Holy Hades I was on the verge of having an existential crisis in preparation or this date.
"Luke, you are wearing something nice right?" My fourteen year old sister Lena pounded on my bedroom door.
"I'd like to think so but you'll probably reject it anyways!" I hissed from my room. It was January, Lauren and I had been going out for six months and I was taking her out to dinner then had other fun plans for the night. I'd planned on taking her ice skating and finishing the night by walking through the park. I'd planned on wearing jeans and a nice sweater but Lena, Taylor and my mother weren't having it.
"Let us see what you're wearing!" Taylor demanded.
"Ok! Fine!" I opened the door. The girls all gasped in horror, "good gods on Olympus what is it now?" I sighed.
"That t-shirt shirt and jeans? Nuh, uh. No way. Go change." Lena sassed, I swear she was as sassy as my dad was.
"Yeah, she's right. Try the blue one on with khakis." Taylor suggested.
"I'm going ice skating, not to a five star dinner. I'm wearing jeans." I finalized.
"Ugh, fine. Try the black one with the jeans again, but let's change your hair." My mom pointed.
"What in Hades is wrong with my hair? It looks the same as it always has. Lauren likes it, and so do I." I crossed my arms.
"What's going on up here?" My dad appeared from the stairs, "oh, date night. Luke, you look nice." My dad praised.
"Ugh, gods dad, don't you see that he can't wear that t-shirt with those jeans?" Lena sighed.
"Yeah dad, he looks awful, he needs to change." Taylor groaned.
"Just so you know, I'd never let you walk out of the house wearing a t-shirt and jeans for an anniversary date." My mom stood up and kissed his cheek.
"Ok, ok, I'll leave, oh and Luke—Zoe, Charlie and I are watching the Giants game, it's really close, hurry up so you can catch the end." Dad ushered.
"Aw, what's the score?" I whined.
"21-20, Giants up one, ten minutes left of the last quarter." Dad answered before he was cut off by Zoe shouting downstairs.
"Oh come on ref! He didn't make it past the thirty yard line!"
"Gotta go, good luck buddy." Dad ran downstairs to join my siblings.
"Come on you guys, I wanna catch the end of the game." I pouted.
"When you pick something suitable then yes. Now hurry up, time is ticking." Mom tapped her invisible watch on her wrist, my little sisters laughed as I shut the door drowning away their laughter and criticism.
I pulled on a hunters green quarter zip sweater over my t-shirt before I came out once more. "This is the last straw, it's this or the t-shirt." I grumbled.
The girls scanned my outfit, "eh, it'll work for ice skating." Taylor said.
"Yeah, it's fine." Mom agreed.
"Not as nice as I'd like him to look, but it'll have to do." Lena the fashionista concluded.
"Yes! Bye!" I sprinted downstairs and leapt onto the couch to catch the last five minutes of the Giants game.
---
"Yes! Touch down! We win!" Charlie exclaimed as he jumped out of his seat as the quarterback crossed the end zone line.
"Wohoo! Go Giants! Yes!" Zoe cheered.
"Wow that was awesome," my dad grinned.
"Luke, you need to pick up Lauren now. It's time to go." Lena stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.
"Yeah, tick tock Luke. Lauren doesn't like to be late." Taylor agreed with her sister.
"Ok, ok I'm going. Bye you guys, see you at eleven!" I waved as I pulled on my coat, hat and gloves. I grabbed my car keys and wallet and rushed out to my black Prius and drove down the road on our snow covered street towards Lauren's house. I jogged up to the front door and rang the bell.
Lauren opened it moments later, "you're early, I can't believe it." She greeted with a smug look on her face. I gave her a quick kiss on her warm lips.
"Doing good so far! The Giants won and I made it out alive from my house, I hope I look presentable. Lena, Taylor and my mom made sure of that for like two hours." I offered her my arm and walked her to the car and opened the passenger door for her.
"You look great," Lauren beamed at me as she sat in the passenger seat. "So where are we going? You're being so secretive about it." Lauren asked as I started the car. She looked so cute when she started bouncing up and down in her seat to the music. She was so perfect and I couldn't believe she was with me.
"Well, we're going to dinner at the Greek food place, your favorite. Then we are going on a walk around town, you can pick out any gift you want...within budget that is. Then the last part is a surprise." I smiled knowing my secret plan for afterwards.
"What? No you don't need to spend money on me, dinner is enough and whatever your 'special activity' is. You don't need to spend money anymore money on me. I only wear a watch and that moon necklace you gave me for my seventeenth birthday last year. You've done more than enough Luke, if anything I should get you something." Lauren argued sweetly.
"I've already got something, I've got a great family, and I've got you. I couldn't be happier." I reached for her hand and held it my glove covered one.
"Aw so sweet. Cliché as hell, but you're cute." Lauren smirked, giving my hand a squeeze.
We pulled into the parking lot of the Greek restaurant, I held her hand and kept her close to me as we walked in together. The last six months have been amazing, our friends had totally accepted our relationship and then we had a long conversation about how relieved they were that we finally happened. Andrea had stopped bothering us, senior year was flying by without a hitch and Hera hasn't shot me dead from the sky so, so far life was awesome! And what Lauren and I had wasn't awkward, if anything I felt more comfortable around her than I've felt in a long time. Now that I didn't have to hide my feelings for her, I think Lauren feels the same way about our friendship has gotten so much better than it previously was.
We ordered our food and sat by a small table by the window, watching the snow fall from the grey sky. While waiting for our food, we played an imitation game as we watched the other people in restaurant talk at the tables. "What do you think that guy is ordering? The one in the black jacket and big, bushy grey beard." Lauren pointed subtly.
I turned around and lowered my voice in an old man sort of way, "yes, I'd like the dolma and baked beans. Cause they give me gas and they're the cheapest things on the menu." Lauren covered her mouth to prevent her from laughing loud and hard.
"I'm sorry sir, but we don't tolerate gassy customers, I guess you'll have to leave." Lauren imitated a women with a southern accent as the waitress.
"Well I guess you don't want my money then miss. Good day." We watched the old man stand up and storm out the door, this time Lauren and I couldn't contain our laughter.
"Gods what if that actually happened? We could be psychics." Lauren snorted.
"Yes, I've found my true calling, I'm a psychic, it all makes sense now Lauren." I joked struggling to stop my laughter. The waiter gave us our food and shot us strange looks but we couldn't stop laughing.
"You know I could see it, screw architecture, become a psychic Luke." Lauren giggled, as she almost spit up her food. "Guess what I'm thinking."
"Well," I closed my eyes jokingly and drummed my fingers together, "I think Lauren Winters is thinking that she has the awesomest, sexiest, funniest boyfriend alive." I opened my eyes, laughter swooped us both like a tidal wave.
"How'd you know?" Lauren covered her mouth.
I clapped my hands together once then spread them out wide, "told ya, I'm a psychic."
Lauren and I laughed for the rest of our dinner before I paid the bill and took her hand as we strolled down the streets of Long Island.
—-
"Hey, we should go in here, I've got an idea." Lauren pointed excitedly at a store with big floppy hats in the window.
"Uh, ok, but I never saw you as a hat person." I said before Lauren pulled me into the store. Lauren pulled me into the back and sat me down on a bench.
She turned around and grabbed something then disappeared into the dressing room. I held her coat as she opened the door wearing a big feathery hat and a brown animal skin coat. "How do I look?" She asked grinning as big as Manhattan.
"Oh gods you look like an upper east sider." I laughed.
"You think so?" Lauren twirled around showing off her new get-up. "You try something on, come on it'll be fun." Lauren encouraged.
"Oh alright, but you can't laugh." I shook a finger at her as I grabbed a random articles of clothing and disappeared into the dressing room. I pulled on a long black jacket, tall black boots, a rainbow checkered scarf and a big frilly white hat. I stepped out of the changing room and modeled my new look for my girlfriend, gods I loved calling her that.
Lauren's face turned bright red, she bit her lip to prevent herself from bursting into laughter, "oh gods, Luke holy shit." She snorted.
"Whaddya think? I think it's a good look." I chuckled, as I took her hand pulling her up from the bench.
"Yeah, it's a good look for you, way better than everything else you wear." Lauren teased with a mischievous look in her wild eyes.
"I think I'll start a trend, would you like to be seen with all...this." I gestured to my body.
"Wouldn't take long to point you out." Lauren's face was dangerously close to mine, the hat covered half her face. Her cheeks were rose red from laughter, I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I knew once we'd start we probably wouldn't stop, and the person at the store probably wouldn't like that.
"Hey, what time is it?" I asked, trying to divert my attention from my incredibly sexy girlfriend.
"Nine, why?" Lauren asked, turning towards the window.
"It's time for the last part our date, ready to go?" I asked backing away to hang my stuff up on the rack.
"Yeah, where are we going?" Lauren's eyes lit up like the street lamps outside with the snow falling beside them.
"It's a surprise, now come on, I need to get you home by nine-thirty." I took her hand, but not before I grabbed the scarf I was wearing and paid for it at the counter.
"What'd you buy that for?" Lauren asked as we left the store.
"Happy six month anniversary Laur. Now you'll always think of me when you wear this." I wrapped the rainbow checkered scarf around her neck and Lauren's eyes shone up at mine through the snowflakes falling between us.
"Aww, thanks Luke." Lauren turned around and kissed me, her arms wrapped around my neck. I twirled a strand of her brown hair in my finger as I felt her cold rosy cheeks brush against mine.
I caressed her black hat with my hand before she pulled away, "so where are we going?" Lauren asked.
"Still not saying, come on, you'll love it I promise." I pulled her towards the ice rink.
---
"Ice skating? Ooh, this'll be fun." Lauren clapped her hands as I paid for her skates.
Lauren and I laced up our hockey skates and walked clumsily onto the rink.
"You know how to skate right?" I asked, as she gripped my hand tightly as our feet touched the icy ground.
"I kinda know, but I'm not very good at it." Lauren admitted as she tried to look confident on the skates.
"Here," I let go of her hands, skated in front of her and spun around and skated backwards and took both her hands in mine. We were going slowly but Lauren was squeezing the hell out of my hands.
Her eyes were squinted in focus and concentration at the ice beneath her. "Laur, you've gotta look up or else you'll crash into someone." I tried to make her laugh.
"But if I look up then I'll fall." Lauren answered sternly not removing her eyes from her skates.
"Do you trust me?" I asked in a calm, soothing way.
Lauren took a deep breath, "yes."
"Look up, look at me. I promise you won't fall. Look at my eyes, it'll be ok." Lauren's head shook as she raised it from the ground and her fearful eyes met mine. "There we go, it's not that bad now is it?" I asked in a calm voice.
"It's terrifying, what happens when we turn the corner?"
"Lean with me, it's like sword fighting. When you lean to dodge a strike, it's like that. You can do it, it's fun I swear." I leaned left, Lauren resisted but leaned with me. She gave me an uncomfortable smile as we finished the turn.
"Woo, we did it." Lauren exhaled.
"See? It's fun, now I'm gonna let go"
"What? No, you can't let go. I won't let you." Lauren gasped squeezing my hands tighter.
"Hey you did a turn, and you're balanced, you can do this. If you can climb a wall with pegs that disappear then you can handle something as simple as ice. And who knows, we might use this in battle one day."
Her grip on my hands loosened I knew what I'd just said sparked something inside her, "that's it Laur. Now push with your left leg then your right, find the rhythm." I encouraged as I slowly picked up the pace and skated inches away from her.
"Ah, ah, no. Keep your eyes on me." I instructed as her gaze retreated back to the ground. She sighed and raised her eyes to me, she was doing it, she was skating without my help.
"Is this right?" Lauren asked for reassurance.
"Yes, you're doing it! You just did a turn, see it's not so hard. How about we go a little faster?" I encouraged and skated a little faster.
Lauren skated faster, catching up quickly, "hey you got it," I turned face forward and took her hand.
The two of us skated around and around the rink, eventually skating faster and faster. Until we began to tease each other and race. "Bet I can skate faster than you around the rink." Lauren challenged, that competitive spark had returned to her eyes.
"Game on," I let go of her hand.
"Go!" Lauren took off, I raced after her, shouting but I could hear her laughing wildly and that sound only made me more determined to catch her.
I skated faster and faster, feeling the cool air sweep across my face. I reached my arms out to grab Lauren and caught hold of her jacket. She let out a playful yelp but lost her balance, sending us crashing towards the icy ground.
Lauren hit the ground first, I was partially on top of her but she was giggling as always. "Luke, no grabbing people. I win by default." Lauren slapped my chest.
"Fine, you win but winner has to kiss the loser." I pushed myself up hovering over her.
"Oh fine, happy six month anniversary Luke." Lauren smiled in a way only she can do. Her cold lips met mine and this truly was the best date ever!