Rick nodded, trying to keep the space between them. "I know. And I plan on keeping it between you and I, even though your two friends probably already know....I've known for a few months now. The way you look at me...the way you get all nervous around me...it's cute and I love it. I like you...I really do...But I don't know if it would be too wrong to ask you out to dinner or not," he then said as he looked away and down at the cracked marble floor.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Sabby and Sherri know. I actually, heh," she said, crossing her legs together as she stood, her balance wobbling a bit, and her hands still fidgeting. "I actually talk...about you. A lot." Her lips began to form a smile, and then into a full-fledged grin. "You're...asking me out?" She couldn't even pick up the signs that Rick had any interest in her. All she knew was that she was a good student when she tried, and she only worked hard in class to please him. And there were teachers who conferenced with their students over dinner all the time, right? Discussing progress, and projects, and - well it was like in that one Harry Potter movie, where the one teacher invited certain students to dine with him. Eclair figured they could probably pull this off.

"Really now," he said with a smirk. "Well, you can say it like that...yes," he said as he shrugged and looked up at Eclair, still grinning. "Yes I am asking you out. On a date," he said only loud enough for her hearing distance to hear. "When and where?" he asked her.

She bit her fingertip in a bit of teenage flirtation. "Would Friday sound good? Um...there's a bookstore on the other side of town. I'm usually there on Friday evenings after school so...do you want to pick me up? You can surprise me. I don't usually have anywhere else to go." She was getting more and more elated by the possibility of dating as the seconds ticked on the clock.

Rick nodded. "I'll just check your records and come pick you up. After the bookstore, I'm going to surprise you to a dinner somewhere," he warned her with a dazzling smile. "You can go now, I don't want you late for anything," he said with a short chuckle as he staid where he has been.

"So, Friday it is," he assured out loud, wandering if Eclair would answer to that.

"Yeah. Friday. Bye!" She turned to leave, but before she took a step out the door, Eclair went right back up to him and gave a quick peck to his cheek. Afterwards, she left the school campus, blushing and flustered all the way home. 'Oh my god. I can't believe I just did that,' were her thoughts during the entire ordeal.

When Friday hit as fast as he had hoped, rick grabbed his best blue button up blouse, his new pair of khaki pants, and his matching brown shoes that matched so well that Rick was rather impressed with himself. He gelled his hair to how he usually had it as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door to his white GMC Crossover. Once he got the bookstore, he hurried inside. Unable to find Eclair yet, he hurried to the Literature section thanks to a book Christina said he should check out. A romance classic called Jane Eyre. He found the copy he liked as he then headed up to the register to purchase it, getting out his rewards card.

Eclair was fixing up her hair in the bathroom at the bookstore. She had gone home to change and got Alec to drop her off. He was suspicious of why she had to change her outfit just to go to the bookstore like she did most every Friday, but she made the excuse that she and the other girls were going to have a girls' night out. Alec didn't argue there. He drove off as soon as Eclair had shut the car door and left her in front of the bookstore. After putting on the final touches of her makeup - not too heavy and not too light, something she had a bit of trouble with. When she finished, she took her purse and headed out the door and into the main bookstore, looking around for where Rick could be.

Right over by the young adult section, Rick saw Eclair, looking around. He knew she was looking for him, so after he purchased his book he headed over to her with a smile. "Hullo, you look beautiful," he said as he looked up and down her body. She was wearing a cute outfit and her makeup was just so perfect on her. Not to mention her hair was in the perfect style to compliment her figure.

"Uh, do you want to go to dinner now or do you want to browse around the store for a little bit?" he then asked her.

Eclair hugged him in greeting. "You don't look so bad yourself," she grinned. "Am I too overdressed? It's not too much?" she then asked in nervousness, making a twirl in between the bookshelves they were at. "Anyway, I don't wanna browse. Let's get outta here before someone sees us," she said, taking his hand and leading them out the bookstore. Hopefully she looked worlds different to pass herself off as a date rather than a student, if anyone recognized her.

Rick smiled and chuckled. "You look perfect," he replied as he loved the way she twirled for him. Then after she took his hand, he happily followed her out of the store. He stopped at his car as he got out his keys and unlocked it, opening the door for her. After he started the engine, he turned and looked at Eclair and smiled just because he wanted to say so many things at once but couldn't.

"Alright, off we are," he said as he threw his bag of the book he bought in his back seat and backed out of the parking lot, heading to the restaurant he had in mind.

Stopping before an expensive but casual restaurant, he got out of the car and opened the car door for Eclair. "Well? What do you think?" he asked.

The restaurant had a back patio that looked over the lake with the sun setting on it. The weather was just perfect as well.

"Thank you," she said, taking his hand as she got into the car and got herself situated. Eclair had no idea what to expect of this date. It was her first, and hopefully not her last. Along the ride, so many emotions bubbled up inside of her, nervousness being one of them. She noticed Rick was driving along a part of town she'd never been to before, but didn't ask where they were going until he parked the car at the restaurant.

As she jumped down from the car, she looked up at the restaurant and her jaw dropped. "Oh...my...It's incredible!" she exclaimed happily. "Are we seriously going to have dinner here?" she asked, turning to him. This seemed too good to be true, but so far, so good.

Rick smiled. "Yeah. I own this restaurant," he replied. He wasn't joking.

"Hence the 'Hart Restaurant'," he said as he pointed to the restaurant sign.

She followed the direction of his arm...to the tip of his finger. "You're serious?" Eclair scrunched her nose in thought and looked at him. "What kind of salaries do you teachers get paid? I want in on that when I get a job."

Rick laughed hard. "Just enough. But this was passed down from my father," he answered. "If you want a job now...I can get you one," he said. "Just as long as you're over 15," he then added as he chuckled a little.

"Shall we?" he asked, motioning for the front doors of the restaurant.

She shook her head. "Nah. I don't need a job like, right this minute. And you already know I'm over fifteen!" she said as she swatted his arm. Eclair then linked her arm around Rick's so he would lead them inside. "So, I guess you grew up around here?"

Rick nodded his head after chuckling at her response. "Yupp," he replied as he walked in.

"Rick! Long time no see!" a waiter said happily as she walked over to them. "What brings you here?" she asked.

"Yeah...um I'm here to go over somethings with my student," Rick said as he immediately let go of Eclair's arm.

Eclair wanted to smack him again. 'Literally...go right out and say you're discussing something here with your student, while I'm dressed like this?' she shouted in her head. This wasn't gonna start very well as she immediately felt out-of-place. 'What if somebody we know sees us?' Panicked, she looked around the entire restaurant, but the lighting was too dim for her to see properly, as she stood behind Rick.

The waiter looked at Rick's student and nodded in understanding. "Right this way," she said as she grabbed two menus and lead them to a booth in the back where Rick always sat whenever he came here. "Okay, what can I get you two to drink?" she then asked.

Rick looked at Eclair. "You can go ahead first."

"Drink? Um...I'll have a white chocolate mocha latte with a shot of raspberry syrup, please," Eclair requested. She looked around the restaurant again as she waited for Rick to take his order. She focused on the way his lips moved, almost mesmerizing. And he looked totally intelligent, to boot!

"I'll have a iced latte with cookies. Make that extra," he said as he then looked at Eclair. "I'm not a big fan with strong coffee taste," he finished.

"Alright, I'll be right out with your drinks," the waiter said as she walked away.

"Sorry for earlier," Rick instantly said.

As the waiter left, Eclair leaned towards him at the table. "It's okay, but next time, can you please not tell people I'm your student? The less they know, the better, you know what I mean?" She wanted to reach under the table and take his hand in hers, but they were already sitting across from each other as it is. And they weren't officially together yet, at least not that she knew of. All they shared so far was a first kiss, and this happened to be their first date. Sabby said it was the time that they had to first get to know each other.

Rick sighed and look down. "Would you have rather me say I'm here with my niece. You look young enough for either names," he said, hoping she'd understand.

When he notice the waiter making her way back over, he then stopped what he was about to say next and spoke something different. "But the problem is that you need to focus more on your homework. You're already doing fine on you in-school work," Rick lied as the waiter set their drinks down.

Rick looked up at the waiter and smiled. "What can I get you two to eat...or do you need a couple more minutes?" the waiter asked.

"Um...you can order for me, Mr. Hart," Eclair said. She hadn't even focused on looking at the menu since they walked in. That's right, she couldn't exactly call him Rick in public, and she frowned slightly. "I think I need to hire a tutor or something," she added in response to his changed subject of homework.

Rick nodded. "I'll have your steak burger minus the onions and she'll have the Alfredo pasta and can we have coke on the side too?" he asked as he handed the waiter their menus.

"Sure thing," the waiter said, writing down everything on her little notepad.

"I'm sure I can find you one," Rick told Ecliar.

Once the waiter had left Rick sighed. "Their Alfredo sauce is the best I've ever tasted. My grandmother's recipe," he told her as he reached his hand under the table and lightly gripped her left knee with his right hand.