Claire's POV
I look at myself in the mirror, sighing at the sight of my bare face. I glance at my phone to check the time.
4:48 pm
Erick is supposed to pick me up for our "date" in an hour and 12 minutes. My heartbeat quickens at the thought. My mind is going 1000 miles per hour.
what do I wear?
What are we going to talk about?
he's going to think I'm awkward..
It's going to be my first and last date.
I stop myself from thinking and just inhale deeply. I exhale and grab my phone. I go through my messages to find Erick's name and I type a message.
Me: should I be wearing something specific tonight? Fancy or anything?
I set my phone down and barely five seconds went by and my phone dings.
Erick: casual mami;)
I slightly shake my head, trying to hold back a smile. He can't help himself, he's always flirting.
I make a mental list in my head of the things I need to do before 6 pm in order to be ready for this so called date.
- shower
- pick an outfit
- do my makeup and hair
I remember that I have about an hour now to get ready so I get in the shower. It's almost instant, as soon as I step in a shower, I begin to think about anything and everything. Today, it happens to be about the situation earlier today with my family.
Flashback
I skip down the stairs, Zabdiel trailing a few steps behind me. Mom was cooking breakfast.
"Hola mamá" I smile.
"Ready for school? After today, it's the weekend, I was thinking maybe we could go to the movies as a family. Deadpool comes out tonight! What do you guys say?" She suggests as I take a bite of my pancake and Zabdi is concentrated, drenching his stack with maple syrup, and when I say drenching, I mean there's a pool of syrup forming in his plate.
"That sounds like fun, but I need to ask you something." I take another bite of my breakfast.
She nods.
"So uhm, I got asked on a date a few days ago.." I begin and Zabdiel's eyes go wide and he puts down the maple syrup bottle on the table. I ignore him and resume to what I was saying.
"Anyways, it's tonight at 6. He'd come pick me up and drop me off so you don't have to wor-" she interrupts me.
"Don't have to worry?? Mi única hija va en una cita con un chico que no he conocido nunca y ni siquiera sé su nombre!" When she's mad or upset or surprised, she tends to just switch to Spanish.
"Cálmate mamá. Es solo un chico. He's one of the only friends I have. You'll meet him when he comes to pick me up, if you want." I offer.
"Oh course I want to meet him. No way a boy is taking you out on a date if I haven't met him yet." She mutters. Since its only my mom now, she kind of has to fill the shoes of the "over protective dad" role.
"Tomorrow we can have a Disney movie marathon in the comfort of our own home." I hug her to hopefully relax her a little, and it worked.
"You called it 'our home'. The Miami life is starting to grow on you, isn't it?" I squeezes me.
"Maybe a little." I giggle.
Meanwhile, Zabdiel is still sitting there, eyes wide as though he'd never see the day where Claire De Jesús would get asked to go on a date. To be fair, I never thought I'd see this happen either.
Flackback over
As I bring myself back to the present, I wrap a towel around my body and another in my hair. I walk out of my bathroom and into my room, towards my closet. Another great thing about this house, my closet is huge. Miami really isn't that bad.
Erick said casual. I think for a second and go straight for an oversized maroon sweater with black skinny jeans and white converse, which are kind of my trademark. I pair my outfit with a watch a purse.
After I got dressed, I go back to my bathroom and get started on my makeup.
Keeping in mind that he said casual, I keep my makeup relatively basic. Concealer, powder, mascara, and lip balm. I fill in my eyebrows then I'm done. For my hair, I leave it natural, which is straight and the bottom curls a bit.
I go back to my room, and stop in front of the mirror. I look at myself and I'm nervous again. I don't really know what to expect, I've never been on a date before and it's taking everything in me not to just put on sweats, jump into bed and watch Netflix.
Bursting my bubble is the sound of the doorbell. My heart drops, knowing exactly who that is.
I run down the stairs, almost tripping a few times and grab a hold of the doorknob. I take a deep breath and open the door, revealing a casually dressed Erick. He is wearing medium wash jeans, a white shirt with some blueish accents and a grey jacket, which somehow made his jade green eyes stand out even more.
"Hey," I say leaning on the door. It really doesn't get more awkward than me.
"Hey mami." He whispers as he notices my mom walk towards us.
"Hello Ms. De Jesús, I'm Erick." He stretches his hand out to shake my mother's. She takes it and smiles.
"It's Ms. Reyes, but you can Sofia." Her mood sort of changes from happy to quiet.
She hates being called Ms., its too formal but it's not that, De Jesús is my father's last name, and she doesn't like being associated with him.
"Perdóname." He says.
"No te preocupes." She smiles sweetly, which is surprising considering her earlier reaction to this date thing.
"Okay, well thank you for giving me the opportunity to take your daughter out, what time would you like her home by?" Erick politely asks. That was unexpected..
"I've never thought about having to set a curfew for my kids.. uhm, is 9 good?" She suggests.
"Of course." Erick smiles a charming smile, another first.
"Okay, nos vemos pronto mamá." I wave as I close the door behind me.
We walk to Erick's car and he opens my door for me and closes it. I smile at the small gesture. What has gotten into me, I can't let him think it's easy to get me, because it isn't.
"Sorry about that, my mom's kinda, yeah.." I trail off. I can't make conversation to save my life.
"Don't apologize, it's a mom thing. She's really nice. Just wait till you meet my mom next time." He laughs.
"Who says there's gonna be a second date?" I raise an eyebrow.
"By the end of the night, you'll be able to answer that question." He smirks. I roll my eyes.
"Where exactly are we going?" I ask, staring ahead as we drive.
"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" He gives me an "obviously" look.
"Well my apologies for asking, after all you could be like an ax murderer or something." I hold my hand up in defense.
He bursts out in laughter.
"I wouldn't hurt a pretty girl like you," he winks.
"We're here," he says as we pull into a parking lot of what looks like a Mexican restaurant.
"I didn't really know what you liked, but I just took a guess 'cause everyone likes Mexican." He says as he opens his door and rushes over to open mine.
"Well you guessed right, we always eat Mexican at home." I smile.
He walks next to me and we enter the restaurant. As the waiter seats us in our booth, we order our drinks and go straight to analyzing the menu.
When the waiter comes back, we order our food and make small talk as we wait.
"I forgot to tell you something," he takes a sip of his water.
"What's that?" I say, biting my straw.
"Te ves muy hermosa," he replies, his eyes have a slight sparkle and I melt a little.
"Gracias, Erick." I mumble, hoping the dimness of the light is successfully hiding the redness that is creeping up on my cheeks.
"I make you blush?" He smirks. I kick him lightly under the table and glare at him. He chuckles.
The food arrives and it's in that moment that I realize how hungry I am.
*****
Erick insists on paying for the food, because this date was his idea. I don't argue with him too much on this, if he wants to be a gentleman, I'll let him do that. It's not every day you get to see Erick be all sweet, well at least not from what I've experienced.
We get back in the car and start driving again.
"It's 8, I'm sure my mom will be thrilled to see you bringing me home an hour earlier." I laugh.
"Mami, this date isn't over, don't worry. I have something else planned." His lips curve into a smile and I feel my heart beat slightly quicker than normal. I've known him for 5 days, how is he doing this to me?
I sigh at the thought.
Erick's POV
I see from the corner of my eyes as I'm driving, Claire is biting her lip. I try to focus on the road but it's distracting.
"What are you thinking of?" I ask, breaking the silence as well as the contact of her teeth from her bottom lip.
"Uhm, nada.." she says cooly.
I nod, knowing she was thinking of something. But you see, she's different. I'm usually able to read girls like a book. But Claire, I don't know, it's not the same as the others. She's not the same as the others.
"Will you tell me now where were going?" She looks at me, her face displaying excitement.
"Nope." I reply.
"Oh c'mon. That's not fair." She pouts, he lips catching my attention once more. I just want to lean over and kiss h- I stop my train of thought just as it starts. I'm trying to show her that I'm not a player, I'm not what everyone says.
"You know what, I predicted you'd be like this. Good thing I brought this," I say holding up a blindfold.
"Put this on." I command and I feel her stare burn my skin. I turn to see her wearing a "are you serious" look on her face.
"Just do it, it'll be fun." I say, and she sighs but places it over her eyes.
We drive in silence until we get there.
"You can take it off," I touch her arm and she seems almost startled by it.
She scrambles to remove it and hands it back to me. Her eyes light up as she sees where we are.
I decided to bring her to the beach and stargaze.
I love the beach and everything about it. The sound the waves make as they crash into the shore, the smell of the breeze, the feeling of the sand when you walk on it, everything.
I step out of the car and so does Claire. I close my eyes briefly and breath in the salty air, the breeze blowing through my hair. I open them to find Claire doing the same.
I chuckle lowly as I watch her take in the moment. I slowly walk towards her, and once I reach her, I snake my arm around her waist and throw her over my shoulder. She laughs and screams but I know she doesn't want me to put her down. I go and grab the blankets from the car and close the doors, making my way to the sand, close to the water.
I do my best to lay the blanket down while still carrying Claire. It's not perfect, but it'll do. I gently place her down on the blanket and sit next to her. Meanwhile, she's still giggling.
Within a few seconds, the sound of her laugh fades and the only thing keeping this from being absolute silence is the sound of the waves.
I told her I wanted to get to know her, and I do. Maybe if I ask her questions it'll help?
"If you could be anywhere right now, where would you go?" I ask her, hoping to get her to talk.
"Right now? Well I'm liking this beach right now, so I wouldn't change anything for the moment.." she mumbles while hiding her face, her dark brown hair cascading in front of her face and blocking my view of her.
I brush the hair behind her ear, revealing a glimpse of her pinkish cheeks. I lay down, staring at the stars and she does the same.
I place my hand down on the blanket, accidentally touching hers. I quickly move it to the side, I don't want to make her uncomfortable or scare her away. It's her first date and I want to have another.
I was thinking of something else to ask her when I feel her hand lightly touch mine, her touch giving me butterflies almost instantly.
I smile at her and she gives he a timid one in return.
"My turn. What's your family like?" she turns her head to face me, keeping her eyes on me.
"Okay well let's see.. my mom and I, we left Cuba and the rest of my family, well they're still there. My abuela and I, we were close. I hated to leave but I understand the choice my mom made, it was to help me and our lives. I'm just upset she couldn't come with us. But this, my cross, mi abuela me lo dio. It helps me, reminds me of her. Whenever I get nervous, I think of her and it's like I'm not worried anymore. Maybe you noticed in detention, singing is something I really enjoy. It's a passion, really. I started singing because of my abuela. Ella me dio una guitarra pequeña and that's how I fell in love with it. And now, I use music and I sing to express my feelings because I'm not good with words." I finish.
"My mom made the same decision, to move from Puerto Rico. It was beneficial to her and Zabdiel and I. My birth father, well he abused us, my mother and I. It was a regular thing for him to beat my mom, but my mother wouldn't stand for him laying a finger on Zabdi or me. It got bad one night, and it broke my heart. I couldn't ignore it. I tried to help her and that resulted in me getting hurt. Right after we left." She says. She tears her gaze away from mine and looks up to the sky, pain and sadness written on her face.
"We stayed at our grandmother's but then my mom got a job offer here. It was god timing I guess. I miss it, but I'm happy I'm gone at the same time. Just knowing he lived in the same territory as us made my mother anxious, I hated seeing her like that." She continues. It looks like she was dying to tell someone.
"I don't know why I just said that, that was stupid I'm sorry. I-" she blurts out.
"Don't apologize. I told you I wanted to know everything about you and that's what I'm going to do. There's no shame in what you just told me." I squeeze her hand to comfort her.
"I know we just met but don't hesitate to tell me anything. I may not seem like it, but I definitely know some stuff and I've been through a lot." I continue.
Silence washes over us, like the waves and I break it once more. She shivers slightly, but enough for me to notice.
"Here," I whisper and lay my jacket over her to mimic a blanket.
"Thank you," she smiles and accepts it.
"What's your biggest fear?" I ask switching the subject.
She is pensive, staring at the darkness which is the sky. Her brows furrow in concentration.
"I actually don't know. I'll have to get back to you on that." Her eyes scanning the constellations.
I glance at my phone. 8:40 pm
"It's close to your curfew, I don't want to bring you home too late, your mom might not let me take you out again," I sit up, my lips displaying my signature smirk.
"Alright," she sits up, adjusting the jacket to drape it over her shoulders and I hurry to stand up before she does, standing in front of her and reaching my hand out to touch hers.
She slowly reaches hers out to grab mine. I gently pull her up until she's standing. I pull a little harder, making her fall into my chest. She laughs but I take advantage of the moment to grab her chin between my index and thumb, that move I previously tried on her. Our eyes meet, and she recalls the moment from detention and raises an eyebrow at me, in a sassy manner. I can't help but laugh, she looks adorable.
I break the eye contact and keep a hold of one of her hands. We walk back to my car and we let go of or each other to get into the car.
"I don't usually offer this, but here's the aux cord. I trust you have some good taste in music, other wise I might have to take that back." I wink.
She gladly takes the cord, plugging it into her phone. Withing a few seconds, a familiar song starts playing.
Ay Vamos by J Balvin begins and I smile widely.
"Well Claire, you surprise me more and more as this night goes on." I keep my eyes ahead as we drive back to her house.
The entire ride we sing loudly to the songs she plays. It went from J Balvin, to Shawn Mendes, to Prince Royce.
Compared to when I picked her up, she's opened up a bit.
I pull into her driveway and it's only now that I realize I have to leave her here. I feel a slight pang in my heart and I try to hide my frown.
I open the door and go to hers, grabbing her hand to help her out.
"you don't need to do that!" She laughs as I close the passenger door and intertwine my fingers with hers.
"But I want to." I smile and she rolls her eyes.
I walk her up to the porch, leaning on the side of the house.
"I had fun tonight," she says.
"Don't sound too surprised." I say as if offended.
"That's not what I meant. I just didn't know what to expect." She whispers making eye contact with me.
Her piercing dark chocolate eyes are hypnotizing, and so easy to get lost in. I've never felt this, but at the moment it's overwhelming. They say it's like feeling defenseless or helpless. And there's nothing that describes how I feel right now, as she stares deep into my eyes, more than the word vulnerable.
Her voice brings me back to the present.
"Thank you for this, I may not have experience, but this was a pretty great first date."
"De nada mami." I grin proudly as ive accomplished my goal.
She subtly bites her lip but it definitely didn't go unnoticed. My eyes dart to her lips and back to her eyes.
In the moment, there's nothing I'd rather do that kiss her. Without realizing it, I start leaning in. She quickly pulls her eyes away and I know she's nervous. I stop leaning in and I see that she calmed herself down a little and she's the one leaning in, hesitantly. She grabs the hem of my shirt as she get closer and closer to my body.
My heart is racing and the smell of her perfume wafts up to my nose. I part my lips slightly, ready for the moment I've been thinking of all evening. Her lips are millimeters away and then the door swings open.
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A/n first cliff hanger? Idk I suck at this goodnight😂
- C xx