Faithless Memories

First Date - Sort Of

Chapter 25

The following day, Kris was more nervous than she could ever remember being. She didn't have many clothes to begin with, and most of them were for work. They were nice enough since she had to look professional in front of the customers, but none of them screamed 'date.' From the moment that Sarah had first helped her get clothes of her own, she had never owned a skirt, and she knew she wouldn't wear one now, but all her pants were functional. When she caught sight of everything she owned scattered across her bed, she sighed and realized she was overthinking it. It was barely lunchtime anyway.

She forced herself to walk away for the time being and found a book that she had recently picked up. She hoped it would be gripping enough to hold her interest. She had barely been reading for half an hour before she was up. She started to head for her room again but stopped and made a disgusted noise. She mumbled to herself as she turned to sit back down. "Why do I care anyway? He either takes me like I am, or he leaves. Period."

Her admonition to herself seemed to work. She made it through the third chapter before she looked up again. The time was nearly 17:00, and she jumped up. She had successfully been able to distract herself, but now she only had an hour before Genesis was supposed to be there. She kept telling herself that it should be enough time, but she didn't want to take the chance that he would be early, and she not be ready.

She ended up picking her best pair of pants and a thin mock turtleneck sweater. She never wore much makeup, but she did own a little for work. She quickly put on a touch of blush and lipstick and, at the last minute, decided that some mascara would be okay. When she looked at herself, she shrugged. It would have to do. She wasn't interested in pretending to be something she wasn't anyway.

She had barely sat back down before there was a knock at the door. She looked over at the clock and smirked. It was fifteen minutes before the hour. She was not really surprised that he was the type to be early. At least for things like this.

She hesitated before she opened the door, but chastised herself and opened it with a smile. She was shocked to see Genesis standing on the other side with a small bouquet of flowers. She didn't have a clue what to say, so after a moment, he smoothly held them out. "For you, dear."

She took them out of instinct and found that they smelled as good as they looked. After she sniffed them once, she found herself giving the man a smile. She shook her head. "Let me get these in some water before we leave if you don't mind."

"Of course." He turned and made a gesture towards the road before he turned to follow her in.

She looked behind him in curiosity and saw a cab waiting. She gave him a surprised look. "We could have taken the train or walked."

He scoffed. "It is far too cold to walk that far, and the train is not an option."

She raised a brow at his vehement denial of the train, but then the reason struck her, and she laughed. "I apologize. I can see how the train might be problematic for you."

He only gave her a curious look, and she laughed again. She didn't say anything else, though. It took her a few minutes to find something suitable for the flowers. She didn't have a proper vase. When he saw the setup, he shook his head. "I will remember a vase next time."

She laughed again. "Only if it offends your sensibilities. I think it's cute." She had found a long, clear blue glass tumbler. The flowers were a mix, but there was some indigo, and it complemented those highlights.

He shook his head but changed the subject. "Are you ready?"

She gave him a nod, and he held out his hand. She eyed it for a moment before she decided to go ahead and take it. Much to her relief, he simply tucked her hand into his crooked arm and led her to the still waiting cab. She had to fight another smile when he opened the door for her. She had never had someone treat her like this. She knew that she might not always appreciate it as much, but for the moment, she really did feel special. It was an odd feeling, and she tried not to let it grow too much. She was still under the impression that this would not last.