Dance In The Rain

~32~ Date

Julianne's POV

In hindsight, I'm glad he asked to hang out right after school. It gave me no warning, so I had no time to stress over the perfect outfit and overthink how to do my hair.

He gets what he gets and it strangely feels...Right.

We walk to his car, and I gawk at how shiny it is. There's not a speck of dirt on the glossy silver finish, and I almost don't want to touch the handle and smudge it up...And the more I look, I don't even know how to open this door!

Before I can panic about looking like a complete fool, he comes over to my side. "You put your thumb on the wider side and push, and the skinny handle comes out," he says as he opens my door for me.

"Uh, thanks. Your car is pretty."

I'd ask what kind it is, but I really don't know anything about cars at all, and I care about them even less.

"My dad is obsessed with everything Tesla, so we all have one. I really wanted to drive a stick-shift, but dad handed me the keys to this instead."

I nod as if I know what he's talking about, but I don't, and he grins as if he can tell.

I get inside and gawk again at the computer screen in the middle counsel. It really is the coolest car I've ever seen.

"It's pretty obnoxious, huh? We really stand out in the town..Which is exactly what my parents want."

I smile at him and shrug. "We always got taken to school in a limo, so I get it."

He blows out a breath as if he can feel my pain and as the engine whirls to life, it basically makes no sound at all. I start to ask if it's broken, but before I can he puts the car in reverse and we leave the parking lot.

~*~

"Do you have a curfew?" He asks as we drive the backroads and I relax into the seat, reveling in the warm sun kissing my face.

I should be nervous, but I just feel so...Cozy

"Holden is working at the bar tonight so he told me to be there by 9."

"That's gonna take some getting used to," he chuckles as he slows when we reach a stop sign.

"What's that?"

"Your brother is my teacher. It's just weird to think of him as a person."

I laugh out loud and nod. "I get it. The first day I wasn't sure if I could call him Holden or not."

It's Gage's turn to laugh in agreement. "Yeah, calling him Mr. T would have been even weirder."

"Do you have a curfew?" I ask, and he shrugs.

"Ten. It feels so nice to have my car back. They were really pissed when I got home that day."

"I'm so sorry about that. I hated that you've been grounded for an entire month."

"It wasn't the first time," he says with a smirk as we pull into the restaurant.

I'm completely shocked that he wants to eat already, until I look at the time and see that it's already five. Have we really been in this car driving aimlessly for two hours? It feels like no time has passed at all.

When we get a booth next to the window, I inwardly gasp at how pretty it is. The restaurant has a stunning ocean-front view that I cannot stop staring at.

"You've never been here before?" Gage asks as he hands me a menu.

"No. We don't eat out much."

A comforting silence falls as we both look over our menu, and I'm once again shocked by how at ease I am.