How to Save a Hero [ManxMan]

Chapter Six: Like Wow!

[AN: WARNING: There will be sexual content. If you want to skip it, just read up until you reach the second "- - - - - - -" and stop.]

~Chapter Six: Like Wow!~

"Dad, I really have to go. He'll be here in fifteen minutes."

I glance at the clock nervously again, even though I know less than a minute has passed since I last checked. Aldis will be here soon and I am not even sure what to wear. All I know is that I need something formal enough to fit in at a classy restaurant while still looking casual enough to fit in at a burger joint. Despite knowing this, I have only just started looking through my closet.

And, unfortunately, my dad is feeling particularly chatty today. "All I'm saying is that I am glad you're finally dating again after that last piece of garbage," – my dad really hated my last boyfriend, long before I decided he was a jerk – "and I hope you enjoy your night."

"Uh-huh," I hum, already tossing clothes from my closet onto my bed in the search for the perfect outfit. Aldis has already seen me at my worst – rumbled nightclothes, horrible bedhead, zombie-like movements – but I still want to look nice for our first date. It is a tradition I have for all first dates that I would rather not toss to the find just because we have already gotten to know each other.

The second date, however, is another matter. By then, assuming that there is a second date, I am more comfortable with tossing on the first clean shirt I find. First dates have to be special, though; they have to be magical...just without the literal magic.

The use of magic on a first date usually means something has gone terribly wrong.

There is a pause on the other end of the line and I can practically hear my dad rolling his eyes. "I expect a call sometime in the morning or afternoon, just so I know you haven't been kidnapped or killed," my dad grunts. And Dad thinks I am the dramatic one.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumble, holding up a shirt before tossing it back into the closet. I can hang everything back up later; right now, I just need to find clothes and make sure my room does not turn into a disaster area in the process. If this ends up back in my bedroom, I would rather trip over a pile of clothes. "Bye, Copper."

"I'll be expecting that call, Steel," my dad replies, though he is technically using the wrong term. I meant 'Copper' as in a cop, not the metal, but there is no real need to correct him. Nor is there a chance, as he hangs up almost immediately after.

I toss the phone onto my bed, though quickly reclaim it and put it on the small table instead. The last thing I want is to lose it in the pile of clothes and accidentally throw it into my closet with them when I am done. It would either break the screen or lead to me spending time I do not have searching for it.

When I find an outfit that fits my tastes and the unofficial dress code for the night, I have one minute left. I yank on the clothes – a dark green button-up and black jeans – and practically leap into the bathroom to fix my hair, as it no doubt looks like a mess – and brush my teeth. It is just as I am spitting out the too-minty toothpaste that there is a knock on my door. Wiping my mouth on the hand towel over the sink, I smile broadly at myself in the mirror for a quick toothpaste check and walk quickly to the door. I all but throw it open, take in his appearance, and promptly snort; it seems he went with the green button-up and black jeans as well, though his shirt is a couple shades lighter.

Judging by Aldis' smirk as he eyes my clothes, he has noticed, too. "You have good taste," he remarks. Aldis then pulls his hands out from behind his back and shoves a bonsai tree between us. Uh... "I noticed you didn't have flowers when I was here and I wasn't sure if you're allergic or not."