Waiting

Chapter 3

Driving home was the most relaxing time of the day for me. I loved driving and listening to music because I felt free.

I was going to meet Niall at the Bell’ Italia Pizzeria at eight o’clock tonight, and for some reason, I wasn’t nervous. Not even a little bit. I know that if any other girl was in my position, she’d be sweating bullets. Maybe I was just weird. Probably.

Once I pulled into the driveway in front of my father’s house, I saw that both my father’s and Carter’s cars were parked. I guess Carter didn’t go to work today. Even though both Carter and I were old enough to be out on our own, neither of us had enough money to rent our own apartments. And our father, being the sweetheart he is, agreed to let us live with him as long as we help out with bills.

As I walked up the porch to go inside, my stomach churned. I was going to tell the two greatest men in my life that I was going to be going out on a date with a different man. I hadn’t gone on a date since my senior prom… and that was with my cousin. I knew that I was going to have a hard time telling them, especially if they asked who I was going with. I wonder if they would think I was crazy if I told them the truth.

A sharp breath left my lips before I unlocked the doorknob and deadbolt to let myself in. The second I opened the door, it was as if I was smelling heaven. I immediately felt bad because I was either going to end up eating none or hardly any of what my father made if I was going to save room for when I was out tonight.

“Hey McKenzie, how was work?” my father asked from the doorway of the kitchen as I locked the door behind me. That was always a habit of mine.

“Hey Dad, work was fine. How was it for you?” I asked, setting my purse down on the coffee table in the living room. I was going to leave in half an hour anyways, why not?

“It was fine. You can change before you sit down for dinner,” my father replied, walking back into the kitchen.

I nodded to myself and walked to my room, kicking my shoes off the moment I closed my door. My feet hadn’t gotten a chance to breathe for almost ten hours and I was exhausted. However, I had a date to attend soon, so I would have to look presentable.

When my work clothes were off, I pulled on a pair of black jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt with a dark grey Hollister jacket. November in Phoenix wasn’t considered cold by anybody except for the people who lived here.

I knew that looking presentable was going to be a big factor tonight, so I put on a light amount of makeup; nothing too dramatic. I sighed and looked at my reflection in my mirror, setting my powder brush on my dresser top that reached just below my waist. When I started wearing makeup regularly in high school, my father had the brilliant idea of buying a mirror at Wal-Mart and hanging it above my dresser to replace a vanity. I actually thought the idea was brilliant, though. I would have never thought to do that.

With my thoughts racing as I viewed myself over once more, I blinked a few times and shook my head. The nervousness was beginning to sink in right about now.

“Kenzie, dinner!” I could hear Carter yell from the kitchen. I sighed and put on a smile before sliding my Converse back onto my feet and walking outside of my room.

With the ten seconds I had to walk to the kitchen, I was thinking about ways to tell my brother and father about my date tonight. I knew that they would probably think that I was lying to cover up something else that I could possibly be doing, and I wouldn’t blame them for jumping to that conclusion. The whole idea of going out with someone famous scared me. All of your personal life when you’re famous gets thrown out into the public and gossiped about unless you cut yourself off from your friends and family.