Page 70 of Tell Me Everything
I whistled, impressed. “When you organize, you go all out, don’t you?”
“You'd better get used to it if you're going to be my girlfriend.” He winked at me before starting the car.
“I can't wait.”
We entered a small pizzeria. The smell of olives and tomato sauce made my mouth water. The dimmed lights gave the restaurant a cosy air. I was pleasantly surprised. For someone who'd never been on a date in his life, Alex had managed like a boss. The day was perfect.
A waitress took our order. A pizza capricciosa for me and a pizza pepperoni for Alex, with extra garlic bread. Enough to chase vampires away.
Reaching for the salt, Alex spilled his glass of Coke on thetable. A waitress hurried over to clean up the mess before bringing him a new glass. My friend pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. His nerves had returned full force.
“Alex, what’s going on? You've been nervous all day.”
He let his head fall into his hands, and I could no longer see his face, so I touched his leg under the table. His head shot up.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I just ruined our first date because of my panic.”
“Why are you getting so worked up?” I asked, taking a sip of my Sprite. “It's just me.”
He shrugged, looking defeated. “I guess I wanted to try to impress you and try to be romantic. It didn't turn out the way I planned. This is the first time we've seen each other since...”
Since Alex confessed his feelings for me. He was still having trouble adjusting, the two of us having just reached an important milestone. A step neither of us had taken before, but Alex wasn’t on the same page as I was. If I thought about it, we'd been on many dates already. That didn't make our outings any less exciting. It had just given me a head start.
He crossed his arms. “Why aren'tyounervous? You're as calm as ever.”
I nibbled on a piece of garlic bread, unsure of how to continue. “For me, nothing has changed.”
His gaze darkened and I felt a small pang of guilt form. “I told you I was in love with you. That doesn't change anything?”
I had to tell him, didn't I? “Alex, I have a confession.”
“I'm listening.”
I bit my thumbnail, hoping I wouldn’t ruin our date. “You won't like it. Uhm, how should I put this? Actually, I knew you were in love with me before you said it...” I squeaked, unsure of myself.
Alex choked on his Coke, only to be shaken by a coughing fit. Would he survive this date? “What?”
“Yeah, I know you tried to hide it for a few months, but I knew.”
His fingers tapped on his arm. “Don't tell me I was unconsciously giving you enamoured looks.”
“At times, but that’s not what gave it away. You told me.”
“No, I never...”
“Greek statues,” I cut him off.
His cheeks turned red like his sweater. The way things were going, the answer was no: he wasn't going to survive the evening. Alex pointed an accusing finger at me. “That's why you let it go when I told you I didn't want to talk about it. You didn't insist.”
“Correct. I didn't want to embarrass you further.”
“And now?”
I put my hand on his, and Alex smiled. How was it possible that such a handsome man could be so adorable at the same time? “Now it's different. Now I can gently make fun of you and all the crap you said. You were so eloquent when you first told me how you felt.”
Even though I was teasing him, the atmosphere between us became lighter. The waitress brought our pizzas, and as she left, I grinned with all my teeth. Alex leaned back in his chair.
