The Devil's Debt

13 | two dates and a lie

Vance's POV:

After getting my car back and dropping Hadley off at her home, I pressed Rachel's address into my GPS and waited for my directions to load. I only had to muster enough patience for this one-time date, make a good impression, and then forget about her. I was always the losing player in the game of love and only found myself putting in decent effort when I cared. With tonight's date, my mom and I both knew I was only doing this to satisfy her.

After a few turns and many pauses at stoplights, I finally pulled up to a three-garage, three story home. There were no plants or any decorate pieces that hindered the simplicity of the house's clean and fresh vibe.

With my mother's master organization skills, Rachel had stepped out of her front doors, not even a minute after 7pm. A tight red dress hugged her thin body, emphasizing her small hips and frame. There were two strings of red fabric hanging loosely from her shoulders -- something in women's fashion I could never quite understand. Her dusty blonde hair was ironed straight and she wore a confident smile to garnish her attire.

I quickly stepped out of my driver's seat and took my Ray Bans off, tucking them into the inside pocket of my suit. I mimicked her smile as I walked over to the passenger side door, unlocking it.

"Good evening, Mr. Pierce," she greeted, the dulcet tone of her voice resonated in my ears.

"Rachel," I took her shaking hand that was gripping a YSL clutch and kissed the back of it delicately. I looked up at her from my eyelashes and could see her cheeks tint pink, and I was certain it wasn't from her makeup.

"You look very handsome," she cooed, tucking the ends of her dress in before placing one heel into the passenger side, and then the other.

"You're quite breathtaking as well," I replied sheepishly, my lips curling into a smile.

We drove in peaceful silence to the most fancy and high-class sushi restaurant I could think of in the heart of NYC. I killed the engine of my car as soon as I backed into a vacant parking spot and turned to look at Rachel, who was still grasping onto her clutch for the life of her.

"Nervous?" I asked, reaching over to take her hand.

"I never told my father about my past relationships," she laughed nervously. "They turned out pretty bad, which is why I haven't dated in a few years and--oh my god, I'm totally ruining this, aren't I?" she shook her head vigorously, much to her chagrin.

"Don't worry," I whispered, pressing my lips on the back of her hand again, knowing the affect that had on women. "I'm nervous too."

"Umm..." she bit her lip, another blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Let's go eat, hm?" I chuckled slightly, to which she mirrored back.

~*~

Hadley's POV:

"Exquisite. Just exquisite," James applauded, a smug smile plastered across his face as he stood outside my driveway leaning on his Ferrari.

"I uh..." I stammered, concentrating on my steps to prevent myself from tripping on any cracks in my driveway.

"You're beautiful," he grinned, taking my hand and pulled me towards him, twirling me around. I held back a yelp as I nearly tripped over my own feet, but like any cliche romance movie, James was less than a feet away, ready to break my fall.

"Woah, I got you, princess," he chuckled, his grip on my arm and hip tightening.

"Right, thank you," I smiled, standing up straight and patting my palms on my dress, straightening out any folds.