Waiting For Us [COMPLETED]

chapter 26 - date night

Talia:

I don't know how mentally prepared I am for tonight.

This week flew by unreasonably fast, forcing Friday to approach without warning. At school, Grayson would steal time away from me; which was actually just me day dreaming about kissing him over and over and over again. My chemistry teacher asked me the same question twice before giving up and moving on to another student to terrorize. When my lab partner asked me what happened, I lied and blamed it on being tired. The ultimate excuse to get someone to stop bothering you.

During art class, I kept catching Grayson staring at me. But then again, I was doing the same. He's so distracting. I just can't help it these days. We're both acting like middle schoolers who just admitted they have a crush on each other.

We've talked. No kissing, however. Completely disappointing might I add.

The one thing I was thankful for was the fact that Cassie never questioned who I was staring at or why I was acting so happy. Then again, Quinn pinched my leg every time my head strayed in Grayson's direction, which helped enormously. It's horrible to keep things from my best friend, but what else am I supposed to do? I really like Grayson, something that took me too long to admit to myself. I'm not going to have her ruin this.

But now it's Friday. And I'm freaking out.

I haven't been on a date in almost a year. What do people even wear anymore? Is a dress too formal? Or is it perfect? Seriously, I need to know.

Last week I made the mistake of wearing my nice jeans and shirt when Grayson took me to play basketball. Sure, I had no idea what we were going to be doing for the project, but I still felt overdressed. Especially because he was wearing athletic shorts and a tank top. Might I just add that he looked good. Like, really good. When he dribbled the ball on the court right in front of me and made a shot in the basket, all I could think was: oh, my God, I kissed this guy. He knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to wear that shirt.

After staring into my closet for a solid five minutes, I take a dark blue dress off the hanger and put it on. This is good. It's the perfect balance of causal and pretty. I slip on a pair of tan sandals and grab a same colored cardigan, just in case wherever he is bringing me is cold.

I walk downstairs at exactly 5:52 PM, eight minutes before he is supposed to arrive. The kitchen and living room are empty, which I already expected. Jess is stuck in her room finishing an essay she forgot about and both of my parents are at work. The situation with my mom remains unchanged. She is still her cold and usual self, grilling me with school questions if given the chance. The times she is not given the chance is when my dad is home at the same time, effectively stopping her from stressing me out any more. Go, dad! Carter is still an untouchable subject for her.

Whatever.

Just as I'm about to sit on the kitchen stool and anxiously tap my fingers together, there's a knock at the door. I look at the microwave's clock—Grayson is five minutes early. He seems like the type to be punctual for a date. I mean, he's had so much practice, right? With all of the girls he has dated. Shit, am I in over my head? He can probably function like a normal human being on a date, while I am likely to freak out and act awkward. Maybe I should have had Jess act out a fake-date with me in preparation. You know, like people do for interviews. That would have been a good idea.