I have returned! Again! For the billionth time! I'm a horrible updater! Enjoy the chapter! :D
P.S. I kind of recommend listening to the song for this chapter!

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"This is ridiculous."

Jesse peeked over the top of his book, one dark eyebrow arched up as he stared at his brother. Footsteps shuffled back and forth the carpet, mumbled words closely following.

"I'm going to mess up so bad. I just know it," Everett fretted, stopping in front of Jesse, hands tangled in his hair and a look of distress on his face.

With a smirk and a shake of his head, Jesse marked his place in the great book held in his hands and set it aside. He leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees.

"Everett, I'm going to give you my honest opinion. You are seriously overthinking this whole thing and you just need to chill, bro." Everett just sighed once more, stress evident as he fell back on his face.

Jesse felt himself soften a little. This was Everetts first date. And just because he knew Lizzie so well and they spoke every day didn't mean the anxiety wouldn't exist.

"Ev, come on. It's Lizzie. She's your best friend. I know you're nervous and I get that. But this is Lizzie we're talking about."

"Exactly," Everett persisted, hauling himself up to a sitting position. "It's Lizzie. I really don't want to screw this up somehow. Dates are supposed to be, like, I don't know - romantic. I'm supposed to be able to sweep her off her feet but, I don't know how."

Standing up, Everett meandered back over to the front of his closet and sighed. "Is it really so bad that I want this to go right?"

"Of course it isn't Everett. That's not what I'm saying at all. What I am saying is that maybe you are overthinking this just a little. There isn't any reason for you to be concerned about. Lizzie put up with your idiocy for much longer than you two deciding to date," Jesse retorted.

If Lizzie could put up with the Everett acted at first, then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. But Everett was right about one thing: dates were supposed to have a romantic edge to them.

The prior week, when Lizzie and Everett decided to go on a date, Jesse nearly lost it. He, of course, eavesdropped the entire conversation and did not regret a single moment of doing so. Because trying to get any information out of Everett would be similar to pulling teeth, it would be better to just get the information by himself.

And the giant grin on Jesse's face when he left the kitchen left no room for wondering whether or not he had heard.

"Okay, fine. Let's give this some thought." Jesse stood and made his way over to the closet where Everett stood. His brother gnawed on his nail as he waited for input, for anything to be said regarding his wardrobe for the night.

Jesse easily nudged his brother aside and began to thumb through his clothing. Most of the clothes Jesse had obviously seen most of these clothes before, so he found himself pursing his lips or shaking his head more than once.

Not that the clothing in the closet merited disdain, by any means. But Jesse hoped for something tucked away in between the pieces of fabric that would be new or less known.

So far, no luck.

"Dude, when was the last time you went shopping?"

"Dude, when was the last time I needed to?"

"Touche," Jesse mumbled, grabbing Everett's shirt and pulling him along as he left Everett's room.

Everett grunted in response to his brothers actions. "If you want me to go buy a new shirt, you don't have to rip this one to get the point across you know!"

Laughter came as a response and soon, Jesse slowly led Everett up the stairs towards his room. "Just shut up, man. I'm helping you out, here," Jesse said, opening his door and leading Everett inside. "I think we're about the same size, so this shouldn't be a problem."

Slowly, Everett sat on the bed and waited as Jesse started to thumb through his clothing. With eyes constantly glancing back and forth between the clothing and his brother, Jesse looked for the right shirt.

While, again, he knew that Lizzie and Everett were friends, he wanted this date to go really well and pretended in his mind the two hadn't met but once or twice. It kept the mystery alive.

"Where are you guys going for the date anyways?" Came the question, with Jesse yanking two shirts off his hangers.

Everett nibbled on his lip and took a deep breath. "Is it absolutely stupid that I figured dinner and going for a walk is a good time?" he asked, his words unsure. "I don't know what all I can do, but I thought pizza and a walk might be a good start."

"I think it sounds great, Ev. Are you two going to walk or . . .?"

"Well, to be honest - I sort of hoped you would be willing to play the part of chauffeur tonight?"

And well, Jesse couldn't say no when he sounded so hopeful.

* * * * * * * * *

"This is stupid - why am I nervous? I feel ridiculous," Everett babbled from the back of the car, tugging on the borrowed shirt from his brother. Jesse told him the shirt was purchased months ago, but it sat in the back of his closet doing a whole lot of nothing.

One of Jesse's favorite patterns, or so Everett was told, the yellow plaid shirt loaned to him was soft and comfortable. He entertained a few thoughts of nicking the shirt; he really liked how it felt.

"I think you should chill, Everett. It's going to be just fine." The younger of the two North brothers stopped the car, telling Everett exactly where they were. In front of the Baldwin home. Everett sucked in a deep breath and threw open the door to the car.

Jesse opened his as well, holding out his arm out for Everett to hold on to, which the latter took gratefully. "I'll guide you to the door, ring the doorbell and then I'll head back to the car, okay?"

Everett nodded and walked with his brother to the door. The grip on his arm slightly loosened and the doorbell rang. Everett nervously tugged on his shirt and ran a hand through his hair.

"It'll all be good," Jesse told him confidently, squeezing his shoulder and walking away. Everett focused on the sound of his footsteps moving away from him, trying to focus on really anything except the night before him. Or the official I'm Dating Your Daughter Conversation that Mr. Baldwin would inflict upon him.

You know - the usual.

Within a few moments, the door swung open in front of him. "Everett! Good to see ya, kid. Come on in. Lizzie will be out in a second. Hey, Jesse!"

The whirlwind that is Lizzie's father swept Everett into the house, a reaction Everett had been privy to once or twice before. David Baldwin always sounded happy, smiles woven in and out of his words no matter what he said.

Everett smiled back at the man. "Hey, Mr. Baldwin. How're you doing tonight?" he asked politely, shaking the older mans hand before shoving both his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Well, pretty good. I have to say, I'm really happy about tonight." Everett furrowed his brow at the words. He didn't think this conversation would be going in that direction. Aren't dads supposed to stupidly protective?

"I'm afraid I don't understand, sir."

David led Everett to the couch, sitting him down. "Everett, I want to be clear about something," he started, sounding more serious than Everett had ever heard him. "Lizzie is my little girl. I love her more than anything. Does it freak me out that she has a boyfriend now? Yes, yes it does." David blew out a breath of air. "But you make her so happy. I'm glad that as far as boyfriends go, you are the first one. Just don't hurt her, okay?"

At a loss for words, Everett just nodded stupidly. But just like his daughter, David could understand what Everett didn't say.

I would never hurt Lizzie.

"You're not terrorizing my date, are you, dad?" Lizzie voice came through the room, grin evident in her voice. Everett stood and waited for her to appear by him.

"Of course not," her dad retorted, sounding scandalized. "I would never do such a thing."

Everett only grinned as Lizzie and her father dissolved into a bickering match. Until Lizzie called a draw.

"I gotta get going. Tell mom I love her when she gets home, okay?" Lizzie requested, taking Everett's hand in her own. He vaguely remembered Lizzie saying her mom had some bids on an art piece she was trying to sell. He assumed that's where she currently was.

"I promise I will. Oh, wait! She'll kill me if I don't get a picture or two. Just smile all happy like. Perfect."

* * * * * * * * * * *

Ten minutes later (David insisted on posing them - it wasn't prom but he seemed to enjoy taking all sorts of pictures, anyway), Everett and Lizzie left the house.

"Took you two long enough," Jesse noted as they crawled into the backseat. The use of his parents came in handy; he almost wanted to use the Mustang for the date tonight. But when he realized that both Lizzie and Everett would be using the backseat for the duration of the evening, he thought better of it.

"Well, my dad. You know," Lizzie replied, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Lizzie. I'm not third wheeling tonight," Jesse clarified, flipping on his blinker and pulling out onto the highway that ran through town. "I'm dropping you guys off at the diner and then heading out until you call. And now I'm going to be quiet so you can chat." He made the motion of locking his lips with a key and proceeded to focus on the road.

Lizzie rolled her eyes fondly and turned her attention to the boy next to her. Everett had his head turned in her direction and a smile already found it's way to his lips. A smile creeping up on her own, she scooted closer. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hey," he whispered back, the smile on his face growing. "Why are we whispering?"

Lizzie giggled, mentally smacking herself afterwards. "I have no idea. But I do know that it will drive our driver up the wall, so..."

Everett laughed, leaning his head back on the seat and his grip tightening a bit on Lizzie's hand. He bit his lip and leaned a bit closer. "Can I tell you a secret?" he whispered lowly.

Lizzie nodded in reply, watching his closely.

"I was really nervous about tonight," he confessed in the same low tone. "Which I know is kind of ridiculous, but . . ."

"It's not," Lizzie quickly interjected. "I was nervous, too, to be honest." She laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I think we may have built this up way too much in our heads," she told him gently.

Nodding in agreement, Everett replied, "Yeah. I think so. I just . . . I already feel so comfortable around you. I don't know why, but it feels like we've already been on a billion dates. And so I really wanted this to be a good night out, you know?"

If the smile on her face got any bigger, Lizzie's face would have split in two. Despite his flaws and despite how they got off on the wrong foot so many months ago, Everett knew how to be the sweetest guy she knew. He got nervous, he stumbled over his words, but at his heart, he wanted to be the perfect boyfriend for her.

And even though sometimes he said stupid stuff ("I am not watching this movie again, Lizzie. It's pointless and I'm totally walking out of this house if you put it on." "It's your house, dork.") and the occasional hurtful thing ("Stop bugging me, Lizzie, you're such a pest."), he was pretty amazing.

And well, Lizzie couldn't deny how much she liked him. To be honest, she might even . . .

"We're here, guys. Have fun and call me when you're ready to leave."

Jesse smiled at her brightly from the front seat, almost like he could read her thoughts and that alone caused her cheeks to flush.

She nodded hurriedly and jumped out after Everett, who already made his escape. Their hands linked together and they slowly made their way into the pizzeria, Jesse already pulling away from the curb.

"Hello, how are you guys tonight?" the hostess asked as they reached the podium.

"Doing great," Everett replied for them, smiling a bit as he did. "Just two for dine in tonight."

Lizzie watched as the hostess smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "Of course." She tapped the screen in front of her and gathered two menus and some silverware. Stepping from behind the podium, she motioned with her hand and said, "Right this way."

With Lizzie leading them, the two followed after the young woman, leading them to the back of the pizzeria. "Veer left, waiter coming through," Lizzie muttered to Everett, successfully steering them around the man holding a pizza and some drinks.

"Here you are," the woman announced, directing them to a booth towards the back corner. Lizzie placed Everett's hand on the back of one bench, letting him get situated before sitting down herself.

The hostess looked slightly puzzled, but didn't mention anything. She laid their menus down and gave them a dazzling smile. "Your waitress will be with you in just a moment."

With a whirl, the hostess stepped away from their table and onto the next person who needed help. Lizzie looked across the table from Everett, who was wringing his hands together.

Lizzie stretched her hand across the table, capturing his in her grasp. His eyes immediately lit up and he gave her a smile. "Still overthinking it?"

He shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Maybe. I don't know how to stop it, really."

"Well, let's talk about something, anything. What did you do this week?"

Everett narrowed his eyes, giving her a smirk. "Really?"

Lizzie smacked the top of his hand. "Yes! Come on, we haven't talked in a couple of days. Tell me what all happened."

And so, with that, their date really began. Everett told her all about the new song he worked on during the week, how Cole sat with him and pounded on keys as Everett played. Everett would only admit to Lizzie how cute he thought it was.

She told him about how she helped her mom with some art projects, including redecorating the studio. That was an art project of its very own.

"She literally, like, had me throw handfuls of paint at her wall!" Lizzie ranted, the piece of pizza in her hand flopping around in the air with her movements. Everett chuckled around the mouthful of pizza, his head shaking back and forth.

"But why? Isn't that super messy? Didn't it ruin all the other projects in the room?" he inquired, head resting on his hands.

Lizzie shook her head. "She covered everything up. Mom just wanted to get some color in there and decided that would be the fastest way." Lizzie tried to hold back with the laugh, but chuckles just came out no matter how hard she tried.

"Your mom is nuts," Everett concluded with a smile.

The two of them lapsed into silence, quickly shoving the rest of their food into their mouths. Once he swallowed, Everett asked, "Ready for me to call Jesse to pick us up?"

"Yeah, I'm good to go," she replied, piling her silverware on the plate. Everett grabbed his money out of his wallet. Everything was in a very particular place in that wallet and as he dug around for the twenty he stashed in there, he hoped he didn't look like an idiot. Finally, his fingertips touched the folded up bill and he breathed a small sigh of relief.

Once the check was paid and tip was left, Everett and Lizzie walked outside the restaurant hand in hand.

"So was that nearly as bad as your thought it would be?" Lizzie teased, bumping Everett's hip with her own.

He grinned and shook his head. "No, not even remotely." He shoved his hand in the pocket of his pants and Lizzie slipped her hand out of his and into the crook of his arm instead. "It was actually awesome. Please tell me I didn't bore you?"

Lizzie whapped him in the arm, shaking her head. "You never bore me, Ev."

A horn honked, drawing their attention to the street . Jesse sat in the car, his face sporting a big smile and a shake in his hand. "You guys ready?"

Both nodded their heads and got inside the car, buckling up as they went to their next destination. "Where are we going anyways?"

Lizzie watched as a light blush crept up Everett's neck onto his face, thankful for there being a bit of sunlight left so she could actually see it.

"I sort of thought maybe we could walk around the park a little bit?" He replied, shooting for confident and missing it by a few miles.

Grabbing his hand, Lizzie gave it a comforting squeeze. "I think that sounds great, Everett. Let's go!"

The ride to the park took fifteen minutes - normally it wouldn't have been a big deal, but the with the traffic a little heavier than usual, it took a bit longer.

"Okay, I'm gonna park here," Jesse announced, throwing the car into gear and turning it off. "I'm going to walk around myself, but in a completely different direction, I promise." He looked at Lizzie seriously. "I just want to have some fresh air."

She smiled back and nodded. "No worries," and then looking at Everett, "Ready?"

Everett eagerly nodded and opened his door, Lizzie following close behind.

In just a few minutes, they had put a little bit of distance between them and the car. Lizzie and Everett walked in sync, close together and linked. Lizzie's hand found a place safely tucked in the crook of Everett's arm as they moved, her head on his shoulder.

"I like this," Everett mumbled, his head falling to the side and leaning on hers. "I honestly never thought this was something I could have and now. . .now I can't imagine not having it."

Lizzie's hand squeezed his bicep in response and snuggled further into him. She mumbled something into his arm and he frowned, unable to hear it. "Mind repeating that?"

A sigh escaped Lizzie and she stopped, bringing Everett with her. She seemed a little uneasy and Everett didn't know what to say to make her feel better. "You okay?"

"Yeah just . . ." Another sigh escaped her, "You just weren't supposed to hear that. I didn't think you would."

Everett frowned. "What would you not want me to hear?"

"Oh good lord, this is embarrassing," she mumbled. Lizzie then straightened herself and held Everett's hand with one of her own, the other coming to his face to make sure she could look him directly in the eyes, even if he couldn't do it as well.

"Liz?"

"Look, I get that we aren't like . . . super into this relationship yet. I understand that. I get that tonight was our first date but . . . look the thing is - -"

With a smile, Everett leaned forward and fused their lips together softly, effectively cutting her off. He hoped she didn't mind, but . . . he really wanted to say it first.

Pulling away, he leaned his head again hers. "I love you, too, Lizzie. And I get it. I do." Everett took another breath before continuing, "We spend a lot of time together, we did before we even became a thing. It's easy. It's so easy with you."

She let out an airy laugh and grabbed him, pulling Everett in for another kiss. "I really do love you, you dork." And then as an afterthought, she punched him in the arm, his startled laughter following the action. "And that's for stealing my thunder."

And if for the last ten minutes before they met back up with Jesse, they spent it on a bench cuddling and exchanging kisses . . . well, they were the only ones who needed to know that.

So that just happened. Uhm, I hope you don't mind? Lol. I'm sorry for constantly dropping off the face of the earth with these updates! But I really want to get this story finished. The next chapter is going to be insane. The next update will focus on the North family. It might slightly implode.

Oops?

Anyways, please vote, comment and share this story! I would really appreciate it!

You guys rock!