"Two awards in a row!" Taylor held the orange blimp in his hand.
"What’d I tell you?" Christene smiled.
"Ok, ok, I admit defeat." Reagan said.
"Can I see that?" Avery reached her hand out to Taylor.
Taylor handed her the blimp.
"The funny thing about this is you can play with it." Zac took the second blimp and looked through it.
"Very funny, Zac." Isaac grinned.
"What? It is!" Zac’s voice cracked in the middle of the sentence and he winced.
"Oh, Zacky-Poo is growing up!" Reagan reached over and tousled Zac’s wild mane of blond hair.
"Don’t call me that." Zac growled, glaring at Reagan under his hair.

"And here we go, back to LA again." Zac said, glancing at Walker with the camcorder rolling.
"Mom, Avie took my backpack and won’t give it back." Jessica tugged on Diana’s shirt.
"Jessica! I’m holding Zoë! Be careful where you tug!" Diana exclaimed. "Avie, give back Jessie's backpack to her."
Avery pouted, but handed the backpack to Jessica.
Christene reached over and picked up Mackenzie. "Hey, little guy!"
"Hi." Mackenzie smiled up at Christene.
"What’s up?" Christene asked.
Mackenzie looked up at the ceiling. "The ceiling."
"Oh, I know that!"
"You’re pretty! I like you!" Mackenzie exclaimed, throwing his little arms around her neck and planting a wet kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, honey, I like you too!" Christene smiled.
"I’m gonna marry you!"
"Ok, I’ll marry you." Christene giggled.
Diana laughed at the scene.
Avery frowned. "I thought Taylor was gonna marry Christene!"
"Avery..." Taylor looked at Christene and blushed.
"What?" Avery asked, confused.
Isaac, Zac, Reagan, and Walker were cracking up at the sight.
Taylor and Christene both glared at them.
"That’s not one bit funny." Christene said.
"Yeah!" Taylor agreed.
"Huh?" Mackenzie was bewildered and confused.
That really drew the line for both Christene and Taylor. Isaac, Zac, Walker, Reagan, Diana, Jessica, were all laughing, and their laughter was contagious and wore off on Christene and Taylor, who started to laugh too.

"We’re doing Jay Leno soon!" Zac exclaimed excitedly.
"Again." Reagan added.
"Yep, again." Taylor grinned.
"Yeah, you’re gonna be on Jay Leno in about one week." Diana chipped in.
"We are?" Taylor asked, surprised.
"You didn’t know?"
"NO!" Isaac, Taylor, and Zac all said at the same time.

"So, do you have any girlfriends?" Jay Leno asked.
"Yes, I am seeing an invisible person. As a matter of fact, she is sitting there in the audience right now." Zac pointed at empty space.
"You're seeing an invisible person?" Jay asked, laughing.
"No, nobody has girlfriends." Taylor said quickly. A little too quickly.

Christene groaned inwardly. That was too obvious.
Reagan almost burst out laughing. "Whoa, that was really obvious."
"Shut up!"
"Actually, Christene, it was obvious." Diana said, keeping an eye on Zoë.
"I know. That’s why I told her to shut up."

"Yeah, and he goes, ‘no, NOBODY has girlfriends’ like, really fast. Man, this guy can’t lie!" Zac laughed, slapping his knee.
"Ha-ha, funny." Taylor rolled his eyes.
"Hey, look on the bright side. At least he doesn’t turn red when he says that." Isaac grinned.
"Gee, that helps." Taylor was being tormented by his brothers.
"Ok, that’s good enough boys. Taylor has been tormented enough by you two." Diana handed Zoë to Reagan and gently cuffed Isaac and Zac.
"Thank you mom." Taylor said, exasperated.
"You’re welcome, now get into that bathroom and go take a hot shower. You have a lot of things to do tomorrow." Diana gave Taylor a little push towards the hotel bathroom, then turned back to Reagan, taking Zoë again.
"Ok, we’ll see y’all in the morning." Reagan said, walking through the adjoining door into the room that she, Christene, Jessica and Avery were sharing.
"Wait Tay." Christene chased Taylor into the bathroom and closed the door.
"What’s she doing?" Walker asked Diana.
"I don’t know."
Zac snuck up to the door and placed his ear against it.
Diana gave him a look, but thought better of it.

"What, you’re going to take a shower with me?" Taylor grinned.
"No...." Christene smiled and stuck her tounge out.
"Ok, well, I advise you run along home, darling." Taylor said with a mock British accent.
"I believe I’ll do so right after I tell you something." Christene replied with a mock British accent.
Taylor was stunned. "Didn’t know you could talk with an English accent."
"There’s a lot about me that you don’t know." Christene said, looking up into Taylor’s eyes.
"I think I’d like to know everything about you there possibly is to know." Taylor whispered.
"I think you will," Christene raised herself up on tip-toe and gently pressed her lips against Taylor’s softly. "Good night. Hope you enjoy your shower."
Taylor laughed. "It’s a shower. Don’t let the bedbugs bite."
"I doubt there are any." Christene said, laughing.

Zac walked away from the door. "Boring."
"What’d they say?" Diana asked, biting her lip.
"Just that usual, ‘good night’ stuff."
"Oh." Diana felt extremely stupid. This was Taylor she was talking about. The responsible one. She should’ve known better.
Christene came out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "What? Stop staring at me. You’re making me feel weird...Oh, and Zac, you don’t have to eavesdrop on us every time we talk."
"What? ME? Eavesdrop?" Zac put a look of innocence on his face.
 

Chapter 8

**La Meridian Hotel of Los Angeles, CA**
"I want to go swimming." Zac looked up from Final Fantasy 7 for Play Station™, bored.
"We’ll get mobbed by ‘Green Jello’ **AN: The fan groupies that hang around the hotels **." Taylor instantly said, not looking up from the book he was reading.
"So? I like girls." Zac paused the game, got up and took Taylor’s book, looking at the cover.
"Hey! I was reading that!" Taylor grabbed the book back.
"Since when do you read stuff like To Kill a Mockingbird? I think it’s stupid. Who would wanna know how to kill a mockingbird, whatever that is." Zac raised his eyes to the ceiling and flopped down on the bed.
"First of all, it’s not a book about how to kill a mockingbird, even though that’s the title, second of all, I have to do it for Mom. And I have to do some stupid element project for Science later." Taylor sighed and turned a page.
"Shut up, I’m trying to concentrate on this." Isaac erased an answer and wrote something.
"What are you doing?" Zac asked.
"Tri-Geometry. I hate it." Isaac made a face, but continued on working on the problems.
"That’s it, I’m getting outta here. I’m gonna go see what Christene and everyone else is doing." Zac knocked on the adjoining door, and Jessica opened it.
"Hi Jessie."
"Hi Zac." Jessica stepped aside for Zac to come in.
"Whattya all doing?" Zac asked, peeking over Christene’s shoulder.
Christene shot Zac a look of annoyance. "Didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to read over someone’s shoulder?"
"No." Zac answered.
"Zac, don’t you have work to do?" Avery asked, looking up from some addition problems.
"No, I finished it all. Where’s mom?" Zac asked.
"Um, she and dad went somewhere with Mr. Sabec." Jessica provided the answer.
"Oh." Zac sighed.
"Zac, just go and play some video game or something." Reagan said.
"Fine." Zac pouted then started to turn back.
"Wait, Zac." Christene put down the textbook, and got off the bed.
"What?"
"I’ll come with ya."

"Nintendo 64, or Play Station?" Zac asked.
"64." Christene said.
"Game?" Zac asked.
"Whattya got?" Christene looked over the games that Zac handed her.
"Lotsa stuff."
"I can see that."
She narrowed it down to four games. "Um...How about, this?" Christene held up Star Fox 64.
"Ok. Are you good at it?" Zac asked.
"Well, I mean, I used to have it, but, I don’t know what you would call good." Christene smiled.
"Ok. I’m the master of video games, which means-" Zac was cut off by Christene.
"Yeah, yeah, it means you’re good, I know." Christene grinned as Zac turned on the video game system.
Taylor peeked over his book, a smile on his face, and caught Christene’s eye. ‘Hi.’ He mouthed.
Christene mouthed ‘hi’ back.
Taylor looked back down at the book.

"You said you weren’t good!" Zac cried when Christene easily shot down his ship.
"I lied." Christene giggled.
Zac stuck his tounge out at Christene. "Liar, liar, pants on fire."
Taylor finally put the book down, and joined Zac and Christene on the floor. "I thought you were the best."
"I am," Zac stuck his tounge out at Taylor, and locked on to Christene’s ship. "HA!"
Christene made a U-turn, which un-did the lock. "Ha yourself."
Taylor was impressed. "How’d you do that?"
"It’s easy. All ya do is, when they lock on to you, you do a U-turn thing which undoes the lock on." Christene said, locked on to Zac and fired quickly before he could do a U-turn.
"Ok, ok, I admit it, you’re better than me in this game." Zac said, admitting defeat.
"Oh-whoa, the Zac Hanson is admitting defeat?" Isaac teased, putting his pencil down, and putting the math work into a folder.
"Well-" Zac was cut off by Taylor.
"We understand, little bro."
"I’m not little!"
At just the moment, Diana and Walker came through the door, closing it quickly behind them.
Not much later, shrieks cut through the door as security guards kept away fans.
"Whoa, it’s like a jungle out there!" Walker breathed.
"Yeah, there are girls everywhere you look," Diana said, wiping her brow. "How was Zoë?"
"She’s still sleeping." Jessica said.
"Ok."
Zac’s stomach gave a low rumble. "I’m hungry."
"So am I." Taylor and Isaac almost said in a chorus.
"Me too." Avery spoke up.
Almost on cue, Zoë started whimpering and crying.
Christene walked into the other room and picked up the baby. "Shhh...there now..."
Diana sighed and sank into a chair wearily. Walker went in back of her and started massaging her shoulders. She dropped her purse on the table.
"You know what, Diana, why don’t you and Walker over here just take the night off? Relax a little. We’ll take care of things here." Christene suggested, glancing at Reagan.
"YAY!" Avery and Jessica cheered, jumping up and down.
"I’m trying to sleep!" Mackenzie complained, burying his head underneath a pillow.
Everyone laughed.
"Christene, thanks, but-" Walker was cut off by Diana.
"Actually, Walker, I think we can trust Isaac, Taylor, and Christene enough by now to be able to handle these kids. I feel like going out for something tonight. So, why don’t y’all just order a pizza and pop up in front of the tube?" Diana asked, smiling a little.
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac’s mouths nearly hit the ground. "You’re kidding."
"Nope," Diana shook her head, and stood up. "Ok, if you need us, you know Dad’s beeper and cell phone number."
Walker reached over and picked up Diana’s bag for her. Then, he crouched down and gave Avery and Jessica quick kisses on the cheek. "Bye, Daddy will be back soon."
"Okay." Avery said, smiling sweetly.
"Be good Zac," Diana said, walking through three adjoining rooms. "WE TRUST YOU!"
The door in the third adjoining room opened and closed.
"YEEEAAAAS!" Zac jumped on the bed, forgetting about Mackenzie, who was ‘trying to sleep’.
Mackenzie’s tousled blond head appeared from underneath the covers and he climbed off the bed, and toddled into the second adjoining room.
Christene picked up the phone to order pizza.

**Half an Hour Later**

"Hey Janet." Christene said into the phone.
"Christene!" Janet sounded so pleased.
"Hi, how’s it going over there?" Christene asked.
"Great. A little quiet though. It’s not the same without you two."
Christene laughed. "Oh?"
"Yeah, without Reagan, the sound level went down fast, really fast." Janet joked.
"We’re in L. A. right now. It’s awesome. I mean, I’ve been here once, but I haven’t seen all the sites and all." Christene said.
"Here, let me talk to Reagan."
"REAGAN!" Christene handed Reagan the phone, then headed over to Isaac and Taylor.
"Whoa, Buffy is on." Isaac said.
"BUFFY!" Jessica squealed.
"Ooh vampires." Avery said excitedly.
"Ooh, she’s pretty!" Mackenzie looked up at Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Zoë started crying again. Taylor picked her up and gave her a bottle, which calmed her down.
Within minutes, the baby was asleep in the crib.
"Ok, I’m back." Taylor said, plopping down on the bed.
Reagan hung up the phone and checked what was on TV. "Eew, you’re watching Buffy? That girl is so-"
"Hot." Isaac cut off Reagan.
"She’s a sexy chick." Zac said.
"Zac, I don’t know what you think, but, as a member of the female gender, we don’t like to be referred as ‘chicks’, ‘whores’, ‘sluts’, or, depending on the occasion, ‘babes’, so, it would really help if you could stop referring to us as that." Christene said with a British accent.
Isaac, Taylor, and Reagan burst out laughing.
"SHHH! We’re trying to watch this! This is the one where Angel gets all mean!" Avery exclaimed.
"No, this isn’t it, that’s the next one, Avery." Jessica rolled her eyes.

Chapter 9
Christene was busy trying to paint a delicate flower on Reagan’s already midnight-blue nails.
"Whatcha doing?" Avery popped up from underneath the table.
"She’s giving me a manicure." Reagan said.
"Oooh."
Jessica joined her sister in watching Christene paint tiny white petals on Reagan’s nails.
Taylor glanced over Christene’s shoulder. "Girls." He threw the pizza crust away, then went back to the TV.
"Ok, now just don’t let anything touch it. You know the rules." Christene said to Reagan.
"K." Reagan hopped off the chair, waving her fingers in front of her.
"Can I have a manicure?" Avery asked.
Christene laughed. "Sure. Sit here." She patted the chair that Reagan just got off of.
Avery clambered onto the chair.
"Ok, pick a color." Christene pushed the box of nail polish towards Avery.
"Whoa, you have a lot of stuff!"
"You got that right, Avie Bunny." Christene smiled.
Avery pointed at a light, shimmery pink.
"Do you want a white heart on each finger?" Christene asked, getting out her patterns.
"Ok."

"Jessie, what would you like?"
Jessica chose two colors, and Christene started on working on Jessica’s fingers.
"What’s going on here, I leave you alone for not even twenty minutes and this finger-nail painting has turned into a beauty salon or something!" Taylor joked.
"Exactly, we don’t do hair yet. It’s nails, then hair. What color would you like?" Christene laughed.
"How about that red, and then you can perm my hair and dye it green." Taylor’s eyes sparkled as he laughed.
"Ok, shush." Christene turned back to Jessie’s nails, putting a smilie face pattern on each nail.
Taylor watched as Christene did the delicate work.
"Mom’s gonna want you to do her nails."
"So?" Christene gave Jessica a tiny push. "Ok, just don’t let anything touch those nails or I’ll have to kill you, now, ok?"
Jessica nodded her head.
"She’s so cute!" Christene said to Taylor, and gave Jessica a pat on the head.
"Oh—when you’ve lived with her for ten years, you’ll learn that she’s not as cute as you think she is." Taylor laughed.
Jessica stuck her tounge out at Taylor. "MEANIE!"
"Hey, leave her alone! She’s cute!" Christene too, stuck her tounge out at Taylor and made a face, laughing.
"Oh-" Taylor reached over and grabbed Christene’s sides, giving her the ‘jumper cables’, and making her squeal.
"TAYLOR! AH! LET GO OF ME!" Christene squealed, laughing.
Jessica and Avery watched, open-mouthed.
Taylor finally let go of Christene, and picked up both Jessica and Avery, and went into the second adjoining room.

"Dawson’s Creek is on, Christene." Reagan said to Christene.
"OOH!" Christene jumped on the bed, next to Zac, and comfortably sprawled on her stomach, her chin propped up in her right hand.
"Ok, I’m back, and the ‘young ‘uns’ are asleep." Taylor grinned, his blue eyes sparkling like diamonds.
"Who fed you sugar?" Zac asked, giving Taylor a weird look.
"If a man could live on jellybeans alone, I'm sure I'll be willing to try it." Taylor said.
"He’s on a sugar high. Too many Jelly Belly jelly beans." Christene laughed.
"I hate it when that happens." Isaac groaned.
Reagan got up and went into the bathroom. Soon, they heard the sound of water running.
Someone knocked on the door. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac instantly stopped talking, as Christene got up to answer the door, opening it up a crack then wider.
"Thank you." Christene turned back inside the room with an envelope.
"What’s that?" Zac asked, curious.
"I don’t know..." Christene murmured, tearing open the envelope. She took out a note and put the envelope down on the table, walking into the adjoining room to read it.

Christene-
Look, this relationship really isn’t working out.
I only wanted to see if you’d actually go out with me and all that crap.
I don’t like you.
Taylor.

Christene slowly walked back into the room, and beckoned to Taylor. He got up, frowning.
"What’s wrong?" Taylor asked.
Christene slammed the note against his chest. "This is what!"
Taylor grabbed the note, read it, and paled. "Christene, I didn’t write this note."
"Ok, then, who did?" Christene asked, her hands on her hips.
"Shhh...you’re gonna wake them up....that’s not my handwriting. Ask anyone."
Christene wanted to believe Taylor, but she couldn’t really. "How come all those times whenever we get even close, you never actually kiss me?!"
Taylor blushed. "I...Well, I guess you can say I’m a little shy...."
"Well, what the hell is going on?" Christene demanded.
"I don’t know. But, this note definitely has something to do with Christina."
"Christina?"
"Yeah, that girl that you met in the ice cream parlor."
"Huh?"
"You know, brown hair, brown eyes, really bratty..."
"Oh. Her."
"Yeah."
"Why her?" Christene wondered aloud.
"Because she hates every girlfriend that I manage to get, and was the reason that I had to break up with three different girls." Taylor said.
"Why do I have to believe you?" Christene asked, her eyes flashing.
Taylor grabbed her shoulders. "Christene, listen to me. Look at me. I wouldn’t lie to you. Go ahead and ask anyone. Christina’s had tried to break me up with girls that I really cared about and succeeded. I’m not gonna let her get rid of you that easy. I can’t let you go just yet."
Christene didn’t talk for a while, as if she were thinking about something.
"Taylor, what would you do if I died?" Christene asked quietly.
"I..." Taylor paused, thinking. "I’d be devastated, Christene. I really wouldn’t know what to do. I...I’d jump off a bridge or something. Slit my throat, maybe? No...pills. It won’t hurt as much."
"Really?" Christene asked.
"Really."
"You’re not lying, are you?" Christene asked, searching Taylor’s eyes.
"Of course not! Christene, I told you before, I’d never lie to you."
For the first time in a while, Christene felt her eyes begin to tear, and she turned her head away as she felt a tear slide down her cheek.
"Christene?"
Christene sniffed and hastily wiped away the lone tear, but soon more came. She turned to Taylor and buried her face in his shoulder, throwing her arms around his neck, sobbing softly.
Taylor gently ran his hand up and down her back. "Shhh...it’s gonna be ok, Christene, everything’s gonna be ok."
"I want to believe that, Tay, I really do..." Christene said, looking up at Taylor.
Taylor wiped away a few tears with his fingers. "Shhh....don’t cry."
"I can’t help it. I miss everyone so much....All my friends...my...my parents...." Christene whispered. "I’m so scared about so many things."
"You don’t have to be scared anymore." Taylor wiped away a few more tears, and lifted Christene’s chin with his fingers.
Christene’s pulse fluttered weakly as Taylor gently brought his lips down on hers, softly and sweetly.
They parted for a brief moment, and gazed at each other briefly. Taylor reached for Christene again, pushing some hair away from her face, and cupping it in back of her ear before tilting his head and gently kissing her again.
Christene couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she threw her arms around Taylor’s neck as they kissed late into the night.

**The Next Day**
Taylor and Isaac walked into the hotel gift shop. It was their last day here before they had to fly to New York for concerts, press, and interviews.
Isaac slipped on a pair of sunglasses, and picked up a little globe, examining it.
Taylor headed towards the jewelry case, and looked at the rings.
"They’re birth stone rings. You looking for one for your girlfriend?" the guy behind the counter asked.
"Yeah." Taylor said.
"When’s she born?" the guy asked.
"December."
The guy got out a box of rings. "Ya pick one of ‘em. They’re on sale. Fifty."
"Only fifty?" Taylor was surprised. These rings were beautiful.
"Yeah, only fifty." Isaac laughed.
"Hey, you two those Hanson dudes?" the guy asked.
BUSTED! Taylor inwardly groaned. "Um....no, we just look like them."
"A-ha, I see. I’m from New York. Came all the way over here. Wanna go back, but I gotta stick with my step sister and crap." The guy rolled his eyes.
"I’ll take this." Taylor pointed towards the prettiest one there. It was gold with two inlaid crystals on either side of a beautiful amethyst.
"Good choice." The guy took the ring and put it in the box, and handed it to Taylor.
Taylor handed him a fifty dollar bill. "Thanks man."
Isaac put the globe back down.
"Hey, Taylor," the guy called.
Taylor turned around slowly.
"Your secret’s safe with me. My step sister loves you."
"Busted!" Isaac whispered and nudged Taylor.
"Tell your step sister that I’m single."
"Don’t worry. She thinks you are."

"Christene’s gonna love you for that ring." Isaac said.
"Our one month anniversary is today." Taylor said.
"Ah, special day." Isaac grinned knowingly.
"Yeah, last year Christina broke up me and Ashley on our first month anniversary. I was so pissed off."
"Christina is so in love with you." Isaac said.
"I know. Unfortunately."

"You remembered!" Christene’s smile was so big that Reagan’s eyes perked up when she saw.
"Why would I forget?" Taylor handed Christene the single rose.
"Oh my God, this is so sweet of you!" Christene smiled.
"Cute." Diana glanced at the two.
"Real cute." Walker added.
"A little close." Diana whispered to Walker.
"Don’t worry, I trust Taylor. From the look on his face, I’d say he had kissed that girl um...four times. No, three." Walker whispered back.
"Walker!" Diana smiled.

Zac felt slightly jealous. I wanna girlfriend.
Isaac just grinned. My little brother is growing up.
Reagan frowned. She gets everything.

"Um...mom, dad, um...can we um...go for um...dinner...um...together?" Taylor asked.
"By yourself?" Diana looked at Walker.
"Yes you may. Watch out for fans." Walker said.
"Um...ok." Taylor put on a hat and sunglasses.
"Yeah, great disguise Tay. Anyone can recognize you a mile away." Reagan rolled her eyes.
"You don’t count!" Taylor stuck his tounge out at Reagan.
"Yes I do!" Reagan stuck her tounge back out at Taylor.
"Oh, and one more thing, son. Jason has to come with you." Walker said.
"WHAT?" Taylor’s mouth dropped open, as he took off his sunglasses.
"Don’t worry, he’ll just tag along, kinda. Hang around the lobby. You won’t even notice he’s there." Walker shrugged.
"Da-ad!" Taylor protested.
"I’m sorry, Tay, but there’s too many fans out there."

Taylor flipped his cap backwards as he, Christene, and Jason got off the elevator on the first floor.
"Alls you gotta say now is, ‘Yo! Taylor’s in the house!’." Christene joked.
"Yeah, you wanna be my homie?" Taylor answered.
"Being that this is your last night here, the La Meridian hotel has special offers and....stuff. You know that this hotel has five star restaurants and all, right?" Jason Browning, the shaven-head bodyguard asked.
"Um...yeah." Taylor said slowly.
"Taylor dressed like some jnco guy won’t be let in. Either will I." Christene snorted.
"Actually, due to the fact that he, being a celebrity, can dress any way he likes and will be able to get into the restaurant." Jason said matter-of-factly.
"Oh. I knew that." Christene rolled her eyes, laughing.
"Jay, I think we’ll just cozy up at Wendy’s, and then head over to Starbuck’s Café for a little desert." Taylor suggested.
"That sounds great." Christene smiled. Five star hotels with big suites and Jacuzzis weren’t her style. Five star dining was just too far, considering the fact that she was just staying at a hotel for two weeks.
This five star hotel just happened to have two fast food places, four five star restaurants, two gift shops, a beauty salon, and one coffee shop.
Taylor noticed a group of girls, all bearing something that had to do with Hanson near Wendy’s. He slid his arm around Christene’s waist and hoped that he wouldn’t be recognized.
Jason saw the girls, but instead of coming towards Taylor, he lagged behind.
Christene and Taylor entered the fast-food restaurant without anyone coming up to them, and Taylor let out the breath that he was holding.
"Thank God they didn’t recognize me."
"I know." Christene smiled up at Taylor, her emerald-green eyes sparkling.
Taylor led Christene to a booth in the back.
"This is better than any five star restaurant." Christene said.
"You being serious, or just playing games with my mind?" Taylor looked at Christene quizzically as he slid into the seat across from her.
"I’m serious." Christene smiled.
Taylor reached out and his fingers closed over Christene’s slender ones. "I have a surprise for you later. But, we gotta go up to the roof of the hotel so I can show you."
"The roof? Um...all the way up there?" Christene joked. "What if I fall?"
"I’ll catch you."

"Jason, thanks for coming with us, but I’d really appreciate it if you kinda just um, you know... " Taylor trailed off helplessly.
"Ok, man, I understand." Jason laughed, and instead of following Taylor and Christene out onto the top floor, he stayed on the elevator.
Taylor opened the door to the roof and led Christene out into the chilly night.
Christene rubbed her bare arms. "It’s beautiful out here."
"I know." Taylor’s response was quiet, as if he were thinking about something.
Christene looked up at the black velvet sky, dotted with stars. "It’s cold out here too."
Taylor brought Christene close to his chest and hugged her. "Better?"
Christene smiled. "Yeah."
"Christene..." Taylor looked down at Christene.
Christene’s pulse fluttered. "Yeah?"
"I’ve never felt this way like I have for you for anyone else before in my life..." Taylor murmured, his heart pounding like crazy in his chest.
"I-" Christene was cut off by Taylor.
"I’ve only known you for almost two months, but it feels as if I’ve known you for eternity," Taylor brought out a tiny black velvet-covered box. "Happy one-month anniversary."
Christene took the box, and with trembling fingers opened the lid, and gasped. "Oh, it’s beautiful!"
Taylor smiled as he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto Christene’s finger. "The stars are my witnesses. As long as these stars are in the sky, I’ll love you till the day I die."
Christene hesitated. He loved her. She knew she cared about him, but she didn’t know if it was love yet.
But, the feeling inside her chest whenever she looked at him was not too new to her. There was only one person before Taylor that she had felt this way about...But that person slipped away when her parents died. Christene took a deep breath. "I...I love you too, Taylor."
Taylor gently touched her cheek with his fingers. Christene’s skin tingled at his touch.
He gently lifted her chin with one finger, and his lips met hers in a tender, gentle kiss.