Mercy

Chapter 13

The ride started out quiet. I didn't mind though, I still wasn't sure how to act or what to say. What do people talk about on first dates? My mind was racing as I tried to think of something to talk about. If I just sat here like a loser I knew this would end up being our first and last date; and I didn't want that. I opened my mouth to speak but all I could do was smile as he reached over and laced our fingers together. I suddenly felt more calm and at ease. It was like he could sense how nervous I was. The car slowed down and stopped in front of a restaurant. "I'll be right back." He said with a smile, giving my hand a light kiss before he climbed out of the car.

I took a deep breath, trying to use this time alone to get my mind straight again. I hadn't noticed it before but his car was extremely nice. As I looked around the car it suddenly hit me like a brick. "Holy shit...he drives a Benz..." I said out loud as I ran my fingers across the symbol on the steering wheel. The uneasy feeling came rushing over me again. This guy was so out of my league. Why would someone driving a Mercedes want to take me on a date? My car hardly ran! Panic began to rise from my stomach. I took a deep breath and tried to gain some composure as he climbed back into the car. He flashed me his perfect smile which defiantly didn't help this horrible feeling growing in my belly. "You okay?" He sat the bags in the back seat. I could feel his eyes searching my face for answers. "Mhm..." I nodded quickly giving him a fake smile. He didn't say anything else; he scooped my hand back into his before pulling back out on the road.

We drove for a while and then we were suddenly on a dirt road surrounded by trees. "Is this where you take me and kill me?" I asked, half-jokingly. A grin crept over his lips as he glanced at me. "Are you afraid of me?" He asked his voice coated with humor. "No..." I scoffed. That was only half the truth. There was something about him that felt dangerous. It was frightening but attracted me like a moth to the flame.

The car finally came to a stop. There were large rocks the outlined the edge of the hill side that over looked a calm lake. The view was breath taking. It was just getting dark and the stars were now scattered across the sky. He grabbed a blanket and the bags he had and we made our way over to one of the large rocks. I admired the view in silence as he laid out the blanket and took a seat. This was one of the prettiest places I had ever been. "Sit." He said, pulling me to the blanket beside him.

His actions took me by surprise but I didn't argue. I took a seat beside him, pulling my feet up so that I was sitting Indian style on the blanket. Even though I tried not to stare at him it was hard, he was so good looking it actually made me kind of sick. I studied over his features as he unloaded the food onto the blankets. My eyes lit up as he took the top of the carry out boxes off revealing several different types of tacos. "Tacos..." I said softly as I looked up at him. He frowned as he looked at the food. "Was that a bad choice?" He asked, shifting himself a little closer to me. "Tacos are my favorite food in the world." I yelled with excitement. At this point there was no hiding the goofy grin on my face. The frown on his face quickly changed to a grin. He pushed one of the containers towards me and we sat there eating in silence. We both still had huge smiles on our faces. The silence wasn't awkward this time; there was something nice about it. After all the tacos were done we both laid out on the blanket; our bellies stuffed.

"So I have to ask..." He shifted so that he was lying on his side facing me. "What in the hell happened between you and Lacy for you to end up so beat up?" The warmth flooded my cheeks as I played back those moments in the car that night. "We left movie night...and I told Lacy you asked me out...and she slammed the breaks and my face literally bounced off her dash." My hand moved up to cover my face so that he couldn't see the bruise. He let out a soft chuckle and pulled my hand away. "Don't hide from me. I think you're pretty even with a fat lip." His playful smirk was smeared across his lips.