"So..." I start to say, but I am interrupted.
"Bathe, wash, shave, shampoo." She said in a firm voice and pointed towards the bathroom.
I rolled my eyes, but did as she said.
More than hour later I finally stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my body and a turbi towel on my hair.
Heather was laid on the bed, looking half asleep.
When she noticed me, she sat up. "Took you long enough. I was starting to wonder if you had drowned."
"And you didn't come and check on me?! Some friend." I say in mock hurt tone with my hand on my chest.
She scoffed and shrugged her shoulders, not saying anything.
"Nice to know you care."
Heather's phone beeped, indicating she had a text message.
She picked up the phone and read the message with a grin.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"Oh nothing. Nate is just letting me know how you should dress." She said after typing him something back.
My mood perks up at the mention of his name.
"Did he tell you where he is taking me?"
She shook her head and grinned.
"No, but he does want you to look cute, so it must be somewhere good, ey?"
I raise my eyebrows. "Cute?" I question.
She sighs. "Ok maybe, I changed the words he used a bit, but it means the same. So..." I can't help but laugh.
"Right. First things first." She walks over to my dressing table and grabs my hair dryer.
I could go through all the horrid details of Heather's 'transforming me' as she put it, but I'm not going to.
Sometime later when she was finally finished, I was directed to the mirror.
My hair fell in lose waives, framing my face.
She had given my smokey eye makeup, with red lipstick.
"Wow, I look pretty good." I say open mouthed.
Heather put's her arm around me. "How could you ever doubt me?" She grinned and looked at me up and down.
"Maybe I should go into business. 'Heather helps for dates'." She thinks aloud, with her finger on her chin.
"Maybe think of a better name first." I tease her.
Someone taps on my bedroom door before entering.
Kira walked in, looked at me and smiled "You look beautiful Hope." she said teary eyed.
"Come on Kira. Don't cry." I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
Heather walks to her other side and does the same.
"You look so grown up." She cries.
I look to Heather and mouth 'Baby brain' and she nods.
"Was that the reason you came upstairs to see me or was there another reason?" I ask as a way of stopping her crying.
"Oh yeah." She wipes her tears away "I am up to tell you Nathan is waiting for you downstairs" she remember.
"He is?" My breaths start to get more rapid.
"What if I go downstairs and he decides he doesn't want me anymore?" My eyes start to fill up.
I hear Heather mumble under her breath "God! These two!"
I could almost laugh at this, if I wasn't so worried about going down the stairs.
Heather steps in front of me "Don't you dare cry Missy. Not after all that time I put into your make up"
She placed a hand on each of my shoulders and looked me in the face.
"If he was going to do that, he would have already. Plus he's been crushing on you since like forever. So I am certain that he wouldn't do that.
But if for some reason he hurts you, I will kill him, ok?" Heather says in a very serious tone, which makes me laugh.
"Me too." The heavily pregnant Kira, who has now stopped crying, adds.
"Yeah you can just sit on him." I laugh.
She hits my arm. “Come on. Can’t keep him waiting”
Ten minutes later…
After much convincing that everything was going to be all right, I finally head downstairs.
I am met at the bottom by Nathan.
He was wearing black dress trousers, a grey t-shirt and a dark blazer over the top.
I didn't notice until I reached the bottom of the stairs, that we were both looking at each other with the same wanton glaze.
"You look beautiful Hope." Nate said, looking me up and down.
I blushed. "You do too."
"We should go." He smiles, "Or we'll be late"
He takes hold of my hand and leads me to his car outside.
He doesn't take his eyes off me for a second as we walk the short distance.
He only lest go of my hand when we reached the car.
Opening the car door on the passenger’s side, I sit down.
He leaned over me, pulling my seat belt onto me and clicking it close.
Before whispering in my ear. "You really do look great tonight" and then kissed the top of my head and closing my side door.
He got into the driver’s side and started the drive out.
"So where are we going?" I ask while watching him driving.
"It's a surprise" I saw the corner of his mouth turn up.
"Please?" I poke his arm with my finger.
He turns and looks at me for a second, with a questioning look and then turns back to the road.
"Is that meant to make me want to tell you?" He smirks, watching the road.
I furrow my eyebrows and pout.
Nate notices this. "I want to surprise you. Trust me you'll love it... or at least I hope you will" He said the last part quietly.
"As long as I am with you I don't mind where we go." I smile sweetly
"Now you tell me." He says in a teasing manner.
Sometime later…
"We are going really far. Are you sure we are going the right way? Are we lost?"
"No don't worry. Not much longer now." He reassures me.
I sit back and smile, looking out of the window and thinking where he could be taking me.
I kept on glancing out of the corner of my eye at him driving and noticed that he kept doing the same.
The drive lasted about another ten minutes, before we pulled up outside a large almost regal looking building.
A valet makes his way to my door and opens it for me as Nate exits his side.
I thank the man and then stare at the building in front of me in awe.
"This isn't the surprise." Nate whispered for behind me into my ear, causing shivers down my spine.
I turned and noticed the car had already been moved.
Nate watched me and grinned. "Come on angel, let's go inside" He held out his arm.
I happily took his arm and headed inside.
When we got inside he stepped away and spoke in whispers to a lady standing by a podium.
They both smiled and she quietly said something back.
I would be lying if I said 'it didn't make me slightly jealous', but I knew I was just overreacting.
He linked arms with me and lead me to a large hall, without saying a word.
The hall was full of seats, filled with people.
All sat in front of a stage waiting for something to happen.
"A stage show?" I look to Nate as we take our seats.
He grins and nods.
"What show?"
"Wait and see." He said, still with a grin on his face.
We sat holding hands, Nate rubbing circles on the back of my hand and looking at me with a smile, as we await the start.
The curtains opened and the music started.
My eyes opened wide and a huge grin made its way to my face.
"Oh my god! How did you know? How did you get tickets so late?" I asked excitedly.
Nate placed his arm around my shoulder and smile.
"Watch now, speak later!" He directed my eyes back to the stage.
Two and a half hours later...
"Wow, I can't believe you got tickets for 'The Dirty Dancing' stage show so late in the day." I praise Nate.
It was well known by Nate and his brothers, that Dirty Dancing was Heather favorite movie and
mine.
I have often in the past told Heather how much I would love to see the live show.
Back to my date.
"I don't think I can stand up." I rubbed my legs. "My legs have gone to sleep." I pouted and looked up at Nate who was standing over me.
Nate smirked and leaned down, scooping me up in his arms bridal style.
"Eek!" I squeaked, shocked.
"Hush Honey, I won't drop you." He grinned like a naughty schoolboy.
Everyone starred at us as he carried me out to the car.
Most smiling, but a few gave us looks of disgust.
But neither of us cared, we were just happy to be together.
When got outside Nate handed a ticket the valet gave him earlier back and we waited for him to drive the car back around.
"You can put me down now."
Nate’s smile never leaves his face as he says, "I don't want to. I like holding you"
I can't help but blush and hide my face in the crook of his neck to hide it.
I hear and feel him laugh.
The valet arrives with the car and holds the passenger side door open, whilst Nate sits me inside and fastens my seat belt.
While still leaning over me, he stopped so his face was right in front of mine.
He looked deep into my eyes and me in his.
He looked down at my lips and moved closer, as if he was going to kiss me.
I closed my eyes and leaned in too.
And then I felt coldness and the door closed.
I opened my eyes and Nate had closed the car door and was smirking walking over to the driver’s side.
I glared at him, as he got into the car.
"I think I don't like you anymore." I pouted as he put his seat belt on.
He laughed. "Come on, we both know that's not true."
I scoff. "Someone's getting big headed. Maybe I will have to think this dating thing over." I said in a serious tone, but only mean it in teasing.
We were driving, but to my surprise he quickly finds somewhere to pull over.
His face drops and his eye are filled with so much sorrow when he finally stops and he looks at me.
I feel my heart break.
I quickly unbuckle my belt, lean over and cupped his face.
"I was only teasing." I surprised by his earlier response.
He brings one hand up to my face "Are you sure? I mean..." he starts to babble some stuff that I didn't really understand.
Nathan
A few minutes earlier...
I love holding her in my arms.
Too soon the valet turns up with my car and holds the door open for me to place Hope inside.
I place her inside and make sure to fasten her seat belt.
I pull back slightly, so my face is directly in front of hers.
I look deep into her eyes and then down to her lips.
I move into closer with every intention of kissing her.
It's only then that I feel and notice a lot of eyes on us.
I quickly pull away and close the door; unaware until then that I had left Hope waiting eyes closed and all.
As bad as I felt, I couldn't help but smirk at the glare she was sending me from her seat.
I soon got into the driver’s side and closed the door.
"I think I don't like you anymore." Hope pouted as I finished putting my seat belt on.
I couldn't help but laugh, she was so cute when she was mad, another reason why I love the tease her when we were younger.
"Come on, we both know that's not true." I said in an over confident voice
She scoffed and said, "Someone's getting big headed. Maybe I will have to think this dating thing over." In a very serious tone, which made me panic.
'I can't mess this up already' I kept telling myself internally.
'Pull over and tell her you didn't mean it' As much panic I was in, I can't help but think how much I sounded like a woman, but I didn't care.
I just wanted Hope.
I drove around and pulled over in the first empty place off the road I could find.
I feel as though my whole body changes and drops showing my feeling.
Hope unbuckles her seat belt, leans over and cupped my face.
"I was only teasing." She said, sounding honest.
I bring one of my hands up to her face and look into her eyes "Are you sure? I mean..." I start to babble some nonsense, but Hope’s lips cut me off.
I try to deepen the kiss and move her to my lap, but she stops me by placing her hand on my chest and pulling away.
“You have to stop worrying. I like you.” She said giving me her cute smile.
“I am sorry. I guess I still am having trouble believing you like me too.” I tell her honestly, making her smile more.
I look at the time and quickly remembered my second half of the date.
I kiss her cheek. “Sit back and fasten yourself back up. We haven’t finished yet.”
She does as I asked.
“Really? Where are you taking me now?” She asked excitedly.
“I’ll tell you soon” I said, pulling out and starting to drive again.
“So how did you get the tickets?”
“I know someone. That’s all I’m saying.” I said not wanting to go into explaining everything right now.
I notice her looking at me out of the corner of my eye.
“Please?” She says in a childlike tone.
I grin and roll my eyes. “I’ll tell you tomorrow.” I take one of my hands off the steering wheel and run my fingers down her arm, but soon put my hand back where it was.
She agrees and I drive the rest of the way to our next part of the date.
I slow down the car as we arrived outside of the location.
“We are here.” I tell Hope, who seemed to be too busy looking at me to notice we had stopped, not that I was complaining.
“We’re here?” She blushed slightly.
I laugh and unbuckle her and myself, then exit the car.
I go around to her side and open the door and hold my arm out for her, which she gladly accepts.
Before locking the car door, I make my way around the car to the trunk.
I let go of Hope’s arm and pulled basket out.
Then lock everything back up and take hold of her hand with my one free hand.
“Picnic on the beach?” Hope smiles and kisses the back of my hand.
I nod. “Too much? Too little?” I ask, hoping for reassurance.
I take out a blanket, which was on the top of the basket and unfold it out on the sand.
“It’s perfect.”
We both sit down on the blanket, but before I have a chance to open the basket...
CHAPTER TWELVE
I love the beach
Nathan
...Hope dives onto me and crashes her lips into mine.
It takes me a second to realize what is happen, but I soon responded.
The kiss only lasts a minute before she pulls away, while still lying on top of me.
I notice a blush on her cheeks as she tries to pull herself from off of me.
I let her pull away and sit up.
I did the same, but I wrapped my arms around her when I was fully upright and pulled her back so she is now sat on my lap.
“So what was that for?” I ask in a teasing manner.
She wrapped her arms around me too
“Um” I heard her mumble trying to hide her face in my shoulder.
“What was that? I didn’t hear you?” I say in a singsong voice.