Isaac (holding his hands up) "Relax. I haven't come to give you a hard time, although, I probably should. Wouldn't want to set a bad precedent."

Olivia: (visibly relieved) "I'm sorry, Issac. I was just trying to help. Michelle was so miserable tonight, and I just know you two . . . "

Isaac: (cutting her off) ". . . . are going out tomorrow night?"

Olivia: "What?" "You are?" "For real?"

Isaac: "On a date. Yes. and Yes."

Olivia: (brightening) "Are you here to thank me, then?"

Isaac: "Don't push your luck."

Olivia: "Okey. Dokey."

Isaac: (shaking his head) "I can't believe you staged that incredibly embarassing episode in the bathroom."

Olivia: (sheepish) "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time . . . "

Isaac: "Do me a favor?"

Olivia: "What?"

Isaac: "Don't ever do that to me again."

Olivia (guilty): "I'm really sorry, Issac."

Isaac: "I know. And, by the way . . . "

Olivia: "What?"

Isaac: "Thank you."

Olivia: (smiling) "You're welcome. I hope you'll both be happy for a change."

Isaac: "I haven't been unhappy . . . exactly . . . "

Olivia: "If you say so."

Isaac: "Amazing how guilt makes you so agreeable."

Olivia: "Yeah. It does kinda work that way."

Isaac: "O.k. Well, I'm going to bed. Have a good time tomorrow night with Joel."

Olivia (whole expression changing at the mention of his name): "I will."

Isaac: "Wow. Is he that important to you?"

Olivia: "Yeah . . . he is."

Isaac: "Kinda fast wasn't it?"

Olivia: "Sort of like a lightning bolt."

Isaac: "Those can kill you if you're not careful."

Olivia: (laughing out loud) "You idiot. Get out of here. You need your rest for tomorrow night."

Isaac: "Apparently, so do you. Just be careful, Liv."

Olivia: "Aren't I always?" (look of supreme innocence on her face)

Isaac: (groaning) "No. You most certainly are not."

Olivia tossed a pillow at his retreating back that hit the door and slid down, missing him by a very narrow margin.

---------------------------------

Isaac sat down on his bed and let his mind wander to tomorrow night. Finally, he and Michelle were going out as a real couple. He wasn't worried about the time they would spend together. They always had a blast everywhere they went whatever they did. She was his bestfriend. What concerned him was how he was going to keep himself from going too fast for her. Now that he knew how she felt about him, it was much more difficult to control himself around her. Tonight, when he'd held her, he couldn't believe the force of the drive to kiss her. He'd just barely managed to let her go without . . . . Well, hell. How in the world was he going to explain a third shower in one evening to his Mom?

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Olivia pulled the blankets up to her chin and stared at the ceiling. A small smile played around the corner of her mouth as she thought about all that happened tonight. Joel had come to the Crashdown just to see her. He had been looking for her earlier that day at school. He was taking her out tomorrow night on their first date. Her matchmaking scheme seemed to have paid off, as well. Life was definitely good at this moment. The only thing that worried her right now, was how in the world she was going to keep from scaring Joel to death. It was really hard to control the feelings that rose up and slammed into each other inside her body whenever he touched her. She knew for a fact that it wasn't normal. She'd touched other guys. Even a few that she thought were attractive. Like at that dance last year. She'd been invited to dance with this guy that she'd been admiring from afar for quite some time. The dance was wonderful, but it couldn't even begin to compare to what she felt when Joel just held her hand. No. This was definitely something different . . . The shower came on in the bathroom and her small smile turned into an outright grin. Apparently, Isaac was having the same concerns as she was . . . .

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Isaac risked a glance at Michelle as he drove the jeep away from the stadium. As predicted, they had a really good time tonight. She loved the game and he could talk to her about it the same he would with his Dad. He had picked her up early that night and they had gone out to dinner before the game. They both loved Mexican. Michelle had been regaling him with tales of her horrific day at school, while they munched on chips and salsa. She was so funny. She really had had a rotten day, though. Nothing big. Just a lot of little nuisances that were funny now, but not at the time. Once, during dinner, he'd looked up to find her staring at him with a really strange expression on her face. Like she'd never seen him before. She looked away with a whimsical glance toward the door. He would've sworn she wanted to leave the restaurant, but that didn't make sense, . . . unless . . .

Isaac: "Michelle?"

Michelle: "Yeah?" (looking over at him in question)

Isaac: "I don't really have anything planned for the rest of tonight. Do you want to do anything particular?"

Michelle: (blushing at the direction of her thoughts) "Uh, . . . no, nothing particular."

Isaac (watching her carefully): "Maybe we should just go home and drag out some old videos."

Michelle: "Um, I don't think I want to go home yet, Isaac. Could we just go somewhere quiet and talk?"

Isaac (heart speeding up): "I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

Michelle: (confused . . . didn't he want to be with her?) "Why?"

Isaac: (swallowing and trying to find the right words) "It would be . . . hard (what an understatement!!) to be alone with you right now."

Michelle: (smiling a little as comprehension dawned) "Isaac, we've spent a lot of time together alone. Why not now?"

Isaac: (beginning to get impatient . . . why was she doing this?) "Things are different now."

Michelle: (really enjoying this) "How are they different?"

Isaac: (fairly growling) "They just are!"

Michelle: (giggling) "Don't get testy. (pausing and making a decision) Did it ever occur to you that I want things to be different?"

Isaac (shaking his head . . . she was going to kill him): "I don't think you understand . . . "

Michelle: "Why don't you explain it to me?"

Isaac: "I can't . . . (deep breath) I don't want to scare you . . . "

Michelle: (taking a calming breath of her own) "I think you should turn right at the next intersection . . . "

Isaac: (confused at the departure from the subject) "Huh?" (He looked up to see the turnoff for the park.)

Michelle: "Just do it."

Isaac pulled into the park and switched off the engine. Sitting back in his seat, he rotated a little so he could look at Michelle.

Michelle: "I want you to kiss me, Isaac. I'm tired of wondering what it would be like. I want to know."

Isaac (she'd wondered about it?) (quietly): "I'm afraid that if I kiss you, it won't stop there."

Michelle: "I trust you, Isaac. I know you'd never do anything I didn't want you to do."

Isaac: "I'm not sure I trust myself . . ."

Michelle: (quietly) "Maybe, I misunderstood what you wanted. Obviously, I made a mistake."

Isaac knew that he had handled this badly. Now, he'd hurt her feelings! She didn't believe him. She honestly thought he didn't want her. He opened his door and got out. When he got around to Michelle's side, he could see her looking at him in question with more than a little hurt in her eyes. He felt his chest tighten in response to that look. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her. He opened her door and silently took her hand pulling her out to stand beside him. He reached behind her seat and grabbed a blanket for them to sit on. They walked in silence for a while, until Isaac stoppped and spread the blanket out on the ground. He sat down and pulled her down beside him keeping a hold of her hand. Michelle didn't know what to think about this, but she sat and waited to see what he was going to say.

Isaac: "I'm sorry. I know you're confused, and I know it's my fault."

Michelle searched his face for answers, but still felt unsure. Isaac finally gave up trying to talk to her. His eyes dropped to her mouth and he let go of her hand and put his arm around her pulling her close. Michelle hastily drew in a breath as she realized that he was going to kiss her. He brought his mouth down on hers gently. This kiss was so soft and warm. He rubbed his lips across hers, and Michelle felt the warmth spread out in the pit of her stomach and move outward all over her body. He brought his hand up to her face and held her as he fell back on the blanket. Michelle found herself lying across his chest, but before she could think about what a wonderful feeling it was, Isaac opened his mouth under hers and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. Michelle parted her lips a little and trembled from head to foot as Isaac's tongue came into contact with hers for the first time. He tasted so sweet. Her hand on his shoulder slid around to his back as she tried to get closer to him. Isaac groaned and deepened the kiss, pressing his mouth against hers with bruising force. Michelle was breathless and dizzy . . . and she didn't ever want it to stop. Isaac groaned again and pulled back breaking the kiss. Michelle stared at him in varying degrees of surprise and dismay. Isaac tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at her expression.

Isaac: "I told you this was going to get out of control in a hurry."

Michelle: (slowly adjusting to the loss of his mouth on hers) "What? Oh, . . . "

Isaac shifted around a little uncomfortably beside her and Michelle looked to see what was wrong. Her eyes widened in surprise when she discovered what the problem was. She quickly brought her eyes back to his face only to find him smiling at her again. She felt the blush start at her toes as it made it's way upward.

Isaac: "Do you understand now? It wasn't that I didn't want to kiss you. I want that and a whole lot more."

Michelle: (hardly believing her ears) "Oh, Isaac. I have dreamed of you this way, but I didn't think it would ever come true . . . "

Isaac: (closing his eyes and reaching once more for his ever fleeting self control) "I'd really like to hear about those dreams sometime, but do me a favor. Not right now. Okay?"

Michelle: (grinning) "O.k."

Michelle rolled over onto her back and rested the back of her head on his shoulder as he kept his arm around her. They lay there together for a long time. They talked and they laughed. They star-gazed, and they were quiet. Somewhere along the way, they both realized that they hadn't lost anything by the change in their relationship. It had just grown deeper . . .

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Olivia clung to Joel as they road on the bike away from town. So far, tonight had been the most wonderful night of Olivia's life. She and Joel had so much fun together. It was unbelievable. Not only was he gorgeous, but she actually liked him. The problem with most good-looking guys was, in her opinion, that they were usually horrible to be around. They had gone out for dinner at a local pizza place, which Joel confided later he knew was her favorite. It was indeed. Mostly because pizza was her favorite food on the planet, but also, because they had some gaming tables set up in the back. Olivia loved to play poker . . . or blackjack . . . or just about anything that involved a deck of cards. Usually, she was a shark, and none of her friends would play with her anymore. Joel, however, was unsuspecting prey as far as Olivia was concerned. Funny enough, he had done pretty well and not been the easy target that she thought he was going to be. They moved on to darts after they tired of cards. Olivia had never actually played darts before. She always stuck to cards, mostly because she always won. Olivia did not like to lose. This was unfortunate, because Joel was as good at darts as Olivia was at cards.

Joel had looked at her as they were leaving the restaurant and grinned, asking if she had a good time. She had snorted and said, "Oh yeah. Sure. I love getting my butt kicked. Hasn't anyone ever told you that the way to a woman's heart is to let her win?" To which he replied, "Hey. You didn't cut me any slack while you were enjoying that winning streak at the tables. What's up with that anyway? Are you psychic or something?" She had laughed at that, and they had walked out and left. Olivia tipped her head back enjoying the feel of the wind whipping her hair as they rode. She was even managing to stay sensible while touching him tonight. She was more prepared now when she touched him than she had been those first few times. She wondered where they were going but she didn't really care. He pulled off the highway and drove a little way out into the desert. It was very secluded, and Olivia felt just a little nervous at the prospect of being alone with Joel. She was crazy about him, but what if she did something unusual because she was part alien, and he noticed? She had never been alone with a guy under these circumstances. He stopped and cut the engine removing his helmet and turning to look at her. She looked incredibly beautiful with her hair fanned out around her face from the ride. She smiled at him and he quickly got off the bike and reached for her hand. She slid her fingers across his and held on as she got down. He pulled her against him the minute she was on her feet and kissed her with all the pent up passion of waiting these past few days to be alone with her. Ever since he'd left her the night they'd studied together, he'd been thinking about this kiss. Nothing could've prepared him for the real thing. Nothing he'd imagined was even close to this. Olivia wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, opening her mouth just enough to let him know that she wanted him to deepen the kiss. Olivia's mind was trapped by the sensations that were swamping her heart and her body. She just wanted to get closer to him somehow. Joel lifted her up and put his hand under her bottom to support her. Olivia wrapped her legs around him in an effort to hang on, having no idea that what she was doing was destroying Joel's self-control. He groaned and pulled back from the kiss. He stared at her flushed face and wondered how he had managed to stop at all.

Joel: (strangled) "Olivia . . . we need to slow down . . . "

He would've laughed out loud at her confused expression if he wasn't so uncomfortable. She looked completely bewildered as to how she'd ended up with her legs wrapped around his waist and pressed against him this way. He gently lifted her and let her slide down, which only caused his body to react more strongly than it already had. He held her face in his hands and kissed her quickly on her pouting mouth.

Joel: "I would love to continue this Olivia, but I want to be sure it's what you want, too. Somehow this just seems a bit soon for you . . . "

Olivia: (gathering her wits) "You're right. It is. I don't know what happened . . . I'm sorry." (shaking her head)

Joel: (chuckling) "I'm not! I knew you were something special the first time I saw you, Olivia. Now I'm convinced."

Olivia: (wincing) "I'll bet. Convinced I'm an easy date."

Joel: (expression changing to very serious) "Don't ever say that again. I would never think that about you."

Olivia: (surprised) "I don't know why not. Who could blame you?"

Joel: (kissing her soundly) "I don't know how I know exactly, but I'm certain this is not a habit for you."

Olivia: (teasing him now) "What? I don't look like a girl who has a lot of dates?"

Joel: (not taking the bait) "You look like a girl who's very careful about her choices."

Olivia (sobered by his faith in her integrity): "Thank you."

Joel: "You're welcome. C'mon and walk with me for a while. I love it out here at night."

Olivia: (smiling) "O.k. Let's go."

Joel: "By the way, what are you doing tomorrow?"

Olivia: "Tomorrow? (brows coming together in concentration) Nothing particular . . . why?"

Joel: "Can I pick you up at 3 p.m.?"

Olivia: (smiling) "Yeah. Where are we going?"

Joel: "It's a surprise . . . "

Olivia nodded her understanding and they walked off holding hands and enjoying this time together.

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Isaac put the blanket behind Michelle's seat and stepped aside for her to get in. She took his hand and stepped into the jeep. Once seated she turned to look at him. He was standing there staring at her.

Michelle: "Is something wrong, Isaac?"

Isaac: (leaning toward her) "No. Everything's perfect . . . you are perfect."

He bent his head and kissed her then, as Michelle pulled him closer by running her hands across his shoulders and around to the back of his neck. He reached for her waist and pulled her around until he could stand between her legs. Michelle was instantly drawn in and reason fled the scene. She opened her mouth and leaned back. Isaac held her tightly to him as their bodies fitted to one another. Michelle loved the way it felt to hold him like this. Isaac felt the tension in his lower body ease at the pressure against her and then build again the longer he stayed there. They had to stop or he'd make love to her for the first time right here on the front seat of the jeep.

Isaac: (voice husky and strained) "Michelle. (leaning his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes) If we don't stop right now, I'm not going to be able to."

Michelle: (a little afraid but too far gone to worry about it much) "And this is a problem?"

Isaac (closing his eyes and shaking his head smiling): "I am not going to make love for the first time in a public park in my jeep."

Michelle: (surprised) "You mean, you haven't done this before?"

Isaac: (a little embarassed) "No. I haven't."

Michelle: "Why not?"

Isaac: "What do you mean why not? Have you?" (looking a little concerned)

Michelle: "Of course not. I just thought you had."

Isaac: "I don't know why you would think that. I spend all my time with you."

Michelle: (absorbing that information) "So . . . it will be the first time for both of us."

Isaac: (fighting to breathe properly) "Yeah. It will be."

Michelle: (thinking for a minute before saying anything else) "I'm glad."

Isaac: "You are?"

Michelle: "Yes. I would not like to think that any other girl had ever touched you the way I want to."

Isaac groaned out loud this time and pulled away from her, mumbling something that sounded like a prayer for strength. As he climbed in on the other side of the jeep, Michelle looked at him and asked, "Did I say something wrong?" He started the engine, but didn't look at her. Finally, he spoke.

Isaac: "No you didn't say anything wrong. What you said just made me want to do all the things I swore I wouldn't do tonight. What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?"

Michelle: "Are we doing something?"

Isaac: (giving her an, "I can't believe you asked me that" look) "Yes. We are."

Michelle: (giggling) "Oh. Well, I guess whenever you'd like. I'm not doing anything special tomorrow."

Isaac: "You are now. I'll be there about lunch time. Is that too early?"

Michelle: "No, not all."

Isaac: "Good."

Michelle: "Issac?"

Isaac: "Yeah?"

Michelle: "I . . . I'm glad you decided to ask me out."

Isaac (smiling): "I've wanted to for a long time."

Michelle: "Really?"

Isaac: "Yeah. . . . . I'm glad you said yes."