The Boyfriend Bet (LDS Fiction)

by Clayson, Rebecca Lynn

  I also offered a prayer for myself, asking God to help me understand the best pathway forward with Patrick. I explained my nervousness to God and asked for a peaceful heart and the inspiration that I needed to understand the situation more clearly so that I wouldn't hurt Patrick in any way.

  As I drifted off to sleep, I gave thanks for the many blessings God had brought into my life and asked for continued guidance for the coming days. I could feel the comfort of God's hand in my life, and I was so thankful to know that He was there watching over me.

  Chapter 9

  I awakened in the middle of the night and lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling. Sleep was proving to be difficult after hearing Patrick's story. He had been through a lot over the past few years, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't want to be another sad piece of the story.

  I had started dating him because of the bet. But in the course of our dating, I'd grown very fond of him... which was a scary thing to admit out loud. Did I want to continue exploring the relationship possibilities with him? Or would it be better for me to step away so that I didn't hurt him if things didn't work out? If we continued to date and he got more attached to me, then it would be more likely that I could potentially hurt him. I didn't want to do that.

  I felt as though I was at a crossroads, a critical point where the decision needed to be made about what I wanted and what I was going to do. I decided that I no longer cared about the bet; it was fine if I didn't win. I could buy Kendra the new phone; I knew that it was okay if I didn't win this one. Usually, I had a strong competitive personality, but the competitive side of me had been won over by the tender feelings that I felt for Patrick.

  We had our fifth date scheduled for Friday, and I decided that I would still go with him. But I was going on the date because I wanted to spend time with him, not because I wanted to win the bet. In fact, maybe I could talk to Kendra before going on the date and let her know that I was giving in because I didn't want to have any feelings of guilt hanging over my head when I went out with Patrick on Friday.

  As I made up my mind to give up on the bet, I felt much more peaceful and at ease with the situation. I could move forward with a clean conscience, understanding that I was dating Patrick for the right reasons, and being true to my own heart.

  The decision to give up on the bet helped me relax enough that I was able to fall asleep, and dream sweet peaceful dreams of Patrick all night long.

  *****

  The next morning, I went downstairs to get some breakfast and Kendra was already seated at the dining room table eating a bowl of cereal. I wasn't in the mood to go into detail about Patrick's story, but I knew that I needed to tell her that the bet was off so that I could clear my conscience.

  "How was your date with Patrick last night? Has he kissed you yet?" Kendra inquired.

  "It was good; we had a lot of fun. The good news is that he still likes me even after he saw my terrible Frisbee throwing skills. I was worried I'd scare him off with my poor aim." I chuckled and poured myself a bowl of cereal. "And, no... unfortunately, he hasn't kissed me yet."

  "He didn't run away because of your Frisbee skills? Amazing. He passed the test then." Kendra said jokingly, "If he still likes you after seeing how bad your aim is, it means there's definitely a possibility with that relationship."

  "Yes, there is a possibility, and for that reason, I'm feeling completely guilty about the fact that I started dating him based on the bet. In fact, it woke me up in the middle of the night last night worrying about whether or not it was fair for me to go out with him again. I'm nervous to admit I am truly interested in him, but I honestly can't stop thinking about him. I don't want the guilt of the bet hanging over my head."

  "So what are you saying? If I'm hearing you correctly, it sounds like you really like this guy? I was expecting you to complete the fifth date, and then turn around and run. You've already set a world record in your dating life for sticking with him for two weeks. Maybe I should call the Guinness Book of World Records and tell them about it," Kendra winked at me.

  "Yes, as crazy as it sounds, I will admit that I like this guy. I like him to the point where I want to be able to move forward with a clean conscience, so I'm throwing in the towel. You won the bet. I have a date scheduled with him on Friday, which would technically be my fifth date, but I'm going to feel guilty the whole night if I'm there to win a bet. So I'm quitting the bet, and going on a date because I want to go out with Patrick."

  "Whoa, this is a big deal," Kendra said seriously. "If that's what you want to do, I will support you in it. But, I’m going to throw in the towel too, there's no fun in winning the bet because the other person forfeited. So, how about we go shopping for phones together, and buy a phone for the other person? We'll call it a draw."

  "Thank you, Kendra, I knew you would understand. I'm still happy to buy your phone, because I know that I'm still accountable for our agreement. You and I both know that it wasn't about the new phone, it was really about the fun competitive aspect of seeing if I could do it or not."

  "It's true. As much as I would love a new phone, I love seeing your competitive side come out even more!"

  "One more thing, I need you to be sworn to secrecy that you will never ever tell Patrick about this bet. I don't know what will happen with us, and it's possible that we'll go out a few more times and then decide that it's not working. But no matter what happens, I would feel terrible if he knew that the only reason I went out with him in the beginning was to win a bet."

  "You have my word." Kendra stuck out her pinky finger, I did the same, and we linked them together in a pinky swear. Even though it was kind of an elementary school thing to do, as best friends we knew that it meant we were in it together, and we would never reveal each other's secrets.

  *****

  Patrick sent me a text and told me to dress up for our date on Friday night. Since we were going to the Symphony, he said we might as well get dressed up and make an evening of it. I loved the idea, especially because there weren't very many opportunities as a college student to wear a beautiful dress.

  There was a form-fitting, floor length black gown in my closet; I bought it a few years ago for a banquet. What a perfect opportunity to pull out that dress again!

  It had capped sleeves, a beautiful bodice with intricate designs and lace, and a flowing satin skirt. When I wore it, I felt as though I was walking on a cloud. I paired the dress with a simple pearl necklace and a pair of high heeled black peep-toes.

  I had a hard time deciding if I should put my hair into a sweeping up-do, or if I should curl it to allow the long curls to flow down my back. I decided to do a little bit of both, and I pulled the front sections halfway up and gathered them in small curls, with the length of my hair flowing in soft curls and waves.

  When Patrick knocked on the door, I opened it and he gasped in pleasure at the sight of me. "You look stunning. I'm the luckiest guy alive to have a girl like you on my arm tonight."

  "Why thank you! I like your suit, you look quite dapper. We make a pretty good-looking couple together, if I should say so myself."

  "Yes, yes we do," Patrick agreed. "Do you want to know the best part about my date tonight? She's not only beautiful, but she has a fantastic personality and she's smart. Her beauty is only the cherry on top of everything else that I like about her."

  Patrick always seemed to know the right thing to say to make me swoon, and my heart completely melted when I heard him talking about me that way. "You sure know the right thing to say to the ladies, don't you?" I said teasingly.

  "Nope," he said. "I only know the right things to say to you, and it’s simple: all I have to do is tell the truth."

  I smiled at him and told him thank you, then took his arm as we walked out to his car. There was a slight twinge of my conscious when he mentioned telling the truth. However, I had ended the bet with Kendra and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

  To get to the conce
rt in Salt Lake, we had about an hour and a half drive in the car. The entire time was filled with good, solid conversation. We talked about everything from fun hobbies, to funny quirks that our parents did, and shared stories about pets that we had when we were growing up. We both loved dogs and had left our best friends with our parents when we went away to college. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who cried for a week over being away from my dog; I missed that cute pup more than my parents. He did inform me that he refrained from shedding his tears until he was in the shower so his roommates wouldn’t see. I thought that was kind of cute.

  Eventually the conversation rolled around to the topic of relationships again, and I figured I’d better tell him about the engagement that I had called off. I told him about the relationship and how I didn't see how controlling Keaton had been.

  "I was completely blinded by my love, and the hope that I had for our relationship. On the surface, he was a great guy, but I didn't see how controlling he was in so many aspects of our relationship.

  "At one point, I had changed almost every aspect of my life to accommodate his needs: I changed my hairstyle and the way that I dressed to please him. I adjusted my class schedule so that I was available to drive him to campus. I even got a new job because I wasn't earning enough money to pay for everything that we wanted to do together. I even stopped spending time with some of my closest friends, because he didn't like it when I spent time with other people.

  "Looking back on it, I can see the red flags. But, at the time I was completely oblivious to the fact that it was an unhealthy relationship. Over the course of our dating, I had become completely lost. I lost my own identity, and didn't know who I was without him telling me what to do.

  "I consider myself to be a easy-going girlfriend, and I didn't really complain when he was more interested in his video games than in me. But, after awhile I started to wonder if I was making the right decision.

  "I finally decided to break off the engagement when I realized that I was dreading our wedding day instead of getting more excited for it. I woke up one morning realizing that the bride should be hopefully anticipating the day that she would promise herself to the man of her dreams, instead of holding her breath to see what would happen.

  "It was Kendra who saved me, and helped me realize the situation. She was by my side the whole time, and really helped me get back on my feet after I broke up with him. I was a mess for a little while, and I spent my days eating junk food and watching TV. Eventually, Kendra helped me to see that life could go on after Keaton, and I was able to start focusing on school again and get back into the dating game."

  I told Patrick about how supportive Kendra and my parents had been and that I don’t think I would have had the courage to call the wedding off without their support. I stopped short of telling him my master plan: School first; relationship after graduation. I didn’t want to completely scare him off at this point.

  "In fact," I told him. "I haven't had a serious boyfriend since then. It's been a good couple of years. I've been dating, but I haven't let any guy get too close to me. Usually it's just one or two dates, and then I get scared and move onto something else."

  "I guess I should consider myself lucky guy that I’m on date number five with you then," he said with a grin.

  I was a little surprised that Patrick knew that it was date number five; most guys didn't pay attention to small details like that. For a moment it made me nervous, because I wondered if he was trying to hint at the five dates that were required for the bet. But I quickly stopped that train of thought, and reminded myself that the bet was over, and it didn't matter.

  Patrick reached over and grabbed my hand; we held hands until we got to the restaurant where we were going to eat dinner. He had picked a nice steakhouse in downtown Salt Lake City. The restaurant was located on the top floor of a tall building, where we could look out the window at the beautiful views of the downtown city lights. The meal was delicious, and it was very romantic.

  After dinner we walked the few blocks down to Abravenel Hall, where the concert was being held. Patrick was very cognizant of my high heels and made sure he pointed out cracks in the sidewalk or other trip hazards as we walked. He pulled my arm into the crook of his arm, and explained it was necessary to ensure I didn’t injure myself. We found our seats, and I looked around the beautiful concert hall to see many other people dressed up for the evening.

  It was a perfect moment: sitting in the concert hall, holding Patrick's hand, dressed in a formal gown, listening to the symphony players warming up and tuning their instruments. I was completely content with the moment, and happy that I wasn't feeling guilty about the bet.

  The concert started and I was swept away in the beauty of the music. The music was exquisite, and the orchestra was very talented. It was beautiful, and I could tell that Patrick was enjoying the music as well. I was grateful that we shared a similar taste in music: the ability to enjoy fine classical music and at other times listen to modern popular music as well.

  The concert ended around 10:30 pm, and we got back in the car for the drive back to Logan.

  *****

  The drive back to Logan was nice, since it was late at night there wasn't much traffic, so we made good time. The conversation was great; the more Patrick and I spent time together, the more the conversation easily flowed and things just felt right.

  After 90 minutes in the car, Patrick pulled up in front of my apartment and put the car into park. I noticed that there were still several lights on in my apartment, including the bedroom I shared with Kendra.

  "I hate to see this evening come to an end," he turned and looked at me and smiled. "I had a great time tonight, thanks so much for coming with me. I know that I've said it several times, but you look absolutely gorgeous."

  "Thank you so much for inviting me. It was fun to have an excuse to get dressed up. I really enjoyed the evening, and the music was phenomenal."

  Patrick reached over and grabbed my hand, and looked into my eyes. "I hope that I get to see you again sometime soon, and I'm grateful that you are so understanding about taking things slow."

  "It's a perfect pace for both of us," I responded. "We'll just take things one step at a time and see how things go."

  Patrick let go of my hand and lifted his hand to my cheek. He leaned in, and at the same time, moved my face closer to his with his hand. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles an hour, and I could feel butterflies in my stomach. This was the moment I had waited for and anticipated – the first kiss.

  As he leaned in, his lips gently touched mine, and for a moment, the world stood still. I had kissed other guys before, but this kiss was not like anything that I had ever experienced.

  His lips were soft against mine and I could feel so much emotion behind the kiss. His fingers gently caressed my cheek, and they felt electrifying to the touch. We stayed there for just a moment, and I felt as though I was floating on clouds, and nothing else in the world mattered.

  It was perfect.

  We pulled away from the kiss, and sat in the car in silence for just a moment, looking at each other. Finally, Patrick broke the silence.

  "That was the best way to end the night," Patrick said with a smile. "Let me walk you to your door."

  He got out of the car and came around to open my door. By this point, it was late enough that there was a chill in the air outside. He opened my car door, and then took off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders to help keep me warm as we walked up to my front door.

  When we reached the doorstep, Patrick wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug. I lay my head on his shoulder and enjoyed being close to him and feeling the warmth of his body. Neither of us said anything, but words were not needed, because I felt as though we could understand each other perfectly without a single word being spoken.

  As we pulled away from the hug, Patrick gave me a light kiss on my cheek and whispered in my ear, "Sweet dreams Shara. I'll talk to you tomorrow
."

  I took off the jacket and handed it back to him, "Thank you for a wonderful night. I hope your dreams are just as sweet. Talk to you tomorrow."

  As I walked through the front door, I felt like I was floating on air. I didn’t know where this relationship was going, but I was beginning to believe that God had brought Patrick and me into each other’s lives for a reason. And if that was so, who was I to stand in the way of God’s master plan? I had been trying to stick to my plan, but after tonight, I had come to realize that my plan wasn’t going to work out.

  I knew that I really cared for Patrick. And I knew that it wasn't a coincidence that I we had met. Everything happens for a reason, and I was hopeful about our future together. I didn't know what that future would look like, but it was ok... because I felt the peace and comfort from God that it would all work out right. For now, I was going to enjoy the moment and look forward spending more time with Patrick and getting to know him better.

  Kendra was just going to bed as I entered our room and after a brief conversation, I promised to fill her in on everything in the morning.

  As I drifted off to sleep I was reminded of a Bible verse from one of our Sunday school lessons a few weeks back:

  Proverbs 3:5-6

  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

  I fell asleep assured that God was in control, and would always work toward my best interest. What a comforting thought to end a beautiful day. I couldn't wait to see what He might have in store for the future.

  Bonus: Excerpt from "Country Crooner"

  Find the full "Country Crooner" novella on Amazon here:

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEA8L12

  Read an excerpt from Country Crooner below:

  Country Crooner

  It was the type of phone call every person dreads getting. Chelsea hung up the phone and tried to keep her composure, but despite her best efforts to hold back tears, she couldn't keep them from running down her face.