Chapter TEN

 Mom got home around noon the next day, and I had made sure there were zero signs of the party. All the beer cans were taken over to Tyce's recycling bin, I vacuumed the entire house and cleaned the kitchen. But still, somehow, I think she knew about it. Thankfully, she didn't say anything to me.

    Maybe it was how hungover Talia was that tipped her off, although we tried to play it off by saying she had likely eaten something that didn't agree with her. Talia stayed in her bedroom most of the day, anyway, with a visit from Tyce, who brought her a bottle of water and some vegetable soup.

    By mid-day, I was entirely too anxious about how the evening would go. It was so hard for me to just go with the flow - I always anticipated the worst. Nate had texted me the time and place for the gig - four-thirty at Morocco Café. It was like an open mic type of thing, they got to play for thirty minutes and the café owner paid them in free desserts.

    When I walked in, I felt over-dressed immediately. Most of the tables were empty, but I was fifteen minutes early. I took a table close to the makeshift stage, and put down my purse. It was a dark, little place with not much natural light, but they made amazing coffee and homemade treats. Tucker had taken me there, once, to try to impress me. But I didn't tell him that my Dad used to take me there when I was a kid, for a snack on the weekends. I didn't tell Nate this, either.

   "Heyyyy," Mickey shouted at me, walking in the door a few minutes later.

   "Hey," I said, as she pulled out the chair beside me.

   "Mmmm, it smells amazing in here. What do you want?" she asked.

   There were a few people in line now, as she started drooling over the tarts in the display.

   "A latte?" I answered, after a moment.

   "Got it. And?"

   "Uhh... a brownie," I added.

   She grinned and went to get in line.

   Before she was back to the table, a side door opened and in came the band. Their gear was already set up during sound check; it looked like they had just set up and left again. TJ came in first, waving at me as he took the stage, adjusting the mic. He was the singer, and played bass guitar. The other guitarist was Mike, some guy who was a bit older, who TJ had taken music lessons with when they were younger. And then Nate came in, already looking around for me.

   "Hey," he smiled, coming over to the table. He wasn't dressed up, but he looked good.

   I stood up. "Hi."

   "I'm glad you showed up," he told me.

   "Uh, did you think I would bail?"

   "No. I mean, I guess I wasn't sure."

   "Oh, okay. Well, I'm here."

   "Good." His smile was so smooth, with one dimple that only came out here and there. He was wearing a backwards baseball hat, his hair sticking out from all over. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, and his leather jacket. And we just stood there, looking at each other.

   "I should... get over there," he said, looking at the little stage area.

   "Yeah." I nodded.

   "Enjoy," he said, then walked off.

   Why were we so awkward around each other? I was drunk the night before, but that wasn't why we had kissed. A lot. Was he regretting all of this?

   Mickey sat back down beside me a minute later, handing me a fancy coffee cup. "Your latte."

   "Thanks."

   "Are you ready for this?" she asked.

   "Yeah, I guess."

   "I hope these other people are," she joked.

   But when they started playing, it was not the loud, annoying music that I had heard them play before. Mickey even looked shocked. It was loud, yes, but there was good rhythm, and the lyrics were good. I could understand TJ, as he was actually singing, rather than screaming. Nate didn't look at me much the entire thirty minutes - I could tell he was focused on playing. TJ stared at Mickey the entire time.

   Just before they finished their last song, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

   IM SORRY. IM AN IDIOT. A text from Carter.

   I wasn't sure I could deal with that right now, so I ignored it. I would text him back later.

   It took about another fifteen minutes to take down their gear and pile it back into the truck (TJ's) that was parked out the side lane. The next singer - an older woman who was just playing acoustic guitar - was starting as Nate strolled back in, alone.

   "TJ is waiting in the truck for you," he said to Mickey.

   "That's my cue to exit," she told me, then gave me a hug. "Have fun," she said into my ear.

   Now Nate was smiling at me. "You look really good," he said. "I mean, I meant to tell you before."

   "Thanks," I replied, twisting the bottom of my shirt.

   I'd worn my leggings and a long shirt, with a low cut. I'd put on make-up and straightened my hair. I knew it was a real date, and I wanted to look good.

   "Ready?" he asked, holding out his hand to me.

   I nodded, taking it, and he led me out of the café and to the parking lot, where his car was.

   "I can follow you?" I said, since my car was there, too.

   "Right, okay. We are going to Vinny's," he answered.

   "Really?" I asked. Vinny's was a fancy Italian restaurant. I'd never been, but I'd heard about it.

   "Yes. I made a reservation. I know I'm under-dressed, but... just wait." He was grinning. I didn't know what he meant.

   "Okay."

   He pulled me close to him, putting his hands on my waist, just like during Spin the Bottle. "Yes?" he asked, tilting his head a bit. I nodded, so he kissed me, gently at first, then harder. When we separated, I was breathing heavy.

   "Okay. See you there," he said, then turned around to get into his car.

   I didn't know how to get there, so I made sure I followed him. When we pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later, I couldn't see where he parked. I found a spot near the back and got out, walking back towards the restaurant to wait for him. When he walked up, he was in a suit jacket with a tie, black pants and his hair was brushed, yet still a bit wild. He looked amazing.

   I was obviously staring, maybe with my mouth on the floor, because he was giving me that grin as he walked up beside me. "You made it."

   "You... changed."

   "Yes I did."

   "You look..." I didn't finished.

   "What?"

   "Hot."

   He grinned again, pleased, then took my hand and we went inside.

   "So," he began, while we waited for our meals to arrive at the table. We had already had appetizers - salads - and somehow we'd been able to order strawberry daiquiris. He didn't tell me how, or what connections he had there. "I have to tell you something."

   "Okay," I said right away, giving him a shrug. His secrets, if it was that, couldn't be worse than mine. I was fairly certain he didn't know about my "meltdown" as I generally referred to it now. He went to a different junior high school than I did, and he was a year older anyway. People in freshman year that year definitely talked about it, but not much. Not enough for it to be a well-known thing. I hoped.

   "When I was fifteen, so basically end of freshman year, until last year sometime... I was... an asshole. Basically, I was that guy who dated lots of girls at the same time, slept with them all, tried to hide them from each other." He ended this by sipping his drink, keeping his eyes on me, watching for my reaction.

   "Really?" I asked, without even thinking. "That's really douchey."

   "Yeah. It was bad."

   "So, you've changed?" I asked.

   "Yes. Last May, I stopped. I have been single, and celibate. I decided to wait for something that's meaningful." He was still waiting for me to freak out, or something. I could tell.

   "I've only ever had sex with Tucker. Though, as you know, I've dated a lot of guys," I told him instead.

   "You are so beautiful, and funny... I can't believe that guy cheated on you."

   "More than once," I added.

   "That asshole did not even know how good he had it with you."

   I wanted to kiss him so bad, right then. But instead, I smiled. "I wanted to be single for a while, do whatever I want, sleep with whoever I want. But you... ruined that for me."

   "You were acting pretty slutty at your birthday party, at Mickey's," he grinned.

   "I know. But I really wanted a rebound, to hurt Tucker..." I let my voice trail off, but then added, "But I really don't care about him, at all."

   "Good." He looked serious.

   The waiter came by and set down our plates in front of us.

   "You took care of me that night, even after I was acting slutty. You didn't have to do that," I told him.

   "Well, I snuck out before you woke up."

   "True. But I get it. It would have been awkward."

   "Yeah. But you cuddled me all night. That was not awkward," he grinned.

   "No?" I asked. "Sorry, I don't remember."

   "We should try that again," he suggested.

   "Cuddling?"

   "And maybe less sleeping."

   "Okay," I nodded, my heart racing.

   "My house is so... loud, and busy. Three younger brothers. The smaller two are ten and twelve," he told me, now eating his pasta.

   "My house is quiet, most of the time. Too quiet. My sister can't stand me and my mom is... she works a lot."

   "You let your sister throw a party, which you had to supervise, yet she can't stand you?" he asked, holding back a laugh.

   "It's a long story."

   We ate our meals, which were delicious and very expensive. He paid, and then we walked out together, holding hands. I liked holding his hand. It was warm and strong.

   It was a very warm evening, just starting to get dark. It was Sunday, so I knew I had to get home, do homework and check in on Talia. But all I wanted was to stay with Nate. He walked me to my car, not letting go of my hand.

   "We can go somewhere?" he suggested, and I knew he wanted to stay with me, too, awhile longer.

   I liked that idea, so much. I forced a smile at him. "I should get home, make sure my sister does her homework."

   "Okay." He pulled me close to him, his hands at my face.

   "So, at school?" I asked, before he could kiss me.

   "What do you want?"

   "To hang out with you." I shrugged.

   "That's it?" he teased.

   "Well... and kiss you," I told him.

   "You can kiss me now."

   So I did, and his hands stayed at my face, then in my hair, then wandered down to the bottom of my shirt. I had my hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating, fast.

   "You sure we can't go somewhere? So we have a bit more time together tonight?" he asked, smiling into our kiss.

   A week or two ago, or even a month ago, I would have told him to get in my car and we would go somewhere, anywhere, and I wouldn't have regretted it. But now, I felt differently. We didn't have to rush this.

   I kissed him again, but then pulled away. "I'm going... home."

   "Really?" he asked, grabbing for my hand again. "Are you?"

   I looked right into his eyes. "I want to be someone who means something to you."

   He looked actually surprised by this. "Trust me, you are."

   I smiled. "Goodnight, Davis. Thanks for dinner."

   "Davis?" he asked, giving me a weird look. "You call me Nate."

   "I thought you preferred Davis?"

   "Not from you," he grinned.

   "Okay, goodnight, Nate," I said, stepping back, letting his hand drop.

   "Night, Bea."

~~~

A/N -  This book is fully written, but not fully uploaded yet. I will be adding chapters daily or every other day as I get a chance. Thanks for reading and I would love any comments!