I sit in front of the mirror in my bedroom with eyeliner in one hand and my phone in the other.

"I think it looks okay. What do you say?"

Annie chuckles. "It's cute how nervous you are. And yes, it looks good. You're a natural. The more you practice, the better the line will get. What are you wearing, by the way?"

"Just some jeans and a sweater. Brian told me to wear something comfortable, and it's not like I have many clothes apart from those, anyway."

"All because of that bitch." Annie groans. "I can't wait for our next meetup to beat her ass."

"She's not worth it. Brian and I talked, and we're okay. If Bella thought we'd break up, she's in for a surprise."

"That's my girl. Okay, you're all good, and I still have to get dressed. You forgot I also have a date."

"Have fun!"

Annie waves goodbye, and we disconnect the call. I put my cell down and glance at my face in the mirror again. My eyes look more expressive with the eyeliner, and the line seems decent for a rookie like me. Seeing that it's already late, I grab my things and go downstairs.

Lucky for me, Mom isn't home. I feel bad for telling her I'm going out with some girls from my class, but I don't have a choice. She hates guys that wear leather jackets and ride bikes, and I know she'll be against me dating Brian.

Until recently, I'd found the idea absurd as well. And now, I feel butterflies every time he looks at me or says my name.

We're different, and what Brian told me could've been enough to scare me off. Instead, his honesty drew me in. He didn't lie to get in my pants and told me it was up to me whether I wanted to be with him. I might get burned, but I like him too much to reject him.

The sight of Brian next to his bike pulls me out of my thoughts. He smiles when he sees me, and I rush toward him after locking the front door.

"Hey, Kitten," Brian says. "Ready to have some fun?"

I smile and nod. Brian hands me a helmet and waits while I climb on his bike and settle behind him.

We leave town and ride for almost an hour. I've never been to the place where we end up.

Brian parks the bike downtown and takes my hand in his as soon as I take off the helmet and smooth my fingers through my hair.

That last thing makes Brian chuckle. "You look pretty, Princess. It's windy, so don't worry so much."

"Thank you," I say.

He draws an arm around my shoulders and kisses my cheek. "I should thank you because you agreed to go out with me. I hope you don't have a curfew."

"Mom doesn't work tonight," I say. "But I told her I was with some classmates."

We stroll along the narrow street with cobblestone pavements and red brick buildings on either side of it. Most of those constructions are hotels and restaurants. Brian halts next to a small cafe and waits for me to follow him inside.

Photos of famous landmarks I've only seen in books decorate the walls, checkered tablecloths cover the small round tables, but the mouthwatering aroma wafting from the kitchen is what adds the final touch to the charm of the place.

Brian points to a table by the window, and we sit.

He scans the menu and then looks at me. "Is pizza okay with you? It's not Italy, but the owner's Italian, and the food's excellent."

"It's good." I smile.

"Any preferences, Kitten?"

"Lots of cheese."

Brian laughs and calls the server to place our order.

We're quiet for a short while after that, but then, Brian says, "I've just had an idea."

"What?"

"What if we make a list like the ones we have but put some stuff we'd like to do together? Of course, we're keeping the making love on the beach part and seeing the boy. You've seen him, but you might want a repeat, and who am I to say no?"

I laugh at Brian's pleading eyes. "Okay. I might want to see him again, in broad daylight this time."

"Who needs pizza, Kitten? Let's go."

Brian nods toward the entrance, and I throw a paper napkin at him, laughing.

He catches it and grins. "This will do."

Brian takes a pen out of his pocket and writes the two things he'd mentioned. "Come on, Princess, give me more sappy couple shit you'd like to do with your hot bad boy boyfriend."

"Where's he?" I fake a puzzled expression and glance around the restaurant, pretending to look for someone.

"She's funny." Brian smirks. "But that's okay. We might do a hypnosis sesh with your Valentine's Day gift."

"My gift?"

"Yes." Brian reaches into his pocket and gives me a small box. A necklace lies on the cushion. It's a little kitten curled up into a ball, and warmth floods my cheeks as I look at it.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Princess," Brian says. He cups my jaw and strokes it with his thumb. "Do you like it?"

"I love it, but you didn't have to. I couldn't even get you anything."

He rolls his eyes. "You're here. That's the best gift you could give me. Now, give me the kitten."

I smile, handing Brian the necklace. He takes it out of the box and makes it sway in front of my eyes.

"Eyes trained on the kitten, Princess. You'll watch it and repeat what I say. Otherwise, the hypnosis won't work. Okay?"

I giggle. "Okay."

Brian clears his throat and says, "My boyfriend's a bad boy."

I snort, and he narrows his eyes at me. The kitten stops swaying.

"Repeat it, Princess."

"My boyfriend's a bad boy," I say, laughing.

Brian winks. "Good girl. He has a big dick."

"Oh my God, Brian."

"Say it."

I lean back in my chair. "I'm not gonna say it. It's not big; it's average like my bad boy boyfriend's kisses."

"You love them."

"I don't."

"And those little moans?"

I shrug. "Mean nothing."

Brian jumps off his chair and rounds the table. In a moment, he pulls me up from my chair and makes me land on his lap as he sits.

"Look in these eyes and tell me they mean nothing."

I press my forehead to Brian's and comb my fingers through his hair. "Nothing," I whisper.

Brian inches toward me and kisses my lips softly. The butterflies in my belly are back, doing a crazy dance and batting their wings. I kiss him harder and can't help moaning when his tongue strokes mine.

"Say the boy's big, Princess, or he'll perish from distress."

"He's big and beautiful," I say against Brian's mouth. "And my boyfriend's a bad boy who wants to be good for me."

Brian grins. "I like that. Now, one last thing. Say, 'I'll let Brian take me somewhere after we eat.'"

"Where?"

"It's a surprise. Just say yes."

I draw my arms around Brian's neck and rest my head on his shoulder. "Yes."

When our food is on the table, we share a slice of pizza. Brian doesn't let me leave his lap and feeds me. I bite his fingers, and he says the payback will be something I won't forget.

We also add some things to the list — watching the sunset, stargazing, and swimming in the lake. Brian puts, 'skinny dipping' and 'taking a shower together,' as well as 'doing tequila shots.'

After lunch, we climb on the bike, and Brian takes me somewhere he says I'll like.

When we arrive at our destination, there's nothing around other than a group of people ahead of us. It's a field, but as I look skyward, my eyes widen.

A man approaches us and shakes hands with Brian.

"Come here, Kitten," Brian says. Without giving me time to react, he grabs my hand and leads me toward the men who are busy preparing a hot air balloon.

"You're crazy," I whisper, staring at the colorful giant. Those in the sky seem small, but it's enormous up close.

"All set, Brian," the man says after a while. "I'll be on board with you."

"Thanks, James," Brian answers and looks at me. "I've never done this, Princess. It's a first for me, too, okay? If we fall, we'll fall together."

James slaps Brian's back. "You won't fall. I'll make sure of it. We'll fly above the treetops first and higher after. Enjoy the view."

Fear seizes my insides when we get into the balloon basket, but Brian's unfazed. He hugs me tightly and presses a kiss to my neck when we start the ascent. The balloon moves smoothly, and the view takes my breath away.

We fly over a valley, and I marvel at the miniature trees and houses. When the sun starts to set, the scenery looks like something straight out of a dream. The sky is orange with splashes of red, and the clouds remind me of cotton candy.

"Good?" Brian says against my neck.

I nod. Taking advantage of James not looking our way, Brian kisses me hard, burying his fingers in my hair and pressing me to him. We gaze into each other's eyes, and he smiles slightly.

We take pictures of the two of us and spend the rest of the ride silently observing the beauty surrounding us.

It's over too fast. Brian laughs at my disappointment and reminds me I was the one who was afraid to fly.

My legs shake when we land. We say goodbye to the pilot and stroll toward the bike.

Brian kisses my lips before getting on Fat Boy to ride back to our town. As he cruises down the highway, I rest my cheek against Brian's back and can't help smiling.

Soon, the familiar forest comes into view. Brian slows and goes off the main road and into the woods. We're close to The Temple, but he doesn't go to the clearing — he kills the engine and parks under a tree instead. Darkness envelops us. I can hardly see anything, but I see Brian, who helps me off and then sits me in front of him.

He wraps his arms around me and presses me to him, making me straddle his lap. Our faces are only an inch apart. His breath blows across my skin, and wet, greedy lips devour mine. Brian tangles his hands in my strands, tugging just barely. I gasp, and he applies more pressure, circling my tongue with his.

I bring my hands to his hair and bury my fingers in it. It's soft, and I know Brian loves it when I tug at the roots gently.

I love his lips on me, and I love it even more when he kisses my neck, licking and biting. I'm aching for something I can't explain, and this time, I can't stop the moans from leaving my mouth.

"I've been dreaming about this all day," Brian whispers, kissing me even more desperately. "Tell me you like it, Princess."

"I do," I utter. "So much."

We're both panting while the kiss restarts. I'm the one to attack his lips this time. When my mouth latches onto Brian's neck, he throws his head back, letting me kiss him.

I move forward, feeling him hard beneath me. He finds my lips with his again, and flattens his palms on my behind, pulling me toward his strong body.

"Let me make you feel good, babe. Please?"

I struggle to recognize Brian's voice, and I can't find mine. But I nod.

He continues kissing me, and one of his hands moves to the front of my jeans. Brian undoes the button and slides the zipper down.

His mouth stills on mine.

"Fuck, babe," he whispers before touching me through my underwear. It's almost feather-like, but the darkness and his lips that can't stray from mine heighten the sensation. Brian sucks on my tongue and caresses me faster, making me move against his hand.

"Eyes on me," he says, and my traitorous body shakes. My clear eyes look into Brian's dark ones while the wave of pleasure rolls over me, making me whimper.

A smile plays on Brian's lips. He goes on caressing me until I come down from the high and collapse against his chest, leaning my forehead on his shoulder.

"Was it okay, Kitten?" Brian asks, rubbing circles on my back.

"Amazing."

"You're so fucking beautiful it hurts. I won't sleep tonight."

I smile. "For real?"

Brian chuckles and pecks my cheek. "Yeah, gotta calm the boy down, but at least now I have something to imagine."

My face warms, and he laughs again, but his expression grows serious. "I just want you to know what you do to me. No other girl; only you."

I answer him with a kiss, and we head home.

I don't want the date to end, but it does. Brian parks near my house and kisses me goodnight.

Mom's asleep, but I tiptoe along the hallway anyway, afraid to make noise.

Once in my room, I undress and grab my PJs. Brian's scent is all over me, and I wish I didn't have to shower.

When I climb into bed, the little kitten is on my neck, and a smile is glued to my lips.

What I see as I look up at the ceiling makes me cry. It's my own night sky, but the stars don't feel fake. They seem as real as the feelings blooming in my chest.