"Come on Laura, let's go!" yelled Mel.
Tonight was my first official date with Lance. Time had gone by so quickly since that night in Salem. As promised I showed the others where I grew up. It was weird being around my grandparents since in their eyes, they have grandchildren but no daughter. They had dis-owned my mother when we moved so many years ago.
"Ok, I'm coming!" I said.
We were back in New York, where it all began. Amanda and Mel were seated in the 'living room' of the hotel suite when I walked out of the bedroom. Amanda and Mel looked up as I opened the door and walked out toward them.
"Ooohhhhh! You look so pretty!" screamed Mel when she saw my attire.
"I feel like a moron," I said.
Everyone knew that I wasn't a dress person but Mel made me wear one. Although, I did know how to dress up when need be. Amanda sat watching me and I realized that this must be the first time she'd seen me in one.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked suddenly self-conscience.
"Nothing. Lance is going to die when he sees you."
"Yeah, I'm sure. He'll die of the hideous site," I laughed.
"Laura, don't do that..." Amanda warned me. "Cause I don't want to hear it."
I began to open my mouth to reply but the knock at the door ceased it. I knew that it was Lance but Mel wanted to play "the parent."
"Well, come on in son. This is Amanda, Laura's mother. Please have a seat. Laura isn't ready yet." Mel said with the parental tone and a smile on her face.
"Yes, I am DAD." I said walking up.
Lance looked at me and stopped. He looked down at what I was wearing and again I became self-conscience.
"What?" I asked again looking down at myself. I had on a black dress which stopped just above my knees and had my hair up in a bun with sprigs of hair falling near my face.
"Nothing," he breathed. "Absolutly nothing."
I couldn't really see it but I could tell that Amanda and Mel silently smiled at each other. A mental high-five.
"Well have her home by nine, son." Mel said with her deep parental voice.
"Mel," I said turning to her. "It's only eight."
"So," he said outside my hotel room door. "Are you hungry?" he asked holding his arm out to escort me to the waiting limo outside.
"Yes, I am." I said while linking my arm around his as we walked down the hall toward the elevador.
Five minutes later we were in the limo and driving to the resturant. Lance and I sat quiet across from each other. We had been in a limo together numerous times before but never had the atmosphere been so weird. I came to the conclusion that it had to be my nerves. Again I became self-conscience when I saw Lance staring at me.
"What?" I questioned with a small laugh.
"You look amazing," he said before realizing.
We both blushed at his comment.
"I mean--" he started with a little stutter.
"Lance, it's ok. Thank you, you look nice too."
"So, how did you like dinner?" Lance asked as we walked on the familiar beach.
"It was nice. Are you ever going to tell me how much it cost?" I asked with a smile.
"No," he said smiling. "I asked you on the date, remember. How would it look if you paid?"
We were back on the beach, after our stop at the restaraunt, just around the corner from the hotel. After a while I finally got comfortable around him.
It's just Lance. You see him everyday. I kept telling myself. But this time it's different.
It was as if I forgot how to speak. We kept on walking until he stopped and bent down to pick up a shell off the beach. He held it to his ear and listened.
"Listen to this," he said holding out the shell toward me. "It sounds like the ocean."
I tried taking the shell but when he held tight to it I leaned in to listen.
"Listen I was hoping that maybe we could talk?"
"About what?" I asked confused.
"Well about last time we were here." He said waving his arm out toward the water.
"Oh," I said getting quiet.
"I'm not going to rush you but I will tell you that I did want to kiss you." He said as he looked at me.
"Um... well."
"Don't do this. I'm not going to say anything or hold anything against you. Tell me what you are thinking."
"How did you know that I--"
"I used to be the same. The guys brought me out of it." He smiled.
"Oh. Well, I guess what I was thinking was..."
"What?" He asked. "Hey, look up here." He said guiding my head up. "What are you thinking?"
"I was thinking... that I wanted you to." I said trying to look away but was unsuccessful.
"Then why--"
"Lance, you already know the answer to that question."
"Ok, well you know what I'm thinking?"
"No," I said looking into his eyes.
"I'm thinking that I'm going to finish what I started."
Before I could react, he leaned forward and placed his lips on mine gently.
