I guess Brady decided not to tempt fate, because when they were done laughing, Bebe shook her head and Brady smiled. Then he leaned over, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. I blew out a breath of relief. Brady may have gotten himself a date to the dance, but at least he didn’t defile Bebe’s lips. Perfect lips that were meant for me.
I was running out of time, and if I didn’t make my move soon, I was going to lose Bebe to someone else. If she wanted Brady, if Brady would make her happy, then I wouldn’t stand in her way. I just hoped that once I made my intentions clear, Brady would be a nonissue.
BIANCA
The evening had been going really well. Brady and I had fun at the game. We didn’t see much of it because we were too busy talking. That’s what makes a football game an ideal first date. Something to do if the conversation is bad, but if it’s good, you can ignore your surroundings without feeling guilty. We’d basically done just that. I couldn’t even tell you the final score, only that it was another blowout, and not in our favor.
He’d taken me to dinner after the game, Chili’s at my request. I love, love, love me some fajitas. We spent another hour and a half eating and talking while I waited expectantly for some sort of admission that he was my secret admirer. Only, it didn’t come. I was so sure it was Brady. I mean, who else could it be? Nobody. It had to be him. But he didn’t say a word about it or even hint at responsibility for the gifts. I was beginning to think nothing was going to happen, until the mood shifted toward the end of our dinner.
“So, Bianca, do you by any chance have a date to the homecoming dance?”
That caught me off guard. I hoped this was going to turn into an invite, because the dance was only a week away. At this point, I wasn’t sure Mr. Mysterious was going to admit his identity, much less ask me to the dance. “Actually, I haven’t been asked to the dance yet.” I crossed my fingers under the table and held my breath.
“Well, in that case, I was wondering…” Brady didn’t get a chance to finish his question, because at that exact moment, an entire tray of beverages tipped sideways and spilled all over the floor next to us, all over our table, and, unfortunately, all over Brady. He was completely soaked from his belly button to his knees. He tried to jump up so he could avoid the spill, but since we were in a booth, there was really no escaping. All he accomplished was banging his thighs on the underside of the table.
“Ouch!” he cried out, and quickly sat back down. But when he stood up, all the liquid that had spilled on the booth seat spread out, so when he sat back down it was in a large puddle of ice-cold water and soda. “Sh…” Brady started to say something vulgar but quickly put a lid on it and looked up at me with a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I try not to swear in front of the ladies. When I stand it’s going to look like I didn’t make it to the bathroom. Not to mention, my ass is freezing.”
I tried my best to hold back the laughter, but after five seconds of biting the inside of my cheek, I bust out in a gut-grabbing howl. Brady was a good sport because looked slightly amused instead of angry. I’m sure I looked like a rabid hyena and deserved a scornful glare, but he was a gentleman. Tears were escaping down my cheeks, and I thought our poor waitress was going to cry for completely different reasons.
“I am so sorry,” she gasped. “I don’t know what happened. Let me get you some towels.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think at this point towels will help much.” Brady smiled politely at her. His graciousness was making her feel more guilty.
“I’ll at least get you a towel to take home so you can put it on the seat of your car before you sit down.” Poor Rebecca was trying desperately to salvage her tip. She left the dining room and came back a few minutes later with a large hand towel and the check. It read zero dollars. Brady looked at it, then at her.
“This really isn’t necessary,” he protested. “Accidents happen.”
“Yes, it is. I’m so embarrassed. There’s no way I’m letting you pay for your dinner.”
“Well, thank you, Rebecca. That’s very kind of you.”
“It’s the least I could do. I really am sorry. I hope this won’t keep you from coming back.” She looked hopeful; she was waiting for confirmation that Brady wasn’t going to march straight to her manager and complain.
“I’m sure we’ll be back. The little lady here loves fajitas. Not sure I could keep her away if I wanted to.” Brady winked at me. The waitress apologized one more time as we got up and then left to attend to her other tables. Brady reached into his pocket, pulled out his soaking wet wallet, and grabbed a soggy ten-dollar bill. He threw it on the table and held out his hand toward the exit. “Ladies first.”
Super brownie points for Brady. Ten bucks would have been a generous tip, even if our meal hadn’t been interrupted by a beverage bath. Considering that she hadn’t charged us for our meal, it was like a million percent gratuity. We walked to the car, and he still opened the door for me, with a smile. As if he didn’t have ice in his underwear, which I’m sure was a very good possibility.
“That was super cool of you back there. I think a lot of guys wouldn’t have left a tip if they’d just been embarrassed in front of a date.”
“They’re jeans.” He shrugged. “It’s not like she ruined them. Plus, I have seat warmers, so my bum will be toasty and dry before we get to your house.” He reached over and pushed the button for his seat warmer, then pushed the one for mine. Within moments, my rear was feeling nice and cozy. Our next car totally needed seat warmers. “Not to mention the fact that she was more humiliated than I was. The meal was free; a tip was the least I could do.” Brady’s face turned thoughtful before he chuckled, “If I’d have known dinner would be free, I’d have taken you someplace nicer.” He raised his eyebrows up and down playfully, and I laughed.
“Well, it definitely made for an interesting first date. Something to look back on and laugh about next time.” The words came out before I could think about what I was saying. I realized the implication a little too late and hoped he wouldn’t pick up on it. That was way more bold than I’d intended it to be. We pulled up to my house and Brady parked the car, then came around to open my door and help me out. As we walked to the front porch, he called me out on my previous slip.
“Something to laugh about next time, huh? Does that mean there will be a second date?”
I assessed him for a moment before answering; I didn’t want to seem too eager. “I think you’ve totally earned a second date, if you want one.”
“Well, in that case… Would you like to go out next Saturday night, to homecoming? We can go to dinner first. I’ll be prepared with rain ponchos so that your dress and my suit won’t get ruined by stray drinks.”
I laughed as I nodded my acceptance. “I’d love to go to homecoming with you. But I think you’re the only one who needs a poncho. Just make sure you pick me up while wearing it. The photo op will be priceless.” He laughed at my jab—a real laugh, not just to be polite—and I laughed because he was laughing. As our laughter died down, it got quiet very quickly, and I knew this was the moment I’d been dreading.
All night long, my mind had strayed to this scenario. It was a first date, if you didn’t count the Slurpee run, which I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if I should expect a goodnight kiss, but this moment was feeling very much like a kissing moment. It’s not that Brady wasn’t kissable. With that gorgeous smile, he was most definitely extremely kissable. I wasn’t sure I was ready to move on completely from Cam. Kissing Brady would be admitting to myself that I was giving up on the boy I really liked.
We were standing pretty close, close enough that he wouldn’t have to move closer to kiss me, just lean in a little. Brady broke the silence first. “I had a really good time tonight.” His voice was suddenly huskier and hesitant.
“I had a lot of fun, too,” I replied. He looked nervous, and I decided that if he had the guts to kiss me after the whole dinner fiasco, that I had the guts to kiss him back. I looked into his eyes, an
d he started to lean in. Oh my gosh. This is it. Brady Jones is going to kiss me… I leaned forward to meet him and let my eyes flutter closed. He was so close now that his lips were brushing mine ever so slightly. Mine started to part in response, when the loudest sound imaginable pulled me away with a jerk and a scream. I jumped. Literally jumped, and in doing so, whacked Brady in the nose with my forehead.
“Crap, Brady, I’m so sorry. Are you ok?” I asked while he put a hand over his nose and nodded in confirmation. Then we both turned toward the noise that had nearly caused me to give him an unsolicited nose job. Cam’s father’s car was parked in the driveway, and the car alarm was going off, wailing at a deafening level. We stared at the car, trying to figure out what had caused the alarm to blare. I couldn’t see anything suspicious. Must have been one of the random stray cats that roamed the neighborhood.
Brady looked back at me, shaking his head. I couldn’t believe how rotten his luck was. Poor guy. I couldn’t help it. For the second time that night, I laughed at his misfortune. I was kind of a crappy date.
“Sure, laugh it up.” Brady was smiling, so I knew he wasn’t upset with my reaction. He sighed and looked at me, probably deciding whether the mood had been totally ruined. “I’d love to pick up where we left off, but I think I’d be pushing it. Soggy pants, battered nose, I’m not sure I want to know what strike three might deliver. Time to bow out gracefully.” He grabbed me for a hug without pulling me close enough to get me wet, then pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you Monday, Bea.” With that, he turned and walked back to his car, pausing to flash me one last smile before he got in and drove away.
I sighed and headed inside, unsure whether I was disappointed that Brady hadn’t kissed me or relieved that I’d been able to postpone cheating on Cam. I climbed the stairs and entered my room, desperately needing to sit down and process what had happened this evening. I was going to kiss Brady, and that felt really unfair, since deep down I was wishing it’d been Cam. Brady was such a decent guy. Pretty much perfect, by most girls’ standards. But I wasn’t most girls, and I wasn’t sure I could ever feel the same way about him as I felt about Cam.
I hadn’t even gotten my jacket and shoes off before Beth threw my door open without knocking. “Sure, just come on in. I’m not naked or anything.” My sarcasm was very clear, but she totally ignored it.
“Two things. First, what in the heck was all the noise about? And second, I need details, lots and lots of details. Explain the first thing quickly, so we can get to the second. That’s more important.” Beth’s excitement was radiating, so I decided to let the intrusion slide.
“Well, the noise was Cam’s dad’s car alarm going off. I can’t for the life of me figure out why it did, but it was absolutely horrible timing. Brady’s lips were practically touching mine when it happened, so instead of getting a kiss, I almost broke his nose. I got startled and jumped; then I smacked into him.”
Beth’s eyes went wide, and she threw her hand over her mouth in shock. “No way. He was going to kiss you?” She gave a girly shriek and started bouncing on my bed.
“Focus here, Beth, focus.” I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes. “I swear, sometimes it’s like you’re my pet Chihuahua instead of my sister. I was totally embarrassed. Needless to say, the kiss didn’t end up happening. But it could have been worse.” I snickered to myself. “I could have been Brady. I’m surprised he had the nerve to kiss me, after the catastrophe at dinner.”
For a brief moment, something flashed across Beth’s face, an emotion I couldn’t place. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was guilt. Since that didn’t make any sense and it only lasted a split second, I figured I was imagining it. Beth’s mouth formed an O, and she pushed for me to expound. “This sounds juicy. Please tell me before I die, waiting in anticipation,” she begged.
“Ok, drama queen.” I hit her with my pillow as I sized her up. “Stop being so peppy. You’re the walking personification of cheerleaders right now. There’s a reason for the stereotype, you know.” She ignored my insult and waited patiently for her juicy story. The girl was on a mission. “You’re hopeless, too, you know. Guess it’s hereditary.” Beth nodded like a bobblehead Barbie doll, still bouncing up and down on my bed. I shook mine and laughed but moved on with the story.
“Well, we had a great time at the game, and then he took me to dinner at a restaurant of my choosing.”
“Wait, wait, let me guess.” Beth interrupted me as she put her fingers to her temples and squinted as if she were trying to read my mind. “You guys went to Chili’s?” Her answer earned her yet another slap with my pillow. “Geez, Bea, you’re so predictable.”
“I fail to see how the restaurant choice is important,” I defended myself. Beth snickered at my protest but didn’t say anything else. “So anyway, we went to dinner, and before you say anything, yes, I did get fajitas. Don’t bother making fun of me if you want to hear the rest of the story.” This time Beth could barely contain her laughter, but she ran her fingers across her mouth, zipping her lips. I waited a second, just to be sure.
“Dinner was fun, too. There was never a lull in the conversation or anything. As a matter of fact, Brady is almost too perfect. It’s like he was meant for you, or something.”
“Now who needs to focus? Get to the catastrophe already.”
Beth was getting impatient, and I was enjoying the torture. “Oh, all right. Calm down. So we got to the end of dinner and I thought he would ask for the check, but he totally changed direction and brought up homecoming. He asked if I was going with anyone, and I said I wasn’t. Then, right when I thought he’d ask me, our waitress knocked over a tray of drinks. It spilled all over him.”
“No way.” Beth gasped. “Oh, how horrible. I bet your waitress felt awful.”
“She did. So awful, in fact, that she didn’t charge us for the dinner.”
“Well, that’s lucky. Was Brady super angry?” Beth’s mood shifted. Instead of excited, she seemed really concerned about Brady all of a sudden. Weird.
“Not at all. He was way sweet about it. He threw down a nice tip for the poor lady, even though he was soaked to the bone and freezing his ass off.” Beth gave me a dirty look, which I knew was over the swear, but I threw my hands up in defense. “Hey, his words, not mine.”
“I guess, given the situation, I can forgive the potty mouth,” Beth conceded.
“I’ll say. It was like twelve of those giant restaurant glasses. Half were ice water, but the other half were soda. Not only was his ass cold, it was probably sticky, too.” I made sure to throw in the extra swear that time, just for Beth’s benefit. “So he walked out of the Chili’s all calm and composed, opened my door for me, and drove me home. Did I mention that his car has heaters in the seats? Butt heaters are amazing, Beth. We really need those in our next car.”
She gave me a look; I was straying from what was important again. I finished my story without giving her a chance to chastise me. “After he got me to the door, he asked me to homecoming, and of course I said yes. The mood was totally screaming kiss me, kiss me. He went in for the kiss, and right as our lips brushed, Cam’s car alarm went off. That’s just stupid, dumb luck right there. I mean, what are the chances that both his first homecoming proposal and his attempt to kiss me could have been interrupted so horribly?”
“Yes…” Beth mused, “What are the chances?”
“I swear, not even the universe itself could have planned it better. It’s like a big, flashing neon sign that says Don’t go out with Brady. It’s a bad idea.” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. Wait, was this really a sign? Maybe I shouldn’t go to homecoming with Brady. Maybe tonight was just a preview of things to come.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Beth was stern. “Don’t even go there. You’re not going to read into tonight’s events. The drinks and the car alarm were just a coincidence. I can guarantee it wasn’t because of you, or Brady. And the universe was definitely not be
hind it, either.” She sounded so sure. I wished I could believe her. “You’re just being a chicken, because you have no self-esteem. Though, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. A really cute, really nice guy likes you. You don’t know how to handle it, so you’re getting all superstitious. You’ll ruin everything before it even starts.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you really think? Geez, Beth, could you be any harsher?”
“I’m sorry, Bianca, but it’s time you accepted the truth. There is nothing average about you. You’re pretty and smart and crazy athletic. I couldn’t do half the things you do on the basketball court, and I know for a fact that guys think that’s hot. I’ve heard them talking about it in PE.”
My mouth fell open. What? Guys said I was hot? In PE, of all places?
Beth continued her rant. “You’re fun to be around, and I don’t for one second believe that horse crap about the universe sending all the boys you like to ask me out instead. I think the fact that there’s a guy leaving you love notes, presents, and a yard full of hand-cut hearts proves it.”
Wow, she was on a roll. I wanted to argue, but the second I opened my mouth, she shot me a look that screamed Don’t you dare. “Whoever he is, he isn’t sending me all of those romantic things. He’s doing them for you. Since we’re pretty much a package deal, I’m positive this guy knows who I am. But he’s not choosing me, is he?”
Beth paused to take a breath. She must have seen the shock on my face and the horror in my eyes, because her voice softened. She reached out to grab my hands. “Bea, you’re amazing in so many ways, and for some reason everyone can see that but you. I know your instinct is to deny it, but you have an extremely romantic secret admirer and a not-so-secret, very sweet, totally hot date to homecoming.”
“They may be the same person, you know.” It was all I could manage to get out.
“But maybe they aren’t.” She smiled. “That would make at least two boys who are crazy about you. If I did a little digging, I’m sure I could find at least a couple more.”
Perfectly Oblivious (The Perfect Series Book 1) Page 16
