Hey! Hope you’re all enjoying blind date so far (da-duh, da-duh etc etc) anyway, just a quick note saying pleeeeeeeeeease r+r! Oooh, things about to get a little bad, but don’t worry, this is a romance thingummy, and you know how these things work right? Good!!! Bysies! Zee xxx

Sammie woke up to the phone in her hotel room ringing.
“’Lo?” she answered sleepily.
“Sammie?” Ben s voice asked on the other end of the line.
“Yeah?” Sammie perked up a little.
“The crew just woke me up, we have to get ready”
“We do?” Sammie complained.
“Yes! The car taking us to the airport will be here soon. I’ll meet you in the lobby if that’s okay?”
“Of course it is”
“Cool, see you in . . . half an hour?”
“Sure”
“See you then”
“See you” Sammie put the phone down reluctantly, and smiled as she snuggled up in her duvet. She was thinking about the previous night, and the dinner they’d shared. She had been so content through it all, but one thing was getting to her. She knew they’d both had a great time in the restaurant. He’d even tried to share the food and everything, which to her was a couply thing to do. But he hadn’t kissed her in the restaurant. He hadn’t kissed her at all. No, wait, that wasn’t true, he had on the show, and in her bathroom. What was going on with him??? It was as though he didn’t want to be seen ‘with’ her in public, but that didn’t explain why he was sharing food with her. She sighed and climbed out of bed and into the bathroom.

* * * * *

Ben put the phone down as soon as he heard Sammie click off. He hadn’t been entirely truthful, the camera crew hadn’t woken him up on purpose, but they had woken him up. He’d gotten dressed and checked the car times, then phoned Sammie. He sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. He was thinking about something slightly different to Sammie. ‘Why do I keep staring and not saying anything? Why’s it so hard for me to talk to her? Why am I not flirting like usual?’ The questions kept spinning in his head, making him feel slightly dizzy. He looked over at the digital camera poking out of his bag, that the company had given him. Maybe talking to a piece of machinery would help, he was certainly used to it. He switched it on expertly and turned the LCD screen until he could see what he was filming, then pressed the record button.
“Well, it’s the first day, just before our flight out, and I’m already using this thing. Can you believe it? The date hasn’t even started and I’m already trying to talk about her. This can mean one of two things.” He stopped recording and pressed the rewind button, and carried on with his speech “ This means I either totally hate her or totally fancy her, and I think I know which one it is now” The tape stopped rewinding.

* * *

Sammie found Ben waiting in the lobby.

“You already?” He asked. She nodded. He put his arm around her awkwardly and they walked out to the lobby and into the car.
“Wow, Ben, it’s a limo!”
“Yeah, how cool is that?”
“It is cool, but you travel in a lot of them?”
“Not really, only for special occasions.”
They settled down in their seats, and Sammie’s mobile started ringing.
“Sorry about this” Sammie apologised, and picked up “Hello?”
“Sammie, it’s Kaz. Is Ben there?”
“Yeah”
“Oh, is it alright for you to talk?”
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“I slept with Christian”
“You WHAT?”
“As in we had se-”
“Whoa, spare me the details. How did it happen?”
“Well, I got talking to him and we had a right laugh and then I ended up going round his house which is where I woke up this morning”
“Your parents are going to kill you”
“No they won’t, they think I stayed in a hotel with you last night”
“Are you going out with him now?”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again”
“Then your parents WILL kill you”
“Fine be like that, I really need your support, but go ahead and snog lover boy Ben”
“Wait, Kaz I” Kaz had hung up. Sammie started texting like crazy. Ben leaned closer to her and put his arm across her shoulders.
“What’s up?” he asked her.
“My best friend just slept with your band mate”
“Excuse me?” Ben had forgotten about Kaz.
“My best friend Kaz, she was at the show yesterday, she just slept with Christian” Ben raised his eyebrows as far as they would go. Sammie stopped texting, sent her message, and slammed back onto the seat, crushing Ben’s arm.
“Sorry! Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to! Oh this is a bad start to the week” She started fussing. Ben moved his arm and rubbed it. After a while he spoke.
“It’s ok, it’s stopped hurting now” he saw the look on her face “hey, don’t worry about your friend. If she’s with Chris, she’s in good hands. Her parents will realise that, come here” He hugged her and gave her a small peck on the cheek. The car door then opened, and Ben helped Sammie get out of the limo and into the airport.