The 20 Dates Challenge

Two - Date Number One

Date Number One

I’m standing in my living room waiting for Alex to pick me up. He told me to wear something practical and casual, so I’m wearing jeans, a light-pink peasant blouse and silver ballet-flats. My mum is standing beside me, a big grin on her face.

‘I always knew this day would come,’ she says excitedly.

‘Mum, we’re only hanging out,’ I sigh.

‘Yes but, this time, it’s just the two of you,’ she flits nervously around the living room.

‘We’ve hung out, just the two of us, loads of times.’

‘Yes, but you were so much younger then. Now, you’re nearly seventeen. And he’s nearly eighteen.’

‘Not until next year. And we’re just friends,’ I fall over the back of the couch and lie down.

‘Really?’ Mum asks suspiciously.

‘Yes, really.’

‘Well then, why has Charlene been telling me that Alex has only been talking about you all week?’ she raises an eyebrow at me.

‘Because he’s excited that we get to hang out again. We haven’t hung out in a while.’

‘You keep believing that,’ she laughs as the doorbell rings.

I jump over the couch and run to the door.

‘A little excited are we?’ Mum laughs again.

I poke my tongue out at her before turning back to the door and opening it. Alex smiles down at me. He looks amazing in his simple jeans and plain, blue t-shirt.

‘Hey, Savannah,’ he says.

‘Hey, Alex,’ I step back to let him in.

‘Evening, Mrs Fay,’ he greets my mum with a small nod.

‘Please, Alex, I’ve known you since you were eight,’ she laughs.

Alex’s smile turns uneasy.

‘Mum,’ I say quickly.

‘Oh, right,’ she becomes serious, ‘what time can I expect you guys home?’

‘I’ll drop her home before eleven, if that’s ok with you?’ Alex asks her.

‘That’s fine. Where are you going?’

‘Just to the park on the bay.’

‘Really?’ she raises an eyebrow at me again, ‘well, have fun.’

Alex gestures for me to leave first.

‘Bye, Mum,’ I say as I walk out.

Alex shuts the door behind us and leads me down the stairs.

‘So, where are we really going?’ I ask him as we walk down the path.

‘The park,’ he says.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah,’ he shrugs.

‘I thought we were going to do the first thing on this list?’ I ask.

‘We are,’ he pulls a piece of paper from his pocket and reads the first point, ‘one, go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as you both can in all of them, compile photo evidence.’

‘So we’re going to climb trees?’ I ask.

‘Yep,’ he laughs.

‘What else is on that list?’