[onhold] Through All Seasons

11│Winter: 'Oh baby, yes I want it.'

"Where are you taking me?" I asked as Tyler drove down the street towards the town center. 

"I have a nice place in my mind, it's close to the ballet studio downtown," he answered, assuming I knew where the ballet studio was. 

"Alright." I simply said. 

Ten minutes later he parked in a parking lot of a ballet studio. So here it was. We got out of the car and he led the way. We reached a high building with nice big windows, I hoped this was it because my stomach was killing me.

"Here we are." Tyler opened the door and held it until I walked in. Such a gentleman. I remember thinking the same thing about Collin, just in the opposite way. This time I was serious. 

We were greeted by a waitress. "Good evening, a table for two?" She eyed my clothes from top to bottom. 

"Yes, please. I reserved one for Johnson. Thank you." 

He already reserved a table? Was I so predictable? How did he know we'd go out for dinner? 

I glanced over to Tyler who seemed very pleased with himself. What was he up to? 

"Right, please follow me." The waitress guided us through the restaurant which looked stunning. It had tall ceilings, chandeliers hanging from them. The tables were round with elegant candlesticks on top. All in all, this restaurant looks damn expensive. Holy moly. My mom would kill me when she saw my withdrawal. 

Everyone here was dressed in nice evening clothes, and then there was me. Still wearing my jeans and t-shirt from all day of school. I felt very underdressed. To my comfort, Tyler also wore his casual clothes and he knew, apparently, that he'd go here. 

I was still amazed by the beautiful ambiance as we sat down. "Wow, Tyler. This restaurant is amazing, but I am afraid to look at the menu, to be honest." 

He laughed. "Don't worry about that. It's on me tonight. Order whatever you want." 

I eyed him incredulously. 

"Are you serious? I can't accept that." 

"River, please. I was the one bringing you here." He chuckled. "So, I can recommend the pasta. It's absolutely delicious." I opened the menu and tried not to look at the prices but I couldn't help it. Again, holy moly, it was even more pricey than I had imagined. 

"Alright, then... thank you, Tyler." I scanned the menu for something I liked and decided for the Fusilioni Fico in goat cheese, honey and cream sauce, caramelized walnuts and pears. 

When the waitress came to get our orders, I ordered a coke with it. I wasn't sure though if that's an appropriate drink for this restaurant, because we never went out to a place like this.

"Do you go here often?" I asked. 

"Yes, my parents often take me here to get dinner since both of them work a lot, they don't want to cook." 

"I do the cooking at home, my mom works a lot too." I sighed. "But we don't go out so much." I smiled awkwardly. It seemed very clear to me now that Tyler has money, or at least his parents. I didn't pay attention to his car before, but I bet it wasn't an old or used one. 

"What does your mom do for a living?" Tyler asked curiously. 

"She is a real estate agent. She basically works 24/7. But when she's home, she is exhausted and tired." It was easy to talk to Tyler, but I didn't want to come across as a complaining little daughter. I was grateful for my mom. "But we work. I cook and she gets the groceries." 

He smiled at me. "River, tell me. Why haven't we done this earlier? We have a lot in common." 

My eyes widened. "Well, I guess there are many reasons for that," I stated. Two worlds, remember? 

"Name one," he said. At this moment, the waitress brought our drinks. 

I took a sip of my coke before I answered. "Well, we live in two different worlds. You are in the popular footballer slash cheerleader group. And I'm in the group for the rest." Do they view the structure in school differently? They must. 

"There are no different worlds or groups, we are all individuals." He looked me deep in the eyes. "River, I wish we had this conversation a long time ago. But I guess, it is not too late yet."

"Tyler, why am I here?" The words gushed out of me before I could help it. 

He grinned widely. "Are you wary? Don't worry, I just want to get to know you better. I have always admired you from afar." 

Was he actually serious here? Nobody admired me. And definitely not one of the most popular and good-looking boys in school. 

"You can close your mouth now," he winked at me. "It's the truth, but there was no opportunity so far for us." 

"No opportunity? We go to the same school for at least two years." 

"True, but I needed an open door, a start signal if you want. I knew you'd never start the conversation." 

"And the project was the signal from the universe you were waiting for?" I said, still doubting a word he said. 

"Yes, and the role allocation for the drama play," Tyler smirked. "You know, I would have bitten my ass if Collin would have been able to look behind the curtain of yours before me."

"So this is a competition? Who gets to know me first?" 

The waitress brought our meals. It smelled delicious, I couldn't wait to taste it, but right now it didn't feel right to dig my fork into the pasta. I looked at Tyler waiting. 

"In some way, yes. Collin and I are always competing. Most of the time he's ahead, though," he laughed light-hearted.

I started eating my pasta because my stomach would have killed me otherwise. 

"I see. But I don't want to be some kind of goal or prize," I stated firmly.

"Don't worry, you're not. At least not to me. I can't speak for Collin." 

"What am I for you then?" 

"A beautiful girl who seems very interesting when you get to know her," he said, smiling. "And I want to get to know her." I blushed slightly and hoped he didn't notice. So far, only Thomas called me beautiful.

After this heated conversation, we only made small talk which I was grateful for so I could eat my pasta peacefully. Tyler was nice and kind to me, he was thoughtful and paid for an amazing dinner when I was dying of hunger. 

He drove me home in his big shiny BMW. (Yes, my bike is still at school, I will have to walk tomorrow, but that's fine.) 

"Thank you, Tyler. This was an amazing evening, with great food." I smiled.

"And great company," he added. "See you tomorrow." 

"Yes." I got out of the car and walked to the front door. I turned around as I reached the door, but Tyler was already gone. 

*****

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