"You did what?!" Chris practically yelled. Mike stood beside him with a scowl on his face.
Heather smiled calmly and summarized what she and Jessica had just told the frowning guys in front of her, "We helped Kevin surprise Kristy with a romantic evening he was planning for her."
"You mean," Mike started, his voice growing louder and slightly higher with each word, "You let our friend go off with some strange man... alone?!?!"
Chris coughed, trying to cover his laughter. He and Kristy had been close friends for a long time, so he tended to be overprotective when it came to her and relationships. But now he thought he was handling this pretty well, compared to Mike anyway.
Jessica shot Heather a look that said "I told you so!" and defended themselves, Kevin and Kristy. "Kristy may be sweet, but she's not naïve... and she's definitely not stupid. She can handle herself." "And her heart," she thought. "And it's not like we haven't met the guy. Besides, I thought we all agreed how cool it was to hang out with him last night."
"But that was before he was putting the moves on Kristy," Mike grumbled.
"Actually," Chris conceded, "He was doing that last night too!" Jessica and Heather snickered at their friends' discouraged faces.
"But do we know if we can trust him?" Mike asked, searching for a reason to gather his friends together to go rescue Kristy. "I mean he is a musician, and they do have reputations for mistreating women..."
"Oh, come on Mike," Heather reprimanded. "Kevin is a great guy, and he clearly wants to get to know Kristy better. You should be happy for her. He's pretty much everything she's always wanted in a man: sweet, considerate, romantic..."
"Talented, family-oriented, driven, successful..." Jessica contributed.
"Yeah, yeah. He's wonderful," Chris said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't forget gorgeous!" Heather giggled, knowing she was rubbing it in.
"Oh yeah," Jessica agreed, "Absolutely beautiful! Can you image how good looking their kids would be?"
"Who said anything about kids?!" Mike groaned. "It's their first date!"
"I know!" Heather continued to Jessica, ignoring Mike's protest. "They'd probably get those incredible blue-green hazel eyes. Did you notice that Kevin has pretty much the same color eyes as Kristy?"
"I've always been so jealous of how her eyes kinda change color depending on what she's wearing," Jessica confessed.
"Or her mood," Chris and Mike both added.
Jessica and Heather put their arms around the guys' shoulders companionably. "Poor babies," Heather laughed.
"You both realize, of course," Jessica said looking from Mike to Chris, "That even if you guys and Kristy weren't completely platonic, you'd never stand a chance with her compared to Kevin."
"Thanks for pointing that out," Mike sulked.
"As I recall, you and she both decided you'd be better off just as friends," Heather reminded him, thinking about the couple of times they went out. Kristy always had a lot of fun with Mike, but said it was like dating the male version of herself; they were just so much alike. Kristy wanted to be with someone with whom she shared similar interests and beliefs, but would also bring his own strengths and weaknesses to the relationship. She wanted a relationship where they balanced and complimented each other, supported and learned from each other. Heather often laughed when Kristy complained about guys who would always let her have her own way. Kristy said she wanted someone who would argue with her... she loved a good, constructive debate... then let her have her way!
Mike and Chris both valued Kristy's friendship, and ultimately wanted to see her happy and safe. While they both knew Kevin was making her happy, they were still a little worried about her safety... not physical safety, but emotional safety. They just hoped Kevin appreciated how special Kristy was, and that he would treat her like a princess - just like she deserved!
************************************************************************
Kristy and Kevin strolled along the boardwalk hand-in-hand, both savoring the last moments of their "alone time" together before they joined her friends. Kristy held a long-stemmed red rose and framed photo in her free hand, momentos of their evening. She'd been thankful as the woman with the camera had approached them. She'd wished she could have had a picture of their magical evening, but she'd left her camera with Heather because it didn't fit in her dressy handbag. Kevin had bought the rose, two copies of their photo, and a Cinderella's Castle pewter frame for her copy in the gift shop before they'd left and she'd thanked him with a memorable kiss in front of the real castle.
A cool breeze blew in off the water, and Kevin paused to take off his jacket and drape it over Kristy's bare shoulders. As he straightened it on her shoulders, he lowered his head. He pulled the collar of the jacket up to her chin, also pulling her closer to him for a lazy, thorough kiss. They broke apart, both slightly breathless, and turned to look over the water. Kevin stood behind Kristy, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, Kristy's arms crossed and resting on top of his. They stood there silently, watching the lights from the resort across the lake twinkle in the trees and reflect on the water. Kristy sighed and asked Kevin the same question he'd asked her earlier in the evening, "Are you having a good time?"
Kevin turned her in his arms and answered her with the same response she'd given, "More than words can say." He looked into her face and felt an unfamiliar sense of peace come over him. He held her close and ran his hands up and down her back as kissed the top of her head. He didn't even want to think about what he was going to do when this week was over.
Kristy snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, breathing in the scent of his cologne and warm skin through his dress shirt. The logical side of her spoke from somewhere in the back of her mind; and while she knew she'd only met him a day before, she wasn't listening. She had never felt like this before, and she knew instinctively that it didn't matter how long they'd known each other, she simply couldn't ignore these feelings.
They both realized what was happening without having to put it into words. They knew they were part of something that most people dreamed of, but never experienced. They were living the fantasy.
