TIANA'S POV :

     "Will you puh - leeze stop blinking , Sis ? How am I supposed to do this if you can't stop twitching ?" , Shannon huffs at me . "Are you trying to look like Alice Cooper , circa 1975 ?"

     "No , Shan , I'm just not used to spending this much time on my makeup . Usually , I'm just doing a bit of foundation and some lipgloss ." , I say .

     "Well , that's when you're NOT going to a big - ass awards event where you might end up on TV , hon !" , Brian interjects .

     "Oh , yippee ! Way to make me relax , dork !"

     "You might as well get used to it , T ." , Scott chimes in . "Phoebe's probably gonna be booking you spots on " The View " , and things like that before too long !"

     "Oh , nice going , Scott ! Ash is really gonna get a kick out of coming over here and seeing that his date is now a rather unhealthy shade of green !" , Shan says , tossing a makeup sponge at him .

     "I heard my name being bandied about , what did I do now ?" , Ashley's voice says from the kitchen .

     "They were just talking about whether you'll still want to take Tiana to this bash if she's turned green ." , Rick chuckles .

     "Y'know , I don't think I'll even ask ." , Ash mutters , looking totally confused .

     I start laughing and say , "Don't worry , I'll tell you later ."

     Shannon finally finishes with my face , and I get up and grab my jacket . "I'm ready to go whenever you are ." , I inform him . Then as I see the look on his face , I ask , "What ? What's wrong ?" 

     "Wow ! Just .... WOW !" , he finally says . "There is absolutely nothing wrong , Tiana , you look sensational !" 

     "Guess that answers your question , Shan ." , Brian snickers .

     He takes my jacket and holds it for me to get into , then takes my hand and we walk out to the car . He opens the door for me , closes it when I get in , then comes around and gets in himself .

     He glances at me as he starts the car , and asks , " Why are you looking at me like that ?" 

     "I was just thinking about when we dated in school , you always did that when we went out in your grandad's old truck . Truthfully , I was always surprised that he never asked why you kept a blanket in there . Although , I guess it was a good thing he didn't ."

     "I honestly don't think he ever bothered to look behind the seat , or he probably would have . Or not . He probably could've figured that one out !", he says , flashing me that devilish grin .

     Maybe not the best conversation to be having right now . That pulls up way too many memories . Some of them good , some not even close . 

                                         ________________________________________

ASHLEY'S POV :

     She looks a little uneasy with the way the conversation is heading , and truthfully , I feel a bit of that myself . We need to be careful about what we say , and do , until we're on a little bit of a firmer footing with whatever our current relationship is going to end up being . I want her to know unquestionably that the same thing is not going to happen this time , that she can actually count on me to be there for her .

     So , I change the subject , and get her to explain what the hell Rick was talking about before we left , and we spend the rest of the drive talking about the pros and cons of being a "celebrity".

     When we finally get to the venue , I find a place to park , and we leave our jackets in the car , since we're gonna be walking the carpet in front of the cameras . Truthfully , I'm glad we're not wearing them , because she's utterly fucking stunning tonight . The dress she's wearing ..... , damn ! A black sleeveless dress , V - neck in front and back , with the back low enough to ALMOST show rear cleavage , and the front definitely displaying enough to be noticed . The skirt has inserts of a sheer , multicolor fabric stamped with jagged gold lines , almost like lightning , that show glimpses of her gorgeous legs , almost to her hips , and the neckline is trimmed with the same fabric . She's also wearing  a choker necklace of iridescent crystal beads , with a large pendant , made up of a large rainbow - colored stone , and a holographic piece that changes from a fairy to some sort of a tree - creature , with spiral earrings of the same iridescent beads . And gold sandals with four - inch heels , so she's not quite so much shorter than me tonight .

     I'm glad I decided to dress up tonight , so I don't look too shabby next to her . I'm wearing a pair of black dress slacks , a red silk button- down dress shirt , and a black suit jacket , with just the slightest bit of shine to the fabric , and my cowboy boots , of course .

     We almost immediately run into CC , Tiff , Andy , and Juliet , and we decide to all run the gauntlet together . Only a couple of the "reporters" make any attempt to question Andy and Juliet about what happened the other day , and they back off very quickly when faced with multiple threats to their continued good health . But since they can't get anything there , they decide that Tiana and I are nearly as interesting , firing multiple questions :

     "How long have you two known each other ?"

      "How did you meet ?"

      And , "Ashley , is this your new girlfriend ?" 

     To which I answer ;

     "Since my senior year of high school ." 

     "She was my cousins best friend ." 

     And , " Hopefully at some point , if I'm lucky !" , which earns me a startled look from Tiana .

     After we get past the press , we stop to talk to several people , and I introduce her to some of our other friends , like Nikki Sixx , Bob Rock , and Danny Worsnop . I almost instantly have to put myself between Tiana and Danny , since he's already a bit loaded , and doesn't take her seriously when she threatens to break his hand if he doesn't remove it from her ass . Fortunately for him , Jeff shows up and we manage to convince him to step away . Good thing , because Danny's actually a good guy when he's sober , and a good buddy , and I'd hate to have to beat the shit out of whatever she left of him for trying to hit on my girl .

   When we finally get to our seats , she whispers ,  "Why did you say that ? About me being your girlfriend if you're lucky ?" 

     "Just answering the question honestly , T " , I say . " I've told you that's what I'm hoping for ."

     "Yes , I know that , but you know that's gonna wind up all over the internet , and I know how much you hate people in your personal business ." 

     "Tiana , that was inevitable the second we were seen in public together , so I'd rather have it out there in my own words , instead of giving everybody the chance to make up whatever the hell they want to ." , I reply .

    "I know , it's just gonna take some getting used to , knowing that people I don't even know are interested in everything damn thing I do ." , she sighs .

     "Been there , done that ! If you want , we can all give you some tips on how to cope . Because even if you decide you don't want to be with me , you're still gonna end up in that position , with the book and all." 

     Before she can say anything else , the lights dim , letting everyone know that the show is about to start . I sit with her and watch the presentations , and the bands that are playing , although she excuses herself to go to the ladies during one song , because , she tells me , she cannot stand their singers voice . She says it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to her .

     "Is it his accent or something ?" , I ask when she comes back . 

     " No , I just don't think rockabilly and metal were ever meant to go together . Not to mention there seems to be attempted yodeling involved . Kinda makes me want to shove chopsticks through my eardrums ."

     We watch for a bit more , then Taylor Momsen and Zakk Wylde come up onstage to present the award for Best Concert Film , which we're nominated for . They banter back and forth a bit , then list the nominated bands .

     Zakk tears the envelope , saying , "And the winner is ..." , as he holds the card up for Taylor to read .

     "Black Veil Brides , 'Alive and Burning' " ! , she announces .

     Before I can get up , Tiana grabs my face and kisses me , then let's go and says , "Congratulations , Ash , now get up there with the others !" 

     We head up to the stage , and each of us make a short thank you speech , then head back to our seats for the rest of the program . When it finishes , we all go to the after - party for awhile , and I give Tiana my keys first thing . I don't plan to get totally drunk , but I also don't want to take any chances on getting pulled over on the way home .

     We hang out and talk to some people for a couple of hours , then we decide to head back to Andy's place . She drives us back , and we get there before Andy and Juliet do . We pull into the driveway , park the car , then head to the house . 

    She's staying in the downstairs bedroom , and as we get to the foot of the stairs , I wrap my arms around her waist and say , "Goodnight , Tiana , I had a blast tonight ." , then slip my hand to the back of her head , tip her face up , and kiss her .

     We stay here like this for several minutes before I finally force myself to pull away . I let go and as I turn to go upstairs , she grabs my arm , and I turn back towards her .

     She gives me  a small smile and says  , "You do know that they're less likely to hear us in my room , don't you ?" , and my jaw drops as she crooks her finger at me and moves toward the door of her room .

A / N :  CLIFFHANGER ! Yes , I'm evil that way . ( giggles !! ) Next chapter will be smutty !