Charlie Ross was a teenage runaway before she was rescued by a compassionate Linda Wilson. Three years later and currently in high school, life is only slightly less difficult as it was before. No longer running away from dangers outside, but she h...
It was finally Friday. My first date with Mason. It was 5:45pm and we were supposed to leave in fifteen minutes. I was wearing a little black dress that fit tightly around my body, and had mesh long sleeves. I had on short black heels to match and of course, both items were picked out by Emery. She coached me over the phone on straightening my hair and doing my makeup, not-so-subtly hinting that I should learn to do this regularly if I was going to do the whole relationship thing.
I glanced at myself in the mirror, wondering if I was ready for this. Our first official date. My first ever date. And I was going downtown.
It'll be fine. You'll be with Mason. I thought, trying to calm myself.
I took a final glance at myself in the mirror, and fidgeted with my dress for the fiftieth time before picking up my purse. I looked at my phone. 5:55pm. I took my dressier black jacket from off of my bed and left my room. I took a deep breath and then headed downstairs.
As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw Mason in a pair of black jeans, and a dark olive green dress shirt that brought out his eyes. My breath hitched in my throat and I almost tripped on the last step.
Noticing this, he chuckled, but gave me a breathtaking smile and extended his hand towards me as I walked towards him. I took it shyly.
"You look beautiful Charlie," he said softly. I felt my cheeks heat in response.
"Thank you, you look handsome," I replied. Mason grinned at that. He opened the front door, and we were almost out before Linda came running down the stairs.
"Oh! Wait, I want a picture!" She exclaimed, waving a camera around. "Your first date," she cooed. While Mason might not have caught the double meaning, I did and I fought the urge to throw a heel at the camera in her left hand. "Okay! Get close!"
***
After a few pictures and a half an hour drive, we arrived at a restaurant called The Purple Fin. I had heard good things about it from one of the girls at lunch but had never been.
Mason, opened my car door for me and then the ones leading into the restaurant. It was a beautiful space, dimly lit, with a sleek design. The booths had dark purple, velvet seats and grey marble tables. There was a huge aquarium inside as well, glowing a lovely blue colour to add to the elegance of the restaurant.
Once a hostess took us to our seats, one of the lovely booths on a raised platform, Mason took my jacket and hung it for me before we sat down.
"This place is incredible," I said. Mason smiled, and I could see him relax slightly.
"I'm glad you think so," he replied as a waiter, dressed in formal attire handed us our menus. He took our drink orders and flashed us a dimpled-smile before going to put them in.
I picked up a menu and looked at the options wide-eyed. Mason chuckles and I glanced up from my menu, giving him a curious look.
"You look scared of the menu," he teased. I wrinkled my nose at him playfully. "I've heard great things about their shrimp alfredo. Oh! And apparently the salmon is fantastic."
"You had me at shrimp alfredo," I said dramatically. Mason grinned and put a hand over his heart playing along.
"It was meant to be; I'm getting that too," he replied, matching my tone. I couldn't help but laugh at this. The waiter then came back to take our orders, and left, letting Mason and I converse until our food arrived.
While we didn't talk about anything too heavy, it was nice to get to know more about him. It was one of my favourite things about being with Mason; I could tell him my darkest secrets and still be able to joke around.
***
The rest of dinner was great. We ended up sharing a Nanaimo bar cheesecake, both of us almost too full to finish it. Mason paid the bill and we left the restaurant. It was now dark outside, and I found myself nervously checking over my shoulder as we had a bit of a walk to the car. Mason wrapped his arm around my shoulders and angled me slightly in front of him, making me feel a little more relaxed.
We turned a corner and almost bumped into a lady. She was just under average height, and was so thin she looked brittle, as if she might break at any moment. She was swaying a little and had a deep set frown. Her hair was a deep red and her eye colour matched mine. Time seemed to stand still for a moment and I froze as realization hit me in the face.
"Mom?" I whispered.
Author's Note: Oh snap!! Her mother after all these years?? Surprised? What do you think might happen next? A good interaction or a bad one? Stay tuned to find out!
Charlie's outfit:
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