Lanie barged into my room and sat on the side of my bed. Like she always did.

"Does this look okay?" I asked her.

It was my first real date with Karma, and I felt like I was going to hurl. I actually found myself considering cancelling a few times, but I knew I couldn't do that to her. One reason was because Lanie would kill me and bury me in the backyard. The obvious reason was because...well, this was Karma. She wasn't some random girl that I just wanted to hook up with.

She was my girlfriend. God, that still sounded weird.

Lanie came up behind me in the mirror. "Aw, are you nervous, Nate?"

I didn't need to see my reflection to know my cheeks were red as tomatoes. "No, I'm not nervous, Lanie. I have no reason to be. I date women all the time. Tons of them."

My sister snorted and sat on the edge of my bed again. "Yeah, right. You don't date. Besides, you've been standing in front of that mirror for over an hour. Not to mention, that's the third time you've changed clothes. Wow, it's like you're a girl!"

"Shut up," I snapped playfully. "Come on, seriously. How does this look?"

"You look fine. Where are you taking her anyway?"

"Well, I wanted to take her somewhere really nice. Like, fancy and expensive. But then I thought about it, and that didn't seem like her."

"Good call."

Karma was definitely not the kind of woman who could be bought with expensive meals and stuffy restaurants. "Well, I was thinking of doing a picnic in the park."

Lanie's face lit up with excitement. "That's so cute!"

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Lanie. It's not a big deal."

"Whatever. Tell me more! You're bringing food, right?"

"No, Lanie. We are going to sit there and starve on our date. Of course, I'm bringing food! I heard her tell you once that her favorite food was pizza from Antonio's. I'm also going to bring a cooler with those eclairs she likes." I started pacing back and forth as I continued telling Lanie my plan. "I know she hates soda, so I got some of that lemonade she likes. The one that's mixed with tea."

When Lanie didn't say anything, I started to panic. "What? Too stupid?"

She shook her head. "No, Nate. Quite the opposite." Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "You really like her, don't you?"

There was no denying it. For God's sake, I took her on a secret romantic date to the carnival after hours. Now we were going on a date again. A real one. One where everyone knew about us. We were officially exclusive and public. Did I like her? 'Like' was an understatement. 

"Yeah, I do. That's why I don't want to mess this up. I've known her a long time. She's not just some random girl. There's a lot more pressure."

Lanie's face broke out into a giant smile. One that said she was hiding something. Something big. "I knew it! I knew it was a good idea to set you guys up!"

"What? You didn't set us up."

"Uh, yeah, I did. At the carnival."

I remembered that day as clear as day. "No, Lanie. I saw Karma at that teddy bear game, and then we made that bet."

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Are you that blind? Why do you think I told you to go tell Karma I was going to meet up with her after I rode that ride? You were with her for like forty-five minutes. The Tilt-A-Whirl is only seven minutes long. You're lucky I didn't throw up from the multiple times I rode it."

My eyes widened and she smiled in a way that proved to me that she was right. Dammit.

"What the fuck, Lanie! I told you not to meddle in my life."

Even though Karma and I started this on our own in Florida, I still didn't appreciate my sister being in my business.

She leaned back on the bed, clearly unaffected by my words. "Please, I knew this was meant to be. You can call me Cupid from now on. I hit you two lovebirds with my bow and now look at ya! Going on a real date." She put her hands to her chest. "I'm so proud."

I turned away from her and checked my reflection in the mirror again. I was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a dress shirt. I had to go out and buy a few outfits that I thought were worthy of her. I finally settled on this one.

"Seriously, Nate, you look great. This picnic idea is a fantastic one. This date is going to be awesome." Her expression turned serious. "Don't break her heart, Nate. If you do, I will break you."

She padded me on the back before she left me alone. I stared at myself for another five minutes before I grabbed my car keys and headed out to pick up Karma. As I got in my jeep, a new dose of anxiety rushed over me. 

We were public now. That meant Karma's parents knew about us now. So did mine. Mine were cool with it. Naturally, my mom gave me a good talking to about the risks of me hurting Karma. But how did her parents feel about it? 

Guess I was about to find out. 

***

"Karma will be ready in a few minutes, Nate. Why don't you come wait with me in the kitchen?"

My heart was pounding in my chest as I followed Mrs. Fitzgerald into the kitchen. Was I ready for this? Fuck. For Karma...yeah, I was. To the right I saw Mr. Fitzgerald chopping up some vegetables for dinner.

"Honey," Karma's mom said to her husband, "Nate is here to pick up Karma for their date."

Hank Fitzgerald was a big man. And even though I've known him almost my whole life, he could still be extremely intimidating. Like right now, for instance. Her father never stopped cutting the vegetables as he looked up to meet my stare.

"Nate, how've you been, son?"

"Good, sir."

"So, where do you plan on taking my little girl this evening?"

I was glad Karma was in her room, because this was going to be a surprise for her. I didn't want it to be ruined by her overhearing.

"I'm taking her for a picnic in the park, sir."

Another hard chop of the vegetables. "I see." His eyes bored into mine. "I don't think I have to warn you that you need to behave like a complete gentleman, or that she needs to be home at a decent time, do I, Nate?"

"No, sir," I answered quickly. By the tone of his voice, I I knew that if I answered any differently, this date would be cancelled immediately.

"Good," Hank nodded and put the vegetables into the frying pan. He washed his hands before coming to stand in front of me. "I've always liked you, Nate. But that's my little girl. The one thing I won't tolerate is her being hurt."

My chest tightened. Hurting Karma was the one thing that terrified me. "I promise, sir. I won't hurt her."

"Good man. See, Minerva? I told you this one was a good one." Hank leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Just remember, son, it's my wife you have to look out for."

I looked up at Mrs. Fitzgerald and knew exactly what Hank meant. If I hurt Karma, I was a dead man.

***

"Nathan...you did all this?"

"Yeah," I answered her sheepishly. Like an idiot. "I had a friend help set everything up and make sure no one fucked with it."

Thanks Nick. He was another person who was completely surprised that we were together. He thought I was playing a joke on him. 

Karma smiled and took a seat on the blanket. She was wearing a white sundress and had her hair pinned back. I'd never seen anyone so beautiful. And now she was mine. After everything, we were finally together.

I sat beside her and pulled the box of pizza from the warmer bag. "Tada! You're favorite."

"Oh! Pepperoni and pineapple." She looked up at me with a frown. "But you hate pineapple."

I shrugged my shoulder. "Yeah, but I like you more. I think I can handle a little bit of sweet fruit." I poked her nose. "Disgusting as it may be."

"Pineapple on pizza is delicious, not disgusting."

"Says you, you weirdo."

By the time I started forcing the second piece into my mouth, I noticed that she was looking everywhere except at me. I might not be a genius at this whole dating thing, but I knew when something was bothering her.

"Karma?"

"Hmm?"

"Why can't you look at me?"

She chuckled nervously and reached for another slice of pizza. "Don't be silly. I am looking at you."

I reached out and cupped the side of her face. With a gentle tug, her eyes finally met mine. "What are you scared of, Karma?"

"You," she whispered.

Not this again. "Why? We talked about this, gorgeous. I'm yours. No one else's."

She nibbled her bottom lip nervously and it drew my attention. I've never wanted to kiss anyone more than I wanted to kiss Karma right now.

"I really like you, Nathan," she said quietly. "I want this, us, to work."

"So do I." It was the truth. With Karma, I saw something long-term. I saw possibilities and excitement. I saw a life.

She forced the words out. "I'm scared that you'll get bored with me, or you'll see another girl that's prettier and go back to your old ways, or even—"

I cut her off with a kiss. It was soft at first, just my lips meeting hers. Even though we kissed multiple times—and very thoroughly—I still didn't want to push her too much. But then again, I didn't have to. She met my kiss with the same fire that I felt for her.

"Gorgeous, you are the most stunning girl I have ever met. I want something real with you. I want this relationship. I want you. That means I don't want any other girls."

She was quiet for a moment, and I thought she might not say anything back to me.

"You are either going to be the best...or the worst thing that's ever happened to me, Nathan Jenkins."

Just as I was going to respond, she pressed her lips against mine again.