Page 65 of When Ben Loved Tim
I laugh. “You’re actuallyworsethan my mom!”
Allison smiles. “Does she know yet?”
“She suspects.” I check the clock. “Do you think I should wear cologne?”
“He strikes me as the type who will wear enough for the both of you.”
I move past her to put on the maroon shoes, my pulse picking up in anticipation. Then we go downstairs to wait by the door.
“Do you think he’ll bring you flowers?” Allison asks.
“I hope not,” I reply. “It’s not like my grandma died or something.”
“Boys are so weird,” she says, shaking her head.
We both perk up at the sound of an engine. I peek through the widow and see his car pulling into the driveway.
“This is it!” I turn to my friend. “Do I look okay? No booger in my nose?”
“You’re perfect,” Allison assures me. “Have fun!”
I give her another hug and slip outside. Tim is standing next to his car. He’s wearing a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his thick forearms, which works for me, because I can already imagine groping them while we watch the movie. The jeans he’s wearing end in black sneakers which look new, judging from the stark white laces.
“Hey,” I say casually when approaching.
“Hey,” he replies. Tim walks to the passenger-side door. Then he glances around before opening it for me. I can imagine Allison adding and subtracting points. “You look nice,” he says.
“Thanks,” I reply, hoping she was able to read his lips. And speaking of his mouth… “No kiss?”
Tim laughs. “Get inside. Then we’ll see.”
“All right.”
He doesn’t keep me waiting. Once Tim is in the driver’s seat, he leans over. If she’s watching us kiss, I hope Allison can tell how real this is. She thinks he should break up with Krista before any of this goes further. I agree for the most part, but compared to all the sex we’ve had recently, a date seems positively innocent.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he replies, reversing out of the driveway. “I even made a reservation.”
I’m tempted to roll down the window and shout“He made a reservation!”just so Allison knows how awesome this night is going to be, but I manage to restrain myself.
“I like the color combination you’re wearing,” Tim says, glancing over at me again with a certain intensity that I associate with his artistic side.
He’s still tight-lipped about such things. I refuse to pry, since I figure that when he finally opens up, it’ll be a sign that he trusts me. So for now, we’re at a standoff. “You look great in black,” I reply, loving the way it matches his hair and makes his brown skin pop.
A smile tugs at his cheek. He reaches for the stereo, which he often does after picking me up, so he can hear me sing. But he turns it back down again before I have a chance to start.
“Uh…” he says, easing off the accelerator. “Krista lives around here.”
“Great! Let’s stop by and say hello.”
He manages a halfhearted chuckle. “Would you mind leaning your seat back? Like all the way?”
“What for?” I ask before it clicks. “Wait, you don’t want to be seen with me?”
He grimaces. “It’ll be hard to explain why we were driving around together.”
“Not if you’re honest.”
