Accidentally on Purpose

Chapter Thirty-Six

Back in the living room, Jonah was standing awkwardly, his hands stuffed into his pockets, and his head snapped up once he sensed my presence. He immediately smiled at me, so I smiled back.

"Shall we?"

He nodded at me, and he actually offered his arm to me. I linked my own arm around his, trying not to swoon as he led me out the front door and toward his car. We stopped in front of the passenger door, and I slowly let go of his arm.

"Can I open the door for you now?" he asked, his tone almost teasing. "I remember you said not to open doors for you, so..."

I hit him lightly in the shoulder. "Shut up," I said and he chuckled, opening the passenger door for me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he murmured with a smile, closing the door before going around to get into the driver's side. He started the car and drove almost immediately. "My mom and Clara—my sister—is already at the theater. It's starting in about half an hour."

"We'll get there in time, right?"

He nodded. "It's a ten-minute drive, so we should be good."

"Alright," I said. "So, what exactly is this recital?"

"She said it's a collaborative event from all performing arts clubs around the town," he said with a shrug. "It's a two-day event and this is the second day, actually."

"And your sister's playing piano?"

He nodded, a smile forming on his face. "She's performing twice; for a solo and then a collaboration with a dance performance. She's really amazing."

I smiled at the obvious excitement and pride for his sister in his voice. "I can't wait to see her."

He snuck a glance at me and smiled, "Me too." He then cleared his throat and said, "Did I already tell you that you look good today?"

I blushed. "Hm, I don't think you did."

He grinned slightly, turning back to the road. "Well, you do. You look beautiful today," he said, and then corrected himself, "Not that you don't usually look beautiful or anything."

"Jonah," I laughed, glad that he was too busy with the road to notice the redness that had invaded every inch of my face. "You look breathtaking as well."

He chuckled and shrugged at me. "I don't usually dress like this. I don't know what I'm doing," he admitted, and I grinned.

"Well, you obviously wanna look good... for your sister's big performance, right?" I teased.

He looked at me again, and there was a teasing glint in his eyes as he replied, "Maybe."

"You look good. And way better with that smile on your face," I told him honestly, silently congratulating myself when I saw him blush.

We fell into a comfortable silence, and before we knew it, we were pulling up at the parking lot. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and announced, "We're here."

I unbuckled my own seatbelt as Jonah jumped out of the car, taking my time as he walked around the car to open my door. "Thank you," I said, letting him help me out of the door even though there was no need.

We walked into the already crowded theater, going into one of the auditoriums. People were already here filling in the seats as the event was starting in less than five hours, and Jonah grabbed my hand to make sure that I wouldn't be lost in the crowd. I let him lead me through the sea of excited parents and we finally arrived at the second row of the seats.

I recognized Jonah's mom almost immediately. She was shorter than Jonah and they didn't look all that much alike, but there was just something that told me instantly that this was his mother. My guess was confirmed when the beautiful woman's eyes lit up at the sight of us, and she stood up to let Jonah plant a kiss on her cheek.