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Before we hang up, Emma says, “Call me if you need anything, and don’t forget to take some protection.” She throws in that last part with a chuckle.
“Isn’t he supposed to provide that?” I ask, letting my ignorance of dating shine through.
“We can never be too careful. Besides, we wouldn’t want any little Derek Walshes or Audrey Zaks walking around. That would surely send Serena over the deep end.”
“No, we wouldn’t.” I can’t tell her that the thing with Serena is fake. I promised Derek I would keep that knowledge close to the vest and I plan to. Emma may have already figured it out on her own because she hasn’t batted an eye at the fact that he’s going out with me tonight and not Serena.
“Have a good time, girl, and call me tomorrow.”
“I will.”
“Oh, and Aud,” she says, catching me before I click off the line. “Call me if you need me, okay? I’ll come help you box the house up or hold your hand while they tell Aiden. And then I’ll do my best to console Aiden…with my boobs.” She throws in that last part while cackling into the phone.
“You are so gross.”
“You only say that because it’s your brother.”
“True.”
“Be safe and I love you.”
“Will do. Love you too,” I reply before hanging up the phone.
I go with the outfit Emma helped me pick out and ready myself for our date, giving myself pep talk after pep talk.
Once I’m dressed, I head out into the living room. I heard Derek come in while I was fixing my hair. I’ve spent most of the day obsessing over this date, so I feel a little bit of a relief when it’s finally here. There he stands in black board shorts and a gray polo shirt, with checkered Vans on his feet.
I take a moment to gaze at the perfection that is Derek Walsh. All of the feelings from last night come rushing back, and I want to run over and kiss him senseless again. But I’m afraid that attacking him before the date even starts would not go over so well. So, I settle for a lame greeting.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” he replies back, his eyes roaming my body.
Good outfit choice, I think to myself. I’m so glad I didn’t have any of my minidresses with me. I think Derek likes the more tamed-down version of Audrey, and that makes me happy. I like these clothes better too; they’re more comfortable.
“You ready to go?” he asks, smiling at me. He must think I’m a bit crazy for the way I just keep openly staring at him.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Where are we going?”
He clears his throat before saying, “There’s a cute taco place I found the other day, and then I thought we would go listen to some music.”
“Sounds perfect,” I tell him. I’m rewarded with a megawatt smile from him. I’ve seen that smile before, but it’s never been aimed at me. I’ll give him those kinds of answers all the time if I’m rewarded with a look like that.
“Perfect. Let’s go.” He extends his hand out to me, and I take it. We walk hand in hand out to Derek’s Jeep. He opens the door for me like a perfect gentleman before running around to the other side and getting in himself. Once we’re both inside the car, he grabs my hand. “This is going to be fun, Aud.”
I just smile back, unable to speak, afraid I’ll ruin the moment as he backs out of the drive.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The taco restaurant Derek found is perfect. It’s a little out-of-the-way place I’ve never been before. The name is in Spanish, and I can already hear the Spanish music that’s loudly playing inside. I love the ambience.
“How did you find this place?” I ask him.
“A bartender told me about it. I was looking for some tacos, and she said they have the best ones.”
My smile falters at the mention of the bartender being a she.
“I didn’t fuck her,” he tells me.
