Home For The Summer

Chapter 6: First Date

I ended up messaging Austin back telling him I was literally free whenever. He asked if I wanted to hang the next day and without hesitation agreed. With Sam having a girlfriend, I didn't have much of a choice and this Austin guy was crazy attractive.

That night, Austin took me to this really neat restaurant called Down by the Seaside, which had both an indoor and outdoor seating arrangement with candles, seashell decor, and very beachy classical music. It was the fanciest, yet super simple restaurants I had ever been to.

It also must've been built in the last five years because I had never noticed it before.

Before leaving my house, I had picked out this very casual dress I had gotten in Ohio for a school dance that I ended up only staying at for like an hour. I figured I might as well give it proper use now.

When I walked down the stairs, my dad was sitting on the couch, in his usual evening sweats watching some news broadcast, when he noticed me coming down.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"I'm going on a date, it's no big deal," I said as casually as the whole situation should have been.

"With who? Sam?"

When that name escaped his lips, I froze.

"Why would you think I'd be going on a date with Sam?" I asked, a little nervously.

My dad shrugged. "Well, I just figured since he's the only boy I've heard you talk about since we got here."

I laughed awkwardly. "Sam is Hannah's little brother, dad. Plus he has a girlfriend. And anyway, I'm going out with the other boy I had mentioned. The guy who hit me with that frisbee." I tried to put extra emphasis on the words "the other boy" to show my dad that I talked to more than one guy.

My dad raised an eyebrow. "You're going on a date with a boy who you called "random" and who hit you in the face?"

I rolled my eyes as any typical teenage girl would do. "Like I said, not a big deal, just going out to make friends now that we're back."

Just then my phone dinged.

"That's him, gotta go."

My dad looked back at the TV and said, "Well, have fun, kid. Make smart choices and be home at a decent time."

I rolled my eyes again and headed out the door.

When I got outside, I stared in awe at the beautiful blue Jeep Wrangler sitting in my driveway.

Austin got out as soon as he saw me and ran to the other side to hold the door for me.
"Hi," I said as I got closer.

"Hey! You look great," he said and I smiled. I got into the car and he slammed the door behind me, making his way back to the driver's side.

"Your car is beautiful," I said as he sat down.

"Thanks, it's actually my dad's. He let me borrow it for tonight."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. His dad let him borrow his car just for me.

"If I pulled up in my car, you'd probably change your mind about this."

This time I actually did smile. "I don't care what kind of car you have."

He sighed and wiped away fake sweat from his forehead. "Well, that's a relief."

He began backing out of the driveway and drove down the road. "So, I hope you don't mind seafood. I kind of had this place in mind down by the ocean, if you're interested. I mean, they have other things like steak and salad if you prefer that."