Page 94 of Grounded
Dylan orders the most expensive steak they have on the menu, and I settle for a chicken dish that is nowhere near that price range. I'm not about to take advantage of this and act like I'm on death row and this is my final meal.
Apparently all we needed was some time to warm up because when our meals arrive, I'm feeling better about all this. Sure, that spark is fighting to keep aflame, but Dylan is rather charming.
Maybe, just maybe, I'll see him again.
When we leave the restaurant, he walks me to my car.
The weather is perfect this time of night. The sun has set but the temperature is impeccable. No cold breeze and no sweltering heat.
"Thank you so much for dinner, I had a great time," I embellish.
"The pleasure is all mine." Dylan's body approaches mine, and I assume he's going for another polite kiss on the cheek. But when his mouth opens and his tongue darts toward my lips, I dodge his face.
"Oh, sorry I thought you were going for my cheek again." I'm sly in the way I move my body away from his, but he doesn't seem to take the hint.
"Come here," he requests while grabbing onto my lower back.
I'm fidgeting in his grasp because Ido notwant to kiss him.
"You like playing hard to get, don't you?" he whispers.
"No, I'm not playing. I don't want to kiss you."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes."
"I bought you dinner. An expensive dinner."
"That means I automatically have to let you put your tongue in my mouth?"
"I was expecting a little more than justtongue."
"Are you serious?" I shriek as I open my car door. His body language isn't aggressive, but I would like to remove myself from this situation immediately.
"Why are you acting like this?" he asks.
"You're gaslighting me now?"
"Are you so new to the game that you didn't know people fuck on their first date?"
"I'm sure it happens. But it's not happening with me."
"Fucking tease."
I gasp as though my lungs collapsed, like this is the first time a man has said those words to me. Theo said it first, but that felt more accurate during the compromising position we put ourselves in as opposed to now.
Getting into my dad's car with a loud huff, I wish I’d taken Theo's car instead so I could blow a bunch of exhaust fumes into his face.
Right as I'm about to peel out of the parking lot, I lower my window and yell, "You can’t even use your and you’re correctly!"
Insteadofgoingstraighthome, I drive along the coast north from Del Mar up to Carlsbad. The ocean is so calming at night, yet the waves still crash as violently as they do during the day. A dark void that hides the aggression better.
It's late, and my dad assumes I'm getting drinks with friends. I didn't want him to worry I was on a date with a stranger. Only Theo knows that detail. But who cares now? Dylan is a jerk, and he is a perfect example of why I'm not going on another date anytime soon.
I'm parked along the shoreline with the sunroof open.
It's almost 10:00 p.m., so when a text comes through, I hope it's not Dylan requesting my Venmo name so I can pay him back for the dinner.
