I Believe in You

Dinner

I got home from class Friday afternoon around four and took a shower before I dressed in a knee length dark red dress with a scoop neck and short sleeves; a pair of knee high black leather boots and a black oversized cardigan. I let my hair fall down my back in it's natural waves and used neutral makeup with a deep red lip. I walked back out into the living room where Chloe waited for me.
"Okay. How do I look?" I asked her.
She motioned for me to turn around so she could see the outfit from all angles.
"Perfect." She smiled at me.
My heart skipped a beat when the knock came at the front door.
I answered the door to find Conrad standing in the doorway wearing dark blue slacks and a dark blue blazer with a slightly lighter blue button up shirt holding a bouquet of lavender roses.
"Wow, you look beautiful. These are for you." He smiled at me handing me the flowers.
"They're beautiful, Conrad. Thank you." I smiled taking in the smell of the roses.
"I'll put those in a vase in your room." Chloe smiled taking the flowers gently from me.
"Go on." She urged.
"She's a strange one." Conrad chuckled as he lead me to his blue Chevrolet pickup.
He opened the passenger door and helped me in.
"Thank you." I smiled at him.
"How was your week?" He asked driving away from the dorm.
"Uneventful. I've been anticipating this." I admitted.
"Me too." He smiled at me.
We pulled into the parking lot of Pure Indigo. A common date spot for students of the university. I'd actually never been.
"Wait just a second." Conrad insisted climbing out of the truck and rushing around the truck to open my door and help me back out.
After closing the door and locking the truck he didn't release my hand as we walked to the front door and I didn't want him to.
His palm was rough but gentle and my hand seemed to fit perfectly in his.
"Hello. Two, tonight?" The host asked as we walked up to the podium.
Conrad nodded his hand still holding mine.
I barely saw the man who lead us through the restaurant as my attention was firmly on the man walking next to me.
Conrad released my hand to pull my chair out for me.
"Thank you." I smiled as he pushed my chair in.
"Can I get you two something to drink?" He asked causing me to glance up at him away from Conrad.
"A Sprite?" I asked.
The pale brown haired man nodded before looking at Conrad.
"A Coke?" He asked.
"Of course. I'll be right back with those. Melissa will be your server tonight." He smiled at us and walked away.
"If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go?" He asked reaching across the table to take my hand again.
"I've always wanted to go to the Museum of Popular Culture in Seattle to see the Scared to Death exhibit. It's full of horror movie props." I answered shrugging.
"That's really cool. I didn't know that was a thing." He chuckled.
"Yeah. My sister looked it up last year. We almost took the trip but then the pictures showed up at my father's office, so we didn't go. It was safer to be at home." I sighed.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Sprite for the lady and Coke for the gentleman." A woman with golden hair smiled putting the glasses on the table.
"Thank you." I smiled up at her.
"Are you ready to order?" She smiled at us.
"May I get the Seafood Alfredo?" I asked glancing up at her.
She smiled and nodded writing my order down and turning to look at Conrad.
"May I get the Spaghetti Bolognese?" He looked up his hand still in mine.
"I'll have that right out." She smiled at us.
"Thank you." Conrad said returning his gaze to me.
"Would you take a cross country road trip?" I asked.
"Sure. What do you have in mind?" He smirked at me.
"Honestly, there's two." I admitted chuckling.
"Tell me." He locked eyes with mine.
"I want to visit the horror movie sets, like Nancy Thompson's house in Nightmare on Elm Street or the Myers house in Halloween. The other is like a Haunted America tour. The Amityville Horror house and Villisca Ax Murder House." I shrug.
"Those both sound incredible." He smiled at me.
"Really? You don't think it's weird?" I looked at him.
"Of course not. Hauntings are cool." He chuckled running his thumb over my knuckles.
"Seafood Alfredo." The blue eyed waitress set my plate down in front of me.
"Spaghetti Bolognese." She set his plate down.
"Thank you." He smiled.
"I'll bring you refills for your drinks." She smiled at us.
I nodded.
"Are there misconceptions about you that you wish people wouldn't make?" He asked.
"Oh, we're getting deep now." I chuckled nodding as the waitress set our refills down.
"Ugh... That I'm stuck up or pretentious because of who my father is." I shrugged after she left.
"I've never got that feeling from you. You're actually one of the most down to earth women I've ever met."
I smiled at him.
"What are you most passionate about?" I asked him.
"Helping people. Not even just physically. Emotionally, mentally. Everyone deserves one person to really care." He smiled sadly at me.
"Are we ready for the check?" Melissa asked clearing our empty plates.
"Yes, please." Conrad answered.
She pulled a small black check folder out of her apron and Conrad placed a few bills in it and handed it back to her.
"Keep the change." He smiled standing up and taking my hand.
"What about you? Why medicine?" He asked as we walked out to the truck.
"For much a similar reason I guess. Everyone deserves to get help. Everyone deserves to have someone be there for them. Everyone deserves an answer to why they're suffering." I answered.
Conrad opened the pickup door open and helped me inside.
Once he climbed into the truck I reached for his hand.
"Are you an early bird or a night owl?" He asked as we drove back to the dorms.
"Typically a night owl but since I entered medical school I'm more of a permanently exhausted pigeon."
Conrad laughed loudly beside me.
"I think that's normal." He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.
"What's the best thing that happened to you this last month?" I asked as he pulled up outside my dorm.
He put the truck in park and turned to look at me. He didn't speak as he got out of the truck and helped me out of the truck. He took my hand and walked me up to the doorstep. He turned and took my other hand in his.
"At ten minutes after eight o'clock on Halloween night a beautiful woman bumped into me walking out of the back door of my house. Changed my life." He smiled at me.
I blushed and looked down at my hands in his.
"Look at me, Meghan." He whispered gently.
I looked up at him and he took his hands from mine. He gently touched my cheek and wrapped his arm around me. I laid my hands on his shoulders still looking up into his face.
He looked right into my eyes as he leaned down towards me, silently asking permission with his eyes.
I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his slowly moving my hands until I could wrap my arms around his neck and his hand moved from my face to wrap his other arm around me.