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“You really do look amazing,” he says. Ethan rubs my arm and his jaw drops. “Have you gotten even softer? I swear your skin is made of pure silk.”
I laugh and the twinkle returns to Ethan’s eyes. “So where are we off to?” I ask.
He waggles his eyebrows up and down. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Too bad.” Ethan laughs and pulls away from the curb. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
I look out my window and watch the houses and trees go by in a blur of motion.
“What do you want to listen to?” Ethan asks, reaching for the dial.
“Anything.”
Ethan turns on the radio and scrolls through stations until he lands on a loud woman singing in an operatic voice. He glances at me and grins. “You said anything.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Maybe this is my favorite song,” I say.
Ethan twists the dial again until he gets to a station where two men are speaking Spanish. “How’s this one?” he asks.
“This is perfect,” I say. “I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish.”
Ethan changes the station again until he finds heavy metal. It’s loud and sounds like the lead singer is screaming in my ear. I begin head banging. Ethan looks at me and turns it up louder. I have to stop head banging. It’s making me feel dizzy. The car feels like it’s shaking and I think my head may explode. I cover my ears with my hands and Ethan smiles wide. I can’t take it anymore. I finally reach up and switch the station and turn it down. “You’re such a dork,” I say, slapping him on the arm. He laughs loudly.
“And you are too accommodating,” he says. “I was wondering how long you would last. It’s okay to have an opinion, you know.”
“But most of the time I don’t care enough to voice my opinion. Or other people’s opinions are louder than mine. It’s not worth the hassle.”
“So, you would be okay listening to opera the entire drive? Or heavy metal?”
“If it made you happy,” I say.
He looks at me. “I’m calling B.S.,” he says. “I asked what you wanted to listen to. I gave you an opening to express your opinion.”
I shrug. “I’m not usually given the option. So, it’s easier not to have one.”
“Now that’s just sad,” Ethan says.
“I’m still working on it,” I say. “I’m still working on me. But I’m getting braver with a lot of things.”
“Yeah, that video you posted was the definition of brave.”
The car stops and I look around. We’re parked outside a restaurant, but we’re sitting at an odd angle so I can’t tell which one.
Ethan turns to me. “Let’s go have some fun,” he says. He gets out of the car and I follow him. When I reach the sidewalk, he takes my hand in his and leads me inside. There’s a lot of laughter and noise surrounding us. I look over the hostess’ booth just as some large flames shoot up from a table.
“Whoa.”
“Have you ever been here?” Ethan asks.
I shake my head. “I’ve always wanted to try a hibachi grill, but no, I’ve never been to one.” I smile.
“You like it?” he asks. His eyes seem to be searching my face.
“It’s great,” I say. “This is awesome.”
Ethan pulls his fist down swiftly. “Yes!”
