Every Little Thing

Chapter Seventeen

Blake

I'm staring at myself in the mirror making sure I like the outfit I chose. I went with a skinny strap black top that has blue designs on it, with high waisted black jeans and ankle boots. I'm bringing my leather jacket incase I get cold or we sit outside somewhere and then I add another layer of lipstick before I spray some perfume. This is the first date I've been on in a very long time, and it's with one of Ryder's friends which is a total plot twist. When Axel approached me at the bar last night, I was flattered and completely caught off guard.

He's a mountain of a man with brown wavy hair and a short beard that he totally rocks. Light brown eyes and the body of a God. He has that rugged, manly look to him that makes your panties wet with something as simple as a look. He's gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous and that fact that he came up to me is still surprising. What was even more surprising was meeting his friends and seeing my ex. Ryder and I had seen each other a couple other times, but actually sitting with him and talking was very unexpected.

Luckily it went great, we got along fine and I really enjoyed talking with Axel and Carson. Axel is extremely charming, confident and so damn sweet. Both he and Carson made me laugh until my stomach hurt and when the night ended I was sad to say bye to them. What made it even better was the fact that Axel offered to walk me home and when I said yes, we walked and talked about the most random crap. He wrapped his jacket around my shoulders when he notices I was shivering and it was so sweet.

When we got to my apartment I thanked him and we exchanged phone numbers. I went to walk inside and he stopped me, asking if he can take me to dinner. There was no way I was going to turn him down and the grin that spread across his face made my ovaries explode. So here we are I just finished getting ready and I'm sipping on a glass of wine while I wait for him to get here.

Just after seven there's a light knock on my door. I set my wine glass in the sink, grab my coat and purse and walk over to answer it. When I open the door I'm taken back at how incredibly handsome he looks; with a dark blue button up that's rolled to his elbows, black jeans and nice shoes to match. His hair is freshly brushed back and he trimmed his beard "Hey gorgeous" he says and lean in, kissing me on the cheek.

He steps back as I close and lock my front door "Hey, you look so handsome" I say and he blushes.

"Thank you, you look stunning Blake" he takes my hand as we walk out of the building and he guides me over to his truck; opening the passenger door for me.

I step in and he closes it behind me, I buckle as he comes around to the drivers side. Music plays on the radio as we cruise through the downtown area and talk about our day. He asks a few questions and I ask more, to try and get to him better. Eventually he pulls into the parking lot of a beautiful steak and seafood restaurant. We walk inside and get seated at a nice booth, I look around and take in the delicious aroma.

"I had to ask Ryder what kind of food you like" he nervously admits.

I smile "You could have asked me, but I'm glad he remembered"

"So..." he begins "You grew up in Santa Cruz, came to college here then left to New York, then back to Santa Cruz and now you're back here. Right?" I nod.

"Yes, good memory" I say and take a sip of my water.

"I bet growing up in Santa Cruz was nice, I love it there" he says sweetly.

"It was, it had that small beach town vibe but was close enough to San Jose to give it more of a city feel. But I came to San Diego a lot growing up and knew this is where I wanted to end up because it was both a beach and city feel in one"

"I couldn't agree more, San Clemente is a small town. So going to USC in LA was a shock since it's that bigger city feel. But here it's a happy middle and I love that"