Cardinal

Chapter 7 Dinner

"How did we get here?" I asked myself, as I sat across from Harrison who was casually looking around. Beside him was the shopping bag with the costumes we had bought earlier that day. Just a few hours before, he asked me if I'd like to hang out with him after work and go shopping since we got off at the same time.

"Where would we go shopping at?" I asked, as he leaned back against the table.

"Well, there is this Halloween store that I wanted to stop at and look around if you don't mind?" I paused and stared at him for a brief second. This flushed feeling that was rushing through my body had returned to cause me to spiral out of control again. Why was it that whenever he talked to me, I had this feeling?

"YES!" I blurted out excitedly, but quickly recovered the best I could. "I mean, yes, I'd like to go with you if that's fine?" He smiled softly, chuckling to himself as I asked.

"I was the one who offered it to you," he stated, and it was planned.

That's how it happened, but something about the turn of events felt so unreal. Neither of us had planned to go out anywhere until today, and our parents were okay with it. For once, everything seemed to be going good for myself and others.

"Thank you," I whispered quietly as he turned his head towards me.

"What?" he asked, completely unaware of what I said.

"Oh, nothing. I just was saying thanks..." I stated slowly. He sat there nervously and looked around in a slight panic. I could tell he wasn't fully understanding how to react, but finally, he gathered himself together.

"It's okay, thank you for joining me today," he said softly. I gently blushed as the words came out of his mouth, and I could feel the heat of the room begin to wrap around me like a warm blanket. How could he be so attractive despite what little he says or does? I couldn't understand it, this feeling and how I'm so relaxed and calm around him. What was this feeling that slowly overcame me?

"Of course, I enjoyed shopping with you," I said softly. We both quietly stared into the others eyes, somehow admiring each other's attractiveness without uttering a word.

"How can I take your order?" a high-pitched voice asked, causing both of us to jump and stare at the waitress.

"Oh, uh-" we both stuttered and scrambled around the menu.

"Just one Pepperoni pizza for the two of us!" Harrison exclaimed, and the waitress cheerfully wrote it down. Somehow, he thought of what I was going to suggest.

"Anything to drink?"

"Just water for myself," Harrison said, before both of them looked over towards me. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the eyes watching me and spoke quickly.

"Same for me," I said nervously as the waitress wrote it down. Her Goldie lox hair swayed with her writing as she stood in the dark red outfit, an homage to the dark red pepperoni mascot. She looked like she'd work at an old diner from the fifties rather than some pizza joint.

"Alright, I'll have your drinks out shortly," she stated, before walking back to the kitchen. I sighed with relief as he looked down at the table, clearly expressing the same relief as myself.

"We are so awkward," he stated with a joking smile. I chuckled at his comment.

"Yeah, I apologize that I'm so weird," I stated, and his smile quickly faded. He looked up at me with a slight look of worry.

"What do you mean? You're not weird at all," he said.

"Heh, thank you but I really am."

"No, you're not," he began. "You're great the way you are and no one should have a right to say otherwise, not even yourself. I mean, you've really helped me out with a lot of things and spending time with you is an amazing experience all on its own." I stared at him in awe as he explained his thoughts, feeling a sense of comfort from his words. I just sat there awkwardly, as I didn't know how to respond to such kindness and comfort.