Chloe approached the cafe with a feeling of nervous excitement. She immediately recognized Paul standing outside the door, waiting for her. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his well-formed biceps. Though it was a little bit chilly out, the cold didn't seem to even register to Paul.

It was like he sensed her presence for he lifted his head and looked directly at her as soon as she was in view, smiling widely. Chloe couldn't help the returning grin that broke out uncontrollably on her face.

She jogged up to meet him. "Hey," she breathed as she stood in front of him. She had almost forgotten how tall he was, it was actually a little intimidating.

"Hey," he said cheerfully back at her. The look on his face was so earnest and trusting that she didn't feel nervous about him. She could sense right away that he would never do anything to hurt her.

He seemed content to just stand by the door and stare at her, but Chloe realized how awkward that was, so she went to open the door. Paul quickly took the handle, though, before she could, holding the door open for her.

Joe's was a cool local place with a laid back vibe. A lot of kids from her school came and hung out here since the town was pretty small and there weren't a lot of places to go. She saw some kids from her grade at a table, but she didn't really talk to them so didn't feel compelled to say "hi." The place was kind of crowded.

The walls were painted bright colors, with mismatched pictures hung all over them. Wood tables were scattered around the place. Chloe lead them to the counter to order.

"I'll have a turtle coffee," Chloe told the girl behind the counter.

"And a black coffee for me," Paul eyed the baked goods behind the glass, "And a brownie, actually two brownies please." Chloe saw the girl eyeing Paul appreciatively. Paul didn't even notice, though, as he smiled down at Chloe, which filled her with a sense of pride.

"For here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Paul answered for them.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Paul asked solicitously as the barista went to get their drinks.

"What, are both those brownies for you?" Chloe said jokingly.

Paul looked at her sheepishly, and she swore she almost saw a blush for underneath his tanned skin, though she could have just been imaging it.

"Well, yeah," he answered, "But I'll get you one," he offered quickly.

Chloe laughed. She was tempted, but the thought of the extra calories stopped her. "No, I'm really not hungry," she made an excuse.

"Are you sure?" he asked as the barista came back and put their orders in front of them. Paul pulled out his wallet from his back pocket.

"Yeah, and I can pay for my own," Chloe offered.

"No, I'm happy to pay," Paul smiled down at her, handing the bills over. Chloe picked up the over-sized mug and took a sip of the warm liquid as Paul got his change back. She led them over to a table by the window.

"So Paul," Chloe said after she sat down.

"Chloe," Paul replied. A small shiver ran down Chloe's spine at his deep voice. He was very sexy. He took a huge bight of the brownie, Chloe stared at him a bit jealously, but only took a dainty sip of her drink.

"So, you read the whole book huh?" Chloe asked to make conversation.

"Yeah, it was really good," Paul said, though she saw him grimace a little as he lied.

"What was your favorite part?" Chloe pretended to ask curiously.

"Favorite part," Paul said as he thought, trying to think of the least boring part of that book, "Um, I guess the chapter on unions and the labour party," Paul shrugged.

Chloe fabricated a skeptical look on her face, "Hmm, I'm not sure I remember that. My favorite part was when they get trapped in the basement by zombies." Chloe quickly thought of something that might sound interesting to read about.

"Zombies?" Paul questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, the zombies," Chloe shrugged, fighting hard to keep the smile from her face.

"I don't understand," Paul said, "What do zombies have to do with the industrial revolution?"

"Industrial Revolution?" Chloe sounded confused.

"Well, yeah, the book you gave me was called The Rise of the Industrial Revolution."

"Oh..." Chloe drug out the word, placing a look of consternation on her face, "I must have accidentally given you the wrong book," she said with her eyebrows carefully furrowed.

Paul stared at her stupidly, "The wrong book?"

She shrugged, "Oops."

Paul groaned, "And I read that whole book for nothing!" he complained loudly.

Chloe giggled a little. "But hey, you said you liked it."

"I didn't like it. It was boring as hell!"

Chloe laughed at his outburst.

"Come on," she said seriously, "You did not actually read the whole book."

"I did!" Paul said indignantly.

"Liar." Her voice was playful.

"I did!" Paul repeated again. "And it was terrible."

Chloe giggled and shrugged, deciding to let it go. "So, how are old you?" she asked abruptly to change the subject and because it was something she was genuinely wondering about. If he was twenty-one or twenty-two, it probably wouldn't be that big a deal that she was out on a date with him, but any older than that, and it might borderline on unacceptable, according to her parents at least.

"Eighteen," he answered smoothly.

Chloe stared at him for a second. "Eighteen, but you look older!" She looked closely at his handsome face. His jaw line was strong and pronounced, his eyes deep set, his nose well formed. Indeed, his features looked formed beyond eighteen years old.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he looked to be almost uncomfortable beneath her scrutiny. "How old are you?" he asked back, taking a sip of his drink and a bite of his brownie.

"Seventeen, almost eighteen," Chloe answered. He didn't seem surprised by her answer.

"When's your birthday?"

"November 18," Chloe answered.

"And then you'll be an adult," Paul grinned.

"I guess."

Paul suddenly pushed the plate with his brownie on it right in front of Chloe. "Here," he said, "Eat it."

Chloe glanced quickly up at him, wondering if she had been eyeing the brownie too obviously.

"Oh no, really," she protested, "it's yours," though if she were honest, she was willing to slack on her diet a little for a taste of the delicious looking confection.

Paul stuffed the remaining bit of his first brownie into his face. "I'm not hungry," he said around the mouthful. Chloe giggled at how cute he was being. She happily took a bite of the brownie.

"Maybe just half," she told him. "So, are you still in high school?" she asked, wrapping her mind around the fact that he was only eighteen.

"Yeah, I graduate this year."

"Me too," Chloe said brightly. "Do you know where your going to college?" she asked, thinking of her applications.

Paul shrugged, "I don't think I am. I'll probably stick close to home, get a job with some of my buddies." Chloe looked surprised. For her and her friends, it was the assumption they would all go to college. The idea of not going barely even occurred to her.

"What about you?" Paul asked.

"I don't really know yet," Chloe said, "I'm still looking at different schools. I'm going to start applying soon. I guess it depends where I get in."

"Do you want to go far away?" Paul said in a strangely strangled sounding tone of voice.

"I'll probably go somewhere in the state," Chloe said, "To save money, you know. Though it would be really cool to go to California, somewhere a bit sunnier. I don't know." Chloe didn't particularly like thinking about after school plans. On one hand it was exciting, but on the other, it was a pressure-inducing, scary, give-me-a-nervous-breakdown kind of experience. Chloe was trying to not let it get to her.

"Do you know what you want to study?" Paul asked, staring intently at her.

"Culinary Arts" Chloe said without even thinking about it. Though she didn't know where she wanted to go, she knew that she wanted to be a chef and open her own restaurant.

"You want to be a chef?"

"Yeah," Chloe nodded, "I love to cook. I especially love trying knew things and making up recipes. I actually have to stop myself from making too much sometimes, because we can't eat all the food."

Paul had a look on his face as though she had just offered him a million dollars. "I'll help you eat food, anytime," he said so eagerly that Chloe had to laugh.

"I bet you would. You're probably one of those people who eat really terribly and still manage to stay incredibly fit," Chloe joked, looked down at his muscular arms and flat stomach. Then she remembered what Joey said about the steroids and her face went still.

Paul only laughed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "especially lately." Why lately? Chloe wondered. She really hoped Paul wasn't on steroids, but it would be inappropriate to ask. That's when it hit her. She was on a date with Paul. A perfectly normal date where they were getting along quite nicely. Though it was nice, it was still kind of confusing.

When Paul excused himself to go to the restroom, Chloe took a moment to take stock. He was eighteen, only one year older than her and also a senior. He was incredibly handsome and fit. He was easy to talk to, and most importantly, he seemed to really like her.

On the negative side though, there were the rumors about the steroids. There was his odd semi-stalkerish behavior when they had first met. She didn't really know anything about him, though that wasn't really anything strange for someone you just met.

"Hey," Paul said as he fell back into the seat across from her. Chloe smiled at him. "I'm really glad you agreed to come out with me, even if I did have to read that stupid book. I"m having a really nice time here with you."

Chloe's heart melted slightly. "Me too," she responded with complete honesty.

"Tell me more about yourself," Paul demanded.

"Um, what do you want to know?" Chloe asked nervously. She realized that she liked Paul, a lot. That realization for her changed the dynamic of this whole date. Before it was almost like a joke, but now that it was real, she was nervous. She didn't want to do anything that would make him stop liking her. Chloe never really felt like this before, and the feeling was unwelcome. She was normally super confidant.

"Everything," Paul answered with such sincerity in his voice that Chloe's eyes snapped to his face to examine his expression. He was staring at her adoringly, reminiscent of the way he had been when they had first met. Chloe started to wonder if this guy was for real. No way could he like her so much already.

"That might take a bit longer than we have," was all she said though.

Paul laughed lightly, deep and husky. "Start with your family then."

"Well, my dad works with computers, mostly from his home office. He's really funny in a dorky kind of way. My mom is an artist. She makes sculptures out of found objects, and has actually sold quite a few, but she doesn't do it for the money. My little brother is in fourth grade, and he's adorable, but can be a bit of a brat sometimes. What about you?"

"I live with my mom, step-dad, and baby sister, she's three. What do you like to do besides cooking?" He asked quickly.

"I like to hang out with my friends and just do weird stuff or whatever, I also like to watch movies. What happened to your dad? When did your mom remarry?" I asked before he asked another question and I lost my chance.

"My dad left when I was ten and my mom married Dave two years ago. What kind of stuff do you do with your friends?"

Chloe got the feeling that he was doing the same thing as her, spitting out a question of his own before he had to answer another one.

"I don't know. Not a whole lot to do in Forks, which perpetuates our boredom, which is dangerous with us because that's when we start to get into trouble." Chloe wanted to ask about his step-father, but she got the sense that they were having two conversations at once and felt that she should make an effort to end it.

Paul grinned in anticipation, "What kind of trouble?"

Chloe shook her head. "I can't tell you the secrets of our sisterhood. I barely know you."

"I won't tell," Paul swore, but Chloe still refused.

"Nope, sorry," she shrugged.

"What's your favorite food?" Paul asked suddenly.

"For me, nothing beats a really good key lime pie."

"Never had it," Paul admitted.

Chloe scoffed, "Never had it? You don't know what your missing out on. What's your favorite food?"

"Hot dogs," Paul answered right away.

Chloe stared at him incredulously.

"Hot dogs?" she questioned disbelievingly.

"Yeah, what?" Paul shrugged.

"Out of all the foods in the world, you pick hot dogs?"

"I like hot dogs."

Chloe laughed slightly, "Well okay then, you like hot dogs," she said as though conceding a point.

"What's your favorite movie?" Paul asked.

"It changes all the time, really, depending on my mood," Chloe thought about it, "Right now, I guess I would say Julie and Julia, but that might perhaps be because we're talking about food. I love John Hughes, though, and anything with Marlon Brando, and Dazed and Confused."

"That's quite a variety."

"What's your favorite movie?"

"Don't really have one," Paul shrugged.

Chloe groaned. "You're killing me here Paul. Don't have a favorite movie. Favorite food is hot dogs," she teased him. Paul stared at her with an adorable, secretive smirk on his face. Chloe realized suddenly that she was teasing Paul with comfortable ease, having forgotten to be nervous. This realization brought the butterflies back into her stomach.

"Again with bashing the hot dogs," Paul said jokingly.

Chloe smiled, "Okay, what kind of movies do you like?" she asked quietly.

Paul thought about it, squishing his lips together and squinting his eyes. "Horror, I guess. But all kinds, really."

Paul scratched the back of his head suddenly, glancing away shyly. "Um, do you have a boyfriend?" he asked out of the blue, seeming to be really nervous about her answer.

Chloe was surprised by the question. Why would she agree to go out on a date with him if she had a boyfriend?

"Yes" Chloe said with a hint of sarcasm and mischievousness in her voice. If her friends where there, they would know right away that she was lying. Paul seemed to be unaware, though.

He stared at her in shock. "What?"

Chloe, seeing that he believed her, decided to take the joke further. She shrugged, "Yes, I have a boyfriend," and to make it believable she added, "Why is it so hard to believe I have a boyfriend? Do you?"

"Do I what?" Paul said, a bit of an angry growl in his voice, that didn't scare Chloe in the least, instead only making her chuckle at his grumpiness.

"Have a boyfriend?"

"What? No!" Paul sputtered at the idea.

"Oh," Chloe couldn't help smirking at the look on his face, tucking her chin down so that he wouldn't see it.

"Who is he?" Paul asked with narrowed eyes.

"Who is who?"

"Your boyfriend," Paul's voice was frustrated.

"Oh, him," Chloe said. Honestly, she was surprised that Paul had fixated on her boyfriendedness more than on her implication that he was gay. "His name's Ian. He's gorgeous and charming, I think you would like him."

Paul rolled his eyes as though that was the stupidest idea he had ever heard. He sat back in his chair sullenly, and didn't appear to want to talk anymore for the moment, so Chloe thought she should speak up.

"What's wrong?"

The muscles in Paul's neck were visibly tense, and though Chloe couldn't see his hands because they were under the table, she guessed that they were clenched into fists if the tightness in his arms was any indication. Chloe started to feel a little nervous. Sure she was provoking him, but really? What if he got violent? This was a bad idea. She was so stupid, she didn't even know this guy, except that he was probably some crazed stalker/drug-user.

Paul looked up into her worried, face, and his whole body relaxed, making Chloe relax as well. Instead of screaming at her and walking out of the cafe as Chloe half expected, and really dreaded, he calmly said, "Well, you know Chloe, I sort of thought this was a date."

Chloe did an inner squeal at his words and the sound of regret in his voice. She almost told him right then and there that she had only been joking, that she didn't really have a boyfriend, but Chloe felt as though that would be ending the joke a bit too soon. She perversely wanted to see how far she could push him.

"A date? But I thought you were gay?" Chloe answered.

"I'm not gay. Why would you think that?" Paul, being the stereotypical macho guy that he was, of course, wanted to know why Chloe would ever think that he could be gay.

She just shrugged by way of answer, "I don't know. It was just a feeling I got. A vibe or something. I'm sorry, Paul." Paul looked really distressed by this. "You know, it is sort of a little awkward now, this whole thing."

Paul frowned.

"Maybe I should just go."

Paul looked up in panic. "You don't have to go. We could still be friends," he said a bit desperately. Chloe stared at him a little bit shocked. It was hard to believe that this sexy

man could really like her so much after one brief conversation.

"Okay. Friends then. But I still should really go," Chloe said, sensing that it was getting late.

"Okay, yeah," Paul seemed reluctant, but stood up and followed her out the door.

"Well, I guess I'll see you," Chloe said. She didn't want to let it show, but she really didn't want to leave either. What if her fake boyfriend had scared him off, and now he wouldn't call her? Why did she have to make everything into some stupid game? She should just tell him the truth.

"Can I call you later?" Paul asked, "As a friend," he was hasty to reassure.

Wow.

"Um, sure," Chloe shrugged, but was secretly gleeful. She was standing pretty close to Paul, and though her jacket was pulled tightly around her, it was starting to get a little colder. She resisted the urge to lean into Paul's warmth. "I better go, it's probably going to start raining any minute."

"Okay, yeah," Paul agreed, but when he saw that she wasn't heading toward the parking lot, but down the sidewalk, he followed her like a stray puppy.

"Did you walk here?" he asked.

Chloe nodded, "I only live just down the road."

"I'll walk you home?" Paul proposed it like a question, and Chloe grinned into her chest before nodding.

After a minute of silence, Paul spoke up, "So, how long have you a-had a boyfriend?" Paul asked as though reluctant to speak, but too curious to let the question go.

Chloe, now reassured that Paul wasn't going to leave because of her fake boyfriend, was thoroughly enjoying the deception. "Oh, a couple of months."

"That's not very long."

Chloe grinned and shrugged. Paul walked easily beside her, keeping pace with her shorter legs. His body practically radiated heat, and Chloe felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and take his hand in hers, but she didn't.

"So, your boyfriend won't care if we're friends?" Paul seemed fixated on her fake boyfriend.

"I'm allowed to have friends, Paul," Chloe told him. She really did want to spend more time with Paul. They were at her house all too soon.

"I guess I'll see you around," Chloe said reluctantly.

"Goodbye Chloe," Paul said. Chloe went inside but watched him walk away from the front window until he was no longer in sight.