Downhill From Here (#1)

24. A Night Out

Saturday, November 26th

6:08pm

Bowie's POV

I brushed the back of her head, trying to pull her hair into a ponytail. Lilo wiggled from her position in the sink.

She faced the mirror and played with her American Girl doll, moving her head in the direction that I was brushing.

The bathroom door opened and Gram peeked in, looking at the both of us.

"How's it going?" She asked with a gentle voice.

I gave her a look of exhaustion and sighed. She immediately came in and moved to take over. I gave her the brush and sat down on the closed toilet, flexing my fingers.

Normally I wouldn't have any problem doing Lilo's hair but right now I was too restless and anxious to focus and do anything right.

Jonah and I were going on a date tonight.

My stomach clenched and I passed a hand through my unruly curls.

We finally talked on the phone today and he said that he wanted to take me on a date to make up for the thanksgiving gala. Like a real date.

It's something that I'd been waiting for him to ask me for so long that it took me a moment to respond. And instead of being excited in the way that I should've been, I was just nervous. Like the kind of fingernail biting, uneasiness you feel when you're about to be sick. I didn't know what was wrong with me.

I watched as Gram worked Lilo's hair into a ponytail with jam and a brush. She kept the side braids I'd done intact and tied it all up with a scrunchie.

I was grateful that she didn't ask too many questions about Nathan and Lilo the other night when she met them. She just acted casual and polite.

But I knew she was giving me that look every few minutes. Be careful it said.

I felt like everyone was saying that but I wasn't sure how to do that. I think it was a little too late at this point.

Lilo didn't take long to warm up to her at all. I think it was a natural instinct within Gram. She was always good with kids.

Lilo looked up from her doll and smiled at Gram in the mirror. Gram simply hummed beneath her breath and worked on her poof.

"Thanks," I said easily.

"It's no problem," She answered. "I haven't been able to do a child's hair in years. I kind of miss it. It's nice that you help him out with her hair."

I nodded my head slowly. "I try. He's gotten a lot better at it."

"You've shown him how to do her hair?" The surprise in her voice was apparent and she paused for a moment before continuing. I could practically hear the question circulating in her head.

How much time did those two spend together exactly?

"Yeah...I usually supervise now. He's usually the one doing it."

Nathan was the kind of person that would not stop until he got it right. He kept asking me when I was going to teach him how to do box braids. But even I wasn't ready to teach that yet.

"Is there a baby mama in all of this..." she raised an eyebrow and looked at me from the corner of her eye. "...I mean does she know that you're so involved?"

I let out a heavy breath and looked at Lilo, feeling a pit in my stomach.

"No....s-she abandoned her almost two years ago."