"Why don't you just tell us," Gabby said, losing the smirk, "I mean, we're your best friends." Lindsay nodded, "To be honest, I'm a little offended, Rem, that you don't trust us with whatever information you're withholding. If you were embarrassed, that would be one thing, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case." I sighed, pushing the potato chips away from me, and paused for a moment before saying, "It's not...I mean, it's not like I don't trust you. I do trust you guys, you know that."
"So tell us," Gabby said. Then she narrowed her eyes a bit, but not suspiciously, and added, "Tell us as much as...you can." I looked straight at her and she smiled a little bit at me, almost pityingly. As if she knew there was more to what was going on than I could share, as if she knew something was...wrong. With me. With whatever was going on between Nick and I. I made a split second decision and said, "We kissed." Gabby was right. I didn't have to tell them everything. But they were my best friends. And I should at least tell them this much. Immediately, all the seriousness evaporated, and Lindsay was giggling uncontrollably, Gabby smiling hugely despite herself. "I knew it," Lindsay said, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it." Gabby laughed and I couldn't help but grin, and then I quickly added, "But that's it. Only once. And it's not like...I mean, he didn't ask me out or anything. We're not a couple." Lindsay leans it toward me on the bed, "Who kissed who?" I laughed out loud at her enthusiasm. "I kissed him," I said, and Lindsay's lips began to purse unhappily, so I added, "But he kissed back." Gabby finally broke and fell into giggles with Lindsay, both of them clutching Lindsay's pillows, and I leaned against the bed frame and laughed at their girlish squealing. They really were ridiculous, but I did love them.
Nick was looking at the ground when I walked up. "Hey," I said, smiling, and he grinned a little back but immediately looked back down at the ground, stuffing his hands into his oversized pockets. We walked down the alley in silence, but he paused at the base of the step leading into the grocery store, so I stopped, too, and faced him, and eyebrow raised. He cleared his throat, "Did you wanna-" he paused, and cleared his throat again, "I mean, would you like to..." he trailed off and looked out into the alley. Finally he looked at me and said, "You wanna get something to eat?" Without thinking, I said the first thing that popped into my head, "I don't think there's any restaurants open at this time." And then I realized that he just asked me out. "I know a place," he replied immediately. I felt like I should have said something, but there was suddenly a major frog in my throat, so I just nodded. He said nothing else, simply turned back into the alley and started back the way we came, and I walked slightly behind him, as his tread was quick. He seemed nervous. And judging by my sudden stomachache and the pounding in my chest, I was nervous too. When we reached the end of the alley, he turned to the right, opposite the way I had come, and walked a short ways to a red camaro with whites stripes. I laughed when I saw the car, it wasn't something I'd imagine Nick driving. "What year is this?" I asked as we approached the vehicle. Nick smiled proudly upon the car and said, "1967. I love her."
"She looks just like the one in that movie. A Walk To Remember." Nick laughed, "I have been told so before." I laughed, too, and Nick opened the passenger-side door for me.
Nick took me to a little restaurant located about twenty minutes away, on the first exit off the freeway, in a town the size of a thumbtack. The door chimed when we walked in, and there were only two people working. The first was a man who was clearly the cook, but was sitting in a booth, sipping coffee out of one of those little white restaurant mugs and turning the page of a novel. The other was a waitress donning a dress-and-apron look with roller skates and everything, and it was so cliché I couldn't help but smile. "I figured," Nick said to me, grinning, "That I should make a good impression. Take you some place real fancy like for the first night of our courtship." I laughed and said, "Oh boy, you done and capped yourself. This here place sure is real fancy like." Nick laughed and hooked his arm through mine, "Only the best for my sweet pea, the purtiest lady in all these here counties." I giggled and slapped his arm, "Aw, shucks, teddy bear, don't make me blush." Nick laughed loudly and we sat down at a booth. The waitress skated over to us and popped a huge gum bubble before handing us our menus. "Thanks," Nick said to her, and she nodded and walked away, The Breeders' Cannonball blasting from her iPod headphones. Nick glanced over his menu and then grinned at me, "So what do you think you'll have?" I looked down at the menu and spotted one thing that never did me wrong. I smiled at Nick, "Mac and c." He grinned, "Ooh, good choice. I think I'll get that too." He glanced down at his menu again just in case, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at him- his white hair sweeping over his face, his hazel eyes lit up by my presence, his unfailing grin playing on his lips like fingers on a clarinet, making me want to lean forward and kiss him again. He looked up at me right then and smiled, and I blushed and smiled back, quickly looking back down at my menu.
Nick took me to a little restaurant located about twenty minutes away, on the first exit off the freeway, in a town the size of a thumbtack. The door chimed when we walked in, and there were only two people working. The first was a man who was clearly the cook, but was sitting in a booth, sipping coffee out of one of those little white restaurant mugs and turning the page of a novel. The other was a waitress donning a dress-and-apron look with roller skates and everything, and it was so cliché I couldn't help but smile. "I figured," Nick said to me, grinning, "That I should make a good impression. Take you some place real fancy like for the first night of our courtship." I laughed and said, "Oh boy, you done and capped yourself. This here place sure is real fancy like." Nick laughed and hooked his arm through mine, "Only the best for my sweet pea, the purtiest lady in all these here counties." I giggled and slapped his arm, "Aw, shucks, teddy bear, don't make me blush." Nick laughed loudly and we sat down at a booth. The waitress skated over to us and popped a huge gum bubble before handing us our menus. "Thanks," Nick said to her, and she nodded and walked away, The Breeders' Cannonball blasting from her iPod headphones. Nick glanced over his menu and then grinned at me, "So what do you think you'll have?" I looked down at the menu and spotted one thing that never did me wrong. I smiled at Nick, "Mac and c." He grinned, "Ooh, good choice. I think I'll get that too." He glanced down at his menu again just in case, and I couldn't help but smile as I looked at him- his white hair sweeping over his face, his hazel eyes lit up by my presence, his unfailing grin playing on his lips like fingers on a clarinet, making me want to lean forward and kiss him again. He looked up at me right then and smiled, and I blushed and smiled back, quickly looking back down at my menu.
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