It was possibly the best brunch I'd ever had. And that little dance Zach had done at the diner just topped it all off. It was exactly what I needed. It was comforting to know I was with a guy confident enough with himself that he didn't care what he looked like in front of a bunch of strangers. Whether they thought he was a good dancer or not. I thought he was, but it didn't matter as long as he was having fun.

June was all about looking good in front of people, and that was one of the reasons why it had shocked me when he'd left me waiting at the altar. Of course, it hadn't been him who'd had to face hundreds of people afterward. And even though he'd done that to me, the people who knew him still had treated him as the town's golden boy.

But Zach... he hadn't cared, and I had a feeling he had done it all for me. With that infectious smile, who could resist his charm? Lucie had asked us to return to the diner any time we came to San Francisco. We found out she was the owner of the diner, which her parents had opened in the late fifties and had passed it down to her. The girl who'd sat us was Lucie's youngest daughter, and the cooks were her husband and her oldest son. Their middle child was in charge of marketing and accounts.

It was a true family business. Pearl was Lucie's mother who was still very much alive, according to Lucie, and who made the diner's desserts, including Zach's pie, at her home every morning. Their family had reminded me of June's. His parents, John and Melanie, owned a thriving car dealership back home. Melanie often worked on those local TV commercials, and at times, had starred in them. Once or twice, she'd asked me to do it with her, but I could never see myself decked out in some silly outfit showing off deal-of-the-week cars like I was some Price is Right model. And those times I had turned her down, Melanie had told me I shouldn't waste my good hair and good legs volunteering at our local hospital. See, Melanie had once claimed she'd been a catwalk model in New York City. Later on, May had confessed her mother, in fact, had only modeled a winter jacket for a Sears catalog. June often worked for his dad in the summer, and May would do clerical work. However, the similarities might have ended there.

John and Melanie had begun dating in high school, much like June and I. They'd been the popular couple, and yes, they'd gotten married right after high school. But for as long as I'd known them, they'd never been truly happy. Despite John's macho attributes, Melanie wore the pants in the relationship, and in her eyes, her husband had always been lacking so she would set her eyes on other men. Well, her eyes and then some.

Now, that I thought of it, Melanie had always preferred Delaney to me.

Zach promised to come back to the diner the next day seeing as it was near the gym he trained at, and warned Lucie that he would be bringing a lot of hungry guys with him. Lucie accepted the challenge at any time. The photo I'd taken of them ended up becoming a family photo. Then, out of nowhere, Lucie had asked me to stand with Zach. I'd told her I was a nobody, but she'd waved the idea away. Zach and I posed by the jukebox, with me snuggled under one of his muscular arms.

Lucie told Zach she would only post the picture on the wall of he won his upcoming fight. With a grin on his face, Zach promised his new goal was to win that coveted spot on the diner's wall. The nice woman offered us a whole pie before we left. I politely declined, but as soon as Zach had seen the overfilled pie plate and the aroma of cinnamon and apples hit his nose, he couldn't say no.

While Zach and I waited for the next cab to come, we had to decide where we should go. Since the skies warned us of more rain about to pour down on us, we'd forgotten all about the fair.

"I've always wanted to go roller skating." I didn't know where the idea came from, but it was out before I could take it back.

I thought Zach would say no to the idea but surprisingly, he nodded, and once a cab came, he asked the driver to take us to the nearest skating rink.

Apparently, there was one. And fifteen minutes later, we jumped out of the cab to a warehouse-type building by the pier and walked into a roller skating rink. Correction, a disco roller skating rink, complete with disco ball and lights, Donna Summers music and even black lighting.

Zach scratched the top of his head. I bet he was wondering what he had gotten himself into. I had to promise we would have tons of fun as I dragged him to the service counter to rent skates. When Zach asked if they carried size thirteen-and-a-half, I couldn't help but look at his feet, and then at his crotch, thinking if it was true what people said about guys with big feet.

June had average size feet and average size you-know-what, according to Cosmo magazine. Yet, it still hurt when we had sex that first and only time.

I bit down on my lip. June did not exist in my life right now. I couldn't allow him to constantly pop into my head.

Nica had known that I needed some time for fun and when I told her about bumping into Zach the previous night, she had seemed delighted. Despite the way I'd left, and causing her and Levi quite a headache, she'd been nothing but understanding. I'd found myself without a key to get into the penthouse when I'd arrived home after seeing Zach, but arrangements had been made for me, and the building’s head of security had led me up to the penthouse, where Nica and Levi had been waiting. Thankfully, I'd remembered to bring the thick cardigan I'd borrowed from her and had used it to cover up my stylishly-torn shirt. She'd told me I should contact Zach and see if he was still free for the rest of the day and had given me the day off, since she had asked Anita to come to the city earlier that night.

I'd promised her I would work hard to have the best time as soon as I found out where Zach was training. Nica had even told me to take one of their cars, but I'd politely refused. Before I could confidently drive around the city, I'd like to know it by feet first.

Zach picked a spot for us to put on our skates beside the rink. He cursed under his breath when he tied his laces.

"We don't have to do this you know. We can go bowling or something else instead." I placed my hand gently over his hands but snatched it back when a zap hit my fingers.

"We can go bowling after this," he told me, sending off a nervous smile.

The fact he didn't know how to skate became obvious when we stepped on the rink. The last time I'd been on skates was the day I'd gotten my period. When I'd discovered the spot on my underwear, I'd freaked out and hadn't stepped foot outside our house for two days. But like most things, I'd gotten used to it and accepted it as part of my life. Skating was like riding a bike, I recalled quickly, taking a couple of pushes forward and letting my muscles remember everything else.

With my arms stretched out, I asked Zach to hold my hands and let go of the rink guard rails. His face paled for a second, but once he locked his gaze with mine, there was enough trust for him to do just that. Zach had always taken my proffered hands. He'd always trusted me. And I, in turn, had tried not to break it.

"Stand with your feet hip width apart. Bend your knees a bit and keep your butt low, like a squat." I demonstrated for him.

"Oh, I can do that." He did what I suggested and had a successful slide, but I kept my hold on him.

"The key is to keep your balance. Step forward one at a time, keep your toes pointed out. Yeah, like that." I pointed to his other foot, which was seemingly stuck on the flat surface. "Now the other." And he did as he was told. "Keep doing that."

A little giggle played on my lips as I watched him. He looked like a muscular duck with crap between his pants, but he was getting the hang of it. I let go of one of his hands and skated beside him. A couple of times he had to stabilize himself, looking like he was about to fall over but he regained his balance.

He was a fast learner.

I recalled when he'd taught me tricks on my bike as kids—how to do the cool ditching my bike move without stopping and the whole biking without hands. Although some of the tricks he'd taught me, like trying to do a handstand on the bike, had been causes of my emergency visits to the hospital and getting stitches. Those had been plain, stupid...fun.

Zach had also taught me how to catch and throw a ball. Maggie and Mom were both inept when it came to sports. I guess I got those athletic genes from George, my father. And since George had never been a part of my life, I'd often been left to my own devices as Mom and Nica had been gone a lot.

We went around the rink slowly, and halfway through, I let go of his other hand. He panicked and reached for me, but he ended up tripping the both of us, ending with him flat on his behind with me on top.

Zach and I lost ourselves in a fit of laughter while we tried to get up and back on the skates. If he was serious about bowling, I hoped he had an idea how to do it. It would have to be his turn to teach me as I'd never learned how to do that.

Once he got the hang of skating—after a couple more falls—we moved faster along the rink, and he skated around me with fancy hand moves to the sound of disco playing in the sound system.

My belly muscles ached. When was the last time I'd laughed this hard in a day?

"Let’s go bowling!" I said to him after a few more laps around the rink.

"Sounds good to me."

We changed back to our shoes and returned the skates. We asked the counter server for an address to the nearest bowling lanes, and after a quick internet search, he'd given us one, which was what we gave the cab driver. Ten minutes in, we arrived at a glow in the dark bowling alley. And since the theme for the day seemed to be nostalgia, the music that played was hit songs from the '80s.

After grabbing bowling shoes (ahem, again Zach asked for massive size bowling shoes and me checking out his crotch) we picked the last lane to the left.

"I'll make you a bet," Zach said, waggling his brows at me. "Whoever loses buys the next meal."

"Done deal," I said confidently. He didn’t have to know I didn't have a clue how to bowl. He had paid for brunch and had refused for me to pay any of the cab fares, and skating and bowling fees. At some point, since I had pointed out much earlier on that we weren't on a real date, I had to pay for something.

"I think you've got luck on your side, Beanie," he announced after I had a strike for the fourth time. Even if I tried losing, the ball wouldn't do its thing. But Zach was a real competitor, and he would not lose without a fight. That, or he was great at letting me win.

"I've got another bet!" He perked up, holding a dark ball in his hands.

"You're already losing anyway, I'm not afraid to take everything you've got." I gave him a smug look.

He quirked the corner of his lips into a tilted smile. He switched holding the ball with one hand and with the other, he reached for a lock of my hair and twirled it around his finger. "If I get a strike—" His eyes followed the line of my nose down to my lips. "—I get a kiss from you."

The sound of my heart hammering in my chest startled me as much as his bet did. "A kiss?" I swallowed a gob of spit to wet my suddenly dry throat.

"Yup. One kiss...on the lips." He uncurled my hair from his finger, and then pointed at his lips.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How long is this kiss going to be?" I asked, ignoring the heat building in my belly.

His reply was quick. "Seven minutes, of course."

Seven? "Why seven?" I asked.

His lips quirked at one corner and his eyes locked with mine. "I never went to those parties back in middle school. I've only heard of seven minutes in heaven from some friends. I'd like to experience that."

A few seconds passed before a laugh gurgled from me. Mostly because I didn’t know what else to say. "Are you serious? Tongue or no tongue?"

He contemplated on this, letting the tip of his tongue dart out of his lips for a moment. My eyes focused on that and my insides heated up to Hades’ proportions. "No tongue. Just lips." Then he gave me that charming, boy-next-door smile.

I straightened my back and raised a hand. "And if you don't get a strike?"

Zach shrugged. "Up to you. What do you want?"

I tapped a single finger on my chin. My other hand still raised in front of me. "I know." I pointed at him. "If you don't get a strike, you have to teach me some of your moves."

"What moves?" He scrunched his forehead.

"Your fighting moves I saw this morning when you tripped that guy in the cage thing."

His smile stretched, and his eyes sparkled with delight. "You want to learn that?"

"Yes, it looks fun." I nodded.

He moved forward, and my raised hand pressed against his chest. His heartbeat played underneath my touch. "Okay then." Zach held my hand, and we shook on it.

I backed away from him while he positioned at the beginning of the lane. As a beginning stance, his legs were slightly apart, he bent at the waist, looked over his shoulder and wiggled his behind. I stifled a guffaw. Then, once he focused back to the front, one of his legs switched to the back as he swung his arm forward and let the ball roll.

There was a fifty-fifty chance, I thought. He had not been consistent the entire game. Either way, I would win because I'd get to spend more time with him. I waited with bated breath as the ball neared the pins. My hands clasped together behind me. Then the ball hit the pins right smack in the middle, bringing them down and sliding back.

But at the end, there was one pin left standing.

"Ha! I win!" I hopped up, with arms raised.

Zach groaned and did a slow clap when he turned to me. In my excitement, I jumped to him. His arms were around me in an instant, and he lifted me off the ground while I celebrated. "That means you will buy dinner and you will teach me your moves." I poked at his strong, firm chest.

My hands, in their own accord, splayed on top of his ribcage. His earlier, much steadier heartbeat had gone full speed. I stared at his eyes and got lost in the moment. And I almost wished he got a strike so he could kiss me. My nose was inches from his, which meant my lips were at a good kissing distance.

Stop! I warned myself. I couldn't think like that.

He lowered me back on the floor, and I busied myself by gathering our stuff. We decided to stay at the bowling alley and have an early dinner at their cafe to save cab fares.

Zach ordered a big salad with grilled chicken breast. And for dessert, we shared a slice of the apple pie we brought from Pearl's diner. Our server didn’t mind since we told him where we got it, and we offered him a slice.

I ate my burger and didn’t realize how famished I was until it was all gone. I finished off my fries and milk shake too. There could be another reason for this hunger, but I refused to think of that when Zach was around. He'd always been in tune with my emotions way back when he'd lived beside me, and we'd had a chance to hang out. I couldn't risk him finding out before I was absolutely sure what was going on with my body. There had been no signs of morning sickness or nausea, but also, no sign of my monthlies that had always been on time.

After the burger and pie, we'd sat around watching the other bowlers, with a cup of coffee for me and a glass of lemon water for Zach. At some point, some patrons who recognized him approached us, and they asked for photos and autographs.

I sat back and let him have his moment. His fans were polite enough to leave us be once they got what they wanted. It never ceased to amaze me the weak little boy I'd known way back then had turned into a scary-cute famous MMA fighter. He'd never spoken about it at all, which I'd found odd. June had always talked about all his football games, especially those they’d won even though I’d been to each of his games.

By the time we left the bowling alley and cafe, it was nearing six o' clock. We stopped by an indoor market and found some trinkets I would probably never use. But a little sun-catcher caught Zach's attention, and he bought for his Ma.

"I'd like to see her one day, if that's okay with you," I told him while we walked around the stalls.

Zach halted in front of a shop, which sold handmade baby and kid’s hats. "You mean Ma?" I kept my eyes targeted on him rather than what was behind him. "I would love it if you could. I can probably arrange something next week. I'll talk to my manager about flights and stuff."

"Oh, it's fine. I think I can drive there. It's not that far from Fresno."

He tilted his head to one side and furrowed his brows. His hands were tucked into his jeans pocket. "You're going back soon?"

I shrugged and continued to walk. "I don't know yet. Maybe. Maybe not. I'm in no rush to get back." Thinking all that was waiting for me was the same embarrassment that had made me leave in the first place.

"Hmmmm...well, let me know as soon as you figure it out, and we'll make arrangements."

"Yup. I will." But first, I had more important matters to look into. I might be able to hold off going back home for the rest of the summer, but sooner or later, I had to face the truth about my condition.

I promised myself that as soon as I returned to Nica's, I would take the darn test and find out once and for all. This way I could finalize all my decisions and accept the most-dreaded facts.

"You want to go out tonight? Some of my friends are going to a bar," Zach asked. Throughout our time together, he'd only checked his phone while I'd excused myself. As soon as I'd come back from the bathrooms, he'd replaced his phone back in his pocket.

I worked my lip while thinking. "I don't know. I don't really like bars, plus I'm getting a little tired." And possibly more pregnant by the hour.

"It's been one hell of a day, huh?" He sounded both happy and disappointed.

"Yeah, it's hard watching an MMA fighter fall on his butt three times on roller skates and lose to a girl who has never gone bowling before." I jabbed a finger at him.

Zach caught my hand and pulled me closer. "What makes you think I didn't just let you win?" he said, his voice a low murmur.

I shook my head. "You wouldn't. Even when we were kids, you have never let me win. You always pushed me until I got it perfect," I reminded him.

He must have recalled as he gave me a wide smile. "Yeah. Those days were fun." His eyes twinkled, and it drew me closer. I wished he would say more, but he didn't. He just continued to hold me in his arms. And I continued to get lost in the depths of his gaze. There were both danger and excitement lurking behind those brooding eyes.

After promising to hang out with him the next afternoon for movies and pizza, I said goodbye to Zach and thanked him for the best day I'd had in a while. I waved a cab over and asked the driver to wait.

I turned around to Zach and swung my arms around his neck. Without another word, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It was not seven minutes of heaven, but it was heaven all the same. And it was all I could give him at the moment. Besides, this was Zach.

Zach sighed heavily into my ear, and his warm breath tickled me, before he said, "Thanks for a great day, Beanie."

With my hands still clasped around his neck as I pulled my body away from him. "Thanks, Wacky-Zachy. I'll text you later about tomorrow." Then I released him and hopped into the cab.

As I leaned against the backseat of the car, I received a text from Zach:

Is it tomorrow yet? Miss you already.

My heart leaped. I typed a quick response, letting a smile spread on my face, just in case I could transmit my joy through my message:

Soon. Have fun tonight. And added: Don't miss me too much.

But at the last minute, I deleted that last bit. I couldn't figure out what my heart was asking from me. Honestly, I wasn't ready for it yet. And maybe neither was Zach. All I knew was that I couldn't suffer another heartbreak.