"Thanks for coming over," I told my neighbor and only female friend, Olivia Newton.
"No problem. It sounded like an emergency," Olivia said. She looked around at the mess of clothes I had on my floor. "And it looks like one, too," she added skeptically.
"I'm going on a date tonight and I have nothing to wear," I told her.
"Clearly..." she mumbled, looking around again.
"Ok, well I have stuff to wear, but I don't exactly know what," I clarified. She looked at me and smiled.
"First date?" she asked. I nodded. "Who's the guy and where's he taking you?" she questioned, picking up a chiffon blue top.
"This really cute guy in my public speaking class. His name is Austin; I'm sure I've mentioned him to you once or twice," I told her.
"Hmmm, I think you have..." she said, still scanning my clothes.
"Well, he's taking me to dinner and then we're going to see that rendition of Romeo and Juliet at the theatre tonight," I explained. "And I've never really gone to a play before so I have no clue how to dress for it," I added.
"Lucky for you I'm an English major and going to the theatre is required for some classes," she told me.
"Which is exactly why I called you!" I exclaimed, tossing aside a red top and sitting on a chair.
"When is he coming to pick you up?" she asked me.
"In like...an hour," I replied sheepishly.
"Avery!" she exclaimed, sending a glare my way. She wasn't the least bit intimidating. She was petite and with her pixie hair cut, she looked like an innocent little fairy.
"What?" I asked innocently.
"That leaves us next to no time at all!" she cried.
"Hey, I can get ready in three minutes if I have to," I said, putting my feet up and picking my phone up. She snatched it away.
"Not to get ready for a classy first date you can't," she said.
"Ok, fine. What should I wear?" I asked.
"What about this?" she asked, pulling out a simple black, one-shoulder dress.
"It's so...black..." I muttered, observing it.
"It's a little black dress. It's perfect for the dinner date and the theatre," she said.
"I don't really like dresses..." I began, but fell silent at her look.
"Get changed so I can do your hair," she said, tossing the dress at me.
"Yes, ma'am," I said, saluting her and getting up to go into my bathroom. I stripped and changed into the dress and then walked out. Olivia surveyed the dress.
"It could use a belt," she said, looking through my pile of clothes. She pulled a thick-width elastic belt from the pile and handed it to me. I put it around my waist and then faced her.
"Well?" I asked. She tapped her pointed chin.
"I think we should just leave your hair down. I feel like if we put it up in a bun it would look too formal," she said. "OR! We could do a sort of high pony-tail kind of thing," she said. "Your choice," she added.
"Let's just leave it down. I hate wearing my hair up," I decided. She nodded and I sat down. She went through and curled my hair expertly. She made the curls look natural and not like little ringlets.
"There; finished. Should I do your make-up, too?" she asked. I gave a half-smile.
"Yes; because I fail at being a girl," I replied. She laughed and shook her head. I handed her my make-up bag, which was a mess.
"Avery, how long has it been since you switched out your make-up?" she asked, picking up a crumbling container of eyeshadow. I shrugged.
"I usually don't wear anything besides foundation and eye-liner," I said.
"You know it's bad for your skin to put old make-up on?" she asked.
"I'll keep it in mind," I answered. She shook her head and pulled out a fairly new looking eyeshadow pad. She set to work and after a few minutes, she stood back to look at her work.
"All right; done," she said. I looked at myself in the mirror. My face looked brighter and girlier than it usually did.
"Radical," I commented, smiling.
"And just in time, too," she said, glancing out the window. I looked out, too and saw Austin walking towards the apartment. He was wearing a black blazer, white collared shirt, and by the looks of it, dark jeans. I yelped and rummaged through my closet for my black pumps.
"Ooo! Wear those red ones!" Olivia cried, pointing at a pair of crimson pumps I had just thrown out of my closet.
"Really?" I asked, slipping my foot into one of the shoes. She nodded.
"It ties the whole look together," she said. I shrugged and put the other one on.
"All right! Thanks for the help!! Go, go, go! Before he comes up!" I exclaimed, shooing her out of my apartment. She laughed and waved good-bye. I closed the door behind her and glanced at my reflection in a small mirror on the wall next to the door. She really did do an amazing job.
I jumped when I heard the doorbell ring. It was him! I waited forty five seconds before going to the door and opening it. I smiled. He looked extremely handsome.
"Hi!" I exclaimed cheerily.
"Hey, you look amazing," he commented, nodding at me. I beamed at him and waved my hand.
"Thanks, you look pretty dashing yourself," I said. He laughed.
"Thanks. Ready to go?" he asked, offering me his arm. I nodded and grabbed my red leather clutch bag. I checked to make sure I had my apartment keys and then closed the door. I took his arm and he led me out to his shiny black Mercedes. My eyebrows rose up. Fancy vehicle. He opened the door for me and I smiled and sat down.
"So what kind of restaraunt are we going to?" I asked.
"It's a little Italian place," he replied, glancing at me. His gaze lingered for a moment.
"What?" I asked.
"You really do look amazing tonight," he said in a gentle voice. I felt color rise to my cheeks and smiled at him.
The restaraunt sat elevated, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from the Hampton Bay area. Austin had made our reservations for a table outside. I looked around when we were seated, completely awestruck at the beauty.
"It's so beautiful out here," I breathed, my gaze fixated on the water below.
"Yeah; my family's house isn't too far from here. I have an amazing view of the ocean from my bedroom," he told me. I looked at him.
"So does my friend Ethan," I said. He raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Ethan?" he asked. I nodded.
"My best friend since kindergarten," I explained. "We're best buds," I said with a smile.
"That's cool," he said. I nodded and a slightly awkward silence fell. I glanced at the ocean again, feeling serene and calm.
"So what's good here?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"Beats me; I've never been here before," he replied. I laughed.
"Then how'd you find out about this place?" I asked.
"A friend recommended it," he answered. A waiter came up to us. He had a bounce in his step and his black pants were a bit too tight.
"Hi! My name's Will and I'll be your server for the evening," he said in a lispy voice. I began laughing but promptly turned it into a cough.
"Hi, Will," Austin said, the corners of his lips twitching slightly.
"Here are your menus. Can I get you folks anything to drink?" he asked, handing us two menus and pulling out his notepad. I saw him bat his eyes at Austin and shook my head. Did I really just see that?
"I'll just have some water, thanks," Austin told him. He glanced at me, waiting for a response, but I was too busy being distracted by Will's heavily manicured fingernails. "Avery?" Austin prodded.
"What? Oh! I'll have water, too," I said smiling and forcing myself to bring my eyes up to Will's face.
"All righty then! I'll be back in a few minutes to get you your drinks and take your order," he said and then skipped away. Yes; he literally skipped away. Once he was out of earshot I began laughing. Austin couldn't contain his laughter, either.
"Ok, so was it just me, or did your gay-dar also just break?" he asked me. I laughed and nodded.
"He was totally checking you out!" I exclaimed.
"Shut up," Austin muttered.
"Gosh, I guess I've got to step up my game. I have some stiff competition," I said. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Well, that was a great way to start off the evening," Austin said.
"How much do you want to bet that he had his eye on you the moment we walked in?" I asked him.
"I guess this makes for a good first-date story, huh?" he asked. I nodded, still giggling. I still had a smile on my face when we finally calmed down a bit. Will came back.
"So guys, ready to order?" he asked, a cheery grin on his face. He set down our glasses of water and pulled his notepad out.
"I'll have the chicken fettucine pasta," I said. He nodded and wrote it down and turned to Austin.
"I'll take the penne rosa," Austin said.
"Ohhh kaay!! It'll be out in about 10 to 15 minutes," he said with his lispy voice. And then he bounced away again, his hips swaying side to side. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing again. Austin shook his head as our waiter disappeared.
"So tell me something about yourself," he said. I took a sip of water.
"Like what?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Anything. I don't really know anything about you other than the fact that you really know how to give a speech and that you're really pretty," he said. I blushed slightly at the compliment and then tapped my chin, thinking.
"I only have two friends," I said. He raised his eyebrows.
"I find that hard to believe. The professor always calls you out for talking in class," he said. "You talk to everyone," he added.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm friends with the people I talk to," I pointed out.
"This is true," he admitted. "Who's your other friend? Besides Ethan?" he asked.
"Olivia. She's my neighbor," I replied.
"You don't have a roommate?" he asked. I shook my head.
"The building I live in has rooms that are meant for one person," I explained.
"I guess that's nice in the sense that you get more space. Is it more expensive than living in a two person apartment?" he asked.
"No; it's just rent for one person. So it's about the same if you're rooming with someone," I replied.
"Nice; so you get your place all to yourself," he said.
"Now it's your turn," I said.
"For what?" he asked.
"To tell me something about yourself," I replied.
"Right. Hmmm...." he said, thinking. "One of the things I want to do before I die is go backpacking across Europe," he told me. My face brightened.
"Oh my gosh! Me too!" I exclaimed excitedly. He smiled.
"Maybe we should go together," he said.
"Maybe," I said, smirking at him. Will came back with our food. He placed our plates in front of us.
"Now if you need anything, just holler my name!" he said and then strutted away.
"This looks delicious," I commented, picking up my knife and fork. Austin took his first bite.
"Tastes delicous, too," he agreed after swallowing. We continued to eat in silence for a few moments. I was starving. I had skipped lunch in order to save room for the dinner.
"So, do you like the theatre?" I asked him.
"I don't mind it. Sometimes it's nice to see your favorite plays being acted out and interpretted by actors. My parents used to bring me all the time when I was a child," he said. "Do you?" he asked.
"In all honesty, I've never been to a legitimate theatre to watch a play," I admitted.
"Well, there's a first for everything," he said.
"Why'd you choose to bring me to see a play?" I asked.. He shrugged.
"I don't know. I feel like all first dates are like, 'Let's get dinner and then go watch a movie'. Or something like that. I thought, why not make it a little classier and go watch a play. It's different. And I like different," he explained. I smiled at him.
"Well then, I guess I can't wait to see where you take me next," I said, my eyes twinkling. He looked up at me and beamed at my casual way of saying I wanted to go on a second date.
"I'll be sure to make it memorable," he said. We talked about random things for the rest of the dinner. After he paid, we left for the theatre. We sat in the plush red velvet seats, surrounded by intelligent looking people. We began a game where we made up conversations for prissy-looking people.
"Ouch! I forgot I have a stick up my ass!" Austin said in a mock-British accent for a man who sat down on a seat and then stood back up right away to sit in a different seat. I choked on my laughter and people sent displeasing glances at us. Austin chuckled under his breath and I bit my lip.
The play was nice. I remembered reading the actual Romeo and Juliet in high school English. The actors did a good job of interpretting the play a little differently. Afterwards, Austin drove me home. He walked me up to my apartment, where we stood facing each other.
"I had a really great time tonight, Austin," I said in a soft voice.
"Me too," he said. He looked at me with his gentle black-brown eyes.
Then he reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear. He softly brushed the side of my cheek and traced his thumb down to my lips and then to my chin. I felt my heart race inside my chest and wondered if he could hear it. He tilted my chin up slightly and leaned down. I closed the space between our faces. The moment his lips reached mine, I felt an explosion of fireworks erupt in my stomach. He pulled me closer to him by my waist and I reached out and put my arms around his neck. His lips were soft against mine and his breath tasted like the mint ice cream we had at the restaraunt. I smiled as he licked my lower lip, asking for permission to enter. I opened my mouth slightly and our tongues played around a bit.
I was slightly more than breathless when we finally broke away. I wanted to invite him in to my apartment, but I knew the mess I had left and couldn't let him see that. Also, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't break one of my rules for dating: no sex on the first date. I leaned against the door as he gazed down at me, his expression soft.
"I guess this is good night," I said. If he was disappointed by my statement, he didn't show it. He reached out and planted a quick kiss on my lips again.
"I guess so," he whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending chills down my back. I wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off right there and make sweet love to him, but I controlled my hormonal urges.
I placed my finger on his chest and pushed him away slightly before my passionate thoughts overtook my common sense.
"Goodnight, Austin," I said. He smiled.
"Goodnight, Avery," he replied. I opened the door to my apartment and then turned around to see him walk down the stairs to the lower level of the building. I went into my apartment and peered out the window to see him get in his car and then drive away. I sighed happily and then did a little excitement dance.
Best date EVER.
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A/N: Sooo what do you guys think of Austin? Like or no? I like him.
There'll be more of Ethan in the next chapter.
In the meantime, comment and vote!
Olivia's picture is in the sidebar.
XOXO