Fools Rush In

Chapter 2

"Am I crazy to even be considering this?" I asked CeCe after I had told her everything that had just happened.
"Hell no," she said. "You should go. You've been here what 3 years? Where do you think you'll get an opportunity like this again? If a famous hottie walked in here and wanted to whisk me away I'd be gone in a heartbeat."
"What happens if it doesn't work out though?" I said. "I'll be jobless and homeless."
"Don't think of it that way," she said. "Think of it as adventure!"
My brain was going a hundred miles per hour. My heart was racing. I didn't know what to do.
"Do it," part of me was shouting. But the more sensible part of me was telling me it was a bad idea.
"Made up your mind yet?" Drakes voice broke me from my thoughts.
"I don't know," I said. "What about my things? I don't have any clothes here?"
"You live right down the street, " CeCe said. "I'm sure they'd wait a few minutes while you went home and packed."
"Certainly," Drake said, with a twinkle in his eye. "We've got plenty of time."
I gave CeCe a look, "You trying to get rid of me Ceec?"
"Nope girl," she said. "I want better for you then this place."
I smiled.
"Now get your ass home and pack a damn bag will ya?"
Drake laughed, "I like her!"
"I-I," I stammered. "Ah hell with it, I'll be back."
"Need help?" he asked. "I can come with?"
"Um sure," I said. "Thanks."
"Let me tell the guys, I'll be right back," he said and ran down the hall, back to the restaurant.
"This isn't crazy?" I asked CeCe again.
"Hell no!" she said. "Go live a little. Send me lots of pictures and enjoy yourself! And knock em dead!"
She hugged me.
"Okay, let's go," Drake said returning from the restaurant.
We made our way out to the employee parking lot and I pointed to the old red Honda Civic in the corner.
"That's my car," I said, kind of embarrassed.
He didn't say anything as he climbed in the passenger seat.
I took a deep breath and climbed into the drivers seat. I lit a cigarette then started the car. It took five minutes to get to my apartment complex. Again I was embarrassed, because it was kind of a slum lord. This early in the morning there were drug deals going on right outside. Some people were still partying and playing loud music.
I pulled into my parking spot and the people that lived below me were screaming at each other again.
"You were afraid to leave all this?" he asked, quietly as we walked into my building.
"It's all I can afford," I bit back, defensively and we climbed the stairs up to the second floor.
"Not judging," he said, holding his hands up. "Just saying, you deserve better than all this."
"Sorry," I said, as I unlocked my door. "I'm not proud of it, but it is what it is."
"Hey," he said, grabbing my arm. "I understand. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We all make do with what we can. But your life is about to change, for the better."
I smiled, "I hope so."
"It is," he said, and gently cupped my face. "I promise."
He leaned in and kissed me ever so softly on the lips. He pulled away and walked into my apartment. I was speechless. My lips were tingling, my stomach was in knots, my heart was racing, I felt alive. I have kissed a lot of guys, and not one of them had made me feel like that.
"What is with this guy?" I thought, as I walked into my apartment.
I flipped the light switch and nothing happened.
"Who turns the electricity off in the middle of the night?" I grumbled, and reached for a couple of candles I kept on a table by the door.
"Sorry," I apologized to him after I lit the candles and handed him one.
"Don't," he said. "It's kinda romantic. Now where's your bedroom?"
"What? If you only said you were gonna do all this just to get in my pants," I started. "Trust me, you wouldn't have had to work so hard and lie to me."
"Good to know," he said, and through the candlelight I saw him wink. "But I meant to get your clothes."
"Oh," I said, embarrassed again. "I'm on a roll tonight. I'm surprised you still want me to do this. Especially after learning I'm a poor white trash slut."
He laughed, and came back over to me. He took my candle and set them both down then took me in his arms.
"Maybe I like poor white trash sluts," he said, and I could see him smiling.
"It must be my lucky day then," I laughed, nervously.
"It is," he said, brushing my hair out of my face. "But honestly, you are none of those things. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I can't help it," I said. "When you're told your whole life this is what you are, you start to believe it."
"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore," he said. "Because I won't let anyone tell you that again."
He leaned in and kissed me again, this time a little bit harder than before, he even dared to slip his tongue between my lips.
"Not that I'm complaining," I said, when we separated. "But why are you doing all of this?"
"I told you," he said. "You're too cute to be working at that dump, and you deserve better."
"But you don't even know me," I said.
"I have a feeling about you," he said. "And I gotta go with it. Now where's your room?"
I pointed down the hall, and stood there stunned as he grabbed a candle and walked down the hall to my room.
"You coming?" he called.
"What?" I asked, not realizing for a second what was happening. "Oh yeah."
I followed him into the bedroom and grabbed a small suitcase. I didn't have much clothes anyway so I stuffed what I did have in the suitcase, grabbed a few mementos that I wanted and a few of the toiletries from the bathroom I had.
I looked around the apartment one last time.
"Don't tell me you're getting sentimental for this place?" Drake asked.
"Actually I was just wondering if I could get away with burning it to the ground before we left," I joked.
He laughed, "Let's not take our chances."
We blew out the candles and I left the keys to the apartment on the counter, and we made our way back to the truck stop.