White as Snow | Paul Lahote

8. First Date

Paul pulled up outside Sarah's house exactly at 5:00 sharp. He paused before going inside to take a breath, grabbed the flowers he had bought for her from the passenger side, then headed to the door. Paul could feel his stomach knot up as he heard the sound of the locks click open. When the door opened, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest, he smiled.

"Hi again Sir," Paul was standing on their porch with a bouquet of fresh flowers.

"Come on in son!" Charlie said with a smile, "Are those for me?" he pointed to the bouquet, giggling. "Of course, sir! Only the best for you" Paul played along. "A ha! Finally someone who appreciates my beauty! No one around here does" Charlie said with a silly smile. Paul laughed.

Sarah had finally stepped out of the kitchen and headed towards the two men, laughing, poking fun at one another. As she grabbed her jacket from the coat rack, she heard Charlie speak.

"Ah there she is! Isn't she gorgeous!" Charlie praised. "Definitely the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen" Paul agreed.

Sarah felt her cheeks flush.

"Well dad, if you don't mind, I think it's time we headed out" Sarah said, as politely as she could.

"Of course baby. Have fun, you guys!" Charlie said with a smile. Before they made it out the door, Charlie pulled Paul in close and whispered, "have her home by 11 pm. And be careful. I'm watching you,". Paul let out an audible gulp.

He knew he meant it.

Paul opened the door to his car, which was a Gran Torino and waited for Sarah to sit down before closing the door behind her. He climbed into the driver's seat then asked if she was comfortable.

"Very" she said with a smile. Man her dad would've loved sitting in this car. He'd always talked about wanting a GT forever, Sarah thought to herself.

"So what do you have planned for me today?" Sarah said with a gleam in her eyes. "It's a surprise," Paul winked, playfully. "The suspense is killing me!!! Just tell meeeeeeeee" Sarah pleaded. "As much as I'd love to hear you beg some more, you're just gonna have to wait to see" Sarah wrinkled her nose. "So what've you been up to since I last saw you?" Paul asked eagerly.

"Nothing too exciting. School was boring. It didn't help that you or Jared weren't there. That would've definitely made it a bit more bearable. We have a calc quiz in two weeks, be sure to actually be at school to write it" Sarah jokingly said, "Other than that, nothing" Sarah said. "Well it's nice to see that someone missed me" Paul said, his eyes lit up as he spoke. "No one said they missed you" Sarah teased.

"Ouch. I'm wounded! Our date barely started and you've already managed to break my heart" Paul said, one hand clutching his chest. "Get over yourself, you're such a drama queen" Sarah rolled her eyes then giggled. Paul pulled out of Sarah's driveway then headed to the uneven road which led to the beach.

Sarah wondered if her parents were watching from the window again when the car finally pulled out of the driveway.

Paul pulled into the parking lot of La Push Beach. "Our first stop awaits" his eyes twinkled. "Right this way madam" Jared said as he opened the door for her. "Jared? What're you doing here" Sarah was genuinely shocked. "Jared? Who's Jared? My name is Albert, and I will be your host for the evening" Jared stated, with an awkward attempt at a British accent.

Jared walked the pair to a cleared spot nestled between two rocks, right next to the space where the sand kissed the sea. There had been a large picnic blanket laid out on the sand, with a large basket on it.

Jared ushered the two to sit. Paul had sat right beside Sarah. She could feel a strong sense of warmth whenever he would pull closer. As if he was radiating heat from within. Sarah turned to face the water, Paul followed. The two sat there in silence, watching the waves clash against the tall cliffs overlooking them. The water seemed to get closer each time. Yet it didn't. As if it were teasing the two.