"It's just a date Viola...nothing to stress about." I murmur to myself as I get ready, feeling like a sixteen year old girl going on her first date all over again...I'm honestly a little nervous.

I start with my outfit, pulling on one of my favorite blue dresses, sleeveless with a skirt that stops above my knees. Being that it's a bit short, I pull on a pair of my black tights underneath it and my favorite pair of black stiletto pumps.

For my hair, I brush it out and then fix it into a large faux braid, keeping my bangs out and curling them at the ends. I keep makeup up simple with smokey eye shadow, black mascara, and pink matte lipstick. For jewelry I wear a simple pair of pearl flower studs, my gold charm bracelet filled with charms, and my great grandmothers ring.

An old family heirloom from my dads side, and quite possibly my favorite ring of the ones I own.

Grabbing my black clutch purse, I hear a knock at my bedroom door.

"Vi? You ready? It's almost 6:30, Tyron will be here any minute!"Phoenix calls from outside my room, and I quickly open the door to see my cousin all dressed up herself, she's going out on a date with Theo a little after Tyron picks me up...and I'm sure with her done up hair, little red dress, and black stilettos that boy will be drooling.

"You look great Vi! Beautiful and classy! Tyron is definitely going to flip when he sees you!" She exclaims, and I smile.

"You look good too Phoe, I don't think Theo will be able to keep his paws off of you in that dress." I chuckle, and her red lips curl into a devious grin.

"That's the idea."

We share a laugh just as there is a knock at the front door, and I quickly go to open it, finding my beloved standing there. His eyes widen as he looks me over, a smile spreading across his face.

"You look beautiful Viola." He murmurs as he takes my empty hand and kisses the back of it like he did the night we met, and my cheeks redden.

"Thank you, you look quite handsome yourself." I reply, taking in his dark jeans, black leather jacket, and a blue dress shirt that matches my dress perfectly...how on earth could he have known?

"I'm glad you think so, but I still think you look the best of both of us." He responds, and my blush darkens. Looking for a distraction, I notice one of his hands is behind his back.

"You hiding something there Tyron?" I ask with a raised brow, and he smiles before revealing a beautiful bouquet of flowers that he hands to me.

"I believe these are for you Miss Viola."

It's gorgeous...and I'm honestly a little stunned.

"They're beautiful Tyron...how did you know that purple irises are my favorite?" I say, and he looks a little surprised himself.

"I honestly didn't...you had told me you moved here from France, and I read that irises were the national flower...and purple was the color of the dress you were wearing last night..." He admits, and I smile...he put effort into picking the flowers, and unknowingly picked two of my favorites...purple irises and yellow tulips.

"Well they are...so thank you." I say as I inhale their scent deeply, reminding me of home in all the good ways.

"You're welcome, and I'll definitely keep that in mind." He murmurs, and as I turn around to place them in a vase I see Phoenix staring at us with the biggest smile on her face.

"You guys are adorable! Stand next to each other so I can take a picture!" She exclaims, and Tyron moves beside me as she raises her phone, his hand sitting lightly on my waist as I smile.

"Perfect! I'm definitely using this picture at your future wedding!" She grins, and I struggle for words as my entire face turns red. This is just the first date! And she's already talking about weddings!?

"I look forward to that..." Tyron chuckles, and I look up to see his amber eyes glow warmly at me.

"Tyron..." I whisper, taken aback...he already see's himself marrying me?

"Alright, I'll take care of those lovely flowers, so you two go have fun!" Phoe says as she takes my bouquet and shoos us out the door, and I stay quiet as Tyron leads me to his car...a black 69 Camaro that looks brand new, no doubt he takes very good care of it...I wouldn't be surprised if this was his favorite car.

He opens the passenger door for me and helps me in before going to the drivers seat, after buckling our seat belts he starts the car...his eyes glancing towards me.

"Your cousin is quite the handful isn't she?" He murmurs, and I laugh.

"Most definitely, she's definitely going to keep Theo on his toes."

"I'm sure she will, and I'm also sure he'll enjoy every minute of it too." He chuckles, and I join him.

"That sounds about right." I murmur, and he smiles in satisfaction before turning to the radio.

"What would you like to listen to?" He asks, and I hesitate.

"Classical...or country, whichever you can find first." I answer, and he looks at me with slight surprise.

"Phoenix got me introduced to it when I first came to visit her here, I like quite a bit of the songs..." I admit, and he smiles as he turns the station.

"That's cool...and I like classical too, I usually listen to it when I'm doing paperwork or trying to relax, either that or jazz." He replies, and it's my turn to be a little surprised.

"Looks like we've already got something in common." I murmur.

"Yeah, and I'm curious to see what else we have in common."

I smile quietly for a moment, trying to calm down my racing heart. After a while of driving though I look at him, wondering exactly where we're going.

"So, where exactly are we going for dinner?" I ask, and that grin reappears.

"I'll give you three guesses, if you get it I'll tell you."

I hold a finger to my chin as I think, the numerous restaurants I enjoy in this area flitting through my head...all of which Phoenix may have told him about.

"Mannino's? Ruth's Chris Steakhouse? Nara Sushi?" I rattle off, all three personal favorites of mine. He doesn't answer, just takes out his phone and puts it to his ear.

"Hello, is this Mannino's? Great, I would like to make a reservation for two under the last name Johnson...eight o'clock will be perfect. Thank you."

I stare at him in stunned silence as he hangs up, not quite sure what just occurred. He notices my confusion and chuckles.

"I figured the best way to find out your favorite restaurants was to have you guess where we were going...I'd take you to your first choice which is most likely your favorite, and remember the other two for future date nights." He explains, and I have to say that was very clever...though if the reservation is for eight, where are we going now?

"So Clever Beta, what exactly are we going to do until dinner?" I ask, and there's a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"Now, that's the surprise. You'll just have to wait and see Darling." He replies, and my heart flutters at the nickname...sounding more like 'Darlin' with his deep voice and slight southern drawl.

Goddess I'm going to have a heart attack at this rate...

After twenty minutes of driving through the city, he finally pulls into a parking lot...and my eyes widen in disbelief as I read the sign in front of the building:

"I'll be honest, I had a little help with this one...Phoenix told me that you have a great love of art, so I figured you'd enjoy this place..." He answers my unspoken question, and I smile at him warmly.

"I do actually...I was an art teacher back in Paris." I reply.

"Then perhaps you could help me with interpreting the art?" He questions, and I nod before he beats me out of the car and holds the door open for me, taking my arm as he leads me into the museum.

~~~~~

We had a wonderful time at the museum, I enjoyed the artwork immensely as well as explaining its meanings to Tyron...who asked me about every piece that really caught my eye...asking me what I liked about it and things like that.

It was so much fun to watch him stare at certain ones, with his head tilted in confusion like a puppy...his mouth twisted up as his brain tried to figure out exactly what made random splatters on canvas special enough to be worth thousands of dollars...truthfully I don't understand it either, but it was adorable to watch him try to figure it out.

After a while we finally saw everything, and had just enough time to visit the gift shop for a few minutes...where he bought me a necklace with a little paintbrush and palette pendant. Afterwards we left for the restaurant, both of our stomachs rumbling with hunger.

Just being seated, our waitress comes to give us our menus and take our drink orders. Tyron and I both order a glass of red wine, and as we wait for that we look at the menu...and I'm honestly uncertain about what to get.

"Since you've been here before, what do you recommend?" He asks as he glances over his menu, and I bite my lip.

"There isn't much here that I don't like, but I do have a couple of favorites I love..." I answer.

"Which are?"

"The Portabella Parmesan, or the Scampi Francese...I'm actually torn between which one to get..." I say as I try to pick, and he chuckles.

"Well, whichever one you order, I'll get the other...that way you can enjoy both." He murmurs, and before I can reply the waitress brings out our glasses of wine.

"Would you like to order an appetizer first?" She asks, not so subtlety eyeing Tyron appreciatively...I fight my growl of displeasure by bringing the glass of wine to my lips. But much to my satisfaction he doesn't pay much attention to her, because he's too busy staring at me...

"Is there one in particular that you like?" He asks me.

"The fried mozzarella and zucchini is really good." I reply.

"Then that's what we'll have. I'd also like to order the Scampi Francese...while my date here would like the Portabella Parmesan." He says as he glances up the waitress to give her our menus, then turns back to me before she walks away...and I can tell from the look on his face he has another round of questions.

"That bracelet of yours, it's beautiful...may I look at it?" He asks, and I nod as I raise my hand up to him...shivering a little as his fingertips ghost over my skin, leaving sparks with each touch as he looks at each charm curiously.

"Is there a specific meaning behind these?" He ponders, and I try to settle my voice.

"Umm...each one represents an important part of my life. The Eiffel Tower is for my home country, the cap is for my graduation, the Statue of Liberty for my family in America...the paintbrush for my career..." I trail off, too distracted by his hands on my wrist to continue...he's so warm...

"And this one?" He gestures to the small gem near the clasp, and I smile.

"It's citrine...my birthstone, and my favorite gemstone..." Not to mention the color of his gorgeous eyes...warm honey that always seems to melt when he looks at me...but I'm not going to say that out loud, me blushing is enough.

"November right?"

"Yes, November 16th..." I reply.

"Mine is May 3rd." He says, and I remind myself to hang on to that tidbit considering it's about a month away.

"Aren't you going to ask what year?" I question, and he gets a little nervous.

"My mama always told me it was impolite to ask a woman her age..." He says with a sheepish expression, and I giggle...so cute, he's such a gentleman.

"It's okay, I'm 26...going on 27." I say, and his eyes widen in slight shock. I know I look younger than that, but it shouldn't be that surprising considering I'm a vampire...

"Wow...you're actually about two years older than me...I'm 24 going 25..." He admits, and now I'm surprised.

"Wow...I wasn't expecting that..." I chuckle, moving my arm just as our appetizer arrives.

"Neither was I...but I have a feeling you're full of surprises Darling." He murmurs, and I fight another blush as we begin eating, him continuing to ask me questions throughout our entire meal.

After our delicious dinner and his many questions, he takes me out for a stroll on the boardwalk, both of us enjoying the view of the moon and stars over the waves crashing onto the beach, my arm linked through his.

The ocean breeze is cool tonight, and I rub my bare arms as I suddenly feel a little cold. I must be getting accustomed to Tyron's warmth, the cold has never bothered me before...

I suddenly feel something being placed on my shoulders, and I look up to see Tyron place his leather jacket around me...the soft cotton inside warm to the touch.

"Here, is that better Darling?" He asks, and I nod as I push my arms through the sleeves, savoring both his warmth and enticing scent.

"I have to say, you look good in my jacket."

"Thank you..." I reply softly, my blush warming my cool cheeks.

We spend another ten minutes walking before we return to his car, one of his hands holding mine as he drives me back home. As tired as I am, I'm disappointed that our night is already over...I've had such a great time with him...

At 10:39 we arrive at Phoenix's apartment, and he walks me up to the door before we stop to say goodnight.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Tyron, thank you for such a wonderful evening..." I start, and his eyes begin to melt again.

"I'm glad, because I enjoyed myself too...it was fun getting to know you." He replies, his hand gently lifting my chin up to meet his gaze.

"I hope that you will agree to join me again...early lunch tomorrow?" He asks, and I smile.

"That sounds perfect..." I answer, and his smile lights up his handsome face.

"Then I'll meet you here, 11 am..." He whispers, and my breath hitches as he brushes his lips over mine, just enough for sparks to tingle there. Instinctively I close my eyes and lean into it a bit more, my body craving more contact...and his soft purr of approval makes me shiver before he pulls away, his eyes glowing warmly as he smiles down at me.

"Goodnight Viola...I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Don't be late..." I manage to get out, and he smiles.

"I would never keep such a lovely lady waiting." He answers, and as he begins to walk away I remember something.

"Wait! Your jacket!" I call out to him, and he turns back lean next to my ear.

"Hang onto it for me, I'll take it back once it no longer smells like me." He whispers before walking away, leaving me red faced as I fumble with the keys and enter the apartment. Once I'm inside I lean back against the door, my heart racing a little fast.

This man...he'll be the death of me...

As I take in another deep whiff of his scent, something else occurs to me...

For the first time since we ended...I didn't think of my ex...not even once. It's a sign...a really good sign...