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The night had gone better than he could’ve ever planned, Nick thought as he followed Liz down the hallway towards her apartment. The food had been great, and, despite his initial hesitation, he’d liked the stuffed grape leaves Liz had insisted he try. Arianae’s had definitely been better than the restaurant that he’d planned on taking her to, and he was going to tell everyone he knew about it. It was the least he could do after Dorian had promised not to kick his ass when he’d seen Liz enjoying herself.

After dinner, to his surprise, Liz had dragged him to one of the other buildings in the complex, which he’d discovered was an arcade. It was practically unbelievable to him that there was a woman who truly enjoyed a good arcade, but Liz proved him wrong. She’d beaten his ass in just about every game they’d played, and she’d done the cutest victory dances, too. For the first time in a long while, he’d enjoyed himself on a date without feeling that he needed to be somebody he wasn’t.

“So, are you going to tell me why you were terrified of me earlier?” Liz stopped in front of her door, unlocked it, then turned back to aim a questioning look at him.

Nick blinked. “When did I say…oh.” He shuffled his feet, embarrassed. “It’s just that you, well, you’re about the most normal woman I’ve ever gone out with, and I had no idea what I was doing tonight. I was late, and that look you gave me was scary. On top of that, I lost the reservation for dinner, and you had to bail me out.”

“But it was good, wasn’t it?”

He nodded. “It was awesome. I really like the place. Plus, I’ve never been to the arcade for a date, or otherwise, with a woman before.” Which made them so much more compatible, too, he couldn’t help but think.

Liz smiled, and it was the smile that he had wished she’d direct towards him. Seeing it, he didn’t let himself hesitate, didn’t let himself think. Cupping her cheek with one hand, he rested the other one around her waist and scooped her close to him. He heard the soft, surprised hitch in her breathing before his lips met hers.

In seconds, the kiss he’d meant to keep light and easy because, God, he thought, she was so sweet, had exploded. It was reckless, fast, and as her teeth nipped at his lip, his arms found the skin beneath her shirt. They were locked together as their mouths plundered each other.

As her fingers slid the first button of his shirt open, much as he hated himself, he stopped them. “Not in the hall,” he whispered against her mouth but kept her close despite it.

Liz leaned back long enough to eye his mussed up hair and the mouth that had been, a moment before, attached to hers. Pulling him close again to press her lips to his, she decided to take a risk and found the doorknob behind her. “Not in the hall,” she repeated against his lips and pushed the door open.

They stumbled back into the apartment still pressed together. Nick kicked the door shut behind him as Liz’s fingers went busy on his buttons again. When his hand brushed over her breast, she moaned, and he got busy trying to get her top off.

“Which way to your room?” he gasped, pressing her back against a wall to hitch her legs around his waist.

“Liz? Nick?”

As if a cold bucket of water had been dumped on them, they sprang apart like children guilty of stealing cookies out of the jar. Autumn stood next to one of the couches and watched them, her jaw dropped in shock. Despite the fact that she looked as though she’d been crying with her eyes swollen and tears drying on her cheeks, the look of surprise on her face had Liz taking an embarrassed step away from Nick.

“Autumn, what are you doing here?”

Autumn stared at the two of them for a few seconds before bursting into tears. Liz was at her side in an instant, leaving Nick to watch them uncomfortably.

“What’s happened? Is everything okay?” Liz pulled Autumn onto the sofa and put her arms around her weeping friend.

Where could she start? Autumn wondered. She felt terrible at having interrupted their night, although she hadn’t even had a clue that they were going to be having a “night”. It didn’t matter, though, because it had been a week since she’d broken things off with Jack, and, she couldn’t help it, she missed the asshole. She hated crying over him, but she’d kept the urge to cry in check through the week. After all, people in New York’s studios would have wondered what was wrong with her if she’d started bawling in the middle of Regis and Kelly or The View.

Now, she was back on the west coast, and she’d needed her best friend. Instead of driving home to relieve Sherrie of babysitting duties and seeing to her baby, Autumn had driven straight over to Liz’s apartment…only to find an empty apartment. So, the dam had burst, and she’d wept until she’d felt like she was wrung out.

After seeing Nick and Liz—which was a shocker, first off—wrapped around each other and practically steaming with it, she’d found herself confused and stunned and mixed with the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on, she’d been unable to do much more than burst into tears.

“Autumn, tell me what’s happened,” Liz spoke gently, hoping everything was okay.

Autumn sniffled and took the tissue Liz passed her. “It’s been a week.” She mopped at her tears. “It’s been a week since Jack left, and I can’t help but feel so heartbroken. I know he’s a jerk, a bastard, an asshole, but I loved him. God, maybe I still love him. I don’t know, but it hurts.” She pressed a hand over her heart. “It hurts so much,” she whispered.

Liz’s hold tightened as she leaned her head against Autumn’s. “You loved him, and he’s gone. It’s supposed to hurt, Autumn. I wish I could stop it for you, but you have to ride out the pain. If it helps, we can make a giant punching bag and put his picture on it, so you can kick it. That way, you can cause him the same pain he’s giving you.”

“Good suggestion,” Nick muttered and had Autumn’s head snapping up to look at him with embarrassment in her widened eyes.

“Nick. Oh, jeez. I, uh, I didn’t realize you were still here.” She tried to wipe the tears away and managed a small smile. “Sorry, I wrecked your, uh, your date.”

He shook his head and smiled sympathetically, even though he was very, very uncomfortable with all the tears. Despite having three sisters, he still didn’t know what to do around female waterworks. “It’s okay. I hope you feel better. Not having that jerk around is going to be better for you. Anyway, I should get going.” His eyes met Liz’s. “Thanks for tonight.”

She nodded. “I’ll call you?”

“Or I’ll call you,” he agreed. “Have a good night.”

When he was gone, Autumn sniffled back more tears and turned to Liz. “So, why didn’t you tell me you were going out with Nick Carter?”

“Uh, because you weren’t here?” Liz tried, managing a small smile.

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Please. You called me everyday this week, but, not once did you tell me. Why?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I just figured it was a one-shot deal, you know?” She waited until Autumn nodded slightly. “When he showed up late, I was sure it was only going to be a one-time thing, but then…”

Autumn recalled the scene she’d just witnessed. “Yeah.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Autumn.” Liz frowned down at her hands. “I was expecting not to enjoy being around him, but he’s a great guy. I’m not going to let myself get screwed over, though,” she added quickly. “I mean, I know his reputation and everything, and I’m always going to be on guard-”

“Lizzie.” Autumn laid her hand on Liz’s shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. “Did you have fun? Does Nick make you happy?”

Liz shut her eyes. “Yes. Yes to both.” She opened her eyes and met Autumn’s. “What am I going to do?”

Autumn smiled. Though she wasn’t sure how she felt about Liz and Nick dating, she could see that her best friend was happy. At the end of the day, that’s what mattered.

“You’re going to call him and go out again. Who knows?” she added with a mischievous grin. “Maybe Nick Carter is your Prince Charming.”