ExtraOrdinary

Chapter Eighteen

I was blown away by his declaration and I felt like my heart couldn't handle so many of these compliments.

"Thank you, Decland. I-I don't know what to say."

"I have an idea," he says, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"What might that be?"

"That you will go on another date with me."

Another date? He wants to go on another date?

Lord, please keep my heart in my chest. It won't do me any good on the ground, thanks!

The biggest smile slipped onto my face as I nodded eagerly.

He smiled just as bright as the waiter brought our check. He slipped in a few bills with a tip and we made our way to the car.

"It's only 11:30. Is there something else you want to do or would you rather go home?" He asked, taking my hand in his. His interlaced his fingers with mine; my hand barely fitting into his.

"How about we just walk around for a bit? Get reacquainted with one another?" I asked.

He nodded and we turned around heading in a different direction.

"Twenty-One questions?" He asked, knowing it was a favorite of mine with new people. I nodded. Even though we have known each other for so long, we haven't talked in a few years. A lot can change with a person.

"Okay, I'll go first," he thought for a second. "Do you still want to go to Juilliard?"

"Yes. I don't think I have ever changed my mind about that except once. In the Fourth grade I think I wanted to change my profession to rodeo clown," I laughed. Decland laughed along with me causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle. "My turn. What has been the best high school experience so far?"

"As of right now, this date," he replied with a cheesy grin.

"Lame," I sang. "A real experience! Besides this point in time."

He thought for a moment. "Okay, it definitely has to be that time in ninth grade when I finally got onto the football team. It was our last game of the season and we were in the championships. Bryan Tucker, the senior quarterback at the time, accidentally threw the ball to me. I caught the ball and started to run like my life depended on it. It was the first touchdown I had ever scored. Everyone stood from the bleachers and began chanting my name and it was... Amazing. I was so amped from the adrenaline and the energy was so positive, I could have failed a drug test on it."

"Wow, that sounds exciting," I said.

"It really was. It was probably one of the best nights of my life... Besides tonight," I looked up to see him looked down at me with a smile. His eyes were solely focused on mine. I could swim for days in his eyes and not care about anything else.

We walked around like that for another Hour- just learning more things about one another. I have not laughed so hard in a while. It was fun. And, in my opinion, it was a great first date. At some point he laid his blazer over my shoulders to keep me from getting too cold.

By the time we made it back to the car, I was exhausted. My eyelids were heavy and I felt like I would just collapse at any given moment. The ride was completely silent until...

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Avalon. Thank you for coming with me. I didn't think you would after everything Aria has done," he says sheepishly.

I had barely noticed that we were already parked in front of my house. I handed him back his blazer before reaching for the doorhandle.

He reached for his and was already out and at my side by the time I had gotten up. He slowly closed my door for me and walked me up the stairs.

"I had a lot of fun too. All of that is in the past now, it was Aria's fault. Not yours. Don't be so hard on yourself," I replied honestly.

He nodded as we stopped in front of my front door. We stood there awkwardly for a few moments before his hand reached up and pushed a few strands of hair from my face.

His blue eyes bore into mine as he leaves his hand on me cheek, tenderly stroking it with his thumb. His eyes never left mine as he leaned in closer, planting a small, sweet kiss on my cheek.

He slowly raised his lips to my ear and whispered, "Goodnight."

As his back descended down my stairs and into his car, I lifted my fingertips to the now inflamed skin on my cheek.

He kissed me. Even a little peck... My first kiss on the cheek.

Holy cow.

This chapter is shit. I know. But I still hope you all enjoyed it.

I just want to say something really important. 

Okay, so, I'm from the U.S. Georgia to be exact (reason I said this is because I have a lot of readers from different countries). So right now there is a Hurricane over in Texas and it is doing extreme damage. There have been millions that are being affected and currently have no power, no food and no real place to sleep. I know it isn't much, but if everyone could just send good and positive thoughts their way. If you believe in prayer, a few prayers should be sufficient. If not, just keep them in your thoughts and wish for the best outcome.

#ThoughtsforTexas #TexasStrong