Playing Hard to Get ✓

First Dates

*Wednesday Afternoon*

I get out of my lit lecture at the end of the day and smile when I see Jake waiting by his car for me, even though he was done with classes an hour ago. "What are you still doing here?" I ask, grinning against his lips as he kisses me.

"I thought it was time I take you out on a date." He responds, giving me his trademark grin that makes me go weak at the knees.

"Oh, is it?" I ask, winking at him. "I thought you didn't do that kind of thing."

"Thought I might give it a try. It can't be too difficult, right?"

I laugh at that. "Ok, Romeo. What do you have planned?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." He winks at me.

"Yeah, I would. Thus, why I asked." I say as he opens my door for me, letting me in.

"You're just going to have to trust me Linc."

"I'm trying here." I laugh.

"Well, try a little harder." He laughs as we pull out of the school's parking lot. We pull in for a quick stop at one of the best Chinese takeouts in town.

"Ok, so we're eating here?"  I ask.

"Nope." He says, popping the "p" as he gets out, leaving the car running with me in it. He comes back out 5 minutes later carrying a small box under one arm, carefully placing it in the backseat.

"Ok, I can tell from the smell that you got my favorite dish, which I'll commend you for as I never told you. Will you now tell me what you've got planned?"

"Just one more stop and then we'll be there." He says before pulling into Berkey Creamery and running inside there as well, coming out moments later with a cooler.

"We done running around?" I ask, an amused smile on my lips.

"Yes, now we're done. Let's go."

"You still haven't told me where we're going?" I don't even realize where we are until he shuts the car off and I see the imposing outline of Beaver Stadium towering before us. "Jake, what are we doing here?" I whisper as he grabs the food and then helps me out of the car.

"Don't worry. The custodial staff loves me. We'll be fine."

🏈🏈🏈

"What did you want to be when you grew up?" I ask as we eat our ice cream after dinner. I wasn't sure how he knew I loved chocolate chip cookie dough but I would allow him to have his secrets on this one.

"I always wanted to play football professionally... But it wasn't until high school, I think, that I considered doing something else."

"Something like painting?"

He grins sheepishly. "Yeah. There was this girl..." I couldn't help my face from falling. "... who things are completely over with, that I started to think it could be a possibility. But, of course, it wasn't in the plans."

"The plans?"

"Football, Princeton, law school, and then back to my dad's firm." He grimaces. "Clearly already straying from it a bit."

"What's your major again?" I ask with a slight smirk.

"Pre-law." He mumbles but in the silence of the stadium, I hear him perfectly. "What about you? Do your parents have unrealistic expectations?"

"Oh of course. But I'm the youngest, and with the exception of being the only girl, I'm able to get away with doing pretty much what I'd like."

"So what are you majoring in?"

"That would be undecided."

He laughs. "What?"

"I don't know what I want to do. I've spent my whole life being told my only value is in my looks and I didn't give much thought to what I'd do in college, just that I was expected to go. I'm hoping to figure it out before the end of this year."

He takes my hand in his. "We'll figure it out together." Jake promises me.