Detention (ASOUE)

Chapter Forty Seven

Saturday came quickly and I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. It was finally the day of Klaus and I's date and I couldn't wait. However, although I was excited, I was also nervous. Mostly because my parents didn't know about it and I was scared of getting caught.

A little voice in the back of my head told me that I should just be honest. They were my parents at the end of the day, was it really fair for me to keep such a big secret from them? I guess since my mother had reacted so badly to Klaus and I hanging out last time, it made me hesitant to bring it up. Would she go crazy again and shout at me? Would she kick me out?

But right now I was the happiest I had been in a long time. I wasn't about to just sacrifice that for my mother's wishes.
So I told her I was going out for dinner with Lily, and then went about my day as normal.

Quigley and Duncan tried to tease me discreetly but were otherwise on their best behaviour. They knew how much this meant to me and even though they liked to joke around and be annoying, they knew that exposing my secret would be crossing the line. 

At around five, I put on the new outfit I had bought specifically for the date; a burgundy dress and a jean jacket, and then did my makeup. Then, when the sun had just started to set, I headed out, ignoring my brothers' knowing looks as I said goodbye.

I pulled my jacket around me tighter as the wind picked up, and hurried down the street to where Klaus was waiting for me.

I smiled as I took in his attire. He generally wore dark colours and that fact hadn't really changed much. However, the only time I had seen him dressed up had been months prior when we had bumped into each other at the restaurant with our families. So it was surprising to see a pale coloured shirt underneath his black jacket and, paired with some smart slacks, he looked extremely put together. 

"You clean up nice," I told him, and he smiled bashfully.

"I had to get Violet to help me," he admitted. "You look amazing. As you always do."

Klaus took my hand and we walked together, just chatting about random things. The walk was only about ten minutes, and then we had arrived at our date location: a small, family-run Italian restaurant that sat just off the main streets of town. There was music playing softly throughout the restaurant and small, red candles on each of the tables. We were seated quickly, helped along by the fact that the Baudelaires were seemingly regulars there, and got a table prepared as soon as they saw Klaus. 

"I was going to bring you flowers," Klaus said all of a sudden, in a brief moment of silence when we were both preoccupied with looking at the menu.

I looked up from studying the different pizza toppings and met his eyes, smiling at him. "You don't have to get me flowers. You don't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to though," he insisted, "but I wasn't sure how you would sneak them into your house."

"It's fine," I told him before glancing away. "I'm sorry I haven't told my parents yet."

Klaus shook his head. "There's no rush. I understand it's been a... difficult topic in the past."

"I just don't want you to think that I'm, I don't know, embarrassed or ashamed or anything like that," I rambled, "because I'm not. I... really like you."

"I know," he said, smiling genuinely, "I really like you too."

We finally ordered and, when our food arrived, we wasted no time in tucking in. I hadn't had authentic Italian food that frequently before, but I knew from the tastes and the texture that everything was cooked to perfection. I ate as much as I could until I was full, making sure to not overindulge and make myself bloated. However, as soon as the dessert menu was brought over, that idea went straight out of Klaus and I's minds and we shared some gelato to end the meal on a high note.

When it came to the bill, I was 100% ready to pay in full, or at least just my half, but Klaus shouldered it instead. I bickered with him a bit over it but he wouldn't budge. So instead I made sure I paid the tip, much to Klaus' annoyance.

"I was trying to treat you," he said.

"And you did," I replied, "Which means it's my turn next time. I'll pay for our next date."

"Oh, you're thinking about a second date already?" 

"I mean, I would hope my boyfriend would want to go out with me again eventually," I teased, my cheeks heating up slightly. I still wasn't used to the fact that we were official. I never in a million years would've expected to be referring to Klaus Baudelaire as my boyfriend, but now, any other label just wouldn't make sense.

He took me by the hand again as we made our way back to our street, taking the long way around so we had more time to admire the stars and enjoy each others company. Then, just before we rounded the corner, I hugged him tightly, knowing it was more risky to show affection after that point.

"Thank you," I said, "I had a great time tonight."

"Me too," Klaus replied, only pausing to press a kiss to my forehead. "We should do this again. Soon."

"Definitely."

We said our goodbyes and then stepped onto our street, walking together (but not quite together) until we got close to my house and Klaus swiftly crossed over to the other side of the road. He gave me a small, slightly awkward wave, which I returned, and then kept going to his own house. As for me, a mixture of his small gesture and the general feeling of joy from our evening together had me smiling from ear to ear, and I had to remind myself to tone it down as I reached my front door.

My parents were still up watching TV and, in a brief moment of confidence, I made a decision.

I was so incredibly happy with everything in my life, something that I hadn't been able to say before Klaus came into it. So to keep such a big part of my happiness a secret didn't feel fair. My parents deserved to know who was consistently making me smile. Klaus deserved to not be a secret. I deserved to not have to carry such a big weight on my shoulders, just hoping that nothing I did gave anything away and made my whole story crumble.

I was so happy and, if they truly loved me, my parents would be happy for me too.

So I took a deep breath, calmed my nerves, and finally told them the secret that was most important to me.   

A/N: 

Oops, bit of a cliffhanger, my bad. Sorry for the long wait since the last chapter, I've honestly been so tired recently. And then, when I went to post this chapter, wattpad went down for a bit. It was like it wasn't meant to be. But luckily I think everything is sorted now!

I'll keep this short because I need to go to bed haha, but thank you for all the continued support!! Seeing you all enjoy this story makes me really happy, and I'm so so so appreciative for all the votes and comments. Thank you so much!! ❤