Chapter 54: Chapter 54

My mother has been telling me about Kent ever since she had dinner with him. Even though it's only been two days, she's already told me twice about him.

I don't even know what she thinks is so great. Kent was tall and handsome, kind when he wanted to be, charming in a confusing way, and he had dimples when he smiled, but I don't know what she finds so great about that.

God I'm doing it again. Even though we're finally getting along, I can't stop letting my mind wander to him when I shouldn't. We'd already decided that we were friends, and he'd made it clear that he knew where the lines were and wouldn't cross them again. I had to let go of this strange thing because it's stupid and making me crazy for no reason.

He can't be in a relationship. The fact that he's told me he can't should be enough, but his actions and the things I've seen back up what he's said. I know Kent is always thinking about a lot of things, and I get the feeling he didn't have a good childhood. He already has enough to deal with, so I won't help him.

We could keep this a secret, since it was just a mistake between friends. I could keep it under control, and so could he, so I just had to try to let it go.

It was really hard, though, because for the first time in my life, I could only think about a boy. The fact that it wasn't the person I was going out with tonight made me feel bad.

"Hmm, give the red one a try!" When Abby calls me on FaceTime, I step out of the frame, take off my black dress, and put on my red one. I called her to get her opinion on what I should wear tonight. I didn't know what kind of restaurant he was taking me to, but I knew I had to dress well in case we were going somewhere nice.

"What do you think?" I walk back in front of her and ask. She squeals.

"Yes, that's it!" She won't give up, so she picks up her phone, and I smile and smooth things over. It was a simple cocktail dress with thin straps and a grown-up look. Since high school graduation, I hadn't worn it anywhere, and this was the first time since then that I could fit into it.

"I like it too." I have to say that I was looking through my jewelry box for something to wear. "I'm surprised it works."

"Julianna, that dress fits like a fucking glove, this guy is going to fall on his knees." She tells me this, and I try to give her a smile. "What's up with that face?" She asks me this as I look for a simple pair of stud earrings that will go with the small pendant necklace I want to wear.

"Who is that?" I ask as I put my earrings back in and look for my necklace.

"That one was backed up." She says I'm wrong, and I shake my head. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure...

I haven't been on a date since high school, and he's a bit older than me, so I'm not sure how I feel about this." I shrug. I keep thinking about my roommate, who doesn't want anything to do with me.

"It's like riding a bike." She insists, and I sigh, thinking that maybe it was for confident flirts. For me, it would be like trying to ride a unicycle, an awkward train wreck that would only be a little bit better if I were drunk. "He really likes you, and you said he really wanted to go out with you, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're just nervous." She tells me to keep going, and I sigh and roll my eyes. I grab my heels and put them on while I'm sitting and talking to her. Before I called Abby for an outfit idea, I had already showered, fixed my hair, and put on make-up. "Hey, does this have to do with Chase?"

"No." I tell her this while shaking my head. "I'm so done with that."

"Not Chase." She whispers and laughs, and I let out a sigh. "He asks me all the time if I've heard from you."

"I need a lot of time away from Chase because he's causing a lot of trouble in my life."

"I can understand that." She says this with a laugh. "You're really cool, Julianna. This is your special date, so enjoy yourself and have fun. Oh, and try to get the best food you can because he's paying for dinner."

I have a little laugh when I finish my heels, and then I look at the time.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Thanks for everything. Have a nice evening." I laugh and stand up to get my purse. I put my coat over my arm and grab my phone.

"Bye Julianna! Have fun, and tell me everything the next day." She pleads with me, and I smile, nod, and hang up the phone.

I close my door behind me and walk out into the hallway to get to the living room. As soon as I do, I hear Kyle on the couch whistle and clap for me. I can feel my cheeks getting red and a blushing smile coming on.

"You clean up nice, Julianna." He chuckles.

"Thanks." I mumble as I stop to put on my coat.

"I forgot that you were going out tonight." Mark adds, and when I turn around, I see him and Kent at the table in the dining room.

"Yeah, it was kind of last minute," she said. I give a small shrug and run my fingers through my hair. "I have to go, everyone have a good night." I say something, and as I turn to leave, I see Kent's eyes. The way he looked at me, with his beautiful green eyes fixed on mine, told me to give the other guy a chance.

"Goodbye, Julianna. Give me a call if anything goes wrong." Kyle says as he walks through the living room and into the kitchen with his arm around my shoulders.

As I walk out the front door, I clear my throat and smile. I had to stop thinking about Kent's body language all the time. No matter how much I thought I knew what he meant, he made it clear what he wanted, and I chose to listen to that.

I walk to the bus stop and wait for one to take me into town. I didn't want to just get into a car with a guy I didn't know, and this was better for me because if I wanted to leave early, I could just say the bus made me do it.

I get off the bus near the restaurant where he told me to meet him. For a moment, I worry about how long I'll have to wait outside until I see him near the front doors. He's up before me, which never happens.

I put my phone in my purse and take a deep breath because I'm too nervous to be calm. It wasn't good to be nervous, and I worried about whether or not I really wanted to be here.

"Julianna!" He says this with a smile, and as I walk up to him, I put on my best smile. "Hey, how's it going?" He asks while giving me a quick hug, and I feel like I have to hug him back. That felt like good date etiquette.

"I'm good, how about you?" I ask in a nice way, and he shows me the way inside.

"Happy it's Saturday." He agrees.

"Yes, I always look forward to the weekend after a busy week. It helps me unwind, and I'm sure having a full-time job makes time off even more valuable." I nod and cringe because I'm giving too much information and talking too much to make up for my nerves.

"What I meant was that I get to see you." He says this to me in a nice way and puts his hand on my waist. I gasp, not sure if I want his hand there. He takes my hand and leads me to the host stand. As we walk, I make a small step away from his hand.

"Good night! Have you made a reservation?" She wants to know.

"It's under the Hawthorn." He tells her, and she gets the menus.

"Leave your coats here with Robert, and then come this way with me." She smiles, and as she walks through the busy restaurant, I follow her blonde ponytail. We end up at a small table in a quiet corner. "Your server will be there in a little while." She tells us in a nice way as she puts the menus down, and I go sit down in the chair.

He gets there before me and pulls it out for me. I smile and shrug as I slide into it, and he helps me put it back in.

He sits down and gives me a big smile, like he's so happy to be here. "You look upset. Is this not private enough because-"

"Oh no, no. Not even close." I wave my hand and insist. "I'm just rusty because I haven't been on a date in almost four years." I'll say it with a shy smile.

"How in the world could that be?" He asks with a laugh, and I just shrug and sit up straight.

There was no question that he was very attractive, with his bright white teeth and perfectly gelled blonde hair. There just seemed to be a lot of things about him that were well hidden.