Kacie Marie's Story

It would be almost laughable if either of them knew what the other was thinking. Insecurities seemed to affect everyone whether they were the popular girl or the nerdy boy. Steven rolled with her answer though, not fighting it at all and he simply gave his reasoning which made her question her hesitation. So she backtracked, "We do get along famously, don't we?" Once more her tone changed as she tried to pick up the mood. Another soft nudge with her elbow would be felt before she added, "Does this mean you're going to take me on a date?"

Kacie tossed her head back as she laughed, a full throaty sound this time around and then shook her head at his antics. She had rarely laughed in the past few months and tonight she couldn't seem to stop. "You are incorrigible, good sir." Sticking her tongue out at him, she glanced back out over the water once more then shook her head decisively in reply to his question. "Nope. This doesn't count, I'm afraid. You won't get off that easy...."

A look flashed over her face and she spun around so that she was walking backwards ahead of him. Attached to her keyring was one of those tiny sharpie markers with bright purple ink and she snatched up his hand after uncapping the writing utensil, scribbling out a number on the back of his hand with a self-satisfied look upon her face. "Try not to wash that off before you get that somewhere more permanent, eh?" It was her phone number, of course, and she glanced up at the sky, trying to judge the time by the position of the moon. She had a yoga class to teach in the morning so she probably should start her trek back to her new condominium.

Kacie didn't tell him that she had been about to search his pockets for his phone if she hadn't remembered her sharpie on her keyring. Her lips curved into a grin once more as she spun in place, facing the opposite way so she could begin heading home. "So, it's a deal. We give it a try." Making a show of patting down her workout outfit which consisted of a sports tank and black yoga pants with an iPod strapped to her waistband and her keys looped around her upper arm with a stretchy cord, Kacie silently pointed out that she had no phone with her.

"You'll have to text me your number and I'll try to think of a place for Saturday." Honestly, this was quite an unexpected ending to her workout but she flashed him one last smile before heading home. Calling out over her shoulder, "Night, Steven," as she made her way back across the beach.

Since Steven had left it in Kacie's hands to decide the location, time and all the other little details of their date... She had made a sort of game out of it. Instructions were sent via text on how he should dress (casual dressy) and where they should meet (near the mailbox on Main Street which was within walking distance of most of Wing City's major attractions).

Kacie followed her own orders impeccably. Wearing a turquoise bandage dress and matching heels with her signature flower behind her ear, she stood at the predetermined spot and checked her cellphone for the time. Still 10 minutes until he had to show up, which for some reason, made her anxious. Her eyes swept up and down the street until they rested upon a wooden bench about ten feet off from the mailbox and she walked over to sit down. If she remained standing then she would probably pace which would drive her nuts.

Kacie had settled into an odd yet comfortably position. Her right arm was draped over the back of the bench seat with the phone clutched in her hand and her left hand was settled in her lap. One leg was crossed over the other and her foot moved just barely in rhythm to the song she currently had flowing through her head.

Her reverie was broken when her phone buzzed in her hand. She had it on vibrate and she flipped it so that the screen faced her, then frowned slightly at the sight of Steven's number. He was cancelling, wasn't he? Why would he cancel? He was the one that brought up the whole trying it out thing....

Tapping the button to accept the call, she lifted it to her ear, the soft and worried frown still present on her lips. "Is everything okay?"

Kacie clicked off the phone after he spoke, her eyes already searching in the area he had directed her to view and a true grin curved her lips. The rat bastard had worried her there, for a moment and instead of standing her up he was simply making an entrance? Soft laughter echoed through the street as she stood up, walking over near the mailbox and awaiting his approach.

"Ah, so we're playing the mystery man now, are we?" Her grin settled into a smile and she slipped her phone into her purse, no longer needing it for the evening. "Are you trying to counterbalance my own mystery? Do you even have a guess as to where we are going?"

Another light roll of laughter filled the small span of silence as she slipped her arm through his, turning her body so that they could start walking in the direction that they needed to go. "Ah, compliments. This is why I keep you around, Steven Nelson." Her voice still held an edge of the tropics, a lilting tone that she couldn't seem to shake no matter how long she had been away from home.

"The dark clothing suits you. Quite suitable for what I had planned." Another grin lit up her features as she continued her own mysterious edge and led their path down Main Street. Buildings passed them by ranging from restaurants to entertainment complexes, small family owned stores to government buildings.

At Steven's hick impression, she laughed again. A near continual sound when she was around him, it seemed. Shaking her head and causing her hair to tousle slightly about her shoulders, she finally pulled him to a stop in front of a glass-plated skyscraper. A doorman opened the door for them both, decked out in a ridiculous yet somewhat classy red and gold uniform and bowed at the waist.

"Good evenin', Miss Kacie," the man nodded at her then turned to Steven and delivered the same bow and smile. "Sir."

The building had no markings on its exterior that would indicate what sort of building it was but whatever its purpose it seemed fancy. Obviously they weren't going to grab pizza and play laser tag tonight.

Kacie grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at him as she led him across a marble-floored room to an elevator on the opposite side. Once more, no real hints of their location were given which made everything that much more mysterious.

"Let's just say that I chose this based on a conversation we had. Hmmm?" Once inside the elevator, round buttons showed over two dozen floors but the golden-skinned woman tapped the uppermost button which was marked with "OB. An odd designation that wouldn't be apparent until they ascended to the top of the building and the doors opened for them. The pinnacle of the skyscraper wasn't very large, perhaps a room 20' by 20' and the first thing one would notice wouldn't be the fancy decor or the table set in the center of the room set for two. The most impressive sight was actually that the room was entirely encased in glass windows, separated by thin black lines that obviously held the panels together. Since it was night time there was an unmatched view of the sky above and in the corner there was a large golden telescope.

"So..." she grinned, releasing his arm and gesturing with both hands to the room as she turned, walking backwards so she could face him. "What do you think?"

Kacie laughed again at his reaction, obviously pleased that she had both surprised him and made him happy. The details on how she acquired the place for the night would be a tale for another night. It helped to be a yoga instructor for a pretty swanky gym though. You bumped into all sorts of people there.

Her eyes went to the telescope first and she strolled over to where he was, casting a glance at it before lifting her eyes to his. "Your choice, really. I have dinner coming up for us too. We just have to send our order via text. So let me know what you're hungry for..." Since the telescope was situated in one of the corners, she passed by Steven and went over to the nearest glass wall, peering out into the city below.

When she turned around, Kacie looked slightly confused. He seemed a little less ecstatic than a moment ago. Or was her mind simply playing tricks on her? Was she just trying to find issues with the night that weren't present?

Instead of asking, she nodded and withdrew her phone from her purse once more. A caterer from two buildings over was on call for her, another personal favor. "So, what would you like? The place serves a little bit of everything but the owner is Italian so that's probably what he does best." She tapped in her own order, a side salad and small plate of spaghetti. One of her favorites from this chef.

She cast a glance up at Steven, still wondering what had gone wrong.

Kacie looked down at her phone to finish off the rest of the order and send it out so that it would arrive sooner rather than later. She didn't realize he would be so hungry or she would've tried to arrange something a bit earlier but she hated ordering for people.

Laughing off his comment about money, she waved away his concern and tucked her phone back into her purse then crossed the room to lay her clutch down upon the table. It was only the two of them so she didn't have to worry about anyone stealing her valuables or anything.

"Actually, no. I called some favors in... One happens to own this building." She gestured once more to the room they were in and smiled as she pointed over to the telescope. A client is a local University professor and he got his school to... loan me that for the evening. The only true cost is the food so don't worry. It's not like I'm rich or anything but I wanted tonight to be.... Memorable."

Kacie blinked as she slowly turned back around to face Steven, her face surprisingly neutral for such a weighty admission on his part. "I..." she started, then paused. Too soon. It was too soon. wasn't it? Sure, they had spent all of that time in that dreadful building together and had talked, and gotten to know each other but...

Love?

Her arms crossed over her chest almost defensively and she laughed it off. Not to be hurtful or harm his feelings but obviously the statement had overwhelmed her. So she dealt with it as she did most things, with humor and hoped that no clear answer would be better than no answer at all.

"Ah, you are an easy man to please, Steven Nelson." She stepped forward, pressing her hand against his cheek and smiled up at him. "I rent out a fancy room for the night, buy you dinner and find a telescope and suddenly you love me, hmmm?" Thankfully, the elevator popped open at exactly that moment and Vincent, the caterer/chef/delivery boy emerged holding a bag filled with goodies. Giving a sly wink at the two as they stood there, Vincent said, "Pretend I am not here! I will set this out and run, no? Kacie, you can just pay me later, love!" He brought aluminum trays out and placed the food upon each of the plates, left a bottle of wine to the side, then gave a quick wave as he turned to leave. "Just leave it all there. I will be back tomorrow morning and clean up for you. Enjoy!" The man hit the button for the main lobby and the elevator doors closed once more, leaving them alone.

Her heart sank as he so easily let the topic go and that reaction alone confused her. Why would she be upset that his admission of love was only a fleeting thought? Ah, perhaps because she had hoped that this time it would be different. That their in depth conversations at the school would continue and she wouldn't feel like he was simply trying to bed her or get a piece of her limited wealth.

Maybe she should've gone for laser tag and pizza. Maybe then expectations wouldn't run so high? Her own emotions clouded her judgement and she realized he had slipped his shades back on. The song, I wear my sunglasses at night... began to resound in her head and she suppressed a laugh at its sudden intrusion into her thoughts.

"Let's..." she responded to him, finally and crossed back to the table to have a seat, crossing one leg daintily over the other and spreading one of the fine linen napkins in her lap. The overall tone of the evening seemed to change and she didn't want that at all, so she tried once more to lighten the mood. "So, other than the new job and the move... How have you been since...?" Oh, well obviously that wasn't exactly a light topic. "What have you been up to lately? Or does the job keep you busy?"

Kacie crossed her legs, adjusting the skirt to her sundress and then laying a napkin over her lap as Steven had. A half-smile tilted her lips as she wondered if this was also reminiscent of his etiquette classes. The same classes he had told her about in...that building... when they had danced together. The conversation remained pleasant, light and definitely not as deep as it had been mere minutes before. He offered to pour her some wine and she nodded, wrapping her fingers around the thin stem of her glass and then raising it in toast once he had filled her glass.

A light hearted toast before she answered his last question, "To being free and able to choose our own paths." Another smile, waiting to see his reaction before she tilted the wine back to take a sip. "Ah, well I am sorry to say that I haven't changed much." More light laughter spilled into the otherwise empty room and she wondered if perhaps she should have brought some form of music. It was quiet enough so that if neither of them spoke, they could probably hear each other breathing. "I teach yoga over at a swanky new gym that was just built in Eden City. I already have some pretty great clients, great hours... I have to admit, I miss living close to my parents. Does that sound weird?" She wrinkled her nose at her own admission while swirling the wine in her glass.

Another laugh followed his comment about their date and she inclined her head towards him, agreeing to his observation. Even after he added the part addressing their kidnapping, she skirted around that part, instead focusing on the happier side of the conversation. Kacie had lived the kidnapping over and over again in her sleeping hours, she was trying not to remember it while awake.

"Well, then you obviously don't know me very well. Go big or go home, I say." Another light comment, dragging the conversation away from anything serious or emotional. That was Kacie through and through. "You only live once, right? So why not experience everything you've ever wanted to experience? You enjoy constellations and look around you..." Setting down her wine glass she spread her arms so he would be forced to follow her motions and look at the expansive night sky through their glass-encased room.

She then realized that perhaps she should take it slow with the wine until she had more food in her stomach. Reaching over, she flipped open the top on the small cooler that her caterer friend had provided and grabbed a bottle of water. "Besides, this means that you have to plan the next date and I've set a pretty high standard, hmm?" Her pale green eyes twinkled mischeviously.

While he spoke, Kacie took her time eating. Salad first, since she adored it. An oddity that always made her friends look at her oddly. Lettuce has no flavor, how could you enjoy salad? They'd always ask her and then she'd respond jokingly, shrug off their question and switch the topic to something which she found more enjoyable. A trend in her conversational skills, if one were to compare it to tonight.

"Well then, Kacie, what's stopping you or me from simply ignoring the dinner before us, which is lovely I must say, and trying to do what it is we most want to try?"

Her brow arched and a wicked grin crept over her features but then she had asked her next question and he had a much more dramatic response than she expected. His surprised face and brief choking fit made her cover her mouth with her napkin so she didn't laugh at his distress. "Ahh... See, Steven, that means you and I have different ideas of what it would take to beat this date in enjoyability. I'm really not that hard to please."

Kacie moved from her small side salad to her spaghetti as the conversation had its ups and downs. The pauses weren't even awkward, for her at least, they felt... Comfortable. Another small laugh and a shrug of her bare shoulders was her reply to his digging for hints. "It wouldn't be truly epic if I gave you hints, now would it?" She winked, poking her fork in his direction since she was so fond of elbowing him playfully and wasn't close enough to do so tonight.

Another bite of spaghetti, another short pause in their conversation. Her countenance grew serious for a moment and she paused, meeting his gaze with her own as she added, "You know that I'm teasing, right? I don't want to be..." She searched for the word she was looking for, "Impressed. I just want to have fun.... To hang out with you more outside of... Now that we're free."

Kacie twirled her spaghetti onto her fork the Italian way and popped the bite into her mouth, enjoying the food and conversation as the stars twinkled above them. Though she was probably reading too much into his words, she smiled again, arching a brow at the way he ended his sentence. "Ruin tonight? Why would you even be worried about such a thing? I'm pretty sure that short of setting me on fire accidentally, this night couldn't exactly go poorly."

Maybe he had been referring to his earlier admission of love. Telling her even before their first 'real' date that he had felt something for her. The twirl of confusion crept through her again so she shook off that train of thought and looked back up from her food with a smile on her face. Though she wasn't completely done with her food, she was full so she pushed her plate away and removed the napkin from her lap before setting it onto the table. Lifting her wine glass, she downed the rest of it (there wasn't much left) in a single gulp. "Ahhh and you're playing the mystery card with keeping the details a secret...." She wagged her finger at Steven and grinned. "I like it. You learn quickly."