(two weeks after the toys r us incident)

“emma, someones at the door!” amanda yelled upstairs.

“so?” emma yelled back.

“so get it!”

“im doing something and your already down there!”

amanda pouted and went to answer the door, “hey blondie.”

Nick rolled his eyes, “hey mandy.”

Amanda gave him a look, “don’t call me that and what do you want?”

“can I come in?”

“what do you want?”

“I want to talk to emma, jeez.”

Amanda rolled her eyes and let him in the house, “shes upstairs, second room on the left.”

“thank you mandy,” he said and rushed upstairs. He found the room and knocked on the door. “emma, its nick.”

“come in.”

nick walked in and looked around the room, “whoa…you’re a painter too?”

emma set her paintbrush down and laughed, “painter, making a mess on a piece of paper, whichever way you look at it its all the same thing.”

Nick looked around, “your still much better at it than I am. I can draw but painting is another story.”

emma laughed, “it’s a hobby but im not really good. Im a better photographer than artist, at least in my opinion.”

Nick looked over her shoulder at the picture she was painting, “wow, that’s really good.”

She looked at the picture and made a face, “its supposed to be a flower but it looks like a skunk.”

Nick laughed, “no it doesn’t, it looks like a flower to me.”

“awww your just saying that to be nice.”

He stuck is tongue out at her, “do you have anymore paintings?”

She nodded, “their in that closet over there.”

he went over to the closet and looked through all the canvases. Emma got up and went to rinse off her paintbrush, “so whats up?”

“huh? Oh I came to give you this,” nick said. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “it’s the tour schedule so you have a basic idea of when and where we are going to be.”

“oh okay thanks,” she said taking the piece of paper from him.

He nodded and went back to looking through the pictures. He stopped at one of the canvases and pulled it out, “did you ever consider selling your work?”

Emma made a face, “no one would buy it.”

“I would. This painting is amazing.”

She glanced at the painting he was holding. It was a painting of a dolphin leaping out of the water with the water splashing up in the background.

“you can have it if you like.”

He looked at her, “really? Are you sure?”

She nodded, “I have so many paintings of dolphins its ridiculous. Go ahead.”

“wow, thanks.”

She nodded, “no prob.”

“so hey…are you busy…? I mean, can you take a break from painting…”

“sure, whats up?”

“do you want to go get some ice cream and we can talk or something?” he blushed slightly. “I mean, not like a date but just to get to know each other cause we havent really had a chance to talk to one another.”

She smiled and nodded, “sure. Just give me a second to change and get some of this paint off of my hands and ill meet you downstairs.”

He smiled and nodded, “okay.” He took his painting and went downstairs. He set his painting against the couch and sat down.

Amanda came into the room and made a face, “great, your still here. And what are you doing with one of emmas paintings?”

Nick stuck his tongue out at her, “she gave it to me.”

“no she didn’t. she never just gives her paintings away.”

“we…wait…she doesn’t?”

amanda rolled her eyes, “no, she hates her paintings and doesn’t like other people looking at them.”

“oh…well she let me look through them and said I could have this one. Anyways, were going for ice cream so that’s why im still here.”

“no one asked me if I wanted ice cream.”

Nick rolled his eyes, “amanda, do you want to come with us for ice cream?”

“nope.”

Emma came back downstairs paint free and dressed in a tank top and shorts, “okay, im ready. Amanda do you want to come with us?”

She shook her head, “nah, I gotta pack and everything for the tour. Something you need to get started on.”

“I have plenty of time.”

Amanda rolled her eyes, “emma, were leaving tomorrow afternoon.”

“like I said, plenty of time. Anyways, come on nick.”

Nick stood up and picked up his painting, “bye mandy. We’ll see you later.”

Amanda glared at him yet again and mumbled under her breath.

Emma glanced at the two of them, grabbed nicks hand and headed out to the car, “bye amanda, ill see you in a bit.”

“so are you excited about the tour?” emma asked nick as they left the ice cream shop and headed down the boardwalk across the beach.

“yes and no. more like excited, scared, and nervous.”

“why are you scared?” she asked glancing at him.

“well its just, this is a brand new show and no one has seen it. I guess im just scared people are going to hate it and were going to end up doing a show that everyone hates for the next six months.”

Emma nodded, “I understand but from the rehearsals ive seen its going to be a really good show and your fans wont be disappointed.”

He smiled, “thanks, that actually does make feel a little better.”

She smiled, “glad to help.”

He glanced at her, “can I ask you something…?”

“sure.”

“how come you gave me that painting?”

“what do you mean? You don’t want it?” she asked looking up at him.

“no, that’s not it,” he said. “its just, amanda said you never even let people look at your paintings but you gave me, someone you just barely know, one of your paintings.”

She looked down slightly and nodded. She led him over to an empty bench and sat down.

He glanced at her and sat down beside her.

“okay, well…your going to think im really weird but I just felt like I had this weird connection with you. Ever since that day we bumped into each other at the restaurant. I just felt like I had known you from somewhere before. And well, that painting…I painted it the night that I had met you so I thought that you know, it was appropriate that you should have it.”

“wow….”

“yeah I know that’s kind of freaky.”

“no, not at all. But its weird cause ive had that same feeling.”

They looked at each other for a moment before they both blushed and turned away. They finished their ice cream in silence and then headed home.

Nick glanced at emma as she was getting out of the car, “hey emma….”

She looked up, “yeah?”

“do you want to go out sometime?”

“with you?”

nick laughed slightly, “yeah, with me.”

She smiled, “yeah that would be nice.”

He smiled, “okay, ill see you tomorrow.” He leaned over and gently kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled and headed inside.

Amanda looked up at her and made a face, “whats wrong with you?”

“I have a date with nick.”

“...EWWWWWWWWW.”

emma rolled her eyes and headed up to her room to start on another painting.