Fate is a Funny Thing

My First First Date

"Raf, you might want to keep your eyes on the road," I warn him, pulling my dress over my thighs self-consciously.

"What do you expect? Your beauty is distracting," he scoffs with a wink, tearing his eyes off me to look back at the road. He seems to have this habit of wanting to hold my hand when driving, only letting go to change gears. Not that I'm complaining, but with the way things end up every time we're in the car, I think it would be safer for him to use both hands.

I don't say as much. My desire to feel his touch overtakes my sanity telling me we should be cautious.

"What time are we supposed to meet everyone at the Opera House?" I ask wondering how much time we have to ourselves.

"I'll text them when we finish," he says, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles, "you worried you won't want to share me after our date?"

Hiding my blush, I fake scoff, "more like, I'm worried I'll fall asleep before it's time."

He raises an eyebrow at this as if taking this as a challenge. Shrinking into my seat, I clamp my mouth shut in surprise at what just came out of my mouth. I think he senses my change in tune and laughs, "I'm liking this more confident side of you."

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously.

"Two months ago, you would have rather drank coke than say something like that to me," he explains with a smirk.

"That's true," I giggle scrunching up my nose when he mentions coke. I hate coke.

"It's good," he adds, "you're finally coming into your own. Being who you really are."

Guilts twists within me like a knife. What he means is that I'm being who I am personality-wise. However, when he says this, it reminds me how much, or how little, he knows about me. He knows about my dad, which is a big part of my past and still affects me today, but he doesn't even know my real name, or that I'm a Pharmacist, not a Paramedic, or that my mom is a well-known lawyer, or that I'm basically betrothed to a random guy I've never met. What chance do we have if I can't tell him these things?

"Hope," Rafael yanks me back to reality by squeezing my hand. "You zoned out again. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I reply breathlessly. There's no chance I'll ever tell him anything about that. If I do, I might as well just pack my shit up and go home. He doesn't need to find out. What he doesn't know won't kill him.

Right?

"You know I don't believe you, don't you?" he gives me a sceptical look. Nodding in reply, I smile and tell him to let it go. I'm going on my first date with a man I really like and I won't let the ghosts of my past ruin it.

Wow. I don't even recognise myself anymore.

I like it.

Finally, we pull up in a car park and he turns the car off. Before I can get out of the vehicle, he jumps out on his side, sprints around the car and opens my door. Holding his hand out for me to take, "don't judge my first date plans."

Giving him a confused look, I take a look at the building he's leading me to, "Burger Shacker?"

"You don't strike me as the restaurant type of girl," he shrugs, holding my hand firmly. "So I thought we'd order some burgers and eat in the back of the car, which I've decorated just for you," he adds, with an overly-exaggerated flirtatious wink.

"Wait you changed up the back of the car?" I question.

Nodding in laughter, he exclaims, "I was worried throughout the whole car ride that you'd see it, but I don't know why. You never notice these things."