“Just tell me one thing. I want to know more about you. I want to know what you like. I want to know what the most memorable part of our first date was for you.” He swung our hands gently, like we were little kids.
I blushed and ducked my head. “When you told me that, instead of a stuffy restaurant, we were going to order fish and chips and eat it on the beach,” I said quietly.
“Because you like the outdoors, right?”
I nodded. He had drawn that piece of information out of me earlier. “What about you?” I felt so shy. I looked up at him through my lashes, unable to find the confidence to look him properly in the eye. “What was your favourite part?”
He grinned broadly and opened the passenger door for me. “It hasn’t happened yet.”
My face warmed once more. It was obvious what he meant. The goodnight kiss. Should I even allow him to go that far on a first date?
The drive back was different from the one over. He was definitely more relaxed, rather than nervously fidgeting and glancing at me to make sure I hadn’t jumped out the window. This time, I held all the nerves, my stomach churning. I kept biting my lips, remembering how amazing our first kiss had been. Remembering how it had gone from zero to damn hot in a second. My resolve had been definitely weakened by it. I should not let him do it again. He kept the conversation casual, calm but my nerves only increased.
“You don’t need to look so apprehensive,” he said teasingly as he pulled into the student parking lot. “You’re lowering my self-esteem with that pale face.”
He exited the car and I was so slow to move that as I opened the door, he reached my side and pulled it wide. He took my hand as I was getting out, not even acting like it was a big deal, like it was habit. I suppose he’d had enough girlfriends that it was habit. I shrugged uncomfortably but he didn’t notice, looking over to the dorms.
“It’s pretty late but I doubt the halls will be empty,” he said casually. “That party will still be going.”
“You were saying your family was coming tomorrow.”
He glanced at me and grimaced as if just remembering. “Way to point out that I should rest up for the emotional traumatisation I’ll be receiving tomorrow.” His eyes widened a little. “If I come by early in the morning and, um, accidentally wake you up, will you accompany me?”
“No,” I said abruptly. No way in hell. His family? NO!
He grinned and I was instantly worried. “I figured,” he said, entirely too happily.
He opened the dorm entrance and let me go in front of him. Was he going to walk me to my room or would we split here? He didn’t say anything, just tugged me along to the main stairs. I guess we would split on our level, when he would go to the right and I would go left.
He squeezed my hand when we reached the top. “Can you give me one promise, Haze?”
T E M P T E D - {ch 20 - Nerves, Nonchalance and Noxiousness}
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