4 First Date

The morning of the date was calmer than usual. My red-furred dog lay curled up against my chest, the sound of her obnoxious snores filling the room. My lips quirked up into a smile as I moved my fingertips across the dog’s cheek and down her neck, careful not to wake her. As much as I hated to admit it, she was her best friend.

There was no yelling outside from the neighborhood kids, nor was there a knock on my door telling me to get up and go shopping for things I already knew we needed. It was just me and the snores of my snuggly friend, who just at that moment kicked me in my lower stomach, making the need to relieve myself that much more intense.

Slipping out from under my blankets, I would make my way to the bathroom to shower. The date I had planned would start at about one in the afternoon, which meant I would have about six hours to get everything done.

Once I was out of the shower, I would make my way to the closet past the now wide awake and hyper dog. The weather was getting alot crisper as fall shifted to winter, which meant I would have to wear warmer clothes. Having decided on a yellow blue and white cropped sweatshirt and faded ripped jeans for the day, I would plop down at my desk. A small blush creeping up upon my cheeks as I went over what I typed out on the word doc.

Date Plans:

1: Meet up at Witch’s Brew to have a hot coffee.

2: Ask him about himself to avoid talking awkwardly about me.

3: Find out his favorite movie genre and get tickets for a movie before it’s too late.

4: Eat lots of popcorn! (Use getting refill as an excuse to go pee.)

5: Have him walk me home. (Kiss goodnight?)

Pulling out my phone, I sent a message to him, letting him know we would meet at Witch’s Brew before the date. After hitting send, I closed my laptop and made my way over to my bed where my dog lay snoring like a hog. A chuckle leaving my lips as I slid under the covers, letting sleep overtake me before the date.

I awoke to the sound of my phone buzzing against the wood of my desk. The sun was still up, so it had to be at least two or three in the evening. Sliding out of bed, I made my way into the bathroom to get ready for the date. The date would not be until seven thirty, but it takes a while for me to do my makeup. I never went overboard with it, being that no one ever really commented on my effort, well other than the wicked bitch of the west. Saying I’d make a great clown and she will call if they need one for her little sister’s birthday party.

Once I had finished doing my makeup, I slid into faded skinny jeans, a deep blue spaghetti strap shirt, and tugged on my leather jacket. I was just about ready for the date; I took a deep breath to get the butterflies in my stomach to calm down. I couldn’t help but be nervous. This date would not be a sick joke, or some a trick to get me in trouble. It was an honest first date. One that I had planned myself with no previous experience.

“Maybe I should cancel. I mean, I don’t really even know this guy… Then again, a date is a great way to get to know someone.” I turned to look at my dog, who lazily opened one eye to watch me. She was lying on her back, her lips flopped back to reveal her sharp canines in a goofy smile.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ve got this.” With a pat on her warm belly, I left the house, leaving her to drool away on my favorite pillow.

The walk to the coffee shop went by quicker than I had expected, and suddenly I was standing just before the window. My heart raced like a young rabbit’s on its first adventure.

Fear, anxiety, and depression setting in as my mind raced. What if’s pulling me down into a dark place? What pulled me out of it was the smell of pine and wet earth that filled the air, followed by a gentle tap upon my shoulder.

I spun around quickly to see who it was behind me. My eye’s locking onto those emerald green pools that seemed to captivate me.

“Nate!” I called out in panic. How long had he been standing there by me? Had he seen me almost back out of the date?

Nate let out one of his warm chuckles and held his hand out to me. “Shall we head inside, I have a feeling it’s going to rain soon. You look beautiful tonight. You know you look amazing without makeup too though, right?”

I couldn’t help the light blush that crept up onto my cheeks as I took hold of his hand. A shy “Thank you, Nate.” leaving my lips as we made our way into the coffee shop. We sat at the table by the window. My order of strawberry vanilla iced tea held my gaze as we sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

“So, what is it like?” His voice cut through my thoughts and I turned my now confused gaze to him. “School, I mean. I haven’t been and to be honest, I am nervous. I’ve heard they have gang wars and are there mean girls really, like in the movies?”

The look in his eyes reminded me of a puppy that’s gone outside for the first time. Scared, yet excited. I couldn’t help but laugh at his questions, struggling to answer without making him feel dumb. “No, no, we have nothing like that here. I mean, we have some mean girls, but they are more like angry chihuahua’s. No gangs, though. There isn’t much to be afraid of unless you’re bad at doing homework and have Mr. Edwards as a history teacher. I heard by the end of the year he kicks out about eighty percent of his students for not doing assignments on time.”

His expression seemed to relax at my words. “You relaxed a bit finally. You seemed to be deep in thought and troubled when I found you outside. If you want to talk about why, I’m here for you.” His hand lightly caressed the top of mine. The gesture was comforting, and he was right. The entire time I was stressing until he got my mind on another subject.

“This is my first date, that’s all. I was just nervous.” I couldn’t tell him about how the rest of the town treated me. He’s kind and trustful, I just can’t yet. “So tonight I got us tickets to see the new horror movie Sirens Scorn. I watched a preview for it, and I can definitely tell you it’s going to be good.”

“I’m looking forward to it, what time does it start?” He asked after finishing his blueberry muffin and green tea.

“It starts in about fifteen minutes, so we have time to walk down there. So, you all live just outside of town? It’s weird we haven’t run into each other before.” I asked as we got up out of our seats, then cleaning up our area before making our way outside. The sound of thunder rumbling above us. He was right about the storm.

We talked little on the walk to the theater. He seemed to avoid my questions about his homeschooling. He avoided talking about himself, saying he’s not allowed to talk about it due to his religion. ‘Maybe he’s in a cult?’ I thought to myself with a worried frown.

Grabbing the tickets, we made our way back to the movie. “This might be weird, but I love the previews before the movie. It makes me look forward to seeing everything to come.” I mumbled softly as the lights dimmed, telling us the movie was about to start.

Throughout most of the movie I rested my head against his shoulder, hiding my face against his arm whenever I suspected a jump scare was coming. I felt his body tense a few times, but other than that, he didn’t really seem scared. The end of the movie was coming, yet I wasn’t ready for our date to end just yet.

Startled out of my thoughts, I felt his hand take hold of my chin, turning my gaze to meet his own. Fear gripped my stomach as he leaned in, his lips a hair away from brushing against mine.

My body reacted without another thought I had pushed him away from me. Grabbing my bag sitting on the floor, I took off out of the theater.

I felt the cool rain hit my heated skin as I took off down the street; I don’t know why I had run away. I don’t know why it just didn’t feel right. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment, I had not only taken off and ruined my first date, but I had likely lost my new friends.

I felt heated tears fill my eyes as I slowed my pace, trying to let the storm calm my nerves. The sound of thunder filled my mind as I pushed away the thoughts I had now only wanted to forget.

“So dramatic.” I hissed at myself, self-hatred clear in my tone as I kept making my way towards home. That someone was behind me didn’t register until something tucked me against the warmest chest I had ever felt. My eyes closed as I took in the smell of rain, smoke and wet earth. The mixture of smells sent the feeling of peace through me, instantly pulling forth my tears as I let out a pained sob. I was so tired of being alone, of being the outcast. Being rejected for just existing. I didn’t even know who this person holding me was, and in that moment I didn’t care.

“Come with me.” His tone was firm, but you could hear in his voice that he wasn’t threatening me if I didn’t follow.