Mia asked Fred to make a quick stop at the nearest supermarket to get some edibles and drinks for later throwing in her favorite chocolate, two recyclable cups, and a butter knife.

"What is all that?" Fred asked when she shut the car door and he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Just a light dinner." She said with a smile.

"You didn't have to. We could have gone somewhere to eat."

"No way." She said "This over fast food? This will always win."

"What's in the bag?" He asked with a smile on his face.

"A surprise." She said as she glanced at him while he drove.

"You're going to have to tell me where we're going," Fred said a moment later

"Nopes, but you will soon find out." She smiled at his impatience keeping her eyes on the road as they were almost there. "Slow down."

Fred glanced at her and did as she asked waiting for further instructions.

"You can pull up over there." She said pointing to the side of the quiet road.

It was all stores and they were all closed for the night; no one in sight.

Fred pulled up and turned the engine off then turned to look at her. Mia smiled at him.

"Let's go." She said as she grabbed her bag and the groceries.

Fred joined her and took the bag from her taking note of his surrounding, he shook his head and a laugh escaped him.

"I should have guessed."

Mia looked at him as she searched her bag for the key.
"Am I that predictable?"

"Well, from the little I know about you, not really."

"Not really?" She asked with a frown as she slid the key into the keyhole and turned the lock. "You need to come up with a better explanation than that."

Fred followed behind as she stepped into the building and shut the door behind them. Even in the dark, Mia knew her way around the building. She went to the wall near the counter and turned on the switch lighting the whole place up like a Christmas tree.

Mia turned to Fred to find him watching her with a smile which she returned back.

"I'm just going to text Harry and tell him we're here just in case one of his nosy neighbors tell him about the lights," Mia said as she joined Fred in front of the counter. "And..." She said as she typed the last word then sent it "Done." She looked up at him "Let's go."

Mia and Fred walked up the stairs of the library.

"I didn't know it was this big." Fred said as they made their way to the second floor

"Yea, that's why I love it." She said, "Most people barely make it to the second floor because they find what they're looking for in the first and the ground floors."

They reached the top of the stairs and Mia made a beeline to the floor to ceiling window at the back. She stood in the middle and looked out the window with a smile, sighing in contentment. Fred came to a stop behind her and took in the view before them.

"Wow." He said. There was a sort of carnival setting going on far away but close enough to see the crowd and the amazing lights and display of fireworks.

"This is my safe place." Mia said, "I come here when I have to get away from everything out there."

"It's beautiful."

She smiled and nodded.

"Come sit." Mia turned around to find Fred had already pulled up two chairs and a table.

She smiled and joined him, ignoring the other seat and plopping up next to him on the table with a direct view of the fireworks. She took out the groceries from the bag and set them on the table, the little space between her and Fred.

Fred watched her as she took out the bread, cheese, peanut butter, and a bottle of white wine.
"Wow. Very well-planned Miss Allen."

"Why, thank you." She said as she opened the packet of bread "Cheese or peanut butter?"

"Both."

Mia looked up at him with her hand on her chest.
"A man after my own heart."

Fred smiled at the gesture as he opened the wine and poured it into the cups. Mia handed him his cheese and peanut butter sandwich as she got started on her own.

"So, tell me something about you." Mia said

"Hmm, something." Fred thought "Ok. I have an amazing family; my folks are still together and still madly in love it's almost disgusting." Mia chuckled and he smiled "I have an older sister who's happily married and a niece - Alex. She is the cutest baby ever, I miss her."

"So, you're a family man." Mia said

"I am." He said, "Family is very important to me."

"You should get started on yours then." She said, "Why aren't you in a relationship?"

Fred froze for a second.
"What makes you think I'm not?"

Mia stared at him for a moment, surprised.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I just thought you here with..."

Fred laughed.
"Hey, relax." He said, "I'm not in a relationship."

Mia sighed.
"You...ass." She said as she swatted his arm which he grabbed before she could pull back.

Time froze as he held her gaze and her wrist. His fingers pressing into her wrist as she tried to wiggle it out of his hand.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend?" She asked, in a low voice, almost inaudible

Fred was caught off guard again. He let go of her hand slowly and cleared his throat.
"Bad experience."

"Old or new?" She asked

"Not new...but not old either." He said

"Still fresh in your memory then." She said as she looked out the window in front of them.

He nodded and looked at her.
"What about you?"

"Me?" She asked before shaking her head "Not much to tell really."

"Then tell me all there is to tell."

She looked at him with a smile
"Persistent little thing, aren't you?"

"Oh, I'm a lot of things Mia but little isn't one of them."

Mia froze again.
Was he flirting with her?

"Go on," Fred said

"Well, I've tried the dating thing but I haven't met the one guy that makes me feel...things." She said "No excitement or butterflies like when I'm with..." She stopped; her breath caught in a gasp.

Fred watched her.
"So there is someone then?"

Mia closed her mouth and slowly looked at him.

You.
She wanted to complete and answer at the same time.

You make me feel those things.

Fred's piercing gaze made her squirm before she snapped her gaze away from him.

"We should get going." Mia said

Fred clenched his jaw, eyes still fixated on her as she packed everything up.

The drive to her place was quiet, the tension in the car was palpable and both of them didn't want to say a word. Mia, mostly because of the revelation to herself and Fred because of the unknown guy that made Mia feel the way she wanted to feel around a guy.

He had a death grip on the steering wheel as he tried to focus on the road ahead. They were both in their own separate worlds, so close but yet so far.

Moments later, Fred pulled up in front of her apartment and waited. Neither of them moving an inch.

"Thank you for tonight." Mia finally got out of her trembling lips
Why was she nervous all of a sudden.

"No thank you." Fred said, "I had...fun."
He hadn't had fun in a long time. Not since...
He sighed and turned to her the same time she did.

She smiled at him.
"Bye."

Fred took a moment to drink her in.
"Bye Mia."

Mia opened the car door and stepped out as fast as she could before she did something like lean in and kiss him. She jogged up the stairs as she took out her keys. Unlocking the door, she looked back to find him watching her from the car. She waved a final goodbye before she stepped inside and shut the door, leaning into it, she exhaled.

Oh, she was in trouble.

******************************************************
Hey guys,

So I published this chapter twice today but it didn't publish even though it showed that it had been published.

This has been occurring frequently that's why I decided to take down the previous one and restart afresh since we're not so far into the story.

I apologize but it's better this way so we won't have issues later on.

Enjoy,
Jane Lanett. ♥️