The Boy In The Bow Tie (edited)

4. First Date

    Our date was better than amazing. He was wearing a red bow tie with navy blue anchors that was slightly frayed on the sides, and a crisp oxford with khakis. He took me to a restaurant in East Hampton and we had ahi tuna that cost more than the top I was wearing, We talked the whole time about what we wanted to do with our lives' and about our lives' back home. I learned that he was my age- 17 and lived in Barrington, Rhode Island. His dad was an alumni director at Brown University and his mom was an orthodontist (which explained his perfect Colgate smile). And that his great-grandparents made money during prohibition and their money had been passed down for generations. He wanted to attend Yale, but his dad insisted that he go to Brown, like he had.

He was perfect. Everything he did, every move he made. Everything was so amazingly flawless. I couldn't even compare. I lived in Des Moines, Iowa, we were a middle-class family, and I was praying to get accepted into community college.

After dinner, we went for a walk on the beach, and watched the sunset together. I sat in his lap and we told jokes until it was completely dark. It was the nicest evening I had had in a long time.

He drove me home and before I got out of his car, he put his hand on my thigh, sending shivers down my spine. He leaned close to me, and whispered in my ear.

"I had a really nice time tonight." His breath prickled my skin.

"Me too," I replied softly. He cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. My world seemed to spin upside-down and fireworks exploded in my mind. He let go of me and I stepped out of the car.

"I'll call you," he said, and drove away, leaving me dizzy and with butterflies in my stomach. I stumbled into the house, high off the kiss. I slept well that night.

I woke up, and after eating breakfast with my grandparents, went for a walk on the beach. As I was halfway down the beach, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered, knowing very well who it was.

"Hey Char, it's Connor."

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, turning to look at the beautiful ocean.

"Just wondering how much longer you're in town for," he replied. I had completely forgotten that we were going home in just a week.

"A week." I replied, a sudden wave of sadness washing over me.

"Damn. I was just starting to like you." I blushed, and sat down on the beach.

"I don't want to leave, I love it here so much."

"Then don't leave! Stay here for the whole summer," he said. It was a very tempting offer.

"I can't. I'm grounded as soon as this vacation is over. I wish, though."

"Well listen, I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Every day for the next seven days, can you do that?"

"Of course! I would love that," I replied, grinning.

"Oh good. Let's start now," he said, cryptically.

"Wha-?" I began to say, but before I could finish my sentence, I saw him standing down the beach.

"I thought we'd start as soon as possible," he said. I got up and ran over to him. We kissed, and it was even better than the last one.

"How's that for a greeting?" I flirted, pulling away.

"I could get used to that. Come on, I have something to show you." He swept me away to his car.

He took me to an art exhibit. Art wasn't usually my thing, but this was definitely an exception. He told me that his sister was the artist.

"Is there anything that your family can't do?" I asked.

"Probably not, we're pretty great," he joked. But was he really joking?

"Oh Connor! I'm so glad you could make it," exclaimed his sister Haley, that I had met on the beach the week before.

"Wouldn't miss it. Haley, you remember Charlie," Connor said, re-introducing us.

"Yes! Thank you so much for coming. I can't wait to speak with you more, but unfortunately, I have to go schmooze," she explained, fake pouting.

"It was nice to see you," I replied, smiling.

"Hey, why don't you come over tomorrow night for dinner with my family? Connor suggested as he put his arm around me.

"Oh, um. Sure, maybe," I replied hesitantly.

"C'mon Charlie, it'll be nice. They'll love you." We said our final goodbye to Haley and walked out to his car. Before we drove away, I placed my hand on his knee.

"Okay. Connor, you have to understand that we come from two different worlds. It's super cliche, but it's true," I said, dreading that conversation.

"You think I don't know that? Charlie, I understand that we're two completely different people, but I don't care. Honestly, I'm tired of all the entitled rich people who surround me. I've had a horrible experience with girls like me. When I met you at the club, I knew you were going to be good for me," he said. I blushed. He was so sweet, but I didn't want to get hurt.

"I feel the same way, but I just feel like we might be moving too fast."

"All I know is that I really like you, Charlie. I want to spend as much time as possible getting to know you and finding out more about you," everything he was saying matched what I was thinking completely.

"Me too." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well, then what else is there to talk about? I'll pick you up tomorrow at six for dinner with my family." It was settled.