Clarissa rushes through the venue, she's running a little late because her bus had been delayed; she keeps a tight hold of her camera bag and knows she'll have to explain the hold-up. Just as Clarissa rounds a corner, she collides with someone and braces herself to fall onto her bottom. A strong pair of arms swiftly hold her steady, stopping the fall. “Sorry, you okay?” Clarissa looks up and finds herself mesmerized by a beautiful pair of soft brown eyes, “Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.”

“Ah, no, it's my fault,” Clarissa steps back, standing up straight, “I'm in a rush, I shouldn't have been running,” She checks her watch, glad to see she's only five minutes late, at least it isn't as bad as she thought; she takes a second to finally give the man a once over, realization drastically sinking in, “You don't need to apologize,” How could she be so reckless? Of all people to bump into, it had to be Drake Hannity, her favorite pool player, “I'm so sorry, Mr. Hannity,” Clarissa ducks her head down, finding the formality rolling off her tongue, “I should really get going.” She parts, rattling off another apology with a smirk.

Drake stares after her, he hadn't even gotten her name and she knew who he was; an arm slides across his shoulders and he curses under his breath, “Who was that?”

“I don't know,” Drake turns to face James, shaking off the arm in the process, “She just bumped into me, I think she's a photographer, she was carrying a camera bag.”

“You saved her, wasn't she gorgeous?”

“James, I'm not a jerk, I wouldn't have let anyone fall. And was she? I wasn't looking, I was shocked that she called me, Mr. Hannity,” Drake laughs, but even as he brushes it off, his heart-beat quickens; all he can remember is her sky-blue eyes, clear as a summer's day, “If she's your type, you should go for it.”

James snorts out a laugh, turning away from Drake, “Come on, you need to practice.”

Clarissa doesn't see Drake again until later that day, taking pictures of him holding a trophy that he'd worked so hard for, she's proud, not that she has the right to be. She's been following his career over the past three years but hasn't always noticed him standing out. It wasn't until her older brother had shown her some videos of Drake playing that she began paying attention to what he was doing. The joy on Drake's face makes her breath skip for a moment, of course, he's happy; he had just won, with his family around him, and no doubt, a girlfriend supporting him. Clarissa swallows the bitter taste in her mouth and continues to take pictures.

She scatters with the crowd as they begin to leave, finding a quiet spot to look through the pictures, hoping they're good enough for her boss, “So, do you always stare at pictures of me?”

Clarissa jumps, turning to see Drake standing there, grinning, “Oh! Uh, I stare at every picture I take, my boss is a bit picky. I'm sorry again.”

“It's okay, as long as you're not going to call me, Mr. Hannity,” Drake's grin dissolves to a soft smile and it calms Clarissa, “They look great, don't be so hard on yourself. Sorry, I didn't get your name.”

“It's Clarissa, nice to meet you,” Clarissa holds out her hand and he shakes it gently; she's a little surprised that his hand is soft, as they pull away, she busies herself with tucking her camera into the bag, “I should get going. I need to send these to my boss.”

“Yeah, of course,” Drake is a little disappointed, but she has things to do and he can't keep her hanging around despite what James said, “Maybe I'll see you around at other events,” She smiles and now he realizes what James had been saying about her beauty, she is stunning; he weakly returns the smile, watching as she turns to leave. He turns too only to be faced with James raising his brows and making various hand gestures. God, Drake hates James sometimes; so, Drake turns back around to follow Clarissa. He finds her waiting near the exit, maybe today he is a bit lucky, “Hold on!” She turns around, a little surprised to see Drake standing there, “Hey, this sounds strange,” He sighs, Clarissa wonders what's going on, “Can I give you my number?”

“What?” Clarissa is completely stunned by Drake's words, she has to wonder what brought this on, guys didn't normally freely give their number out to her, “Why?”

“See, it's weird, I told James but he wasn't listening to me. I just thought we could get to know each other, it doesn't matter,” But Drake is still extremely disappointed, maybe his luck had run dry, “Forget about it.”

Clarissa purses her lips, watching as Drake moves, her Uber would be here in a moment. She finally braves it and carefully stops him with a soft touch to his wrist, “Okay, I'll be leaving in a minute,” She hands over her phone to Drake, he flashes her a dazzling smile, he quickly adds his number to her contact list, handing over the phone just as a car pulls up,

“I'll text you later.”

He nods, waving her off as she climbs into the Uber; he heads back through to the changing room, ignoring the big smile that James gives him.

“I hope you're taking her out.”

Drake refrains from saying how unsure he feels about it, instead choosing his words more carefully, “Maybe, but she probably won't text,” James rolls his eyes, Drake brushes him off and quickly changes into something more comfortable; they're soon heading out and Drake's phone buzzes about half-way through their journey to Drake's place, “Don't say anything.” James just smirks, shrugging as he continues to drive.

Drake pulls out his phone to check the message, the unrecognized number makes him giddy,

Hey, it's Clarissa. I really enjoyed your match today.

It makes him even happier to know that she had been watching, that she wasn't there just to take pictures, she enjoyed the game. He saves her number first, typing out a few stupid replies that he never sends; he only looks up from his phone when he hears James chuckling, they'd already made it back to his house and Drake quickly tucks his phone away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Has Clarissa got you hooked?” James is grinning at him; damned snoop must have seen her name on Drake's phone. Drake shakes his head, trying to ignore what James said, mostly because it seems too close to the truth, “You know you need to talk to me.”

“I don't know what you want me to say. We don't even know each other yet, she seems nice but it's always easy to fake the first impression. You were the one pushing me to go for it.”

James rolls his eyes, “Yeah, and if I told you to jump off a cliff?” That's a good point and Drake shrugs, “You caught her like some kind of prince charming and she couldn't stop staring at you, even if she's a fan of the sport, it didn't seem to be about that, she couldn't keep her eyes off you.”

“Okay, I should get going,” Drake smiles, trying to avoid the conversation that James is trying to start, “Be safe, let me know when you get back.” James nods and Drake jumps out of the car, grabbing his things from the back seat, he waves him off as James backs out of the driveway and drives off. Drake heads inside, pulling out his phone once he'd puts his cue case down and dumping his backpack on the sofa. He mulls over what to send back to Clarissa, settling on a very boring,

Hey, I just got home. I'm really glad you had fun.

Drake lets out a breath that he'd been holding, he leaves his phone on the coffee table and ventures into the kitchen for a small snack just to get a little energy back; when he returns to the lounge, he checks the phone while absentmindedly eating the pear he'd picked.

I got a reply back from my boss, he loved the pictures! I don't usually send everything, but you helped me look at them differently. I'm off to bed soon, but I'd love to talk tomorrow if you're not too busy.

Drake is eager but only for a moment until he remembers that Aiden has booked them some time on the table at the local pool hall, James would be there too and was likely to bring up Clarissa, he replies quickly, hoping to catch her before she fell asleep,

We can keep texting but I have plans for tomorrow so I'm not sure how responsive I'll be. I'll try to phone you once I'm finished if that's okay. Then we could chat for a while, maybe organize to meet up, sometime before I go to Germany.

He sends the message before he could change his mind, he heads up to his room, dropping the remnants of the pear into the bin before getting changed for bed; he needed to sleep or James would make it seem like Drake had been talking to Clarissa all night, just as he's getting comfortable, his phone buzzes.

Yeah, that's fine. Goodnight, Drake!

The little emoji makes a smile spread across Drake's face, he replies with a simple goodnight in return and curls into his sheets. Letting sleep wash over him.

Drake keeps checking his phone far too often, not even James’s teasing affects him, he doesn't mind it much; he still gets to play a little, and Aiden doesn't join in with James's teasing, which Drake is grateful for. Though, Aiden does laugh about it when James explains what's going on. They just finish up when James throws his arm over Drake's shoulder, “I'm hiding your phone, we're going to get some more time on the table, enjoy the break while it lasts.”

Drake shrugs off James, rolling his eyes which only makes him laugh, he heads through to the bar area and orders some drinks for them. He's thinking about how he could get back at James when someone falls against his arm, he turns his head, almost laughing when he sees the soft red hair, “Clarissa?” She looks up at him, straightening up rather quickly, “You enjoy bumping into me, don't you?” Drake isn't sure where those words come from but it's already said now; much to his relief, Clarissa laughs, her eyes crinkling at the edges. His breath stalls, stuck in his chest for a moment... She's beyond beautiful, “So, what are you doing here?”

“Steve dragged me out,” Clarissa points over to a table, Drake turns his head and his heart sinks at the sight of a man sitting there, typing away on his phone, “He loves pool, he's a little bit jealous that I met you,” Drake finds himself smiling as he faces her again, “If you're free now, I'm sure he'd love to speak to you.”

Drake nods, turning back to the bar to pick up the tray with the drinks on, “I just need to take these to James and Aiden, then I'll join you,” She nods and he heads back into the next room, sliding the tray onto the table closest to the door; he drops into the chair, ignoring the look that James gives him, “I saw Clarissa, she's here,” James's eyebrows raise, clearly ready to say something, “She was with someone, a guy.”

“And you're assuming, what? She's dating him or he's her boyfriend and she was just looking at you because of who you are? I think you're crazy.”

“Well, I said I'd join them for a while,” Drake grabs his drink, wanting to escape before James can change his mind about how he feels, “I'll be back soon, okay?” James nods, waving off Drake; he heads back, finding Clarissa's table quickly, “Hey.”

“Hey!” Clarissa jumps out of her seat, pulling Drake into a hug as he puts his drink down, he can't help but smile at her enthusiasm, they sit together and he notices another man (not the first she'd pointed out) is also at the table with them, “This is Steven and Ross.”

“Great to meet you,” Steven reaches out and shakes Drake's hand, “I'm a big fan, you can thank me for getting Rissa watching you.”

Clarissa pushes Steven, narrowing her eyes at him, she doesn't miss how Ross' head is stuck in his phone so she grabs it, tucking it into her jacket, “Ross, don't be rude.”

Ross rolls his eyes, slouching into the chair, “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Don't mind him, he's not really a fan of pool,” Drake nods; it's strange but comfortable, to be sitting here. Steven laughs at the face that Ross pulls, raising his hands as Ross takes his anger out on him. Clarissa shakes her head, turning away from them, “Sorry about this, they're both still children, even if Steve is supposed to be the oldest and setting a good example. It's been just us for a while, we lost our parents when we were still teenagers.”

A wave of emotions overwhelms Drake, he takes a drink, unsure of what he could say to her, “What Rissa means is that she enjoys being our mother, even if she pretends to hate us,” Steven pulls Clarissa into a hug, smiling brightly despite the subject, “Besides, she's a spitting image of our mom, so it's a good reminder. They're always watching over us now.”

“And definitely judging Ross for being glued to his phone,” Ross looks a bit embarrassed but takes his phone back as Clarissa hands it over, “Steve's right though, I've always loved watching people play pool, but I only really started enjoying your games over the last couple of years. He's a big fan.”

“It's really nice to meet you, I'm glad that you enjoy pool. If you play, we're on a table now, if you want to join us?”

“Really?” Steven grins, “That would be great. Rissa, do you mind?”

“Of course not, I'll be fine watching.”

“I'm heading off, but thanks for asking.”

“I knew that Ross, it's why I didn't ask you,” Ross pokes his tongue out, he finishes his drink and departs, waving goodbye to them, “If he didn't look like me, I'd swear he was adopted.”

Drake sniggers at that, cut off by Clarissa gently taking his wrist, “Thank you, he won't shut up about this,” She whispers and Drake smiles, he gets up and leads them through to be faced by a far too happy James, he puts his drink down and joins Aiden with Steven following; Clarissa makes herself comfortable, a brow arching as James slides over, “Hi.”

“Hey, I'm James, we haven't been introduced properly,” Clarissa smiles at him, “So, what do you think of Drake then?”

“He's very nice,” Clarissa chooses her words carefully, she doesn't want to overstep any boundaries with James, and she has a feeling that their conversation wasn't going to stay between them, “I'm glad he's fine with James joining the game, he didn't have to offer.”

James smiles, “Good, he likes you. I can tell but I don't think he'll admit it, he wants to get to know you more. What's the next event you'll be at?”

“The Grand Prix, someone else is going for the Masters.”

“We're all going to celebrate tonight, you should join us and James.”

“That sounds like fun, I think Steve is busy tonight. I think he's seeing somebody but he's keeping it very tight-lipped, I try to tell him he has nothing to worry about with me.”

“I don't like to tell Drake if I have a date, it feels embarrassing. I know he doesn't care, I just like keeping it private, if things get serious then I'll talk to him.”

Clarissa nods, she can understand that. “Thanks, that makes sense, I don't like to pester him but I get worried sometimes.” She sits back, getting more comfortable as she pays attention to the table, Drake is looking over and she smiles, giving a small wave; he quickly smiles back and then turns to the game at hand.

As they head out, Steven pulls Clarissa under his arm, grinning a little obnoxiously, “I need to get going, you stay safe. Don't let him take advantage,” She looks up at him, her brows furrowing, “I saw the way you watched him, it wasn't just about the game. I don't want to see you hurt, I'd kill him.”

“Steve, I'm an adult, okay? I promise I'll run at the first sign of things turning bad,” Clarissa doesn't think it's worth it to try and deny what he is hinting at; she is attracted to Drake, everything about him draws her in, it's like an addiction, “I'll text you later, once I'm home.”

“Let me know if you need picking up.”

Clarissa smiles, she shoves him off her and waves him goodbye, “James said you're sticking around. Is Steve off home?”

“I'm not sure what he's doing,” Clarissa turns to Drake, “James invited me, is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course. I was exhausted after the match yesterday so we didn't celebrate, I'm taking tonight and tomorrow night to relax and drink.”

“Sounds good,” They all head off for a nearby nightclub, James insists on buying to first round to treat Drake; they settle into a booth together, chatting and drinking. Round after round makes Drake more relaxed and when Clarissa settles against his shoulder, he can't find the strength to deny it happening; he's almost a little lost whenever she would head to the bathroom, barely able to ignore the teasing from James and Aiden. She returns pretty quickly, jumping up and down, “This is my favorite song!” She grabs Drake's arm and he almost drops his drink as he places it on the table, letting himself be dragged to the dance floor. Clarissa dances around him and Drake is mesmerized, itching to reach out for her, “Don't be shy Drake, dance with me!” She takes his hands, placing them onto her hips; he wonders if this is how a deer in headlights feels, so scared of the unknown, not sure whether to run away from something so dazzling. Drake holds his ground though and lets the music take him, his ears perking as Clarissa giggles; her arms wrapping around his neck, they move together with the music.

Clarissa steps a little closer to Drake, her breath hot against his neck. Drake's eyes scan the crowd, everyone around them are too caught up in themselves to notice and he can't see James or Aiden in the booth that they'd previously occupied. Clarissa looks loose and free, the alcohol is probably helping with that, Drake doesn't want to feel like he's taking advantage of her-they were only dancing, no meaning behind it; or that's what he tells himself because when she gazes up at him beneath long lashes, it makes him far too hot under the collar. Nothing in Clarissa's eyes tell him that this was just dancing, she almost looks invested in him and Drake finds himself taking a step back. It seems to break whatever trance she'd been in and they depart from the floor.

Drake follows Clarissa out of the club, the chill of the night air sends a shiver through his body, he watches Clarissa stumble and he reaches out to catch her, “I'll help you get home,” Her response comes mombled, her arms flailing to push him away but he holds on despite it and begins leading her back to his house. Luckily it's not too much of a walk and if she wants to be uncooperative in her drunken state then he doesn't have a choice. By the time they make it, Clarissa is half-asleep against Drake's arm, he picks her up and carries her up to his room; he would rather crash on the sofa, she would be better off having his bed. As Drake places Clarissa down, her hands come up to his face, her thumb brushing across his cheek, “Sleep.”

“You're eyes, they're beautiful,” Drake finds himself frozen, he knows Clarissa is drunk, but she probably doesn't know what she's saying...Or how much it affects him. Clarissa's thumb runs down Drake's skin, over his lips, “I want to know you. Would you kiss me?”

Drake swallows, of course, he wants to and it's stupid, they've just met but he hadn't felt like this before; maybe, just maybe, love at first sight really exists. Or, whatever this was, because Drake wants to kiss Clarissa, he wants to hold her in his arms, chase away all of her worries and it's crazy; instead, he pulls away from her grip and removes her shoes, “Get some rest, we can talk tomorrow.” A shape stab of guilt hits Drake as Clarissa sighs, curling herself around his sheets. God, his bed will smell like her tomorrow; Drake retreats from the room quickly, grabbing a blanket and pillow on his way downstairs, if he stays a moment longer, he wouldn't have been able to hold back. Drake made himself as comfortable on the sofa as he could, staring at the ceiling; he couldn't stop thinking about Clarissa...He was doomed.

When Clarissa wakes, she holds a hand to her head, feeling dizzy and a little bit stupid, she pulls her phone out and blinks wearily at the texts from her brother.

>I thought you'd be home by now. Rissa, are you okay?

>Please at least get back to me in the morning. I'm worried.

She slowly sits up, taking in her surroundings...Drake had brought her to his house, and let her sleep in his bed. Clarissa shakes off the feeling, keeping grounded as she replies to Steven, I'm fine, I drank too much last night and pretty much passed out when I got in. Sorry for worrying you, I'll see you later. Clarissa groans, dropping back onto the mattress, she can't believe what she'd done last night; pulling Drake to the dance floor, dancing like that-putting his hands on her, she was crazy. Clarissa holds her hands over her face, taking a few minutes to just breathe and try to forget about it. She quickly books an Uber and slowly pries herself from the bed, she pulls her shoes on and then makes her way downstairs.

Drake is sitting quietly on the sofa, barely watching the TV, when he sees Clarissa, he smiles at her, “Hey, how do you feel? I've got some medicine if you need it.”

“Oh, thanks, I just booked an Uber,” Clarissa slowly makes her way into the lounge, watching as Drake walks into the kitchen, he fills up a glass with water and puts it down along with some tablets. She slowly heads over, quickly taking the tablets with a big gulp of water, “I'm a little disoriented, I've been told I'm a bad drunk. Sorry if I said, or did, anything strange.” And Clarissa knows exactly what it was, but if she can play it off, then maybe Drake will just put it down to her being drunk; she definitely would have kissed him if he'd made the move.

“It's okay,” Drake watched her finish the glass of water, he was a little disappointed but he shouldn't have been lying awake for half the night, thinking about what might have happened if he'd just kissed her, “I just thought I'd let you know that I leave in six days, we'll have to plan something.”

Clarissa nods, a notification goes off and she checks her phone, not sure how to feel about leaving, “That's my Uber, I'll see you soon.” Drake nods at her, watching as she leaves; he wants to ask her to stay but he isn't sure if she would agree or not; then he isn't sure if it's a good idea. He can't stop thinking about her thumb on his lips and what she'd said about his eyes, he knows he needed to talk about what had happened, to James; even if he would get teased, he just needs to talk.

“Wait, and you went home with him?”

“Lilith! You know what I'm like drunk, I remember him asking where I lived but I wouldn't answer, so he took me to his and let me stay. I was insane! I made him dance with me, I was touching his face. I asked him if he would kiss me!” Clarissa buries her head in her hands, groaning at the reminder of what she'd done.

Lilith rubs Clarissa's arm, “Rissa, I'm sure he just put it down to you being drunk.”

“I was, he was too and I thought it would make him unwind a little...Am I a bad person? I do want to get to know him, you know I'm not the type of person for just having a one-time thing, but I don’t know, maybe the alcohol wasn't helping. I wanted him to do something.”

“There's nothing wrong with being attracted to someone. Only an idiot wouldn't think you're worth holding onto, which explains your ex.”

Clarissa laughs, grateful for Lilith trying to cheer her up, she rests her chin on her arms, sighing, “He's going to Germany soon for the next competition, he wants to meet up.”

“What's the problem with that?”

“I don't know if I can face him after what I did. Just thinking about it makes me embarrassed. What if I ignore him until he gets back? I could say I had a project with work, it'll save feeling like an idiot around him.”

“Rissa, you can't run away from this. How long will he be gone? You'll miss him.”

“It's only a four-day competition, so he'll be gone, at most, for five days. It would be just short of two weeks if I start ignoring him now.”

“You've really got this planned out, huh?” Clarissa nods, maybe she's being rash and Lilith is right, but it seems better than assuming Drake thinks she's an idiot or a regular drinker that would kiss anyone, “Give it a couple of days, see how you feel. You said he was planning on continuing his celebrations, so wait that out. Let him reach out to you.”

“Okay. Can we have a movie night then? I don't want to risk going out and bumping into him.”

“Whatever you need.”

James, to Drake, surprisingly doesn't make fun of him, he just pats his back and tells him that the rest of the guys would join them tonight. Drake is grateful for the distraction, James must have seen the relief on his face, “Try not to dwell on it, enjoy yourself. You deserve it. If she doesn't remember, it's probably best not to bring it up.”

“Yeah.”

When they head out for the night, Drake decides to let it go and drink away his worries; he probably drinks a little too much, but he doesn't care. James is right about not dwelling on what-ifs, it's better to have fun, dance a little, and wake up tomorrow with a killer hangover. Aiden pulls him into a few pictures and he can only imagine what he looks like, “Dude, someone is checking you out.”

Drake can't even be bothered to glance over, he pushes Aiden off and makes his way to the toilets; when he comes out, someone wraps themselves around his arm and he glances down, “Hey, you're really cute!”

“That's kind of you,” He really can't be bothered to deal with this; he was never one for one-night stands and despite the alcohol, he can only think about Clarissa, “I have a girlfriend.”

She looks surprised for a moment and then disappointed, “Okay, I just thought since you were out having fun with your friends...It's fine.” Then she vanishes and Drake returns to his friends, James curiously raising his brows, he just shrugs and takes another drink that Aiden pushes into his hand.

“Oh my God!” Lilith nearly jumps at Clarissa's voice, she leans over and reads the message that she's looking at, “He's drunk.”

“He thought of you!” Lilith reads over the message again, I called you my girlfriend tonight, hope you don't mind, someone was trying to flirt with me. And I'd kiss you. ”See, he would kiss you and you were getting worried about it.”

“He's only saying it because he's drunk.”

“So were you. Do you think he doesn't mean it?” Clarissa shrugs, puts her phone on the table, and sighs, “You meant what you said.”

“I did. I don't know what to do.”

“All you can do is meet up with him and talk things over, get to know each other, and spend some time chatting while he's away. I think something good will come out of this. You're the happiest I've ever seen you, the way you talk about him. You're in this rabbit hole, Rissa.”

“I know. Okay, I'll take your advice, I'll see if he says anything tomorrow.”

“Good!” Lilith smiled, hugging Clarissa with one arm, “Now, let's do some face masks!”

Drake feels like an idiot, he's far too hungover to keep thinking about it, and it's bound to make him feel worse; he can't quite believe that he'd text Clarissa while he was drinking, he wonders if this is how she'd felt, waking up hungover in his bed. His bed, which still smells of pineapple and flowers...He needs to talk to Clarissa, and get everything off his chest, he grabs his phone and sends a text before he can talk himself out of it.

>I need to explain myself. Can we meet up tomorrow?

He takes a deep breath, staring at his phone until it lights up with a new message.

>Sure, let me know the time and place.

> 1 pm The Costa on the corner

And Clarissa replies with a simple okay, so he puts his phone down and heads into the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

Clarissa fiddles with her cup while she waits for Drake to turn up, she knows what the conversation will be about and she realizes she should heed Lilith's advice about facing things head-on. When Drake walks through the door, her heart jumps, he waves and heads to the counter. He joins her shortly after, drink in hand, “Hey, how are you?”

“Still a little hungover,” Drake makes himself comfortable, placing his coffee on the table to cool down, “A few of the guys came over last night and we celebrated a little more. I didn't feel like going out again after the night before, which is why I wanted to talk with you.”

“Yeah, I guessed you were out. I know that the text was just some silly drunken thing.”

Drake's eyebrows raise at that, “No. Well, yes I was drunk and acting a little rash, maybe silly. But I thought that you deserved to know. When you were drunk, you asked me-”

“I know,” Clarissa doesn't mean to cut Drake off, but she isn't sure if she can face those words, even admitting it was just as hard, “Sorry. I know what I did, and what I said, I wanted to play it off because I was embarrassed. I didn't want you to think I wasn't serious about getting to know you.”

“Clarissa, I was getting worried that you would think the same of me. I went head-first and told someone I had a girlfriend, when I was thinking about it, you were the one on my mind,” Drake chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “I thought it would sound really weird. I barely know anything about you and when you complimented my eyes, I couldn't stop thinking about kissing you. I kept thinking about how different things might have been that night if I had. But I didn't want to take advantage of you and I didn't want you to think that's all I cared about. I want to learn about you and your date. If that's okay.”

“Drake, I'd love to. Ever since I bumped into you, you were always on my mind. I didn't want to come across as some weird fan girl who just wanted to get in your pants and then brag about it.”

“I don't believe you'd be like that. Why don't we start getting to know each other now?” Drake smiles and Clarissa nods.

By the time either one noticed the sky starting to grow dark and the emptying coffee shop, they’d gone through a couple more drinks and talked the day away, Clarissa checks the time and quickly realizes that she should get home for something to eat, “I've enjoyed talking with you, it's getting late. I should be getting home.” She hopes Drake will ask her to stick around for food.

“Yeah, they'll be wanting to kick us out. I know a good restaurant, about five minutes around the corner,” Drake smiles softly, feeling giddy when she smiles in return, “If you'd like to go?”

“That sounds nice, I was just thinking about food,” Clarissa tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, “And it would be lovely having a meal with you,” Drake has to refrain from reaching out to touch Clarissa's hair, he picks up his cup instead and finishes off his drink; then he rises from his seat and places his hand out for Clarissa to take, “Oh, thank you.” She takes it and pulls herself up. She lets her hand linger and smiles when Drake entwines their fingers together. They leave the shop and head to the restaurant.

When the door opens, Lilith looks up from her book, smiling softly at the appearance of Clarissa, “You're back late.”

“Sorry,” Melisa hangs up her coat and bag then joins Lilith on the sofa, “Today went well, we talked a lot, about everything. He took me to a restaurant, he walked me back.”

“Is that all?” Lilith looks like she's expecting something more, “Please tell me that he kissed you!”