Just This Once, Just For Now
Kids In Costumes
"Les, I don't wanna do this," I whined, as she tugged at my hair and curled the ends with the curler.
"Shh, hold still," she said, she seemed infinitely more excited about this date than I was.
"So, what does this Dave guy do?"
"Apparently he's some sort of ad executive, or something? One of those jobs that entail a really fancy suit with a tie," I said, ignorantly.
"Can you at least try to take this seriously?"
"Sure."
"I'm serious, Lee, please treat this guy nice. He seems nice; you haven't taken anyone seriously since...well, since Kennedy and it's really getting annoying."
Oh, it's getting annoying for you huh? I thought, rolling my eyes. If only she knew how annoying it was to deal with those sentiments still, that would drive her half way to insanity and back.
"I'm sorry, Les. I will try, I really will, okay?" I said, looking up at my mirror, really satisfied with what she had managed to do with me.
I was wearing a light white dress that was strapless, my hair covering my shoulders so I didn't look too scantily clad. Lesley pulled back either sides of my hair into Anthenian braids and the rest of it hung loose.
"You look like a babe," she said, "I really am a miracle worker."
"You really are," I said, kissing her forehead, grabbing my clutch and phone as I ran down the stairs. "I'll wake you up when I come back and let you know how it went, alright?"
She nodded, "Don't forget, I wanna know every little detail," she said.
I drove to Tim's place, to meet Dave. Since he wasn't from around here, it made more sense that I drive us around rather than him, which was a bit weird but oh well. Kennedy opened the door, much to my surprise and didn't even try to pretend like he wasn't checking me out.
"So, what, you live here now?" I asked, pointedly.
"You could say that," he retorted.
Just then, Christina walked up, with a really talk guy with sandy brown hair following behind her. He had really striking bone structure, and he could have easily been a Calvin Klein underwear model if he wanted to. Suddenly, I really didn't mind going on a date with guy.
"Lee, this is Dave," she said, as he came up and shook my hand, saying hi in a really throaty voice.
"Hey, I'm Lee," I said, shyly.
I looked up to see Kennedy give me a really obnoxious signal, telling me to go upstairs, as he slowly went upstairs.
"Um, hey, I just have to use the restroom, alright? I'll be right down," I said, smiling at Dave and walking up the stairs.
Right as I got to the top, Kennedy grabbed me by my arm and cornered me. "What the hell, Ken?" I asked.
"That guy seems really sketchy to me," he said, whispering.
"Huh?"
"He just seems a bit off, if you need me to come get you, let me know," he continued.
"I don't..." but before I could finish my sentence, Kennedy walked down the hallway and into the restroom, leaving me stunned.
I walked down the stairs, dazed. Dave and I walked out and got into my car, heading to a quiet, family-owned Italian restaurant a few minutes away. We talked casually in the car about his work and Pasadena, where he lived. I talked to him about Tempe, where I had been all my life.
"So, how long have you been dancing?" he asked me, as we sat down at the table and ordered our drinks.
"All my life, pretty much. My mother was a dancer and so I got into it when I was around three. There was never really anything else I ever thought I'd do..."
And so we just spent the night feeling each other out, he was really nice and I had completely forgotten about Kenny's warning all throughout the evening. When we were done eating, I dropped him back to Tim's place where he was staying with Christy and Tim and we hugged goodbye.
That night I went to bed with a weird sort of feeling in my stomach. Not the usual nervous butterflies or anxiety, but something different, something positive. It felt good to know I had the capacity to move on if I wanted to, I realized as I smiled in the dark, falling asleep shortly thereafter.
"Shh, hold still," she said, she seemed infinitely more excited about this date than I was.
"So, what does this Dave guy do?"
"Apparently he's some sort of ad executive, or something? One of those jobs that entail a really fancy suit with a tie," I said, ignorantly.
"Can you at least try to take this seriously?"
"Sure."
"I'm serious, Lee, please treat this guy nice. He seems nice; you haven't taken anyone seriously since...well, since Kennedy and it's really getting annoying."
Oh, it's getting annoying for you huh? I thought, rolling my eyes. If only she knew how annoying it was to deal with those sentiments still, that would drive her half way to insanity and back.
"I'm sorry, Les. I will try, I really will, okay?" I said, looking up at my mirror, really satisfied with what she had managed to do with me.
I was wearing a light white dress that was strapless, my hair covering my shoulders so I didn't look too scantily clad. Lesley pulled back either sides of my hair into Anthenian braids and the rest of it hung loose.
"You look like a babe," she said, "I really am a miracle worker."
"You really are," I said, kissing her forehead, grabbing my clutch and phone as I ran down the stairs. "I'll wake you up when I come back and let you know how it went, alright?"
She nodded, "Don't forget, I wanna know every little detail," she said.
I drove to Tim's place, to meet Dave. Since he wasn't from around here, it made more sense that I drive us around rather than him, which was a bit weird but oh well. Kennedy opened the door, much to my surprise and didn't even try to pretend like he wasn't checking me out.
"So, what, you live here now?" I asked, pointedly.
"You could say that," he retorted.
Just then, Christina walked up, with a really talk guy with sandy brown hair following behind her. He had really striking bone structure, and he could have easily been a Calvin Klein underwear model if he wanted to. Suddenly, I really didn't mind going on a date with guy.
"Lee, this is Dave," she said, as he came up and shook my hand, saying hi in a really throaty voice.
"Hey, I'm Lee," I said, shyly.
I looked up to see Kennedy give me a really obnoxious signal, telling me to go upstairs, as he slowly went upstairs.
"Um, hey, I just have to use the restroom, alright? I'll be right down," I said, smiling at Dave and walking up the stairs.
Right as I got to the top, Kennedy grabbed me by my arm and cornered me. "What the hell, Ken?" I asked.
"That guy seems really sketchy to me," he said, whispering.
"Huh?"
"He just seems a bit off, if you need me to come get you, let me know," he continued.
"I don't..." but before I could finish my sentence, Kennedy walked down the hallway and into the restroom, leaving me stunned.
I walked down the stairs, dazed. Dave and I walked out and got into my car, heading to a quiet, family-owned Italian restaurant a few minutes away. We talked casually in the car about his work and Pasadena, where he lived. I talked to him about Tempe, where I had been all my life.
"So, how long have you been dancing?" he asked me, as we sat down at the table and ordered our drinks.
"All my life, pretty much. My mother was a dancer and so I got into it when I was around three. There was never really anything else I ever thought I'd do..."
And so we just spent the night feeling each other out, he was really nice and I had completely forgotten about Kenny's warning all throughout the evening. When we were done eating, I dropped him back to Tim's place where he was staying with Christy and Tim and we hugged goodbye.
That night I went to bed with a weird sort of feeling in my stomach. Not the usual nervous butterflies or anxiety, but something different, something positive. It felt good to know I had the capacity to move on if I wanted to, I realized as I smiled in the dark, falling asleep shortly thereafter.