I woke up in a sweat, without a doubt, it was from the dream I had just been having. I looked up at my ceiling and smiled. I was extremely happy about the date with Syn that was sure to come in the very near future, but I was also a bundle of nerves. Where will we go? What will I wear? How will I do my hair? Questions bounced around in my head with no answer in sight.

True to my word, I picked up my cell and gave Syn a call. It only rang once and before I knew it: he was at the other end.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” he said in a sing-song voice that made me laugh out loud. “It is now 5:12 pm, which officially leaves us only about 5 hours to play! Jeez, woman! It’s almost like you did that on purpose!”

“No, not at all! I can be ready by six, if you want… What are we doing, anyway?” I said, blushing at the ‘play’ reference.

“Oh, don’t rush, Dollface! Take your time and look amazing enough to give me heart failure, though I’m sure you could come in your pj’s and have the same effect. Are you hungry, yet?” he whined.

“Aww, thank you, Syn! I could definitely eat, what did you have in mind?” I asked trying to shake the heat from my cheeks.

“There’s an awesome Italian restaurant I know of that’s close to you… what do you say?” he said hopefully, I could have sworn that I heard his stomach growl through the phone.

“I like Italian, although I usually only eat spaghetti and meatballs,” I said, borderline embarrassed by my childish food preferences.

“Well, Kia, this place has fucking awesome spaghetti… just get ready and give me a call when you’re ready for me to pick you up. I dunno about you, but I’m fucking starving,” he said, whining again.

“Alright, you big baby, just give me a bit and I’ll call you,” I said, throwing my hands up.

We said our goodbyes and we ended the call. Now, I was faced with a very difficult decision: What to wear?

I looked through my closet and grimaced at all the damn scrub sets I had. I really had no fucking life outside of work and if I needed any proof, this was it. I finally decided on a red off-the-shoulder peasant shirt with black skinny jeans and red and black ballet shoes. I hopped in the shower unable to think of anything else but the beautiful, tattooed man that was waiting for my call. I showered quickly in an effort to prevent myself from engaging in a Syn-focused self-love session… I didn’t have that kind of time.

I pat myself partially dry and rubbed lotion onto my damp skin, I would die if I was ashy on this date. I put my clothes on and applied makeup. It had been so long since I’d dressed up, I almost forgot how to make the dramatic strokes of black eyeliner that I used to be so good at. I flat-ironed my hair and sprayed on some of my Victoria’s Secret perfume. Once I looked myself over in the floor-length mirror on the back of my door, I picked up my phone and called Syn. Again, he answered on the first ring.

“Are you ready, Sweetness?” he asked. Him calling me ‘Sweetness’ made me turn 4 different shades of red.

“Yes, I’m ready,” I said, taking a seat on my sofa.

“Great! Just come down stairs, I’m already here,” he said.

I looked out my window and sure enough, there was an unfamiliar black BMW parked downstairs.

“I’ll be down in a sec,” I said as I quickly hung up the phone. I wanted to run and jump back in my bed so I could scream again, but I didn’t want to mess up my makeup. After my heart slowed itself down a few beats per minute, I grabbed my bag and walked outside. I locked the door and started down the stairs.

There he was, leaned against his car smoking a Marlboro Red. He was wearing his infamous black fedora, a black t-shirt that said ‘House of Syn’ in purple letters, some slashed-up black jeans that were completed with a bullet belt, and some plain black chucks. My eyes rolled over his firm biceps and his muscular arms. I saw the black cast over his right arm and made note that it did not have a negative impact whatsoever on his very pronounced sex appeal. This man was the epitome of bad and I couldn’t get enough.

“Those things can kill you, you know?” I said gesturing to the cigarette.

“Dollface, living the lifestyle that I do, if a cigarette is what kills me, I’ll count my blessings,” he said with a smirk. I watched as he tilted his head back and exhaled the smoke into the air.

“But you know, smoking is the number one cause of-” I began, only to be cut off.

“Alright, Kia, shit! I didn’t know that dating a nurse was gonna be like this!” He said, pouting. He took a long, final drag of the cigarette before crushing it into the pavement and blowing the smoke into the air once again… he was already towards the end of it, so I didn’t feel too bad. I was just floored by his comment about dating a nurse. Dating? I guess because this was a date, we could be, in fact, dating.

He turned to me and gave me a once-over. “You look fucking amazing!” he said, nodding in approval, “C’mere,” he said stretching out his arms.

It was all I could do not to break my neck trying to get to him. I walked over to him and walked into his hug, throwing my arms around his neck and laying my head on his shoulder. He smelled like expensive cologne, mint, and Marlboros… it was intoxicating. He leaned back onto his car and linked his fingers at the base of my back. I would have been perfectly content with staying this way forever. Before long, his stomach gave an impatient growl, ruining the moment. I looked up at him with a smile and said: “I guess we should be getting going before you eat me!”

His eyes darkened at my comment, clearly taking it the other way. “Don’t give me any ideas, Dollface… and don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. I’m still a fucking beast,” he growled into my neck.

I felt my pulse quicken as I looked into his eyes. I could tell that he was only halfway kidding. I untangled myself from his long arms and straightened my clothes. I started to walk around the car to let myself in… somehow, he beat me to it, holding the door open for me. “M’lady,” he said with a smile.

I blushed at such a chivalrous gesture coming from man that not only declared himself a beast, but also met all of the criteria. I sat down and looked around his car. It was amazing, full of do-dads and whatnots whose functions were unknown to me.

Before long, he slid into the drivers seat. “Hang on, Princess,” he said as I buckled my seatbelt. He hit the gas and took off, jerking me back into my seat. I couldn’t help but think that I would end up being in the ER tonight whether or not it was my off day. I watched as he smiled as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too long before we made it to the restaurant!

~*~*~*~

The Porta Bella Italian Restaurant was everything that Brian made it out to be… plus much more. It had valet parking, fountains, lights, VIP, and a reservation list that was more than six months out. He walked over to my side of the car and opened the door for me. “After you, Mademoiselle,” he said, bowing as I got out the car… I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at his quirky chivalry.

He walked to my right and offered me his non-injured tattooed arm. I took it and we walked up the red carpet directly to the door where there was a rather robust man with a really red face standing with a clipboard. There were at least 40 couples waiting in line and I felt like an asshole to just strut to the front like we owned the place. I also felt a bit underdressed when I saw the others that were waiting in line, that is, until I remembered the handsome man beside me… Suddenly, I just felt inferior.

“Name, Sir?” he asked without looking up at us from his list. If nothing else made me feel like I was two inches tall, that did.

“Gates, Synyster Gates, VIP number: 1734621,” he said smoothly and confidently.

“Oh! Mr. Gates! I hardly recognized you!” the fat red man exclaimed turning even redder.

“Maybe you would have if you actually looked at us,” Syn said cooly.

“My apologies, Sir. Let’s get you inside, hmm?” he said, all but bowing as he showed us inside.

When we got inside, I was taken aback by the architectural beauty of the restaurant. There was artwork that adorned the walls and the ceiling closely resembling the Sistine Chapel. Happy Italian music echoed through the building, complemented by the clink of silverware and the dull rumble of conversation. There was a beautiful hostess that smiled and greeted us when we came in.

“Oh! Mr. Gates! Such a pleasure it is to see you again! Oh! You’re hurt! ” she exclaimed as gestured to his cast and walked over and air-kissed his cheeks. I felt a bit of jealousy surge through my veins at the sight. ‘Easy…’ I thought feeling slightly embarrassed of my involuntary emotions.

“Likewise, Cecilia. It’s not a big deal… This is Kia, my date… I’m sure you have a table available that’s close to the fountain?” he said, flashing that perfect smile. It was amazing that he had so much freakin’ pull around here!

She smiled and nodded politely in my direction. “Yes, Sir… allow me to show you to your table,” she said as she gestured for us to follow. She lead us to a beautiful table with lit candles and wine on ice, and, as promised, it was right next to a lighted fountain.

“Thank you, Cecilia,” he said as he pulled my chair out for me. I sat down and looked at the silverware. I had no fucking idea what went to what and it was embarrassing. He took a seat opposite me and smiled.

“So… what do you think?” he asked looking at me hopefully. It was really sweet that he went through all of this for some approval.

“It’s beautiful, Syn,” I said truthfully.

“Awesome, I hoped you’d like it!” he said still smiling.

A tall, thin man with a goatee and thin eyebrows walked to our table. “Hello, welcome to the Porta Bella! My name is Anthony, what can I start you off with to drink tonight?” I ordered water and Brian just wanted wine glasses. When he returned with my drink, he asked if we wanted soup or salad. I ordered salad and Brian ordered soup. Soon, they brought out the first course… I watched as he started in on his soup, it was kind of cute how he tried to eat slowly to camouflage the fact that he was freaking starving… After a few moments, he looked up and smiled.

“Kia, I noticed you haven’t eaten much, just a little bit of bread… what’s wrong?” he asked, wiping his mouth.

“Honestly?” I asked, feeling like a complete idiot.

“No.. I want you to tell me a lie… Yes, honestly!” he said sarcastically.

“I don’t know which fork is the salad fork,” I said, blushing.

He looked at me as if he found my predicament amusing and then he shrugged his shoulders. “Babe, I have no fucking clue which fork is the damn salad fork and neither should you… Eat with the fork you know how to use. I don’t care…”

I smiled at how cool he was about the situation and picked up the closest thing to a normal fork that I could find. I was still eating my salad when Anthony took our orders. I, like I mentioned previously, went for the classic spaghetti and meatballs, while Syn went for something called Osso Buco.

“Why do you look so uncomfortable, Kia?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I just never been to a place this nice, Syn,” I said again feeling inferior.

“Well, Babe, you deserve the best and as long as you choose to stick with me, you will have the best,” he said, reaching for my hand.

I blushed for the umpteenth time that evening and looked down at the table. “Thanks, Brian, it means a lot when you say things like that.” I took his hand.

“No prob, Kia, I only say what’s true,” he said and Anthony came with our food… “Perfect timing, Anthony…” I thought as he set my spaghetti in front of me.

“Parmesan, Miss?” he said coming over with the grinder. “Yes, please,” I said nodding.

He grinded Parmesan over my plate for a really long time, I would have been embarrassed, but hey, I love cheesy spaghetti.

“Would you like for me to pour wine for you and the lady, Sir?” Anthony said gesturing at the wine glasses.

“Yes, please, Anthony,” Brian said, also nodding his consent.

Anthony skillfully opened the bottle and poured red wine in my glass and in Brian’s. “Is there anything further I can do for you, Sir?” Anthony said with a smile.

“No, Anthony, I think that will be all,” Syn said picking up his who-gives-a-fuck fork, about to dig in.

We ate in silence for the first part of the meal, Syn, I already knew was starving and I was caught off guard by my own appetite. The food was exquisite, the service was exceptional, and my date was fucking awesome! I watched as he ate, it was ridiculous how he could look amazing doing something a normal as eating a meal.

“Good?” he asked, wiping his mouth.

“It’s delicious, Syn! I love it!” I exclaimed.

“What do you think about the wine?” he asked, sipping his third glass to my one.

“It’s okay, I’m not really much of a drinker,” I admitted, shrugging.

“You’re right…I’m good with an ice cold beer and pack of Marlboros, Sweetness,” he said, chuckling.

“So, Syn, what made you want to ask me out?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Honestly, when I saw you at the ER, I thought you were really cute and really professional. That’s not normal for me, girls aren’t usually cute but you are fucking adorable. Anytime I made a pass at you, you shot me down and it wasn’t because you wanted to, I could tell, it was because you stood for something…. something bigger than yourself and I respected that. Of course, I didn’t like being denied, but I respected why you made the decision that you did,” he smiled and continued, making me melt.

“When I got home, the guys were making fun of my fucking cast and I thought about what you said about the fans loving me either way and as soon as you crossed my mind that one time, I couldn’t stop thinking about you! I called the hospital and asked for you and the lady let it slip that your name was Mi’Kia and I had the flowers delivered. Later on that night, I Googled you, it seems that you’re the only Mi’Kia in the city and there goes your cell number! Now, here we are…” he said, gesturing to our surroundings

“And I’m very glad we are,” I said, leaning forward to let my lips brush his. To my surprise, he turned red and smiled a kind of goofy smile.

“M-me too, Kia… me too,” he stammered.

Anthony came a final time and offered us dessert, we were both too stuffed. He left the bill and thanked us for our business. Brian paid the bill and soon we were back outside, arm in arm, waking to the car. Again, he opened the door for me and I got in, he soon followed. The ride home was not as eventful as the ride to the Porta Bella, partly because I already knew that Syn drove like a bat out of hell and it didn’t surprise me.

When we made it to my apartments, he opened the door for me and walked me up to my apartment. “Kia, I had a really good time with you tonight and I wanted to know if you’d consider going out with me again sometime?” he asked, fumbling with his fingers.

I took his face in both of my hand and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was lasting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 seconds too long, but neither of us wanted to end it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands took their place at the dip in my back. Finally, I pulled away. “Yes, Brian… I’d love to go out with you again.”

“Awesome, Babe!” he said giving me another peck on the lips. “I guess this is goodnight?” he asked. I nodded and he smiled. “Okay, give me a call tomorrow, Sweetness… as soon as you open those pretty brown eyes.”

I nodded, hugging him again. “Goodnight, Brian,” I said smiling. My cheeks were starting to burn again.

“Goodnight, Kia,” he said as I walked in my apartment and shut the door. I looked out the window and watched him descend the stairs with a little extra pep in his step, lighting up a Marlboro. It almost hurt watching him drive away. After this perfect night, I did the only thing that felt right: I took off my shoes, ran to my bedroom, jumped in my bed, and screamed in my pillow.

~*~*~*~

When I woke up the next morning, my head was swimming. Flashbacks of the night before entranced me. Had I really just gone on the perfect date with one of the most gorgeous men on the planet? I think I did. Did I really kiss him last night? Yes, not once but twice! Did he really ask me out again? Yes, and I was supposed to call him right now…

In an effort to stay true to my word, I picked up the phone and called Syn, ignoring the beating of my heart. It rang once, twice, three times, and soon it went to voicemail. ‘Hmm, that’s not like him,’ I thought as I tried again. Still no answer. Maybe last night was simply just too perfect.

I picked up my phone and called my best friend… “Mickey! What have you been up to for the last couple of days? It’s not like you to not call your mother everyday… If you didn’t call me soon, I was gonna sound an Amber Alert!” she said only half-way kidding.

“Well… You know, I’ve been working and sleeping, went on a date with Synyster Gates, the usual,” I said, squeezing in the part about Syn.

“You what? Why wasn’t I the first to know?” she asked, pretending to be hurt.

“You are the first to know, Ma!” I said with a laugh.

“Well, what happened?” she asked eagerly.

I told her about my amazing night with Synyster Gates, everything from the grandeur of the architecture to Brian’s perfect behavior. When I finished, she sat there holding the phone as if she were trying to get a grasp on everything that I said. After awhile, she finally spoke.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Mickey! Give that man a call!” she said excitedly.

“I already did… twice, no answer. I didn’t leave a message because I figured that he would see the missed calls were from me,” I said quietly.

“Well, it’s still early, Baby, he might be doing something important. He’ll call you back, don’t worry,” she said in her best maternal voice.

“Okay, Mom, you’re right… he could just be-” I began, but stopped because my line was beeping. I pulled the phone away from my face and looked at the screen. It was Syn! “Mom- it’s Syn -I’ll call you back- I love you-bye!” I said as one word as I clicked over.

“Hello?” I said a little too excitedly.

“Hey, Babe… Sorry I didn’t answer, I was outside,” he said sounding like he was out of breath.

“It’s fine, I just woke up anyway,” I said, shrugging.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

“Nope, not yet, I was just gonna make myself-” I began only for him to cut me off.

“Don’t you dare! I’m taking you out for breakfast, what do you want? Anything… price is not an issue.” he said, not leaving me time to say no.

“Syn, you don’t have to-” I began again only to be cut off.

“I know I don’t have to but I want to. Now, for the last time: what do you want for breakfast?” he said dismissively.

Seeing that there was no point in arguing, I gave in. “If you insist, I want Denny’s,”

“Denny’s? I say ‘price is not an issue’ and you want fucking Denny’s? Dollface, you never cease to amaze me,” he said with a chuckle.

“What? I love Denny’s!” I replied simply. It was true, I would take Denny’s or Chinese food over anything else in the world… period.

“Okay, okay, whatever you want, Kia. How fast can you get ready?” he asked, releasing the tell-tale tummy rumble that I could hear over the phone. God, that man could eat…

“Just let me shower and I’ll get dressed, okay?” I said already searching through my closet for an outfit. I expected to find a non-scrub outfit for the second day in a row? Fat chance.

“Alright, Dollface, just gimme a call when you’re ready,” he replied. We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone. After deciding on an old pair of light, slightly ripped jeans and a white blouse with a cinched waist, I hopped in the shower. I thoroughly washed my body and stepped out on the bath mat. I caught a glimpse of my naked body in the mirror. I didn’t look bad but I definitely had no idea what the hell Brian could possibly see in a girl like me…we were like the two poles on a magnet. ‘Duh, Kia… opposites attract,’ I thought as I saw how the old saying finally applied to my life. I was definitely attracted to him, that’s for sure.

I lotioned my skin, put on my clothes, and slid my feet into some plain, white flip flops. Very casual, very Denny’s. Right before I began to fuss with my hair, I heard my cell phone ring. I ran to see who it was… it was Syn.

“Hello?” I said into the phone breathlessly.

“Hey, Babe, can you come open the door? It’s hot out here!” he said and hung up.

My heart was beating a million miles per hour… I looked around my small apartment. It was clean, but it suddenly seemed so bland. I was almost embarrassed of my lack of creativity. Synyster Gates in my apartment? It just seemed unreal. After few moments, I heard knocking on the door. ‘It’s now or never’, I thought to myself as I swung open the door.

Standing before me was a very sexy Brian Haner, Jr. wearing a simple black, t-shirt that clung to his body in the best way, some dark grey jeans, and some dark grey Nikes with a black swoosh. His hair was spiked every which way and he had a look of pure lust in his eyes. I watched as a bead of sweat rolled from his forehead and down along his strong jaw line. I silently thanked God for making this a hot summer.

I watched as his dark eyes rolled over my body as mine had just done his. I felt my pulse quicken under his probing gaze. I wanted him so bad, I could hardly think straight! He broke the intense silence.

“You see something you like?” he asked, staring into my eyes with such intensity that I couldn’t look away. I nodded absently. “Good, because I do, too,” he said as he dove into my lips pushing me back into my apartment and kicking the door shut behind him.

Oh, my God! Is this really happening? I thought as he pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor…

– To be continued… –