Danny was perfectly on time picking me up. Like on the dot. It was a good thing I was ready, otherwise I would've felt terrible making him wait.

When I come outside, he's already out of the car, waiting by the passenger side with the door open.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he says as I meet his stance. He looks handsome, if I do say so myself. He must've just gotten a hair cut because his blonde locks look shorter. He also smells nice, like he just came out of the shower.

"Thank you! You look very handsome," I voice my thought out loud.

I slide into the passenger seat as Danny makes his way around to the driver's side. Once he's sitting, he straps his seatbelt on and then angles his body so that he's looking at me.

"What?" I smile.

"Nothing," he shakes his head and smiles back. He drives out of the driveway and we make our way to the restaurant. "So, tell me more about Remi. What's she like?"

"I still can't believe you guys don't know each other."

"In my defense, our schools were on the opposite sides of town."

"True," I say as I look ahead. "Remi's great. She's been my best friend since we were little. We're polar opposites, though. She's loud and fun, and I'm more...in the background, if that makes sense."

"It does. Even though I don't get why. Someone like you was born to be front and center. Then again, I would've spotted you out regardless."

I grin at his kind words and continue talking about Remi. I tell Danny how we met. We were the only two girls at camp who were allergic to peanuts, so come lunchtime, we had to sit separately from everyone else, which forced us to speak.

After that, I tell Danny about the time that Remi stuck up for me at a restaurant when the waitress was giving me attitude for sending back an uncooked burger.

And as I'm in the middle of telling him about how we've managed to stay close all these years despite living in different states, we're pulling up to the valet. Before I can even think about getting the door, Danny's on my side opening it for me.

"Good evening," the parking attendant greets us.

"Hi," I smile and say as Danny wraps his hand around my back and walks us in.

The hostess leads us into a back room, which is beautifully set up. Remi mentioned that she was coming early to decorate the place, and when I asked her if I could help, she turned me down. She said that she wanted it to be a surprise for everyone - including me.

"Ah, you're here!" Remi claps her hands together and jumps up from her seat the second that Danny and I walk into the room. I don't have time to immediately scope out who's here because she's running towards me, but the second that I pull away from her embrace, I look around.

And there he is. Nico. Sitting at the table. Next to Cara.

I quickly look away, but I had stared long enough to make out how he looks.

Damn gorgeous. That's how he looks. That's always how he looks.

"Come sit!" Remi waves us over towards the table. Lucky me, the only two seats left are the ones across from Nico and Cara.

I feel Nico's intense gaze on me as we make our way towards everyone. It's so strong that I think Danny feels it, too. But it doesn't stop him from pulling my chair out and being the gentleman that he is.

"Good?" he asks me once I sit.

"Great. Thanks," I say, scooting in my chair. He pulls the chair that's next to me out and takes a seat.

The next couple of seconds are quiet. Awkward. I see Cara glance around the room, knowing that this is an uncomfortable situation, but Nico's still looking at me.

"New clothes, BC?" Nico has the nerve to ask.

"Yes," is all I say back to him. I turn to look at Danny and smile, hoping that my expression will make him feel more comfortable.

"What kind of cocktail are you drinking?" Danny asks me.

"Um," I think about it, even though I'm not much of a drinker.

"She doesn't drink," Nico interrupts, and I give him a look.

"Actually," I look away from him and back to Danny, "a margarita sounds delicious."

"Like you even own a fake ID, BC," Nico taunts.

"Why don't you leave me alone and focus on your date?"

I don't mean to make Cara feel uncomfortable because the poor girl didn't do anything. But I mean it. Why is he worried about me when I'm here with someone else? When he's here with someone else...

"Everything okay down there, you two?" Remi peers her head our way and asks.

"Fine!" I say at cheerfully as possible.

"Babe, I'll be right back," I hear Cara whisper to Nico. Right before she stands up, she kisses him on the lips. I try to peel my eyes away, but I can't help from staring. I want to know what it feels like to be the one kissing Nico.

When Nico pulls away from Cara, he glances my way, almost giving me a look like he's apologizing for kissing her in front of me. It takes everything in me to try and hide the sadness in my eyes.

I allow myself thirty seconds to feel like crap, and then I push those emotions to the side. I'm here with Danny - a guy who's been nothing but upfront about the way that he feels about me. I want to show him that I appreciate him being here. That's why I turn to him, hold his cheek in my hand, and pull him in for a kiss.