KENNEDY
Spending Thanksgiving weekend with Astrid turned out to be more fun than I anticipated. I was in a low mood all week listening to my friends and classmates talk about their Thanksgiving plans. They were looking forward to seeing family members from across the country and enjoying a home cooked feast as they expressed what they were grateful for. My family has never been big on holidays and it never bothered me until I became friends with people who actually have functional families.
My friends invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them but I turned them down. I didn't want to be the new kid at the table with a messed up family feeling awkward the whole time or have them feeling sorry for me whilst going out of their way to make sure I was okay.
When Astrid picked me up from school on Tuesday with a promise of a fun filled weekend I couldn't be happier. She went all out to give me the best Thanksgiving I've had in a while. She even made us a turkey, it was small since it was just the two of us but it was great nonetheless.
My parents were being honoured at some fancy event for their contribution to society and couldn't be bothered to spend time with us. I didn't want to go and they didn't invite us so Astrid and I made a whole day of it. It's not like we missed out on much. We are always better off without them anyway.
Now it's the day after and my weekend is just about to get better.
"Kenny you've been in there for an hour. What are you washing?" Astrid asks knocking on the glass shower.
I can't see her clearly because of all the fog but I can make out her silhouette.
"I'm shaving." I yell back over the noise of running water.
"It's your first date, I don't think it'll go that far. Unless you haven't told me everything." She inquires.
"I meant my legs you weirdo." I retort.
"Oh, but still you guys haven't done anything yet right?"
"Go away." I demand embarrassed.
"Kenny?" She asks getting agitated knocking on the glass.
"We haven't even kissed, sex is out of the question." I grit out.
"Oh good, that's a relief. I'm too young to be an auntie." She audibly sighs.
"Go away!"
"Sheesh fine but hurry up, he'll be here soon and I still have to do your hair and make up." She insists.
I don't bother replying and get back to shaving my legs. I'm wearing a dress tonight for my first date with Isaiah and I need them to be smooth as silk.
Yes! Isaiah and I are finally going out for our first date. Three months after our first meeting by my locker and lots of hidden feelings later here we are. When he asked me during our senior lock-in night, I was elated beyond words. It's been a long time coming and finally its happening. That night was magical in its own way without him asking me out and that made it even better. I like him so much I'm bursting with my feelings for him. If everything goes right tonight, I will finally be able to act upon my feelings.
I finish shaving every inch of my body even though he'll only see select parts and leave the bathroom. Astrid is waiting in her bedroom with a blowdrier and flat iron in hand. I like my curls but tonight I want them tamed and away from my face.
"Took you long enough." She smirks once she sees me.
I don't bother replying and just sit down on her dressing table. She doesn't waste a moment and immediately gets to work.
"Are you nervous?" She asks me meeting my eyes on the mirrors reflection.
"More excited than nervous. It's my first official date with a guy I really like. I've been holding back on my feelings for him for so long and finally I get to act upon them." I confess.
"I'm happy for you Kenny. You've been talking about this guy non-stop. If he is half as great as you describe him to be then you guys will be just fine. As long as you remember to take things at your own pace." Astrid says.
"You're right. We'll be just fine." I echo.
Astrid smiles, kisses the top of my head and proceeds to finish up on my hair. I am so lucky that she is here to help me out. If I was all alone at home I'd be freaking out and would probably have already burnt off a few fingers. Oh to be the last born and so loved. I quite like it.
My make-up is next which she does to perfection. She leaves my freckles upon my request because I love them and Isaiah has commented time and again how much he likes them as well. She nails the winged eye liner and pink eyeshadow to match the rosewood colored lipstick she chooses for me. I look made up but still maintain most of my natural beauty.
"Time to get dressed." Astrid announces once she is done.
My outfit of the night, a black square neckline smocked mini dress with long lantern sleeves is hung on her closet door. I put on my underwear and after I shrug the dress on, Astrid zips me up.
"What do you think?" I ask her twirling around.
"Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. Now put your shoes on, he'll be here soon." She says and just then, the door bell rings.
She looks at me and claps excitedly while I freeze for a moment when I feel butterflies take flight in my stomach. I'm not scared but I am anxious because I know that after tonight my relationship with Isaiah changes forever. After tonight there is no going back.
"Shoes." Astrid snaps her fingers getting me out of my trance.
I quickly get to it and slide on my black five inch square toe sculptured block heel sandals. My purse is already packed with all my essentials so I grab it and my jacket before following Astrid out of her room. The door bell rings again before we get there. I stand back as per Astrid's request out of sight so she can meet Isaiah without me present. I stay in the kitchen where I can see them but they can't see me and watch the whole interaction.
Astrid opens the door to reveal Isaiah in all his glory. He looks handsome in black jeans, a dark hoodie over a white tshirt, checked flannel jacket and white Adidas sneakers. He looks even more handsome than usual and I realize its because he cut his hair. Dear Lord Jesus, how will I survive all night keeping my hands to myself when he looks so good. My fantasies of running my hands through his soft hair are interrupted when Astrid speaks up.
"Hello, you must be Isaiah. I'm Astrid, Kenny's big sister." She introduces.
Isaiah gives her one of his charming confident smiles in return. "It's nice to meet you Astrid. These are for you."
He hands her a bouquet of white lilies that I vaguely remember mentioning are her favorite during one of her random conversations a while back. I can't believe he remembered and its clear that he's immediately won Astrid over.
"Wow, thank you. Come in please." She blushes stepping aside to let him in.
"Thank you."
The door is closed behind them and I take that as my cue to show myself. I pop out from the kitchen and Isaiah's eyes are instantly stuck on me.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Astrid asks me as they both stare at me.
"Yes, breathtaking." Isaiah agrees with a dazed nod.
I blush and resist the urge to hide my face with my hair.
"Thanks." I mumble.
He coughs getting out of his trance and holds out another bouquet of flowers towards me. This time they are blue hydrangeas, my favorite.
"For you." He mutters.
"Thank you." I grin them from him. "They are wonderful."
I see Astrid fanning herself behind him and I chuckle hiding my face with my beautiful bouquet. Isaiah is ticking all the right boxes and Astrid clearly approves, so do I.
"Are you guys leaving now or do we have time to get to know each other?" Astrid asks and I immediately shake my head.
This was not the plan. There was no getting to know each other. She was only supposed to get the door, say hello and we'd be out in less than five minutes. Now she wants to change everything. Isaiah looks confused because he doesn't want to offend my sister but I also know that he is a time keeper and according to him we have a reservation.
"We'd love to stay but Isaiah and I have a reservation. Right Iz?" I ask saving the poor guy.
He nods. "Yes we do."
Astrid doesn't even look disappointed meaning she was testing him.
"That's alright, there will be plenty of time to know each other. You two have fun and Isaiah have her back by midnight." Astrid demands.
"I'm not Cinderella." I scold her.
I have no idea why she's giving me a curfew when we both know that she doesn't care what time I get home as long as I'm safe and with someone I trust.
"Yes ma'am, I'll have her back home safe and sound by midnight." Isaiah relents caving.
Such a wuss.
"I'm too young to be a ma'am but I'll take it. I'll also take those and put them in a vase." Astrid says holding her hand out.
I give her my bouquet after taking one more sniff for the road.
"Off you go then, have fun." She shooes literally kicking us out the door.
I cannot wait for her to get a boyfriend so I can return the favor. I put on my jacket, kiss her cheek and follow Isaiah outside her apartment. When it's just the two of us, we look at each other for a moment then burst out laughing. I have no idea what we are laughing at but it eases the tension between us.
"I like your sister." Isaiah says once we've stopped laughing.
"Me too, she's the best and she likes you." I reply.
"She does?" He asks with a hint of self doubt in his voice.
"Yes otherwise she wouldn't have allowed me to go out with you." I reply.
He looks relieved to hear this as his shoulders visibly relax.
"I'm glad."
"So what's the plan tonight?" I ask Isaiah.
"We have a dinner reservation in thirty minutes and then I have a surprise for you." He answers.
"What's the surprise?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise anymore if I told you so you'll have to be patient." He answers.
He planned the whole night and I like surprises so I let him have his moment. He's doing well so far so I know he won't disappoint me.
The same grey lexus sport he was driving on the night of the lock-in is parked on the curb in front of my sisters apartment building. He unlocks it and opens the passenger door but stops me before I can get in.
"You look beautiful tonight." He compliments meeting my gaze.
I blush and fumble over my words from his direct compliment. "Thank you. You look dashing as well. I love the fresh cut."
"Had to look my best since I'll be dining with a princess." He grins.
Can he get anymore perfect?
Before I burst into flames, I get into the car and put on my seatbelt. He joins me a moment later and slides in behind the wheel.
"How come you're not home with your parents? I was surprised when you texted me your sisters address." Isaiah asks me as we blend into traffic.
"I'm spending Thanksgiving weekend with her. My parents aren't home so she invited me over so we could celebrate the holiday just the two of us." I explain.
I'm grateful that I'm not at home and Isaiah didn't have to pick me up from there because we get to avoid my parents. I am not ashamed to be going out with him but if he had picked me up at home with my parents around they would have ruined this night for us. I want our first date to be perfect and they ruin everything they touch so I didn't want to risk anything tonight.
"Makes sense. Did you two have fun?"
"It was a blast, we ate so much turkey because it was just the two of us, I couldn't sit straight for hours." I reply making him chukle.
"I'm glad. I noticed that you were down all week so I'm happy to see that your mood has improved." He comments.
Of course he noticed. He's always so perceptive of other people's mood so I'm not surprised.
"Me too." I grin.
We drive for twenty more minutes and only then do I notice that we're not headed to The Mayfair.
"I thought we were going to The Mayfair?" I ask him.
I thought he'd take me there since its where he works plus its a really nice restaurant.
"That was the original plan until I realized that everyone there knows me so we wouldn't have much privacy." He explains.
I hum in agreement because he made all the plans. I'm here to go along with everything because I trust him. I honestly don't care where we eat as long as we are together and get to have fun.
We end up at a vegan restaurant I've never been to before but I've heard rave reviews about. It's also very exclusive and extremely hard to get a reservation.
"I figured we both had is enough meat so why not balance it out with a vegan meal." Isaiah explains as we exit the car.
"I really appreciate the thought, this place is really nice but it's also very expensive." I whisper to him.
"I know but don't worry about the price. I've been working half my life, trust me, I can afford to bring you here." He reassures me.
"How did you even get a reservation?" I ask Isaiah.
"I know people." He grins just as we get to the maitre'd.
I half expect us to get turned away but we are seated within minutes, handed our menus and our water poured with some complimentary breadsticks.
"Berry please stop worrying and just enjoy. Order anything you want, I've got this." Isaiah reassures me when he sees the worried look on my face.
I'm more than capable of paying for our meal but I also know the kind of man Isaiah was raised to be. He wouldn't want me helping him thus why I'm worried. But he looks confident so I force myself to relax and enjoy myself. I do keep my wallet close though just incase I need to bail us both out.
"You good?"
"Yes." I assure him with a confident smile.
"Good because I want you to have fun." He demands.
"I already am."
Our waiter comes back after we've made our decision and we make our orders.
"Any first date jitters? This is a first for both of us?" Isaiah asks once we're alone once more.
"Not really, I was but not anymore. I feel comfortable with you so even though this is different compared to our normal hangouts, it still feels the same." I express.
"I feel the same way. I expected us to be a bit awkward at first but it feels the same only better." He replies with a charming smile.
"First dates are all about getting to know each other but we've been friends for three months. We already know a lot about each other already so what do we talk about?" I ask Isaiah.
He looks just as lost as I am because we already know each other so well but I still want to know more about him.
"Tell me something real about you." I prompt when he doesn't say anything. "Something you've never told me before."
"That's hard because you already know a lot." He chuckles.
"I know but there's always something." I insist.
He scratches his non existent beard as he thinks hard about what to tell me. Finally something pops into his mind and he gets this serious look on his face before he faces me fully. Something about his gaze scares me about what his next words are going to be so I brace myself.
"I may seem all happy, jolly and outgoing but deep down inside I'm a very sad person." He confesses.
I was definitely not expecting that. Isaiah sad? No way. But I asked for his confession and that's what he's giving me. So now I just need to understand.
"What do you mean?" I inquire further.
"You remember when you asked about this." He recalls showing me his semicolon tattoo.
"Yes." I nod scared of what's he's going to tell me next.
I thought he overcame what happened to him but apparently there's more to the story.
"After I got out of the hospital my mom took me to a therapist because she was scared I was still suicidal. It helped at first and I was getting better but mom was still always fussing over me because she was worried I'd try to kill myself again. I decided to adapt a happy persona to keep her and my friends from worrying all the time. I got so used to faking being happy all the time that deep down I'm not sure if I know what being truly happy anymore means. No one sees me for who I truly am." He expresses sadly.
My heart drops to the pit of my stomach because for the first time he drops what he calls his happy persona and let's me see the sad boy he's been hiding all this while.
"Iz..." I trail off not knowing what to say.
It's gone almost as fast as it appeared and be smiles taking my hand that's on top of the table in his.
"Don't say sorry, I'd hate for you to pity me. Not you of all people." He pleads.
"I don't feel sorry for you." I confess.
He looks surprised by this so I continue. "I'm sad for you and want to hug you forever. You went through so much and still you put other people's happiness above your own. Do you know how strong that makes you?" I ask him.
He shrugs so I feel the need to say more. "Thank you for being honest with me. Can I ask for a favor?"
"Sure."
"Don't pretend with me. It's okay to be your real self around me. You can be sad all you want and I'll just hold your hand until you feel better." I say squeezing his hand.
He smiles and squeezes it back. "Thank you Berry and you already do more than you know."
"What do you mean?"
"You're the only one who doesn't know about how bad I was back then. Everyone else does to some extent so they are always careful around me so as not to say something that might trigger me except you. When I am with you I am genuinely happy. I feel like I can breath and I don't have to pretend and I can be just me." He explains.
His words make me smile and more than anything I was to reach across the table and hug him for a really long time but I hold back and settle for squeezing his hand.
"Thank you for trusting me with your real self and like I've said you never have to pretend to be happy with me. I know what it's like to be sad and have to pretend to be happy. Don't do that with me, ever, please." I plead with him.
"I promise." He says holding out his pinkie.
I chuckle and link it with mine. We're still smiling like goofs to each other when our food arrives. We both got different types of salads and they are amazingly good.
Our conversation veers to more upbeat topics as we eat and before I know it, an hour is over and we're heading out of the restaurant after Isaiah has paid. He didn't even blink when our bill came which is a relief for me.
"Where to next?" I ask him recalling he has a surprise.
"Get in and I'll show you." He says getting the door for me.
I don't say a word and slide right in. He drives us to a part of town that I've never been to before which isn't saying much since I've lived a pretty sheltered life even during my rebellious phase.
It only takes us ten minutes to get to our destination and when we do I'm still confused. It's a plain looking building but with a lot of foot traffic. There's a lot of young people coming in and out of the building but also a couple of old people too.
"You do know we're too young to drink right?" I remind Isaiah as we exit the car.
"I know and this isn't a club. Well it is of some sort but you'll know more when we're inside." He says leading me to the front door.
I trust him so I blindly follow him. At the door Isaiah shows our tickets and we get our wrists stamped because we're minors and they are serving alcohol inside. I'm still confused because Isaiah is grinning as if he knows something I don't.
The minute we walk past the velvet curtains, a whole different world opens up and I cannot contain my glee as I clap happily.
"You brought me to an art exhibition?" I choke out in wonder.
"Not just any exhibition. I've heard you talk about Dana Croft..."
At the mention of her name, my heart stops and I turn to him my mouth wide open.
"No!" I choke out.
"Yes." He nods.
Dana Croft is the most talented artist of our time. I've been following her work for years but I've always been too busy to come to any of her shows. I can't believe Isaiah remembered and chose this for our first date. He could have picked something we'd both enjoy but he did this for me. This boy couldn't get any more perfect.
"I wanted to impress you so I had to think about what would make this the perfect first date for you." He says.
I tear up and launch myself at him in a hug.
"I love this, thank you Isaiah." I cry.
He pulls my face away from his chest and wipes my tears away. He kisses my forehead and then holds his hand out for me.
"Ready?"
I nod enthusiastically and take his hand. We walk through the exhibit and he allows me to take as much time as I want on each art piece. The more time I spend there the more I fall in love with Dana Croft and a little bit with the boy who brought me here. My highlight of the night is when I get to meet Dana in person. She's even better in real life and we talk about art for a bit. Isaiah then takes photos of me with her and by God if that's doesn't leave me floating in the clouds. I'm sad to leave but Isaiah is determined to get me home in time for the curfew that Astrid set. It's been such a great night that I don't want it to end but end it must.
"Right on time, you truly are a gentleman." Astrid smiles opening the door for us five minutes before midnight.
"Thank you ma'am." Isaiah smiles beaming with pride.
"Thank you for bringing her back home safe. I'll let you two say goodnight. It was nice meeting you Isaiah, you have my stamp of approval." Astrid decrees making us both happy.
I already knew that she liked him but it's even more official now that she's said it.
Isaiah cannot hold back his glee at her words. "Thank you so much."
"Goodnight." She waves and disappears back into the house leaving us together at the door.
I turn to him with a big smile. "I had fun tonight. Thank you for the best first date ever."
"My pleasure, I had fun as well. We should do this a lot more." He suggests.
"I agree." I say with a nod.
We stand there just gazing at each other with smiles on our faces and then the air changes. Suddenly I'm aware of how close we're standing, how good he smells and just how badly I want to kiss him. I've been taming myself all night but not anymore. He doesn't hold back and neither do I. He lowers his head, I stand on my tip toes and our lips meet in one perfect kiss. It's even better than I imagined our first kiss would be like. His lips are softer than they look and when they delve into mine it feels like a dream. It's short and sweet though without tongue because it's too soon and Astrid is only a couple of feet away. It's the perfect end to the perfect first date.
"Goodnight Berry." He whispers when we pull apart.
"Goodnight Iz."
He kisses the top of my head one more time then turns to leave. I watch him walk away and when he's out of sight I enter the house, close the door behind me and do a little happy dance, squealing in happiness. Astrid is in the living room when I walk in, both our flower bouquets in vases gracing the coffee tables on either side of the TV reminding me of just how perfect Isaiah is.
"Tell me everything and don't you dare leave one single detail out." She demands when I plop myself next to her.
"Oh Astrid, it was perfect." I sigh kicking off my shoes.
"Start from the moment you left the house."
"Okay. So he ..."
I tell her everything except for the confidential talk we had at the restaurant. That was for my ears only. I am so glad Isaiah trusted me with that confession and I will do my best to be there for him like he always is for me. I'm finally on the road to my first ever boyfriend and I love it.