IN LOVE WITH THE FRENCH BEAUTY

~*Chapter 13~**

~**Chapter 13~**

 “So what are you wearing?” Janice asked giddily. It was closing time on Friday and everybody was leaving starting ahead on the weekend. Arabelle was in a panicking inferno because even though Dahveed said “celebrate”, she couldn’t help but consider this their first date.

“A blue-purple sun dress and white flats.” Arabelle replied. Janice smiled because she’d never seen two oblivious people in her entire life. Dahveed loved Arabelle and vice-versa but none of the two seemed to realize it, or they did and stubbornly refused to relent. Dahveed NEVER allowed a woman near him before Arabelle and yet he was taking her to “celebrate”!

“Just don’t think too much about this, ok. You go and have fun. I’ll see you on Monday.” Janice left after hugging her friend. Arabelle took the subway back to her apartment since John had already left. She took a shower and even washed her hair before rummaging through her pitiful but comfortable wardrobe.

She found the dress in question and pulled it out with the white flats. Arabelle wasn’t big on make up, so she only applied some eyeliner which brought out her eyes, and a little lipstick. She decided to leave her hair down except the sides which she pulled up and pinned above her head. She looked in her mirror and smiled. She looked good, not as good as Sarah the model, but good none the less. The dress hugged her upper body, accentuating her big chest, and narrowing on her flat belly, before it flared out following the curve of her big hips.

Arabelle was all dressed and ready to go. She checked to make sure that she had a spare fifty dollars in her wallet, “mad money” nana Deb used to call it. She’d insisted and made Arabelle carry it on her first date just in case she got mad and had to find her own way home, independent of her date. It’s safe to say that nana Deb had been right since she’d had to practically run away from her “date” that night.

Dahveed was right on time and Arabelle let him in.

“Hi,” she said when she opened the door.

“Hi. You look great,” he said smiling.

“So do you.” And he did. Donned in a white suit and dark shirt, he’d undergone a tie and undid the top two buttons, showing off his strong neck and the top of his manly chest. She looked up on his face and blushed because Dahveed had a sly smirk on his face indicating that he knew she’d been checking him out.

“Just a moment,” Arabelle said. She picked up her purse and made sure everything was in place. She motioned with her hand for Dahveed to get out so she could lock the door. They descended the flight of stairs together in a comforting silence.

Dahveed unlocked and opened the door and then shut it carefully behind her. He got in and started the car after buckling himself in. “So where are we going?” he asked.

“Marichuy’s.” she replied. Marichuy’s was an Italian restaurant and buffet highly recommended by Janice for a first “date” since they served pretty much everything. They talked about lightweight stuff as they drove towards their destination.

“What does your name mean?” Dahveed inquired out of the blue.

“I’m sorry?” Arabelle said dumbly.

“Your name. It is so pretty yet so unusual. Do you know what it means?” he asked again

“Yes. It means answered prayers. Apparently, my mother was a wild one before I came along, and nana Deb named me seeing as I was the answer to her prayers.” She said with a smile.

“Where is nana Deb? You mention her most of the time, but I’ve never met her.” Dahveed sounded like an inspector but he was determined to know everything there was to know about Arabelle.