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"Then go take a shower; you smell worse than the whole construction crew after pulling an all-nighter," Gabe teases. I should have known his wall wouldn't be down for long. I finally walk inside and flop down on the couch. It's almost nine o'clock. No wonder I'm so exhausted. I've been running for over two hours. Pulling out my phone, I quickly text Bella.
Nate: Morning babe, are you excited about today?
My Bella:Yes, I'm so excited. Ava has a full schedule for today. She's picking me up in about 15 minutes. Then we're going to visit every boutique, clothing shop, and probably every other store downtown..
Nate:Wow, that sounds hectic.
My Bella:It'll be worth it when we all find the perfect prom dresses.
Nate:You'll look beautiful in anything you wear. I hope you’ll have a great time anyway.
Now that I know for sure Bella will be gone all day, I won’t run the risk of being caught, so I send Tucker another quick message.
Nate: Hey Tuck, are you still willing to be my alibi today? Remember, if the girls ask, we're together now.
Tucker:Yeah, of course, I got you, bro.
Nate:You didn't tell Ava anything about where I really am, right?
Tucker:No, of course not. You're my boy! Are you ready to confess what you're really doing, though?
Nate:Not yet; you’re just going to have to trust me.
Tucker:Fine, don't make me regret it. I don’t wanna be forced by Ava to beat your ass.
Nate:I'd like to see you try.
Shit, it's almost half past nine. I've got to be at the restaurant in half an hour. I quickly jump in the shower, pick out my fanciest shirt and tie, making sure I look my best for our meeting, and make my way to the door.
I arrive with less than five minutes to spare. Luckily, when the waiter leads me to the table I reserved weeks ago, I notice that no one else is here yet.
"Hey, could I have a shot of tequila and a coke, please?" I ask nervously. I haven't had a drink in years, but I'm going to need some liquid courage to get through today. I've a feeling that the next hour could determine my entire future. I see the waiter eyeing me curiously before he senses my nerves and takes pity on me, nodding and disappearing into the kitchen.
What seems like only seconds later, he brings both drinks over. "I’m giving you this drink because you look like you need it, but I can’t serve you anything else," he explains as he slyly slides the shot over to me.
I down my liquor quickly,God, it burns, then I have a sip of my Coke.
"Thanks, man;I can’t tell you how badly I needed that."
I sit there staring at my watch, then at the door, then at my watch again. It feels like time is moving backwards because when I look again, I realize it's only six minutes past ten. They're less than ten minutes late, but it feels like I've been sitting and waiting for days.
The door finally opens, and they walk in. Standing up, I wave to get their attention.
"Sorry, we’re late," they both apologize.
"That's all right. I'm glad you made it here safely," I reply, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.
I walk around them and pull out their chairs, hoping I'm giving off gentlemanly vibes. I know Bella and the girls would laugh if I tried that on them, but right now, I'm desperate to make a good impression. So I am pulling out every trick I've seen from the cheesy romance movies Bella makes me watch.
"Now then. How about we all sit down, have a drink, and talk? There's no need to be so nervous, Nathaniel. We're not planning on eating you for lunch," Pops jokes, trying to ease the nervous tension that’s so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"You're probably wondering why I asked you to meet with me. And more importantly, why I said we had to meet when Bella was out of town," I begin.
"Well, we have a few ideas, but why don't you tell us," Nana encourages.
"Okay, so you know I've been in love with your granddaughter for as long as I can remember. If I'm honest, I think I fell in love with her the first time I met her. Every day we were apart, I felt like a part of me was missing. But now that we're together, it feels like I've found my best friend and soulmate. I can feel my mouth becoming drier than the desert, so I take a large gulp of my drink.
"Slow down, son, we're getting a little hard of hearing in our old age. And right now, you sound like you're talking as fast as those rappers’ you kids seem to listen to these days. Just take a deep breath." Nana smiles widely as she places a hand on mine.
