Hello readers! Sorry this took forever for me to write. I was totally not feeling well recently, and well... when I don't feel good, my writing tends to be... not as good. This chapter I've been excited about for a while now, and admittedly, I had a lot of fun writing it too.

Since I can only dedicate this chapter to one Wattpad member, I just want to make it clear that I really had two people to thank for my inspiration for this chapter: Marisa and Kat. Marisa gave the idea for the beginning when we spoke about a week ago. She never actually said anything, when we were talking, the idea came to me. And as for Kat, she helped with one of the minor details with the setting, and the song since we both used it at about the same time for our stories. Of course actually meeting her the other day was a boost for my inspiration as well. So thank these two beautiful young ladies for their help. They're the best, and I don't know what I would do without them. <3

Anyhow, onto the much anticipated chapter 9! Hope you all enjoy! =)

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Diana released the last curl of her sister's hair from the curling iron. She was helping her get ready for some date she had that night. Admittedly, Diana couldn't remember the details for it; her mind had been too busy still trying to comprehend her own situation to pay any attention to her sister's. She truly felt bad for being so distant, but she naturally couldn't help it. She had way too many thoughts running through her head to even be able to concentrate.

"There, you can go finish getting ready," she announced, leaning back against the bathroom counter, giving her sister some space to move.

"Thanks, Di," Marisa answered her, jumping up to look at what her sister had done to her hair. "This is perfect."

"Glad you like it," Diana sighed, moving off the counter top. "But I won't bug you." With that, she left the tiny bathroom, and went back to her room. Little did her sister know, Diana had plans of her own to attend to that evening. They weren't anything major, or even anything as important as a date, but for whatever reason, Diana found herself to be incredibly anxious about them.

She stood in front of her dresser, examining her reflection carefully in the mirror that hung behind it. Diana didn't know what to think about how she looked right now; she had finally regained some color to her skin after her ordeal yet at the same time, she could still tell that she had been upset for a bit now. She had dark circles under her eyes, a clear indicator that she hadn't been sleeping well. She sighed; nothing a little makeup couldn't fix. Before she even started that, she glanced up at her clock. Diana had less than an hour to finish getting ready.

As she began to touch up her face, she wondered how she had managed to set these plans up in the first place. Diana had somehow convinced Artemis to go to dinner with her, or rather for him to take her with him while he went out. Admittedly, Diana knew she needed to get out of her house after what had transpired two nights beforehand. Diana was ready to forget about what happened between her and Brent, and that was exactly what she planned on doing tonight.

Diana tossed her mascara back into her makeup bag on her dresser before adjusting her flowy blue shirt. It was a relatively warm day, so she had opted to wear something that would allow her to breathe in the heat and humidity. She was just hoping that Artemis wouldn't mind her wearing shorts to dinner. Diana's thoughts were interrupted when she noticed her sister standing in the doorway.

"I thought you were just staying home," Marisa raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't get all dressed up for lounging around the house. So what's up?"

Diana knew her sister was bound to figure out what was going on; Marisa wasn't dumb by any means. "I'm just going to dinner; nothing special," Diana tried her best to shrug off the dinner with Artemis as if it was nothing. It was nothing, but for some reason, Diana couldn't shake the butterflies out of her stomach.

Marisa continued to give her sister a questioning look. "If you say so, Diana. But I think a meeting will be in order when we get home. Even if your friends are coming over later."

Diana sighed. Sometimes she forgot how crazy protective her little sister could be at times. "Alright, Risa, we'll talk about it later. Now go have fun on your date," Diana sighed.

"Same to you sis," Marisa winked before walking away, leaving Diana in her room alone once again.

She sat down on her bed, taking a deep breath. Before too long, she heard the back door open and close, signaling Marisa's departure for her date. Diana was a bit disappointed with herself; normally she would've scoped this guy out already, knowing his name, his age, and countless other bits of information, but not this time. Diana had been so caught up with her break up she didn't have time to figure any of that out. She made a vow herself to find out who this mysterious guy was once she got home.

Diana glanced at her phone. The waiting game began. Diana had about fifteen minutes or so before Artemis was to arrive. The girl fell backwards onto her bed, hoping that if she closed her eyes and relaxed for a few that time would pass by faster. She silently wondered where they were going to go, what everything was going to be like. It had been a while since she had eaten dinner with a guy, let alone one as enchanting as Artemis. Diana let her mind wander, letting herself forget the unpleasantries she had experienced in recent times. Tonight, she was going to forget all about Brent and the hell he had drug her through; she just wasn't sure when or how.

The girl's thoughts were snapped when she heard a knock on the front door. She opened her eyes, suddenly alert; Diana glanced at the clock, and sure enough it was nowhere near what time Artemis had said he would be there at. She hesitantly stood up before wandering into the living room. Diana took a deep breath as she began to open the front door. Sure enough, Artemis was standing on the other side of the door, hands in his pockets. It was an unusual look for him, far too casual. Diana was glad to see that once again he had worn something other than a suit, although it was very close in style.

"Well aren't you a bit early?" Diana teased.

Artemis shrugged nonchalantly. "I figured it would be better to be early since restaurants tend to be busier during this time of day. Surely we don't need to wait an hour for some food."

He had a valid point. Diana could remember many times where she had gone to dinner with someone at the wrong time and ended up having to wait over an hour to get a table. If that happened tonight, it was likely that she was going to have to cancel the rest of her plans. "Touché," she agreed. "Well, let me grab my purse and we can go." She turned, snatching up the bag that had been abandoned on the couch several hours beforehand. She turned back to the raven-haired boy in front of her. "Let's do this."

Diana stepped onto the porch, shutting and locking the front door behind her. She followed Artemis to the rented vehicle. She went to open the passenger door, but Artemis got there first and opened it before she did. That surprised her, and struck her silent for a moment. "Thanks, Artemis," she answered quietly as she took her seat.

Artemis didn't reply for several moments as he made his way to the driver's side of the car. As he took his seat, he looked over at her, a small smile on his face. "Do you honestly think that I'm going to make you open doors? Seriously, Diana; I'm not sure what men are like in this country, but where I'm from men open doors for women. It's something we call good etiquette," he explained. "So as long as I'm around, you certainly don't have to worry about such tasks."

Diana felt her face flush pink. She certainly wasn't expecting that answer out of him; a 'you're welcome' definitely, but not an elaborate explanation as to why. And to hear that she would never have to worry about opening doors? The only man up until this day to hold a door open for her was her own father, and he hardly could count. Diana never understood why a large majority of men in America were the pompous jerks they were, and this was definitely only adding to it.

She offered him a smile, hoping he hadn't noticed the various shades of pink lingering on her cheeks. "So where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, actually, I was hoping you had a suggestion," Artemis admitted as he backed the car out of the gravel driveway. "I honestly have no clue as to what is considered edible in the area."

"I suppose it all depends on what you're in the mood for," Diana answered. "There's Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Chili's, and probably about a dozen more where those came from. It just depends on what kind of food you want."

"I trust Red Lobster lives up to its name and has seafood?" Artemis inquired.

"Definitely! I'm partial to the popcorn shrimp and calamari, but... maybe that's just me," Diana rambled for a moment before shutting herself up. She placed her hands on her lap, twiddling her thumbs.

"Care to direct me?" Artemis requested as he pulled the car out onto a busy street.

"I could do that," Diana stated. "You're going to want to get on the highway and head north..."

The girl directed her friend all the way to the restaurant on the other side of town. The whole time, Diana found herself noticing the little things- how Artemis would nonchalantly push his lengthy bangs from his eyes, how he would smirk when something witty was said. She had no idea why she was noticing any of this, and honestly as they finally took their seats in the restaurant, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

After they placed their orders, Artemis decided to start up another conversation. "So, is there any particular reason you decided to come with me?" he asked.

Diana looked away from him for a moment as she debated what to tell him. "I think I just really needed to get out of my house. Being at home hasn't been helping my mood any. I just need to get away for a bit, and nothing is better than going somewhere randomly with a newfound friend."

Artemis raised an eyebrow; Diana could tell he was questioning something. "Your mood? You can't possibly tell me that you're still upset about that ignorant boy."

"It's not so much him," Diana admitted. "It's more or less the 'wow, I just wasted two years of my life' thing. It's just so... surreal. I mean, it's definitely obvious that I'm better off without him, but... I don't know how to explain it. I guess I'm just so used to how everything was I don't know how to act anymore."

Artemis sighed quietly. "Diana, everything will work itself out in the end. As I've told you, he's not worth it, the situation isn't worth it. There are more important things in life than worrying about what some guy thinks of you, or being depressed about losing two years of your life. You're still young; what's two years when you have an entire life left to live?"

Diana hadn't thought about it like that until then. Artemis was right; she was only seventeen. She had so much time left. She honestly didn't know why she was letting it bug her so bad. Diana pushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "I've been acting like a whiny girl... I've never acted this pathetic in my life," she finally responded, "which is why I need tonight to forget about it."

Artemis didn't answer her for a moment as the waitress sat down their salads. He waited for her to leave before speaking again. "Considering the circumstances, and how most teenage girls react, I actually think you've handled it quite well," he answered.

Diana shrugged, obviously disagreeing with that remark. She certainly was repulsed by her behavior in recent times. Crying was not something she liked doing, and certainly not in front of people. But most importantly, she hated herself for weeping in front of Artemis. There was just something about him that made Diana want to strive for perfection, as if seeing her flaws would send him running in the opposite direction. For some reason, Diana didn't want that to happen.

"Enough about me and my problems," Diana shook away the feeling of doubt. "What about you? Don't you have a girlfriend?" It was a random question, yet for one reason or another, it was one Diana was dreading to hear the answer to. She mentally slapped herself for asking.

"Now why on Earth would you assume something as ludicrous as that?" Artemis inquired.

"You're a likeable guy... why wouldn't you?" Diana covered her tracks.

Artemis hesitated. Diana wasn't sure what was running through his head and that concerned her. "There's a lot more to me than what meets the eye," Artemis answered quietly, picking at his salad. "And most of it would scare off any normal individual. I'm... not as innocent as you perceive me to be."

Diana frowned slightly. Artemis would make a great politician; he dodged that question expertly. "You haven't scared me off," she responded reassuringly. "And you never answered my question."

"No, I don't have a girlfriend," Artemis rolled his eyes. "As for scaring you off, I haven't managed that yet because you don't happen to know half of what I've been through."

Diana sighed, setting her fork down as she gave him a serious look. "I'm not that easy to get rid of. Try me."

"Kidnapping, pyramid schemes, rebellions, multiple personalities... death," Artemis' voice shook a bit on the last one. Something told Diana that the brief list he gave her still didn't touch the half of it. As gruesome and troublesome as it looked, Diana certainly wasn't going to let Artemis' past bug her. The past was the past, after all.

She took a deep breath. "If you think I'm going to judge you, I'm not. I have no room to place judgment on you or anyone else. It's the past, Artemis, and it's going to stay there. I'm not worried about it, and you shouldn't be either. You're still young too, remember?"

Artemis smirked, glancing down at his now empty salad bowl. "I suppose you're right. Perhaps one day you'll learn why I haven't had time for any of that foolish dating, but for now I think its best we talk about something else." He looked back up at her, just in time to notice the main course being set on the table before them. "Now, shall we enjoy the meal?"

Diana merely nodded. By the time he had said that, she was already eating her food. The whole meal, no matter what the conversation, her mind was focused on what about Artemis' past could be troubling him that much. Just from what she heard, it was checkered- what could be worse than what he told her? There was something he was hiding, and she was determined to figure out what it was. As quickly as the thought came to her, Diana dismissed it; maybe if she discovered the secret Artemis wouldn't be as mysterious as she thought he was, and maybe she wouldn't find herself drawn to him anymore.

At one point during the conversation, Diana glanced around the restaurant; something she did just as natural defense. Almost instantly she regretted it; on the opposite side of the restaurant was a woman with jet-black hair wearing all black, and she was staring directly at Artemis and her. It was definitely creepy, so Diana looked away, focusing instead on what Artemis was rambling about at the moment.

Before long, Diana found herself sitting in the passenger seat once again, on her way back home. Honestly, part of her was glad to be leaving; at least at home she wouldn't be stared at by random strangers. The car ride was rather quiet, something she wasn't used to. When they pulled back into her driveway, Diana was not ready for the night to be over. She didn't want to have to spend time with her friends right then. Reluctantly, she went for her seatbelt, freeing herself from its restraint. Before she even had the opportunity to open her door, Artemis had already had it opened for her. He offered her his hand, helping pull Diana from the car.

"Thanks Artemis," she expressed her gratitude. Diana felt herself blush once again, and did her best to hide it.

"You're welcome," Artemis replied. He stood there, awkwardly holding Diana's hand in his for a few moments before he spoke again. "This evening was lovely. We'll have to do this again sometime before I leave town."

"Definitely."

Diana heard Artemis swallow, as if he was afraid of saying something. "You... look exquisite tonight, for the record," he said in a whisper, only causing Diana to redden further.

"Thanks," she answered in a whisper even quieter than the one he spoke in. "So I guess I'll see you soon then?"

Artemis nodded. "I still have a week and half, so I definitely plan on it." He finally released her hand. "But for now, I bid you adieu. Hope you have a lovely evening with your friends."

"Thanks, I'll definitely try. Bye Artemis," Diana found herself smiling. She watched him get back into the car before making her way to the door. After a quick wave, she unlocked the door and went inside. The girl went into her room, setting her bag down and kicking off her shoes. Music played gently in the background; Diana assumed she had forgotten to turn her radio off earlier. But when Diana heard the words playing, she couldn't help her eyes tearing up. The song couldn't have been more expressive on how she felt at that moment...

"...This is me praying that this was the very first page, not where the story line ends. My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon: I was enchanted to meet you... Please don't be in love with someone else; please don't have somebody waiting on you. Please don't be in love with someone else..."