A/N: Well, it's been a while since my last update. Sorry about that guys. I didn't think a year ago I'd currently be in England, but I am. Hope you like it.

“Where are you going tonight?” Mom asked me as I walked downstairs in a pair of beat up jeans, complete with tears, and an orange polo shirt.

“There’s an event at the Kendall’s restaurant and I’m helping out.”

“That sounds like fun. How long is it going to last?”

“It starts at eight and who knows when it’s going to end. You know the Kendall’s and their wacky ways. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t finished by 2 am.”

“Well, have fun, but I need you to drop your sister off at a party tonight.”

“What?” I asked, making sure I had heard correctly.

“I need you to drop Ashley off at a party she’s going to. And you’ll also need to pick her up.”

I looked at her, my mouth open. Had she just asked me to do one of the things I absolutely hated to do?

“Why can’t her friends take her? I’m sure they’re going to the party.”

“They would but they’re already going to be there.”

“Well, where are you going? Can’t you take her?”

“No, I can’t. I have a committee meeting tonight and then I have to start taping some shows for Food Network. I’m going to be out all night.”

“What about Liz? Can’t she do it?”

“I already asked her and she said that she and Natalie are going out, which leaves you.”

Letting out a large sigh, I kicked the edge of the counter with my foot. Realizing I shouldn’t have done it when a sharp pain shot up my leg, I wanted nothing more than to give my little sister a sharp pain for ruining my plans.

“But, Mom, you know she’s going to be a pain in the butt.”

“I know, but can you just do this for me? Just this once? I would do it except I have been getting some calls from the network asking me to hurry up and tape some new shows and this evening is the only time I’ll be able to do it this weekend.”

“I guess I can do it for you. But I don’t ever want to be asked to do it again,” I said, smiling at her. I knew that was never going to happen, seeing that I get asked to drive my little sister somewhere everyday and always end up having to do it.

I turned around as Ashley walked into the room, giving Mom a smile as she left the kitchen and made her way to her office.

“So, where’s the party tonight?” I asked her, frowning as I noticed the outfit she was wearing. She had on a pair of jeans that she had cut the legs off of to make into a mini skirt. Her white tank top was so low you could see the top of her bra and she was wearing flip flops.

“Ashley, what the hell are you wearing?”

“Don’t you like it? Marissa gave me the idea. She’s going to be wearing the same thing so we can be twins.”

I rolled my eyes. I can’t stand my little sister. Well, I can, but the part I dislike about her is that she thinks the only way to be popular is to make herself like everyone else. Granted she’s a freshman, but you’d think she’d have some sort of individuality to her.

“Why don’t you go put something a little less revealing on? Like a Polo or something.”

“Yeah right, and make myself look like you? I don’t think so. There’s a reason why I get invited to these parties, and dressing like my older sister is not one of them.”

Yeah, it’s the fact you put out, I thought to myself as I shook my head in disappointment.

“What party are you going to?” I asked her, feigning interest in her activities.

“Brad Paisley’s,” she said, checking her face in her compact while fishing out a lip gloss from her purse. “Supposedly it’s supposed to be really rocking,” she said, finding the lip gloss and running it over her lips. “I’m surprised you’re not going. I guess it just shows who’s more popular and who has more friends.”

I hate when she acts like this. She tries to make me feel inferior, like she’s better than me.

“I was invited. Personally invited by Brad, but KC and I have plans so it looks like the only partying I’ll be doing tonight at Brad’s is when I drop your sorry ass off.”

That got her to shut up.

I looked at my watch, noticing it was 7:35. “We better leave; I have to meet KC at 8.”

“We can’t leave now, the party doesn’t start until 10,” Ashley cried, looking at me as if I was crazy.

“Well, you’re going to have to be early because I have to get downtown,” I said, grabbing my purse and keys off the kitchen counter and making my way towards the garage. “Are you coming or not?” I yelled, knowing Ashley would be running after me, trying to tell me she couldn’t arrive early at a party like Brad’s. I laughed to myself, knowing I really didn’t care.

………………………………………………………………

“You better walk up there and explain why I’m so early,” Ashley spat as I pulled into Brad’s driveway.

“And you better be the one to explain to Mom when you’re pregnant that you decided to look like a whore and get pissed drunk and have unprotected sex with a guy you only knew for 10 minutes,” I said, still a little annoyed by the outfit my sister was wearing and her lack of concern for her dignity. She can take care of herself, yes, but when Ashley parties, she drinks until she passes out and that just isn’t cool when you’re at a party like Brad Paisley’s.

“Why are you being Alpha Bitch, Christine? Are you jealous that I get more guys than you?”

No, Ashley, I’m jealous because you probably have an STD and I don’t.

“Ashley, I suggest you shut up now or else you won’t have a ride home.”

Slamming the door of my aqua blue Jeep Wrangler, she huffed and puffed her way up to the front door of Brad Paisley’s parents’ mansion. I followed her slowly, watching her face grow angrier as I took my time. I wanted to laugh out loud, but decided against it knowing that she would only get angrier and probably tell some embarrassing story about me that would no doubt humiliate me in front of everyone at the party I was not attending.

“Hurry up, Christine,” she hissed as I languorously made my way to the front door.

Giving her a smile, which only made her more furious, I knocked on the door. We waited for a few seconds, recognizing the barks of Brad’s two Golden Retrievers and the yells of Brad telling them to shut up. I frowned as he opened the front door.

“Christine…Ashley, why are you guys here so early?”

“That,” I said, cringing as Ashley pulled me in through the open door, “is my fault. I needed to drop her off early so I could make it downtown. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Brad said, a big smile spreading across his face as he looked at me. “Why would I mind if Christine Johnson showed up on my front doorstep?”

He turned and looked at Ashley. “Lookin’ good, Ash. There are some people in the back if you want to head on through the kitchen. The pool’s clean, so if you brought your suit go ahead and jump in.”

Ashley smiled at him and then left us, making her way toward the kitchen to grab a drink and most likely make herself look even more trashy by applying copious amounts of makeup in the bathroom. Brad turned to me.

“You, Christine, look beautiful,” he said, pulling me to him in a big hug. I would have tried to get away except for the fact Brad’s really strong and there’s no way I could have possibly gotten out of his grasp.

“Thanks, Brad, you look okay too... But if you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet KC downtown right now and it looks like I’m already late,” I said, glancing at my watch and noticing it was 7:58 pm.

“What, leaving so soon?” Brad asked, letting me go and positioning himself in front of the door. “Stay a while; I’m sure KC wouldn’t be so disappointed if you showed up a couple minutes late.”

“I’d love to, but I have to go,” I said, trying to get past him and out the door. He did not budge an inch. I grabbed his arm, hoping he would get out of the way, but instead he grabbed me, turned around and pushed me against the door, his lips coming down on mine in a very forceful kiss.

“Hey Brad, do you know where…” Ashley called as she walked back into the foyer, only to find Brad pushing me against the door and our mouths together, me trying with all my power wiggle out from under him.

“Ashley!” I called as Brad let go of me and stepped back.

“Don’t mind me,” she said, giving us a wink and walking backward out of the foyer. I turned to Brad.

“What the hell was that?” I yelled, both surprised and angry at what had just happened.

“I kissed you, Christine. I figured you’d be able to know that much.”

“But why?”

“Because you wanted me to. You totally grabbed my arm. You were asking to be kissed, and I wanted to be the one to do it,” he said, walking back toward me, a suggestive look on his face.

“If you think I wanted you to kiss me, then you really are stupid. Brad, I grabbed your arm because I wanted you to get out of my way.” I glanced at my watch. “Shit, now I’m really going to be late,” I said, finally getting the front door open and making my way back to my Jeep. I’m definitely going to have to tell Sean and KC about what happened. There’s no way I’m going to forget about this.

………………………………………………………………

“Christine, where the hell have you been?” Sean yelled at me as I walked into the restaurant 20 minutes late. As I made my way through the crowded and loud dining room, I could see the party was well underway.

“You’re not going to be mad at me once you hear what happened,” I said, pulling him into a quiet, well, not as loud, corner of the kitchen.

“What happened?” Sean asked, handing me an apron.

“Oh, nothing except for the fact I just basically made out with Brad Paisley,” I blurted out as I tied the apron around my back and looked at him.

“You did WHAT?” Sean asked, looking at me like he couldn’t believe what I just said.

“I was dropping Ashley off at his house for the party and he cornered me in his parents’ foyer, pinned me to the front door and kissed me.”

“He kissed you? Without even asking?”

“Yep, pinned me to the front door and went to town,” I said, disgust filling my voice.

“I can’t believe it,” Sean said, shaking his head and looking at me with that ‘I don’t believe he would do something like that’ look. I nodded my head.

“What can’t you believe?” KC asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Christine made out with Brad Paisley,” Sean said, looking at me.

“No, I…” I said, trailing off when I looked at KC and saw who was standing next to him, Nick Rasmussen. I swear my mouth fell open on its own accord.

“You made out with Brad? What possessed you to do a thing like that?” KC asked, looking at me with that, ‘I know you’re surprised because you didn’t expect I would bring Nick to this thing’ look. In other words, he had a huge smirk on his face.

“I didn’t make out with him,” I said, my eyes leaving Nick and falling on KC, who I really wanted to smack at the moment. “I dropped Ashley off at his house and when I was trying to leave he cornered me in the foyer, pinned me to the front door and kissed me.”

“That sounds like he kissed you,” Nick said, taking a step up beside KC. All of a sudden I felt trapped, three guys standing around me interrogating me about a kiss.

Can you say creepy?

“Did you want him to do it?” Sean asked, staring at me intently.

“What the hell do you think? I can’t stand him!” I cried.

“What happened after he kissed you?” KC asked, taking a step closer.

“Well, I was going to try to knee him in the crotch, but Ashley walked into the foyer and thought we were making out and then left as quickly as she came and Brad let go of me and I scrambled out of there as fast I could. I didn’t want to stick around and have him think I liked it and wanted more.”

To my surprise the three of them looked at each other as if they were considering what I had just said. They were nodding their heads as if speaking in a language where they didn’t need words, just head movements with some raising of the eyebrows. I stood there with my mouth open, taking in the phenomenon that was their conversation.

“What are you guys doing?” I cried, waiting to hear something that sounded like a word come from one of their mouths.

“Brad kissed you,” KC said, turning from Nick, his eyes locking with mine. “He’s basically a jerk. Don’t sweat it; he’ll learn eventually that you don’t like him.”

“I’m glad you realized that,” I said, sarcasm filling my voice.

“Hey, guys, the dining room is full and people want their wine. Hurry the hell up and get out there,” Mike, Sean’s dad’s friend and partner in the restaurant cried as he walked into the kitchen assessing the orders. Sean handed KC and Nick aprons and we all left to go collect dishes and pour alcohol.

………………………………………………………………

“My feet are killing me,” I said as I sat down at a vacant table in the now nearly empty dining room.

“Yeah, mine aren’t that much better,” Sean said as he leaned back in his chair and brought his feet up on the table. A smug, comfortable expression came upon his face as he brought his hands up behind his head and closed his eyes. “But that sure as hell was fun,” he said, opening his eyes and smiling at me.

“When is it not?” I asked him, recalling the evening. The restaurant had been packed the entire time, and now, at 1:30 am, people had finally started to leave. KC and Nick were still ringing people up, but Sean and I had been done for a whole ten minutes.

“Your parents sure know how to throw a shindig,” I said, as I rested my head on the table.

“Yeah they do, although your parents are their close rivals.”

“Yeah, but that’s only when they’re getting along and when Mom isn’t swamped with work.”

“But when they party, they party,” Sean said, knowing exactly what he was saying.

“Wow, I’ve never seen two kids as sad looking as you two,” a voice said behind me. I turned around to see who the voice belonged to and smiled when I saw that it was Alex, Sean’s older brother.

“I’ve never seen an uglier person than the one I’m looking at right now,” I said, getting up and giving him a hug. Alex smiled and wrapped me in his arms.

“That was really nice, Chris. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” he asked while trying desperately hard not to laugh.

“Everyday,” I said, playfully punching him in the arm. He returned the favor, a little harder than was necessary.

Alex is a junior in college. He’s studying to be a Vintner and wants to open his own vineyard at some point. He’s always been interested in wine and his parents owning a successful restaurant has helped fuel his ambitions. When I was a sophomore, Alex would come home during holidays and weekends and help out at the restaurant. That’s when we started hanging out. He’s an awesome guy, and not to mention incredibly gorgeous. We had a sort of ‘fling’ a year ago, but we’ve always viewed ourselves more as friends than anything else, although sometimes I get the impression he wishes it was more.

“When did you get here?” I asked as I sat back down at the table. I watched him as he gave Sean a brotherly hug and joined us.

“I got back in tonight; I’ve been at a party and decided to stop by. If I had known you were going to be here I would have helped out.”

My face blushed as I noticed how direct he was being with me. I tried to brush it off, but couldn’t get past the fact he was staring at me differently than he had been before.

“Yeah, well, if I had known you were going to be here, I would have skipped entirely,” I said, giving him a rather snobbish look. He smiled at me, all his white teeth set perfectly in his perfect mouth.

“Somehow I think you’re lying,” he said, sitting back in his chair, his posture taking that of his brother’s.

“Hey, Alex, it’s good to see you,” KC said as he walked over to the table. Alex stood and they gave each other friendly pats on the back.

“How are you doing, KC?” Alex asked as he returned to his seat.

“Pretty good. I’m glad this is the last year of school. It’s been a long three years and I’m ready for it to be done,” he said, smiling.

“Here! Here!” I cried, knowing all too well what KC was talking about.

“Hey, Chris, could you go help Nick out? He told me to take a break but I think he’s just trying to do everything himself. I think he’d love it if you helped him out,” KC said, looking at me with that look on his face.

Now I know my face was beet red.

“Why not?” I said through clenched teeth, knowing KC was loving every moment of my torture. I got up from the table and made my way toward the front door.

“Hey, Nick, I came to see if you’d like to help me with something…no, if I could something help you…no, if I could – ”

Just stop talking now.

“You came to see if I needed some help,” Nick said, his face breaking into a smile.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to say something without sounding like an idiot, I nodded my head.

“Thanks, Christine, that would be really nice,” he said, handing me a stack of receipts. “The names on these need to be recorded in the tab book.”

I looked down at the stack of paper in my hand. How was I going to be able to do this with Nick standing right next to me? I could hardly ask him if he needed help.

Biting my lip, I took a seat and slowly began to write the names, my eyes never leaving the papers in front of me.

After a while my neck began to hurt and I quickly stole a glance toward Sean and KC, noticing they were looking at me and laughing. I glared at them, wishing I hadn’t when they began to laugh harder. I slid my hand under the table I was sitting at and gave them the finger, which only caused them to laugh even harder. I looked at Alex and my heart began to pound. He was staring right at me, a smile across his face, and his eyes were filled with something that looked like want. I didn’t know what to do. I’d never seen him like this before, and something deep within me wanted to know what he was thinking, because although Nick was standing right next to me, the way Alex was looking at me was more than a friendly smile.

Giving me a wink, he stood up and said goodbye to Sean and KC, telling Sean he would see him at home. He walked over to us.

“Hey, Nick, good to see you again,” Alex said, patting him on the back.

“It’s good to see you too,” Nick said, giving him a big smile. Alex turned to me.

“Hey, Christine, could I talk to you outside?” he asked, gesturing toward the door. Knowing nothing besides the fact he was looking at me again with that look, I slowly nodded my head and followed him through the front doors.

As we walked to the edge of the sidewalk, Alex turned to look at me.

“So, Christine, how’s everything been going?”

“Oh, you know same old song and dance. Me and the family spent most of the summer in New York helping my mom with the new restaurant.”

“Yeah, Sean said something about that in an e-mail. Do you think you guys will move to the Big Apple?”

“I doubt it. I mean, Liz and I are in our last year of school and then we’re off to college and Ashley, well, Ashley probably wouldn’t mind moving, but I don’t think my mom wants to move to the city any time soon. She’d rather just have her restaurant and cooking show,” I said, making eye contact with him for the first time since we stepped outside. He was smiling at me.

“Christine, you look really beautiful tonight.”

I looked at him; I didn’t know what to say. I’ve always had a crush on Alex, ever since Sean and I began in band together and I’d spend the night at his house on the weekends.

“Thanks, Alex,” I said, bowing my head in embarrassment. Sure I could take it from Brad Paisley, but when someone I actually liked at one point or have feelings for says it, I get all embarrassed.

“Christine, would you like to go out sometime?”

This made me look up. Had he just asked me out on a date? I mean, we’d dated before, but then he went off to college. Why was he asking me again now?

“But, Alex, you’re in college. It’s not like we’re even close. Your school is a two hour flight from here. When you think about it, it’s not the best situation for a relationship.”

I didn’t know why, but he still had a smile on his face.

“Well, you see, the reason why I’m home is because I put in for a transfer. Little did I know that there are a couple colleges in the valley that have nationally distinguished enology programs. So I’ll be moving back home.”

I looked at him, still not knowing what to say. Alex is hot. Alex is smart. Alex is funny. But Alex isn’t Nick Rasmussen. And by the look on his face, he was waiting for me to say yes.

The best decision for this kind of situation: lie through your teeth.

“Alex, that’s awesome! It’ll be great to have you around again. I’d love to hang out sometime, but I’m going to be pretty busy pretty soon with cheerleading and student body and everything.”

“Hey, I know you’ve got stuff to do and that’s cool. But maybe we could go see a movie or go out to dinner sometime during the week; would that be chill?”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” I said, looking about for something to stare at so I wouldn’t have to make eye contact with his gorgeous blue eyes.

I looked back at him again, the flickering neon sign my gaze had been stuck on no longer entertaining me, and just as my eyes met his he took a step closer to me. Before I knew what was happening, Alex Kendall’s arms were around me and his lips were on mine. And before I knew it, I remembered why I had dated him in the first place. He pulled back and looked at me, his lips spread wide in a gorgeous smile. I couldn’t help but follow suit.

“Yeah,” I said, trying to get my wits about me, “that would be nice.”

And truthfully, his lips on mine felt especially nice.