I wake the next morning to the smell of fresh coffee and quickly do my morning routine before making my way into the kitchen where Mia is eating a pile of fluffy pancakes.

"Please tell me there's more where that came from."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't make you any pancakes?"

"A very cruel one."

"Well you're in luck because I'm not a cruel friend," Mia tells me with a grin.

"Thank goodness. I'm starving."

"The pancakes are on a plate in the microwave. Take as many as you want."

"You're the best," I tell her gratefully before grabbing the plate full of pancakes from the microwave.

"Everything you need to eat is right here." I look over at the table and see that she has already set out an empty plate and utensils for me.

"Thanks." I place the plate of pancakes on the table and get myself a glass of milk before sitting down to eat my pancakes. "They're delicious," I compliment her in between bites.

"So how was last night?" she asks me inquisitively.

"I should be asking you that since you're the one who went on a date."

"It went great, now back to you. How did it go last night with Nate?" Mia says, quickly changing the subject back to me.

"It went great," I admit.

"That's all you're giving me?" she asks frustrated.

"That's what you said about your date," I retort and she groans.

"So?! That doesn't mean you have to repeat after me."

"Wait! How do you even know I went out with Nate?" I ask her, realizing she knows more than she should.

"I let him in. Anyways, back to last night," she says eagerly wanting to know all the details.

"We went to the beach, hung out with his friends and we had a great time. Happy?"

"Extremely," Mia says with a grin as she takes a bite of her pancakes. "By the way, Nate carried you in last night," Mia comments as I eat my pancakes.

"I wouldn't remember since I fell asleep. I figured he woke me up and helped me walk inside or something."

"Well luckily for you I saw everything," she tells me with a grin.

"Everything?!"

"Yes!" she shrieks excitedly.

"Tell me!" I say a little too eagerly and she laughs at my excitement.

"Well, he carried you to your room and laid you down gently on your bed. I left the room at that point but I stayed close enough to your door so I could watch him from afar."

"And what did he do next?" I ask curiously.

"He covered you with your blanket," she informs me but doesn't make any effort to say anything else.

"And?!" I ask in desperation, wanting to hear all the details.

"He whispered something to you. I just don't know what. I bet it was something sweet or romantic."

"Is that it?"

"Nope," she says, popping the 'P.' "There's more."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up, woman! Give me all the details."

"Hold your horses." I glare at her and she laughs. "He kissed you on the forehead," she finally says and I gasp.

"He did?!" I ask in disbelief.

"He did," Mia confirms with a smirk.

"I can't believe it."

"Well, you better believe it because it happened and I saw it with my own two eyes."

"I thought it was all part of a dream."

"Nope. It was real," Mia reassures me with a smile and I just nod and eat my pancakes in silence while thinking over everything Mia just revealed to me.

"Did he tell you anything when he left?" I ask her out of curiosity.

"No. He just told me goodnight and left."

"Oh...," I respond, feeling disappointed.

"Are you kidding me right now? You should be jumping with joy. He kissed you on the forehead, Alexa. That's like one of the sweetest, most romantic things a guy can do," Mia tells me and I smile but I don't feel as enthusiastic about what happened as she does. Guys kiss girls on the forehead all the time. It doesn't necessarily mean anything.

"It's sweet and romantic but I feel like it doesn't mean anything special."

"It means he likes you."

"He does not."

"He does too! I mean he already tried kissing you, did he not?" she reminds me and I nod. He also did tell me he likes me, but maybe he likes me more as a friend. A forehead kiss doesn't really mean anything, does it?

"Yeah, so?!"

"He also invited you to hang out with his friends last night," she presses and I nod. "And he's made it more than obvious he likes you, so stop being a Negative Nancy and just kiss the man already. You know you want to."

"I do," I admit. "I'm scared though."

"I get it. Your first kiss can be scary, but don't let your doubts and insecurities hold you back from something you really want."

"What if I suck."

"Let Nate take the lead. Guy's love that."

"I'm sure Nate would love to be in charge," I say and feel my cheeks blush at the thought. I may not know Nate all that well, but I can totally imagine him placing his hand on my cheek and initiating the kiss and taking the lead, and honestly, I like the sound of that.

"Just do it. Don't think about it."

"Easy for you to say. You're way past your first kiss."

"Are you calling me a whore?"

"No! God, no!" I stammer and she laughs.

"Relax, I was just kidding," she reassures me. "But if you really feel like you're not ready, then don't rush it. The last thing I want is for you to feel pressured. Just wait until you feel the time is right."

"How do you even know when the time is right?"

"You just know. Trust me."

I nod my head and mull over her words as I eat in silence when I hear someone knock on the door.

"That's probably Matt. He's supposed to come over today," Mia says excitedly and practically runs for the door. "Alexa, it's for you," Mia whisper yells.

I walk into our living room and see that she still hasn't opened the door. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think?" she retorts.

"I don't know."

"It's Nate, you dummy," Mia tells me with a laugh and I immediately panic because I'm still in last night's clothes.

"Can you distract him while I change really fast?"

"Yes, now hurry."

I run off in direction of my room while Mia answers the door, and change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I look at myself in the mirror and see that my face doesn't look half bad for the restless sleep I got. I blame Nate for that, but my hair is another story. It needs a good taming so I quickly run my fingertips over my curls with some refresher spray and fluff them up a bit before calling it a done deal.

"Alexa!" I hear Mia yell and take a deep breath before making my way into the living room where Mia is waiting for me with a nervous looking Nate. "Nate's here," Mia announces as if I didn't already know that.

"I can see that," I respond with a laugh.

"Well, I'll leave you two. See you later, Nate." Mia tells him before walking away.

"Bye," Nate responds politely and turns his gaze on me as I approach him.

"Hey! How are you?" I ask him as I take in his casual appearance that always suits him no matter what he wears.

"I'm good but I really need your help," he says anxiously.

"Do you want to come in?"

"No, there's no time."

"What's wrong?" I ask him, feeling concerned.

"Gracie is over at my apartment freaking out about her wedding, and well I was kind of hoping you could help calm her down because she refuses to listen to me."

"Yeah, of course. Take me to her. I'll help calm her down."

"Thanks," Nate responds gratefully and takes my hand in his to lead the way to his apartment. No big deal, right? Oh, it's definitely a big deal. I'm just not making it one, but on the inside, I'm totally freaking out.

We find Gracie pacing back and forth in the living room. She looks as if she is about to lose it any second now.

"Gracie," I say her name aloud and she quickly turns towards me with tear filled eyes.

"Alexa, is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I reassure her and slowly walk up to her. She immediately pulls me in for a hug and starts crying in my arms.

"What's wrong?" I ask her, feeling concerned.

"Everything's going wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"One of my bridesmaids dropped out and now I don't have an even number of bridesmaids."

"That's it?" I ask her with a sigh of relief as she sniffles. "I thought something worse had happened."

"But it's terrible," she responds with a hiccup as she steps away from me and wipes her fresh tears.

"Well no, not really. You can always get another bridesmaid."

"But where am I going to find another bridesmaid when I'm getting married in a few months?"

"Don't worry. You'll be able to find one without any problem. I'm sure any one of your friends would be honored to be your bridesmaid."

"You really think so?" she asks unsure.

"Yes, of course."

"Will you be my bridesmaid then?" Gracie asks me, taking me completely by surprise.

"Umm, I-I don't know what to say," I stammer, feeling shocked. "I'm not sure I'm the indicated person to be your bridesmaid. You've only known me for so long and although I'd be honored to be your bridesmaid, I feel it would be more appropriate if you chose a close friend or even one of your relatives."

"But who would be better than you? You've become a great friend to me in the little time that I have known you and I know that Nate feels the same way about you too."

"I'm flattered but I think you may be making a precipitated choice because you feel like you can't find anyone else."

"No, not at all. I wish I had thought of you sooner. You'd be the perfect bridesmaid because you get along well with Nate and you know a lot about weddings, so who better than you?"

"What does Nate have to do with anything?" I ask confused and look at Nate to see that he's smiling.

"The bridesmaid that dropped out was the one that was supposed to walk down the aisle with Nate, so if you accept, not only will you be doing me a huge favor that I will always be grateful for. You'll also be accompanying my younger brother during my wedding."

"I don't know. I'd rather you find someone else who has a stronger bond with you. You haven't known me long, and I really don't want you to regret your decision. You only get to live through this day once."

"I won't, I promise!" Gracie reassures me. "Will you please, please be my bridesmaid!?" Gracie begs and I want to say yes but at the same time, I still feel unsure, because I don't feel that I am the indicated person to be her bridesmaid. I turn to Nate to see that he's looking at me expectantly and bite my lip because for once I really don't know what to say.

"Come on. Just think about it. Please," Nate pleads and I nearly cave at his insistence but resist as best as I can.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather look for someone else? I'm sure you must have a lot of friends or cousins who would love to be your bridesmaid."

"So are you saying you don't want to be my bridesmaid?" Gracie asks me with a look of disappointment and I shake my head.

"No, it's not that. I'd love to be your bridesmaid. You're an incredible human being and nothing would mean more to me than to be part of your big day, but I'm not sure I'm the indicated person."

"But you are, so please, please, please say yes!" Gracie begs again and I look down at the ground as Nate's feet step into my view. He wraps his arm around my shoulders but I keep my gaze glued on the floor.

"Come on. Do it for my sister, please," Nate begs. I lift my gaze to meet his eyes and stare at him as he looks at me with a hopeful smile. "Nothing would mean more to me than to have you by my side on my sister's big day," Nate tells me and I can't help but smile.

"Do you really mean it?" I ask him, needing to hear a sure answer.

"Yes, I mean every word of it, so please be my sister's bridesmaid and my date to her wedding."

"Your date?" I ask shocked and he simply grins.

"Yes, my date," he repeats.

"Come on. Please say yes," Gracie begs again.

"Fine, I accept. I'll gladly be your bridesmaid, Gracie," I tell her before turning to Nate. "And Nate, it would be my honor to be your date."

"Yay!" Gracie exclaims and pulls me into a hug. "Nate get your butt over here." Nate laughs and pulls us into his arms.

"Now no more tears," Nate tells Gracie and she quickly wipes away her stray tears.

"No more...for now," she adds with a laugh before pushing me into Nate's arms. If this wasn't intentional, I would laugh, but Gracie clearly did this on purpose. She's trying to get us together one way or another and I think it's working, not that I would ever tell Nate. "Now you two hug it out because I have a lot of things to do for my wedding."

"I can help you if you want," I offer and she immediately perks up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"When are you available?" she asks me and I can tell she's already thinking about all the things she has to do.

"I'm free now."

"Perfect, let's go," Gracie says excitedly and pulls me out of Nate's arms.

"Where are you taking her?" Nate asks concerned and I can't help but smile. He clearly misses me already.

"Out."

"Well obviously but where?"

"I'm going to have her model bridesmaids dresses for me."

"Are you really up for that?" he asks me and I nod.

"Sure, why not?"

"Gracie here can get a bit crazy," Nate warns me and Gracie smacks him on the arm.

"I promise to be good," Gracie tells me and I can't help but laugh.

"It's fine," I reassure them both.

"Let's get going then," Gracie says excitedly. "Do you want to come with us?" she asks Nate and he immediately turns towards me.

"Is that okay with you?" Nate asks me and I nod.

"Is that even a question? Of course, it's fine, but before we leave I need to grab my purse."

"How about we meet outside your place in five minutes?" he suggests.

"Sounds good. See you two in a bit," I tell them before making my way out of Nate's apartment. I quickly walk back to my apartment and grab my purse and my phone before making my way back outside. A few minutes later, Nate and Gracie walk up to me with big smiles on their faces.

"Ready?" Gracie asks and I nod. "Good. Let's go then." I follow Gracie and Nate to a white Volkswagen Beetle and know immediately that it's not Nate's car because it has a pink interior, which is very girly like Gracie.

"Nice car," I comment as Nate gestures for me to hop in the back. I do and he slides in right next to me instead of taking the passenger seat. "You know you could have sat in the front," I tell him and he just smiles.

"I know but I'd rather sit with you in the back."

"But you barely fit in the back," I point out as his head basically hits the top of the car.

"I got it." Gracie chimes in and presses a button to lower the convertible top.

"See? It's all good now," Nate says with a smile and pulls his camera out of its carrying case.

"I can see that. I hope you're not planning on taking pictures of strange women?"

"Why? Would that make you jealous?" he asks me with a Cheshire grin.

"No, not at all," I respond defensively with a huff and turn away from him when I hear the shutter go off. I quickly turn back towards him and see that he is taking pictures of me. "Seriously?"

"What?" he asks, playing dumb.

"You're taking pictures of me again," I deadpan.

"And?"

"Stop it."

"Make me," he responds with a grin and takes another picture of me. I immediately reach for his camera and of course, he lifts it out of my reach so I can't get it, so I just give up and buckle my seatbelt instead. He does the same and quickly goes back to taking pictures of me.

"Seriously?"

"What?" he asks with a mischievous grin.

"You're still taking pictures of me."

"And?"

"I'm not photogenic, so stop it," I say annoyed.

"Says who?"

"Me, myself, and I!"

"I'll make you realize otherwise."

"No, you won't. Why don't you let me take pictures of you for a change?" I ask him, trying to change the subject.

"Fine but only if you promise to let me do a photo shoot with you."

"No deal."

"Come on. Just let me take pictures of you one time, and I'll never ask you again if you don't like them," Nate pleads with me and I can't help but think of all the ways that could go wrong. I subconsciously bite my lip and shake my head.

"Just give him a chance. Nate takes amazing pictures," Gracie tells me and I know she's right. I saw some of his work in his room and it was all so gorgeous, but I'm just not fond of taking pictures. I never like how I turn out and doubt that would change even if Nate took the pictures.

"I don't like being photographed," I admit.

"Well let me try just once and if you seriously hate them I'll delete them and I'll never ask you again."

"You promise?"

"I promise," he says and holds out his pinky finger towards me. I look at him skeptically but give in. He smiles and wraps his pinky around mine.

"Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise," he repeats.

"Awe, you two are so cute," Gracie interjects and I can't help but blush.

"Gracie, shut up," Nate tells her and she just laughs at our embarrassment.

"Well, it's settled now. You have one shot. That's all you get," I tell him and he nods before handing me his camera. I just give him a confused look but take it anyways.

"You said you wanted to take pictures of me, didn't you?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," I say with an embarrassed smile.

"So how do you want me? Shirtless? Naked? You tell me," he tells me with a wink and I just shake my head with a big grin on my face.

"Whoa there. Let's keep the photo session PG, please. Even if I am driving I am still in the car, remember?" Gracie says and I just laugh.

"I know," Nate responds with a grin and slightly lifts his shirt and I, of course, take a picture. I'm not about to miss a chance like that.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to capture that," he exclaims.

"I'm the one in charge right now. Not you. So shut it."

"Ooh, I really like her," Gracie says amused as she keeps her eyes on the road.

"When it's my turn to photograph you, you'll be doing as I say," Nate tells me, completely ignoring his sister.

"Fine but for now, you do as I say," I remind him and he nods. "Lift your shirt up."

He slowly slides his shirt up and looks directly at me with a wicked glint in his eyes. "Nevermind, lower it," I tell him, not wanting to look at his abs anymore. The longer I look at them, the more I want to touch them and that's definitely not okay. He lets his shirt fall and just grins at me while he waits for me to make a move.

"We're here!" Gracie announces excitedly and I sigh.

"Don't look so relieved," he tells me and I laugh because he's not wrong. I am beyond relieved that I won't be stuck in the back of the car with him anymore. I need a break from him. When I'm with him, I lose my ability to think. And the more time we spend together, the more confusing things get between us. When we are together, lines always start to blur. And I mean always.

We have come very close to giving in to what we both want, but we can't. Not yet.

Right now I just need to focus on Gracie and her big day.