Tessa was out with Jared spending their last day together doing couple-y things. So I did the next best thing: Recruited Kelly and Ava via video chat.

“Girl, you look hot!” Kelly giggled, watching intently. “The red goes great with your hair.”

“Yeah, you look like such a babe. John's not going to be able to stop staring.” Ava agreed.

“It's not too casual? I mean, it is a date. I don't want to be underdressed.” I looked in the mirror for the hundredth time, smoothing down the front of the dress.

“No, you're wearing your pearls with it, right?” Ava asked, knowing that pearls were my go-to for formal jewelry.

“Yeah, that was the plan.”

“Then you're set. You'll be fine, you look classic. What are you doing with your hair?” Kelly spoke up, Andrew's voice in the background.

“I don't know,” I plopped down in front of the computer. “What do you think I should do?”

“I like the idea of a loose updo. Easy to take out for later,” Ava wiggled her eyebrows at me, causing Kelly to laugh and me to scowl at her.

“Whoa, settle down there Ava.”

“Have you two, you know...” Kelly started, turning back to watch something happening off screen.

“No, we haven't had sex.” I answered, a blush creeping on my cheeks.

“Have you two done other stuff?” Ava pressed.

“I mean, yeah.” I suddenly got shy talking about John and I's physical life. Sure, we were crazy about each other, but how fast were we supposed to take this part? We'd both had sex before, and it didn't seem like something particularly sacred to either of us, but that always changes in a relationship: how soon is too soon?

“Like?”

“I mean, we've both been shirtless. Which I suppose is a bigger deal for me than him, since I'm the one with the boobs. And there have been hands down pants, but pants haven't come off.” I chewed my lip, my cheeks turning bright red.

“Wait, you two haven't just ripped each other's clothes off yet?” Kelly looked at me incredulously. “Andy and I wasted no time doing that after we finally got together.”

“Why are you talking about me?” Andy suddenly appeared behind Kelly, looking at the screen. “Oh, hey ladies!” He waved. Ava and I both waved back, smiling at him.

“Andy, bye. Girl time.” She turned, smirking at him.

“You were talking about me though!”

“Yeah, Beret's got a date tonight. We're helping her get ready.” She looked up at him, grinning. He bent down, kissing her, before looking back at the camera.

“Fine, I'll leave you guys. Beret you better tell me how it goes!” He pointed at the screen, making me laugh, before walking away.

“He's such a girl sometimes.” Kelly chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, back to you. Is there a reason you two haven't done it yet? You've officially been dating for a couple weeks, unofficially for like a month and a half now. You've both had sex, so it's not like you're saving it for marriage. What's the hold up?”

“Well at first we'd start doing stuff and then get interrupted, but then as of late it's been that we just haven't pushed it. I don't know,” I shrugged. “Maybe neither of us want to go too fast?”

“So if he wanted to do it tonight, would you?” Ava asked.

“Probably.” I shrugged. “I mean, we haven't really talked about it I guess.”

“I mean, don't rush it if you don't want to, but don't be afraid to ask for it.” Kelly advised. “Every relationship is different.”

I stood up, going to the mirror and staring for a minute before beginning to do my make-up. “Should I do red lipstick?”

“Not if you plan on getting hot and heavy tonight. It'll get everywhere.” Ava laughed, scrunching her face up.

“Good point.”

“Is this your first official date with him?” Kelly asked.

“Yeah, we were going to do it last time we had a day off but then we had a bunch of interviews that kind of got in the way of it.” I shrugged, putting on my eyeliner.

“Silly work, getting in the way of love.” Ava smirked.

“Alright, well I'm going to finish getting ready. I've only got a little while before he's going to be here!” I went back over to the computer, waving at Ava and Kelly.

“Knock him dead, girl!” Kelly grinned. “You look great!”

“You've got this. And remember, use a condom!” Ava teased, causing me to roll my eyes at her.

“Yes mom,” I sarcastically responded. “I'll talk to you guys later!”

I closed the screen, returning to the mirror to figure out what to do with my hair. I finally settled on a loose bun, letting a few pieces around the front of my face hang down before slipping on my pearl necklace and putting on my earrings. I gave myself yet another once-over, praying that I looked as good as Kelly and Ava claimed I did.

Almost on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“Just a minute!” I called, slipping on my heels before taking one last look in the mirror, grabbing my jacket and purse before opening the door.

John was standing on the other side, roses in one hand and his coat in the other. As soon as he laid eyes on me, a giant grin spread across his face, his eyes twinkling as he took me in.

“Wow... you... you look great!” He breathlessly told me, bending down to kiss me.

“You look pretty good yourself.” I winked at him, a matching grin on my face. He had his black pants on, an eggplant purple button up shirt on top with a black bow tie as the finishing touch. His face was clean-shaven, minus the patch on his chin that he would sometimes leave to grow which was dotted with golden whiskers. “I like the bow tie. Nice touch.”

“Why thank you. These are for you,” John held out the bouquet for me, watching me as I searched the room for something to put them in. Finally I settled on repurposing the ice bucket, causing him to laugh.

“Clever.”

“It's not like I ever get ice.” I laughed, filling the bucket with water before putting the flowers inside. “How'd you know I like roses?”

“Well, besides them being a classic choice, I asked Ava.”

I chuckled. “Well, you made a good call there. She does know quite a bit about me.”

John's grin never faltered as he watched me, extending his arm to me when I was ready to go.

“So, where are we going?”

“Well, you're familiar with Seattle, so I'm sure you know the way to where we're going.” He smirked, leading me to the elevator.

“And where would that be?”

“That would give away the surprise, darling.” He winked, holding the door so I could enter the elevator.

I leaned up, kissing him as the elevator door closed. “How am I supposed to get us there if I don't know where we're going?”

“Oh, you're not.” He kissed me back, smirking through the kiss. “I just wanted to mess with you.”

“How rude.” I kissed him with a fiery kiss, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me closer.

“I never said I was nice.” He raised an eyebrow at me, the elevator dinging as we reached the main floor.

“Well then, how far away are we from where we're going?”

“Not far. We're close enough to walk.” We made our way out from the lobby after stopping to put on our coats, the cool Seattle air hitting us the moment the doors opened.

I linked my arm with John's, the heels I was wearing gave me enough height that I wasn't pulling him down when we walked together. We were close to the City Center, leisurely strolling down the sidewalks while talking about completely random topics. I couldn't help the grin that spread on my face as we approached city center: the Space Needle was towering over us, and during my college years I always loved being able to see it from wherever I was. John was watching me as my eyes travelled up the space needle, trying not to chuckle.

“You know, if you keep standing there we're not going to get up there on time.”

“Wait, we're going up there?”

John didn't respond, taking my hand and leading me to the entrance, looking around for a moment before finding the elevator he was looking for. A young guy was standing in behind a podium, watching us and snapping his gum as we approached.

“Name?” He looked at both of us, his eyes showing that he vaguely recognized us, though he wasn't sure from where.

“O'Callaghan.” Suddenly, it all made sense. We were having dinner in the Space Needle. It was one of those things that I always wanted to do, but as a college student it was by far out of my price range. I turned to him, mouth hanging slightly open. He grinned at me, realizing that I figured out where we were going.

“Party of two?” He looked between us, confirming the reservation.

“That's correct.” John nodded.

“Alright,” he hit a button so the elevator opened. “There'll be someone up top to seat you.”

“Thank you!” John smiled at him, letting me into the elevator before following himself.

“How did you know?!” I exclaimed as soon as the elevator door closed.

“A little birdy may have told me that you've always wanted to eat up here.” John's eyes sparkled as he nonchalantly responded. “Besides, it makes for a memorable first date.”

“I feel like no matter what we could have done, it still would have been a memorable first date.”

“I'm glad you have so much faith.” He chuckled. “Because put a lot of thought into this.”

The elevator opened, the waitress at the top smiling pleasantly at us. “Table for two?”

“That's correct.” John followed me out of the elevator, the waitress grabbing a couple menus before escorting us to a window table. I could hardly contain the butterflies in my stomach, and the night was just beginning: I could just tell it was going to be a great night.

My eyes were torn between two places: watching John and watching the Seattle cityscape below us.

“We got a good time to be here: the sun's just setting.” John commented, his eyes reflecting the golden glow of the sun sinking over the city.

The waitress returned for our drink orders: we decided to split a bottle of champagne, since for us it was a special occasion. She returned, bottle and glasses in hand, setting the glasses down before popping the cork out of the bottle and pouring us each a glass, leaving the bottle on the table and smiling at us before she left.

“To memorable first dates?” John held up the glass, proposing a toast between the two of us.

“To the start of something great.” I responded, clinking my glass against his.

Dinner was perfect. The food was delicious, the conversation was amazing, and the view was breathtaking. It was easily the best date I had ever been on, and according to John, we weren't even done yet.

“You know, we do have a little time until we have to go to the next place,” John took my hand in his as we stood up from the table. “Want to go spend some time on the observation deck?”

“I'd love to.” I grinned, leading him to the stairs that took us outside. “I have always been a fan of this city at night.”

John held the door for me as we reached the top, the soft breeze hitting our faces as we took in the skyline at night: soft, glowing lights illuminating the space below us as cars raced from Point A to Point B and the streetlights cast shadows on the ant-sized people as they moved underneath. We strolled around the deck, stopping when we finally found a not-too-crowded place to watch. Neither of us said anything, letting the sounds of the breeze and the traffic create a comfortable silence between us. John's arms wrapped around me from behind, his head resting gently on top of mine as we watched.

“It's a beautiful city.” John eventually commented. “I can see why you chose to go to school here.”

“During late summer, this is my favorite place in the world.” I told him. “The weather is perfect outside: sunny, not too hot but not too cold. The sky's the most beautiful blue and the breeze from the ocean is the freshest, like it's just better to breathe. Mix that with the mountains and the evergreens, and it's heaven. My parents would always come with me out to school, it was their favorite time of year to visit as well.”

“Hmm, well maybe at some point a trip up to Seattle during late summer should be planned?”

“We could throw it on the agenda.” I looked up at him, smiling.

John looked down at his watch, noting the time. “Well, we should be off-- we have the second part of our evening to attend, yet.”

“And where is that?” I asked him, following him to the elevator that would take us down to the ground.

“It's a surprise.” He laughed, letting the elevator take us down before escorting me outside. “You don't like surprises, do you?”

“I just like to know what's going on.” I shrugged, playfully grinning at him.

“Well, patience is a virtue.” John pointed out, hailing a cab.

“Yeah, patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, and Grace is a little girl who won't wash her face.” I teased, causing John to bust out laughing.

“What?”

“It's a rhyme that I learned as a kid.” I shrugged, smirking.

John told the cab driver an address and we were off, getting closer to the waterfront as we drove by some of the more famous tourist attractions. We stopped in front of a pier, John getting out and paying the driver before walking around the cab to let me out.

“Madam?” He quipped, holding his arm out for me. I took it, letting him lead me down the pier until we reached the end, where a line of people were being let onto a boat.

“I thought we could do a little dancing on the water.” John answered, before I could even open my mouth.

“Wait, we're going--”

“Yup, we're going on an evening cruise.” He smiled at me, cutting me off as I pointed out at the water.

“Wow,” was all I could say. The harbor lights reflected off the water as we slowly made our way to the front of the line, John presenting our tickets before helping me onto the boat.

“So?”

“You said something about dancing?” I turned to him, grinning.

“Why yes, I did. Would you like to dance?” He led me inside the cabin of the boat, where a swing band was playing music and people were dancing with each other.

It wasn't like a club, where people would be grinding with each other and getting super sexual. This was different-- there were couples of all ages swing dancing and blues dancing, the dim lighting and the music floating through the space creating the perfect ambiance for the event.

“I would love to.” I coyly blushed, looking around as we checked our coats and my purse. “I don't really have good dance moves though.”

“I don't think the technique matters so much as long as you're having fun.” He smiled, pulling me out onto the dance floor. “Besides, I'll let you step on my toes all you want. As long as the pointy part of your shoe doesn't stab me.”

I let out a loud laugh as he spun me around, my skirt floating as it turned.

“You picked a good dress for this,” he commented, pulling me close to him again before wrapping an arm around my back while we moved.

“I suppose I did, didn't I?” I turned my hips, causing the skirt to rise and fall with the motion.

“Indeed. I think I picked a lady with good taste.”

“I think I picked a good date.”

“I think you did too.” He gave me a grin, spinning me again.

“You would think so.” I chuckled, the music slowing down.

John moved his hands so they were gently sitting on my hips, my arms reaching up and draping around his neck. I rested my head on his chest as we swayed to the music, John planting a gentle kiss on my part before resting his chin on my head. I inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of his cologne and enjoying it for a moment before sighing contentedly.

The music picked up after the song ended, and John and I continued to dance for another hour before taking a break. We each got a drink before moving outside, the boat coasting effortlessly on the glass sea. There were a few couples outside, each of them too absorbed in their own little worlds to notice anything that was happening around them.

“I feel like we should run up and have the stereotypical 'I'm flying!' moment.” I chuckled, looking up at the front of the boat.

“You realize if you fell off the boat, Carolyn would kick my ass right?” John replied, amused by my suggestion.

“That's why you hang onto me, duh.” I quipped, rolling my eyes playfully at him.

“Alright, well let's do this.” He laughed, shaking his head at me.

We both carefully made our way to the front of the boat, John helping me sneak over the railing while holding tightly onto me. Once I got my footing set, I held out my arms, letting the wind brush my face as I laughed.

“I'm flying!” I mockingly exclaimed, John's laughter echoing behind me as his hands never left my hips. I turned around, sending him a giant grin before climbing back over the railing.

“I'm impressed that you climbed over the railing without flashing anyone twice.” John chuckled as we moved away from the front.

“My momma always raised me to be a lady.” I joked.

“Well I must say, she did a pretty good job.” He kissed me, his hands on the small of my back.

I returned the kiss with a fiery kiss of my own, catching him off guard as his lips hungrily met mine.

“You're going to make it really hard to wait until we get back if you keep that up,” John breathed between kisses, the sound sending chills down my spine.

“Who was it that told me patience was a virtue earlier?” I whispered in his ear, the breath catching in his throat.

“You're mean.” His breath tickled my ear as he gently kissed my neck. “But two can play at this game.”

I nonchalantly pulled away, giving him a mischievous grin. “Oh, it's harder than it looks.”

I took his hand, pulling him back onto the dance floor while I feigned innocence; John rolling his eyes dramatically as he couldn't hide his grin. We wasted no time getting into the groove of dancing again, the band continuously playing lively tunes that worked perfectly with each other while occasionally throwing a slow song in. I almost wasn't ready to be done dancing-- even though my feet were starting to hurt from the heels, I was having way too much fun with John for the night to be over. He didn't seem like he wanted the night to end either, taking his sweet time getting our things from the coat check before returning, slipping his hand in mine.

“Well my dear, I'm sorry to say this night is drawing to a close.” He strolled with me down the pier, waiting at the street corner for a moment before hailing a taxi.

“Too bad we can't just freeze time.” I reached up, kissing his cheek. “This was the best date I've ever gone on.”

“You're just saying that.” He blushed as the cab pulled up, letting me in before walking around and climbing in and giving the driver directions.

“No, I'm serious.” I told him. “I had so much fun tonight-- it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better night.” I rested my head on his shoulder, letting his fingers intertwine with mine as we drove.

“Well I'm glad.” John turned, nuzzling into my head. “I suppose I just set the bar really high for every date we go on now, didn't I?”

“Yup, every one from now on better top this.” I laughed as John began to pout. “Oh who are we kidding, if you're involved you know I'll have a good time.”

“You know, I could take that in multiple ways.” John's face turned into a devilish grin, earning a playful slap from me.

“Stop that! I'm sure our cab driver doesn't want to hear about that.” I scolded, my cheeks showing a blush. I looked up at the cab driver, who was obviously trying not to laugh at us.

“Don't worry ma'am, I've heard and seen a lot worse.” He chuckled, looking back at us through his rear view mirror.

“I can hardly imagine.” John chuckled, picturing all the possible scenarios as he shook his head.

As soon as we got back to the hotel, we paid the driver (and gave him an extra large tip for his comment, which John found especially amusing) and linked hands, strolling through the door.

It was, hands down, the best date I'd been on.