Destined

Thirty Eight

Best behavior. Why had I agreed to this again? We were in some fancy restaurant, the kind of place I wouldn't go to, unless I was with my mum or Aunt Shar. Vince had told me to dress semi-formal. I didn't know what that meant for me so I'd chosen to wear a dress, it had a pencil skirt that went up to just below my knees and a fitted bodice embroidered with lace. Actually Maddie made me wear it.

It was a bold move for me, since I rarely wore anything that insinuated the shape of my body so much but the way Vince looked at me when he came to pick me up was worth it. He smiled, told me I looked beautiful and kissed my temple adoringly giving me the confidence boost I needed to leave with him. Of course my hair, I tied up, into a messy bun that Maddie had somehow managed to make look classy.

Vince had his arm on the small of my back as we walked into the restaurant. I noticed Reese immediately. It's like she was the only color in the room. While most people were wearing dull opaque colors, Reese Erleene wore a bright red dress, red really was her color, also body hugging, showing off her long legs and her shoulders, since it was strapless, and a certain amount of her breasts. Her perfect blonde hair was done up in curls and she'd let it fall over so it could dangle over her shoulders. She looked beautiful.

"Reese," Vince said and grabbed her hand to shake it before she could launch herself at him in a hug.

She seemed momentarily disappointed but smiled nonetheless.

"Vee, so glad you could make it. Kristina, you look absolutely gorgeous," she said to me.
I smiled, "Thank you. I love your dress," I said.
"This old thing?" She turned around, showing it off from all angles.

I glanced at Vince and found him watching me, not her. I felt tiny explosions of relief go off inside me.

"Please, sit," she said when she found us staring at each other instead of her.

Vince pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down, then he immediately sat beside me, on my left, away from Reese, putting me in the middle. Again, I noticed a little disappointment on Reese's face but I pushed it on to my being paranoid. The waiter was at our table a second later, asking for drink orders. Reese immediately ordered a bottle of non alcoholic wine for us all making me realize she knew about Vince's sobriety.

"Kristina, you should try the risotto, I hear it's absolutely scrumptious," she said as she picked up her menu. "So, Vee, now that your book is out, what do you do to occupy your time?"
"I'm still pretty busy, started writing another book, and I'm coaching the football team," he replied not bothering to pick up the menu. "Kristina, would you mind ordering for me?" He said to me, squeezing my hand under the table.
I smiled and scanned the menu, "Steak?"
He smiled, "Perfect,"
"Kristina, Vince told me you're studying law," Reese said putting her menu down.
"Uh yes, in my first year," I answered.
"Is it everything you've dreamed?"
I nodded, "And so much more. I enjoy learning about the justice system,"
"Crime bores me, I mean it's so gruesome and....illegal," she laughed.
I knew Vince was about to say something but I beat him to it, "It's not for everyone, I personally don't think I could handle economics,"
"You should sit in on a class, you could learn a thing or two," she said as our waiter returned with the wine and to take our orders.
"So tell me, how are you two lovebirds doing?" She asked and took a large sip of her wine.
"Never better," Vince answered. "Happy," he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.
She swooned, "Ah, to be young and in love,"

I mentally frowned. At that moment, she sounded more like an older parent than a college senior. Hell she was a year younger than Vince but she kept talking to me like she was old enough to be my mother. Or was I just being paranoid again? Dinner went well, with idle chit chat. We ate and talked about mundane things but I still felt like we, Vince and I, really could have been doing better things with our Friday night but oh well.