Not Like The Movies

Denise stared at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time, contemplating whether she should make the first move of calling Jonathan. After spending time with Julianne, she figured that she would never find out if he really was going to ask her out again or not if she never called.

”But then again, if he really wanted to ask you out, he would have called by now.” She thought.

She stood up from the couch and went to her bathroom to take a shower. She did not want to make the first move. If he was even remotely interested in her, he should be the one to make the first move. Sighing in disappointment, Denise took off all her clothes and stepped in the shower. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm water slide down her body. Her muscles were aching and it was probably because she was so tired from all the shifts she had been taking for all of her friends at the theater. Taking a shift for Julianne was one thing but taking a shift for her other co-workers, whom she did not really know unlike Ronnie and Julianne, was another thing.

She hated not being able to say “no.” It had always been a problem of hers ever since she was a little girl. It had been a big problem when she tried to tell her parents that she did not want to study nursing. She wished she had the ability to just say the two-letter word but what her mind thought, her mouth did not speak.

After taking care of her hair and her body, she stepped out of the shower, wrapped her big, fluffy, yellow towel around her body and wiped the mirror to see herself. She leaned in closer to the mirror and studied her face. She frowned when she found nothing intriguing about her look. She was a plain Jane—nothing special. She wore no make-up because she did not really care if others saw her flaws.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she removed her towel and looked at herself. She touched her hips, her waist, and sheepishly, she cupped her breasts. Standing at five foot six, her slim waist, long arms, and b-cups seemed awkward to her. She groaned out loud and quickly picked up her towel and wrapped it around her body once more.

It was a Sunday afternoon and she had just woken up thirty minutes ago. Today being her only day off, she pulled out some fresh lounging clothes from her drawers after she had put on her plain, pink panties. Just like her, her panties were also plain.

”God, I am so boring.” She mentally groaned.

She sat back down on the couch after she got dressed and checked her phone.

Jonathan – Missed Call

Denise bit her lip and fell face first into one of her throw pillows to scream out loud. When she got up, her face was red and her smile was brighter than ever. He called . He really called. She was not sure if she should call him back or wait until he…

“Hello?” She answered as soon as she saw his name pop up on the screen.

“Hey,” She heard his smooth voice on the other line. “I called you.”

She had to fan herself with her hand, trying to get rid of the heat she felt on her face. She knew he could not see her but somehow, she could not talk to him knowing she was blushing like a maniac.

“Yeah, I know. I saw.”

He gave out a short laugh and said, “So about that lunch…”

“Yeah…” She drawled, feeling herself smiling again and the familiar heat rushing to her face once more.

“Would you like to hang out again? My treat this time.” He asked and she swore she could feel him smile on the other line too.

“Hold on for just a second,” she told him. She did not wait for Jonathan to answer her back before she screamed into the same throw pillow again, her legs bouncing in a non-rhythmic fashion against the cushion in excitement.

She grabbed her phone, still lying face down on the couch, and replied “yes.”

He laughed again and she felt like he knew exactly what she just did.

”He probably thinks I’m exactly like every fan girl there is out there.”

“I just had to get a glass of water,” she found herself explaining to him in order to cover up what she did just a few seconds ago.

“Whatever you say,” he laughed. She could not get over his voice and his laugh. He was just too much for her to handle. “I’ll pick you up at your place. Where do you live?”

She quickly told him her address and they ended the conversation shortly after. She turned so she was facing the ceiling and covered her eyes with her forearm. The smile was still visible on her lips because she could not help it. She was so damn happy.

She looked at her phone and saw that she only had less than twenty-five minutes to get ready before Jonathan picked her up. She immediately ran to her room and picked out her favorite t-shirt that used to be her older brother’s and slipped on her jeans. After deciding quickly on her outfit, she worked on her hair. She was not sure if she wanted to keep her hair down or if she would just do her regular side-braid. Aware of the time, she went for the hair down. Her hair was naturally wavy and she had always been thankful for it. She always thought that her hair looked nice in its natural waves because it looked styled yet effortless. She put on a little bit of chapstick and went to her shoe rack to pick up her black chucks. Already finished with at least fifteen minutes to spare, she went over to her full length mirror and looked at her outfit.

She frowned, fighting the feeling of crying because of the frustration she felt towards herself all of a sudden. Why could she not dress nice? Why did she not have a bit of sense of fashion? She looked down at her ratty old jeans and her slightly baggy shirt. She tried tying her shirt to the side to at least try and make it look somewhat fashionable but it only made her feel like she looked stupid. She whipped off all her clothes and threw it against a corner in her room. She went to her clothes and stared at the same clothes she had been staring at the night before. She saw the clothes that Julianne left and carefully plucked out the dress she had tried on.

It looked too formal for a lunch date so she quickly put it back in its place. She pulled out the blouse and skirt she first tried on and put it on. She examined the outfit for a second and thought that it seemed appropriate enough; the ensemble was not too formal and not too casual. After a minute, she was back in the frustrated place she was in. She removed her clothes again and picked up her t-shirt and jeans from the corner she threw it at. She put it on and told herself that if Jonathan really liked her, he should not care what she looked like.

Smiling a little to herself, she tied the shoe laces of her chucks and waited for the last minute before Jonathan arrived.

--

Jonathan knocked on her apartment door, hoping he did not forget her apartment number. A few sounds of unlocking and clicking and there again was the beautiful girl he saw at the movie theater, standing before him. He looked down with a smile as he saw her outfit of choice; an NYU t-shirt that was a size too big for her, dark blue jeans, and her sneakers. It was something new to him. Usually the girls he would ask out on a date would wear their skirts and dresses, had their hair styled like it took them four hours to perfect it, and make-up because they were under the impression that maybe he cared about any of that stuff. Well maybe he did…a little. But looking at Denise, she could wear a jumpsuit for all he cared and she would still look as beautiful as she did now.

“Nice shirt,” he commented after he felt like he had been standing there too long without saying a word to her.

“Thanks. It was my brother’s. He went to NYU for like a second and left but didn’t forget to get himself a souvenir.” She said, locking the door behind her. “So where are we heading?”

“Ever heard of The Palace Grill?” He asked and she shook her head slowly. He mentally thanked the fact that she had not heard of the place. The restaurant was great. It was everything you could ever ask for in Chicago. The staff and the owner of the place were friendly to all and was a big fan of the Blackhawks.

Jonathan had never taken his dates there. Denise was the first. She looked like the type who would enjoy being around the atmosphere at a place like the Palace Grill.

“You’ll love it there,” he promised. “Everyone is very welcoming.”

She beamed up at him and said, “Then let’s go!”

--

Denise had never been inside a car with such fancy leather and shiny…everything. His car was definitely one of the things that showed his success. She was almost afraid to move around in her seat in fear of ruining anything. Jonathan noticed her slightly uncomfortable position and told her to relax. She laughed nervously.

“So does this palace place know you well?” She asked, finally allowing herself to relax.

“I guess so.”

Then she did something she probably would have never done—she took his Cubs hat from his head and put it on her own head. It was something daring and playful, two things she was absolutely not. He looked at her and laughed to himself. She looked adorable in his hat.

“Don’t want people to get the wrong idea,” she said, tipping his hat down over her eyes like he would have done.

“Get the wrong idea about what?” He asked, clearly knowing what that was all about.

“That we’re on a date or something.” She quickly mumbled.

“Are we not on a date?” He found the situation amusing and cute all at the same time. He had not told her that he had broken up with his girlfriend but she really did not know about Lindsey in the first place, so he did not worry about a thing.

“I…I don’t know. You tell me.” She carefully glanced at Jonathan and saw that he had a playful smirk on.

“We’re on a date, Denise. I don’t just take anyone out to the Palace.” The heat rushed back to Denise’s face and this time, Jonathan caught it. She covered her face with her hands and wanted to scream into it like she did with her throw pillow.

Then Denise remembered her conversation with Ronnie, “what about your girlfriend?”

“We’re not together anymore.” He quickly answered. How did she know?

”Google. Maybe.

“Oh…I’m so sorry. That must have been tough. How long were you guys together?” She asked out of curiosity.

He carefully placed his hand on top of her hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. What matters is right now.”

--

Denise was so glad that she had decided to wear her t-shirt and jeans. The restaurant was small but very homey. She would have died of embarrassment if she decided to go with the skirt and everything. There was a time and place for that outfit and the Palace Grill was definitely not one of them.

The owner greeted Jonathan loudly, causing most of the customers’ heads to turn. The owner went straight into conversation with Jonathan, leaving Denise to stand right beside him in silence. But she did not mind. She was too busy looking at all the photos and the memorabilia’s plastered all over the walls. The man must have really loved the Blackhawks. Denise snapped out of the Blackhawks’ items trance when Jonathan started to introduce her to the owner.

“Nice to meet you, Denise,” the older man smiled warmly at her then turned to Jonathan to ask in a whisper, “what happened to the model?”

Denise heard the owner’s question and suddenly felt insecure. She tugged Jonathan’s hat down her eyes and clasped her hands behind her back. She was aware that she probably did not look like the type of model or anyone that a professional athlete would date. She suddenly had the urge to see the last girl Jonathan dated. She was probably drop dead gorgeous and probably looked like a celebrity.

She was startled when Jonathan grabbed one of her hands behind her back and laced their fingers together. She looked up at him but he was not looking at her. He was still explaining to the owner what happened between him and his ex-girlfriend. From what she heard, it seemed like a mutual understanding. No scream fest or tears were involved during their break-up. Shortly after Jonathan finished his story, the owner told them they could sit wherever they wanted to. With her hand still laced with his, Jonathan guided them to a table all the way in the corner of the room. A few people greeted him and once we sat down, a couple of kids came up to him to ask for an autograph.

One boy in particular asked Jonathan if I was his girlfriend. Talk about awkward.

He smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair and said, “No bud, she’s just a friend of my mine.”

The boy, who looked like he was about seven or eight years old, frowned. He looked at Denise and pointed at her hat.

“But she’s a Cubs fan!”

“Yeah, buddy, that’s my hat she borrowed.” Jonathan explained, signing a couple more autographs.
“I think boyfriends let girlfriends borrow stuff.” The boy said matter-of-factly. Jonathan said nothing else but smiled and handed him a napkin that he signed.

“Your young fans sure are smart.” Denise said, earning another smile from the captain.

They both ordered their food and just like their date at the café, they talked more about themselves. This time, Denise insisted that Jonathan tell her more about his life outside of hockey. Jonathan talked about what he liked to do during off-days and he talked about his family.

“My brother is actually gonna come down here for a couple of days just to hang out. He probably wants his space from our mom.” Jonathan informed her after telling her a story about his younger brother, David. His brother called him last night and said that he would be coming down to Chicago tomorrow night and stay for two or three days. He claimed that he was going to meet some of his friends who live in Chitown but for all Jonathan knew, his younger brother was probably just looking for a reason to leave home and party somewhere far away.

“That’s cool. You two seem very different from each other from what you just told me. You don’t look like the type to get expelled from school.” Jonathan took it as a joke but Denise was being serious. To her, he looked like the type who took everything seriously and never got in trouble a day in his life.

After Jonathan kept his promise on paying for their lunch, they decided to drive to Millennium Park to take a stroll. As they were walking down a pathway at the park, Denise remembered to give back Jonathan’s hat. He gladly took his hat back only to put it back on her head. She laughed and asked what he was doing.

“It’s actually sunny out and that pretty little head of yours needs protection,” he told her, sliding an arm across her shoulders and kept walking.

“Then don’t you need a hat too?” She asked with a giggle.

“I’m good. Besides, it looks better on you than it does on me.”

Denise swore that by the end of the day, her face would stay red like a tomato from all the blushing she had been doing all day.

--

Jonathan and Denise spent the whole day hanging around the park and even went to the museum. They talked and talked and talked and had ice cream cones while sitting on the bench. Denise could not remember the last time she had so much fun on a date.

Jonathan took her home and told her that he would pick her up tomorrow night after her shift so she could come and meet his brother. At first, she was not sure if that was a good idea. They barely knew each other and now he wanted her to meet his brother? She did not want to wake up the following week to find that Jonathan wanted her to meet his parents. It just seemed all too fast for her. She liked Jonathan but even after talking about their lives and spending almost the whole day getting to know one another, she could not just open her heart out to someone she met in the span of two days.

But in the end, she agreed to meet his brother anyway.

There was no goodbye kiss, just a hug. He waved his hand goodbye and got back in his car to drive away. She breathed out and felt like she had been holding in her breath the whole day. She was so infatuated and she really wished that whatever they had was not just something that would last a short time. She knew that her feelings were starting to change and she had to stop herself before she fell too hard for the guy who she felt like was too good to be true.

After minutes of being home, Denise had finally calmed down. But being calm only lasted a second before she remembered that she wanted to see how Jonathan’s ex looked like. She grabbed her laptop from the coffee table and went straight to Google. Immediately, she saw recent photos of Jonathan and his ex from the Stanley Cup festivities. She kept reading and scrolling down until she saw her name. She copied and pasted the name and searched for it again.

Denise was absolutely right about her assumptions. Jonathan’s ex-girlfriend was gorgeous. Her fit body was perfect for her model lifestyle. Her sense of fashion was fabulous and she suddenly wished she was her. Her insecurity was slowly eating away at her. She knew that she needed to do something about it.

She went over to her closet and pulled out the blouse and skirt she was going to wear earlier. She was going to wear it tomorrow night when she goes out to meet up with Jonathan and his younger brother. She told herself that needed to stop overthinking and just needed to go for it. She needed to step out of her comfort zone and show the world that she could be as good as any of the girls that professional athletes date.

She knew that the blouse, skirt, and the dress was not going to last her the image she wanted to keep up. She pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket and immediately called Julianne to ask for help. Anything that would help Denise, Julianne was always there.

Denise only hoped that everything would all work out.