It's been two weeks since I braved embarrassment to get the number that was currently happily residing in my contacts. It'd been two weeks since I met the beautiful girl that I am taking out tonight.

Just those thoughts were enough to make Blaire's belly fill with nervous butterflies as she looked into the mirror. She still had two hours before she had to meet Kate at her apartment and yet she was still standing in a towel, skin still sparkling with water from her shower. This was her first date in such a long time and she was afraid she was going to ruin it and look awful, or something just as mortifying. Frowning at her reflection, Blaire placed a hand on her stomach and made a pitiful noise.

"Maybe I shouldn't do this."

Her roommate, Jenn, poked her head up from across the room where she was sitting with a textbook across her knees. "Wait, shouldn't do what?"

"Go on this date. Get my hopes up," Blaire said, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyebrows pulled together as she took in the sight of her hair and reached up with a hand to pet at the tangled curls.

"Are you crazy?" Jenn blurted, slamming her book closed—ignoring Blaire's half-hearted "You have studying to do"—as she hopped off the bed and hurried over. "You are going on this date, even if I have to drag you there, you hear me?"

Blaire rolled her eyes, her bottom lip sticking out in a pout. When she saw that her roommate was far from joking, she dropped the look. "Jenn...didn't you see her? She's all tall and thin and all model, while I'm all—" Blaire held out her arms before she gave up and let them bump against her side, slumping her shoulders, "me."

"Shut up," Jenn scolded, placing her hands on Blaire's bare shoulders, having her straighten her back. "Don't slump your shoulders, it's not lady-like."

Blaire glared into the mirror but rolled her shoulders back anyway. She didn't feel anymore confident than before.

"You got this," Jenn said, squeezing Blaire's shoulders and raising her eyebrows, just waiting for Blaire to fight back. When she didn't, Jenn let a satisfied smile pass over her lips. "You're beautiful and fantastic and she'll be crazy not to want a second date with you."

"But she's just so...ugh." Blaire sighed and dropped her gaze from her reflection.

Jenn reached up and placed three of her fingers beneath Blaire's chin, lifting her chin till she was looking into the mirror again. "You are beautiful. Now go get dressed and don't open your mouth once because you'll do nothing but just psych yourself out." Jenn finally released Blaire's shoulders and took a step back. "Go on!" she urged before smacking Blaire's butt, making her jump with a squeak and laugh.

Blaire took one last look into the mirror before she listened to Jenn, not wanting to get smacked again. Earlier on, she had laid out an outfit on her bed, having taken almost two hours just to pick out the perfect thing to wear, and there it sat, just waiting. Blaire forced a smile onto her face, taking deep breaths as she made herself calm down. She wasn't going to be nervous; she was going to rock this date. And she continued to tell herself that as she gathered up her clothes.

Blaire had tried to go simple; their date wasn't anything extravagant. So all she had picked was a pair of her favorite jeans and a cream colored sweater that felt soft against her skin and helped calm her down just a bit more.

And she ended right back in front of the mirror.

Jenn was standing there, waiting with her arms crossed and a disapproving look creasing her lips. "Blaire."

Glancing over innocently, Blaire just gave her a small smile. "Sorry. Just let me get my bow in and I'll leave it alone." Jenn nodded approvingly, walking backwards towards her bed keeping an eyebrow high.

Blaire laughed and shook her head at her ridiculous friend before turning back to the mirror to run her fingers carefully through her curls. Tying a bow that matched her sweater into her hair, she was done, finally getting out from in front of the thing that kept causing the butterflies to flutter back to life.

"How do I look?" Blaire asked, wiggling her hips as Jenn looked up.

"You look great. This date is going to go perfect, I can just tell." Jenn was beaming a proud parent smile as Blaire ducked her head and waved her hand towards her.

She rolled her shoulders back and tilted her head. "Thank you, Jenn."

"Anytime, doll," was Jenn's reply as she flipped her text book back open.

"Now, if Nicki comes over, keep it PG," Blaire said, trying to keep her voice stern as she tugged on her shoes.

Jenn tipped her head back before swiping her blonde bangs from her eyes. She winked at Blaire, smirking. "No promises."

~~

By the time Blaire had stepped up to Kate's door, nervousness was buzzing through her limbs, a dull feeling causing the dormant butterflies to come back to life. Taking a deep breath, she shifted the book bag she had slung over her shoulder and closed her eyes as she waited for the apartment door to open, calming herself down.

Blaire Anderson was the embodiment of confidence; she had this in the bag.

Not that she had time to dwell on her thoughts for very long before the door was swinging open to reveal a dark haired girl. Her small eyes automatically narrowed, scrutinizing Blaire as she stood awkwardly out in the hallway. The girl was only a few inches shorter than Blaire and with enough effort they could almost look like siblings, though this girl was far more intimidating as she continued to study her.

Suddenly a big smile burst over the girl's face, startling Blaire. "Hi! You must be Blaire!"

Blaire nodded hesitantly, a shaky smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Uh, yes, and you are?"

"I'm Rachel, Kate's roommate! Come on in, Kate's almost ready!" Rachel finally stepped back from the door and gave Blaire enough room to walk into the big, open apartment. She let her eyes wander, seeing how neat they kept the place compared to how Jenn and Blaire kept theirs. "Your apartment's nice," Blaire said, trying to make a conversation with the girl who had walked into the kitchen that connected with the large room Blaire was standing in.

"Thanks! It's not much, but we try," Rachel said, giddy and happy as she opened the fridge door and began to dig inside.

"Blaire?"

Blaire's eyebrows perked up and she glanced behind her shoulder. Kate stood by a long black curtain that Blaire guessed they were using as makeshift walls to separate their rooms, smiling. Her long brown hair was in a perfect braid that hung over her shoulder as she tied it off. "Hi," Blaire breathed, her eyes automatically running over the girl's outfit, her gaze catching on the jeans she was wearing. They were a dark blue and literally seemed painted on, just accentuating her long legs and oh god, her thighs—Blaire quickly averted her gaze and fought back the blush that began to creep over her cheeks.

"Is there something wrong with my outfit?" Kate asked suddenly, her eyes growing wide as she patted the blue cardigan that she was wearing over a white t-shirt. Her face was full of worry when Blaire met her eyes.

"Oh no, god no," Blaire quickly said.

"More like your outfit is justtoogood," came Rachel's voice as she passed by them with a wink to duck behind a separate curtain, most likely leading to her room.

Kate rolled her eyes and flipped her braid behind her shoulder. "Just ignore, Rachel."

Blaire nodded, her face still glowing pink.

Kate bit her bottom lip and seemed to think for a moment before she held up a finger. "Wait a second, I have to get my bag, I almost forgot!" She quickly ducked back behind her curtain before reemerging with a brown book bag clutched in her hand. She slid it onto her back and smiled at Blaire. "Okay, I'm ready to go now."

"Great," Blaire said with a smile before taking a step backwards towards the door to pull it open and hold it for Kate.

"I'll be back later, Rach!" Kate called out, getting a quick answer before she bounced over to Blaire and out the door.

Blaire quickly followed after her till they were walking down the hall side-by-side. "So we're going to my friend's apartment building, if that's okay with you?"

Confusion was plain on Kate's face. "Why? Wait, what's wrong with your building?"

"The roof is cluttered with stuff and the date won't turn out half as nice if we have to sit on these big metal box things."

Kate nodded, parting her lips in an 'O'. "Then that's perfectly fine." As they stepped out of her building and into the cool night air, Blaire looked over at Kate with a shy smile. Reaching out, she slid her hand into Kate's, biting her lip.

"Is this okay?" Blaire asked quietly.

Kate glanced over, suppressing a large smile and nodded. "It's perfect."

~~

The walk to the apartment was quiet, the two girls just enjoying each other's company as they walked down the sidewalk hand in hand. There was no need for words; just the feel of skin against soft skin and the breeze caressing their cheeks was enough.

When they got to the apartment building, Blaire led Kate into the unfamiliar lobby and to the elevators. They rode up 8 floors in the continued silence between them, smiling and stealing looks at each other, young and nervous. The doors slid open and Blaire pulled Kate behind her, leading her to the door that opened up on the stairs that went to the roof opening. Blaire fished out a pair of keys and unlocked the door, stepping back to let Kate go first. "Be careful," Blaire murmured, "The ledge has tripped me up multiple times."

"You've been up here before?" Kate asked as she walked up to the stairs and pushed out onto the roof, looking over her shoulder as Blaire followed after her.

"Yeah, my friends and I come up here to just hang out and forget about stuff. It's a really nice place just to get away. Some nights it's just...very calming." Blaire motioned with a tilt of her head to the other side of the roof. "Follow me."

They walked till they found the area Blaire had been looking for, where a blanket was already laid out and white bags with flickering candles lit up the dark surface. Kate couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips as she took in the display. "This is wonderful."

"Thanks," Blaire giggled, leading Kate to the blanket. "My friends helped out a bit too."

"Let them know they did a good job."

Blaire was beaming as she set her bag by her feet, lowering herself down, careful of the candles. Kate plopped down onto her butt, pulling her bag from her back and cradling it in her lap. "I brought food like I promised. I may have thrown in a few juice boxes because I didn't know what you were going to get," she explained as she began to unzip her bag.

Blaire reached into her bag. "I brought a couple things. Some bottles of water, and um..." Kate looked up as Blaire drifted off, her blue eyes landing on the bottle that Blaire was holding. "Some wine?"

"And you got that how?" she blurted out.

Blaire smirked. "I've got my ways." Then she winked.

Kate blushed. "Wine...Wine sounds great."

"Wine it is then," Blaire said, setting the bottle down before getting out two plastic cups she had brought. After pouring them both some wine, she put the bottle back into her bag and pushed it to the side before crossing her legs and shifting to face Kate.

"Okay, ham and cheese sandwiches," Kate said as she set a container of small finger sandwiches on the blanket. "I also brought some cheese and crackers. I know it's not much, but I didn't really think we'd spend most of the time eating." She opened the containers and reached into the cheese to grab a piece and pop it into her mouth. Taking a sip of the wine, Kate sighed, licking her lips. "Rachel buys wine, but it's always so bitter. This is just perfect."

"I'm glad you like it, it's my favorite." The food sat between them untouched for a couple minutes before Blaire shrugged and broke the silence. "Well, let's eat then."

They ate and talked, mostly about the shenanigans of theirs friends, with constant stops to smile and blush and sip at wine. They were so comfortable together, even after having only talked for about two weeks, acting as if they were best friends already.

The breeze began to get colder as the night went on, tickling over the back of Blaire's neck and causing a shiver to run along her spine. Kate caught sight of her and gave her a look. "Are you cold?"

Blaire shrugged her shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip gently. "Nah, I'm fine. I just should have remembered an extra blanket."

"Come here," Kate smiled, scooting towards Blaire and motioning for her to come closer. Blaire watched her for a moment, and then crawled over to sit close to her side. Kate shifted and pressed their sides together, humming to herself. "Body heat is a wonderful thing." Kate pressed their shoulders together and they began to giggle together as she reached for a small sandwich. Kate offered a bite to Blaire, becoming bolder and more comfortable. Blaire leaned in and took a small bite, her eyes on Kate's face the entire time.

Kate giggled and ducked her head. After taking her own bite, she offered it to Blaire again who happily obliged. It should have felt ridiculous to be fed by Kate, but Blaire loved it, the reaction she was getting was far too adorable for her to want to stop. As Kate held out the rest of the sandwich, Blaire carefully ate it, being careful of Kate's fingers. Her lips brushed fingertips and Kate seemed surprised, her lips parting slightly as she took in a sharp breath.

Blaire felt her cheeks grow warm for the tenth time that night, both of them hurrying for their drinks, laughs bubbling out in bursts as they did so. "I think I'm not hungry anymore," Blaire said after setting her cup down.

"Me too," Kate echoed, taking another gulp of wine before putting her own cup down.

Blaire laughed. "You have a little something..." She reached out and swiped her thumb over the corner of Kate's pink lips. "Sorry, just—some wine." Sucking the wine off her thumb, Blaire hummed to herself before looking up startled at Kate as she heard a choking sound. "Are you okay?"

Kate cleared her throat, her cheeks bright. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh...okay..." Blaire gave her a quizzical look before getting up on her knees. "I guess we should clean up now." Having composed themselves, they closed the containers and stored them back into the bag, pushing it away.

Kate leaned back and propped herself up on her elbows, stretching her legs out with a sigh. "The stars are really pretty from up here."

"I know right," Blaire said, excitement clear in her voice. She lay back on the blanket and looked up at the sky. "It's basically my favorite reason to come up here."

"I wish my roof had this good of a view." Kate followed Blaire's example and lay back too. After a moment of silence, both of them just staring up into the night sky, Kate turned her head and looked over at Blaire. "I'm not going to say I've been stalking you or anything, but I don't think you go to my school."

Blaire's eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head to meet Kate's gaze. "What?"

"You said that you saw me around campus, but I haven't seen you around."

"Huh," Blaire was confused as she looked down at the blanket for a moment. "Well, I go to the private college on the outside of the city?"

Kate breathed in and nodded with a satisfied 'Oh'. "I know now. I was working with a teacher there."

"Really? Wait, what were you doing?"

"I was helping the drama professor make costumes for the play. I'm studying fashion and I jumped at the chance to help."

Blaire grinned, "You helped make those costumes? They were absolutely stunning!"

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head, but smiled anyway. "It wasn't much really. Were you in it?"

"In what? The play?" Blaire shook her head and looked back up at the stars. "I wanted to, but I decided last minute not to because I had too much work."

Kate nodded and turned her head to watch the blinking light of a plane cross the dark sky.

Blaire glanced over, watching Kate. The flickering lights from the candles cast a pretty glow across her pale skin, giving her an ethereal look. She was so beautiful.

"It's too quiet," Kate said suddenly, "Say something. Talk."

Blaire laughed. "Okay."

They filled the rest of the night with their voices and laughter, asking questions, telling stories. By the time that the night had grown extremely late Blaire had heard about Kate's high school glee club, and her father and the step-brother she acquired because of him; and in turn, Kate heard about the a cappella groups Blaire had been apart of in high school and college, and her ridiculous group of friends who were always worrying about her love life, and that she was studying music because her dream was to be a music teacher.

It was when Blaire looked over and caught Kate dozing off that she decided that maybe it was time to leave. They reluctantly got up and gathered up the blanket and blew out the candles before grabbing their bags. Blaire left the blanket with a lady at the desk in the lobby as they left the building.

The walk back to Kate's apartment was just as quiet as the one earlier, this time due to the exhaustion that was settling over the two girls. They were holding hands again, Blaire smiling to herself because she just loved holding Kate's soft hand in hers.

Suddenly, what seemed like far too soon, they were standing outside of Kate's apartment. "I had a really nice night, Blaire," Kate said with a smile before she was covering a yawn with her hand. "Thank you."

"Of course," Blaire murmured, grinning happily. They stood there, hands hanging at their sides.

Kate glanced at the small watch on her wrist. "I-I should get going."

"Yes, yes, of course."

"Thank you again, Blaire." Then Kate was leaning in and Blaire froze. Kate was hesitant, her eyes flickering to Blaire's lips as she continued to move in. Blaire began to lean in too after a breath, before they both stalled. Kate's nose bumped Blaire's as she smiled and giggled shyly. Blaire was having trouble concentrating as she felt Kate's breath brush over her slightly parted lips.

But suddenly she felt the press of lips against her cheek and looked up, slightly shocked, at Kate. She was blushing, her hand on the door handle. "Goodnight, Blaire."

"Goodnight," Blaire stumbled out, dazed as Kate hurried into her building.

Turning to go home, Blaire reached up and passed her fingertips over her lips, still feeling the ghost of Kate's breath.

It may have just been one date and an almost kiss, but Blaire Anderson was already so utterly hooked.