More than Black & White

14- Permission Granted

Kim stared at him unable to speak.

"You can kiss me any time you damn well feel like it." He said staring back at her.

She couldn't move. Her brain wasn't expecting that response so she needed a few minutes to catch up.

"Don't make fun of me." She finally managed to say.

"I'm not." He said still making heavy eye contact.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Did he expect her to lunge at him to kiss him right then and there?

"Can I please take you to dinner?" He asked breaking the thick air between them.

"Um hmm." She just nodded. He smiled and turned the key brining the car to life. She put her seat belt back on and her heart raced as her thoughts tried to straighten themselves back out.

As he drove he reached out and placed his hand in the center between them. She was still unsure of exactly what was happening so she awkwardly just stared.

"Do you want to hold my hand?" He asked sounding amused.

"Um, yeah, I think I do." She said still just looking at his open hand.

"Ok." He smiled at her glancing in her direction before reaching for her hand and holding it comfortably while he drove.

Kim had never been on a date. She had never wanted to. After West had left boys had asked her out and she had declined. At first it was because she only had eyes for West, but eventually it was because she had thrown herself into her school and work and she couldn't imagine trying to fit a person into her schedule.

Their conversation was non-existent for the rest of the drive. Kim tried not to let West know how awkward she felt and he hummed along with the radio.

"Do you still like curry?" He asked pulling into an Indian restaurant.

"Love it." She nodded. Suddenly words were hard.

He got out of the car slow and smooth and she got out like a chimp being set free from a testing center.

CALM THE FUCK DOWN! Her brain yelled but her whole body felt like it was vibrating. Like she was shivering but not cold.

"Are you ok?" West asked as they stood in the parking lot. The evening air was hot and her face was flushed. She wanted to take off her huge sweatshirt but she only had a tiny tank top on underneath. She wasn't comfortable wearing just that, but the big shirt was too much. She felt stuck.

If it had been just her life long friend West, she would have asked him to wait while she retrieved her light sweater from her back pack, but date West was different. She couldn't possibly ask him to stand there and watch her change.

"I'm hot." She finally just blurted out.

"Ok?" He was visibly confused.

"I want to change my sweater." She said again like that explained something.

"Ok." He nodded but she still didn't move.

"I have another one in my bag." She explained further still not moving.

"Oh, the car isn't locked." He said as if that had been her problem.

"Ok." She said and stifly moved to change her sweater. This conversation was weird and she was cringing on the inside.

She pulled the large sweatshirt over her head and looked at it like she wasn't sure what to do with it now. She left it on her seat and pulled out her date sweater from her back pack. She felt awkward having him watch her so she tuned her back.