Not Ready

Chapter Three

During the drive to the restaurant, I eased James' doubts about my well-being. He's patient enough to not push me past my answers, and I'm thankful. Upon arriving, James drives up to the valet, gets out of the car, and makes sure to open my door. He does the same to all the restaurant doors we walk through. It's sweet. By the time our appetizers at the table arrived, I was silently thanking myself that I had gone through with this.

"Should we pray before we dig in?" James asks as I am seconds away from picking up my fork to get some calamari.

"Oh- sure ."I smile, feeling embarrassed that it did not cross my mind.

James bows his head, and I follow. After a quick grace, we both say amen and begin to eat the dish of calamari.

"You know, I'm sorry if I didn't mention it before, but I think you look really pretty." James doesn't look me up and down as I expected him to. Instead, he stares directly into my eyes, smiling.

I blush, holding his gaze. "T-thank you." I gestured to his outfit. "You look very handsome too." It wasn't a lie. James was dressed in a gray suit. His beard and hairline look fresh as if he went to the barbershop today, and whatever cologne he is wearing doesn't smell overpowering like a high school boy drenched in axe but rather refreshing. He looked good.

"Glad you think so. For a second, I thought I was trying too hard."

"Oh, please, even at work, you dress to impress." I joke.

"Hey, gotta look good to feel good." James holds up his hands in defense. "Can't blame a man for trying."

"Hm, I guess you're right." I shrug.

"I am happy you came out tonight," James adds another calamari to his plate.

"Thought I wouldn't show?"

"Kinda." His honesty takes me by surprise. "It felt too good to be true when you agreed, and I've been overthinking it."

I raise an eyebrow. "I didn't feel pressured or anything." James slightly lowers his shoulders, and I take that as a sign of him relaxing. "Trust me, you shouldn't overthink it. I'd let you know if I was uncomfortable."

"So this is the guy, huh?" My body tenses. Shaun is standing behind James, eyeing him with a deadpan expression. "This is Mr.Perfect?"

No. Not here. Please, not here. It makes me feel like I got caught doing something wrong, like a kid reaching for the cookie jar hidden in the closet.

"Amari," James calls out to me. I fix my gaze on him and notice his worried expression. Crap. How long has he been calling me? "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." James turns around. "At least, I hope not. I'd probably run." He jokes. His smile doesn't reach his eyes. I think he's trying to ease the tension, and I feel like kicking myself.

"I'm sorry." I clamp my hands together under the table. "I thought I saw someone I used to know." I don't want to get vulnerable in a restaurant, in the middle of a crowded room. The only thing helpful is the soft lighting, but I still feel exposed.

"I'm guessing it didn't end well?" James asks. I nod, preparing for James to start asking nosy questions.

"Well, I won't push." My eyes widen a bit in surprise at his confession. "For you, I hope that person isn't here. I had my fair share of running into people I fell off with." James blows out a breath. More and more, his character intrigues me. "Even if they are here, we can always leave and eat somewhere else."

My eyebrows furrowed. "You'd do that?"

"Of course."

"Even though you had a reservation, and we ordered the entrees already?"

"Yes."

"But why?" I'm dumbfounded by his answers.

"Your comfortability. What good is a date if you're not comfortable with your surroundings."

Wow. I try to think of a response, but I'm mentally paralyzed by his caring nature. That's considerate.

--------------------------------

A.N. Happy Friday! This week, the weather has been beautiful. So, I will be enjoying my time outside. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, feel free to leave feedback.