FADING (A novel)(2)

“Because my mother was standing right there, and I just didn’t want to deal with any more of her nagging. So, he asked, I said yes. We are just going out for a drink, that’s all. No biggie.”

“Here, wear these shoes.”

“Thanks,” I say as I slip on my gold Tory Burch sandals. I run a brush through my long, thick brown hair and give myself one last look in the mirror.

Smearing on some lip-gloss, I make my way toward the kitchen. When I grab my cell off the bar to check my texts, I see I have one missed call from Jase. I met Jason around the same time I met Kimber. I immediately connected with him and can tell him anything. I love Kimber, but for some reason, I’m able to let all my walls down with Jase.

There’s a knock on the door, and I yell for Kimber to answer it. Quickly, I type out a text for Jase.

Heading out for a few hours. Come by later. Dying to see you.

Tossing my phone in my purse, I walk into the living room to meet Jack.

“Hey, Jack.”

“Hi, Candace. You look great,” he says, and I hear Kimber let out a tiny snort. I shoot her a look over my shoulder and mouth ‘be nice!’

I hop into Jack’s car and we head to Prescriptions, a trendy upscale bar in downtown Seattle. Jack parks and then swiftly makes his way to my door to open it for me. Taking my hand, he helps me out of his small Audi.

When we walk inside, the bar is dimly lit and scattered with sleek leather couches and leather-upholstered coffee tables. The main bar runs along one of the walls and is made of a rich chocolate wood. Spanning the length of the wall behind the bar of lit-up bottles is a solid black chalkboard with the word ‘Prescriptions’ written across it with all the drinks listed below in a unique, artistic script. As we settle onto one of the couches, a waitress comes by; Jack orders a beer, and I order a glass of red wine.

Lifting his knee, he angles himself toward me on the sofa and asks, “So, how come I’ve never seen you at the country club before? I see your parents often, but never you.”

“Not my scene, I guess. My mother serves on a few committees, so she practically lives there.”

Jack narrows his dark blue eyes at me, and the edge of his mouth lifts into a slight grin. “You don’t get along with your mother, do you?”

“It’s complicated,” I sigh. “We have very different views on life. She’s really into appearances. Looking the part. Playing the role. I just don’t see the point.”

The waitress arrives with our drinks, and I take a generous sip of my wine. I can’t help but notice how sexy he looks as he tilts his head back to take a drink from his bottle of beer. Maybe I was wrong; maybe he’s not a douche. I let out a small giggle at my thought.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how maybe I had gotten the wrong impression of you the other day.” I take another sip of my drink. “So, Jack, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Hobbies? Major? What do you plan on doing after you graduate?”

“Well, I play on the lacrosse team, and I’m studying Political Science.” He takes another swig of his beer and clarifies, “I’m pre-law. So after this year I plan on going to Stanford for law school. What about you?”

“I’m a Fine Arts major. Ballet. Another thing my mother doesn’t approve of.”

“So, what are your plans after this year?”

“Auditions, I guess. I mean, I’d like to dance professionally for as long as I can. Eventually I want to teach.”

We fall into easy conversation as we continue to talk and get to know each other better. He seems genuinely interested in what I have to say. Jack isn’t the typical guy I go for; he’s a frat boy and comes from an upbringing such as myself, but he’s really nice and for the most part, seems down to earth.

I tend to have a lot of first dates with guys but never find myself in a relationship with any of them. I don’t really know the reason for that; maybe I just haven’t found anyone that I care enough about to keep around. I’m not a slut by any means, far from it. I’ve only slept with one guy, my high school boyfriend. We dated off and on for over a year and wound up having sex the night of our graduation. I was young and stupid, but that was three years ago, and I haven’t heard from him since that night.

After a couple of hours pass easily, I excuse myself to the ladies’ room. I wash my hands and search my purse for a hair tie. The wine is starting to make me feel warm, and I need to get the hair off of my neck. I have always wanted short hair, but as a dancer, it needs to be long enough to secure in a bun on top of my head. So for now, I have long, thick, dark brown hair with natural golden highlights that hangs a few inches below my shoulders. When I finally find a hair tie, I quickly sweep my hair up into a ponytail.

When I return, Jack stands up and holds out his hand for me. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I say as I slide my hand into his.

?????

Jack parks his car in front of my house, and once again, jumps out and opens my door for me. He walks me up to the front door and says, “I really had fun with you tonight. How about we do this again?”

“Umm, yea. That would be nice,” I say as he leans in and lightly brushes his lips against my cheek. My neck heats, and I feel slightly embarrassed by the gesture.