Jared fiddled nervously with his fingers as he rang the doorbell to Lizzie's apartment, running a hand through his hair for what felt like the millionth time. He could not have been more nervous. What if he said something stupid? Or what if he was too eager and she thought he looked desperate? Can you look desperate when you're already dating? What if-

He was brought away from his thoughts when Lizzie opened the door and stepped out. She looked stunning. Her light brown curls fell flawlessly around her shoulders and framed her bright blue eyes perfectly. She was dressed in a long, flowing magenta colored dress that made her gorgeous hues pop even more. Her shoulders were covered by a light grey sweater and a long, gold colored locket hung from her neck. To say the least, he was mystified.

"Hi," Lizzie greeted with a smile, hanging her black purse from her shoulder. She took him in, and her smile widened. "Don't you look handsome."

"M-Me?" Jared choked out, a bright smile coming onto his face. "Lizzie, you...you look amazing." He complimented, making her flush slightly. She smiled at him.

"Thanks." She grinned. "So, where are we going?"

"Well, I can't tell you, you told me to surprise you, remember?" Jared smiled, offering her his arm.

Lizzie smirked, linking her arm with his. "Dork."

"Cutie."

***

Lizzie threw her head back and laughed at Jared's story, clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle it so she wouldn't earn stares from other people in the restaurant - which, just so happened to be her favorite. "You didn't!"

"I did," Jared chuckled. "Apparently I thought I was a stunt double and when I tried to flip I landed right on my arm. It sucked." He grinned.

"Oh my God, Jay," Lizzie laughed, placing a hand on her chest to catch her breath. "I'd really appreciate it of you tried not to die." She teased.

Jared laughed, tipping his head to the side. "Did you call me Jay?" He asked, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Lizzie raised her eyebrows. "Uh, yeah? Is that okay?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Oh, yeah! Of course it's okay. I like it. It's cute coming from you," Jared smiled, sipping on his ice water.

Lizzie felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she smiled, trying to hide behind her dark curls. "Thank you."

"Oh my, Elizabeth, are you blushing?" Jared grinned.

"Hey, you started it!"

"What are you, five?"

"Actually I'm seven."

Jared laughed, a sound that rang through Lizzie's ears joyfully. If anybody had told her that one day she would be sitting in a restaurant across from Jared Padalecki, she would have laughed in their face. But now, here she was. And not only was she sitting across from him, but he was her boyfriend. She didn't know what she did to deserve him, but she was unbelievably happy that she had him.

"Hey," Jared said, noticing his zoned out girlfriend. "Are you okay?"

Lizzie smiled, and reached over across the table to take his hand in hers. "I'm perfect."

***

After dinner, Jared drove Lizzie back to her apartment and walked her upstairs to make sure she got in okay. They walked down the hallway, hand in hand, and smiled at each other when they finally reached her door.

"Thank you for everything." Lizzie said, playing gently with his fingers. "I had fun."

"I did too. Thank you for letting me take you out," Jared smiled, squeezing her hand gently in his large one.

"It was my pleasure."

The two stared at each other for a moment before their lips were locked together in a sweet kiss, a kiss that made Lizzie's head spin in the best way possible. Jared put one hand on her waist as the other came up to gently hold her by her back. Lizzie lifted her hands so they rested on his broad shoulders and she leaned into his strong chest, which she could feel rising and falling steadily against her own. They pulled away for a minute to catch their breath and Lizzie whispered, "Come inside?"

Jared smiled, and nodded, a bit breathlessly. He watched Lizzie unlock the door and they stepped inside. The minute the door was shut and locked he was whisking her into his arms again, pressing his lips against hers.

Lizzie locked her arms around his neck, letting her purse drop to the floor. She shed herself of her jacket and Jared did the same, not breaking the kiss as they fell to the floor.

Jared's hands slid slowly to the backs of her legs, gently tugging then upward in a silent request for her to jump.

Lizzie obliged and jumped up, letting him catch her as she wrapped her legs around his waist with ease.

Jared held her from underneath her bottom with one arm while the other brushed through her brown curls gently. He nuzzled his nose tenderly against hers as they kissed, making her sigh happily against his lips. He didn't break their passionate kiss as he walked them into her bedroom, gently laying her down on her bed. He helped her slip off her shoes before he toed off his own, hovering her as he kissed her slowly.

His hands travelled upward to the zipper of her dress and he slowly unzipped it, pausing only for a minute to stare into her eyes. He didn't speak, but she knew he was asking for her permission. She nodded, and he gently slid it off, leaving her in just her bra and the leggings she had worn underneath her dress.

Lizzie tugged at his shirt and he quickly lifted it up over his head, tossing it to the floor. She stared in awe at his chest, running her hand over it for a moment. "Wow.." she whispered, before their lips were connected again.

Jared planted his hands on either side of her head, bowing his head to softly kiss her shoulder up to her neck. It wasn't sloppy, but it was soft. Gentle. Loving.

Lizzie couldn't help but marvel at how gentle he was with her, as if she was made of porcelain and would break if he gripped her too hard. Matthew had never been like that.

Matthew.

Suddenly all her memories of Matthew came flooding back to her, some of the good, but mostly the bad. She remembered walking into their shared bedroom and seeing him in this exact same position with her. Remembered the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, and the sorrow. And in that moment, it was like all of those emotions replaced her passion and love for Jared, making her eyes fill with tears.

"J-Jared. Jared, stop." She whispered, gently pushing him away from her.

Jared frowned, his brow furrowing in concern. "What? What is it? Did I hurt you?"

Lizzie shook her head rapidly and sprung up from the bed, quickly grabbing his shirt and pulling it over herself. It was so big on her it looked like a dress, flowing all the way down to her knees.

"Lizzie," Jared said gently, taking a step towards her and resting his hands gently on her arms. "Tell me what's wrong. Did I hurt you? Was that not okay?"

Lizzie shook her head, her face contracting as a soft whimper escaped her lips. "I-It's not you." She whispered, rubbing at her nose. "I-I just...the only person I ever did that with was Matthew. A-And I know you're not him, you're the complete opposite of him, b-but I just- I'm scared." She admitted quietly, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I'm sorry, Jared, I'm so sorry."

Jared's face went soft at her confession. "Oh, Lizzie," he whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Lizzie shook slightly as she pressed her face against his torso, sobbing softly into his bare chest. "I-I'm sorry, Jared."

"Shh, no, no, Liz, don't apologize..." He whispered into her hair, keeping one arm around her as the other came up to gently cradle her head. "Lizzie, you don't have anything to apologize for. I understand how much he hurt you. I hate how much he hurt you." He whispered, in his own fiercely protective way.

"B-But you won't." Lizzie whispered, not a trace of doubt in her voice. "And you're not him. Which is why you deserve-"

"Shh," Jared soothed, stroking her hair gently. "Lizzie, baby, I'm not mad."

She sniffled. "Y-You're not?"

"No! Not at all," he assured her, keeping his tone soft and gentle. "It takes a long time to heal from something like that, Lizzie. And if you're not ready, you're not ready. I don't blame you." He whispered, swaying her gently in his arms. "And I can promise you I won't ever hurt you."

Jared's oath made Lizzie cry even harder, her hands clawing at his back as she sobbed into his chest. He swayed her gently, whispering soothing things into her ear every once in a while as he stroked her hair softly.

She finally calmed down, and he pulled her to the lay on his chest on the bed, her ear resting over his beating heart. The sound slowly lulled her, and her eyes slowly began to droop to a close.

"Lizzie?"

"Hm?"

"You look good in my shirt."

Lizzie smiled sleepily. "Good, cause I'm keeping it."

Jared chuckled, planting a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Fair enough. And Liz?"

"Jay?"

"I love you."

Lizzie's eyes popped open, not in panic, but in glee, and she smiled. "I love you too."