Chapter 6: Something Unexpected

The next 4 days of work drag on. Instead of 4 days, it feels like 4 weeks. When Saturday rolls around I let Morgan do my makeup again. I then find a pair of black leggings and one of my Slipknot shirts. The dogs start barking, which means Nathan must be here. 

I check outside and sure enough, he's sitting on his motorcycle looking fine as hell. "Hey." I said. He looked up from his book and smiled, "Hey." I swung my leg over the motorcycle and sat behind him. "Do you smile at anyone else?" I asked. He looked back at me, "No, not really. Are you ready to go?" he asked. I wrapped my arms around him, "I am now." He laughed and started his motorcycle. 

I feel kinda special, considering I'm the only one he gives that gorgeous smile to. I'm probably the only one he's nice to. He's respectful to my family but he's nice to me. I really like him.

When we got to Forney Park, he parked his motorcycle and we headed for the trail. "Do you go to this park often?" he asked. I shook my head, "No, but when I was younger, my family and I used to come here every now and then. One time we brought our dog Barley." 

He reached for my hand and I let him take it. Usually I act out of habit and flinch away, but with him I don't find it necessary. We walked in silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company. 

"Is Slipknot your favorite metal band?" he asked after a while. He was looking at my shirt. I looked down at my shirt then back up at him, "Yeah, my step Mom introduced me to this band when I was about 14 years old." I said. 

"Is Slipknot your overall favorite band?" he asked. I shook my head, "No, Nickelback is. What is your favorite band?" I asked. "Metallica is my favorite band. My favorite song is Fine Again by Seether." I smiled, "My favorite song is Broken by Seether."

"Who is your favorite country singer or band?" he asked. I had to think about it for a second, "Eli Young Band, what about you?" I  asked. "Brooks and Dunn." he said almost immediately.

"We've talked about books before, but what's your favorite book?'' I asked. "Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant. What about yours?" he asked. "My favorite book is In The End by Demitria Lunetta. It's the second book in a two-book series." I said.

 "What's that about?'' he asked. It takes place during a florae apocalypse. Florae are creatures about 5 feet tall. They have teeth and claws as sharp as blades. They are extremely fast. They have horrible vision but amazing hearing. They used to be human. The first book is about Amy, the main character, trying to survive the Florae and a survival colony, New Hope. The second book is about her saving her sister from New Hope." I said. "Sounds interesting." he said.

"Were you born in Texas?" he asked. "No." I said with disgust. "I was born in Idaho and then I moved to Texas. Then I moved to Oregon and then back to Texas. Then I moved to Minnesota then Texas then Minnesota and then Texas again." I said. He laughed, "Do you still move a lot. I frowned, "No." He looked confused, "Is that a bad thing?" he asked. "Not really, but I do miss it." I said. 

We kept walking until the trail ended. When we made it to the end, he stopped and turned to me. "Renée." he said. It was the first time he's called me using my name. "Yes." I said. "I know we haven't known each other very long and that this is only our second date but, would you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

"I-I-Um." I took a deep breath so I could speak correctly. "Yes, Nathan I would love to be your girlfriend." I said with a huge grin on my face. He suddenly wrapped me in a huge hug. At first I tensed up, but then I relaxed and hugged him back. 

We released each other's grip on one another and held hands instead. "Let's get one thing straight, if you wanna call me some kinda cute nickname, I need to approve it first." I said. He nodded, "That's understandable, there are a lot of stupid nicknames out there. By the way, the same rule applies to you." I smiled, "I'm glad you understand."

When we made it back to his motorcycle he turned to me, "Are forehead kisses ok when we get to that point?" he asked. "I suppose." I said.

We got on his motorcycle and he started to drive me home. As usual, I was behind him on the motorcycle. Out of nowhere I got the urge to hug him. I tightened my grip around him and placed the side of my head against his back. 

"You wanna get some lunch?" he asked. I was still hugging him. "Sure. Can I pay this time?" I asked. "Absolutely not." he said. I laughed, "So, your one of those guys." He shook his head, "You wanna go to Denny's?" 

I immediately went silent. "Are you ok?" he asked. I felt a tear roll down my face, "Not Denny's." I said in a sad, quiet voice. He pulled into a gas station. Once he parked he turned to look at me. His jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up. 

He regained composure. Then he pulled me to him in a tight, comforting hug. "What's wrong?" he asked in a gentle voice. In a shaky voice I said, "My mom that died worked at Denny's most of my life. She died in April." Now that I said it out loud more tears started to flow. He hugged me tighter, "God, Renée I'm sorry." I hugged him back and mumbled, "It's ok, you didn't mean any harm." 

We sat there like that in silence for a while. "Are you ready to go now? You can choose where we eat." I nuzzled my face into his chest. "I don't care where we go as long as it's not Denny's." my voice broke on the last word. He threaded his fingers through my hair, "Ok, how about Taco Casa?" he asked. "That's fine." I said. We headed to Taco Casa in peace, no longer mentioning Denny's or my mom.