Chereads / The Warmth of a Heart / Chapter 5 - That Summer Part 4

Chapter 5 - That Summer Part 4

"You're the girl that was working at the golf place." My little brother said. He was just as surprised to see her here as I was. "Want to join us for dinner?" I said without thinking. "Oh, have you two become friends already?" My mom asked. "You're welcome to come. Our treat." My dad offered. She looked unsure. My brother convinced her with "Free food, why not come?" "Sure." She said awkwardly. We all went up to get our ice cream. I can't believe I asked that. I wanted to pound my head against the stone bench next to me. Not a great idea, but in my opinion, it could knock some sense into me. Once we all got our ice cream and finished it, we hoped into the car. I could only imagine how nerve wracking this could be.

Getting into a stranger's car was a big stranger danger lesson. She sat next to me. "So, you like mint chocolate chip ice cream?" He said to cut the tension. "You're her brother right?" She said not answering the question. "Yeah? It's not an easy job. You got to deal with her on a daily basis." I rolled my eyes at that comment. "Doesn't seem too bad. Aubrey comes off as a nice girl." Not too bad. I'll take it. I snuck a glance at her. She was busy talking to my brother so she didn't notice. She was so pretty in a tomboyish kind of way. I wished that I was the one to strike up the conversation. But conversing withy others I just recently met wasn't my strongest trait. We sat down at the as soon as we arrived. It was crowded so we were lucky to get a table with just enough seats to fit us all. "This place is really nice. I like the cloth napkins." She said as she unwrapped the linen and took out her utensils.

"I don't have enough money with me to pay for this place. Are you sure it's okay to pay for me?" My parents reassured her and well fell into a pleasant conversation. "so, do you guys live around here?" "No, we have a vacation home near the beach. My wife is the one who picked it out, and we've had it ever since." "That sounds nice. I don't get to go on vacations that much. I've been saving up for college." I was lucky enough that my parents had already taken care of that. I did get scholarships for my academics so I didn't have to pay for it all. "That is very responsible of you." My mother beamed at her. The waiter came by and took our orders. "Get whatever you want." We said in unison. My brother was being on his best behavior.

He was always like this when someone new was around. She ended up getting one of the cheapest dinners. It was fettucine alfredo with shrimp. Nonetheless it sounded delicious. I decided to get the lobster bisque, and the twin lobster tails with a petite filet mignon. I was going all out tonight. 

When the food came Jessica's eyes opened wide. "This a lot of food. I'll be taking it home." She said. My steak was just the way I wanted it. With a bloody pink center and a crispy outside. The soup came with the meal and not before which was a little different. We ate until we were too stuffed to eat anymore. It wasn't a surprise that my brother finished it all. I didn't blame him, this was great. We got the boxed and began packing up the food to go. As soon as we stepped out from the seafood restaurant she made her way down the sidewalk. It was the opposite way to the parking lot. "We'll give you a ride home. I don't want you walking home alone in the dark." My mom intervened.

Before Jessica could deny the invitation, I decided to convince her. "My mom is right. Come with us. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Not that anything would, it's just best to be careful." She nodded and came along. "Where do you live?" "I'll give you the directions. I live closer to the other side of downtown. Where the factories used to be." I was surprised she wanted to walk there in the dark. The neighborhood didn't have the best reputation. We finally arrived at her house. It was the nicest on the street. "Thanks. Catch you later Aubrey." "Oh, can I have your phone number?" "Sure." I typed it in my phone as if it was the most precious thing in the world. "Text me. We can hang out whenever. Well, on the weekends mostly. I work during the weekdays."

"Okay, sounds good." We waited until she got into the house. An older woman opened the door. I assumed it was her mother. I can't deny I had fun tonight. She texted me last night while I was asleep to make sure we got home alright. I finished the reply to one of my friends and went straight to read what else she had said. She asked if I wanted to hang out some more today. Well, that was quick. She was definitely getting my hopes up. She didn't even know I liked her. I even didn't know if she was interested in girls. If she was straight I would probably freak her out by asking her to go out with me. 

It was best to keep it to myself at the moment. I walked out of my bedroom in my purple pajamas. They had little white stars on them. This made them look like a violet night sky. Of course, everyone was up before me. I should really put on an alarm so I wouldn't get up so late. It was almost noon.