LWLU – Hot Date

She could scarcely breathe. Nothing about this felt right. This was Paul, after all…not Michael.

“Don’t worry, sir. I assure you I’ll have your daughter home at a respectable hour. You have my word.”

“Sara knows her curfew is midnight, Paul.” Mr. Tancredi grinned. “You kids have fun.”

Midnight? Since when was her curfew midnight? Any other time she went out it was always ten-thirty sharp.

Paul walked around to the passenger side of his car and opened the door for her. He waved at her father, then walked around to his side of the car. This whole thing was feeling entirely too much like a date.

“I’m sorry about my dad. He likes to interrogate the guys I go out with for a half hour before any date.”

“It’s okay. I’m good with parents.” He navigated onto the route that would lead to the drive-in. “Besides, you dad seems like a good guy.”

Sara shrugged. “I guess. You’ll have to teach me your secret. I can’t usually stay out until midnight.”

“Like I said…I’m good with parents.”

She fidgeted. “And you’re 100 percent sure Nika will be out with him tonight?”

“Yeah.” He slid a look in her direction. “Why? You think I’m making this up or something?”

“Well…It is a little unbelievable after the way their last date ended.”

“Look, Sara, if I wanted to ask you out then I would. I wouldn’t make up a lame excuse that makes me look like a stalker.” He turned to her at the red light. “Honestly, you really aren’t my type. It’s nothing against you. You seem like a nice person and you’re attractive, but…” He shook his head. “I had a serious girlfriend for two years before we moved here. I had to break up with her when we moved and that’s not the kind of thing I want to repeat before I leave for college.” He turned back to the road when the light changed to green. “I hate seeing women cry and I especially don’t like being the cause.”

“Oh.” There was really nothing else to say. Either he was sincere or he was feeding her the biggest line of BS in the history of BS to get her on a date.

Sara got the answer to that question when they arrived at the drive-in. Before her eyes could adjust to the lack of streetlamps in the gathering darkness, Paul parked the car near the back of the lot. He leaned over her, his face inches from hers.

“What are you doing?”

His hand pressed down the door lock. “People have been mugged here so I was locking your door. Electric locks aren’t working on that door for some reason.” Paul righted himself in his seat and gave her a stern look. “What? You thought I was trying something?”

“Umm…”

He rolled his eyes and nodded his head towards the windshield. “Look one row in front of us, two cars to the right.”

Sure enough, it was Sucre’s car. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“It’s okay. I was half hoping Sucre was making the whole thing up.”

“What do we do now? Stare at them for the whole movie?”

He shook his head. “Too obvious. You watch the movie and I’ll keep an eye on them from my peripheral vision.

“Okay. Is the movie supposed to be any good?”

“Sorry. It’s a zombie movie…and not a very good one.”

“Ugh. Now I remember why I never come here. The movies are always terrible.”

He grinned. “People don’t exactly come here to watch the movie, Sara.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.”

“You crack me up.” He nodded towards the backseat. “I’ve got drinks in the cooler and snacks if you want anything.”

Sara took her time rummaging through the goody stash. “Wow. Looks like you came ready for a stake-out.”

“Well…yeah.”

She grabbed a bag of red licorice and settled in to endure the movie. After only an hour, Paul put the car in gear.

“We’re leaving?”

“They go, we go.”

They drove for a few minutes and Sara realized something was wrong. Very wrong. “This isn’t the way to Nika’s house.”

“Fuck. I was afraid of this.”

They followed from two cars back for several tense minutes before they reached a café. Sara reached to open her door, but Paul placed a hand on her arm to stop her. “Not yet. It’s not crowded here.” With the eyes of a hawk, he watched them cross the lot and go inside. “Okay.”

Their luck held out when they got inside. It was open seating and they were able to get a table where they could keep an eye on Nika and Sucre without being seen. Paul picked up a menu.

“You should get something to eat if you’re hungry.”

“You really don’t have to buy me dinner.”

He shrugged. “It’s the least I can do for hijacking your Friday night. I’m sure you had better plans.”

Yeah…time alone with Michael. Ugh. Michael. She stole a glance at her watch. It was nearly nine. If Nika didn’t go home soon, her “group study session” wouldn’t end in time for her to see Michael.

She ordered a burger and fries and tried not to think about it.

After another hour, Nika and Sucre were almost done sharing some ridiculously large dessert. Now that the café was almost empty, bits of their conversation drifted over to them.

“I’ve never seen anyone turn that shade of green before.”

Nika shrugged. “I guess I don’t do well with violent movies anymore. It was gorier than I thought it’d be.” She licked fudge off her spoon. “I’m sorry we had to leave so early.”

“It’s okay. I wanted some time to talk to you anyway.”

“What about?”

He reached across the table and took her free hand in his. “I can’t apologize to you enough for the way I behaved.”

“You already explained.”

“I know. I just…I haven’t been able to get the way you looked at me out of my head since then.” He frowned. “I like you too much to make you look at me that way.”

“Well, I really like you too, Sucre.”

“Hey, guys. What are you doing here?”

Sara tore her attention away from the hushed conversation around the corner and met Lincoln’s gaze. “Um…”

“Just getting something to eat,” Paul said cheerfully. “Want to join us?”

Veronica glared at him and shot Sara a look. “Can I talk to you for a second, Sare?”

Wordless, Sara followed Veronica into the ladies room.

“I can’t believe you’re on a date with that guy.”

“It’s not really like that.” To busy her hands, Sara rummaged through her purse in search of her lip balm. As she was pulling it out, her hand caught on the lining, dumping half the purse’s contents onto the counter.

Veronica’s eyes grew wide and she snatched up the pack of birth control pills Sara picked up earlier in the week. “You’re sleeping with Paul Kellerman!”

“No.” Sara grabbed the pack and shoved it back into her purse.

“Then why do you have birth control pills?”

“Well…”

“I can’t believe you’re having sex with that guy. He’s such a jerk!”

“Keep your voice down. I’m not sleeping with Paul.” Sara glanced around to make sure they were alone and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’ve been sleeping with Michael.”

“You’re what!”

Ugh. The people in the parking lot probably heard that one. “Can you please stop shouting at me? You’re hurting my ears.”

Veronica absently shook her head from side to side. “What’s going on?”

“Okay…but you can’t say anything. Nika made me go on a double date last week with Paul, but he was only there because the guy she’s dating has a bad rep. The guy tried to take things way too far with her and she freaked out, but she agreed to go out with him again. When Paul found out, he asked me to come with him so it wouldn’t be obvious he was watching them. We’ve been spying on them all night.”

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve heard.”

“Well…yeah, but you can’t say anything.” After a beat, “About any of it.”

“Okay…okay. But we aren’t done talking about this Michael thing.”

As soon as they rejoined the guys, Veronica yanked Lincoln out of his chair and pulled him in the direction of the far wall. Paul rose as well. “We should go. They just left.”

Sara followed him to the door. “How long?”

“About the time Veronica started screaming at you.” He held the door open for her and grinned. “Why does she think we’re having sex?”

“Because my friends are crazy?”

No sooner than they rounded the corner, they were met with a pair of pissed off blue eyes. “Sara…Paul…Which one of you wants to tell me what the hell is going on?”

This was bad. Really bad.

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