“But,” he continues, “that’s not what I’m thinking about now. I’m thinking about going onthisdate…withyou.”
“Yeah.” I don’t know what else to say as I look out of the window and get quite.
“I like that you’re a little jealous,” he says, smirking
I glare at him. “I’mnotjealous.”
Maybe a little.
“It’s okay. I wouldn’t like thinking about you on dates with other guys.”
I smirk back at him now. “Soyou’rethe jealous one?” I tease.
“Definitely.”
The way he says it makes my heart skip. Him being jealous when it comes to me feels…good?
“Well, no need to worry about that,” I tell him. “I’ve actually never even been on a date before.”
“Really?” he asks, surprised. “That’s hard to believe.”
“Why?”
“‘Cause you’re hot, and really cool. Who wouldn’t wanna date you?”
“I think you might be the only one who thinks that.”
“Lydia, every guy at school talks about how hot you are to me since we’ve been hanging out. It actually pisses me off sometimes, and I have to stop myself from punching them. I’m constantly telling them to stop looking at you.”
I don’t know how to feel about that. It’s strange to think about anyone talking about me being anything other than the freak around school.
When we get to the restaurant, we have to park a couple of blocks away and walk over. Eli makes me stand on the inside of the sidewalk, telling me he doesn’t want me close to the road, that the man should always stand on the outside. I think it’s cute how protective he is.
He opens the door when we get there, and it’s pretty packed. We get a seat, then get started with drinks and appetizers while we wait for our food.
“I…really like you, Lydia.”
His words catch me off guard, and I fumble with my chip as I go to put it in my mouth.
He laughs a little. “You’re different, and…pretty cool.”
I wipe my mouth, making sure I don’t have any food on it. “I, uh…thank you…I like you a lot, too.”
“Do you like me in the same way, though?”
“What other way is there to like someone?” I ask him, confused.
“Like, in the way that I’d want to make you my girlfriend.”
My mouth drops open a little in shock, but I quickly try to keep a neutral face and not embarrass myself. “You want to make me your girlfriend?”
He nods, and my heart starts to beat faster. “Do you want to be?”
Of course I do…but does he knowwhat he’s signing up for?
“Yeah,” I say nervously. “But…are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
