The Brave and Beautiful

3 Dinners, 2 Dates, 1 Secret

Adam's POV
Dinner with my family is hell. EVERYTHING has to be perfect. On a normal dinner, when it's just me, my mom and dad, and my brother, than its not terrible. But if my ENTIRE family is coming over, my mom brings on the measuring tape to line up the utensils perfectly. She cooks like crazy for these dinners.

So, naturally, I wasn't excited.

Especially because I was about to tell my secret to my entire family. My perfect family. I was shaking. My palms were sweating, and I felt like I was gonna puke.

I had to talk to someone about it. My only option was Izzy. In one quick motion I grabbed my phone. Then I quickly typed in her number. After a few seconds, she answered.

"Hey, this is Izzy speaking " she said in a nervous tone.

"Hey, it's Adam! I need your help." I said, trying not to sound totally desperate.

"Look, Adam, I'm about to go on a date. I really can't talk to you right now." Izzy said.

"I'm about to tell my parents." I responded.

"Good luck." Izzy said, obviously trying end the phone call.

"Well, how do I say it?" I said. My hands now started to shake full on. There was no turning back now.

"Look, it's not that big of a deal! You're making things SO dramatic! Just... calm down. I can hear you sweating through the phone" Izzy laughed. Then, I heard someone coming down the hall towards my room.

"Izzy, I have to go.' I said. I hung up so fast, that she didn't even get to say goodbye. Then, my brother entered my room.

"Hey. Have you showered yet? You just got back from basketball practise and mom will kill you if you smell like sweat" My brother said. My brother, Cameron, was a nice guy. He wasn't one of those brothers who tried constantly to get you into trouble. Instead, he tried to get you out of it. Plus, he was understanding. He was the only one that I knew would NEVER look at me different. No matter what.

"Ya. I'll hop in before supper." I said

"Is something wrong Adam?" Cameron asked. He could read me like magazine.

For a moment, I thought I was going to tell him.

But I didnt.

"Nope. Nothing"
***
Hope's POV
Sitting across from Nick made her happy. But something about him tonight was off. We were eating dinner together at a fancy resteraunt called "Le Brave et Beau."

Maybe that's why he seemed off. Maybe he was intimidated. No. That couldn't be it. He was well-mannered. This was just another dinner with the two of us, alone. He was fine, and it was probably just my imagination.

"So, what are you gonna order" I asked awkwardly.

"I'm probably gonna get the chicken. And I'm guessing you're gonna get the salad?" Nick said.

"Excuse me! Of course not!" I said, almost laughing. "I'm getting the hamburger!"

This was my second date with Nick. He made sure the restaurant was one that wasn't in Elmville, for the benefit of keeping this 'secret.' He doesn't want anyone to find out about us, due to unknown circumstances.

And honestly, I needed to know why.

"Nick, I'm still confused as to why you don't want anyone to find out about...us. Please, tell me why." I said.

"I can't." Nick said sadly. He looked down at his drink. His black hair covered his eyes when he had his head down, making him seem all the more mysterious and bad ass.