/Samantha/
I took a deep breath before picking up the receiver of the phone. I spoke in a low voice and said, "Um Hey."
"How are you doing, Jailbait? You took quite some time to respond to my question "He said, giving off an anxious tone.
I lied to Susan who was staring at my phone like a lovesick puppy and said, "Uh yeah, I was just talking to my friend and I didn't feel the phone go off that's all." Susan was grimacing at me as she looked at my phone.
So, he asked, "Did you get my message this morning?" he asked. "So, did you get it?"
I murmured, "Mmm hmm," while pleading with Susan to say something. She was feverishly bobbing her head with wide eyes and mouthing "say yes" over and over again.
After a brief moment of silence, he finally broke it by asking, "Okay, well, do you want to go?"
I gave Susan one more look before leaving. She yelled at me in a whispered whisper, "Say yes!"
"Yes," I responded in a hushed voice.
I heard a muffled "Yessssssss!" from the phone, which I assume I wasn't meant to hear, and then the person on the other end of the line asked, "Kinda excited there are ya?" I laughed in spite of myself and forced a smile.
"Uh yeah sorry, you weren't intended to hear that," he added in a slightly bashful manner. "So where do you live?" he continued, and in the background I could hear him rustling paper around.
"I live on Cotton Road, and my house is number 17, which is next to the pond. Do you know where it is?" I inquired and hoped that he understood that I was terrible at following orders.
"You call Cotton Road your home, right? Since Henry lives there, it's no surprise that you're in such close proximity to him "He inquired while maintaining an air of mild astonishment.
I responded by saying, "Yeah, he actually lives next door."
He said, with a giddy tone in his voice, "Ok, well I know where it is, I've been to Henry's before, so I'll pick you up at 7," and he sounded quite happy about it.
I slammed the phone down after saying "okay, see you then," and let out a sigh of relief that the conversation was finally done. Although having a conversation with him was not difficult; in fact, it was fairly simple; however, making a decision was a real pain in the rear.
"Wonderful, that's been taken care of; now the next thing is, do you tell Henry?" Susan commented on it with a grin. I stifled a groan as I realized that I couldn't deceive my best buddy, but on the other hand, I didn't really want to have to tell him either because I knew that he would be really upset by the news. "Ok, I have a solution, how about we just avoid him altogether? That way, you won't have to lie to him or tell the truth.
There's only one period left, and you don't have it with him, so just text him and tell him that I'm taking you home tonight so you won't need a lift, and that you'll see him tomorrow," Susan suggested. "There's only one period left, and you don't have it with him. There's only Okay, that's not a terrible suggestion at all; if the date turns out to be a bust, he won't have to worry about finding out, and if it doesn't, I can always tell him I went the next day.
I gave her a bear hug and remarked, "Okay, nice plan. We'll create an evil mastermind out of you yet," as I embraced her.
* * *
Oh my God, I had never in the history of my dating life been more anxious as I was about this date. I didn't do anything to my hair other than let it down and curl it into a few loose waves. I didn't put on much makeup because I rarely do and I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard.
After dropping me off at my house, Susan returned to the store and assisted me in selecting an outfit to wear. I was currently dressed in black skinny jeans and a tight red v-neck blouse that revealed a little cleavage without being too slutty. I had chosen red open-toed high heels that would definitely kill me if I had to walk or dance in them, but he stated supper and a movie in the text, so they should be fine.
I had a queasy feeling, and I couldn't stop looking at myself in the mirror, even after I heard the doorbell ring. I jumped out of my room to get the door only to hear sounds coming from the hallway as I looked at the clock that indicated five to seven. "Holy crap, he's early," I murmured as I looked at the clock. "He's early." Shit! I came to a stop out of sight in order to listen.
"And where exactly are you going to take my daughter later tonight?" I was aware of James's inquiry, and it caused me to crack a small grin when he stated that he had always referred to me as his daughter, bless him.
"Err, I thought we would go to this small Italian restaurant that I know and then to go see a movie if that's fine, I mean does she have a curfew or anything?" "Err, I thought we would go to this little Italian restaurant that I know and then to go see a movie if that's ok, I mean does When Blake inquired,
You are aware that she is only 17 years old, right? Well, it is a school night. When James asked, I ran down the stairs and was immediately overcome with embarrassment.
"James! He is aware of how old I am; for goodness' sake, will you leave him alone?" I responded by giving him a peck on the cheek, putting on my black leather jacket, and refusing to look at Blake until the burning sensation in my cheeks subsided, despite the fact that I could feel him keeping his eyes on me.
He stated to me in a commanding tone, "Well, like I was saying to Blake here, it's a school night Samantha, therefore your Mom and I agree that you should be home by 11," and I responded by making a puppy dog look at him and pouting my lip slightly.
I said to James while looking down at my feet, "But James, if I have to be back by then, it's possible that we won't have time to go watch a movie."
I giggled as he said it, and then I kissed his cheek one more. "Oh, well ok 11:30, but not a minute past ok," he replied while shaking his head.
As I turned to face Blake, I gave a grateful nod and spoke the word "thanks."
"I got you these," he replied, handing me a dozen red roses. "Oh my God, that is so sweet," he added, because Henry was the only one who had ever given me flowers.
"Wow, uh, they're gorgeous. Thank you so much." I said that I was blushing; what do you say about it? How awkward it was for me to look over and see my stepfather standing there watching me
With a relaxed grin on his face, he replied, "Your welcome."
"James, would you be able to ask your mother to soak these for me in water?" I asked while offering the flowers to him, and he nodded, at which point I responded, "I'll see you later."
Blake extended his hand to James and said, "Goodbye, Sir." James firmly shook Blake's hand.
"You care after her, do you hear me?" he commanded in a commanding tone.
Blake showed respect by nodding and smiling as he said, "I will, Sir."
As we made our way to the vehicle, he gave me a warm smile and remarked, "You look absolutely beautiful." As he took his time examining my appearance from head to toe, I couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious.
When they told me, "You don't look horrible yourself," my immediate response was, "Wow, that is the understatement of the year!" His hair and face were as stunning as always, and he was dressed in motorcycle boots, well ripped trousers, and a black shirt that he had left partially undone and rolled the sleeves of all the way up to his elbows.
He also had a pair of pierced ears. I was looking at him so intently that I was entirely unaware that we had arrived at the car already; he was standing there next to the open door, waiting for me to enter the vehicle, but I was too preoccupied with looking at him to notice that he was there. What the hell! I lied to cover my embarrassment and jump inside the car, saying, "Err sorry, I was just thinking if I brought my phone or not." What an idiot!
He asked me, "Do you have it?" I replied in the affirmative, and he smiled at me as he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side. When he asked me, "Do you enjoy Italian?" I smiled and nodded in response.
"Doesn't absolutely everybody?" I inquired, and he responded with a grin as we started moving.
The restaurant was pleasant; it was small and personal, so it was ideal for a date; also, there were candles on each table, so the atmosphere was quite romantic. While we were eating, he questioned me, "So you have your Dad totally wrapped around your little finger, are you a Daddies girl?" "So you have your Dad entirely wrapped around your little finger," I replied.
I smiled and added with a chuckle, "He's not my Dad; he's my Stepdad, but he's really nice. He married my Mom when I was like 7, but I guess in a way I'm kind of a Daddies girl, he likes to spoil me, and he gangs up on my Mom with me."
He smiled as he spoke and said, "He seems like a good guy."
I responded with, "Yeah, he really is the finest."
I pointed to his lasagne and questioned, "Is it that good?"
He indicated with a nod, "Want some?" While he was extending a forkful to me, he said,
"Wow, that's so romantic, Blake, you want to feed me?" "Wow, that's so romantic, Blake." I questioned him in jest while making an effort not to laugh, but instead he snorted and shook his head while putting the forkful of food in his mouth. I smiled and said, "Hey, I was going to eat that, but I was joking." He laughed and got another forkful of food and held it out to me.
I put my hand over his and brought the fork to my mouth slowly while also taking the food off the fork more slowly than usual in an effort to make it appear as though I was trying to seduce him. Because he sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth and then let it out with a small groan, I believe it was successful in producing the impression that was intended.
I can't believe how delicious that is! He must have gone on a lot of dates because he is familiar with some great restaurants. I wanted to physically hit myself for even considering the possibility of him having relationships with other women.
After I had done, I remarked, "Wow, that is amazing." I'll have to bring Henry here because he adores lasagne, and the chicken spaghetti alfredo that I make is fantastic, so he wouldn't even object if we switched. It's typical of Henry to order something he knows I'll enjoy so that we may switch plates halfway through the meal. What the hell am I doing when I keep thinking about Henry? You've got to be kidding me, Samantha; you're out on a date with one of the hottest guys around, and you're thinking about your close pal. The phrase "dumb, stupid, and stupid!"
"Yeah, my sister and I have had quite a bit to eat here," he added as he began diving in once more.
"Okay, and how many years old is your sister? Are you getting there then?" I was curious,
"She's 26, and yeah, we're really close; in fact, I live with her; my parents passed away when I was 13, and Jenifer was 19; thus, she became my legal guardian after that; she's really fantastic, you'll like her," he stated with a warm smile. "She's really great, you'll like her." Okay, I had no idea it was going to happen, so both of his parents had passed away?