One For Penelope

Arrival.

"How much further?" asked Nathaniel, who was sitting in the passenger front seat while Austin drove them to their destination.

"According to GPS we're only about 5 minutes out."

Nathaniel squinted his eyes at Austin, "Must you always refer to the GPS as if it's a person."

Austin shrugged and took a left turn, "Talks to me more than most people do, might as well treat it with respect."

Nathaniel was always amazed by Austin's ability to sound so serious about something clearly not, "Whatever."

"So," Austin reached out his right hand and shook Nathaniel's shoulder, "Are you nervous?"

"Nervous, no, I'm more afraid then anything."

Austin couldn't help but let out a chuckle at his friend's fearfulness, "Afraid of what, a woman?" Austin knew there was more to it for his friend to be acting this way, but he was going to mess with him none the less.

"No of course not. I'm just afraid of what I don't know." Wasn't that the most obvious and clear statement ever made.

"We're all afraid of what we don't know. Perhaps it's just your nerves?"

Nathaniel shook that off, "I doubt that, I've been with plenty of women."

"Yes, but..." Austin took his eyes off the road, "How many of those women have you never met, never heard of, you spent time with them at their parents house, and on top of all of that-"

"AUSTIN!" A honk was heard as the two ran a red light.

Austin looked over his shoulder to make certain that nothing bad happened and nothing had, "Oops."

"Oops!"

"Yeah, oops." Austin kept his eyes on the road, not meeting his enraged friend's eyes.

"You almost killed me!"

"Only almost."

...

Austin parked in the parking lot in front of the house, if you could call it that. There was a gate, which had to be opened by some butler that wore tennis shoes before he took off back into the house. The two men exchanged glances before getting unbuckled and exiting the vehicle.

Austin looked over the massive house, always amazed that people actually lived in places like this. Then he noticed something, or maybe someone staring down at them. He couldn't make out anything, but he was sure that someone was standing there. That's when he looked over at his friend, who looked like he had the fear of God in him. "Nathaniel?"

"Yes." His friend kept that look on his face, not looking away from the house.

"You ready?" Austin figured that the only way to get his friend over this fear would be to get him in the building.

"Yes." Austin walked to the front of the car, Nathaniel doing the same only reluctantly so.

"You do realize the you're here for a date right?" Austin didn't know what to do to get his friend to act like himself.

"Of course, why else would we have brought the car." Nathaniel pointed a thumb back at the car.

"That's more like it!" Austin reached out a hand and shook his friend's shoulder again, this time getting a grunt from his friend.

...

"What are they doing?" Penelope asked, watching the two men talk to the other in front of their car.