When I was ready, when I was confident my apartment could pass the white glove test, I texted Bree that I was about to leave to pick her up. I threw on a jacket and headed downstairs and out to my car.
As I drove, I kept the radio on low, my mind racing too much to focus on any of the songs being played. I couldn’t believe I was going to pick Bree up, to bring her to my place, where we could be alone. So many things could happen when you were alone with someone else, things which neither of you expected to happen.
Now, I wasn’t saying I expected anything to happen with Bree, but…I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping, at least a little.
I was a guy, after all, a guy completely obsessed over the girl with sad eyes and pink hair.
To my surprise, Bree stood outside when I pulled into her driveway. She was bundled up in an oversized hoodie, ankle-high boots in place of her usual Vans sneakers. When I pulled up, she hurried over to the passenger seat and got in, shivering a bit as she buckled her seatbelt.
“You could’ve waited inside,” I told her, a tiny grin on my face. “I could’ve come up and got you, promised your parents that I’m going to take good care of you tonight—” The look she gave me stopped me dead in my rambling tracks.
“Maybe that’s what I was trying to avoid,” Bree whispered.
Was that…was she meeting my sarcasm with some of her own? The more I spent time with her, the more I got to know her. And, therefore, the more I realized she did have a personality under her quietness. I really did like her, a hell of a lot.
After I let out a chuckle, I said, “Last chance to back out, otherwise you’re going to spend all night with me.”
Her brows lifted. “All night?”
Ah, uh, right. That probably sounded a little wrong. “You know what I mean.” Before I could make any more of a fool of myself, I backed the car up and drove off.
Bree was silent as she turned her head, gazing out of the window, watching the scenery pass us by. She fiddled with her hands on her lap, something she did often. I stole as many glances as I could without getting us into an accident, never able to stare at her quite enough.
She wasn’t the stereotypical beauty, but I was enraptured in her all the same. Even that pink hair had grown on me—though I did think it had faded somewhat over these last few weeks. It wasn’t nearly as blinding as it was when I’d first started talking to her. Even in that big hoodie, she was small. She had the stature of a kid, though she was anything but a child.
She was a woman. A woman who clearly didn’t think much of herself, and I hated that. I hated that she thought nothing of herself. If there was something I could do for her, if I could make her feel better about herself, make her feel alive, that’s what I wanted to do. What I needed to do. This girl…I had to show her how important she was to me.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence of the car ride and causing those green eyes to dart to me, “what do you want for dinner? I figured we’d get something delivered, unless you really want me to cook—then we’ll have to swing by the grocery store. I should warn you, I’m not very good with the oven, but—”
“We can order in,” Bree said, stopping me from rambling.
“Any thoughts on what you want?” When she said nothing else, I went on, “Chinese, Italian, Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle…” I literally named every restaurant and fast food place in the area that I knew delivered, but she made no moves to tell me what she was in the mood for, so apparently the choice would be up to me.
Bree murmured, “I’ve never had Chipotle before.”
My heart nearly stopped at that. “Well, then it’s settled. We’re getting Chipotle.” Such a travesty. Chipotle got me through my high school years, and many awkward dates before this one with Bree.
This…this wasn’t going to be awkward, though. I really liked this girl, more than I liked anyone else before. I would do everything in my power to make sure this date was anything but awkward.
When I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building, I whipped out my phone and placed the order. I had to go through the list of things Bree could get, though she was tight-lipped about what she wanted, so I pretty much had to guess what she would like in her bowl. Evening had already fallen; the daylight hours grew shorter with every passing day. I was not looking forward to the time jump, when it’d be even darker earlier in the day.
We went in shortly after, and I let Bree step into my apartment first. She was slow to walk in, taking in the immediate space. The kitchen sat on the right, while the living room area was directly on the left, a hall resting between them, where the bathroom and bedroom were. None of the rooms were overly large, but it served its purpose, and it was pretty cheap to rent. I purposefully chose one not directly beside campus, figuring the rent would be lower the further away you went from SCC.
I hung my jacket on the back of the door, offering to take Bree’s. She looked uneasy at first, but after a moment, she wriggled herself out of her hoodie and handed it to me. I hung it beside mine, tossing a quick look at her over my shoulder.
Instead of her usual long sweater, she wore a t-shirt. The shirt wasn’t long enough to cover her ass, so its curve was visible anytime she turned around. Man, I felt like I leered too much anytime I was with her, constantly trying to get a good view of that pretty little ass.
“The food should be here in twenty minutes,” I said, gesturing to the living room. I sat us down on the couch, reclining back as I stared at her even more. It was hard not to stare, honestly.
“Okay,” she whispered, flicking that stare to me, causing my heart to do some weird palpitations in my chest.
“I bought something for us to watch,” I told her.
Her brows came together, as if she didn’t expect me to buy anything for our date. “What?”
I got up, retrieving the new DVD case from my room and handing it to her before sitting back down. Figured we’d put it on after the food got here. For now…for now, we could just talk.
“The Lion King?” Bree read the title, a teeny, tiny smile growing on her face as she looked at me, questioning.
“The live-action one,” I said. “You mentioned you never saw it, so…” I trailed off when she looked pensive. “What is it?” Did she already see it after she’d told me that? It had been a few weeks since then—she’d told me on one of our first get-togethers when we were working on our project.
Bree shook her head once, biting her bottom lip as she set the DVD case on her lap. “I just…I can’t believe you remembered that.”
“I listen to everything you say,” I told her, my voice lowering into a bare whisper. I sat beside her on the couch, and it took everything in me to not reach for her, to not hold her. “Everything, Bree.”
She ran a finger along the plastic covering the DVD. “Why?”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I like you?”
Bree’s green eyes snapped up at me, the color pink appearing on her cheeks at the boldness of my words. I wondered if, inside her chest, her heart was beating as fast as mine. “I…” She grew quiet, her next words barely audible. “I like you, too.”
That was it. I couldn’t sit here and not touch her, not after hearing those words come from her mouth.