A Step Back (Jennifer. A + David. S)

Chapter 11: Valentine?

"You know, if you ever need to get anything off of your chest, please just come over and talk with me. I'm worried about you constantly." Jennifer consoled.
I love her. I know I shouldn't, and I can't, but I do. It's a feeling I can't hold back any longer. It's a deep aching feeling in the depths of my heart, and I can't seem to shake the idea of us. I want to scream from a rooftop in protest of my shyness, and gain the courage to just kiss her. Her lips are so- I can't even think about them without getting at least slightly aroused.
Us. Oh how I wish we were together. We pause, letting a minute go by.
"So uh, earlier you mentioned Valentine's Day. Since you don't have anybody to go out with, I was thinking um, maybe I could take you out or something. As friends, of course." I offer, extremely nervously.
She blushes and grins, gripping my knee.
"That's really cute, but I don't know, I might just get more upset. It's kind of sad going out with your friends to cover up the fact that you're single." She replies, looking down at the ground.
"Okay then, I'll dress up in a suit and tie and I can take you out for a nice dinner. Come on, it'll be fun. I'll even pay!" I announce.
She ponders for a moment, before making her decision.
"Alright, fine. How about you pick me up at six? I guess it won't be so bad if I have you there with me. " She finalizes, deciding.
I blush, realizing I've just set myself up on a date accidently.
"Hey," I begin, scooting closer to her as I whisper, "If you don't want to go, I won't make you. I just thought you'd like that." I say, as I try and console her in the way she does to me.
She places her hand on top of mine, which was resting on my knee. I look her in the eyes, trying to muster just a bit of confidence, but failing as I surrender to her beauty. I have to do this. I have to tell her how I feel. It's now or never, even if she runs away, or never speaks to me again, I need to let her know.
"I-" My voice cracking, "I uh- never mind." I back down, trying to recover from my fail.
She tilts her head to the side, as if trying to read my emotions. I'm so scared of her. I'm so scared of being left by her, left with nobody.
"Are you sure you don't want to say something, David?" She asks, almost begging me.
I nod.
TWO DAYS LATER
Oh god. Today is Valentine's Day. I'm going to take Jennifer out tonight!
I'm laying in bed, even though it's five in the evening. I've been planning everything, running errands, and I've just woken up from a long nap. I sit up, before realizing I have to change into clothes, because just boxers aren't enough for a fancy restaurant. I leap up, running to the bathroom to take a shower. I quickly hop in, scrub myself clean, shampoo, rinse, and then hop out. I haven't eaten all day because I've been so nervous, and I would like to save my appetite. Why do I have to be hungry now? I gulp down two glasses of water, pee, and then run back into my room. I catch my breath as I glance at my watch. 5:25
Racks of clothes fill my closet. I take out a dark-purple collared shirt, and brown pants. I change into my outfit, and then grab my belt and my shoes. After finally getting dressed, I try and make my unruly hair look at least presentable. Crap! I forgot to shave! I run my hand along my jaw, feeling the almost beard across me. My watch reads 5:45. Dang, I won't have time to shave, because I've got to go. I climb into my car, rushing to Jennifer's house.
JENNIFER'S POV
Alright, let's see, I've showered and done my makeup, hair, and chosen jewelry. Now I've got to get dressed. I choose a deep purple dress, that flows down to my mid thigh. I change my underwear before slipping into it. The fabric of the dress is cool and soft, and caresses my skin perfectly, just like David's arms. Im done, I'm finished, I'm ready to go. Knock knock knock. That's David! I'm so excited!
DAVID'S POV
I breath in deeply once, preparing myself for the night ahead. I've got the flowers, I smell good (I hope), and my hair is done. Good job, David.
She opens the door, smiling. Oh dear god, she's so beautiful. The way her dress, the same color as my shirt by the way, hugs her body is so sexy. Her stance and her high heels makes her look so tall, at least four inches taller than before, but still not as tall as me. She's so thin, and her curves are just-
"Wow." I whisper, as if I was in a trance.
We both blush the second I say that, not meaning for her to hear me. We both pause in silence, admiring each other. I'm still standing in the doorframe, so I step forward and hand her the bouquet of lilies.
"Umm, these are for you. And I'm sorry that I decided to wear this shirt, considering we now look like the twins in an awkward family photo." I laugh, blushing intensely.
She smiles back, stepping towards me. She traces her finder down my jaw, from my ear to my chin.
"What's up with the beard? It's cute, I've just never seen you with facial hair." She asks, rubbing the scruff.
I take a feel of myself.
"Yeah, I didn't have any time to shave, I'm sorry. Is it that bad?" I ask, unsure.
She tilts her head, probably in judgement.
"Oh no, it's terribly sexy. Every girl in the restaurant will be gawking." She replies, before taking my hand.
Once again, I blush. Geez what's up with me tonight? She leads me out the door, still holding my hand. The restaurant is pretty close by, so we walk a few blocks down the street. When we finally approach the restaurant, I open the door for her, letting her inside. The waiter leads us to our reserved table. The restaurant is pretty busy, but it's so romantic. Vines climb up the walls and fairy lights hang below the ceiling. Each table is decorated with little candles and wine. Ours is by the ancient brick wall, and more private than the others. I pull out her chair for her, before sitting in my own. The waiter hands us menus, and brings us each a glass of red wine.
"Wow, this is so romantic, David! It's like you're trying to get me to fall in love with you." She admires while chuckling.
If only I could figure out how. I take a small sip from the wine.
"Oh, I don't really know fancy restaurants very well. Honestly, I overheard a couple taking about this place, so I just booked a reservation here." I announced, as a few musicians begin to play lovely jazz. Jennifer smiles, before leaning in a bit closer to me. I gulp.
"You know, if a man ever took me here on a date, I'd probably date him for a long time. It's so beautiful and perfect. Honestly, this place is irresistible." She smiles, sitting down.
She's so perfect. I don't see how every single-man isn't in love with her. She's so sweet, and adorable, and caring. I love the way she knows how to make me feel good about myself. I know it sounds stupid, but that's the subject I'm weakest in. I have low self-esteem, and she doesn't ridicule me for that. I understand that women love confident men, but I'm so shy.
The waiter takes our order, and we talk about different aspects of our life. It's so interesting meeting people who grew up in different places than you, and who's experienced different things. I love this. Actually, I might just love her.
"Here is your food, sir. And here is yours, madam." The waiter says, placing our food down onto the table. I ordered steak, and she ordered a salad. She glances down at my food, hungrily.
"Can I pretty please have a bite?" She says, doing the most irresistible puppy dog eyes ever.
Oh god, is my heart bursting? She's so adorable, I applaud her parents for making a human being this perfect.
"Of course." I slice a piece of steak from my plate and place it on hers.
She tries it, before sighing in pleasure. Wow, now that was sexy.
"Would you like some more?" I ask her delicately.
She shakes her head, before calling over the waiter. He quickly approaches her and listens to her order tentatively.
"Could I please have a small bowl of spaghetti, please? Thank you sir!" She says, as he padders off to turn in the order.
I'll always let her get whatever she would like, because she deserves it. I wish I could give her anything in the world. After continuing our conversation, the waiter comes by and serves us our noodles. She picks up one noodle and places it in her mouth. Next, she takes the other end, and commands me to open my mouth, before giving me the noodle. She motions to me to start eating, so I do, and she does as well. We look deeply into each other's eyes, before closing them, to lean in. Okay, this is it. I'm going to kiss her. One small kiss can't hurt right? I'm leaning over the table, and then it happens. We both come close, and then kiss. Her lips are so soft, and for that split second I wish the moment would never end. I want her to kiss me again, even if for a quarter of a second. My heart is still beating so fast, I think it might have stopped. It keeps missing a beat. We both pull away, and I blush intensely when she smiles. That half a second kiss will hold back my needs for a while, but I still want more.
"You are so cute! Aww, I could just pinch those adorable red cheeks of yours!" She grins.
I look down at my tangled hands, which were resting on the table, between my finished plate of food and my glass of wine. She takes my hand in hers, rubbing her thumb across them. They slightly shake, out of nervousness. How did I ever get this lucky? I went from a struggling actor to a character on a TV show, as well as meeting the woman of my dreams, all in a few weeks. And although I won't ever be with her romantically, just having the honour of being friends with her is enough.
We talk for a little while, before the waiter brings the check, and I pay. We leave the restaurant when it's dark, and the stars are high across the sky. After we cross the street, we begin to walk down the empty, dark, block. She takes my hand. The good thing about the night is that I can blush without her noticing. She shivers, and brings herself closer to me. I work up enough courage to slide my arm around her waist, surrendering my warmth to her. She slithers her arm around my back. We make our way home slowly, as we smile about the glorious night. Probably the best night of my life. Looking deeply into her eyes for two hours was so lovely and intimate. Probably the most I'll ever be with a woman in my life. When we approach her house, she steps back, so I'm facing her with my back to the street. She takes both of my hands in hers, gives them both a squeeze, before resting hers on my chest. She inches ever so close to me, so that our faces are less than a foot apart.
"I had a lovely time tonight." She begins, "I never would have imagined having such a lovely night with a friend. Thank you." She whispers, before bringing her face in six more inches. Just a friend. A knife to the chest would hurt much less, I guess it was quick and painful. I stare deeply into her eyes, trying to display my affection, so maybe she'll see. Maybe one day.
She leans in, our noses touching. She keeps her left hand on my chest, with her other hand running up my body, and into my hair. And then it happens. We both tilt out heads, and lean in for once last kiss. She runs her hands through the back of my hair, running her fingers along the nape of my neck. We don't deepen the kiss, but I will always remember the taste of her soft lips. You know how people use fireworks as a metaphor to describe how they are feeling when their love kisses them? I don't want to sound cheesy but it's true. I don't know what my heart is doing, but it's screwed up. The kiss only lasted a bittersweet five seconds, but that's more than enough time for me. I'm set for the rest of my life.
She smiles, and I blush in return. She massages the nape of my neck, making me shiver. She slides her hand down my jaw, and runs her thumb across my lips. I close my eyes, taking in the wonderful sensation. She leans in, right next to my ear, and whispers.
"Why is your heart beating so fast?" She asks, as she runs her hand up and down my chest.
Gulp. Oh crap.
"I uh, I haven't kissed anyone in a really long time." I interject, trying to cover up for my adoration.
She smiles, opens her door, utters a second thank you, and finally closes the door. When the door shuts, I exhale, releasing all of my tension from the night. I touch my lips, feeling the space where she kissed me. She kissed me. Jennifer kissed me. Oh my god. It settles in my brain. Does she like me? Oh I hope so! I sit down on her stoop, letting the darkness sink in. The only light is from the full moon, reflecting its glory onto the street. Nobody drives around this part of town. After around five minutes, I hear two sets of footsteps approach me. When the two people come close enough, I acknowledge them, only to realize it's Courteney and Lisa! I unexpectedly stand up when they come near, making them jump, considering I'm much bigger than them both, and I was sitting down.
"AH!" They shout, making me jump, "David? Oh geez you scared us!" Courteney says, frightened.
Lisa stands by her side, holding two bags.
"What are you doing here? Are you waiting for Jen?" Lisa asks, coming closer to me.
I furrow my eyebrows, wondering what they are doing here.
"No, I just left. I took her out for dinner earlier. On another note, Lisa, why aren't you with your husband? It's Valentine's Day!" I say, folding my arms across my chest.
"He has to work late, so we are celebrating it tomorrow." Lisa stated, "and why did you take out Jen for dinner tonight?" Court finishes.
I look down at my feet, before meeting her eyes.
"She uh, was kinda sad about tonight because she's single so I offered to um, take her out." I quietly announce, directing it to my shoes.
They both look at each other, and smile.
"Alright, well we are here to have a sleepover with Jen, but maybe you could join us?" Courteney asks.
She proceeds to knocking on Jennifer's door, and a minute later she opens it, and smiles.
"Hey ladies!" She laughs, "Oh and man. Sorry David, didn't expect you!" She smiles, pulling us all inside.

A/N
Also, thank you guys for reading and commenting, because without you this story would not exist.
1. Ok, I know Valentine's Day already happened, but I wrote this chapter that weekend so that's why.
2. Many of you have been asking when the two will get together.
I'm sorry they haven't yet, because I'm trying to make the story have some depth, and not just about them together, so that's why they haven't. Also, in a few chaps something HUGE will happen, so keep reading please!
3. For some reason, my school has spring break this week instead of last week, so I will be writing a lot and I'll post twice this week- Thursday and Sunday as usual! 😘