Waiters were quick to make sure everything was perfect for her. News had traveled fast that Rapunzel Corona was here to critic their food. Everyone reads what she writes. If she gave them a bad review, they could almost guarantee that their restaurant would be out of business.

A waiter laid out the world's finest plate in front of her. She sliced a piece off herself. Cooks stared out of the little window, hoping that she would like it. Her waiter was sweating, afraid that she'll hate it. She took a bite then looked at him. "I'm writing it up as inventive and confident." She stated.

Everyone sighed, their shoulders relaxing. They had pleased her. Across the table from her was her editor, Eugene Fitzherbert. He leaned towards her after the waiter had left. "Oh, by the way, did the chap from Newsdays ever call?" He asked.

"I'll check my phone," Rapunzel replied, reaching down to grab her purse. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, looking back at Eugene as she dug through her purse. "Is this a real interview or just some cute guy that you're trying to set me up with?" She questioned, sitting back up in her chair.

"Please, Rapunzel, I don't send you men anymore. You haven't got the first idea what to do with them." He fired back. Eugene had been trying to set her up with a man for years, but she always turned them away. She always said that they weren't her 'taste.'

Rapunzel placed the phone against her ear, ready to see who left a message on her phone. "Hey, it's Jackson. Raps, it must be months, huh? So, um, I can't wait to talk to you. I'm in Chicago at the Drake Hotel. I guess I'm, uh... Okay, well, call me, 4:00 in the morning, whatever. We gotta talk. Bye."

She smiled, shutting off her phone. "Who called? The man of the moment?" Eugene teased her from across the table. Rapunzel shook her head. No. It wasn't the man of the moment.

"No, the opposite," She responded. She placed her phone on the table. "It's my Jackson. Jackson Frost. He sounds desperate to talk to me."

"Oh, the wandering sportswriter. Remind me about that one." Eugene demanded, wanting to remember her backstory with him. She had talked about Jackson to him before, but that was years ago.

Rapunzel sighed, knowing that he would want the whole story. That was the way Eugene was. "Sophomore year at Brown." She started.

"We had this one hot month." Eugene and her said together. She lightly laughed, realizing that she must talk about Jackson a lot if Eugene could quote her.

"Yes, but, of course, you know me," she smiled, looking at Eugene. He hummed. He knew her pretty well after working together for seven years. "I got restless. So I get up the nerve to break his heart, and he gives me this look. And he said, 'The thing that makes me wanna cry is I'm losing the best friend I've ever had.'"

Eugene awed, sad about her story. It was sweet. It sounded like something that would come out of some sappy romantic comedy. Rapunzel and sappy romcoms didn't mix. "At that moment I knew I felt the same way," Rapunzel confessed. She looked down, not ready to finish her story. This was the embarrassing part. "So, I cried for maybe the third time in my entire life, kissed him, and we've been best friends ever since."

"We've seen each other through everything. Losing jobs, losing parents, losing lovers. We've traveled all over. Best times of my life, maybe. Drinking and talking, even if it's just over the phone." She finished. She listened to the sounds of clapping across the restaurant. She turned and watched them present a cake to someone. They just looked so happy.

Eugene could tell that she was getting distracted. He wanted to pull her back into the conversation again. He wanted to know how she felt towards Jackson. "Go on. This is so moving. Kindred spirits, eh?" He replied.

"No he's nothing like me," she argued. "He's like you, actually, only straight." She teased. Eugene rose his eyebrows. Oh. Well, he did tell her he was gay, only that wasn't true. It was just a little lie so he would have an excuse not to date anymore. He loved someone he couldn't have.

"I remember this one night in Tucson, like, six years ago. He takes a razor out of this tiny little Dopp kit, cuts his finger, takes my hand, does the same to me." She smiled, thinking about that memory.

"Ah, I'm going to be sick." Eugene teased. She continued, ignoring his comment.

"He says, 'Swear. When we're 28, if we've never married, we marry each other,'" She chuckled, thinking about how silly it sounded. "We've never talked about it again. I don't know what made me think of that." She quickly added. Great. Now Eugene would think that she still loved Jackson.

Eugene thought about it. He knew why she brought it up. "You're about to be 28 in three weeks, right?" He asked, hoping she caught what he did. She looked up from her plate and smiled. He actually he remembered her birthday. "How old is he?"

Rapunzel softly laughed. She was secretly hoping that Eugene was right. "You think?" She grinned, nodding her head.

"Desperate to talk. Hmmmm." Eugene smirked, looking at Rapunzel. Suddenly, the idea of Jackson actually asking her to marry him ran through her thoughts.

"No." She gasped. Eugene raised his wine glass. He knew what was going to happen.

"Cheers," He stated then brought the glass to his lips. "Courage." He added, speaking in French.

~~~~~~~~~~