Date Night

Chapter 2

I blinked for a few moments as I tried to figure out if this person was actually real or if the girls had actually gotten into my head and I was imagining this whole encounter. Charles had come back down the stairs and noticed me rubbing my eyes in disbelief, “oh, that’s Deacon, he moved in a couple of months ago after you left from Spring Break.” He chuckled as he stood next to me, and nodded and waved at this new ‘Deacon’.

“You should go over there and talk to him,” Charles whispered as he turned back into the house to start helping the other girls. It was almost like Deacon could hear him and started walking over towards our house with his helmet tucked under his arm. He flicked his blonde, boy band hair out of his face on his way over, and it was almost like he was in a slow motion montage; every moment was beautiful and like I couldn’t get enough. As he walked closer to the door I walked over the threshold and met him next to my car as he set down his helmet.

“Hey, my name is Deacon, and I have never seen you around here, but it seems like you may know this place better than I do,” he chuckled as he stuck out his hand to shake mine.

“Hi! Well, my name is Elise, and I grew up here, my mom lives right over there,” I announced as I pointed over to my mom’s house, “I thought I knew everyone here, it’s very nice to meet you. I just got in from across the state, and I just finished out my second to last semester of pre-med, so I am a little tired.” I brushed some of my waves of brown hair out of my face and behind my ear. I then met his hand with mine, and not only were they warm, but his hands were rough as if he worked every single blue collar job in the town. I started melting under his touch.

Another smirk crossed his deviant lips and he leaned his head down to my ear that was now exposed and whispered, “well, why don’t I treat you to some coffee after you finished getting settled,” he made sure that his lips brushed my ear as he pulled back slowly and I let out a soft gasp. I started tripping over my words as I told him I didn’t have much I needed to do, and that he was welcome to come in and meet everyone; mostly so they knew where I was going later since now I was going on a coffee ‘date’ with a man I just met. I couldn’t fathom the thought of all the things the girls would have to say when I returned later tonight.

He picked up his helmet and followed behind me, and I was so thankful that today I had chosen to pick out my nice skinny jeans. They accentuated some of my best features, but it wasn’t as if I needed the help. I knew a lot of people classified me as one of the pretty girls, and that I had always got asked out for dates, but it just wasn’t something I wanted to participate in; I also felt as though those people weren’t right for me. I just didn’t know what it was about Deacon that made me cross the line into wanting to go on a date with someone.

Once we made it through the door I could feel the eyes on us, and then came the mirthful laughter from the kitchen. The girls had spotted us from one of their rooms and decided to give up on unpacking and started making drinks. It was so like them to burst out our alcohol at the sight of me being affectionate with someone of the opposite sex, because the last time I had any kind of relationship we were in the middle of high school before I vowed no more boys. I cleared my throat as we turned towards them, “hey, this is Deacon, and he’s been so kind as to invite me out for coffee later after we’re done here.”

Surprisingly, Claire was the one to saunter over to us, she slid behind me and placed her hands on my shoulder while leaning around me to see Deacon. “So, you’re taking our girl out?” She asked almost proudly, “well if you’d like to take our girl out, then I guess we will unpack her stuff for her, so you can take her out before she changes her mind.” The statement caused a deep laugh to escape him, and the girls were able to bear witness to me melting from the sound of his laughter. I could feel their excitement from my side of the room.

I hung my head and began to chuckle, then I let Deacon usher me back out of the house and over to his house. He could see me fidgeting with my fingers, as I was worried about getting on a motorcycle, because I was scared about being on one. He pressed a button on his bike as his garage rattled awake and rose from the ground, and unveiled a decaled SUV, then he pointed over to it, “don’t worry I don’t plan on making you ride the bike, it’s kind of a date, so I don’t think I would get many points if I scared you AND ruined your hair,” he said as he threw his arm around my shoulder and led me over to the passenger side of the monstrous vehicle and opened the door for me. He let me climb inside, then walked back over to his bike and pulled it into the empty side of his garage. As he walked over to the driver side of his SUV he looked at me through the windshield and winked, and it caused me to blush.

We drove for about fifteen minutes when we pulled up to one of the most popular coffee shops in our little town. He was greeted with many waves and hellos, and so was I as everyone in town knew my family and I. We were then met with very confused faces, because no one in town had ever seen me on a date since high school. Deacon had asked for my usual order and I found us both in the corner of the coffee shop.

“I see you’re very well known in town,” he asked astonished, “what’s funny though, is this is where I work, so everyone knows me here.”

I was a little taken aback since this had always been my favorite coffee shop. We had continued talking as someone brought over our drinks, and I had found out that Deacon had a little brother who lived out of state and was also attending law school like he was. I had also learned Deacon was only a little bit older than me - twenty eight - and that he was a few semesters away from taking the bar exam; and that he was also an intern at a really big law firm in town. I told him about med school and why I was graduating late, and the story of why the girls and I have always lived together. He also learned why everyone looked so confused when we walked in and why I had always avoided guys; he was pretty intrigued by my commitment to school, and pretty proud of himself that he’s been the first one to take me on a date in so long.

~

Later that night Deacon had dropped me off, then pulled out his motorcycle and disappeared. I walked into the house where I was pulled into a big bear hug by my mother who then winked at me. “My little girl is finally hanging out with guys,” she squealed as the girls came running down the stairs almost tripping over each other. I was met with a lot of ‘how was it’, and ‘do you like him’, which made me chuckle a little bit as I crossed the room to the couch to sit down.

They all gathered around me as I told them about the date, and in the back of my head I was thinking about how the coffee shop would never have equated to rough hands. The girls of course couldn’t tell what I was thinking about, but all of them had been talking about how maybe we could get discounted or free coffee so long as I continued to hang out with Deacon. As one of the girls stuck a mixed drink in my hand, there was a knock at the door.

Charles had peaked out the blinds encapsulating the door. He then turned back to us and pointed at me, “the door is for you.” My eyes widened, because I didn’t really run into anyone today who would come and visit after we showed up in town. I slowly sauntered over to the door with the drink still in my hand, then fixed my hair as I reached for the door’s handle.

I was met with Deacon on the other side of the door, holding a gigantic bouquet of flowers in his arms and his helmet on the ground by his feet. “I really enjoyed our date, and wanted to ask if I could spend the summer with you, to get to know you more,” I could hear the anxiety in his voice; almost as though he hadn’t asked a girl out in a long while.

Everyone behind me had erupted in middle school like ‘oohs’. I took the flowers from Deacon and ushered him into the house, where he met my mother and Charles, and the girls as well. I told him I would be comfortable with him staying after tonight, because I needed some sleep after my busy day. He then grabbed my wrist and kissed my hand, and as he turned to leave he stopped in his tracks right in the door. From behind him a silhouette crossed around him, and my father pounced into the room and covered me in a strong bear hug.

If my father was in town for the summer this early it could mean only one thing… I was about to meet someone new who would possibly join the family and she was most likely going to be around my age. My father was a player, and he always went for younger girls, they were usually around my age or just a little bit older.