“Geez Bailey, Can you hold still for a few more minutes? I’m almost done. “ Emily said as separated a few more strands of hair.

“Sorry, I’m just excited and a little nervous. Tyler wouldn’t tell me what we are doing. He said to wear something casual and to make sure I had comfy shoes on.” Bailey said as she attempted to stop fidgeting while seated on the edge of her bed.

“You need to take a chill pill! I’m sure he’s planned something you’ll enjoy, but you have to relax.”

“I’ll try.”

“Hand me the bobby pin. There. It’s perfect if I do say so myself!” Emily proclaimed as she put the finishing touches on the waterfall braid she did in Bailey’s hair.

“It’s beautiful! Thank you!” Bailey said as she stared into the mirror. “So how do I look? Do you think Tyler will like it?” Bailey asked as she did a quick spin.

“Unless he’s blind, he won’t be able to take his eyes off you. You look hot!”

“Really? Are you sure this tank top doesn’t show too much cleavage? Are my pants too tight? I don’t want to look slutty or like I’m trying to hard.” Bailey said as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, focusing on the white chiffon V-neck tank and skinny pink denim jeans she was wearing.

“I would kill to have your boobs and would take every chance I had to show them off. So no, you aren’t showing to much cleavage. Everything is perfect! Your hair, makeup, the entire outfit; everything! Stop worrying.”

Before Bailey could respond the doorbell rang and the girls squealed. Emily gave Bailey a quick hug and reminded her to just relax and have fun before they headed to the living room.

Tyler took in a breath as he admired Bailey’s natural beauty when she appeared in the doorway. “Hi.” was all he could manage to get out.

“Hi. Let me get my sweater and the brownies, then we can head out.” Bailey turned to get her sweater off the couch and Emily handed her the large container of brownies. She gave Emily a huge smile and waved goodbye as she headed back to Tyler.

“You look beautiful!” Tyler now composed said to Bailey.

“Thank you. Will you tell me where we are going now?” Bailey asked as she locked the door.

“Nope.” Tyler smirked as he watched Bailey’s lips draw into the cutest little pout. “God, I want to kiss those lips.” He thought to himself as they headed downstairs.

“I brought somebody I want you to meet.” Tyler said as they approached his Maserati.

“Oh, who?” Disappointment could be heard in her voice. She was looking forward to finally having a real 1:1 date with Tyler and now it looked like that wasn’t going to happen.

Tyler’s grin grew, he knew Bailey was in for her first surprise of the day when she finally saw who came with him. He opened the passenger side door. “Bailey, I’d like you to meet Marshall.”

Bailey squealed, handed Tyler the brownies, and leaned down to pet the cutest chocolate Labrador puppy she’d ever seen. “Aww, Tyler he’s adorable! Thank you for bringing him.” Bailey said as she let Marshall lick her hands.

“We aim to please.” Tyler responded, enjoying watching Bailey play with his pup.

After a few minutes, Tyler put Marshall back in the car and helped Bailey get in the front seat. Bailey rotated her body so she could reach Marshall’s head. She rubbed the top of his head and behind his ears the entire car ride to Tyler’s mystery location.

“We’re here.” Tyler said as he parked the car. Bailey was still a little confused as he opened the door and offered a hand to help her out. “You said you wanted to play with Marshall, so I thought you’d both enjoy a walk along the river.”

Realizing, they were headed to the Esplanade Bailey reached up on her tiptoes and gave Tyler a peck on the cheek. “You remembered.”

Tyler held Marshall’s leash in one hand and took Bailey’s hand in his other as they headed toward the pedestrian bridge.

“May I please walk him?” Bailey asked once they reached the Esplanade.

“Sure, just be careful he tends to pull on the leash.” Tyler said passing Marshall’s leash to Bailey.

“Thanks! Which way?”

“Let’s go this way.” Tyler said pointing in the direction of the Hatch Shell.

“Are you all set for tonight?”

“Pretty much. I picked up some snacks and most of the alcohol. Freddy is suppose to get the rest of it this afternoon.”

“What movies are we watching?”

“I don’t know, Dougie’s bringing them.”

“Oh, you don’t think he’ll bring a horror movie do you?”

Tyler smiled towards Bailey, “Don’t worry I told him no horror movies.”

“Thanks,” Bailey said as she blushed.

“Is your place really big? I mean it must be to hold your team.”

“It’s not huge, but it’s a good size. I don’t have a ton of furniture though, so some of them will be on the floor.”

“I don’t mind sitting on the floor. I’m use to it, have to do it all the time at work.”

“Oh no, you’ll be on the couch with me. You’re my special guest. They’ll be fine.”

“What the heck?” Bailey cried out as Marshall tugged on the leash and yanked her forward towards a flock of geese.

Tyler grabbed the leash from Bailey and commanded Marshall to sit. He repeated the command twice before Marshall followed the direction. “Sorry! He’s still learning and he’s never seen geese before.”

Bailey got down on her knees to pet Marshall. “You just got excited didn’t you boy?” Marshall got up on his hind legs and started to lick Bailey’s face.

“Marshall, down boy.” Tyler said and Bailey just laughed, she didn’t mind the puppy’s love. Tyler got down with them and joined in the fun.

After a few minutes they stood up and started walking again. They walked in silence just taking in the beautiful and tranquil scenery.

Bailey noticed Tyler repeatedly checking his phone and sending text messages. “If you need to go Tyler, I’d understand.”

“What? No!” Tyler stated, embarrassed and not really sure what to say. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just some of the guys asking about tonight.” He lied not wanting to spoil his plans.

“Are you sure you don’t need to go get ready? I can just meet you later.”

“Nope, Freddy has everything under control. I’m not going anywhere; I’m exactly where I need to be.” He said giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

Bailey and Tyler continued on their stroll with Marshall leading the way. As they approached a playground, Marshall started to pull on his leash again. This time Tyler let the leash go.

“Marshall, come back!” Bailey shouted as she started to chase after the puppy. Tyler followed close behind. When they caught up to him, Marshall was lying down on a Bruins blanket set out near a large tree.

Bailey giggled and said, "Look, he recognizes your team logo.”

Tyler plopped down on the blanket beside Marshall and started to rub him in his favorite spot behind his ears. “I think he has the right idea; I was ready for a break too. Join us.” Tyler said patting the spot next to him.

“What are you doing Tyler? We can’t sit here, this blanket and backpack doesn’t belong to us.” Bailey said looking at Tyler like he’s lost his mind.

“It’s a Bruins blanket, I’m sure the owner won’t mind if we hang out for a bit.” Tyler chuckled with a large smirk running across his face.

“Are you serious? Tyler, Please get up!” Bailey begged.

“No!” Tyler laughed as he pulled Bailey into his lap.

“It’s not funny!” Bailey exclaimed clearly agitated as she struggled to get out from Tyler’s hold.

“Bailey, relax! This is my blanket and backpack. I had Freddy set it up; that’s why I kept checking my phone. He called Marshall over when we got close enough for him to see.”

Bailey looked into Tyler’s eyes and knew he was being sincere. She relaxed in his arms and smiled.“You really set this up? You did this for me?”

“Yes. I thought it would be nice to have a picnic and I thought this was the perfect spot.” Tyler reluctantly released Bailey from his grasp and set her on the blanket next to him. He reached for the backpack and started to empty the contents. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like to eat so I brought a few things. Do you want turkey, ham, or the vegetarian option of peanut butter and jelly?” he asked with that dazzling smile of his.

“What kind of jelly?”

“Strawberry.”

“My favorite! I’ll take the peanut butter and jelly.” Bailey said with the sweetest smile Tyler had ever seen. He passed her the sandwich. “Thank you!” she said as she gave Tyler a hug. She couldn’t believe the effort he was putting in to make her happy.

“Vegetarian?”

“No, just like PB & J.”

The two enjoyed their little picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, fresh fruit, and water. Tyler thought of everything, including a snack for Marshall. Bailey and Tyler lounged on the blanket chatting for a couple of hours as they soaked up the view they had of the sailboats, rowing skulls, and kayaks on the Charles River. The air just seemed fresher as they sat amongst all the beautiful greenery and the water. It was a nice little haven away from all the hustling and bustling noise of the city.

Bailey rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow to face Tyler. “Tyler, thank you. Today has been perfect.” She said softly.

“It was my pleasure. Thank you for spending the day with me.” Tyler leaned forward, but stopped to wait for Bailey’s approval. Bailey scooted closer to him and looked directly into his eyes answering his question. Just as their lips were about to touch for the first time, there was a flash of lightning and a thunderous boom startling both of them. The sky opened up and they were caught in a torrential downpour.

“Shit!” Tyler yelled as he jumped up pulling Bailey with him. They threw everything in the backpack as fast as they could, grabbed Marshall and ran back to Tyler’s car.

Bailey was out of breath by the time they reached Tyler’s car. He opened the door and got Marshall settled in the back before helping Bailey in and getting in the driver’s seat. Tyler took her left hand in his. She looked down at his fingers locked around hers; and smiled, her mind still reflecting on the moment the storm broke up. Without thinking she lifted their intertwined hands to her lips and kissed the top of his hand. Tyler just smiled as he drove them back to his place.

Once they reached his garage, Tyler hopped out to open the door for Bailey and get Marshall out. They walked hand in hand to the elevator. Tyler was standing beside Bailey casting his long shadow over her. When she looked up, she realized he was staring at her chest. Bailey’s gaze dropped down and she saw the rain had basically made her tank top and satin bra transparent. Her nipples were swollen and hard as they pushed against the fabric. Bailey bit her lip, crossed her arms to cover her chest, and felt her cheeks burn.

“You can borrow one of my shirts while we dry yours. Tyler said as the doors to the elevator opened. Tyler led Bailey to his condo and opened the door. “Come in, I’ll give you a tour after we change.”

Bailey hesitantly followed Tyler to his bedroom. He pulled out two shirts from his top dresser drawer, handing one to Bailey.

“You can change in there if you’d like.” Tyler said pointing to the bathroom as he pulled off his soaked striped shirt. Bailey stared at Tyler’s rock-hard abs and chiseled pecs. A few drops of water glistened against his pale skin. Her heart began to beat fast and she felt her cheeks flush with color again. Embarrassed, Bailey ran into the bathroom to quickly gather her thoughts, compose herself, and change out of her wet clothes.

Tyler’s t-shirt swallowed Bailey it was so big on her. Since the shirt fell to her knees, she decided to take off her pants too. She looked in the mirror to make sure she could get away without wearing a bra. She decided she could, since his shirt was black with a large Bruin’s logo on it. She figured she might as well have him dry all her clothes except her underwear. After Bailey changed, she took in the room she was in and cried out “Holy Crap!”

Tyler immediately ran to the door and knocked. “Is everything ok?”

Bailey opened the door to let Tyler in. “I’m fine. I was just taken aback by how fabulous your bathroom is, once I actually paid attention. “

Tyler laughed, “It’s just a bathroom.”

“It’s my dream bathroom. The only thing missing is a huge Jacuzzi tub. Your shower is one of those spa showers. You’re so lucky!”

“If you say so.” Tyler said now noticing Bailey in his shirt and wishing he could just take it off and share the shower she loved so much with her. He paused for a moment still staring at Bailey, “All right, come on I want to see what you think of the rest of the place. First stop the laundry closet”
Bailey grabbed her clothes and followed Tyler. After putting their clothes in the dryer he took her hand and showed Bailey the rest of his place minus the rooftop patio since it was still raining. Bailey was quite impressed with Tyler’s condo. It wasn’t the frat boy bachelor pad she had envisioned.

They played with Marshall for a little bit on the floor, before Tyler glanced at his watch realizing he needed to get ready for the party. “I’m going to start setting things out for the party. Are you ok playing with Marshall? I can put the TV or a movie on if you’d like.”

Bailey stood up and told Tyler she was going to help him and headed towards the kitchen.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I want to help. Just turn on some music and we’ll get on the stick.”

Tyler laughed, then hooked up his phone to his stereo and put iTunes on shuffle. “I guess you can open the chips.” He said as he got several bags of chips out of the cabinet.

“Where do y’all keep your serving bowls?”

“Not sure I have any. If my mom got me some, I guess they’d be in one of the cabinets under the breakfast bar.”

Bailey opened the cabinet and pulled out 3 large bowls and poured the chips into them. “Where are the brownies?” she asked looking around the countertops.

“We left them in the car. I’ll run down and get them in a minute.”

“Any other snacks?”

“No, that’s all we got.”

“Hmmm.” Bailey said as she opened the refrigerator door. “Do you have any spices?”

“Yeah, there’s a bunch in the cabinet by the fridge. Why?”

Bailey took the tomatoes out of the fridge and opened the cabinet. She stood on her tiptoes, but wasn’t quite tall enough to see everything in the spice cabinet. Tyler was mesmerized as he watched Bailey dance around in his shirt over to his dining room table. Once he realized she was getting a chair to help her reach the cabinet better, he offered to help. He pulled out the olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, black pepper, Italian seasoning and salt. “Anything else?”

“I’m texting Freddy to get the rest of the ingredients.”

“Cool, what are we, I mean you making?”

“WE are going to make fresh bruschetta.”

“Trust me, you don’t want my help.”

“Don’t you cook?”

“Sure, eggs, baked potatoes, and pasta. I can also grill chicken or steak. Oh and I make a mean protein shake that’s out of this word!”

Bailey couldn’t help but to giggle at Tyler’s remark. “Good thing you met me then. I will have to give you cooking lessons.”

“I might be a lost cause, but you can give it a shot.”

“Let’s start your first lesson now. Come help me fix the tomatoes.

After they parboiled, removed the skins, and seeds, they diced the tomatoes. Bailey helped Tyler move the beer, Smirnoff Ice drinks, and water into his cooler.

“Dance with me,” Bailey requested holding her arms out to Tyler when “Count On Me” by Bruno Mars came on.

“I don’t know how to dance like that.”

“Please.” Bailey pleaded looking up at Tyler. He couldn’t resist those hazel eyes and the idea of holding her close in his arms was just too tempting to refuse any longer. Tyler took Bailey’s hands and let her lead him in their dance. She was actually a good teacher and he gained more confidence and was having fun as the song went on. Tyler spun Bailey around and then dipped her just as the song ended and Freddy came through the door.

“OOH, sorry guys! I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Bailey realized how it must look since she was still only wearing Tyler’s shirt. “Wait, no! We were just dancing waiting for you to get back. We didn’t, I mean nothing happened.” Bailey blushed as she stumbled on her words.

“We got caught in the rain earlier. I bet the clothes are dry now. I’ll go check.” Tyler said to help Bailey.

“I got everything you asked for. What are ya’ making?” Freddy asked Bailey to change the subject.

“Tyler and I are making bruschetta.”

“Wait, you’re letting Tyler help? Are you trying to give the Bruins food poisoning before their first game?”

“I heard that!” Tyler shouted as he headed back into the living room.

“I’m giving Tyler cooking lessons and we started tonight. I’ll have you know he’s a quick learner.” Bailey said standing up for Tyler.

“Thanks, Bay. I mean Bailey.” Tyler said quickly regretting it.

Bailey wrapped her arms around one of Tyler’s and leaned on him looking up into his nervous eyes. “It’s ok, you can call me Bay if you want.”

Tyler looked at Bailey carefully gauging her response. “You sure?” she nodded her head yes and he smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Your clothes are dry. I put them on my bed for you.”

“Thanks. Let’s finish the bruschetta first, then I’ll change.”

Tyler helped Bailey mix in the remaining ingredients with the tomatoes and prepare the baguettes in the oven. Once finished, she went to change while he went to get her brownies and Freddy finished pouring ice into the coolers.

“God these smell good!” Freddy said as he grabbed one of Bailey’s brownies. “Damn, they taste even better than they smell! I don’t think we should put these out tonight.”

“Why not?” Bailey inquired.

“Wouldn’t want the team to get fat before the season starts.”

“Should we throw them out then, or are you willing to make that sacrifice?” she giggled.

“I’m willing to take one for the team. After all the trouble you went to make them; waste not, want not.” Freddy said as he popped another in his mouth.

“Tyler, your roommate is incorrigible!”

“I know. What can I say he learned from the best.” Tyler said with a wink as he took a bite of a brownie. “Mmmm, so good. I’m with Freddy.”

“Didn’t your mommas teach you to share? If y’all like them that much, I promise I’ll make more if there aren’t any left after tonight.”

Freddy and Tyler both leaned down and gave Bailey a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best!” they told her and then the doorbell rang. Their guests were starting to arrive.

Notes

Y'all are awesome! Thanks so much for all the nice comments!!!!

Hope you enjoy Tyler and Bailey's first individual date. Let me know your thoughts.