Light of my Life

Gramercy Tavern

"Yeah, for nightingale?" Jason spoke up. Carlos grabbed menus, and began to usher us to our seats at the back of the restaurant, where a booth was set up in the corner.

"Here are your menus, A server will be with you in a moment," he smiled and briskly walked away, leaving us alone to decide what to eat.

"Oh, look at the lighting, so romantic, Alex," Keegan wiggled his eyebrows around and hit me in the shoulder. When I didn't laugh, he made a face and turned to Noah and Jason. "What's wrong with him, lads?"

"I'm just tired from the meet and concert," I lied, playing with a thread on my shirt. Lauren was still fresh in my mind, like a taste on my tongue that I couldn't wash down. Her face haunted my thoughts every time I drifted out of the conversation and into my head.

"Just look at the menu, it'll distract you. When we get back to the hotel you can sleep," Noah recommended nonchalantly. I opened the menu and flicked through it.

"They serve two courses," I grinned.

"Definitely my kind of place," Jason mumbled while reading.

The waiter came back to our wing of the restaurant again with two people, seating them in the booth across from us. I glanced over at where they sat briskly, before my eyes landed on a blonde head.

No. Freaking. Way.

"Boys!" I whispered loudly to get their attention. Noah looked up from his menu, and raised his eyebrows.

"What, Alex," Jason muttered, his nose still deep inside the dessert section.

"It's her."

"Who? Oh, Lauren?" Keegan looked over at the booth. "Huh, well isn't it your lucky day."

"Where?" Noah turned around, trying to figure out which one I was identifying.

"Noah, look away! She'll know we're talking about her!" I blushed. She was with another girl her age. They both snickered together about something.

"How could she possibly know?" Jason set down his menu as well and turned around to look. I buried my face into the entree page and pretended not to see what was going on.

"Wow, she is kind of hot," Keegan agreed. I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up."

"No, she is," Noah nodded.

"You should go get her number," Jason suggested. I looked up from the menu I was hiding behind.

"Seriously? Wouldn't that be kind of creepy? She's having dinner with her friend. Plus she's a fan, what if she leaks information or something?" I tried to come up with excuses.

"This is God giving you a second chance, not our fault if you don't take it. Sometimes you've got to take risks to get what you want." Noah motivated.

I thought about what he said, and a waitress came over to our table. "Hi, I'm Veronica," she smiled, her dazzling teeth contrasting against her caramel skin. "I'll be your server today. What can I get you guys to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll get a Oreo milkshake," Jason ordered. Veronica nodded, scribbling it down.

"I'll just take a beer," I rubbed my forehead, contemplating the risks.

"Just go for it," Keegan grinned. "Live a little."

<====><====>

I watched her get out of her seat gracefully, pulling a jean jacket over her shoulders and a mint scarf around her neck. This was it, she was about to leave and I would regret not mustering up the courage to speak to her for the rest of my life.

All of the guys stared at me over their plates, waiting for my decision. I looked at them, back to her, and sighed. "Fine," I grumbled and slid out of the booth, running to catch up with her figure heading towards the doors.

"Go get her, Tiger," Jason laughed behind me.

"Hey!" I tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and looked at me casually for a second, before her exquisite ocean eyes widened. "It's, Lauren, right?"

"Yeah," she managed to choke out a breath. "And you're Alex-"

"Morrison," I finished for her. She stood there silently, her lips parted slightly. All my thoughts had run away at the sight of her face. She tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear and looked up at me with her anxious eyes.

My gosh those eyes.

"Right, so this is awkward." I shook myself back to reality and rubbed the back of my neck. I turned looked back at the boys, who were making facetious gestures at me, then back at her. "I was wondering if maybe I could potentially be able to get your number?"

Her mouth opened in utter disbelief. "Uh, yeah, totally, sure." She pulled out a piece of paper from her purse, and scratched down her number quickly.

"Thanks," I smiled, then remembered a very important detail. "You are, like, eighteen or whatever-"

"I turned 21 two weeks ago," she responded, a trace of an excited smile on her lips, and looked back at her friend, who was giving her a thumbs up. "Uh, maybe I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah, see you. Thanks again," I let a huge grin escape from my face. She smiled back softly, then waved and turned to leave the building. I walked back to the booth, awkwardly triumphant.

"Did you get her number?" Jason beamed hopefully. I held up the post it note, sitting back down to the meal I had ordered.

"I ship you guys so hard," Keegan teased through bites of red pepper pasta salad and garlic bread he was shoveling down.

"But, we haven't even gone on a date yet." I cut off a piece of chicken and stuffed it into my mouth, my heart pounding from the crazy act I had just committed.

"Wait at least until tomorrow to text her. You don't want to seem clingy or desperate," Noah advised. I nodded solemnly.

"We'll see what comes from this," I shrugged, but on the inside, I was screaming.

I had just asked a girl for her number. A girl I didn't know that well, and I was going to try to go on a date with her. The girl was a fan.

I was after all, in the city of dreams, and second chances. Might as well try something new.