This Time I'm Not Going To Watch Myself Die

We’ve all been seated at a table, and I’m sitting in between Max and Jason. Jason’s the one who is a tad short with really flippy dirty blonde hair.

“So, Lauren… we don’t know a whole lot about you. How do you know our good friend Max?” Joe asks.

“Well, we’re both lifeguards at the local YMCA.” I reply, blushing a little. Max finds my hand under the table and laces his fingers into mine. Joe laughs.

“What do you like to do in your free time?” Anne asks.

“Uh… well, with school & work I don’t have much time to call, ‘free time’, but I usually try to scrapbook or I just hang out with some of my friends. Or I’ll just go hang out at the Y.” I reply.

“Max, this proves that you know how to pick a good girl! I like her!” Abby says, laughing. Max laughs and blushes a little. I squeeze his hand tight. The blush turns into a smile.

Just then, our waiter showed up.

“Are we ready to order?” He asks. Ben looks around at everyone and proceeds.

“Yes, I believe we are. Oh before we start, can you divide the checks into 5 checks? We’ll tell you who’s on what check before we order.” Ben asks.

“Sure.” The waiter replies.

“Okay then, the first check will be this young lady and myself. Go on Sara.” Ben urges.

“Shrimp Scampi please.” She says.

“Okay, and for you sir?” The waiter says.

“Vegetarian Pasta.” He replies.

The ordering goes around the table, and it gets to Max and I.

“And I’m supposing that you two are together?” The waiter asks, somewhat growing tired.

“Yes. I reply. A Caesar salad please. No chicken.” I say. Everyone looks at me weird. “What? I love Caesar salad!”

Everyone laughs… including the waiter.

“And I’ll have shrimp scampi as well.” Max says.

“I’ll get right on those.” The waiter says, walking away.

“Lauren, you’re hilarious!” Alex says. I blush a little.

“Why do you love Caesar salad so much?” Malorie asks.

“I’m not sure. Someone made it for my family when my grandmother died, and I’ve loved it ever since.” I say.

“That’s a good reason.” Ben says, chuckling.

"Alright guys, lets stop questioning the poor girl." Jason says, obviously marking how nervous and embarassed I was to be the center of attention.

He's pretty nice.

They finally bring out our food, and I look like such a health freak compared to them. But of course most of them are 21 and can drink.. I'm glad that Max is only 20, because I really wouldn't want to have to figure out where he lives and get him home. Also, if my mother ever found out that he drank, she'd have a fit and never let me see him again. Everyone seems to be enjoying their food, and my salad is delicious.

"You want to try some of my shrimp scampi?" Max asks.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm not all that big of a fan of seafood." I say. "But thanks for the offer!"

"No problem. Why don't you eat seafood?" He asks.

"I think about what I'm about to eat before I eat it.. and the thought of eating something like that just gets to me." I reply, trying to laugh. He laughs, and slightly moves his hand down my leg to lace his hand with mine once more. He squeezes it tight 3 times. I smile.

We're back in the car, and he's talking about how much fun he had tonight.

"Would you be up for doing something like this with them again sometime?" He asks, pulling onto my street.

"Sure, you're friends are pretty funny... and their girlfriends are pretty.. interesting." I say, trying to find that right word. He laughs.

"Yeah.. Malorie needs to tone down the PDA sometimes. She can be a little.. over the top." He laughs. I can't help but laugh too.

He successfully pulls into my driveway without hitting the mailbox. He stops the car and then turns to look at me. We stare straight into each others eyes for a moment or two, just lost in each others eyes. Its so easy to get lost in his beautiful eyes. Before I know something has changed, he leans forward and kisses me, long and hard. I naturally wrap my arms around him, never wanting to let go. Suddenly, a bright light flips on.

We both pull away, and the porch light has been flipped to bright, and our even brighter garage light has been turned on. Max leans back and laughs.

"Looks like you're being summoned." He says, turning the key in the ignition.

"I guess so." I laugh. He kisses me real quick and I get out of the car, a little dazed. "Thanks for tonight!"

"No problem. I'll see you at work tomorrow!" He says, as I shut the door. He rolls down the passenger side window.

"See you at work! By the way... Don't hit the mailbox!" I walk toward the front dor laughing and waving back at him. I get in the house, and turn the porch light out. I stand at the window, in the dark, to watch him back out.

I start laughing because he almost hit the mailbox, again.

"Boo!" My mom whispers, sneaking up behind me. I almost jump out of my skin.

"Thanks for scaring the living daylights out of me!" I joke, playfully smacking her arm.

"Oh, anytime! How was the date with Max?" She asks, turning the lights in the room on, and sitting down on the couch.

"It was pretty good. It was a whole lot of fun." I exclaim.

"I'm glad you had fun. Be quiet, your father is asleep. Go get ready for bed. I know you've had an exciting night, but you've got to calm down." She laughs, getting up and walking towards her room.

"Night! Love you!" I whisper after her.

"Goodnight, love you too!" She whispers back.