**Jace's POV**

Cell phone ring tone

"Hey Courtney, what's up?"

"Jace, I have news on Lainie."

"Is this good or bad news?" I ask nervously.

"I'll let you decide. So, Lainie told me about her date with Brandon. She said it was good, but when he kissed her good night, she said all she thought about was you."

"That's good, right?"

"I'm not done, Jace. She told me about your oral "lesson". By the way, it is SO weird that you call it that."

"Whatever, Court, what'd she tell you?" I prod impatiently.

"She said she enjoyed it and she never really enjoyed it before."

"Hot damn, that's great news!"

"Settle down, big fella. I asked her point blank if she has feelings for you. She said she doesn't know."

"Oh s**t."

"Jace, I believe 100% that Lainie has feelings for you, but she's confused, and I'm guessing a little scared. She doesn't want to lose you as a friend. You can't push her into this. She's gonna have to figure this out on her own."

"I was afraid of that. Thanks for everything, Court. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Jace. I'll keep doing what I can on my end to help her sort through her feelings. Bye."

*********

**Lainie's POV**

After my freak out with Brandon and my awkward conversation with my sister about Jace, I tried to distance myself from everyone for the next week in an effort to figure out what's going on with me. Jace and I haven't had anymore "lessons"; anytime I talk to my sister, I avoid any topics related to Jace or Brandon; and Brandon, I just keep telling him I'm busy.

Now it's Saturday, the day of the VGAA brunch that Jace and I are going to. I had to wake up extra early because the stylist and her crew were coming over to help me get ready. It was much less stressful than I had anticipated. I basically sat in a chair with my eyes closed while someone did my hair, another person did my make-up, yet another did my nails and the stylist had a rack full of dresses and shoes for me to try on. When all was said and done I looked pretty good. Although it's not something I would pick myself, the stylist chose a short, pale pink dress, with beading along the top. Jace probably won't even recognize me.

At 10am, a white limo arrived to pick me up. I waited in the limo for Jace and when the door swung open and he stepped inside, he looked like he had walked out of GQ magazine. He was wearing khakis, a blue stripe button down shirt and a blue blazer that fit him like a glove. His dirty blond hair was styled back away from his face and it looked like he hadn't shaved all week, but his facial hair was perfectly trimmed to accentuate his square jaw. It occured to me that in all our years of being friends we had never really seen each other dressed up, at least not like this.

Jace's eyes met mine and then traveled down, taking in all of me. His eyes met mine again and he smiled. I felt a flutter of butterflies in my stomach in that moment.

"Lainie, you look beautiful." Jace continued to stare at me, not breaking eye contact.

I released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding. "Thanks, Jace. You look pretty amazing too." My voice barely above a whisper.

"Jack and the board sent a stylist over for me too. I don't think they trusted me to dress appropriately for this thing." He chuckled.

We arrived at the venue for the brunch with a few minutes to spare. Jace stepped out of the limo, then extended his hand to help me out as well. He then linked my arm in his. "I know you and heels don't mix well, wouldn't want you to trip and fall."

The remainder of the brunch was uneventful. The host provided a brief history of the VGAAs and then the nominees were announced in each of the categories. Juice, coffee and champagne were available on each table and we dined on eggs benedict, fruit and pastries.

In an effort to calm my nerves, I may have drank a little too much champagne, but Jace was kind enough to make sure I got back to the limo without making a fool of myself.

**Jace's POV**

If I had been at this brunch with anyone else, I would have been bored out of my mind, but there's never a dull moment with Lainie around. She seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but after she had a glass or two of champagne, she was my fun-loving best friend. My beautiful, smart, incredible best friend, who I can't seem to get out of my mind.

As the brunch came to an end, it became quite obvious that Lainie had a little too much champagne, so I placed one arm around her waist and held her hand in mine to keep her steady and guided her back to the limo.

During our ride home in the limo, the champagne had started to make her sleepy so she rested her head on my shoulder while mumbling incoherently for the majority of the ride. Well, mostly incoherently. The few things I could make out included:

"...Brandon's not you..."
"...perfect for me..."
"...best friend..."

Oh how I wish she was sober right now.

I asked the driver to drop us off at Lainie's first so I could help her inside. And considering she was half asleep, I basically had to carry her in. Once inside, I laid her on her bed, took her shoes off and covered her with a blanket. As a precaution, I decided to stick around to make sure she didn't get sick. I just made myself comfortable on the couch and played video games while she slept it off.

**Lainie's POV**

I woke up in bed, still wearing the dress I wore to the brunch with a slight headache. I walked out of my bedroom to find Jace on my couch.

"Jace, what are you doing here?"

"You were pretty out of it when we got back. I just wanted to stay and make sure you were ok."

"Wow, that champagne went straight to my head. Did I make a total fool of myself?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

"Not at all actually. I think I was the only one that even noticed." He said chuckling.

"Thank you for making sure I got back ok. You're the best Jace." I reach over and pull him into a hug.

With my arms around his neck, the scent of his cologne draws me in. I've never noticed it before, it's intoxicating. It's in this moment that I realize what I've been denying all along. Jace is perfect for me. In every possible way. He's smart, funny, sexy, compassionate and I'm a fool for not seeing it sooner.

I pull away from him and it dawns on me that he probably doesn't feel the same way. If I tell him, it will ruin our friendship. That's the last thing I want.

I stand from the couch, averting my eyes from him. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Yeah, um, now that I know you're ok, I'm gonna catch a cab home. I'll see ya on Monday, Lainie."