Windows of the Soul

Jace stood in the doorway, a bouquet of roses in his hand. He wore a pair of dark jeans that almost looked formal and a long-sleeved button down shirt. I didn’t I could possibly see him look more handsome, but he did at that moment. For a minute I felt strangely underdressed.

Jace’s eyes traveled up and down my body, and he gave me an approving grin. “You look wonderful,” He said. He handed me the roses and I gave them a whiff; they smelled amazing. Behind me the door opened wider, and Penny, my mom, and Tessa all looked at Jace. I wondered if it was weird I was going on a date with a guy I didn’t know; that’s how you get to know them though, right?

Penny smiled at Jace and said hi, and he politely greeted the rest of my family. I could tell Tessa immediately liked him; she wanted to show him her doll collection. There was a twinkle in Jace’s eye when he smiled at Tessa; I could tell he either liked kids or was good with them. He offered his hand to my mom and said, “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Pennington.”

My mom shook her head back and forth quickly. “It’s Ms., I’m not married.” I had taken my mom’s second name after she married Tessa’s father, because I didn’t want to have a different last name than the rest of my family. Plus, I didn’t like the sound of my previous name.

They shook hands and Jace said, ‘I’m sorry, Ms. Pennington.” My mother smiled and nodded at him. I’d have to ask her later what she thought of Jace.

“Well, they’re going to be late for their date.” Penny shoved me out the door. I smiled my thanks at her; Tessa was still trying to pull Jace into the living room and my mom was talking to him. Jace said goodbye to everyone and Penny closed the door behind us. The quiet night air played in my ears, making it sound awkward. I stepped off the only step and Jace led me to his car. It was a black Camaro; I almost swooned. A lot of people at our high school owned nice cars but I’d never seen a Camaro in person before. Being the gentleman that he was, Jace opened my door and I held the back of my dress while I got in. After firmly shutting it and walking around the front, Jace slid into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. I could see Penny peeking out of the curtains in my front window; I made a motion with my hands across my neck. She giggled and closed the curtain.

“So where are we going?” I asked Jace.

“It’s a surprise.” He said to me. We pulled out of my driveway, and proceeded down several roads. I looked out the window and took in the surroundings I passed everyday going to school.

“Can I have a hint?” I asked playfully, turning my head to look at him. He glanced at me and drummed his fingers along the steering wheel.

“Hmm…let’s think…no.” He glanced at me again and I put a pouty expression on my face. I already felt at home and safe with him, and I barely knew the guy. Jace laughed at my expression and pat me on the knee. When he touched my bare knee I felt sparks shoot up my leg to my heart.

“Is it close or far from here?” I asked, trying to get a hint.

“I don’t know.” Jace replied.

“Are we eating or seeing a movie or something else?” I asked again.

“I’m not sure.”

“Eating?”

“Maybe.”

“Seeing a movie?”

“Maybe.”

“Tell me already!”

“Umm…no.”

Frustrated, I sat back in the leather seat and looked out the window again. The streetlights had come on, sending spooky shadows across the sidewalks. We left the housing streets and entered the city. We lived in a small town outside of the city, and I went to the city pretty often, so it wasn’t a shocker that we were going there. I just wondered where.

“I’m assuming we’re eating.”

“Maybe.”

I sighed loudly and then wondered if I sounded like the selfish, it’s-all-about-me type of person I was trying so hard not to be. I glanced at Jace but he only had a wicked grin on his face.

Suddenly we pulled into a parking lot to a restaurant I had only heard about in gossip; the five star Morimoto’s, a Japanese restaurant. I wondered how he knew that Japanese food was my favorite. I looked at him, shock clearly registered on my face, and he started to laugh really hard.

“Hope you like Japanese.” He said, finally done laughing.

“I love Japanese! How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” He winked at me and got out of the car, going around the Camaro and opening the door for me. He offered me his hand and I took it, more sparks shooting up my arm. This time butterflies joined in the mix. I got out and smoothed my dress down. I felt underdressed for the second time that night. Ah well, I thought. I’m not sure the Japanese care whether I’m wearing cotton or cashmere.