Sebastian and Luca watched Chris and Denise at the dinner table. Smiles were often involuntary when observing the couple in their own little world. They were so in-love they were oblivious to their surroundings, they'd just continuously exchange looks of pure adoration and whispers of sweet nothings. It seemed senseless to expect otherwise from soul mates still caught up in the post-engagement glow. Other singles might've found Chris and Denise a little much but as singles who wanted to be something more together, Sebastian and Luca basked in the romantic air their friends were emitting. That was what Sebastian was doing anyway, with hope that Luca had a similar intention.

After months of conversing over text messages and phone calls, Sebastian and Luca were finally meeting in person. There were no devices, no screens- nothing between them anymore. He could actually hug her and brush thighs when they sat down, he could feel the heat radiating off her skin and memorize the tiny details on her face. When he closed his eyes, he could picture doing the whole nine yards with her. He saw a wholesome relationship, one with unconditional love and the kind of domestic simplicity that couldn't be forged. Marriage, kids- he could see it happening with Luca, he could see them making it like Chris and Denise had. All those feelings meant something. Sebastian knew and decided he wasn't going to leave Los Angeles without first taking Luca out on a proper date.

"Do you want some?" Chris asked Denise, scooping some of his tiramisu onto his spoon. He held it in front of her and she smiled as she ate off his spoon. Sebastian and Luca groaned simultaneously, almost instantly. "What?" Chris had an unshakeable smile, his hand slipped into Denise's under the table and their gazes met with a smile. "I didn't know it was a crime to share."

"She has the exact same dessert right in front of her!" Luca gestured to Denise's plate of uneaten tiramisu and everyone at the table laughed. "What is this, sheesh. I get that the two of you are very much so in-love but tone it down a little," she teased with a chuckle. "You have guests, you're not alone in your house." Chris and Denise rolled their eyes. "I thought I'd remind you before you have your way with her on the table."

"You're hilarious," Chris bit sarcastically.

"And you're only acting like that 'cause there's some truth behind it," Sebastian egged it on. Denise threw her napkin across the table at him which he dodged easily whilst laughing. "Is that makeup, or is that a natural tint that I see on your cheeks?" He teased and her hands flew to her cheeks; the heat scorched her cold hands. "It's cute how easy you are to embarrass," he said and she scoffed.

"Fuck you, Sebastian," Denise giggled, leaning into Chris as he wrapped an arm around her. She felt his lips press against her hair and heard him snicker. "You're just jealous you don't have what we have." Sebastian rolled his eyes at Denise then shared a cheeky smile with Luca. "You know what," Denise suddenly remembered she was trying to get the two together and smirked. "If the two of you find us so sickening, we'll just leave you alone then."

Luca's breath caught in her throat and she widened her eyes at Denise and Chris, shaking her head as subtly as she could. "What, no." She managed a shaky laugh, pretending like she wasn't on the verge of hyperventilating. "We're just teasing, you don't have to go anywhere." She was not ready to be alone with Sebastian Stan in person, she needed Denise and Chris to buff the situation. "We were just teasing. Right, Sebastian?"

"I wouldn't mind finishing the rest of my dessert without having to deal with a sickly sweet couple," Sebastian replied, discretely beckoning the couple out with his eyes and his head. "From the look on their faces, they're just using our mistreatment as an excuse to be alone anyway."

"Yes we are," Chris nodded, taking Denise's hand and pulling her to her feet as he got to his. "C'mon, sweetheart. Let's grab a blanket and have cake under the stars." He took his plate and she took hers, walking out to the backyard.

Chris and Denise glanced back at Sebastian and Luca as they took their exit, each giving their own friend a smug smile. Chris earned a grateful smile from Sebastian whereas Luca shot Denise a death stare that she giggled at as she turned away. Chris swept a blanket off the back of his couch and they escaped through the sliding doors, leaving Sebastian and Luca alone for the first time with hope that it wouldn't be the last.

"How've you been?" Sebastian asked, turning full body to face Luca. She held her breath and nodded with a nervous smile, spooning more of her dessert into her mouth. He could sense her nerves and thought he would calm her with his touch. Tension rose when he placed his hand over hers and he quickly withdrew. "Look, Luca," he chuckled, "I'm as nervous as you are. Does that notion calm you a little?" His eyes were filled with a childlike innocence, full of hope and excitement she couldn't reduce with the truth.

"A little," she nodded. "I feel like you're just saying that to make me feel better." She said and he responded with a hand gesture that said "kind of, yeah." She managed a smile, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to feel. This is all very surreal. There are days where I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my best friend is engaged to Chris Evans. It's weird, it's like I'm living in one of her stories. Is it actually happening or am I just in a strangely vivid dream?"

"It is actually happening," Sebastian confirmed. "This is all real, and I'm glad it is because I've never seen Chris so happy before." His gaze fell behind Luca's shoulder and her gaze followed. "Look at them," he chuckled. "I feel like I'm watching a romantic comedy, their relationship is so perfect it's hard to believe it's not fictitious."

"Cue the montage music," Luca agreed, smiling.

Chris and Denise sat outside on a blanket on the grass. They were in fits of laughter as they playfully fed each other cake. Chris scoffed when Denise wiped the cream on the pad of her index finger on his nose. She laughed hysterically, abruptly stopping when she saw the gleam in his eyes. Before she could react, he'd already pounced and tackled her under him. He nuzzled his creamy nose into the crook of her neck, making her shriek with laughter as she tried to push him off her. It wasn't until she waved the white flag that he stopped nuzzling. He remained on top of her and dipped his head to kiss her lips, smiling when he felt her smile. Her arms snaked around his neck and her smile widened when he broke the kiss. She lifted her head to kiss him again, savoring the tenderness of his loving lips.

"Maybe there really is that perfect someone for everybody," Sebastian's gaze returned to Luca.

Sebastian didn't know if Luca was perfect for him yet but he had an inkling she could be. They had a lot in common: the same interests, principles, values, and personality traits. On paper, they were perfect for each other. In theory, they could last a lifetime. But love wasn't something one could figure out scientifically, there were other things to consider like romance, chemistry, and passion. Sebastian and Luca definitely had that, they had a connection that couldn't be ignored even over the phone. All that was well and good but neither could really judge how well they would work together until a date happened. A date was always going to be the deciding factor to whether or not two people could work. Would sparks fly when their lips touched? Would his heart flutter when a smile broke out on her face? Would her laughter sound like music to his ears? Would he have her to stand by him through everything? Would he be able to wake up next to her for the rest of his life?

These were all questions that could only be answered when he started dating her, or more accurately phrased- when he summed up the courage to ask her out. Sebastian had been deliberating with himself for a while now. He was afraid if he asked too soon he'd seem pushy, or cocky. He didn't want her to think he expected her to say yes because she was a fan of his but he also had to consider the risks associated with the delay. If he waited too long, there was a chance she could get swept off her feet by another man.

Sebastian didn't need to experience the feeling to know it was not a fun one to feel. It drove Chris insane when he thought he lost Denise to Sam, he felt as though someone was sitting on his chest and it lasted the whole of the thirteen hours he was waiting eagerly for Denise to respond to his letter. But Sebastian's situation with Luca was dissimilar to the situation Chris had been in with Denise, he had no idea how Luca truly felt about him as a person compared to him as an actor. Denise had been completely candid about her feelings for Chris through her writing, she would've loved him whether or not he remained his job as an actor. It was bewildering how Chris could've thought he'd lost Denise to Sam, looking back now. Denise's heart was worn on her sleeve, her true feelings expressed in all her narratives. If Sebastian had been in Chris' shoes, he would've stopped her before she left for her date and told her everything she felt in her stories was what he felt too. Unfortunately for Sebastian, he was caught in his own situation with a girl whose hand was held too close to her chest.

Chris' advice for Sebastian was to trust what his heart had to say about Luca because that was what he did with Denise. From the moment he approached her at the airport, to the moment he decided to propose to her- he used his heart. It was good advice, Chris was a living example of how good that piece of advice was. Sebastian didn't know why he was being so hesitant about things, this was Denise's best friend he was planning to date. There had to be a reason someone like Denise called Luca her best friend; why Chris was supporting Denise's decision to set them up; and why Sebastian felt fondness towards Luca from the first time he heard Denise talking about her.

His head cocked slightly as he watched Luca, her eyes were still locked on Chris and Denise with a smile on her face. He refocused his gaze onto the couple too, feeling the corners of his mouth quirk into a smile. He could still remember what Chris had told him: "My mind was convinced I was making a mistake, but my heart? It told me not taking the leap would've been the bigger mistake, and it was right. Look at where my life is headed, look at who I'm going to marry. My life is complete now because I trusted my heart and took a chance. Do the same with Luca, take a chance." Sebastian couldn't do what Chris almost did, he couldn't let his mind get in the way of a possible happily ever after. He was going to do as he'd been told and that was to take a chance.

"Hey, um- Luca?" He cleared his throat as Luca turned to him. She suddenly felt nervous, like she could sense what was coming. She wanted to freak out but continued to play it cool, smiling as she prompted a continuation with her facials. "Would you like to join me for dinner tomorrow?"

Even though she'd expected his question, it still caught her off guard. "Like-" Luca swallowed her nerves. "Like-" she cleared her throat when she heard it quiver. "Do you mean like dinner here with the two of them?" She held her breath when she saw him smile, lowering his gaze and letting his long lashes flutter as he chuckled. "Or do you mean a- a..." She trailed off breathlessly, unable to speak as the day she'd been waiting for had finally arrived.

"A date," Sebastian finished for her. "Would you like to go on a date with me, Luca?" He asked and felt his heart flutter when a smile broke out on her face. That was one question answered, one feeling checked off his list. "So..." He pressed when she didn't say anything. "Is that a..." He trailed off, then grinned when her smiled widened and she finished for him.

"A yes."