"Alexa, someone is here to see you," Betty, my boss informs me as I put wedding dresses back on the rack.

"Really? Who is it?"

"Me," I hear that familiar voice say and turn to see Nate walking towards me. I expect him to stop a safe distance away from me, but he doesn't. He surprises me by closing the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. I stare into his eyes longingly and feel time slow down as I watch his face inch closer and closer to mine. The moment his lips touch mine I can't bring myself to stop him. I place my hand on his stubbled cheek and kiss him back as he kisses me without a care in the world.

I hear a throat clear behind us and quickly pull away when I remember that Betty is still with us.

"Sorry, Betty," I apologize embarrassed.

"No need to apologize. You two are clearly in love and I'm happy for you two," Betty tells us and I nearly faint at the mention of the 'L' word.

"Thanks, Betty," Nate responds to her when I don't say anything and pulls me to his side.

"You're welcome. Now I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Betty tells us with a wink before leaving us alone.

"Oh, God," I mutter under my breath.

"What?" Nate asks amusedly.

"I just kissed you in front of my boss. That's what."

"What's the big deal? It was just a kiss. It's not like it's the end of the world."

"I'm on the clock. She's paying me to work, not kiss you."

"Calm down, babe. I talked to Betty when I entered the store and told her we're dating, so I'm sure she's fine with me kissing you. You are my girlfriend after all."

I'm about to just accept it and move on when I realize what he said. "Wait! You told her?" I ask surprised.

"Yes, I thought it was only right she knows since she'll be seeing more of me around here," he informs me matter of factly with a smug grin. "Why? Did you not want her to know?" he asks suddenly, and I see the hurt cross his eyes before I can even stop it.

"No..." I hesitate before adding, "That's not it at all. I want her and all the world to know. I just didn't think you would care to tell others yet since our relationship is so new."

He breaks into a smile and pulls me into his arms. "Of course I want her to know. Her and the whole world."

"Then shout it. I dare you," I tell him playfully and he actually opens his mouth to do it. He's clearly not one to turn down a dare. I only have a matter of seconds to think of something quick to stop him, so I do the first thing that comes to mind. I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. He smiles against my lips and kisses me back slow and soft. His kiss is light as a feather but it fills me with so much warmth it makes me feel cherished and loved. Loved? No. It's too soon to speak of love, but his kiss definitely makes me feel special. I wish we could kiss forever like this, but I have a job to get back to. I pull away from him and he chases my lips but I stop him and cover his mouth with my hand. "I need to get back to work," I remind him and he bites my hand, making me yelp.

"I know. I wish you didn't."

"That makes two of us," I assure him. "What brings you here anyway?" I ask him curiously. "Gracie is not with you so I don't understand why the surprise visit."

"My beautiful girlfriend of course," Nate tells me with a big smile and pulls me into his arms and just holds me. I could really get used to being wrapped up in his arms. It feels like my own little piece of heaven.

"What really brings you here?" I pry.

"You of course. What else would bring me to a bridal store?" Nate asks with a chuckle.

"I don't know. Maybe you're looking for something for one of your photo shoots," I offer and he shakes his head.

"Good guess but no. I actually came for this." Nate grabs my hand and lowers it to his back pocket. "Feel what's inside," he tells me with a grin and I shake my head. "It won't bite. I promise."

"What is it?"

"Reach inside my pocket and you'll find out."

"I don't think so."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not right now."

"Come on, babe. I promise it's nothing bad."

"Fine." I reach in his back pocket and pull out a pretty mint colored envelope with my name on it. "What is this?" I ask curiously.

"This is an invitation that Gracie dropped off at my place. She asked me to get it to you as soon as possible, so I figured it was the perfect excuse to come and see you."

"You didn't have to come all the way here just to give me this."

"I know but I wanted to see you."

"Well, you saw me," I retort playfully.

"I did and I plan on seeing more of you," he tells me with a wink and I gulp because I'm pretty sure there is a double entendre behind his words.

"Keep it down," I whisper-yell at him and smack him playfully on the chest.

"Fine," he responds with a chuckle and takes the envelope from me. "You know, you don't have to go. You can always skip it and we can just hang out at my place," Nate tells me with a hopeful smile.

"You mean Netflix and chill?" I say and his eyes darken at my response but the look he gives me is gone just as fast as it appeared and his baby blues are back to their playful nature, making me doubt I saw the look that crossed his eyes in the first place.

"As tempting as that is, I was thinking more along the lines of making you a home-cooked meal. Shirtless," he adds for my benefit and I let my head fall on his chest with a groan.

"You're evil," I mutter against his shirt and he chuckles.

"I just wanted to let you know what you're missing out on."

"I hate you," I growl and he laughs.

"We both know you feel anything but hate for me."

"Shut up and let me pretend to hate you. It's the least you can do when you dangle the image of you cooking shirtless in front of me," I say and he wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.

"I can always cook shirtless for you another time or you can skip Gracie's dumb get together altogether and I can do it sooner."

"It's not dumb if it makes your sister happy."

"Well, I think it's dumb because she just wants to get all her bridesmaids together to hang out. That's literally all you're going to do."

"Is Miranda going to be there?"

"She has to be. She's her maid of honor."

"Don't remind me," I groan and he chuckles.

"My offer still stands if you change your mind."

"I'm not going to miss your sisters get together," I tell him and snatch the envelope back. "If it means so much to her, I'll be there."

"Will you?" he asks and I sigh.

"Nate, stop. You're being such a bad influence."

"I know but it's worth a try," he says with a devilish smirk.

"Well, stop. I'm going and that's that. I promise to make it up to you later. Okay?" I say and kiss him.

"You better," he responds with a grin. "In the meantime, do you want to go on a lunch date with me?"

"I can't. I still have an hour until lunch time."

"That's already been taken care of. I talked to Betty about it and she said I could take you out to eat, so what do you say?"

"I say yes, yes and yes," I respond giddily with a big grin until I remember Mia. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"What? Why?" he asks confused by the sudden change in my demeanor.

"Mia. I can't leave without her," I explain and as if I conjured her with my mind, she walks right up to us.

"Go. Have fun. I'll be fine on my own for lunch," she reassures me but I still feel bad eating without her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go. Just don't eat your man for lunch. Or do. It's up to you," she says with a smirk and I gasp.

"Mia!" I scorn her. "Shut your trap."

"It'll happen sooner or later," she says like it's no big deal and I quickly cover her mouth before she can say anything else.

"Enough. I don't want to hear another peep out of you. Go work and get your head out of the gutter." She nods and I notice the big Cheshire grin stretching her lips behind my hand. "Go," I tell her and she backs away with her hands in the air before walking off. I turn back towards Nate and see an amused expression on his face. "You didn't hear any of that," I tell him and he chuckles but stops when I don't laugh.

"Noted," he says and I hope and pray he does not mention what Mia said during lunch or ever really. "Go get your stuff. I'll wait for you here."

"Okay. I'll be back in a jiffy."

"That's what all women say."

"Well, I actually mean it," I respond with a smirk and give him a quick peck on the lips before ducking under his arm and making my way to my locker to get my stuff. I return to where Nate is waiting for me not even two minutes later and find him looking through the dresses I had been putting back when he walked up to me. "Need help finding a specific dress?" I tease him.

"Nope. I was just looking, wondering what you'd look like in one of these gowns," he says nonchalantly as if it's no big deal and here I am, freaking out on the inside.

"Well, I'm ready when you are," I tell him, changing the subject, refusing to acknowledge what he just said. Now's not the time to think about weddings much less marrying Nate, but for a moment I let my mind wander and imagine what it would be like to marry him.

I see myself dressed in a long gorgeous wedding gown, holding the most beautiful bouquet of flowers and Nate waiting for me at the altar, looking more handsome than ever. I smile at the thought and for a second I wish it was real and not just my imagination, but then reality hits and washes over me like a cold shower, reminding me that I should not be thinking about weddings when Nate and I have not been dating that long. First, we have to see if we're meant to be and if we are, then we can decide if we want to spend the rest of our lives together. But until then, I can't let my mind go any further down that road. I mentally shake off all the wedding images clouding my mind and return my attention to Nate.

"Let's go," Nate tells me, clueless as to what he stirred inside me, and takes my hand in his before leading me out of the store. "So what are you craving?" he asks me and I shrug my shoulders.

"Whatever you want to eat is fine with me."

"That's not going to cut it. What do you want to eat? This is my treat, so you choose."

"I've been craving a cheeseburger," I admit, feeling a bit embarrassed that I am craving a cheeseburger out of all things. Most girls would have said a salad but not me. I want a juicy cheeseburger and some crispy fries.

"I was hoping you would say that," Nate tells me with a grin before leading me in the direction of his car.

"So you've been craving a cheeseburger too?"

"Yup. I'm a cheeseburger kind of guy."

"Well, you're in luck because I am a cheeseburger kind of gal."

"You are definitely the perfect woman for me then," he says with a boyish smile.

"Is that so?"

"It is and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"There you go again being all cheesy."

"I'm being serious."

"Sure you are."

"You are the worst compliment taker ever but I plan on changing that."

"Doubtful."

"I will. Just you watch," he tells me before opening the passenger door for me.

"Try all you want. It's not going to happen," I tell him and climb into the passenger seat.

"We'll see about that," he responds before closing the door and makes his way around the car to get in.

"So where are we going?" I ask him, trying to change the subject.

"Don't worry. You'll see," he responds with an infectious smile.

"I can't wait."

Ten minutes later we arrive at a small fifty's diner that I have never been to. We walk inside and I can't help but gasp. "This place is amazing," I comment as I take in the decoration of the restaurant that is covered in vintage posters. The tables are set at the center of old convertible cars and the benches are made from car seats. It looks like a diner out of an old black and white film and I absolutely love it.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it," I admit, as a girl on roller skates glides up to us.

"Table for two?" she asks us politely.

"Yes, please," Nate responds. She grabs two menus from the podium beside us before leading us to a red convertible.

"Will this car be okay or would you like to sit in a different one?" she asks us and Nate looks at me, giving me free rein to decide.

"It's perfect," I assure her and she smiles.

"Please go ahead and take a seat." Nate gestures for me to take a seat first so I don't think twice to slide into the bench closest to me and am surprised when Nate slides in right next to me. "Here are your menus. I'll give you a few minutes so you can look them over and decide what it is that you want to eat today."

"That won't be necessary. We already know what we want to order," Nate tells her and hands back the menus to her.

"We do?" I ask him surprised.

"Yes, we do," he tells me with a smirk before turning back towards the girl. "We'd like two deluxe bacon cheeseburgers with Cajun fries, one strawberry milkshake, and one Oreo milkshake."

"Will that be all for you?" she asks us and Nate tells her it is. "Perfect. I'll bring your order to you as soon as it's ready," she informs us and makes her way to the kitchen.

"Planning on ordering anything else for me?" I ask, slightly peeved.

"Not unless you want me to," he tells me with a grin.

Smug bastard.

"Don't get used to ordering for me."

"Why not? I thought women like a man in charge," he tells me with a wink and I roll my eyes.

"Women like a man in charge in the bedroom. Nowhere else," I tell him and he opens his mouth to speak but I quickly cover it, shutting him up in the process. "Don't ever come between me and my food again. Got it?" I tell him playfully but I mean every word of it.

"Duly noted."

He pokes me in the ribs playfully, making me scream out loud. I pause for a second, making sure I didn't disturb the peace in the restaurant and when no one peeks their head out of the kitchen I proceed to tickle Nate.

"I'm not ticklish."

"Said no one ever," I retort and make it my mission to find a spot where he's ticklish and have no luck until I move my hands to the lower part of his stomach. As soon as I touch him just the teensiest bit, he sucks in his stomach and I know immediately I have struck gold. "I thought you weren't ticklish you liar."

"I'm not," he says with a chuckle.

I scoot closer to him to tickle his stomach but he just scoots further and further away from me until he runs out of room and has nowhere else to go. He grasps my wrists with his hands and kisses me, making me forget all about what I was doing. I close my eyes and give into his lips that gently caress my bottom lip. I relish the moment until I remember that we are in a public place and quickly pull away from him before our kiss gets too intense.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks with a hurt expression and I shake my head.

"No, you did everything right," I reassure him. "Well, except ordering my food," I add and he sighs.

"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not anytime soon," I say with a smile.

"I'll try and remember not to do it again."

"Thanks," I say and kiss him on the lips but quickly pull away and he groans. "I don't want to risk being seen," I explain to him and he nods. I'm not one for a big display of PDA. Don't get me wrong. I love kissing Nate, I just don't like doing it for all the world to see.

"Are you sure it's only that?"

"Yes," I reassure him.

"I'll believe you just this once," he tells me with a grin, going back to his playful self and scoots closer to me. "You should really reconsider hanging out with me. We could kiss without having to worry about being seen and you wouldn't have to go to Gracie's get together, which means you wouldn't have to see Miranda. I think that's a definite plus."

"Believe me. I would love to spend more time with you, but I wouldn't feel right ditching your sister's get together, so please stop trying to persuade me otherwise. You're making this so much harder for me than it has to be," I practically plead and he seems to get it through that stubborn head of his that I happen to adore so much.

Did I really just say adore? What the heck is happening to me?

"If you change your mind my offer still stands," he tells me as our waitress approaches us with our delicious smelling food and milkshakes.

"I'll think about it," I promise him, feeling torn between right and wrong. I really want to hang out with Nate more than anything, but the last thing I want to do is let Gracie down. Especially since she so kindly asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I feel wrong not going to her get together, but a big part of me begs me to hang out with Nate and let him cook for me. And the fact that he'd be doing it shirtless only makes his offer more tempting. God, I want to see him cook shirtless. Nothing would be sexier than that.

Gracie, my conscience reminds me and I sigh internally.

What am I supposed to do? Follow my heart or my conscience? I have a tough decision to make and have no idea what to do, but only time and a lot of thinking will help me make the right decision. In the meantime, I'm going to distract myself by devouring the delicious burger, fries and strawberry milkshake sitting in front of me.

When it comes time, I will just have to decide whether I am going to take up Nate on his offer or go to Gracie's get together instead.

Decisions. Decisions.