"You cold?"

It was their first date, their first real honest-to-God date. Bess had come over that morning, and she and Nancy had driven Hannah wild running all over the store, loading her down with armfuls of shirts and skirts and outfits, black-velvet rhinestone-studded dresses and hot pink halter tops and taffeta. Nancy had never cared what she looked like, not before this. It had all been sensible tennis shoes and ponytails and jeans and the occasional sundress, before.

The weather had been so hot, earlier, and she and Bess had finally settled on a denim nearly-miniskirt and a blue lacy sleeveless top, but the temperature in the movie theater had to be below freezing. Nancy rubbed her arms and smiled at Ned.

"Not really."

He laughed, and then his eyelashes fluttered up and she was staring into his beautiful brown eyes, the movie forgotten.

"Here."

Her eyes widened as he handed over the brown leather jacket she'd mentally scoffed at him for bringing. The nervous sweat from being alone with him, in a car, had dried onto her palms and she took his jacket, her fingertips sliding over the smooth material.

"Thanks."

She wrapped his coat around her and the scent she was only just beginning to associate with him enveloped her. She glanced up at the screen, then back at him, but his eyes were already back on the movie. She put her left hand on the arm rest between them, forearm up, palm open.

A minute later his palm was against hers.

They held hands all through the movie, all the way to her door, where she was sure Hannah was waiting. She stood in the halo of the porch light, looking up at him. Her boyfriend, their fingers still entwined. But she had never felt this nervous tension humming beneath her skin before. With Don she had only dreaded that maybe he would try to put his arms around her, that maybe he would try to kiss her.

She couldn't wait to see if Ned would.

"I'm sure you want your coat back," she finally found her voice to say, and began to shrug out of it.

"Keep it," he said. "It looks good on you."

"For tonight," she grudgingly accepted, ducking her head before she looked up into his eyes.

He took her other hand in his and they swung softly. "Tonight," he repeated, his gaze tracing the curve of her mouth, her lower lip, and she closed her eyes, tilting her face back, waiting with the faintest smile on her face.

--

"New coat?" George asked, sliding into the desk behind Nancy's, in their homeroom.

"No," Nancy replied, smiling. "Ned's coat."

"Oh," George said, and smiled back. "Hot date?"

"It was," Nancy began, and sighed happily. "It was great."

"I told you, Nan," Bess chimed in. "Shopping sprees always pay off. Always."

Nancy giggled as the bell rang. "He's just letting me borrow his coat for a while."

"Anything interesting in the pockets?" Bess murmured as their teacher began to take roll.

"Haven't checked," Nancy admitted, slipping her hands in. "Just some really silky lining."

"That's a shame," George said. "Not even a pocketknife?"

"You should leave some lipgloss in it or something, when you give it back," Bess whispered. "That way he'll think about you when he finds it."

During their biology class, Bess passed Nancy a note asking if she wanted to go to a movie over the coming weekend. Nancy jotted down another two lines of lecture notes before considering. Ned had said he would call her, which meant he would probably want to go to the movies again...

Can we make it Sunday? Nancy wrote under Bess's looping scrawl, then refolded the note. The teacher looked suddenly more vigilant, and Nancy slipped the paper into her pocket, waiting for an opportunity to pass it back.

She was packing her books when Bess punched her in the shoulder. "What happened?"

"Oh," Nancy said, reaching into the coat pocket and handing Bess the note. "Sorry."

"Cell division isn't that fascinating, Nan," Bess chided her, laughing. "Still thinking about that hot date?"

Nancy shook her head. "I'm just," she said, and reached into the coat pocket. "Hmm."

--

"Bowling?"

"You complaining?" Nancy teased him.

"I'm not complaining," Ned objected. "Maybe I just like seeing you in my coat."

"It is hot in here," Nancy agreed. "Thanks for the soda."

Ned nodded, slipping his fingers into the ball and hefting it. "Wish me luck."

"You're already kicking my butt," Nancy laughed.

"Doesn't mean I can't use it," Ned looked back at her before taking his turn. Nancy took a sip of her soda to cover the blush staining her cheeks.

At her door, after a kiss they both found far too brief, Nancy glanced at her door, as though she could see her father on the other side. "I had a really good time tonight."

"I did too," he said, and wrapped his arms around her, gave her a brief hard hug. "Next weekend?"

Nancy pouted. "I would say tomorrow, if I hadn't already made plans with Bess," she explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ned said. "I'll just have to share you, then."

She smiled up at him. "You're great, you know that?"

"I've been told," he nodded, leaning down to kiss her again. "I guess I should get going, before your dad comes out here with a shotgun."

"Oh, I thought you two were past that," Nancy said, then shrugged out of Ned's coat. "And here's your jacket."

"It's cold," he objected.

"And I'm about to go into a nice warm house," she said, holding it out to him. "Take it."

"Looks better on you than me," he mumbled, but took it anyway. "Next time we go out, though..."

"It's a deal," she laughed at him, and blew him a kiss. "Good night."

"Good night."

--

Their next date was a hayride. A hayride and cocoa and toasting marshmallows over a bonfire. His smile when he picked her up, when he draped his coat over her shoulders, told her that he had found the note she had left him, even if he hadn't mentioned it.

"It wasn't bowling," he admitted, as he parked his car at the curb in front of her house, "but it was something."

"It was great," she assured him, the smile flirting with his lips. He'd never had any doubt that she would enjoy it. "Just give me a heads up if you decide on skydiving."

"You'd have to think up some quick excuse to get out of it?" he teased her.

"Nah, I just wouldn't wear heels," she said, meeting his gaze steadily.

He held it for a long moment but was the first to blink, to laugh and look away. "You know, I've never met a girl like you."

"And you never will again," she said lightly, accepting the kiss he leaned over to give her. "Oh, your coat."

"Keep it," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Joint custody. You can have the coat this week."

"Thanks," Nancy murmured, smiling, ducking her head. Her heart was in her throat when she reached into the right-hand pocket, and found a note there. "Walk me to the door?"

"Always."

She was finding it more and more difficult to pull back and make her excuses to go inside, and tonight was no different. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands resting lightly just under the coat and against the small of her back, as they shared long, lingering kisses, incredibly sweet and slow. She slipped her arms around his neck as she stood on her tiptoes, her eyelashes fluttering up as they pulled back for breath.

"Next weekend."

"Next weekend sounds great," she agreed, making a faint noise as he pressed his lips to hers again.

"Okay," he gasped when he pulled back. "Okay... man... okay. You really have to talk to your dad about a longer curfew."

"I'll do that," she returned, running her fingers through his hair. "Okay."

She forced herself to wait until his car's taillights had been swallowed in the darkness before she pulled the note out of the pocket.

I already miss you, she read. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll be counting the minutes until I see you again.

"Me too," she whispered, unable to stop the grin from covering her face. "Me too."