After Xander and Willow left, I was walking on air. I did a few twirls until I heard Mom, Dawn and Tara giggling. I stopped and stuck my tongue out at them, and then we all just stood there smiling at each other for a few minutes.

Finally, we realized just how ridiculous we must've looked and stopped. But I didn't know what to do. Looking at the clock, I realized I had almost six hours before Xander would be back to pick me up for our date. Even I couldn't take that long to get ready.

Mom must have seen my lost little lamb expression, as she likes to call it, because she walked over and led me to the couch.

"Sit down, Buffy. You've got a while to wait, and if you don't relax you're going to explode. And as much as I enjoy a cleaning challenge, scraping Slayer-bits off the walls is a bit much."

I laughed and sat down, but I couldn't relax. I started bouncing and fidgeting on the couch, trying to work off my nervous energy.

Mom sighed. "Well, that didn't work. Dawn, go get Pictionary."

Dawn giggled and headed for the hall closet where we stored the games. I looked at Mom in horror.

"We are NOT playing Pictionary!"

"Oh, yes we are, young lady," she said. When I started to protest, she cut me off. "Don't complain, it was your idea. Wasn't it, Tara?"

"It was," Tara agreed as she sat down at the other end of the couch. "I believe her exact words were 'Who's up for Pictionary?!'" It scares me sometimes how well Tara can do my voice. I glared at her as she laughed along with Mom and Dawn.

Dawn skipped in, carrying Pictionary. And then, God help me, we all sat down and played. Me and Mom vs. Dawn and Tara. They kicked our asses. I still don't see how Mom couldn't recognize a perfectly drawn cow. She thought it was an octopus! Okay, granted, it had a few too many legs to be a cow, but still!

The worst part is, the game worked. By the time we were done, I was relaxed and happy and not at all worried about what was going to happen on my date with Xander. For about five minutes. Then I started worrying again, pacing and babbling and all that. It was pathetic.

My lowest point might have been when I accosted Dawn in the kitchen. I had her pinned up against the wall, and I ignored the pleas for help she sent Mom and Tara with her eyes.

"What if something goes wrong?" I demanded. "I mean, things go wrong all the time. Especially with me! I'm like the world champion in wrong-going! Murphy's Law was written for me! It should really be Buffy's Law! It's all going to go wrong, isn't it? You can tell me. Be honest." Dawn opened her mouth, to say something encouraging, I'm sure, but I cut her off. "No! Don't tell me! I don't want to know."

I turned to Mom, who looked like she couldn't decide if she should be amused or bemused. "It's all going to go wrong, isn't it?" I asked. "You can tell me. I'm your daughter. You can't lie to me!"

Mom opened her mouth to reply, but just then the phone rang. "Saved by the bell," she sighed with relief as she walked over to answer it.

I noticed Tara edging cautiously towards the door into the living room. I pounced just as she left the kitchen.

"What if I screw this up?!" I wailed as I followed her into the living room. "What if I make him hate me?"

She pulled me down to sit next to her on the couch. "Buffy," she said calmly, "you're not going to screw this up, and Xander couldn't hate you if his life depended on it. You heard what he said." She paused, then went on. "Well, what Willow said for him. He's going to be your friend even if things don't work out. So, don't worry."

I felt tears welling in my eyes. "You don't think things will work out?"

"No!" she cried, patting me gently but frantically on the shoulders. "That's not what I meant! I think things are going to go great, Buffy, I really do."

"Really?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Really," she assured me.

I smiled and wiped at my eyes. "I'm sorry, Tara. I'm really not usually like this, but I'm scared. I mean," I said as I waved my hand around, searching for the words, "it's Xander, you know?"

Her eyes told me she did know, but I went on anyway. "He's been there for me forever. Through everything. And he's always been supportive." I thought about Angel for a second, then went on. "Well, almost always. And even when he didn't think I was doing the right thing, he never let that get between us. He never stopped being my friend. And he's saved my life a million times. Hell, he even brought me back to life once."

I took a breath to calm myself. "I can't lose him, Tara. It'd be the same with Giles or Willow. It'd be like losing a part of me, the part that makes me who I am. But I'm not worried about Giles or Willow, because I'm not about to go on a date with them. And yeah, he said that no matter what, he'll be my friend, and I believe him. And I can deal with that, I think. If things don't work out, I can be just friends. I can live with that. I'll make myself live with that. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried that something will happen to ruin it all, us being friends and us being more than friends and everything. If that happens..." I trailed off. I just didn't have the words.

"I can't lose him," I finally said. "Does that make sense?"

"Damn straight it does," Dawn said from the hallway. I turned to look at her just in time to see her shrug off Mom's glare at her language. "That's about the only thing you've ever said that did make sense." I gave her a glare of my own, and she smiled back. "You're not going to lose him, Buffy. Not even you could be that dumb."

"What she said," Mom put in with a smile of her own, then frowned. "Except for the dumb part," she added, with a gentle swat at Dawn. I smiled my thanks at her, then noticed she had her purse on her shoulder, and the car keys in her hand.

"Where ya goin'?" I asked casually. They were abandoning me, I just knew it. Why they would abandon me, I had no idea, but I knew that's what they were doing.

"We," Mom announced with a flourish that included herself and Dawn, "have been chosen to help with something pertaining to The Date." I could hear the capital letters.

"Ooh!" I squealed as I jumped to my feet. "What are you doing? Tell me!" I ordered as I advanced on them. "I don't want to have to hurt you..."

Dawn surreptitiously slipped behind Mom. Mom just laughed. "I have no idea, Buffy, and that's the truth. That was Willow on the phone just now. All she said was to get over to Xander's apartment and we'll go from there. I get the feeling everything about this is going to be strictly need to know. And you, my dear," she informed me with a gentle tap on my nose, "do not need to know. Not until tonight."

"Fine!" I pouted. I may have even stamped my foot, though I'd like to think not. Then I smiled as a thought occurred to me. "Xander's going to make this a big deal, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes," Mom agreed with a grin. "I think it's definitely safe to say that a big deal is being made of this. Now, if you'll excuse us, we must away. For what purpose, you need not know. Tara, can you keep my daughter out of trouble while we're gone?"

Tara pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure," she answered gravely, "but I'll do the best I can."

"I can ask no more," Mom assured her, and she and Dawn left.

I watched as the door closed behind them, then looked over to Tara.

She smiled at me uncertainly. "What do we do now?"

I shrugged as I walked over to sit down next to her on the couch. "I'm not sure. I'm a bit rusty with the whole dating thing."

"Me, too," Tara commiserated with a nod.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "You and Willow go out all the time."

"Yeah," she agreed with a smile, "but that's different. We always get ready together. It's fun. We never really had that whole first date awkwardness thing. We never really had a first date, actually. By the time we started going on real dates, we'd been together for a long time. We just didn't know it at first." She thought about that for a minute, then chuckled. "That's kind of weird, isn't it?"

"A little," I said. "But mostly it's sweet. You've been really good for Willow, Tara. You've been just what she needs."

She blushed. "Thank you, Buffy. It means a lot to hear you say that." She smiled. "Willow's been just what I need, too."

I smiled back at her. Impulsively, I reached over and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened at first, then put her arms around me and hugged me back. I let go of her and drew back, but took her hands in mine and said, "I'm glad you two found each other, Tara."

She just blushed again, and I laughed. "Okay," I admitted, "maybe that was a bit too mushy."

"Maybe a little," she agreed, but she was still smiling. "What do you want to do now?" she asked. "We've still got plenty of time before you have to get ready."

"I don't know," I said. "Movie?"

"Okay. Which one?"

"Well," I allowed, "I'm in a mushy mood. 'Princess Bride?'"

"Ooh!" she squealed. "I love that one."

"'The Princess Bride' it is, then," I said with a firm nod. I hopped up, found the movie, and popped it into the VCR. Then I sat back down next to Tara with the remote.

"Tara?" I asked as I fast-forwarded through the previews.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Thanks for being here with me."

"You're welcome."

Several hours later, after 'The Princess Bride' and 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' were over, we just sat there on the couch, unable to move.

"I think I OD'ed on romance," Tara finally said.

"Me, too," I agreed. A horrible thought occurred to me, and I turned to Tara. "What if this means I can't be romantic tonight? What if I ruin it? What if...?"

A pillow bouncing off my head cut me off. "Would you cut it out, already?" Tara pleaded. "You're giving me a headache."

"Sorry," I said meekly. "I'm just nervous."

"I know," Tara replied softly. "But you shouldn't be. Stop worrying about it and just have a good time. It's easy."

"I know it should be, but it doesn't feel easy."

Tara smiled. "I know."

"Hey," I asked to change the subject, "what time is it?"

Tara looked at her watch. "Just about six."

My eyes lit up. "Can we go get ready now? Can we?"

She giggled. "We can go get ready now."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the couch, then dragged her upstairs to my room. It was just the way we'd left it, of course, clothes strewn everywhere.

"Oh, God," I wailed, "what am I gonna wear?"

Tara shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm not exactly an expert on dressing to look hot."

I blushed. "Who said I was trying to look hot?"

She gave me a look. I caved.

"Yeah," I admitted, "I want to look hot. After all, Will's gonna get Xander dressed up sexy. She said so herself. So I have to look hot too, right?" Tara nodded, no doubt awed by my brilliant logic. "But what do I wear?" I asked.

She shrugged again, then pointed to the bed. "I thought you and Willow decided on the blue dress? Xander definitely likes that one, and you look really good in it."

"Thanks," I said with a smile, "but I'm not sure. I wish I knew what we were doing! If I knew that, I'd know what to wear. I mean, yeah, the dress is great for dinner, but what if he wants it to be casual? For casual I should wear jeans, right? I think I can look hot in jeans."

"I think so, too."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really," she assured me with a wicked grin. "I know these things. I'm gay, you know. They teach us this stuff at the orientation meetings. Right after the secret handshake."

I laughed. "Thanks, Tara." Then a thought occurred to me. "If you're so gay, why do you keep agreeing whenever Will and I go dreamy over Xander?"

She smiled impishly. "I'm gay, Buffy, not blind."

That got us laughing together for a while. When we stopped, Tara said "We still don't know what you're going to wear, do we?"

"No, we don't," I said. "I think the dress is my best bet. Maybe Mom and Dawn will get back soon. They can at least give me a hint about what to wear, even if they won't tell me where we're going."

"That's a good idea."

"Thanks," I said idly, as I turned to look at the blue dress. I smiled. "I can't believe I'm going out with Xander. This is going to be so great."

"Yeah, it is," Tara agreed with a smile of her own.

"Ooh!" I cried, delighted, as a thought struck me. "We can double date! You and Will and me and Xander! This is gonna be so cool!" I calmed down a bit and went on. "Seriously, this is great. I mean, Xander's my best friend. One of them, anyway. And now it'll be even better. I feel like he's, I don't know, something corny. Like my other half or something."

Tara smiled her agreement, then sobered. I saw her expression change and frowned. "What is it?" I asked.

"I'm not sure how to say this," she began, staring at the floor.

"Just saying it works for me," I told her.

"It's just something about me and Willow that you reminded me of just then."

"What do you mean?" I prodded.

"The other half thing," she said, looking up into my eyes. "Willow called me that once, and it felt great. But it's complicated. It's more like I'm her other third, not half."

I thought about that for a second, and realized what she meant. "Xander?"

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. "Those two are so close it's like they're the same person, almost. Which is great and all," she hurried on. "I'm not jealous or anything."

"Except you kinda are," I said.

"Yeah. Except I kinda am. Just sometimes." She looked down at the floor again. "I don't know how to say what I'm trying to say. Never mind. It's not important."

"It is important," I said, taking her arm and leading her over to sit down on the bed. "And I know what you mean."

"You do?" she asked, still not looking at me.

"Yeah," I said, and she looked up. "Of course I do," I assured her. "I think I've had more time to get used to it. I've been friends with Xander and Willow for years now. And yeah, sometimes I feel jealous of how close they are. Like the way they can have an entire conversation by just looking at each other."

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "Or the private jokes that no one but them will ever get."

I nodded. "But it doesn't mean Willow loves you any less than she loves Xander."

"Oh, I know that," she said. Her tone was almost dismissive, as if it hadn't even crossed her mind to believe otherwise. That reassured me, and I stopped worrying. "I just wanted to mention it," Tara went on, "because it was weird at first, and I figured you're nervous enough as it is. I should have figured you'd know what I meant already."

"I do, yeah, but it hadn't occurred to me that it would affect me and Xander as a couple. I should have realized that right off." I thought about it, then giggled.

"What?" Tara asked, a smile on her face.

"I was just thinking about what you said, about being the other third instead of the other half."

"Yeah?" Tara prompted.

"Well, it's just that, if you're with Willow, who's also with Xander, and I'm with Xander, who's also with Willow, then it's kinda like all four of us are going out together, isn't it?"

Tara laughed at that, and I joined her. "Yeah," she said, "it is sort of like that. We probably shouldn't mention that to Xander, huh?"

"God, no!" I agreed, laughing even harder. "You just know the first word into his head would be 'orgy.' There's an image we don't need, right?" Tara didn't say anything. "Right?" I asked, turning to her.

She was sitting there with a smile and a faraway look on her face.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Keep your mental mitts off my boyfriend!"

She came back to Earth with a start, then smiled at me. "Sorry. But don't worry, you were there, too."

"Why am I not reassured?" I asked sarcastically.

Tara shrugged. "I don't know."

"Sure you don't," I said, with a fake glare. Tara just smiled at me, and I laughed. "Okay," I went on, "subject change. What do I wear, dammit?"

"Well," Tara started, "I think..."

"We're home!" Mom cried from downstairs.

"... that we should ask your Mom and Dawn for their advice," Tara finished smoothly.

"Good idea," I said with a smirk, and pushed her out the door in front of me.

When we got downstairs, Mom and Dawn were waiting for us in the living room.

"We know something you don't know!" Dawn teased.

"Dawn," Mom scolded, "what did I tell you about teasing your sister?"

"Sorry, Mom," Dawn replied, chastened. "Ready?" Mom nodded.

"We know something you don't know!" they both teased, then laughed. Tara laughed with them.

I considered going back upstairs and locking myself in my room to get away from them, but that trick never works. Instead, I growled, "What do you know?"

That trick never works, either. "That's for us to know and you to find out," Dawn informed me with a grin.

I started to say something nasty, then noticed Mom's hands.

"Mom, why do you have paint on your hands?"

She folded her hands to cover the splotches. Red and black and pink were the colors I saw.

"No reason, dear," Mom said sweetly. Too sweetly.

I didn't believe her. "I don't believe you," I announced. "It's got something to do with where Xander's taking me, doesn't it?" Sherlock Holmes, look out!

"Maybe," Mom admitted. "I'm going to go wash my hands." I watched her walk towards the bathroom, then turned my attention to Dawn.

"Where's he taking me?" I demanded.

"You're still not on the need to know list," Dawn informed me smugly.

"What about me?" Tara asked.

"You, I can tell," Dawn said.

Tara walked over and bent down so Dawn could whisper in her ear. When she stood up, she had a silly grin on her face.

"That should be fun," she said.

"Tell me!" I screamed, stamping my foot.

"Let me think," Dawn said, and pretended to do so. "No," she announced.

I nodded and started walking towards her. "You brought this on yourself, Dawn. This homicide has 'justified' written all over it..."

"Eep!" she yelped, and ducked behind Tara. Tara held up her hands to stop me.

"Hold on, Buffy," she said calmly. "I'm sure Dawn would be more than happy to tell you what kind of clothes you should wear. Won't you, Dawn?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Sure!" Dawn agreed instantly, then paused. "Wait. What?"

"What do I wear?" I asked, giving up on killing her. For the moment, at least. "I don't know if I should go formal, with a dress, or casual, with jeans."

"Oh!" Dawn said, understanding blossoming on her face. "Casual. Definitely casual."

"Jeans, then," I mused to myself.

"Or leather," Mom said, as she came back into the room. "Your leather pants would not be amiss tonight, I think. And that's the only hint you'll get from me."

"Ooh, leather," Tara said. "That'd work. You definitely look hot in leather, Buffy."

"Leather it is, then," I decided. "Red or black?"

"Black," Dawn said. "Leather that isn't black is just wrong, if you ask me. Or brown," she amended, "that's okay, too. But only for jackets, not for pants."

"I think the black pants would be best," Mom agreed, and Tara nodded.

"Black it is!" I cried, happy to have nailed down a decision at last. My feeling of accomplishment quickly disappeared, though. "But what top do I wear?"

Mom sighed and shook her head. "You're hopeless. You do know that, right?"

"I know," I agreed meekly.

"As long as you know," she said, then turned to Tara and Dawn. "Take my hopeless daughter upstairs and figure out what she's going to wear, will you?"

So Tara and Dawn dragged me upstairs, and we set to looking through my clothes yet again.

"Red tank?"

"No."

"Purple tank?"

"Nope."

"Yellow tank?"

"Nah."

"You've got a lot of tank-tops, Buffy."

"Yep."

"But none of them seem to be doing it for you. Okay. You want something that shows off your boobs, right?"

"Dawn!"

"Well?"

"Yeah."

"How about one of those handkerchief things you like so much?"

"That'd be nice, yeah."

"Okay. What color?"

"Purple?"

"No."

"Blue?"

"Put it on the maybe pile."

"Paisley? Paisley?! You have a paisley handkerchief top?"

"It was on sale!"

"I should hope so."

"Don't you start, too!"

"Okay, let's all calm down here. That goes on the 'no' pile. Buried deep under everything else, so I don't have to look at it anymore."

"More searching, less commenting."

"Jawohl, mein Slayer. Red?"

"Maybe. Check the dresser, too, will you?"

"Sure thing."

"How about this one, Buffy?"

"Oh, I like that. We may have a winner."

"Wow, Buffy, how many thongs do you own?"

"Dawn! Get out of my underwear drawer!"

And so it went.

Well before we were finished, the doorbell rang. I looked at Dawn and Tara with what I'm sure must have been an expression of pure terror, then ran over to the dresser to unearth my clock from beneath one of the "no" piles. It was only six-forty.

"He's early!" I hissed. "What do I do?"

Tara shrugged, and Dawn said "Don't look at me."

"Buffy!" Mom called from downstairs. "Giles is here!"

"Oh, thank God," I muttered. I threw on a top I grabbed at random, and ran down the stairs.

"Giles!" I yelled. "You scared the crap out of me!"

He was sitting in the living room with Mom. When I came in, he got up out of his seat and said, "So very sorry, Buffy. Can you ever forgive me?"

The smile in his eyes told me he wasn't sorry at all, of course. I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, then closed it when I noticed what he was wearing. Ragged jeans and a white t-shirt. And his hands had paint on them. Red and black and pink.

"Okay," I demanded, "what the hell is going on here? You and Mom both come in covered in paint, and you're dressed up like you just took another hit of that God- awful band candy. What gives?"

Mom and Giles both had the decency to blush when I mentioned the candy, and I gave myself a point on my mental scoreboard. Giles recovered quickly, though, and looked at me calmly as he said, "I was helping with the preparations, and I thought something other than tweed was appropriate, given the circumstances."

"What circumstances?" I demanded eagerly.

"That, I believe, is for us to know and you to find out," he answered with the closest thing to a smirk I've ever seen on his face.

I turned to glare at Mom. "You told him to say that, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Buffy," Mom said calmly, then paused. "Oh, wait, I do know what you're talking about. Yes, I told him to say that." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Gah!" I yelled. "Is the whole world out to get me?!"

"Pretty much, yeah," Willow said.

I whirled to face the front door as she closed it behind her.

"Hope you don't mind that I didn't knock," she said to Mom. "I figured a vaguely dramatic entrance was called for."

"It certainly was," Mom agreed. "Welcome back. I assume everything is going according to plan?"

"What plan?!" I screamed. "Tell me!"

Willow looked at me and smiled. "Nope. Not gonna tell.

I opened my mouth to yell again, then closed it and thought. The way I saw it, I had two choices. I could kill them, or I could give in. I weighed my options carefully. Reluctantly, I conceded that if I killed them, I'd probably never get to go out with Xander. I mean, yes, I could have hidden the bodies by the time he showed up, but it really would have put a damper on the evening.

"Fine," I announced sulkily. "Don't tell me." I might have had to give in, but I'd be damned if I'd do it gracefully!

"I'm going to go upstairs and finish getting ready," I said. "Why don't you guys talk amongst yourselves about all the stuff I'm not allowed to know?" I suggested scornfully.

I guess a heaping helping of scorn doesn't go as far as it used to. "Now there's a good idea," Willow said brightly. "Shoo, now! We have dately matters to discuss."

I sighed and started trudging up the stairs. Giles' voice stopped me.

"Buffy," he called, "if you've time, could you see if my cestus got mixed up with your weapons somehow? I was going to wear it on my patrol tonight."

"Sure thing," I told him, and kept walking. Then I stopped and thought about the fact that I was going upstairs to get dressed for a date, but first I had to find a spiked gauntlet so my Watcher could use it to kick some undead ass.

"I need a life," I muttered to myself darkly, then brightened. I was going to be going out with Xander in just a few minutes. "I'm going to have a life," I announced as I walked back into my room.

"And it's about time," Dawn finished for me with a grin. I gave her a mock glare as she went on. "We voted while you were gone, and this is the one." She handed me a white top.

"Ya think?" I asked, then nodded. "Yeah. I like it. Simple."

"Exactly," Tara said. "And you look good in it, too."

"I do, don't I?" I asked with a grin.

"Geez," Dawn said. "One date with Xander, and her ego's already out of control." She smiled. "Yeah, Buffy, you look good in it. Get changed."

"Right," I agreed. "Oh, Tara, Willow's back, if you want to head downstairs. I think Dawn and I can handle it from here. And thanks."

"You're welcome," she said, and gave me a smile as she headed out the door.

"Just you and me, kiddo," I told Dawn as I changed into the top. "Okay, makeup's next."

The makeup didn't take long, since I didn't want to overdo it. And to be honest, I'd been thinking about it all day, so I knew what I wanted to do. Just as I was putting on the finishing touches, the doorbell rang again.

"That's him!" Dawn and I squealed simultaneously.

"Oh, God! What do I do?" I asked.

"You finish getting ready," Dawn told me. "I'll head downstairs and tell everyone you'll be right down."

"Right," I said. "Wait!" I called, as Dawn started out the door. I ran over to my weapons bag and rummaged through it. After a second, I pulled out the cestus and tossed it to her. "Give that to Giles, will you? Don't ask."

"I won't," she replied, holding the weapon gingerly, then left.

I smiled after her, then turned back to my makeup. It only took me a minute to finish up and pull on my shoes. I left my room and headed for the stairs, but hesitated at the top.

"Okay," I whispered to myself. "Showtime."

I walked down the stairs carefully, watching my feet to make sure I didn't fall. And because I was afraid to see everyone's reaction to how I looked. When I got to the bottom, I looked up.

Straight into Xander's eyes. His wide, staring eyes. There was no expression on his face.

*Oh, God!* I thought. *I must look horrible!* I looked over to Mom to get her reaction. She was smiling widely, and she gave me a thumbs up.

*She thinks I look good,* I told myself. *Then why is Xander staring like that?*

*Maybe,* I answered, *and this is just an idea, but maybe you look really good.*

I liked that idea. I liked it a lot. It gave me the courage to look into Xander's eyes again. This time, he smiled at me. It was quick and unsure, but I knew that was only because he was nervous.

*Yeah,* I thought, *to him, at least, you look really good.*

I smiled back at him, and finally looked him up and down. And suddenly, I was very, very glad that I looked really good. Because he looked amazing.

He was wearing faded jeans that fit him like a second skin, and a tight, white t-shirt. On his feet were heavy black boots that looked great on him. And to top it all off was the jacket. Leather, so black it seemed to absorb all the light in the room.

He looked good. No, not good. He looked hot.

I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was gaping at him just like he'd gaped at me a minute earlier. I didn't care, though, because he looked that good, and I wanted him to know it. After a minute, I got my face under control and smiled at him.

"Shall we go?" I asked, holding out my hand.

His smile widened. He didn't say anything, just reached out and took my hand in his. We turned towards the front door.

"Have fun, you two." Mom's voice cut into the stupor I'd been in since I first saw Xander, and I blushed. I'd completely forgotten about everyone else being in the room.

Xander had, too. I could tell by the look on his face. "We will," he answered, turning to face the others. He didn't let go of my hand. I liked that.

I half-turned, as well, and saw everyone smiling at us. I smiled back.

"Thank you all," I said. It didn't seem like enough, but they all understood.

"You're welcome," Mom answered for all of them, then shooed us towards the door.

Xander turned and tugged on my hand. He opened the door and led me out to his car. He opened the door for me and carefully guided me in, then shut the door and walked slowly around to the driver's side.

After he got in, he stared at the steering wheel for a second, then turned the key in the ignition and pulled out into the street.

We drove for a block or two. Neither of us said anything until Xander half-turned to look at me and said, "Just for the record, I'm nervous as hell."

I laughed. "Oh, thank God! I thought I was the only one."

And just like that, I wasn't nervous anymore. Xander wasn't either, I could tell. We laughed and talked for the rest of the drive. I had a wonderful time. Even if that drive had been the entire date, I would have been happy.

It wasn't the entire date, of course. Eventually, Xander pulled into a parking lot. "We're here," he announced.

I hadn't been watching where we were going. I'd focused all my attention on Xander. Now I looked around to see what magical, romantic place he had chosen for our first date.

There was a blinking neon sign in one corner of the parking lot.

Bernie and Bob's Bowl-O-Rama.