"James, I don’t know what to wear!" you cried into your phone.
You and James Neal were best friends, and when he got traded to Nashville, you two stayed in touch. You were on the phone with him because Geno asked you out on a date, and you didn’t know what to wear since he didn’t give you any hints. You knew he called James and asked where to take you.
"Just wear a t-shirt and jeans, (Y/N). He knows you don’t want anything fancy," he assures you.
"Are you sure?" you ask.
"Of course. Oh, and do your makeup and hair like you usually do. He loves it."
"Really?" You smile to yourself as your voice gets soft.
"Really. I have to go. He’s calling me right now."
You hang up and turn to your dresser. You find a baseball tee that’s black and white and pull that over your head. You then tug some jeans on and tie your sneakers before walking into your bathroom. You quickly do your makeup and hair. When you look at the time on your phone, you sigh when you see that he’s not going to pick you up for another twenty minutes. Great, you think to yourself. More time to freak out.
Your doorbell rings, scaring you. You walk to the door and look at the peephole before smiling, opening it.
"Geno, you’re here early," you greet.
"Me like you!" he blurts, and then he smacks his forehead while you giggle. "Deystvitel’no, Yevgeniy? ‘YA lyublyu tebya?’ Bog, by dolzhny rabotat’ na vashem anliyskom yazyke yesli vy nervnichayete.” (Roughly translates to: “Really, Evgeni? ‘Me like you?’ God, you need to work on your English when you’re nervous.”)
"Geno, I know you like me. Why else would you have asked me on a date?" you ask.
"I-I sorry. Really nervous," he apologizes.
"I could tell." You step out, closing the door behind you. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m really nervous, too."
"Really?" he asks, and you giggle again.
"Of course, Zhenya. I was on the phone with James for twenty minutes, freaking out about what to wear," you admit.
"You look great, if feel better," he says with a shy grin.
"Thank you. You look great as well."
He smiles and leads you to his car. It’s a quick drive over, and you smile when you see the giant bowling pin light up in front of your eyes.
"I’m guessing James told you about my love for cheesy first dates?" you ask.
"Maybe."
You two walk in and rent some shoes before picking out the perfect ball. You both then go to the lane you’ve been assigned, and he types in your names. He lets you go first, and when you get a spare, he frowns.
"This long game?" he asks.
"It might be," you say with a shrug and smile.
The game quickly becomes competitive. You and Geno do everything you can to mess each other up. You let out a huge breath to concentrate and end the game. All of a sudden, fingers run up and down your sides, and you almost drop the bowling ball as you burst into laughter.
"Geno, stop!" you shriek.
Instead of stopping, he takes your bowling ball away and puts it down before going back to tickling you. You start laughing again, which gets him laughing.
"Geno, I’m about to pee my pants!" you manage to get out.
He stops and leaves his hands on your waist. They then slides across your stomach to pull you into a hug from behind.
"Glad you say yes," he mumbles into your hair.
"I am, too, Zhenya. I am too."
-Emily
