Mozart, Metallica, and Me...Wynnie

"There are pastas." CC frowned at the menu.

"You're worse with conversation than I am." I giggled. "We're in a restaurant that specializes in pasta dishes."

So, maybe he was right. After the first few minutes, being around people I know seriously helped me relax.

"Shut up." He whined.

"There's fish, too." Sammi commented offhandedly.

"She doesn't eat fish." CC and Jinxx said simultaneously. CC grinned sheepishly at the latter.

"I was just making a comment." She laughed. I shook my head in amusement.

"What are you getting?" He asked.

I pointed at the plain pasta.

"Hell no, you're in a restaurant that specializes in pasta and you're getting plain pasta?" He shook his head before leaning over and whispering in my ear, "And use your words."

Sammi nudged me with her heel from across the table. She raised both eyebrows suggestively with a smile and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Then, that." I pointed to something random on the menu and he chuckled.

"Okay, so I guess we're getting the same thing."

I shrugged.

"Okay."

We made conversation for a bit, though there isn't much to talk about when you all just saw each other the previous day. It was only about five minutes before the waiter came over, in the end. I was the last to order, for fear of speaking up. This is why I avoid restaurants. That, and I mean I have no friends to go with, so no reason to go.

"And you?" He looked at me expectantly. I bit my lip, feeling shaky. CC reached over to squeeze the hand in my lap. My brother shot a glance at me before looking at CC expectantly who shook his head.

"She--" Jeremy began.

"I-I'll have the pasta primavera." I said softly. He verified what I said and I nodded.

He collected our menus with the assurance that our food would be out in a little while.

Sammi gave me an impressed look and sipped at her wine.

Jinxx didn't say anything, just looked from CC to me and back.

"You know she used to try to talk our parents out of taking us out to eat because she was scared of waiters?" He asked. "She'd have a panic attack if they spoke to her and my mother would have to take her to the bathroom."

Ducked my head and tried to avoid anyone who's eyes might stray to me.

"She did just fine." CC shrugged, taking my hand again and rubbing circles with his thumb.

"Crap, it's been like…thirty minutes--maybe--that I've even known you guys are together…" He sighed, "But, I like you for her. You're challenging her to step outside her comfort zone."

"He talks too much, she needs to keep up." Sammi teased.

I blushed, feeling awkward about being the topic of conversation while still right in front of all of them.

"Awe! Look at her!" She laughed.

"Stop." I mumbled. "You're acting like I'm sixteen, I'm a year younger than you!"

"You're still the youngest here, baby doll, I can treat you like you're however old I want." She smiled.

"You're name is Doll and you're calling me a baby doll?" I frowned. "That's not fair."

"Well, I can't call you a baby Ferguson. You aren't." She paused. "Well, I guess you are, you're the baby of the family." I rolled my eyes.

"My baby sister, all grown up." Jeremy teased.

"Stop it." I whined, my cheeks heating up again.

"Stop it." They chorused.

"You're all such children!" I pouted, crossing my arms, "And you say I'm the baby here!"

"She's got a point." Sammi laughed. Her phone buzzed and she frowned, looking through her purse to see what it was. Her phone is like a fucking monster the way it buzzes.

She picked it up and looked at my brother, a confused look on her face, then back at the phone. She turned it on its side and presumably texted the person back. She put the phone back in her back and my brother's phone buzzed.

"You are not texting each other when you're sitting right next to each other…" I frowned.

CC's phone buzzed twice and he looked down at it before looking across the table.

"Um…" He opened the messages and responded to each quickly.

"Guys, you look like five year-olds." I fidgeted. My phone buzzed.

Take a chill pill sweetheart

I looked at CC and he smiled.

"I'm right here, you can just tell me that!" I whined.

"Mewmewmewmewmewmewmew." He whined back in a high pitched voice, eyes bright.

"I don't sound like that." My voice pitch raised, but I was careful to be quiet.

He laughed before turning to me seriously.

"Yeah, you do."

My jaw dropped.

"Oh, guys, come on, no fighting on the first date." My brother laughed. "And after I just lost all straight-man credit admitting that you guys are cute."

"I'm sorry that I may have, in a mild manor, incorrectly portrayed your manner of speech." CC chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow at him before turning to Sammi.

"So, what'd you do today, Sammi?" I asked calmly.

She tried to keep a straight face.

"I bought pop tarts because your brother decided to throw them in the cart last minute."

I nodded.

"That's nice."

"Oh, come on, Wynnie." CC complained. "Wynnie, I'm sorry. I didn't actually upset you did I?"

My brother was laughing.

"Dude!" CC turned to him. "Help me!"

"Nah, my sister's got attitude, despite not talking much." He chuckled. "I'm going to see how this plays out."

CC groaned.

"Wynnie!"

"My brother always did have a thing for throwing things in the cart last minute and my mother wouldn't catch them until we were buying them." I nodded. "Quite annoying."

"Oh, okay, ouch." He frowned playfully.

"It's okay, I love him." Sammi laughed, leaning to peck him on the cheek.

"Okay, cool, she loves him." CC took my hand. "You don't even forgive me."

"I forgive you." I laughed softly.

"Good." He grinned.

We sat in silence for a bit because our food came out and we were eating. Then there was small-talk about what we got.

"So…would you be mad if my impersonation actually did you justice?" CC asked.

I looked at him questioningly.

"I-I-no?" I didn't know how to respond.

"Good, I'll just practice then."

I groaned and leaned my head on his shoulder.

***

We were saying good-byes when Jeremy pulled me over.

"I want you to know, I'd trust CC with my life." He said seriously, "But if anything happens, I want you to be able to talk to me, okay?"

I gave him a small smile and a nod.

"Good." He nodded. "Can I…Can I ask how this happened? Is that too…I just want to know how you went from not even being able to be around him with any of us here to dating him." I thought about it for a moment and he shook his head. "It's too personal--"

"You told me about Sammi…" I thought slowly. "I mean, it's not anything special, Jeremy." I shrugged. "I was scared of him because he was loud, h-he is loud. And, when you and Sammi left, that day I was moving in, and he came to put the piano bench in the music room, he asked if I played drums because of my kit. And I told him I didn't. That's when I started talking to him, and I didn't realize it until after, because I just had to say something. He doesn't stop and wait for answers from people who talk, let alone people too shy to say a word."

Jinxx laughed.

"Yeah, that's CC."

"And I just…I talked to him. Then we just started talking, I guess. Like, he was calling me because he said that's the only way I'd speak to him because you can't not speak over the phone. Then, yesterday, when he drove me home he came upstairs because I invited him and he tried to give me a drum lesson. But, we starting laughing." I shook my head. "And we ended up kissing…then he asked me out today and suddenly decided I was his girlfriend."

"He makes you happy?"

"It's too early to say…" I bit my lip, "I mean, yeah, he definitely makes me happy." I shrugged. "But, I don't think it's--"

"It's serious." He laughed, "CC doesn't do a dinner date if it's not serious. He usually does something like the movies." He shook his head, still smiling. "I mean, I can't promise it's the kind of serious that will last, but he's taking it seriously enough that you should too." He paused, "And you're more important to me than any of my bandmates, but CC is a brother and please don't lead him on if you don't like him. I know you'd never do that on purpose, but be careful. I don't want to see either of you hurt." I nodded and he hugged me. "Stay safe, that includes safe sex."

My eyes widened and he laughed.

"I'm not going to tell you not to, it's going to happen some time or another. I just don't want to hear it, hear about it, or have a little niece or nephew running around anytime soon."

I shook my head.

"Good night." He hugged me again.

"Night." I stepped back and said good-bye to Sammi before leaving.

"That went well." CC commented.

"Yeah." I agreed.

"What'd Jinxx say?"

"Use a condom." I said without thinking.

He laughed.

"Only your brother would make that part of his brotherly speech. Most would just threaten to castrate me." He shook his head.

"Nah, that's only in the movies." I smiled.

"Yeah, horror movies."