Catching Feelings | Bwwm

19 | Nala

I was nervous. As in can't sit still, can't eat, it's all I can think about nervous, and it's all because of my date with Carsen.
How did we get here?
One minute I can't stand the guy, and the next minute I just want to make out with him all day.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the huge change when the doorbell rings.
I let out a deep breath before walking over to the front door.
I see why girls lose their minds when it comes him. I understand now.
He's gorgeous. Gorgeous in a way where his face should dominate covers of magazines and hell, he probably is featuring on one right now.
And he deserves it. Right now he's dressed in a loose toffee colored shirt, light-washed jeans, and white sneakers.
"Hey." I smile.
"Hey beautiful." Carsen says before pulling me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me and I wrap my own arms around his neck. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah." I reply breathlessly, suddenly feeling shy in his presence.
Carsen takes a step back, allowing me space to step over the threshold and out of the house. I lock up behind me before Carsen and I walk hand in hand down the steps.
There's paparazzi now. Older age men who follow us shoving their cameras in our faces with every step we take.
I look down at my shoes, trying my best to ignore them, the flashing lights, and their intrusive questions until I'm tucked safely inside of Carsen's car.
    Carsen puts the car in reverse and we drive out out of the complex.
"I'm sorry about all that." He apologizes instantly.
     I shake my head. "It's okay."
     "Buckle up." He instructs me, which surprises me a little.
     "Okay dad." I grumble as I pull on the seatbelt until it clicks.
     "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble." Carsen tells me.
     "It hasn't yet." I grinned.
     Carsen shakes his head with a smile on his face before he makes a right turn down the street.
     "So what are we doing?" I wonder, curiousity getting the best of me.
     "Where's your sense of spontaneity?" Carsen wonders.
     "Nonexistent."
     "Just sit back and relax. I promise you'll have a good time." Carsen assured me but it wasn't reassuring at all.
     The thirty minute car ride is filled with the both of us singing songs from Carsen's Spotify playlist and complaining about the LA traffic. Carsen is pulling into an empty parking lot and killing the ignition just as I was getting ready to ask him to tell me where we were going again.

     I look out the window to see the looming building that is the Staples Center. Carsen comes running over to my side opening my door and I climb out the passenger seat as gracefully as possible and round the car before looking around.

The parking lot is nearly empty.

"Um, what are we doing here? Is there a concert?" I ask.

"No. No concert. Follow me." Is all Carsen says before entwining our hands and leading us towards the entrance.

I follow him into the building, our steps bouncing off the walls and echoing around the room. I followed Carsen into what looked like a locker room.

"Carsen, what are we doing?"

"I'm teaching you how to play hockey." Carsen announces.

My heart starts slamming against my chest. I don't know how to skate! The image of me falling down on my ass and embarrassing myself has my hands getting clammy.

"You sure you don't want to go bowling or something?" I suggest.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't want to tell him I was nervous. I've been pretty confident up until this point which Carsen seemed to like about me. I teepeed a house, I remind myself. I can learn how to skate. How hard can it be?

"Nothing," I shake my head. "Where's my puck?"

***

I'm wearing a ridiculous amount of padding and gear, yet I still feel naked as I stand in the locker room. Carsen is dressed similar to me, the both of us wearing Ranger uniforms but somehow Carsen manages to look hot all geared up.

Now I see why girls like hockey players...

"How did you get into Hockey?" I wonder as we make our way towards the ice rink.

"I grew up playing with my dad. It was one of the few things we did together whenever it was his weekend." Carsen tells me just as we reach the rink. It's the same moment that my nerves kick in.

I'm in way over my head.

I step onto the ice and immediately my legs are wobbly and Carsen is holding me steady.

"You can skate right, Curls?" He asks me.

"I was hoping me being from Florida would give it away." I say.

Carsen chuckles. "I'll teach you. It's like driving a car."

"Don't know how to do that either."

"What?" He stares at me shocked at my little confession.

I don't care what anyone says. Driving is scary. There's lots of rules and buttons and not to mention drunk drivers and accidents happen all the time...

"Did I forget to mention that?" I ask innocently. Even though all my reasons are valid, it's not exactly something I like to broadcast. It can be a little embarrassing being twenty and not driving yet.

"Let's just focus on one thing at a time." Carsen says, giving me the feeling that the whole not driving situation was going to be something we discussed in the future. "Give me your hands." He orders and I do as he says, and he grips my fingers as he pulls me onto the ice slowly then releases my hand. "Do you feel steady?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, so you're gonna push off with your right," Carsen says, skating slightly to the right. "Then push off with your left," he instructs before he's skating slightly to the left. "Then just keep repeating."

I do as I watched him do, pushing myself softly in the right and left direction until I'm skating. It's actually not that hard but I was still nowhere near as good as Carsen. I watch impressed as he does Hockey Drills, at least that's what he tells me that's he's doing and he's expert between the two of us so I take his word for it.

"Damn, is there anything you can't do?" I demand, only slightly annoyed that he's so perfect.

Carsen chuckles. "I'm a terrible cook."

"That makes me feel better." I admit.

Carsen pecks my lips before entwining our hands. "Curls, I got a question for you."

"What is it West?"

"Will you be my girlfriend Nala?"

Shit. I got to him. He likes me. And I like him too...

"Yes." I beam at him.

For the next two hours, Carsen and go head to head in a game of hockey... which was really just me and him taking turns trying to get the puck into the net. Afterwards we decide to just skate around the rink. Carsen surprises me when he lifts me up off the ground, gear and all, and is able to still skate effortlessly... at least for a few seconds until he stumbles and falls, taking me down with him but thankfully we have the helmets and padding to soften the blow.

"That wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be." Carsen groans as he lays on the ice. Half of my body is on top of him, so I lean up until my lips hover over his.

"No, it was perfect." I tell him before drawing him in for a kiss. As far as first dates goes, this was the best.