The First Date.


It wasn't easy trying to think of something that would please Ember, be romantic and also be considered a real date. It'd been so long since I'd been in the dating scene I didn't really understand it anymore.. But there was one thing I did know, and that was how to swoon the love of my life. So, I called in some back-up and set to work.


Ember had been told to dress up, which I knew was pretty hard for her, but she'd manage. I, myself, was wearing a tux and clinging to my guitar with sweaty palms. Sucking in a sharp breath, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and stared at the time. Rian was set to pick Ember up at any minute.


Alex glanced over his shoulder to me, a big grin on his face. I know it made him happy to see Ember and I putting so much effort into our relationship. He cleared his throat and began humming, that smug smile never leaving his lips.


Right on time, headlights came through the trees. I gripped my guitar and looked to my best friend, nervous as to what Ember would think about everything I'd done. Was it a good date? Would she even enjoy it or would she think I was lame? Didn't matter now, because she was coming through the walk way wearing a navy colored dress that absolutely took my breath away. Rian had her arm locked in his and pulled her over to where Alex and I were.


I watched as she took in everything around her. It was a park, nothing major, but we had gone our of our way to decorate it with lights. Thankfully the bathroom had an outlet, so we could dimly light the area under the night sky so that her eyes shimmered as she looked at me. On top of that, there was a trail of rose petals leading to a gazebo, which was lit up with candles and already had our meals covered and waiting for us. Alex and I had worked our butts off to make this place look nice and I figured it was better than taking her to a stupid movie and speading too much on a meal we probably wouldn't eat.


Ember let out a breath and smiled at the world around her. So far, she seemed to like the effort I put in, now it was time for the main show. Alex cleared his throat and sent me a look. Nervously, I smiled and strummed my guitar.


"One of the first things that made us get alone was when you heard me playing guitar," I commented, locking my eyes on hers. "And though Zack should be the one playing at the moment, I thought I could try my hardest to pull this together for you."


She didn't speak, she just smiled and watched as Alex and I came together to make the song sound good enough for her. My best friend sang Six Feet Under the Stars while I played, but my attention was focused on the short girl with the big smile. I only hoped that she really enjoyed it and that she understood where I was going with this idea.


When the song came to an end, Alex took my guitar and made his way back to his car. Rian gave Ember a kiss on the cheek and waved us off, leaving us alone for our date. With a grin, I took his place and walked Ember through the petals and to our meals. She sat down first and I sat opposite of her.


"Jack, this is amazing."


"It's kind of lame, though," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I just wanted to make you happy. We can do the typical high school dates after this if you want. I just wanted tonight to be magical."


"And it is. It's gorgeous. I can't believe you did all of this."


"I had some help," I smirked, leaning over to pour Ember a drink. "It's amazing, you know. How after all this time you still manage to make me weak in the knees."


"Have you been brushing up on romantic movies?"


"Only if you call Home Alone a chick flick."


"So, what's to eat?"


"Leave it to you to be concerned about the food in a time like this," I picked, revealing the still warm grilled cheese I'd personally made for us. "This I did all by myself!"


Ember giggled and rolled her eyes, batting her eyelashes at me. It's crazy how I thought this whole dating thing would be crap, and yet I felt like I was swooning her for the very first time. Almost like we were seeing each other in an entirely new light. I was hoping this meant our past was really behind us.


"Dig in, my darling. After we eat, the guys are going to clean all of this up for us and you get to pick where we go next."


"Hey! That wasn't part of the deal."


"Nope, but I actually cooked for you. Who are you to object in a time like this?"


"Fine," Ember sighed, picking apart her grilled cheese to eat the center first. "You win."

Notes

I'm so sorry this took forever! D: