Ben smiled and came close to talk quietly, "She doesn't trust me."

Carrie laughed, "No, you she trusts, it's me she doesn't trust."

He raised his eyebrows, challenging her to be untrustworthy with him. Out of habit, Ben sat on the edge of her desk. He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Carrie sat on her bed with her back against the headboard, like she had always done when they were in her room.

He wanted to touch her, but right now he needed to talk to her. "Well," he shrugged and looked out her window, "I broke up with Joelle last night."

Carrie nodded as she processed the idea. She was happy for herself, but she wasn't sure how he was feeling. "What happened?"

"I just," he started to pace, "I told her that I wasn't the guy for her." Carrie was silent, letting him decide how much to tell her. He took her Rubik's cube from the shelf above her desk and fiddled with it as he paced; a sure sign he was having a hard time talking about this.

"She, uh, well, she wanted to get married."

Carrie didn't try to hide her shock, "Like now?"

Ben kept pacing and turning the Rubik's cube, "No, more like after we graduate, next year."

"Oh, wow." This was all news to her.

"Yeah, I know. And she wanted me to convert and join her church."

"And you won't." It was a statement. Carrie knew he wouldn't do that because of his grandparents. "Yeah." He stopped and looked at her now, relieved that she understood and knew him so well. "So I told her that she needed to find a guy who wanted the same thing she did."

Carrie smiled, that had to be the nicest break-up speech she had ever heard.

"What?" He caught her smiling.

"Nothing. So ... did she, ask about me?" She sincerely hoped she was left out of the conversation.

"She asked if I was going to ask you out."

"And you said?"

He looked down at the cube and twisted it a few times. "That I wasn't sure."

Carrie's voice was quiet, she hated to ask. "Are you, not sure?"

He looked up at her with sincere eyes, "No, I mean, I'm sure. I, just, you know, didn't want to hurt her."

It shouldn't, but his thoughtfulness still amazed her, "That's cool. I get it." He put the cube back on the shelf and sat on the edge of the desk again, feeling awkward, in limbo between friends and dating. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so he put them back in his pockets. "So, what are you doing tonight?"

She shrugged and smiled.

"You want to go out?" "Like on a date, together?" It came out wrong, like she thought it was a funny that he asked her on a date with him. "I mean, yeah, sure. I've just ... well, I've never been on a 'real date'." She used air quotes to stress her point.

He looked at her like she just grew a third eye.

"Chuck ... we never went anywhere, except his house."

"You've never been on a date."

"Technically no." "Well, we'll have to fix that tonight." He launched himself from the desk, wanting to start the date now, to touch her, and kiss her. On his way past her door he glanced downstairs to check for Lana, then he mock tackled her onto her back on the bed, kneeling over her. He pinned her hands with his and leaned down for a rushed, hungry kiss.

"Two months" He kissed her again, "Two months I have been waiting to do that." Carrie pulled up to kiss him, and he pulled away from her, teasing. "Um, I've waited two months too." She strained against his hands, laughing, and stretching up to reach him. He laughed as he kept a hold on her hands, but flipped so she was lying on him. He let go of her hands to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him for more urgent kisses.

"Carrie," her mother shouted up from the kitchen.

"Yeah," she was still lying on Ben when she shouted back.

"Did you have lunch at MG's?" Lana's voice was getting closer as she moved to the bottom of the stairs. Ben rolled his eyes as he slid Carrie off the top of him. She stood and went to her door to talk to her mom, "We had a really late breakfast."

"So you're not hungry now?"

"No, I'm fine." Carrie turned away from her mom. Ben mouthed to her 'dinner.' "Oh, Mom, I won't be here for dinner tonight."

"Where are you going?"

"Ben and I are ... meeting some friends ... for pizza."

"And how are you planning to pay for this? You spent all your money on that ridiculous tuxedo."