Three's Company

2.10 | A Dinner Date of Odd Proportions

A Dinner Date of Odd Proportions

date: [deyt]; noun; a social appointment or engagement arranged beforehand with another person, especially when a romantic relationship exists or may develop.

    "You're what?"

    "Baby, it's not a big deal!" Ethan replied, confused. He had honestly thought that Scarlet wouldn't have a problem with him taking Nova out to dinner, since there was nothing romantic about it.

    He had gone over to Scarlet's house after rehearsal to run the idea by her, just so that she wasn't being kept in the dark about anything. He had figured he was doing the right thing.

    "Not a big deal? You've already kissed her twice--"

    "Once." Ethan interjected, leaning back on the couch.

    "--for that stupid play! I don't deserve to have my boyfriend running around with another girl, I just don't understand."

    "But baby, I love you." Ethan replied, pulling her closer to him. "I only love you. You're the light of my life, my one true love, the one I'm going to stay with forever. I don't want her."

    "Then why are you taking her out to dinner?" Scarlet returned, her guard slowly coming down as Ethan wrapped his arms around her. "Why do you have to go on a date with her?"

    Ethan kissed her softly before replying.

    "The director doesn't think we have any chemistry. There's nothing between us, so we need to be a bit more comfortable around each other. We need to be able to sell it in the play."

    Scarlet rolled her eyes.

    "You'll never love her like you love me?"

    "Never." Ethan promised, kissing her again. "You know how much I love you, and only you."

    Scarlet smiled now, wrapping herself around him.

    "I love you too baby." She replied, kissing him back this time.

    Ethan loved his girlfriend to no end, yet he couldn't shake the guilt at the fact that as she kissed him, the face in his head was Nova's.

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    "Miss Desai? Your carriage awaits."

    Nova laughed as she exited Felix's house and went out into the night with Ethan. He was dressed to the nines in a white shirt and tie, making Nova feel self-conscious about her plain green dress.

    "You look great, by the way." Ethan said as he opened the passenger side door of his Mustang for her. "That's a great color on you."

    "Thanks!" Nova blushed slightly, "You look great too."

    "Thank you." He smiled before climbing into the driver's seat. "We're going to some Italian restaurant that my dad recommended, if that's alright with you."

    "That sounds great!" Nova replied, smiling. "I love Italian food."

    "Me too!"

    They rode in an awkward silence for a bit before arriving at the restaurant, Nova incredibly aware of the fact that she was out with another girl's boyfriend.

    "Thank you." She smiled as Ethan pulled the chair out for her at the restaurant and sat down opposite her. The awkward silence resumed as they both looked at the menu, looking up and speaking only when the server came over.

    "Hi! My name is Mandy, and I'll be your server for this evening." The girl had to be around the same age as Nova and Ethan, and she was incredibly and obnoxiously bubbly. "Can I get you both started with something to drink?"

    "Water's fine for me." Nova replied, smiling.

    "And same for me." Ethan said, "Thank you."

    Mandy nodded and left the table to go put in the drink orders.

    "I can't imagine being that excited to be at work." Nova laughed as she walked away. "I mean, how are you so bubbly in a place full of old people demanding more sugar packets?"

    Ethan laughed.

    "Seriously though. I feel like it should be illegal to be that happy at work." He picked up the menu again and searched it for a moment. "What are you thinking of getting?"

    "I don't know." Nova replied, "Everything looks great."

    "You sound like Mandy."

    Nova grinned and continued to look through the menu, making jokes about the different foods she found on it as Ethan did the same.

    The end of dinner came relatively quickly as the awkward silences went down to none. There was nothing they felt they couldn't talk about, and they made jokes about the people at school, the restaurant, and their families. The silence from earlier seemed to be a thing of the past, and Nova felt completely at ease around this hot-shot basketball player.

    They left the restaurant, still chatting amicably. The ride back to Nova's house was done in complete excitement, without a shred of silence breaching the conversation.

    "Thank you for a wonderful fake date." Nova said as Ethan walked her to her doorstep. "I really appreciate it. And I think it really helped!"

    "I did too." Ethan grinned as Nova turned to unlock the front door. "I think the show is going to be more fun now."

    "Same here." Nova nodded, turning around to say goodbye and finding herself incredibly close to Ethan.

    His face was mere inches from hers, and Nova found herself unable to break eye contact.

    "Well..." Ethan stuttered, and Nova could feel his breath on her face, "I guess I'll see you in Psychology."

    "I guess so." Nova nodded. "Goodnight."

    She stepped inside the house and closed the door, kicking herself for allowing the awkwardness to return.

I hope you guys are enjoying the updates! What do you think is going to happen with Ethan and Nova at school, and rehearsal? Let me know in the comments!

And don't forget to check out To Whom It May Concern, with updates every Sunday and Wednesday, continuing Connor and Sydney's story!

-Katherine