Alex's car eventually parked in front of a well-known bowling alley in town. Skylar was admittedly surprised. She wouldn't have guessed that this was his first choice of a fun day.
Although he was full of surprises today.
Grace smiled widely and was bouncing in her seat. "We're going bowling?" She asked excitedly, so much so that it made Alex chuckle as he looked back at her.
"Yes, Gracie. We are going bowling." He told her, getting out of the car and helping Grace out as Skylar gathered her purse and got out as well.
They all went into the bowling alley, Alex and Skylar hand in hand as Grace ran slightly ahead but not enough to worry the couple. "So, boyfriend...what made you think of bowling?" Skylar teased lightly as he paid for the three of them.
"You don't like the idea?" He asked. He meant to sound teasing and sure of himself, however his face fell slightly as he truly thought she wasn't happy with the idea.
"No, of course I do!" She quickly reassured him, hating to see him even the slightest bit disappointed. "I was just genuinely curious as to why you picked it...and why Grace seemed so excited about it."
He nodded, smiling a bit to calm her frantic reassuring as he led her towards the bowling shoes. "My parents used to take me bowling on special occasions when I was young, and then they stopped after they lost interest in me...Anyways, once they left, I took it on myself to make sure that Grace had happy memories growing up, and not knowing where to start, I immediately thought of where most of my happy memories came from...and that was here."
Skylar rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand, and smiled at him. "Grace is so lucky to have you Alex." A blush formed on his cheeks as he looked down at their hands.
"I'm so lucky to have her...and you." He whispered, leaning down and kissing her softly as she felt her face grow hot. "Now what's your shoe size?"
"I'm an eight." She told him, sitting down on a bench.
He gave her some shoes and then retrieved some for himself and Grace, who had joined them after their little moment.
When they got up to the lane that Alex had rented, Alex went to go get them drinks while Skylar set the computer. Grace seemed content to simply sit down and just relax for the moment.
Alex returned, arms full. "Two iced teas for my two favorite girls, a root beer for myself, and a large serving of fries." He announced, setting them down on the table as well as some napkins. Grace immediately went for her drink, which had a pink straw. Skylar took a fry, and then a sip from her iced tea, which had a blue straw.
(( A/N: Alex's straw is green. For those people who's lives were not complete without the knowledge of the color of his straw ))
Once everyone had a little sip of their drink and a french fry, they started to bowl. Grace went first, knocking down seven pins on her first go. "Way to go kiddo!" Skylar exclaimed, a little surprised as she lounged on the very comfy leather couch, Alex's arm around her . Grace smiled back at her, and went again, knocking down the next three on her second try. When she came back, Skylar high fived her and pulled her onto her lap as Alex got up, wiping his hands on his jeans before grabbing a bowling ball.
He got into this stance, much like Grace had, and let the ball go onto the lane. The girls watched as it went down the lane and knocking down all of the pins but one. The girls erupted into cheers, getting looks from the staff and other people in the place. Alex turned and shot a wink at Skylar, causing her face to turn pink as he went again and knocked the lone pin down. Grace clapped as Skylar lifted her off of her lap and got up.
"I'm pretty nervous. I haven't been bowling in so long and you two are so good at this." She said, a little wary as she got her own bowling ball, doing it Granny style as she "tossed" it onto the lane. By some miracle, all of the pins fell down as the bowling ball struck them, and Skylar gasped, jumping up and down as she watched. All three of them cheered and Alex couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at her enthusiasm.
~<3~
Three bowls of fries later, it was 2:00 pm and Grace had been declared the winner, with Skylar and Alex tied in a close second.
They got ready to leave, putting on their own shoes and Alex slipped away to make a phone call. Skylar put Grace in the car, doing up her seat belt and then getting in her own seat, resting her head against the headrest. She pulled her phone out of her purse, putting on a game and handing it back to Grace so she would have something to do. Alex joined them in the car, got buckled in, and started it up.
"Maya is going to meet us back at the house, and she is going to watch over you for the afternoon and evening. I promise to be home no later than 9, and Maya is gonna have you in bed by 6." He told Grace as he drove, on his way back to his home. Skylar was slightly confused as to why they were dropping Grace off with someone else so early in the afternoon, but she didn't mention it. Grace was so involved in the game on Skylar's phone that she simply acknowledge that she had heard what Alex had said before going back to the game.
Once they arrived at his house, Maya was at the front door playing on her phone. Skylar got her phone back and Alex took Grace to go see Maya. He hugged Maya and Skylar immediately felt herself get very jealous. Maya was very beautiful, and looked about 19 years old. Alex and her seemed just a little too comfortable with one another.
Taking a deep breath as Maya, Alex, and Grace went inside, leaving her alone in the car, she tried not to get worked up about something that might be nothing. She didn't want to be the overprotective girlfriend, but she couldn't help the feelings that surfaced when she thought about all the flings he had had over the years.
A few minutes later, Alex headed back to the car, a bag in his hand. He threw it in the backseat and looked over at her, a smile on his face. Her gaze, however, was fixed down at her lap, and she was not smiling. A sigh left his lips. "What's wrong, Sky? You were so happy just a few minutes ago." He asked softly, turning slightly in his seat to face her. Realization dawned on him and he shook his head and chuckled softly. "Are you jealous, babe?" He asked, a teasing tone in his voice.
Her face flushed as she became frustrated and embarrassed, looking at him. "N-No!" She stuttered, crossing her arms.
"You're so jealous. And it's adorable." He grinned and leaned over, stealing a kiss before she could protest. His expression turned slightly serious, but was still full of adoration and love. "Maya and I did go out for awhile, but we discovered that we weren't really each other's types. In fact, she now has a girlfriend. She is a good friend and a good person. She would babysit Grace for free when I couldn't pay her, and still insists on babysitting Grace for free so I don't have to worry about money."
Skylar relaxed and reached over for his hand as he continued. "You don't ever have to worry about competition Skylar. No girl is as beautiful and amazing as you are, and I don't want anyone else but you." She felt her heart melting, and because she couldn't think of anything that sweet to say back, she simply kissed him.
"Thank you." She whispered, feeling very comforted by his words.
"Anytime. And I mean it. I want to remind you how special you are to me as often as possible." He told her seriously. She simply blushed in reply and smiled.
"So where are we going so early. You know the dinner is at 6, right?" She asked, and now he was the one blushing.
"Well..." He began, running a hand through his hair nervously and shooting her a sheepish smile. It drove her crazy. "I have no clue at all what to wear to the dinner tonight with your parents. I really want to impress them...after all, I'm not exactly the type of guy that parents want their daughter to be dating..." He sighed, looking so troubled and upset. "Anyways, I put some of my nice clothes in a bag...but I don't think they are good enough Skylar...and I need your advice." He told her, avoiding her gaze as he traced the lines on her palm.
She smiled sympathetically and leaned over, kissing his cheek before she pulled out her phone. "I have an idea." She told him, dialing Kaitlyn's number.
Kaitlyn picked up immediately and Skylar didn't waste time.
"Hey best friend. Would you mind doing me a favor?" Skylar asked sweetly, and she was positive that she could feel Kaitlyn's eyes roll over the phone.
"What do you want Skylar?" She asked, not being able to help the laugh that found it's way into her voice.
"Is there any way that you could go and surprise Lucas with your wonderful presence at his house until 5:25? And let Alex and I into your house? And let me borrow some of your clothes, jewelry, and shoes?" She asked, holding her breath as she heard Kaitlyn think it over.
"Sure." Kaitlyn replied, and a grin pulled on the corners of Sky's lips.
"Thank you! You are the best!" Skylar exclaimed and the girls chatted back and forth, working out details. They eventually settled on meeting at Kaitlyn's house at 4:00 and it was currently 2:30. Until then, Skylar had something planned for Alex.
~<3~
Author's Note:
I hope you guys enjoyed the update! I'm sorry if I got anything wrong about bowling in this chapter, I haven't actually been bowling in years. Just leave a comment if you think anything is inaccurate and I will fix it. Also, the next chapter will be the dinner, I promise.
I'm going to be going back to school on Monday, and I am so not looking forward to it. Well, I guess it's bittersweet. I am going to love seeing my friends, and I do like the knowledge part of school...plus, I love it when I have a schedule. It calms me. However, I am really not looking forward to the stress. Plus, updates are few and far between because of the amount of work they pile onto us.
Anyways, enough about me. I will try and remember to update, but no promises. Have an amazing evening everyone!
Smile lots,
Kenna