The Dating Game

FORTY

** content warning: this chapter includes slight sexual coercion. please read at your own risk **

Monday, February 5th

No part of me ever believed I would actually get the chance to go out with Miles Cook. Of course, little middle school Michelle kept hope when he would smile at me in the halls and talk to me about class assignments, but the idea of actually being on a date with him felt so surreal, and now I've really done it.

If only the date were something more romantic.

A movie, in and of itself, is not a problem for a first date. Sure, it's no secret that the movie theatre is my least favorite place to go for a date, but sitting beside someone, snuggled up to them while you share snacks and whisper sweet nothings to each other doesn't sound bad at all. I wish I had told Miles that rather than force myself to sit and watch the most predictable action movie of the century for two and a half hours.

The worst part? Miles didn't even make a single move. It pissed me off when Chase would try kissing me at the beginning of our relationship, but now that I'm seeing someone on my own terms, who I've been crushing on for years, it's just my luck that he wants to keep things calm on the first date.

Good thing I learned a thing or two from Chase about making a move.

It wasn't much, but at the end of our date, I pressed my lips to Miles's cheek and told him to have a good night. He ended up texting me when he made it home and told me he had a good time. That made one of us. Maybe one and a half.

But this morning, as I get ready for school, I just can't stop thinking about him. I didn't stop to panic after kissing his cheek last night, which I'm fairly proud of myself for, considering I could hardly talk to him a month ago. But now it's starting to hit me.

I did nothing wrong, but oh my God I kissed Miles's cheek. It's not even a big step but that doesn't stop the blush from creeping onto my cheeks.

I walk to school as always, catching myself hesitating at the entrance for a short moment. Old habits die hard, I suppose. It just feels extra shitty when this habit was killed by my own hand.

I shoot straight for my locker instead of letting my mind wander to my ex-boyfriend, who I'm not even sure is my real ex-boyfriend or my fake one, but either way, it's best if I don't think about him. So instead, I empty my backpack in my locker and grab what I need for my first few periods. Until I feel a presence behind me.

I curse myself for wishing it was Chase standing behind me, but a smile finds its way to my face when I see Miles's charming dimples and bright white smile instead.

"Good morning, beautiful," he greets me, suave and sure.

I try my best not to falter in his gaze. "Good morning, Miles. Did you sleep well?"

"How could I not?" he asks. "After spending the day with you, it was hard to have a bad time."

"Oh, stop," I say, struggling to stop myself from blushing.

"I'd like to see you again if that would be okay with you?" he asks without moving his eyes a single centimeter away from mine.

"Yeah, of course," I tell him. "What's next on the bucket list?"

He chuckles softly and I grin. "Well, I was thinking you could come over to my place and help out with some more calculus."