Goodbye for now || n.h

Chapter 4

"Tell me about your family."

Of course she's interested in hearing about the only thing I really don't feel like talking about. One of the biggest reasons my life is the way it is.

But who am I to say no to her?

"My family is kind of fucked up." I admitted with a laugh.

"How come?"

"Well, ever since my brother moved out five years ago, nothing has been the same. My dad is a workaholic and is cheating on my mum. Mum is a complete mess, a real nerve wreck. They fight most of the time, thinking that I don't hear them. The only time they actually get along is when my brother's in town. Whenever he comes over it's like nothing's changed. We're still the same happy family we were five years ago."

She was quiet for a while, just looking at me. Instead of looking at her – for a change – I was staring out at the city. The moon was high in the sky and the crickets in the bushes around us were the only sound right now. And I have to admit; it was a stupid choice to buy ice cream on a cold night in April like this, but I guess that's just the way Dakota is.

Then I felt her tugging at my right elbow. I looked down and didn't quite understand what she wanted until I removed my palm from the grass. She pulled my hand towards herself, holding my hand in both of hers while pressing our hands against her stomach.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked.

"Your family. It's hard picturing someone having family issues when you live in a happy home, so I'm sorry. I had no idea."

I smiled down at her.

"It's okay. How could you have possible known? I'm your stalker, remember?"

She gave me a soft smile back before looking at our hands.

It was weird. She just lied there with her head in my lap, playing with my fingers. Who would have thought that after four years, we would be sitting on a grass hill late at night, after our first date?

"We should get going. My mum has this rule I need to be home before midnight." I eventually told her, almost blushing for sounding like a wuss.

I'm an eighteen-year-old guy who's obeying his mother. Classical.

"You're living some sort of secret Cinderella life, aren't you?" She giggled and released my hand from hers. She got up from the ground and looked down at me. "It's sweet though. That you respect your mum and her rules that way. Most guys I would date wouldn't listen to a word their mum had to say."

"Maybe I'll drop something on my way down from this hill and you will come look for me all over town." I joked as I got up from the ground as well.

"Maybe I will."

We talked non-stop all the way back to her house. Everything felt so relaxing and I didn't have to force anything. My jokes came natural and the only thing that made me nervous right now was how I'm supposed to say goodbye.

Should I walk with her to her door? Kiss her goodnight? Just drop her off by the sidewalk and drive off? I mean she's giving me all these mixed signals so I'm not sure on what she wants me to do.

I decided to follow her to her door, if she wouldn't tell me otherwise. So when I turned off the engine outside her house, I glanced at her to see if she were about to stop me from doing that.

"Thanks for tonight. I had a really great time." She smiled at me, unbuckling her seatbelt. "And I'm going to spare you the awkwardness and lame excuses. Give me your phone."

I frowned a bit, but did as told and handed her my phone.

"I'm going to put my number in, text myself so I can save yours, and then I can tell you when I've decided on what to do for our second date."

"Sounds good." I nodded, still unsure if she wants me to walk with her to the door. But at least I know she wants to go out with me again, which is a good sign.

She handed me my phone back and my hand travelled down slowly towards my seatbelt. Was she going to stop me or not? Then she leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

I gripped onto the wheel with both hands again, understanding that I should stay here in the car. She thanked me once again before climbing out. I watched her walk up to the front door, but then she stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned around and I saw her lightly biting her bottom lip to hide that mischievous grin.

God I wish I were a mind reader

Dakota went back to my car and walked around it to my side. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but she gave me a sign to keep it on. I frowned and she gave me another signal, motioning me to roll down the window. I obeyed and she leaned down, placing her arms on the now open window frame of the door.

"Here's what we're doing. We go out on Sunday again, and I'm in charge."

"I can't. I told you I have that family dinner on Sunday." I sighed.

She grinned, slowly tracing her fingers against my shoulder.

"I know. And I wanna come."

"I thought you said meeting parents wasn't until fourth date."

"I know what I said, but I also want to kiss you so badly right now. The only problem is that I have this rule against kissing on the first date. So that's why I'm deciding we'll be seeing each other again on Sunday."

I couldn't help but smile. Dakota Jones wants to kiss me and go out twice the same weekend. This is something I thought would never happen.

"Now go, Cinderella. Go before the clock strikes twelve."

She stood up straight again.

"That rule of yours..." I began. "Would you be mad if I broke it for you?"

"I refuse to let our first kiss be through a window." She giggled.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and was surprised myself for what I was about to do. Where the hell did this sudden confidence come from, and am I really about to kiss Dakota?

I opened the door, and she was still standing right outside. My heart was beating extremely fast but I tried to ignore it. My fingers traced up her side, gently grabbing onto her waist and pulled her closer.

"I guess both of us will be breaking rules tonight." She said. "It's only three minutes left until midnight."

I smiled down at her, placing one hand on her neck and leaving the other one on her waist. I felt her hands going around my torso and holding onto my jacket. I slowly leaned down, feeling my heart getting ready to explode, and suddenly I felt her soft, thin lips being pressed against my own. She did the first move, probably because I was too slow. The butterflies in my stomach was going crazy and I think some of them died when I felt her lips forming a smile against mine.

It was just a simple, gentle kiss. Absolutely perfect according to me because that way I knew I got to do it many more times. And next time is only two days away.