First Glance (Kellic)

3. Safe with You

Alex wipes away the nonexistent dust from my shirt. "You look hot, Kellin. You ready?" He smiles at me. "You ready to make Vic fall in love with you? Are you ready to-" he's cut off from the doorbell ringing. "Ready?" He smirks. I nod and walk over to the door. 

"Kellin," Vic nods and hands me a single white rose. He holds his hand out, and I'm about to place mine in his, but Alex stands in between us. 

"I'm sorry, Kellin, but I need to talk to Vic first," he clears his throat. "Listen here, kid. I'm Kellin's honorary father for the night, and I need to know that you aren't going to hurt him. And you know what? I've taken karate before. I've taken boxing at one point. I will kick your ass if your as much as lay a threatening finger on him. You got that, punk?" 

Vic puts both hands in the air and nods his head. "You seem like a good friend Al- uh, may I ask for your name?" 

Wait does he know Alex? 

Alex didn't seem to notice and introduces himself. Vic shakes his hand. "So, I'll leave you two to your date. I'll see you later Kellin," Alex smiles and shoves me out of the apartment, closing the door behind me. 

"Hi," Vic smiles, holding his hand out again. 

"Hi," I reply, placing mine in his. He grips my hand and we walk to the elevator. He pushes the button. "So, can I get your last name?" I smile. His eyes widen. 

"Shoot. I forgot that part, didn't I? Well, my name is Vic Fuentes." He grins. 

"I would do the same, but it seems like you already know my last name," I smile back. 

His expression goes confused. "You said your name last night remember? When you introduced yourself." 

"I did?" I blink, staring at the reflective door. I guess I did...

We walk over to his car and he opens the door for me. "My my, what a gentleman," I tease. The corners of his lips rise and he gets in.

"So tell me about yourself," he starts the conversation, the low buzz of the car in the background. 

"Well... I grew up in Oregon. I got accepted to SDSU. I came here with my best- and uh, at the time, my only friend." 

"Alex?" 

"No, his name is Nick. He great, really nice guy. I guess all of my friends are, though." 

"Alex definitely seems to love you," he grins, not taking his eyes off the road. 

"Protective? Hell yeah. I don't uh- really date often... And so since I am, they're bound to be careful." 

"Really? Surprised me. I thought you probably get guys every day begging for your number." 

"No," I laugh. "You're the first guy to ever ask for my number- that uh- wasn't just trying to be my friend. Or for school projects." 

He laughs and the car stops in front of the restaurant. He jumps out and rushes to the door before I can get out. He grins and opens the door for me. 

Together, we walk into the restaurant. "Reservation for Fuentes?" Vic speaks to the lady. She checks the list and nods, leading us to a table for two. 

"Reservation?" I ask him as soon as the lady leaves. 

He shrugs. "I made one the second you agreed to have dinner," he admits shyly. I look around the restaurant, pursing my lips. "Are you worried about homophobes?" He asks, gently placing his hand over mine. 

"I guess so. I've always been worried about people judging me for stuff," I answer, not making eye-contact. 

"Hey, it's cool. Besides, if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll literally pull their skull out from their head. And shove it down their throat." 

"Nice image," I snort. He rolls his eyes, a particular glint in them. Something tells me he will actually do that if it happens. 

"Can I get you started on drinks?" The lady from earlier asks. Vic nods at me. 

"I'll just have water," I speak politely. She nods and turns her attention to Vic. 

"I'll have the same," he says, his eyes flickering from the waitress to me. She nods and rushes off. "So, tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings?" 

"Well... Family is kind of a third date kinda thing, huh?" I smirk. His eyebrows raise. "I mean, I have a supportive mother. I have an older sister who's a lawyer in New York. And a younger brother, still in high school, he says he wants to be a football player, but who knows at this point." 

"And you?" He asks. Thank god he hasn't asked about my father yet. "What do you study?" 

"Psychology," I answer. "I think learning about the mind is so... fascinating. And I want to be able to I don't know, help people with depression and other things along those lines." 

"That's actually really cool," he nods. "I actually studied psychology as well, but I uh- dropped out of college when my mother got sick." 

"Oh my god- is she okay?" 

"After about a year of chemo and radiation, she's fine," he smiles. The waitress sets the cups on the table. 

"Would you like to order now?" She asks, pulling out a notepad and pen. 

"Yes, I'll have the salmon special," Vic says, reading off the menu. 

I look down at the menu. "And I'll have the cheese pasta, please." She nods and we hand her out menus. 

"So what do you do now?" I ask, taking a sip of water. "I mean, job-wise." 

"Well, currently, I work at a suicide prevention hotline," he says casually. 

I nearly choke on my water. "Woah. That's amazing. Isn't it scary though?" 

He lets out a soft laugh. "Do the things I hear keep me awake at night? Yeah. But it's nice to know that I've helped people stay alive." 

"I'd bet. That's really good though, I feel like you should wear a badge or something. I also think you don't get enough credit for what you do." 

He shrugs. "Depends on who you ask," he stops and pulls out his phone. "Oh, I have to take this- don't worry it isn't someone about to- you know. But I really have to-"

"Hey, it's cool. Go," I smile. He answers the call and mouths a "thank you" to me. He walks off, leaving me alone. 

I let out a sigh and take another sip of water when a chair is pulled up and a guy sits next to me. I feel something poke my side and I slowly stare down at the knife, pressed against my side. My breath bitches and I look at the man. 

"Make a sound, and I kill you," he speaks into my ear. I gulp and nod. 

Nope. Nope. Not today. I don't want to die right now. What about Alex? What about Nick, or Jack, or Tyler, or Brendon? What about my mom? Or Katie? Or Hudson. OR VIC? Not today. Oh my god. 

"Now you're going to come with me out of the restaurant and pretend like you know me. Make a move, and I will cut you in half." 

I gulp and vigorously nod my head. I'm dead. Goodbye world. Goodbye friends, family. Goodbye sunlight. Goodbye, everyone. Well. At least I won't have essays when I'm dead. 

I'm about to stand up when Vic walks back in and glances at me, his expression going hard. He walks over casually and sits next to the man. He mutters something and suddenly the knife leaves my side. I blink and stare Vic. The man stands up and sends me a glare before leaving. 

"Are you okay?" Vic asks worriedly. He grabs my arm. "Did he hurt you?" 

I shake my head. "Nope. Just scared me shitless," I try to joke. Vic nods and goes back to his seat. "How'd you get him to leave?" 

"Just empty threats. Sometimes it works," he shrugs. 

"Well uh- thank you," I clear my throat. The waitress walks over with our food and sets then on the table. 

A/N

Sorry for not posting a lot. I've been super busy and totally forgot. 

~Lunar