Keira had agreed to a second 'date' if that's what he could call it, and Zacky had enlisted the help of Brian and Matt to babysit Linzee for the first time. The two of them had turned up at the house on the night of Zacky's date looking like they were about to go to war, rather than look after a child.
"The super uncles are here! Step aside Zack- the masters are here" Matt announced as soon as Zacky had opened the door, freshly showered and shaved. He'd bought flowers for Keira and had made reservations at the fanciest restaurant in the city. Being a rockstar brought great benefits in his direction.

Brian grinned at Zacky as he burst into the house, following the sound of Linzee's laughter so he could find his favourite new person.
"You two look like you're auditioning for Twelve Angry Men- not taking care of a baby!" Zacky laughed, earning himself a shove from Matt.

"Looking good buddy. What you got planned for your hot date tonight?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Zacky, who punched him in the arm, trying to hide his blush.
"If you think I'm going to sleep with her- you're wrong. I really like her, I don't wanna screw things up. And it's just dinner- nothing crazy" he replied, shutting the door behind his friend and walking into the kitchen.

Brian was standing with Linzee in his arms, bouncing her around and singing a slightly modified version of '99 Bottles' entitled '99 Hookers'. Linzee was smiling and giggling at her uncle, entranced by his porcupine hair and her hands reached out for it at every moment they were free, tugging on it gently to see what it did.
"Are you already corrupting my child, Brian?" Zacky asked accusingly as his friend grinned at him, the same grin that brought thousands of women to their knees just by looking at him.
"I'll be the uncle that sneaks her out of the house to go to parties, buys her booze and doesn't tell her Dad when she drops out of school to be in a punk rock band" Brian announced, sneaking a little kiss onto her cheek.

Zacky grinned at how adorable his best friend looked with his sort of niece in his arms, and picked up his keys from the bowl in the kitchen. He wandered over to Linzee and planted a kiss on his little girls cheek.
"Bye bye baby girl. Daddy's gonna be back real soon- and try not to beat up your uncles too bad, OK?" Zacky said, ruffling the little fluffs of hair on her head and waving to his friends. He felt bad about leaving his little girl at home for the first time, but as he climbed into his truck, watching the shadows of his friends and daughter dancing around his home, he knew he was finally moving on.

***

Keira was waiting for him outside of the restaurant, anxiously checking her phone for the time, and she didn't see him coming until he tapped her on the shoulder, grinning.
"Hey Zacky!" she smiled, throwing her arms around his neck. She smelt like strawberries and vanilla, and she wore an elegant white dress, that clung to her sides just right.
"These are for you" Zacky said, pulling the flowers out from behind his back and handing them to the blushing girl across from him.

"They're so beautiful, Zee, thank you!" she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek while she gushed over the flowers. Zacky had always been a hopeless romantic at heart, and seeing Keira blush over something as small as flowers made him grin like a little girl.
"So I made reservations- you ready to eat? I hear their steaks are amazing" Zacky said, taking Keira's arm and leading her into the restaurant. Light piano music floated out from a staging area in one corner, and a snotty looking maître d stood at the front desk. He took one look at Zacky's tattoos, one long, disgusted look at him and then asked,
"Do you have a reservation, sir?"

"Yes, under Baker?"
The maître D glanced down at his little book, the same look of dis-contempt across his snobbish features, but shook his head.
"I'm sorry sir, but we have no reservations for tonight under that name"
"What? I called earlier- there has to be some sort of mistake!" Zacky cried, outraged that this bastard of a man had the nerve to throw away what could have been the perfect date.

"No mistake. I'm sorry, Mr Baker, but without a reservation, we simply cannot let you in" he replied smugly, a small smile crossing his features as he saw how riled up Zacky was getting. Rolling his eyes, Zacky took Keira's hand and threw the uptight prick a dirty look before leading her out of the restaurant and onto the beach beside it.

"He was a asshole and a half, wasn't he?" Keira said, still cradling her flowers in her arms as Zacky sunk down onto the sand, pulling at the tie around his neck. He'd wanted tonight to be special- and he'd wanted to show Keira how much he was falling over his feet to make her like him- and now everything was ruined.
"I'm sorry about everything. I just...wanted tonight to be perfect, and I really wanted you to like me. I know I sound desperate and weird- but you just enchanted me from that very first moment..." Zacky trailed off, wondering if she was going to leave now or string him along till later.

"Well, we can still save tonight. We're on the beach, and I love the beach, especially when you get to walk along it, getting to know a guy you like" Keira replied, sliding herself next to him, and burying her flowers in a little dip in the sand. Zacky looked up at her, wondering if she was trying to tell him something.
"So you like me?" he asked, grinning when she looked down at her hands with an embarrassed grin. All this time he'd been waiting for the right moment to tell her how he felt- and suddenly, she was reading his mind and taking the words straight out of his mouth.
"Yeah. But I have one question"
"Hit me"
"How long would you wait for a first kiss with someone?"

Zacky pretended to think about the question for a moment, because in all honesty, he hadn't been on many first dates that hadn't originated into one night stands. And he didn't want that with Keira- he wanted something he could at least try and call a relationship.
He leant over, without even saying a word, and pressed his lips softly against Keira's. For a moment, she was still, but when she began to return the kiss, Zacky relaxed.

"I'd wait twenty minutes into the first date, if it was someone like you" he said quietly, staring out into the ocean. It always relaxed him when he did, watching the blue haze of the sky slowly fade to pinks and yellows, like water colour paints dripping off the brush. The ocean was the same colour as Keira's eyes, that rippling blue-green that a man could get lost in for days. She was beautiful- and maybe, she'd stick around with a hopeless idiot like Zacky for a while.

"So you wanna go for a walk? I can tell you about my band" Zacky asked, standing up and brushing the sand from his jeans, holding out his hand to the girl beside him.
"I'd love too" she replied, and the two of them wandered off down the stretch of the beach and into the sunset, both realising that they were falling hopelessly, stupidly but madly in love with the other.