The next day, I wore the best outfit I had: a thigh-length red flare dress that I loved twirling in. I left my hair loose and tried to keep my makeup as simple as possible; I didn’t want Jake to think I was trying too hard.
After I was happy with how I looked, I remembered that I still had to get through a full day of classes. I was nervous but excited to see Jake. I kept checking my phone every minute, expecting a call or text saying, “This is all a joke.”
What if he found me boring? What if he lost interest in me after today? My mind kept churning with doubts. Finally, when my last class of the day was over, I jumped from my seat.
“Whoa, slow down, gorgeous!” Chad stopped me, and I gave him a nervous smile. “What’s the occasion?” He trailed his eyes all over me. Was I overdressed?
“I’m meeting Jake. Do I look good? Is it too much?” I panicked.
“You look amazing, and he is gonna have a hard time controlling himself,” Chad teased. I rolled my eyes. “I take it you two crazy kids decided to give dating a try?”
“We’ll see,” I said. I wasn’t ready to talk about this yet. Every minute I spent talking to Chad was another minute I wasn’t with Jake.
“Well, have fun. I’m late for my class.” He waved goodbye.
I rushed to the library and found Jake already sitting on a stone bench outside.
“Ashley! I was just calling you.” He smiled shyly, scratching his head. Oh, wow, he looked so cute. He was wearing a fitted black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue dark-wash jeans.
His hair looked all messed up like he’d just gotten out of bed, which made him look even hotter. Why was he so hot? His eyes roamed all over my body, and I started to feel shy.
“You look so beautiful.” He gazed into my eyes, and it felt like he was looking straight into my soul. “Do you have to go to work right away?” he asked as he came closer and stood right in front of me.
“No,” I replied immediately. “I pushed back my shift like you suggested.” A small smile played around the corners of his lips.
We reached his car, and he opened the door for me. “Where are we going?” I asked as I got in and fastened my seat belt.
“It’s a surprise.” He smiled widely and put the car in gear.
“I hope you’re not gonna kill me and bury me in the woods,” I joked.
We didn’t talk much as he drove, but that didn’t feel odd at all. The silence was comforting.
We finally reached a small park. He led us up a grassy hill, and I gasped at the view out over a vast, bright sky, Manhattan’s skyscrapers rising hazy in the distance.
“This is my favorite place. I come here all the time. It’s great during the day like this, but the sunset is perfect from here too, and at night, the view is mesmerizing.” He paused. “Just like you.”
I tore my eyes away from the view and turned to find him looking at me. “It is beautiful, Jake.” I smiled as I took it all in.
We sat on a bench under the shade of a huge tree and quietly watched the kids on a nearby playground for a few minutes.
“I’m glad that you trusted me and agreed to come here with me,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Well, I enjoy spending time with you,” I said, looking at the kids playing rather than meet his gaze. Every time our eyes met, it gave me butterflies in my stomach, which made it hard to think.
He started telling me about his childhood, how he used to come here with his dad all the time. Eventually he launched into a story about the complex playground politics.
“I can’t believe you would bully the other kids like that.” I laughed.
“Hey, they took my spot on the swing. I had to show them that I was the boss man,” he defended himself. He looked adorable; he was such a kid sometimes.
“Tell me about you. How was life in LA?” He turned and focused his gaze on me. Oh, boy. Okay, well, I could definitely talk about my childhood, right?
I told him about growing up next door to Emma, spending hours painting each other’s nails and braiding each other’s hair. I was careful not to mention anything beyond junior year of high school. No point dredging up old trauma.
“I can tell you’re being very careful about what you say to me,” he said after a while. “I don’t know what happened to you in the past, but I’m not like other guys, Ash.”
“I know, Jake,” I said with a sigh. Talking about Alex would be a huge buzzkill, so I admitted something else instead. “I just don’t want you to find me boring or plain. I mean, look at you.
“You could have any girl. You’re way out of my league, and it still feels like a dream that you’re interested in me.” I didn’t meet his gaze.
He placed his hand below my chin and lifted my face so that I was looking at him. “Hey, where is this coming from? I liked the cute and shy girl that I bumped into the other day. I like you for who you are, Ash. And you are so damn beautiful.
“I know this is too soon. I know we agreed to be friends before we go any further. But all I’ve wanted to do is kiss you, Ashley, from the first moment I laid my eyes on you.” He paused and took my face in his hands.
“I’ve never felt this way before. I know you’re being careful. But I would never hurt you, Ash.” He looked straight into my eyes, and I was blown away. He was telling the truth. Those eyes could never hurt me.
“What time do you have to be at work?” He looked at his watch.
“At four.” I immediately brushed my thoughts aside and let out a breath.
“Let’s grab something to eat and then I’ll drop you, okay?” He got up and started heading back toward his car.
“Okay.” He drove me to a small burger shop and we went inside, finding a seat near the window. The waiter came to take our orders as soon as we sat down.
“I’ll have a cheeseburger with a vanilla milkshake and crispy fries,” I said.
Jake grinned at me, looking amused, before turning toward the waiter. “I’ll have the same with a chocolate milkshake instead.”
“A girl with an appetite; that’s refreshing,” he said with a smile once the waiter left, his gaze not leaving mine.
“Hey, I like to eat. I mean, who doesn’t?” I shrugged.
“Well, most of the girls I’ve met don’t, even if they want to.” He was right about that.
“So, you must have traveled a lot with your dad’s restaurant business and all, right?” I asked, wanting to know more about him.
“Yeah, my dad would take me on his business trips but then he’d spend most of his time in meetings. I used to roam around the hotels while he was busy.”
I noticed he spoke a lot about his dad and never mentioned his mom. I didn’t ask; it seemed like something personal.
“I like the idea of traveling too, but I’ve never had a chance to leave the country. Coming to New York was the longest flight I’ve ever taken.” I pouted.
“I’ll take you to Europe someday.” He winked, and I blushed for the millionth time that day. Our food arrived and we gorged into it. My burger was juicy and perfect, and I let out a little moaning noise as I chewed.
“Do you like art?” he asked out of the blue.
“That’s a strange question. But yeah, I do,” I replied, sipping on my milkshake and licking my lips. His eyes went dark lingering on my mouth, and I noticed his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
I felt a strange sensation building between my legs, and I squeezed my thighs together to quell it. He cleared his throat.
“Then you’re accompanying me to this art show that my dad wants me to attend,” he stated as he went back to munching on his fries.
“What if I had said I didn’t like art?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I would have taken you with me anyway.” He smiled, showing his dimples. “It’s this Saturday. Will you come?”
“I’ll come. I was just wondering what to wear,” I blurted.
“You scared me for a minute. I can take you shopping, Ash,” he offered.
I didn’t want to seem pathetic. “No, no, no way. I’ll figure it out; you just tell me the time and place and I’ll be there,” I assured him.
“Are you kidding? I’m picking you up. It’s at seven,” he replied with his mouth full of food. Damn, I didn’t know someone could look so adorable even while eating.
We kept talking through the rest of the meal, learning about each other. Jake didn’t have any siblings. He loved football. Also, he was a huge Marvel and Star Wars fan.
He had two best friends, Dan and Austin, whom he’d known since childhood. He seemed pretty simple for a guy whose dad was super rich. I liked that about him.
Once we were done with the meal, I offered to pay since Jake had already paid for our coffee the other day. He just raised an eyebrow at me and then raced to the bill counter before I could move.
I laughed at how silly and adorable he was being. God! He made me feel so happy.
“Shall we leave?” he asked when he got back to the table, smiling goofily.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We soon reached my apartment. He stopped the car and turned toward me, unbuckling his seat belt.
I started to feel nervous. Was he going to kiss me? Was I ready for him to kiss me? What should I do?
I was feeling all kinds of fireworks inside my body as he slowly leaned closer.
