Chapter 10
First Date
Zahirah
Looking at the clock, I note I’m running out of time. I need to make a decision. I’m so nervous.
After my nap in Bentley’s room, I left to get ready for our date. I can still feel his lips on mine after the kiss he planted on me before I left. I didn’t want it to end.
Now I can’t wait for this date, but I need to pick something to wear. I have changed my outfit a hundred times.
I finally settle on a pair of light-washed jeans and a black off-the-shoulder sweater. I finish the look off with a pair of black suede calf-high boots. I pull my hair up into a half ponytail and put the bottom half in large waves.
I can’t help chewing on my lip. Frustrated, I blow out a breath and groan. Arlene flops on my bed and picks up a few of the items I’ve tossed aside.
“What’s wrong? This one was cute on you,” she says, holding up a dress I chucked.
“Did I go too casual? Should I change one more time? I want to be more than cute. It’s my first date,” I reply.
“Zahirah, you are gorgeous in anything you wear. I wish I could pull off everything like you. Like, you have the perfect amount of everything.”
“Ugh, it doesn’t feel like it today. Okay, okay. I’m going to try one more outfit. You can pick between the two and I’ll wear whichever you pick,” I say as she looks back at me pointedly.
I rush to pluck through the pile to find something else. Arlene grabs a dress from the mess and hands it over. I take it and hold it up.
“It’s cute and flirty. The color looks great against your skin. Trust me, this is the one.”
I purse my lips and nod, then quickly undress to slip the dress on. Once I’m in it, Arlene comes over to hand me a pair of toeless espadrilles. I look in the mirror and smile. This does look good.
“That’s it, that’s the one. Here, use your shimmer lotion and spray on this mist. You always smell nice when you wear it.”
“Thanks,” I say as I go to sit on the bed and lotion up again.
When I’m done, I spray on the mist. Looking over myself in the mirror, I can’t help but smile. The dress is yellow and looks perfect against my skin.
“I don’t know why I changed my mind about this one. It’s perfect,” I say.
“You’ve been overthinking everything. Don’t think I didn’t see you styling your hair a hundred times.”
“Speaking of which, maybe I should change that too.”
There is a knock on the door before she can reply, although she’s sending me a glare. I curse under my breath and stomp my foot. I was going to try one more style. A glance at the clock tells me it’s Bentley at the door and I’m out of time.
Arlene jumps up and answers the door as I smooth a hand over my hair and take one more look in the mirror. I release a sigh. This will have to do. When I turn to face the door, Bentley is standing there with a smile on his face and a bouquet of roses in his hand.
“We’re running out of room to place all these flowers,” Arlene teases.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help wanting to spoil my girl. It’s her birthday. She deserves these and more.”
“I can’t say I’m mad at all. Keep up the good work,” she says.
I move to the door and take the flowers, then give them a sniff. A smile comes to my lips as I look up into Bentley’s eyes. He gives me a crooked grin and leans in to kiss my lips.
I’m a little disappointed when he pulls away too soon. Arlene takes the flowers and hands me my bag. I give her a smile and step out the door.
Bentley places a hand on the small of my back, causing tingles to run up and down my spine. His hand is so big and warm.
My mind goes back to his room earlier. I was tired and things were moving a bit fast, but I really stopped because I didn’t want to rush into making that type of decision. I was grateful for his understanding.
“Where are we going?” I ask as we get outside.
“They’re still fixing up my ride, so I borrowed a friend’s.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Where are you taking me?”
He shakes his head and smiles, then opens my door for me to get in. I roll my eyes and bite my lip. Bentley tugs me to him by my waist and pecks my lips.
“That will be a surprise. Just trust me.”
When he pulls away and looks down into my eyes, I know I trust him. This is the Bentley I’ve always known.
I can trust him. He would never hurt me. This is who I expected to find when I first got here.
I relax and hop into the pickup truck. Bentley closes the door and rounds the truck, tapping the hood as he passes by. I give him a big smile as he climbs behind the steering wheel.
He leans in and cups my face, then connects our lips. My stomach flips and butterflies come to life as he deepens the kiss and consumes me.
“Ready?” he asks as he pulls away and pecks my nose.
“Never been more ready in my life. Let’s see what you’ve got, Coswell.”
“You’ve got it, gorgeous. One birthday date coming up,” he croons.
I can’t stop smiling as he pulls off. I’m so excited. How did I get here with my longtime crush and neighbor?
I hope this isn’t a dream I’m going to wake up from. Bentley reaches over to place his hand on my thigh, causing my skin to tingle beneath his palm. This is the best birthday ever.
Bentley
“I need you to do me a favor and wait here,” I say as I place the blindfold over Zah’s eyes.
“A blindfold, really?” she says.
“Yeah, I need to set up, and I want you to get the full effect during the reveal,” I say.
“Okay, fine.”
I kiss her lips quickly, then turn to drive the short distance to our final destination. My heart is racing as I pull out of the trees and onto the overlook. Leaning forward, I look out of the windshield. The sky still looks clear, but I’ll use that tent just in case.
It has a little viewing panel I can open up. I think Zah is going to love this. I glance at my watch and note I have enough time to set up before dinner arrives.
Looking to Zah before I hop out, I find her with a huge smile on her face, even as she sits with a blindfold on. I’m crazy about this girl. Her smile is infectious.
I turn on the radio, then hop out of the truck before I get sucked into her bubble. Quickly, I grab my stash from the back seat. Rounding the truck to the bed, I let down the gate and pull out the blow-up mattress and the pump.
As I wait for it to inflate, I work on the speaker system. When the mattress is done, I focus on getting a sheet on it.
“Great idea, Bent,” I groan as I take a breath and wipe my hand across my forehead. I’m sweating from all this work.
I should have thought this part through a little better. Once I’m done with the sheet, I toss a blanket and a few pillows in place. As I peek in at Zah through the back window, I find her singing and bobbing her head.
I shake my head. She’s a great swimmer and runner, but she needs some more singing lessons. I’ve always teased her about it. She loves to sing, but she sure as heck isn’t great at it.
I get back to work, setting up the projector screen and stringing up lights for a romantic vibe. Like clockwork, Jason and Corey pull up with dinner. My face breaks into a smile as I look over my work.
“This looks great,” Jason says. “I’m stealing this one next time I want to impress a chick.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I laugh. “Thanks, guys. Now get the heck out of here.”
“You see this? This is how he treats us?”
Corey looks at him and rolls his eyes. He then grabs the back of Jason’s shirt and drags him off. I laugh at them as I watch them climb back into Jason’s car.
Now that the food and snacks are here, I set up the little trays I got for us. Turning on the projector that has a screensaver that says, Happy Birthday, I nod to myself and go to get Zah out of the truck.
“All right, come on. Careful now,” I say as I help her out of the truck.
She releases the sweetest giggle as she tightens her hold on my hand. As I back up and guide her, I take her in. She looks gorgeous in the yellow dress. It’s perfect against her rich, dark-brown skin. She wobbles a little, causing me to look down at her shoes.
Shit, I should’ve told her to wear flats. I would feel like shit if she hurt herself. I tug her to me and lift her in my arms.
I set her on the tailgate. Then I bend to take off her shoes, unfastening the straps around her ankles. Placing the shoes aside, I then reach to take her blindfold off.
I hold my breath as I watch her take her surroundings in. She turns to look behind her and then looks back at me. Her eyes fill with tears, causing me to start to freak out.
“Bentley, this is so beautiful,” she chokes out.
“You like it?”
“Duh, is this a movie projector? How do we get inside? Something smells delicious.”
I lift her up and walk to the side of the truck, where I help her to climb in. Once she’s settled, I kick off my shoes and climb in behind her. I can’t help staring at her as she looks at me with sparkling eyes as she nibbles on a fry from one of the trays.
“Are you comfortable?” I ask, fussing with the pillows.
“Yeah. Seriously, Bent. This is amazing.”
I lean in and capture her lips, then pull away to place the tray across her lap. As she starts to tear into her favorite lemon pepper wings and fries, I get the movie started on the projector. For her, I’m willing to sit through 16 Candles for the millionth time.
“Awww, this is so sweet. I love it,” she coos as the movie starts to play.
“We have snacks when you’re ready. Popcorn and fruit snacks. I also have a few of your other favorites.”
“Thank you, Bentley. This is the best date I could have asked for.”
My chest swells. I actually got it right. With the realization, I finally breathe easy. I’m able to tuck into my own food on my tray.
In no time, I’ve scoffed down my burger and fries. Zah is totally focused on the movie, and her food is gone as well. I dig into my backpack and pull out two bags of popcorn, handing her one.
“Thanks,” she says softly.
The date continues to go smoothly as we watch the movie and enjoy each other’s company. At some point, we end up holding hands. Zah has snuggled closer to me and is tucked into my side. We’re on our second movie and the stars have come out.
“Shit,” I mutter when I realize I didn’t roll out the tent, and the sky is beginning to look like it might rain.
“What happened?” she asks.
“I think it’s going to rain.”
“Oh no. I don’t want this to end.”
“It doesn’t have to. Corey added a tent. I just forgot to roll it out. It will cover us up and keep us safe. We can still stargaze through its viewing panel too.”
“That sounds perfect. Is it too late to roll it out? I can help.”
I kiss her lips. “I’ve got it. I’ll collect our trash and set it up.”