Next Door Neighbor

CHAPTER 7: FIRST DATE

STEPHANIE'S POV:

Today's the day. My date with Spencer. So far, I've tried on six different outfits. It shouldn't be this hard, we hang out all the time. I hold up a pair of jeans and shake my head, too casual. I hold up a yellow blouse. Too fancy. I look through my closet again. I settle on a yellow jumpsuit, one that's not too dressy and not too casual. It's perfect.

I put on my yellow flats and tie my hair in a braid. I grab my purse and head out the door. We're meeting at a small cafe that Spencer likes, one that has a small bookstore attached. It sounds like the perfect place for a first date. I walk out to the street and hail a taxi. When I arrive, I grab a seat and wait for Spencer to arrive. He had to do some work before our date, so we agreed we'd meet here at noon.

While I wait, I look around the cafe. There's a few small wooden tables, each with a mason jar of flowers on it. A little coffee bar sits against one of the walls, a display of sandwiches and pastries protected by glass. Large wooden bookshelves cover the rest of the walls, books stacked haphazardly on each shelf. I can see why Spencer loves this place.

I look towards the door and see Spencer walk in, his bag across his chest. He's wearing his purple button down and nice pants, but he has on his worn converse and what appear to be crocodile socks. I wave to him and he walks over, sitting down across from me. "Hey. Sorry I'm late." Spencer apologizes. "No worries. I love this place." I tell him. He smiles. "Me too."

We order some coffee, both pouring obscene amounts of sugar in. We chat as we drink. We talk for hours, and it's effortless. The nerves disappear. I could talk to Spencer for hours. When we finish our coffees, we decide to go browse the books. We walk between shelves, sharing books we've read or want to read. We read excerpts from terrible romance novels, read quotes aloud to each other. It's the best date I've ever been on.

SPENCER'S POV:

Everytime Stephanie speaks, every time she smiles at me, I fall for her even harder. She's beautiful, inside and out. She makes me laugh with her jokes, makes me grin with her stories. Usually on dates, I'm a nervous mess. But when I'm with her, I feel safe. I can be completely and truly myself, and I know she won't judge me. I can't wait to ask her out again.