Chapter 16

I anxiously examined myself in the mirror, wearing what was probably the fifth outfit I’d tried on. It was also the first one that I didn’t irrationally hate at first glance, so I decided to go with it! It consisted of a silky, red button-up blouse that complimented my fur, and a black skirt. I turned around in the mirror and admired the fit. I wasn’t at all oblivious to David’s increasingly lingering stares, and the thought of his eyes fixed on me made me smile. I ran a brush through my hair a few times, having decided to leave it down, and finally felt ready to go as I was ever going to be!

When I turned toward the door my smile fell. The sensible part of me hoped the evening would go so poorly that this madness would come to an end and we could just continue being friends. On the other hand, my heart hated that thought and was overjoyed that David seemed to return my ever-increasing affection for him. With my feelings flip-flopping every few minutes I felt conflicted and confused as much as everything else. The fact that I was so nervous that my stomachs hurt wasn’t helping either!

Nothing would be gained either way from just staying in my room though, so I took a deep breath and walked out.

David was sitting on the couch wearing a nice button-down shirt and a pair of khaki pants that didn’t make me feel over or under-dressed by comparison. He turned his head and as his gaze swept over me I felt a thrill of excitement.

“You look great.” Despite my nervousness, I couldn’t help smiling at the compliment.

“Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”

“Thanks! Shall we go?” He asked as he got off the couch.

“Yes,” I replied with a nod. He walked to the door and after opening it he stood aside, letting me go first like a gentleman. When we got to his truck he did the same thing. For the time being my feelings of dread faded and I started to just feel nervous excitement.

“Where are we going?” I asked, once we’d headed out.

“To a Mexican place in the next town over. It’s about a fifteen minute drive,” he answered stiffly. He looked about as nervous as I felt and we were both quiet for the next couple minutes.

“How are you liking the game?” Blurted David when it seemed like he’d had enough of the silence.

“I am enjoying it very much, thank you,” I answered. “I just got to the outer continent.”

“Cool, it really starts taking off from there.” He grinned and turned his attention back to the road. “It’s coming up in a minute,” he added. I assumed he was referring to the restaurant, and a minute later he pulled into a parking lot.

When we got to the door we stopped and stared at it for a moment before we both took a deep breath at the same time. Exchanging glances, we chuckled nervously.

“Well, shall we?” Asked David, gesturing to the door. I took another deep breath.

“Yes.” As before, he opened the door and let me go first.

“Welcome to Abuela’s,” greeted the hostess once we were inside. She glanced between us with a grin that almost looked amused.

“Yes, I’ve got a reservation for Durran,” informed David.

“Very good, right this way!”

She led us to a booth that was thankfully big enough for me, and David was a large enough man that it wasn’t too big for him by much either. By the time we got settled the waitress had already arrived.

“Hello, my name is Julie, and I’ll be taking care of you two today,” she said as a gleam of excitement came to her eyes. “So, is this a special occasion? Or are you here ‘just because?’”

“Well, umm...” stammered David. My heart started to race as he glanced between me and Julie. “We’re roommates ... so kinda just because,” he managed to mutter, but it didn’t look like that was the answer he wanted to give at all.

“Oh, ok.” Some of Julie’s excitement seemed to have died down too.

“It’s also our first date,” I blurted out suddenly. For a moment I was both surprised and horrified at myself, but when both David and Julie’s faces lit up I felt a little better.

“That’s wonderful! I hope you have a good time tonight. Is there anything I can get you to drink?”

“Go ahead,” said David, encouraging me to go first. I quickly glanced over the drink menu.

“I’ll have a strawberry daiquiri.”

“Got any amber beers?” Asked David.

“Yes, we’ve got a house brew on tap.”

“Ooh, I’ll have one of those!”

“You got it!” Replied Julie with a wink.

“She was friendly,” I commented when she’d left.

“Yeah.” David rubbed the back of his neck. “About tonight...” I felt my heart start to pound again.

“I ... think we both know that it’s a date,” I said hesitantly. He smiled a little, but then looked anxious again, not that I wasn’t.

“That’s ok, right?” I couldn’t help smiling at him, despite my own nervousness.

“Yes, yes it is,” I replied slowly. David looked relieved and took a deep breath.

“That’s good. I guess since we’ve got that established, can I just tell you that you look absolutely beautiful,” he said with a smile and I felt an increasingly familiar warmth.

“Thank you.”

We took a minute to look over the menu, and right as I figured out what I wanted, Julie was back with our drinks. I ordered wet bean burritos with a molé sauce, and David ordered chicken enchiladas.

“So,” started David when she had left again. “I feel like I know you pretty well, but when I think about it I don’t really know that much about you. Do you mind if I ask you more about yourself?”

“That would be fine. What would you like to know?”

“When did you move to the city?”

“Around six years ago.”

“And you’re how old?” David’s face suddenly looked shocked. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that!” He said quickly and I laughed.

“I don’t mind. I’m twenty five. How about you?”

“I’ve got a few years on you; I’m thirty four. How did you and Sara meet?” Bringing the story to mind, I sighed.

“Just before I moved here, she was living with her ex-boyfriend.”

“Uh-oh,” David muttered.

“He was abusive and eventually she’d had enough and left.”

“Good for her!”

“I was shopping for some clothes at the store Sara and I work at for something that I could wear to a job interview. Sara happened to be working that day and he came into the store and started harassing her. I came up behind him and told him he needed to leave. When he turned around and saw me he wet himself and ran away.” David laughed.

“Way to go!”

“She hasn’t left me alone since,” I said with a quiet giggle. “I didn’t get the job that I bought the clothes for, but she got me an interview at the store and I’ve been working there ever since.”

“Good! I’m glad to hear it worked out.”

“Yes, it did.” I took a sip of my daiquiri and wondered what Sara would say if she knew where I was, with whom, and under what circumstances. “How about you?”

“I came to the city because I took a job out here. There’s not much else to tell as far as that goes.”

“How about Tom, or your family?” He took a swig of his beer before answering.

“My parents are nice and live a couple hour’s drive upstate. Jill lives in the next towns and she’s my only sibling. I’ve known Tom since middle school. He was my friend since before the accident.” He gestured to his face and sighed. “Unfortunately, kids are mean and after my face had ‘healed,’” he made air quotes, “I started getting bullied.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said quietly.

“Thanks. It got a little rough sometimes, but I’m alright. Jill was always there for me, and Tom stood up to the bullies for me countless times. But in early high school I grew a ton and they decided it was a bad idea to pick on a guy that was twice their size.”

“That’s good. If you don’t mind me asking, how tall are you?”

“Six-foot-nine, and around three-ten last I checked,” he replied with a chuckle. Though I might have put on a couple pounds since then!” He patted his belly.

“I see. For a human that’s quite large.” He laughed out loud.

“For a human that’s enormous!”

“Yes, I suppose it is.” I giggled too. “At eight-foot I’m actually quite small for my kind.”

“Seriously!?”

“Yes. My father is ten-foot-three and weighs nearly a thousand pounds.” At his mention, I felt a twinge of pain that I hadn’t felt in a while. David whistled, but didn’t seem to notice my discomfort. I took the opportunity to move the conversation along.

“I’m glad everything seemed to have worked out for you.” His face fell.

“Meh, sorta. Because of my face I was pretty antisocial all the way through school. By the time I’d gotten a bit more comfortable with myself I was already working in the sausage-fest that is the construction industry.”

“I see.”

“After that I kinda figured that romance just wasn’t in the cards for me.” He blushed a little before continuing softly. “I guess you could say I’ve been lonely for a long time, and this is ... actually my first date.”

“Oh! Then I’m glad to be a part of it.”

“I’m glad you’re a part of it too,” he said gently. “You mentioned your father. Is he still around?” He asked a moment later. There was a twinge of pain in my chest that I hadn’t felt in quite some time.

“I think so. We haven’t spoken since I came to the city six years ago,” I replied sadly. “I never knew my mother. She died birthing me.

“I’m sorry to hear that. How come you haven’t seen your dad in all these years?” I looked away and considered not telling him. When I looked back and into his pretty blue eyes, I had the overwhelming desire for him to know my past. He shared his painful memories with me, and I wanted to share mine with him.